apush terms 1-50

vocab 1-50

Mayflower Compact

1620 agreement establishing self-government for Plymouth Colony, signed by 41 passengers aboard the Mayflower.

William Bradford

Pilgrim leader and second governor of Plymouth (1621–1657) who promoted private land ownership and helped the colony survive hardships.

Pilgrims and Puritans contrasted

Pilgrims were Separatists who fled England; Puritans were non-separatists seeking to reform the Church of England.

Massachusetts Bay Colony

1629 Puritans settled under a charter, establishing political freedom and a representative government.

Cambridge Agreement

1629 Puritan stockholders agreed to emigrate to New England with control of the colony’s government."

Puritan migration

Large-scale Puritan immigration to Massachusetts Bay in the 1630s–1640s, greatly expanding the colony population.

Church of England (Anglican Church)

National church founded by Henry VIII; blended Catholic and Protestant elements.

John Winthrop

First governor of Massachusetts Bay; Puritan leader who favored limited democracy and organized the New England Confederation.

Separatists, non-separatists

Separatists believed the Church of England could not be reformed; non-separatists (Puritans) sought reform within the church.

Calvinism

Protestant theology by John Calvin; predestination; supported constitutional government and separation of church and state.

Congregational Church; Cambridge Platform

Congregational Church formed by Puritans; Cambridge Platform emphasized morality over dogma.

Contrast Puritan colonies with others

Puritan colonies were self-governing with church-based voting; other colonies varied in governance.

Anne Hutchinson

Puritan dissenter who preached direct revelation; banished in 1637; followers founded New Hampshire.

Roger Williams, Rhode Island

Left Massachusetts, founded Rhode Island with religious freedom on land purchased from Native tribes.

Covenant theology

Puritan belief in biblical covenants (Adam, Noah, grace through Christ) guiding communities.

Voting granted to church members - 1631

Massachusetts General Court act restricting voting rights to church members.

Half-way Covenant

Policy allowing children of church members (not yet spiritually elect) to participate in some church affairs.

Brattle Street Church

1698 church founded by Thomas Brattle; did not require grace for full membership.

Thomas Hooker

Clergyman; founder of Hartford, CT; advocated citizens’ right to elect magistrates (father of American democracy).

Fundamental Orders of Connecticut

Established a unified colonial government for Connecticut towns; often regarded as the first American constitution.

Saybrook Platform

Organized Connecticut’s town churches into county associations with delegated governance.

Massachusetts School Law

First public education law; towns with 50+ families required a schoolmaster; 100+ families required a grammar school.

Harvard founded 1636

Founded by a Massachusetts General Court grant; established to promote Puritan education.

New England Confederation

1643 alliance among four New England colonies for defense and dispute resolution.

King Philip’s War

1675–1676 conflict led by Metacomet (King Philip) between Native tribes and colonists; colonists won with Mohawk aid.

Dominion of New England

1686 royal province combining MA, RI, NH, CT; governed by royal governor Andros; ended in 1692 after revolt.

Sir Edmond Andros

Governor of the Dominion of New England (1686–1692); deposed during colonial revolt.

Joint stock company

Company owned by shareholders; profits and debts shared among investors.

Virginia: purpose, problems, failures, successes

Early chartered profit venture; starvation and high death rates; later success with tobacco and crown control.

Headright system

Land grants (~50 acres) given to settlers who brought indentured servants; attracted settlers.

John Smith

Leader who helped found and govern Jamestown; his discipline aided survival.

John Rolfe, tobacco

Early Jamestown settler who perfected tobacco cultivation and curing, boosting Virginia’s economy.

Slavery begins 1619

Arrival of the first African slaves in Virginia, marking the start of slavery in English America.

House of Burgesses 1619

First representative legislative body in colonial America.

Bacon’s Rebellion

1676 frontier uprising led by Nathaniel Bacon against Governor Berkeley; Jamestown burned; ended with Bacon’s death.

Culpeper’s Rebellion (1677-79)

NC uprising against Lords Proprietor over Navigation Acts and tax exemptions; crushed but Culpeper acquitted.

Georgia: reasons, successes 1733

Founded as a buffer against Spanish Florida and as debtor haven; later relaxed restrictions led to growth.

James Oglethorpe

Founder/governor of Georgia; strict, military-like rule; banned slavery, alcohol, and Catholicism; later removed from office.

Carolinas

1665 grant to repay debt; headrights and representative government; later split into North and South Carolina.

Charleston

First permanent settlement in the Carolinas (1690); many Huguenot refugees.

Staple crops in the South

Tobacco in Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina; rice in South Carolina and Georgia; indigo in South Carolina.

Pennsylvania, William Penn

1681 grant forming a haven for Quakers; religious freedom and liberal governance.

Liberal land laws in Pennsylvania

Penn’s policy encouraging broad emigration to provide a haven for persecuted religions.

Holy experiment

Penn’s term for Pennsylvania’s government intended to provide freedom for all.

Charter of Liberties 1701

PA constitution establishing representative government and county autonomy.

New York: Dutch, 1664 English

NY changed hands from Dutch to English in 1664; briefly retaken by Dutch in 1673 and finally controlled by England in 1674.

Peter Stuyvesant

Governor of Dutch New Amsterdam; disliked by colonists; surrendered to the English in 1664.

Five Nations

Mohawk, Oneida, Seneca, Onondaga, Cayuga (Iroquois); later Tuscarora; powerful pre-Revolution Native confederacy; influential in American constitutional ideas.

Crops in the Middle Colonies

Staple crops: grain and corn.

New York and Philadelphia as urban centers

New York’s harbor and rivers made it a major trade hub; Philadelphia became a trade and crafts center with a large immigrant population, numbering about 10,000 by 1720; both played key roles in colonial independence.