Colonial America: Key People, Movements, and Economies (Vocabulary Flashcards)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key people, ideas, and economic systems in the American colonies (Page 1-2 notes).

Africans

The largest group of non-English immigrants to the colonies; most were enslaved and brought via the Middle Passage to work on plantations, especially in the South.

Benjamin Franklin

Colonial intellectual, inventor, and diplomat; promoted Enlightenment ideals, authored Poor Richard’s Almanack, and helped shape colonial unity.

Cotton Mather

New England Puritan minister and author; known for supporting the Salem witch trials and early promotion of smallpox inoculation.

Dutch

Early European colonizers in New Netherland (later New York); contributed to commerce, religious diversity, and cultural influence in the colonies.

Enlightenment

Intellectual movement stressing reason, natural rights, and science; influenced colonial leaders and ideas of self-government.

George Whitefield

English preacher who spread the Great Awakening through emotional sermons emphasizing personal salvation.

Germans

Immigrants who settled mainly in Pennsylvania; known for farming skills, Protestant faiths, and preserving cultural traditions.

Great Awakening

1730s–1740s religious revival that emphasized emotional faith, challenged authority, and united the colonies culturally.

Harvard (1636)

First colonial college, founded in Massachusetts to train Puritan ministers.

John Peter Zenger Case (1735)

Trial of a New York printer that established precedent for freedom of the press.

John Locke, Two Treatises of Government

English philosopher who argued for natural rights (life, liberty, property) and the right to overthrow unjust governments.

Jonathan Edwards

New England preacher; “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” helped spark the First Great Awakening.

New Lights

Clergy who supported the Great Awakening and new style of evangelical preaching.

Old Lights

Traditional clergy who opposed emotional revivalism of the Great Awakening.

Phillis Wheatley

Enslaved African poet in Boston; first published African American female poet.

Poor Richard’s Almanack

Widely read publication by Benjamin Franklin offering proverbs, weather, and practical wisdom.

Scotch-Irish

Immigrants from Northern Ireland who settled in the backcountry; known for independence and frontier conflicts with Native Americans.

University of Philadelphia (1751)

Nonsectarian college founded by Benjamin Franklin; emphasized practical education.

William and Mary (1693)

Second-oldest college in the colonies, founded in Virginia to train Anglican clergy.

New England Colonies Economy

Based on shipbuilding, fishing, small-scale farming, trade; limited slavery due to climate/soil.

Middle Colonies Economy

Known as the “breadbasket”; produced wheat, corn, and had diverse trade; mixed farming and commerce.

Southern Colonies Economy

Plantation-based agriculture (tobacco, rice, indigo); heavily reliant on enslaved African labor.