AP US History Period 2

New France

Collective colonies established by the French in North America, in the lands of Quebec and Louisiana.

Coureurs de Bois

Name given to French fur traders.

Jesuits

Members of the Society of Jesus, a Catholic social order in France. Many Jesuit missionaries were sent to New France to convert the natives.

Joint Stock Company

A corporation whose stock is owned exclusively by shareholders. The Dutch and English created many of these that governed their colonies.

New Netherland

A settlement along the Hudson river, formed after the expeditions of Henry Hudson. This area was an important center of trade in the area.

Indentured Servitude

A form of servitude where workers are not paid a salary for a specific timeframe.

Puritans

Frustrated Christians who did not feel that the Anglican church was holy anymore. They traveled to North America to create settlements of their own with other puritans and escape prosecution. They were not separatists, however, as they only wanted reforms in the Anglican church, not a replacement.

Pilgrims

Religious separatists who journeyed to America to evade prosecution and found their own sect of Christianity. Unlike Puritans, they believed in the separation of church and state and thought there was no hope for reform in the Anglican system. They did hold many similar beliefs to Puritans, though.

Anglo-Powhatan Wars

Three wars fought between the English and the powerful Powhatan confederacy. Despite harsh resistance, these wars were decisive victories for the English and led to the creation of New England.

Pequot War

A war fought between the English and the Pequot tribe, alongside their alliances. The war was fought for control over a significant trade route. The war was an English victory, and the Pequot tribe was almost entirely erased, with 95% dying horrific deaths and the survivors being sold into slavery.

King Philip’s War

A deadly war between English Settlers and a coalition of Native tribes left in the area after the previous wars. The coalition was led by Metacom, referred to as “King Philip” by the English. The coalition attacked various settlements in New England, and retaliatory massacres in Native villages took place in response. The coalition fell apart due to a lack of resources, and Metacom’s death brought an end to the conflict, solidifying the English as the dominant force in the region.

Bacon’s Rebellion

A major revolt that took place in the Virginia Colony. It was led by Nathaniel Bacon, who was frustrated with the governance of the colony. Taxes were high and there was no protection from Native American attacks. The settlers also viewed the English-led government as corrupt and tyrannical. The rebels raided forts, destroyed Jamestown, and after Bacon fell ill and died the rebellion was quickly extinguished. This was the first uprising of its kind in America.

Pueblo Revolt

The Pueblo people of modern day New Mexico rebelled against Spanish authority in response to forced labor and disrespect to their religion and culture. They killed 400 Spaniards and pushed the settlers out of the region. The Spanish later reconquered the area, but the Native people have a stronger presence in the area because of this event.

Stono Rebellion

Large uprising led by slaves in South Carolina. Slaves were promised freedom if they escaped to Florida, and soon new laws would be introduced that would make it harder for them to escape, such as one that required men to carry guns to church. 20 slaves gathered by the Stono river, raided stores for supplies and killed plantation owners, recruiting other slaves into their group. Eventually, a large force was sent to deal with the rebels. Shots were exchanged and most slaves were killed. The remainder were captured, with only one escaping. This caused the creation of codes that would regular slave behavior and make escape impossible.

Paxton Boys Uprising

Initiated by a colonial settler attack on Christian tribe of Susquehannock Backcountry settlers were disgruntled over Eastern dominance of legislature, and passive measures toward Natives. An Armed group marched toward Philadelphia. Eventually, delegates would appease their complaints.

Regulator Movement

Backcountry farmers demanded equal representation and treatment from a “corrupt” colonial government that did not recognize their value or power. Ultimately defeated by a colonial militia.

New England Colonies

Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire

Mayflower Compact

Following fights aboard the Mayflower ship over how the new colony would be governed, a treatise was written to guarantee that the people of the colony would determine how the colony should be run. This set a precedent for greater democracy within the 13 colonies.

Congregationalism

The idea that churches should be largely self-governed rather than moderated by a larger organization.

John Winthrop

A leading figure in the founding of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and served as its governor for multiple terms. He was a devout Puritan, and much of his writing and policies as the leader of the colony were based on his religion. He famously shared his idea of “American Exceptionalism,” that the Massachusetts colony was a “city on the hill” that was special and uniquely valuable compared to other colonies and nations on Earth. Despite initially holding diplomatic and civil relations with the Native Americans, he was later forced to lead his colony into combat with them, and took various Pequots as slaves. He was greatly respected at the time, and many of his ideals are still intact today, although he is more criticized in retrospect.

John Cotton

A prominent Puritan minister and theologian in colonial New England, known for his influential preaching and writings. He played a significant role in shaping the religious practices and governance of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, promoting the idea of a theocratic society governed by Biblical principles.

Cotton Mather

Puritan who created the concept of inoculation: the coexistence of science and magic.

Antinomianism

An archaic, anarchism-adjacent concept arguing that any form of law or social norms are immoral. Created by the loose government organization present in the Thirteen Colonies.

Halfway Covenant

A means of gaining membership in church that significantly lowered the barrier for entry in entering religious communities. This led to the wide-spread baptism of a variety of people, from different cultures.

Salem Witch Trials

Mass hysteria event led to the death of 19 innocent people in New England. The systems that led to the executions were weakened as a result, as some lost trust in the Puritan establishments that allowed the trials to occur the way they did.

Middle Colonies

New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware

Quakers

Members of the Society of Friends, a religious group that believes in absolute equality of all humans. Advocated for the rights of slaves.

William Penn

Founder of the Pennsylvania colony who, as a Quaker, spread his religion and ideals into the population and governance of the colony.

Chesapeake Colonies

Virginia and Maryland

Headright

A policy in the settlement of the 13 Colonies that granted land to people who paid to transport others into the colony. This was first used by the Virginia colony, which provided 50 acres to anyone who did this in order to attract people to the continent. Another reason for this system was the importation of labor. The majority of people transported to America via this system were Indentured Servants: unpaid workers who would gain freedom and opportunities following a long period of hard and grueling labor. These Headrights caused explosions in the population and economy of the colonies and helped to kickstart their growth.

Virginia House of Burgesses

Established in 1619, was the first elected legislative assembly in the American colonies. After the creation of Royal Charters, governor George Yeardly elected 22 burgesses who would serve as representatives. The Governor held the ability to veto the actions of the House, but generally this did not occur. This government helped to stabilize the chaotic nature of the Colonies. Later, similar systems would be created in other colonies.

Southern Colonies

North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia.

Mercantiilism

The economic system in which a colony (that being a small offshoot of a “mother country” in another location) is economically isolated from its surroundings and forced to only do trade with its mother country, to maximize profits for the mother country and create a domestic market in the colony.

Navigation Acts

A series of laws passed by the English Parliament in the 17th century to regulate trade between England and its colonies. These acts were passed to ensure the mercantilist system would be respected. The laws restricted the Colonies to only trade with the United Kingdom, and limited what both the United Kingdom and the Colonies could export.

Salutary Neglect

The result of widespread disobedience of the Navigation Acts. The lack of enforcement allowed the colonies to trade with other colonies as well as European countries. The colonies benefited from ignoring the Acts and trading with other countries of their choice.

Molasses Act

Imposed a severe tax on Molasses imported from non-British colonies. This tax was not enforced, but the prospect caused Colonists to find other ways to avoid the British Acts such as smuggling.

Sugar Act

Passed as a result of the failure of the Molasses Act, this one decreased the tax but this time, it was actually enforced. This was the first act in the chain that would increasingly frustrate the colonists, leading to the American Revolution.

Beaver Wars

Period of century-long conflicts between French and British colonists in the Ohio River Valley, attempting to control the lucrative fur trade. The British-allied Iroquois ended up conquering and displacing various tribes, with the French losing influence in the region.

Slavery

The forced, unpaid control over other human beings for labor purposes.

Triangular Trade

A vicious economic system created by the success of African slave trade. Ships were sent to Africa to purchase slaves, then the slave ships were sent to the Americas, and the fruits of the slaves’ labor were transported back to Europe.

Chattel Slavery

A form of slavery where slaves are viewed as property. This was used to justify crimes committed against slaves by their owners, as an owner destroying its own property is not illegal.

Enlightenment

Era of time that promoted thought and reasoning.

John Locke

Arguably the most significant Enlightenment thinker, believed in many significant ideas such as the natural rights of man: Life, Liberty, and Property.

Voltaire

French writer who advocated for freedom of speech, press, and religion, among other things.

John Peter Zenger Case

An infamous court case on Freedom of the Press. Zenger was critical of the New York governor’s corruption in his newspaper, and the governor tried to sue him for libel. The jury had been paid by the governor, which Zenger figured out and told his wife to write about it in his paper. Because of this, the court ruled that libel and slander must be false in order to be crimes, even if they are defamatory. This caused greater freedom of expression in the American Colonies.

Rousseau

Swiss philosopher, created the Social Contract Theory.

Social Contract Theory

The idea that all members of a society give up some rights in exchange for security created by an authority.

Great Awakening

A series of revivals in religious fervor and thought during the 17th century.

Jonathan Edwards

Well-known Puritan preacher that delivered emotional, intense sermons that roused crowds easily, such as “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.”

George Whitefield

Another preacher, this one an Anglican Methodist. Delivered unique sermons with rhetorical appeals and excellent delivery. It is said that he could make someone cry just with the way he would say, “Mesopotamia.”

Old Light

Rational preachers, those that primarily used logic to push their messages, the traditional mindset.

New Light

Revivalist preachers, those that primarily used emotion to push their messages, the new mindset.

East-West Divide

The split in power and priority between those that lived on the eastern seaboard and in the western countryside. Easterners were typically given more power in democratic elections than westerners.