American Colonial History & Foundations of Government

John Locke - republicanism

Government exists to protect natural rights (life, liberty, property); if it fails, people can overthrow it.

Great Awakening

Religious revival (1730s-40s) emphasizing emotion, equality, and questioning authority.

"Letters from an American Farmer" - Crevecoeur

Described America as a "melting pot"; land and hard work created opportunity for settlers.

Indentured Servants

Worked for passage to America, often died before freedom due to harsh conditions.

Headright System

50 acres granted to anyone who paid for an indentured servant's passage.

Triangular Trade

Trade network between Europe, Africa, and the Americas (goods, enslaved Africans, raw materials).

Middle Passage

Brutal voyage enslaved Africans endured across the Atlantic.

Mercantilism

Economic system where colonies existed to enrich the mother country.

Enumerated Goods

Colonial products (like tobacco, sugar) that could only be shipped to England.

Jamestown - John Smith & John Rolfe

First permanent English colony; Smith enforced discipline, Rolfe introduced tobacco.

Plymouth

Founded by Pilgrims (Separatists) seeking religious freedom (1620).

Massachusetts Bay - John Winthrop

Puritan colony, "City upon a Hill" model of Christian society.

Great Migration

Large movement of Puritans to New England in 1630s.

"City on a Hill"

Winthrop's idea that Puritans must set a moral example.

Anne Hutchinson

Banished for challenging Puritan leaders' authority and preaching religious tolerance.

Roger Williams

Advocated separation of church and state; founded Providence, Rhode Island.

Pennsylvania - William Penn

Quaker colony, religious tolerance; "Holy Experiment."

Maryland - Lord Baltimore

Haven for Catholics; passed Act of Toleration.

Carolinas

South—rice plantations, slavery; North—smaller farms, less aristocratic.

New York

Former Dutch colony taken by English in 1664.

Puritans vs. Separatists

Puritans wanted to purify Church of England; Separatists wanted to leave it entirely.

Mayflower

Ship that brought Separatists (Pilgrims) to Plymouth.

Wampanoags & Metacom (King Philip's War)

Native resistance to English expansion; major war in New England (1675-76).

Sir William Berkeley

Governor of Virginia, resisted frontier settlers' demands for protection.

Bacon's Rebellion (1676)

Frontier revolt against Berkeley; highlighted class tensions and led to more slavery reliance.

Georgia - James Oglethorpe

Buffer colony against Spanish Florida; haven for debtors.

Mayflower Compact

Early self-government agreement by Pilgrims.

Virginia House of Burgesses

First representative assembly in colonies (1619).

Penn's Charter of Privileges

Guaranteed religious freedom and elected legislature in Pennsylvania.

Magna Carta (1215)

Limited power of English monarchy; foundation for constitutional rights.

English Bill of Rights (1689)

Limited monarchy, guaranteed parliamentary power and rights for citizens.

John Peter Zenger Trial

Established precedent for freedom of the press (1735).

Charter Colonies

Colonies with self-rule under a royal charter.

Royal Colonies

Controlled directly by the crown.

Proprietary Colonies

Owned by individuals or families (like Penn, Calvert).

Joint Stock Company

Investors pooled money for colonization (Virginia Company).

Virginia Company

Joint-stock company that founded Jamestown.

Salutary Neglect

England allowed colonies self-rule as long as trade benefitted the crown.

Navigation Acts

Laws requiring colonial trade go through England.

Dominion of New England

King James II's attempt to centralize colonies under Sir Edmund Andros.

Sir Edmund Andros

Hated governor of Dominion of New England; overthrown after Glorious Revolution.

Glorious Revolution (1688)

Bloodless overthrow of James II; limited monarchy, boosted colonial self-rule.

Tobacco Plantations

Cash crop that made Virginia and Maryland profitable.

Rice Plantations

Developed in South Carolina; relied heavily on enslaved African labor.

Sugar Plantations

Caribbean-based; brutal slave labor, high mortality.

Maryland Act of Toleration (1649)

Granted religious freedom to all Christians in Maryland.

Quakers

Pacifist religious group; believed in equality and inner light.

Salem Witch Trials (1692)

Puritan hysteria leading to witchcraft accusations and executions.