British Colonial America: The Chesapeake Region

These flashcards cover key concepts and vocabulary related to the British colonial experience in the Chesapeake Region, focusing on economic theories, conflicts, and societal structures during the 16th and 17th centuries.

Colonialism

A practice by which a country establishes control over foreign territories and their people.

Mercantilism

An economic theory that trade generates wealth, which is stimulated by the accumulation of profitable balances.

Protestant Reformation

A religious movement in the 16th century that led to the establishment of Protestant churches.

Settler-Colonialism

A form of colonialism where settlers establish permanent residences and assert control over indigenous populations.

Virginia Headright System

A system that granted individuals land in exchange for introducing settlers to the colony.

The Starving Time (1609-1610)

A winter during which the Jamestown colony faced severe food shortages leading to numerous deaths.

Anglo-Powhatan Wars

A series of conflicts between the English settlers of the Virginia Colony and the Powhatan Confederacy.

Bacon’s Rebellion

A 1676 rebellion led by Nathaniel Bacon against the rule of Governor William Berkeley in Virginia.

Tobacco Boom

A period when tobacco became a highly profitable cash crop in the Virginia Colony.

Commonwealth System

A form of political and social organization in colonial America, structured around local governance and community involvement.