Colonial America Vocabulary

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering key terms related to Colonial America.

Encomienda System

A Spanish colonial labor system that granted settlers the right to demand forced labor and tribute from Indigenous people in exchange for supposed protection and Christian conversion.

House of Burgesses

Established in 1619 in Virginia, it was the first representative legislative assembly in the American colonies, setting a precedent for self-government.

Columbian Exchange

The massive transatlantic transfer of plants, animals, culture, human populations, technology, and diseases between the Americas, West Africa, and the Old World (Europe) following 1492.

Jamestown

Founded in 1607, it was the first permanent English settlement in North America. It survived early hardships primarily through the introduction of tobacco as a cash crop.

Indentured Servitude

A labor system where individuals (usually poor Europeans) contracted to work without pay for a set number of years (typically 4–7) in exchange for passage to the Americas.

Puritans

English Protestants who sought to 'purify' the Church of England of Catholic rituals. They settled the Massachusetts Bay Colony seeking religious freedom and a strict moral society.

Salutary Neglect

An unofficial British policy in the 17th and 18th centuries of relaxing strict enforcement of trade laws, allowing the colonies to develop their own internal trade and politics.

Great Awakening

A series of emotional religious revivals that swept through the American colonies in the 1730s and 1740s, challenging traditional church authority.

Mercantilism

An economic policy where colonies exist to enrich the 'Mother Country' by providing raw materials and a market for finished goods, aiming for a favorable balance of trade.

Joint-stock Companies

Businesses owned by shareholders who pool their money to fund voyages/colonies (like the Virginia Company), sharing both the risks and the potential profits.