Online History Vocab

The Atlantic World

The region that encompasses Europe, Africa, and the Americas.

Triangular Trade

Trade in the Atlantic Ocean starting in the 1500s involving shipping goods from Europe to West Africa for slaves, who were then shipped to the Caribbean and exchanged for commodities, which were shipped back to Europe.

Hispaniola

The island in the Caribbean where Christopher Columbus landed in 1492.

Columbian Exchange

The transfer of plants, animals, disease, and people in the Atlantic World, specifically integrating the Americas and Afro-Eurasia.

Smallpox

The deadliest European disease that decimated New World populations, who had no immunity to it.

Christopher Columbus

First European to land in the New World in 1492.

Ferdinand and Isabella

Spanish monarchs who funded Columbus's voyages.

Hernan Cortes

Spanish explorer who conquered the Aztec Empire.

Francisco Pizarro

Spanish explorer who conquered the Inca Empire.

Ponce de Leon

The first Spanish explorer to land in North America (Florida).

Vasco Nunez de Balboa

Spanish explorer who was the first to see the Pacific Ocean.

Hernando de Soto

Spanish explorer who explored Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and saw the Mississippi River.

Francisco Vazquez de Coronado

Spanish explorer who explored the southwestern part of North America.

Giovanni de Verrazano

Explorer who sailed for France and established France's first claim to land in North America.

Jacques Cartier

French explorer who explored the St. Lawrence Gulf and river, and established Quebec.

Samuel de Champlain

French explorer that made the most trips to the New World, and explored the Great Lakes.

John Cabot

Explorer who sailed for England, and established England's first claim to land in North America.

Walter Raleigh

English explorer who established the doomed colony of Roanoke.

Henry Hudson

Explorer who sailed for the Netherlands, and established the Dutch colony in what is now New York.

Royal Charter

A formal grant issued by a monarch to grant rights and privileges to towns and cities.

Joint-Stock Company

A company with multiple investors that shares the financial burden of establishing colonies.

Indentured Servants

Laborers who agree to work without salary for a specific number of years in exchange for passage to North America.

Church of England (Anglican)

Church established after Henry VIII broke away from the Catholic Church.

Act of Toleration (Maryland)

Document declaring toleration for all types of Christianity within Maryland.

Cash Crop

Crops grown for profit rather than subsistence.

Indigo

A plant grown in the Americas for its blue dye.

Pilgrims

Religious group that criticized the Church of England and landed at Plymouth.

Puritans

Religious group that criticized but did not want to separate from the Church of England.

Virginia Company of London

Joint stock company that funded the Jamestown colony.

Massachusetts Bay Company

Joint stock company funded by Puritans to establish their colony in New England.

Mayflower Compact

Governing document of the Pilgrims, written on their ship.

Fundamental Orders of Connecticut

First Constitution of the British colonies allowing citizens to vote.

Quakers

A Christian movement devoted to peaceful principles.

Tidewater

Desirable farmland in Virginia, primarily controlled by wealthy planters.

Piedmont

Hilly region less desirable for farming, occupied by poor, former indentured servants.

Spectral Evidence

Evidence based upon dreams and visions, admitted in court during the Salem Witch Trials.

John Smith

Early leader at Jamestown who imposed order.

John Rolfe

Leader who brought tobacco seeds to Virginia and married Pocahontas.

Pocahontas

Native American who helped establish peace between natives and colonists.

Lord Baltimore

Catholic who established Maryland as a safe haven for Catholics.

Eliza Lucas Pinckney

Woman who discovered how to process Indigo into high-quality dye.

James Oglethorpe

Founder of the colony of Georgia.

Roger Williams

Expelled from Massachusetts Bay Colony and established Rhode Island for religious diversity.

Anne Hutchinson

Radical thinker expelled from Massachusetts Bay Colony.

The Duke of York

Granted permission to take land from the Dutch in what became New York.

William Penn

Founder of Pennsylvania; a Quaker.

Metacom (King Philip)

Wampanoag chief who fought New England colonists.

Governor William Berkeley

Governor of Jamestown; wealthy planter involved in Bacon's Rebellion.

Nathaniel Bacon

Piedmont farmer leading Bacon's Rebellion against Jamestown's government.

Salutary Neglect

British policy of avoiding strict enforcement of laws while colonies remained loyal.

Mercantilism

Economic policy that measures wealth by gold and silver in the treasury.

Royal Colony

Colony governed directly by the crown.

Militia

Non-professional soldiers who may perform military service.

Minute Men

Civilian militias self-trained for the American Revolutionary War.

Sons of Liberty

Revolutionary organization founded by Samuel Adams.

George Washington

Young militia leader who started the French and Indian War.

William Pitt

British Prime Minister whose ideas helped Britain win the French and Indian War.

Charles Townshend

British politician who increased taxes on American colonists.

Samuel Adams

Founder of the Sons of Liberty and leader in anti-British protests.

Patrick Henry

American patriot known for 'Give me liberty or give me death'.

John Hancock

Leader of an illegal congress in defiance of Britain's martial law.

Paul Revere

Rode to alert militias of British actions.

Fort Duquesne

French fort at forks of the Ohio River; a cause of the French and Indian War.

Jumonville Glen

Site where Washington started the French and Indian War.

Boston Massacre

Deadly clash between colonists and British in response to Townshend Acts.

Boston Tea Party

Destruction of tea in protest of the Tea Act.

First Continental Congress

Called in response to the Intolerable Acts, beginning colonial unity.

Paul Revere's Midnight Ride

Revere rode to warn militias of British movements.

Battle of Lexington and Concord

First engagement of the Revolutionary War, marked by 'the shot heard 'round the world'.

Navigation Acts

Acts passed to support mercantilism, not strictly enforced.

Molasses Act

Act to encourage colonists to buy British molasses, leading to smuggling.

Proclamation Line of 1763

Prohibited colonists from settling in the Ohio River Valley.

Sugar Act

Tax on sugar designed to close loopholes in the Molasses Act.

Stamp Act

Tax on paper that provoked intense protests.

Declaratory Act

Declared Britain's right to pass laws for American colonists.

Townshend Acts

Taxes on minor goods leading to further conflict.

Tea Act

Tax designed to lower tea prices but resulted in boycotts.

Intolerable Acts

Acts passed after the Boston Tea Party imposing martial law and dissolving local government.

Continental Congress

Governing body of American colonies during the Revolutionary War.

Continental Army

Army commanded by George Washington during the Revolutionary War.

King George III

British king during the American Revolutionary War.

Thomas Paine

Authored 'Common Sense', urging Americans to support independence.

Thomas Jefferson

Main writer of the Declaration of Independence.

Battle of Bunker Hill

British victory that boosted American confidence.

Siege of Boston

American victory that led to British abandonment of the city.

Battle for New York

British victory leaving New York City in British hands.

Crossing the Delaware

Washington's daring action to defeat the British at Princeton.

Battle of Trenton and Princeton

American victories during the Revolutionary War.

Battle of Saratoga

Turning point of the war; led to French aid for colonists.

Valley Forge

Winter camp for Washington's army, significant for training despite suffering.

Battle of Monmouth

First battle where Continental Army stood firm against British.

Southern Campaign

British strategy focusing on the Southern colonies in 1779.

Battle of Yorktown

Final major battle of the Revolutionary War, leading to British surrender.

Treaty of Paris (1783)

Peace treaty recognizing American independence.

The Critical Period

Decade after the Revolutionary War without a president.

Executive Branch

Branch of government enforcing laws, including President and cabinet.

Legislative Branch

Branch of government that creates laws and controls spending.

Judicial Branch

Created by the Constitution to interpret the law.

The Federalist Papers

Essays supporting the U.S. Constitution during ratification debates.

The Great Compromise

Created a bicameral Congress with equal representation and representation by population.