APUSH Period 2 Vocabulary

Tobacco

the cash crop that made the Chesapeake colonies profitable after John Rolfe's 1612 harvest at Jamestown, driving land-hungry plantation agriculture, the demand for indentured and enslaved labor, and the colonies' place in the transatlantic trade network (also referred to as the “Golden Weed”)

Indentured Servants

mostly young, white European migrants who signed contracts to work 4-7 years in the colonies in exchange for passage, food, and shelter. In APUSH, they're the original labor force of Chesapeake tobacco plantations and the system whose collapse helped drive the shift to African slavery.

House of Burgesses

established in Virginia in 1619, was the first elected legislative assembly in England's North American colonies. It gave landowning colonists a voice in lawmaking and became the model for the self-government traditions that later fueled resistance to British imperial control.

Southern Colonies

the British colonies of Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, defined in APUSH by labor-intensive cash crops (tobacco, rice), a shift from indentured servitude to chattel slavery, and a hierarchical plantation society distinct from New England and the middle colonies.

Puritans

English Calvinist Protestants of the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to 'purify' the Church of England of remaining Catholic practices, demanded strict scriptural discipline, and challenged the monarch's control over religious institutions

Separatist Puritans

radical English Calvinists who believed the Church of England was beyond reform and chose to break away completely to form independent. They believed the Church of England was too corrupt to fix.

Roger Williams

a Puritan minister banished from Massachusetts Bay in 1635 for challenging church-state authority; he founded Providence, Rhode Island (1636) on religious toleration, separation of church and state, and fair purchase of Native American land.

Anne Hutchinson

a Puritan spiritual leader in the Massachusetts Bay Colony who held meetings questioning the clergy's authority, was accused of antinomianism, and was tried and banished in 1638, a classic APUSH Unit 2 example of religious dissent in colonial New England.

Thomas Hook(e)r

a prominent Puritan minister and theologian who played an important role in the founding of the Colony of Connecticut in the 17th Century. Known as the “Father of Connecticut” due to his contributions to the establishment of the colony and influence on the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut.

The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut

a written framework of government adopted by Connecticut's Puritan settlers, often called the first written constitution in the colonies. In APUSH, it's evidence of early self-governance and representative government in New England (Topic 2.3).

Massachusetts Colonial Legislature

the early self-governing representative assembly of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. It was a colonial assembly that represented the towns of the colony.

Salem WItch Trials

a series of 1692 hearings and prosecutions in Puritan Massachusetts in which more than 200 colonists were accused of witchcraft and 20 were executed, revealing the social tensions, religious anxiety, and weak legal safeguards of early New England society

Quakers

a Protestant group who believed every person carried an 'Inner Light' from God, leading them to practice pacifism, religious toleration, and relatively fair dealings with Native Americans, most famously in William Penn's Pennsylvania.

Middle Passage

the second leg of the transatlantic slave trade, the forced ocean voyage that carried millions of enslaved Africans from West Africa to the Americas under horrific conditions with high death rates, supplying labor for European colonial plantation economies

English Civil War

a power struggle between King Charles I and Parliament over royal absolutism, taxation without consent, and religious conformity.

Petition of Right (1628)

Parliamentary document limiting Charles I’s authority; prohibited taxation without consent, arbitrary imprisonment, and forced billeting of soldiers. It reinforced the principle that even monarchs must obey the law.

Sir Edmund Andros 

 Royal governor of the Dominion of New England (1686–1689). His autocratic rule, enforcement of the Navigation Acts, and suppression of local assemblies provoked colonial resistance and his eventual overthrow after the Glorious Revolution.

First Great Awakening (1730s–1740s)

a religious revival movement of the 1730s and 1740s in British North America, marked by emotional preaching from figures like Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield, that spread evangelical Protestantism, increased religious pluralism, and helped colonists develop a shared American identity.

Jonathan Edwards

a colonial Puritan minister whose intensely emotional sermons, especially "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" (1741), helped spark the First Great Awakening, a religious revival that spread evangelical Protestantism across British North America and shaped colonial culture.

Jamestown (1607) 

First permanent English settlement in North America, founded by the Virginia Company. Survived through tobacco cultivation introduced by John Rolfe; marked the beginning of representative government with the House of Burgesses (1619).

Powhatan

Leader of the Powhatan Confederacy in Virginia; initially traded with settlers but later clashed over land and resources. His daughter Pocahontas’s marriage to John Rolfe briefly eased tensions.

Bacon’s Rebellion (1676)

Frontier uprising led by Nathaniel Bacon against Governor Berkeley’s elite rule and Native American policy. Exposed class divisions and accelerated the shift from indentured servitude to African slavery.

British Plantation System

Economic model of large agricultural estates in the Caribbean and southern colonies producing cash crops (tobacco, sugar, rice) through enslaved labor; central to mercantilist trade.

British Proprietary Colonies

Territories granted by the Crown to trusted individuals or families (e.g., Maryland, Pennsylvania) who held governing rights and profits, often promoting religious tolerance.

New England Colonies

Puritan‑founded settlements (Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire) characterized by small towns, mixed economies, education, and self‑governing town meetings.

Middle Colonies

 New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware; known for cereal‑crop exports, ethnic diversity, and religious pluralism. Philadelphia became a major port and intellectual center.

Religious Dissent

Opposition to Puritan orthodoxy by figures like Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson; led to founding of Rhode Island and spread of religious freedom ideals.

New France

French colonial empire in North America focused on fur trade, missionary work, and alliances with Native Americans; stretched from Canada to Louisiana; spanning the St. Lawrence River, the Great Lakes, and the Mississippi River valleys

Town Hall Meetings 

Local assemblies in New England where male church members voted on community issues; early form of direct democracy.

Rhode Island (founding of)

Established 1636 by Roger Williams after banishment from Massachusetts; guaranteed religious liberty and separation of church and state.

Massachusetts Losing Its Charter (1684)

Revoked by Charles II for violating trade laws; merged into the Dominion of New England, reducing autonomy until the Glorious Revolution restored self‑rule.

Half‑Way Covenant 

Puritan compromise allowing partial church membership for descendants of saints; 1662 Puritan policy adopted by Congregational churches in colonial New England; reflected declining religious zeal and attempts to maintain influence.

King Philip’s War

 Brutal conflict between New England colonists and Native tribes led by Metacom (King Philip); destroyed many towns and ended major Native resistance in the region.  (1675–1676)

New Netherlands & New Amsterdam

 Dutch colony (present‑day New York) founded 1624; commercial hub with religious tolerance and diverse population. Captured by England 1664 and renamed New York.

Atlantic Slave Trade 

Triangular trade system forcibly transporting millions of Africans to the Americas; fueled plantation economies and reshaped Atlantic societies.

Mercantilism 

 Economic theory asserting colonies exist to enrich the mother country by supplying raw materials and buying manufactured goods; aimed to achieve a favorable balance of trade.

Navigation Acts (1651–1696) 

Series of laws restricting colonial commerce to English ships and ports; enforced mercantilism and provoked smuggling and resentment.

Vice Admiralty Courts 

 Royal maritime courts without juries used to prosecute violations of trade laws; symbolized imperial control and colonial grievances; they were over local legal matters related to maritime activities, such as disputes between merchants and seamen.

English Reformation (16th century) 

Break from the Catholic Church initiated by Henry VIII; established the Anglican Church and influenced English migration seeking religious autonomy.

The Restoration Period (1660)

Return of Charles II to the throne; revived colonial expansion (Carolinas, New York, Pennsylvania) and stricter imperial oversight. This era followed the collapse of the Puritan-led Commonwealth under Oliver Cromwell and the brief Protectorate.

Glorious Revolution (1688)

The bloodless overthrow of England's King James II in favor of William III and Mary II, establishing constitutional monarchy through the Bill of Rights 1689. In APUSH, it matters because colonists toppled the Dominion of New England and absorbed ideas about English rights.

English Bill of Rights (1689)

Guaranteed parliamentary supremacy, free elections, and protection from cruel punishment; a historic British law that limited the power of the monarch and guaranteed specific civil liberties, serving as a major foundational influence for the U.S. Constitution and American Bill of Rights.

Plymouth Colony (1620)

Founded by Pilgrims seeking religious freedom; governed by the Mayflower Compact and merged with Massachusetts Bay in 1691.

Dominion of New England (1686–1689) 

was King James II's consolidation of the New England colonies into one royal super-colony under Sir Edmund Andros, who suspended assemblies, limited town meetings, and enforced the Navigation Acts until colonists overthrew him after the Glorious Revolution.

Roanoke Island

 England’s first attempt at colonization in 1587; settlers vanished, leaving “Croatoan” carved on a post—remains a mystery.

Massachusetts Bay Company (1629) 

Joint‑stock company chartered to establish Puritan settlement; created a theocratic government under John Winthrop.

John Winthrop

Governor of Massachusetts Bay; envisioned a “city upon a hill” as a model Christian community.

Joint‑Stock Company

Business organization pooling investor capital to fund colonial ventures; shared profits and risks (e.g., Virginia Company).

Mayflower Compact (1620)

Agreement among Pilgrims establishing self‑government and majority rule; early example of social contract in America.

John Rolfe

 Introduced tobacco cultivation to Virginia, ensuring economic survival; married Pocahontas, linking English and Powhatan relations.

The Pilgrims (Plymouth, MA)

Separatist Puritans seeking religious independence; They were part of a broader movement of English Protestants seeking to escape religious persecution and establish a community based on their own beliefs. They established Plymouth Colony and influenced later New England culture.

Representative Government 

 System where colonists elected assemblies (e.g., House of Burgesses) to make laws; foundation for American democracy. a political system where citizens elect individuals to speak for them, make laws, and decide on taxes.

Virginia Company

Joint‑stock company chartered by James I to colonize Virginia; financed Jamestown and sought profit through natural resources.

William Penn 

Quaker founder of Pennsylvania; promoted religious tolerance, fair treatment of Natives, and planned Philadelphia as a “holy experiment.”

Salutary Neglect (17th–18th centuries)

The unofficial British policy (roughly 1690s-1763) of loosely enforcing trade regulations like the Navigation Acts, which let the American colonies develop self-governing assemblies and independent trade habits that fueled resistance when Britain tightened control after the French and Indian War.