Roanoke Island
A failed settlement and the first British colony.
Jamestown
First successful British colony. Created by Virginia Company. Had terrible conditions and saved by John Smith.
Puritans / Separatists
Wanted to purify the Anglican church of Catholicism.
Mayflower Compact
Agreement between Plymouth settlers to self-govern until further notice from the king.
New England Confederation
1643 military alliance of New England colonies against Native Americans and Dutch.
Dominion of New England
1686 consolidation of New England colonies under one royal governor to enforce British laws.
Maryland Act of Toleration
1649 law granting religious freedom to Christians and protection to Catholics in Maryland.
Indentured Servitude
Labor system in colonial America where individuals worked for a set period in exchange for passage and eventual freedom.
Headright System
Early Virginia Colony land distribution system granting 50 acres to settlers who paid for their own or others' passage.
Mercantilism
Economic system where a nation's power is tied to its wealth, emphasizing exports and favorable trade balances to enrich the mother country.
Bacon’s Rebellion
1676 Virginia rebellion led by Nathaniel Bacon against Governor William Berkeley's policies, including perceived favoritism and lack of protection on the frontier.
Middle Passage
Brutal Atlantic voyage transporting enslaved Africans to the Americas as part of the transatlantic slave trade.
Triangular Trade
Trade network between Europe, Africa, and the Americas exchanging goods, including slaves, with Europe sending manufactured goods to Africa, slaves to the Americas, and raw materials back to Europe.
Salem Witch Trials
1692 Massachusetts hearings and prosecutions accusing people of witchcraft, resulting in the execution of 20 individuals.
Great Awakening
Religious revival in the American colonies during the 1730s and 1740s, emphasizing personal conversion and direct relationships with God.
Seven Years' War/French and Indian War
Global conflict from 1756 to 1763 between Great Britain and France, fought primarily in North America, leading to British dominance in the region.
Albany Congress
1754 intercolonial meeting in Albany, New York, discussing defense against French aggression and Native American attacks, proposing the Albany Plan of Union.
Treaty of Paris (1763)
Treaty ending the Seven Years' War/French and Indian War, with France ceding Canada and territory east of the Mississippi River to Britain, and Spain ceding Florida.
Proclamation of 1763
Royal proclamation prohibiting settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains to ease tensions with Native Americans and control colonial expansion.