APUSH Period 2 (1607-1754) Vocabulary

A set of vocabulary flashcards for APUSH Period 2 (1607–1754) covering key colonial developments, leaders, systems, and conflicts.

Jamestown

The first permanent English settlement in the Americas, founded in Virginia in 1607 by colonists aboard the Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery.

Thirteen Colonies

The group of British colonies along the Atlantic coast of North America, showing regional differences categorized into New England, Chesapeake, Middle, and Southern colonies.

Triangular Trade

A transatlantic trading network linking Europe, Africa, the West Indies, and North America, exchanging goods such as manufactured items, rum, cash crops, and slaves.

House of Burgesses

Created in 1619 by the Virginia Company, it was one of the first representative legislative assemblies in the British colonies, controlling the governor's salary while the king-appointed governor held veto power.

Headright System (1617)

A land grant policy stating that any new arrival paying their own passage could receive 50 acres of land, encouraging wealthy planters to acquire both land and labor.

Indentured Servitude

A labor system where wealthy planters paid for individuals' passage to the colonies in exchange for several years of work, after which the servants received freedom to become independent farmers.

Pilgrims / Separatists

A religious group with stricter ideals than Puritans who sought to separate completely from the Anglican church and established Plymouth Colony.

William Bradford

A church minister and key leader of the Pilgrims who settled Plymouth Colony in 1620.

Mayflower Compact

A document drafted at sea aboard the Mayflower in 1620 to form a basic legal system for Plymouth Colony, establishing the right to enforce laws and punish rule-breakers.

Puritans / Congregationalists

A religious group that founded Massachusetts Bay Colony, seeking to purify the Anglican church to help their congregation reach heaven.

John Winthrop

Elected governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in October 1629 who delivered 'Model of Christian Charity', famous for describing the colony as a 'city upon a hill'.

Pequot War

A conflict triggered after two English traders were killed, leading a mob from Massachusetts Bay to mistakenly blame and destroy an entire Pequot town.

Providence, RI

A settlement founded by Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson after they were banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Pennsylvania

A colony established in 1681 by William Penn and the Quakers, dedicated to religious freedom and equal rights for all people.

King Phillip's War (1675)

A New England conflict launched by Metacom (King Phillip) against English encroachment and forced conversions, resulting in Metacom's death and the enslavement of captured native people.

Governor William Berkeley

The governor of Virginia whose refusal to retaliate against Native American attacks on frontier farms—to prevent farm competition—sparked Bacon's Rebellion.

Bacon's Rebellion (1676)

An uprising of Virginia colonists led by Nathaniel Bacon against Governor Berkeley; its aftermath marked a turning point where landowners decreased reliance on indentured servants and increased slave labor.

Jonathan Edwards

A key minister during the Great Awakening whose emotional sermons inspired intense feeling and fear of sin.

George Whitefield

A prominent Great Awakening preacher who traveled throughout the colonies preaching revivalist sermon ideas to large public crowds.