AP USH/IB HoA Richins Chapter 1-3 Facts & Terms

Mercantilism

An economic system where colonies existed to benefit the mother country by supplying raw materials and buying manufactured goods.

Calvinists

Followers of John Calvin who believed in “Reformed Protestantism”, a branch of Protestantism which values predestination and strict moral discipline.

Separatists

Protestants who wanted to completely break away from the Church of England; includes the Pilgrims.

Treaty of Tordesillas

1494 agreement dividing new lands between Spain (west) and Portugal (east).

Halfway Covenant

Puritan policy allowing partial church membership for people without a conversion experience.

Congregationalism

A church system where each congregation governs itself independently; Developed by New England Puritans

Salem Witch Trials

1692 hysteria in Massachusetts leading to accusations of witchcraft and executions.

Scotch-Irish

Protestant settlers from Scotland who lived in Ireland before migrating to America, often settling on the frontier.

John Peter Zenger

Printer tried for libel whose acquittal helped establish freedom of the press.

The Great Awakening

1730s–40s religious revival emphasizing emotional preaching and personal conversion.

Toleration Act (1649)

Maryland law granting religious freedom to all Christians.

Dominion of New England

A short-lived union of colonies (Massachusetts, Plymouth, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, and New Jersey) under one royal governor to tighten English control.

Navigation Acts

English laws restricting colonial trade to English ships and ports (enforced Mercantilism).

Leisler’s Rebellion

1689 uprising in New York reflecting tensions after the Dominion of New England.

Plymouth Plantation

Early New England settlement founded by Pilgrims in 1620, known for its community structure and subsistence farming.

Jamestown

First permanent English settlement (1607), which survived early hardship and grew through tobacco cultivation.

Mayflower Compact

1620 agreement establishing self-government and majority rule among the Pilgrims.

Headright System

Land-grant system giving settlers 50 acres per person they brought to Virginia.

London Company

Joint-stock company that financed the Jamestown colony.

Enclosure Movement

English trend of fencing off common lands, pushing many farmers to seek new opportunities abroad.

Jonathan Edwards

Influential Great Awakening preacher known for powerful sermons on sin and salvation.

Roger Williams

Puritan dissenter who founded Rhode Island and promoted religious freedom.

Anne Hutchinson

Puritan woman who challenged church authority and was banished for her teachings.

Barbados Slave Codes

Harsh laws defining enslaved Africans as property with almost no rights.

Royal African Company

English company that controlled much of the early transatlantic slave trade.

Stono Rebellion

1739 slave uprising in South Carolina that led to stricter slave laws.

Anglican Church

The Church of England; official church in several colonies.

Puritan

English Protestants who wanted to purify the Church of England; shaped New England culture.

Bacon’s Rebellion

1676 revolt in Virginia driven by frontier conflict and class tensions.

Quakers

Pacifist religious group emphasizing equality and direct personal connection to God.

Indentured Servants

Laborers who worked for several years in exchange for passage to America.

House of Burgesses

First elected colonial legislature (Virginia, 1619).

“City Upon a Hill”

John Winthrop’s vision of Massachusetts as a model Christian society