Lecture Notes: Rhode Island Slavery, New England, and Dutch Colonization (Vocabulary flashcards)

A set of vocabulary flashcards drawn from the lecture notes on Rhode Island slavery, New England history, and Dutch colonization, focusing on key terms and their definitions.

Slavery in Rhode Island (18th century)

Rhode Island towns had up to about 30% enslaved; by the Revolution the share declined (to around 17%) due in part to Quaker influence.

Quakers

Religious group whose anti-slavery stance influenced Rhode Island and contributed to a reduced slave population.

Sally (ship)

Ship financed to transport enslaved people from Africa to the Americas, reportedly involved in Rhode Island slave trade (circa 1764).

Ezekiel Watkins

Captain of the Sally; Rhode Island resident associated with the slave voyage.

Brown brothers

Rhode Island family who financed the Sally voyage; later connected to Brown University.

Brown University

Providence, RI university named for the Brown family; founded by and named after the same family connected to colonial ventures.

Molasses

Syrup produced from sugar; shipped to colonies to be used in rum production.

Rum

Alcohol produced from molasses; a major colonial product in New England distilleries.

Distilleries in Connecticut

Connecticut contained many distilleries that produced rum from imported molasses.

Anne Hutchinson

Religious dissenter whose antinomian views led to banishment from Massachusetts; related discussions of antinomian ideas.

Antinomianism

Doctrine emphasizing that faith alone saves, reducing emphasis on outward adherence to law; associated with Hutchinson and her followers.

Wentworth family

Promo-influential Rhode Island/New England family; multiple members influenced colonial governance and economy (e.g., timber for ships).

Pine trees for ships

Timber (pine) contracted for shipbuilding; important source of wealth and power for New England elites (Wentworths and others).

Sky Cranfield

Administrator who took over Wentworth-established interests; attempted to collect customs duties and faced rebellion.

Panfield

Figure who opposed Cranfield’s authority; encountered conflict over duties and governance; later left the area."

Quit rents

Periodic land rents paid to landowners or authorities; a form of colonial taxation that persisted before being challenged or reformed.

Patroon (patroon system)

Dutch land-grant system in New Netherland granting estates to patroons who would bring and settle tenants; akin to large colonial landholdings.

Peter Stuyvesant

Director-general of New Netherland; infamously stubborn governor who surrendered to the English in 1664.

New Amsterdam

Dutch settlement on Manhattan Island; renamed New York after English takeover in 1664.

Dutch West India Company

Dutch company that administered New Netherland and promoted colonization, trade, and the patroon system.

1664 English takeover of New Netherland

Year English forces seized control from the Dutch, transforming New Netherland into the English colony of New York.