part 1 history

A Model of Christian Charity

A 1630 sermon written by John Winthrop describing the Puritan goal of creating a godly society in Massachusetts Bay. It introduced the idea of a “city upon a hill,” meaning the colony should serve as an example for the world.

Acadians

French-speaking settlers who lived in Acadia (modern Nova Scotia and surrounding regions). Many were expelled by the British during the French and Indian War.

Adena

An early Native American culture in the Ohio Valley known for building burial mounds and developing complex societies before European contact.

Agricultural Revolution

The transition from hunting and gathering to farming, which allowed humans to settle permanently, create larger communities, and develop civilizations.

Albany Plan of Union

A 1754 proposal by Benjamin Franklin for the colonies to unite for defense and cooperation during the French and Indian War. It was rejected but showed early ideas of colonial unity.

Alhambra Decree

A 1492 order by Ferdinand and Isabella expelling Jews from Spain unless they converted to Christianity. It reflected religious intolerance during the Reconquista.

Alice Tilly

A colonial woman associated with studies of family, household labor, and women’s roles in early America.

Amerigo Vespucci

An Italian explorer whose writings helped convince Europeans that the lands discovered by Columbus were a separate continent. America was named after him.

An Act Concerning Religion

A 1649 Maryland law guaranteeing religious toleration for Christians, especially Catholics, in the colony founded by Lord Baltimore.

Ancestral Puebloans

Native peoples of the Southwest known for building cliff dwellings, advanced farming systems, and permanent settlements.

Andrew Turnbull

A Scottish physician who founded New Smyrna, a Florida settlement that used indentured servants from Europe and the Mediterranean.

Anglicans

Members of the Church of England. Anglicanism became the established religion in many southern English colonies.

Angolan Cultural Zone

A region of West Central Africa that contributed many enslaved people to the Atlantic slave trade. These cultures influenced African American traditions.

Anne Bradstreet

The first published female poet in British North America. She wrote about religion, family, and colonial life.

Anne Hutchinson

A Puritan woman banished from Massachusetts Bay for challenging male religious leaders and arguing that individuals could receive spiritual guidance directly from God.

Anthony and Mary Johnson

An African couple who became successful landowners in Virginia after arriving as indentured servants. Their story shows that racial slavery was not originally fully developed in the colonies.

Anthony Ashley Cooper, Lord Shaftsbury

A founder of Carolina who helped create the Fundamental Constitutions of Carolina and promoted plantation development.

Anthony Benezet

A Quaker abolitionist who argued against slavery and promoted the rights of enslaved Africans.

Antinomian

The belief that faith alone, rather than following religious laws, was necessary for salvation. Anne Hutchinson was accused of promoting antinomian ideas.

Asiento

A contract allowing Spain to obtain enslaved Africans from other countries for its colonies. It helped expand the Atlantic slave trade.

Atlantic World

The interconnected network of Europe, Africa, and the Americas created through exploration, trade, migration, and slavery.

Atlatl

A hunting tool used by Native Americans that increased the speed and distance of thrown spears.

Ayuba Suleiman Diallo

An enslaved African Muslim from West Africa who was educated and eventually gained his freedom. His story shows the diversity of enslaved Africans.

Bacon’s Rebellion

A 1676 uprising in Virginia led by Nathaniel Bacon against Governor William Berkeley. It increased fear of poor workers and contributed to the growth of race-based plantation slavery.

Banastre Tarleton

A British military officer during the American Revolution known for leading cavalry forces.

Baptists

A Protestant denomination that emphasized adult baptism and personal religious experiences. Baptists grew during the First Great Awakening.

Barbadian Slave Code

A set of laws created in Barbados that restricted enslaved Africans and established systems of racial slavery that influenced other colonies.

Barbados

A Caribbean island that became one of England’s most profitable sugar colonies and a model for plantation slavery.

Bartolome de las Casas

A Spanish priest who criticized the mistreatment of Indigenous peoples under Spanish colonization and defended Native rights.

Benjamin West

A colonial American painter who became famous in Britain for historical paintings.

Beringia

The Ice Age land bridge connecting Siberia and Alaska that allowed Paleo-Indians to migrate into North America.

Black Legend

The idea that Spain was uniquely cruel and brutal in its treatment of Indigenous peoples, often promoted by Spain’s rivals.

Board of Trade

A British government agency created to oversee colonial affairs and trade.

Book of Common Prayer

The official prayer book of the Church of England created during the English Reformation.

Book of Martyrs

A work by John Foxe describing Protestant martyrs persecuted under Catholic rule.

Boston Massacre

A 1770 confrontation in which British soldiers killed five colonists. Patriots used it as propaganda against British rule.

Boston Tea Party

A 1773 protest where colonists dumped British tea into Boston Harbor to oppose taxation.

Bundling

A colonial courtship practice where unmarried couples spent time together in bed while remaining clothed.

Cabeza de Vaca

A Spanish explorer who traveled through parts of North America and wrote about Indigenous peoples and the land.

Cahokia

The largest pre-Columbian city in North America, located near present-day St. Louis. It was a major center of the Mississippian culture.

Caravel

A small, maneuverable Portuguese sailing ship that helped make European exploration possible.

Catherine of Aragon

The first wife of Henry VIII. His desire to divorce her contributed to England’s break with the Catholic Church.

Cato’s Letters

A series of essays criticizing government corruption and defending individual liberty. They influenced colonial political thought.

Charles II

The English king who restored the monarchy after the English Civil War. Several colonies received charters during his reign.

Charles Town

The original name of Charleston, South Carolina, an important southern port and center of plantation agriculture.

Charter of Liberties

A document issued in New York guaranteeing certain rights and privileges to colonists.

Cherokee Creation Story

A Cherokee explanation of the origins of the world and humanity that reflects Indigenous beliefs.

Christopher Columbus

The Italian explorer who sailed for Spain in 1492 and reached the Americas, beginning sustained European contact with the Western Hemisphere.

Clandestine Marriages

Secret marriages that occurred without parental or government approval, showing changing ideas about family and personal choice.

Code Noir

A French legal code regulating slavery in French colonies, including rules about enslaved people’s treatment and religious conversion.

Coercive Acts

British laws passed in 1774 to punish Massachusetts after the Boston Tea Party. Colonists called them the Intolerable Acts.

Colonial Assemblies

Elected representative bodies in colonies that helped govern local affairs and developed traditions of self-government.

Columbian Exchange

The transfer of plants, animals, diseases, people, and ideas between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres after Columbus’s voyages.

Common Sense

A 1776 pamphlet by Thomas Paine that argued for American independence from Britain.

Competency

The ability of individuals to support themselves economically; often connected to colonial ideas about independence and social status.

Conestoga Wagon

A large covered wagon used by German immigrants and farmers to transport goods across the colonies.

Continental Association

A 1774 agreement organized by the First Continental Congress to boycott British goods.

Conventicle Act

A law in England restricting unauthorized religious meetings, targeting groups such as Puritans.

County Courts

Local colonial courts that handled legal disputes and helped govern communities.

Courriers du Bois

French-Canadian fur traders who traveled through the interior of North America and traded with Native peoples.

Court of Assistants

The governing body of the Massachusetts Bay Company that helped manage the colony.

Covenant Chain

A series of agreements between the Iroquois Confederacy and English colonies to maintain peace and trade.

Coverture

A legal system where married women lost separate legal identities and their property rights were controlled by their husbands.