APUSH Ch. 3 Vocab

House of Burgesses

Representative parliamentary assembly created to govern Virginia, establishing a precedent for government in the English colonies.

Act of Toleration

Passed in Maryland, it guaranteed toleration to all Christians but decreed the death penalty for those, like Jews and atheists, who denied the divinity of Jesus Christ. Ensured that Maryland would continue to attract a high proportion of Catholic migrants throughout the colonial period.

Barbados Slave Code

First formal statute governing the treatment of slaves, which provided for harsh punishments against offending slaves but lacked penalties for the mistreatment of slaves by masters. Similar statutes were adopted by Southern plantation societies on the North American mainland in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

English Civil War

Armed conflict between royalists and parliamentarians, resulting in the victory of pro- Parliament forces and the execution of Charles I.

Squatters

Frontier farmers who illegally occupied land owned by others or not yet officially opened for settlement. Many of North Carolina’s early settlers were _____, who contributed to the colony’s reputation as being more independent-minded and egalitarian than its neighbors.

Calvinism

Dominant theological credo of the New England Puritans based on the teachings of John ____. ____ believed in predestination—that only “the elect” were destined for salvation.

Predestination

Calvinist doctrine that God has foreordained some people to be saved and some to be damned. Though their fate was irreversible, Calvinists, particularly those who believed they were destined for salvation, sought to lead sanctified lives in order to demonstrate to others that they were in fact members of the “elect.”

Conversion

Intense religious experience that confirmed an individual’s place among the “elect,” or the “visible saints.” Calvinists who experienced conversion were then expected to lead sanctified lives to demonstrate their salvation.

Puritans

English Protestant reformers who sought to ____ the Church of England of Catholic rituals and creeds. Some of the most devout _____ believed that only “visible saints” should be admitted to church membership.

Separatists

Small group of Puritans who sought to break away entirely from the Church of England. After initially settling in Holland, a number of English ______ made their way to Plymouth Bay, Massachusetts, in 1620.

Wampanoag Nation

The “People of First Light,” or the _____, lived in current Plymouth Bay, Massachusetts. Although their numbers were greatly diminished by European-borne epidemics before the Mayflower’s arrival, the Native knowledge of those that remained proved essential to the Plymouth Pilgrims’ survival. The ______ chieftain Massasoit signed a treaty with the colonists in 1621 and helped them celebrate the first Thanksgiving after the autumn harvests that same year.

Mayflower Compact

Agreement to form a majoritarian government in Plymouth, signed aboard the ______. Created a foundation for self-government in the colony.

Massachusetts Bay Colony

Established by non-separating Puritans, it soon grew to be the largest and most influential of the New England colonies.

Great English Migration

Migration of seventy thousand refugees from England to the North American colonies, primarily New England and the Caribbean. The twenty thousand migrants who came to Massachusetts largely shared a common sense of purpose—to establish a model Christian settlement in the New World.

Protestant Ethic

A term coined by German Sociologist Max Weber in his landmark book of 1904–1905: The ____ and the Spirit of Capitalism. Weber argued that Protestantism nurtured values of hard work, frugality, and efficiency that fueled the early stages of European capitalism.

Antionomianism

Belief that the elect need not obey the law of either God or man; most notably espoused in the colonies by Anne Hutchinson.

Fundamental Orders

Drafted by settlers in the Connecticut River valley, this document was the first “modern constitution” establishing a democratically controlled government. Key features of the document were borrowed for Connecticut’s colonial charter and, later, its state constitution.

Pequot War

Series of clashes between English settlers and ____ Indians in the Connecticut River valley. Ended in the slaughter of the ____ by the Puritans and their Narragansett allies.

King Philip’s War

Series of assaults by Metacom, King ___, on English settlements in New England. The attacks slowed the westward migration of New England settlers for several decades.

New England Confederation

Weak union of the colonies in Massachusetts and Connecticut led by Puritans for the purposes of defense and organization; an early attempt at self-government during the benign neglect of the English Civil War.

Navigation Laws

Series of laws passed, beginning in 1651, to regulate colonial shipping; the acts provided that only English ships would be allowed to trade in English and colonial ports and that all goods destined for the colonies would first pass through England.

Dominion of New England

Administrative union created by royal authority, incorporating all of New England, New York, and East and West Jersey. Placed under the rule of Sir Edmund Andros, who curbed popular assemblies, taxed residents without their consent, and strictly enforced Navigation Laws. Its collapse after the Glorious Revolution in England demonstrated colonial opposition to strict royal control.

Glorious Revolution

Overthrow, in 1688, of the Catholic King James II of England. Rebellious English nobles invited the Protestant William of Orange to replace James II in a relatively bloodless coup. The event affirmed England’s constitutional balance between parliament and the crown.

Salutary Neglect

Unofficial policy of relaxed royal control over colonial trade and only weak enforcement of Navigation Laws. Lasted from the Glorious Revolution to the end of the French and Indian War in 1763.

Quakers

Religious group known for their tolerance, emphasis on peace, and idealistic policies toward Native Americans. They settled heavily in Pennsylvania in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

Blue Laws

Also known as sumptuary laws, they are designed to restrict personal behavior in accord with a strict code of morality. ____ were passed across the colonies, particularly in Puritan New England and Quaker Pennsylvania.

Oliver Cromwell

Puritan general who led the Parliamentary forces to victory in the English Civil War, executing King Charles I and briefly establishing a republican government. His rule heightened England’s political turmoil, indirectly pushing many discontented groups—including Puritans—to seek greater religious and political freedom in the New World

James Oglethorpe

The founder of Georgia, envisioning it as a haven for debtors and a buffer colony against Spanish Florida. His leadership and military skill helped keep the struggling colony alive, even though growth was slow at first.

John Calvin

shaping Calvinism, a strict Protestant faith emphasizing predestination and a disciplined, “visible saint” lifestyle. His teachings deeply influenced the Puritans, who carried his doctrines to the New World and left a lasting impact on American religious and social life.

William Bradford

the longtime governor of the Plymouth Colony, helping the Pilgrims survive through difficult early years. His leadership and devotion to the colony’s religious mission ensured stability and encouraged the growth of a self-governing community.

John Winthrop

first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, leading the Puritans in establishing a model religious commonwealth. He envisioned the colony as a “city upon a hill,” setting a lasting example of moral responsibility and community purpose in American history.

Anne Hutchinson

challenging Puritan orthodoxy in Massachusetts by preaching that true believers did not need to follow the laws of God or man. Her antinomian views and eventual banishment highlighted the colony’s limited religious tolerance and reinforced the strict authority of Puritan leaders.

Roger Williams

advocating complete religious freedom and separation of church and state, ideas that clashed with Puritan leaders in Massachusetts. After being banished, he founded Rhode Island, which became a haven for dissenters and a model of religious tolerance in America.

Massasoit

Wampanoag chieftain who formed a crucial alliance with the Pilgrims at Plymouth. His cooperation helped ensure the colony’s survival in its early years, most famously through the peace celebrated at the First Thanksgiving.

Metacom (King Philip)

uniting several Native American tribes in a desperate attempt to resist English expansion during King Philip’s War. Though ultimately defeated, the conflict devastated New England’s tribes and marked a turning point in colonial-native relations.

Sir Edmund Andros

the autocratic leader of the Dominion of New England, where he restricted town meetings, controlled the press, and enforced unpopular Navigation Laws. His harsh rule stirred intense colonial resentment, and he was overthrown after the Glorious Revolution, boosting the colonies’ resistance to royal authority.

William Penn

the founder of Pennsylvania, creating a colony based on religious freedom, fair treatment of Native Americans, and representative government. His “Holy Experiment” attracted diverse settlers and set an early example of tolerance and democratic principles in America.