2.2-2.7: European Colonization and British Colonies - Vocabulary

A vocabulary flashcard set covering key terms, people, events, and concepts from European colonization of North America, regional British colonies, transatlantic trade, slavery, native interactions, and colonial society (roughly 1607–1775).

Jamestown

First permanent English settlement in North America (1607), established by the Virginia Company; later became a royal colony in 1624.

Plymouth Colony

English settlement established by Separatists in 1620 after the Mayflower voyage.

Massachusetts Bay Colony

Puritan settlement founded in 1630; part of the Great Migration to New England.

Mayflower Compact

1620 self-government agreement by Pilgrims establishing rule by the will of the majority.

Puritans

Religious group seeking to reform the Church of England; settled in Massachusetts Bay.

Separatists

Pilgrims who separated from the Church of England; settled Plymouth.

Great Migration

Mass movement of Puritans to New England in the 1630s.

Roger Williams

Founder of Rhode Island; advocated religious liberty and separation of church and state.

Rhode Island

Colony founded on religious liberty and toleration; land purchased from Native Americans.

Anne Hutchinson

Puritan dissenter in Massachusetts Bay; banished and associated with Rhode Island; promoted antinomianism.

Fundamental Orders of Connecticut

Early written constitution establishing representative government in Connecticut.

New Haven

Colony established in 1637; later merged with Hartford to form Connecticut.

Hartford

Early Connecticut settlement; home to the Fundamental Orders and early self-government.

Connecticut

Colony founded with towns like Hartford and New Haven; early self-government and consensus.

Halfway Covenant

1620s-1660s policy allowing partial church membership to maintain church numbers.

King Philip’s War

1675–1676 conflict led by Metacom against English encroachment in New England.

Bacon’s Rebellion

1676 Virginia uprising led by Nathaniel Bacon highlighting frontier tensions and shift toward slavery.

Pueblo Revolt

1680 Pueblo uprising against Spanish rule in the Southwest; temporarily expelled Spaniards.

Encomienda system

Spanish colonial labor system forcing Native labor under colonial authorities.

Indentured Servant

Laborer contracted for 4–7 years of service in exchange for passage to colonies.

Headright System

Policy granting 50 acres of land per immigrant to attract settlers.

Slavery

System of coerced labor; Africans brought to colonies; legal codes hardened slave status.

Slave Codes

Laws (e.g., 1641 MA, 1661 VA, 1664 MD) solidifying hereditary enslavement and race-based controls.

Triangular Trade

Three-part Atlantic route: rum to Africa for enslaved people, Middle Passage to the Americas, sugar to New England.

Mercantilism

Economic theory that colonies exist to enrich the mother country; emphasis on exports and controlled trade.

Navigation Acts

1650–1673 British laws restricting colonial trade to English ships and enumerated goods.

Dominion of New England

1685–1689 royal administrative union of northern colonies under Andros; ended by Glorious Revolution.

Salutary neglect

British policy of lax enforcement of colonial trade laws due to distance and politics.

Quakers

Religious group (Society of Friends); prominent in Pennsylvania under William Penn; promoted religious tolerance.

William Penn

Founder of Pennsylvania; Quaker; promoted the Holy Experiment and religious freedom.

Holy Experiment

Penn’s plan for Pennsylvania emphasizing religious liberty and fair governance.

Frame of Government

Written constitution for Pennsylvania guaranteeing a representative assembly.

Delaware (1702)

Lower three counties of Pennsylvania granted their own assembly, becoming a separate entity.

Georgia

1732 final mainland colony; founded by James Oglethorpe; initially regulated slavery and drinking; defensive and reformative aims.

James Oglethorpe

Founder of Georgia; established a colony to defend against Spanish Florida and reform debtors.

Carolinas (North and South)

British colonies (1670s) with rice and later slave-based plantations; Democratic governance; strong coastal economies.

Middle Colonies

New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware; fertile land, diverse settlers, religious tolerance.

New York

Originally Dutch New Amsterdam; taken by the English in 1664; important trade hub; tolerant policies.

New Jersey

Carved from New York; promoted land grants and religious freedom to attract settlers.

Pennsylvania

Quaker colony founded by William Penn; famed for religious liberty and commercial growth.

Maryland Act of Toleration

1649 law granting religious tolerance to Christians; later restricted in favor of Protestants.

Powhatan Confederacy

Alliance of Virginia tribes led by Powhatan; interacted with Jamestown; complex relations.

Iroquois Confederation

Powerful Northeastern Native American alliance influencing colonial diplomacy.

St. Augustine

First permanent European settlement in what is now the U.S.; Spanish settlement in Florida (1565).

San Diego Mission

Franciscan missions along California coast (began 1769) as part of Spanish colonization.

Junípero Serra

Franciscan missionary who established California missions beginning in 1769.

Samuel de Champlain

Founder of Quebec (1608); “Father of New France”.

Louis Joliet

French explorer who, with Marquette, explored the upper Mississippi (1673).

Jacques Marquette

Jesuit missionary who explored the Mississippi with Joliet (1673).

Robert de La Salle

French explorer who claimed Louisiana for France (1682) after exploring the Mississippi.

Louisiana

French colonial territory named for Louis XIV; expanded by La Salle’s exploration.

New Orleans

French-founded port city (1718) that became a prosperous trade center.

Samuel de Champlain

See above.

First Great Awakening

Mid-18th-century religious revival influencing colonial religion and society.

Harvard

Founded 1636 by Puritans in Massachusetts to train ministers.

Yale

Founded 1701 by Congregationalists in Connecticut; early American college.

William & Mary

Founded 1693 by Anglicans in Virginia; second college established in the colonies.

College of Philadelphia (University of Pennsylvania)

First nonsectarian college in 1755; promoted broad education.

Town meetings

Local self-government practice common in New England.

House of Burgesses

Virginia’s first representative assembly (1619).