European Colonization and the Foundations of the American Colonies (Vocabulary Flashcards)

Vocabulary flashcards covering major concepts, people, terms, and events from European exploration, colonial systems, and the founding of English, Dutch, French, and Pennsylvania colonies.

Mercantilism

An economic idea where nations gain wealth by controlling trade and getting rich through colonial resources and good trade balances.

Sextant

A tool used by sailors to measure angles to find their location at sea.

Lateen sail

A triangular sail that helps ships move faster and turn better on long sea trips.

Compass

A tool that shows direction to magnetic north, vital for navigation.

Gold, God, and Glory (the three G

's)

Reasons for European exploration: wealth (gold), spreading Christianity (God), and personal fame (glory).

Conquistadors

Spanish explorers who sought gold, spread Christianity, and gained fame; often younger sons in their families.

Encomienda system

A Spanish system giving conquistadors land and Native American labor; natives were forced to work on farms and in mines.

Mita

An Incan labor tax adopted by the Spanish to force Native Americans to work in mines and industries.

Columbian Exchange

The movement of plants, animals, diseases, and cultures between the Old World and the New World after 1492.

Sugar plantations

Farms in the Atlantic world that grew sugar, first using Native labor, then African slave labor, especially in the Caribbean and Canary Islands.

African slave trade

The forced transport of Africans to the Americas to work on plantations and in mines.

Middle Passage

The brutal sea journey of enslaved Africans from Africa to the Americas.

Maroon communities

Settlements of runaway slaves who resisted slavery by escaping and living independently.

Syncretic religion (Vodun/Creole)**

A mix of African, European, and Indigenous beliefs; Vodun is a West African religion; Creole language comes from this cultural mix.

Pueblo Revolt (Pope

's Rebellion)

A 1680 uprising by Pueblo people against Spanish rule in New Mexico, leading to temporary freedom and later policy changes.

Columbus and the three G

's

The main reasons for Columbus's exploration: Gold, God, and Glory.

Jamestown

The first permanent English settlement in Virginia (1607); faced hardships, famine, and conflict with Native Americans before tobacco saved it.

Starving Time (1609

–1610)

A period of severe hunger in Jamestown due to poor leadership and lack of supplies.

Tobacco economy

Virginia's economic shift after Rolfe; tobacco became a cash crop that encouraged settlement and slave labor.

Headright system

A land grant (usually 50 acres) given to settlers and those who paid for others' travel to America.

Indentured servitude

A labor system where people worked for several years in exchange for free passage, food, and housing.

John Rolfe

A colonist who improved tobacco growing in Jamestown and married Pocahontas; helped the colony's economy thrive.

Pocahontas

A Powhatan princess who helped relations with the English and married John Rolfe, symbolizing temporary peace.

Powhatan

Leader of the Powhatan Confederacy; engaged with Jamestown and fought in the Anglo-Powhatan Wars.

Powhatan Wars (1610

–1646)

Conflicts between English settlers in Virginia and Powhatan groups, leading to English expansion.

House of Burgesses

Virginia

's first representative assembly (1619) for local government.

Bacon

's Rebellion (1676)

A rebellion in Virginia led by Nathaniel Bacon; criticized colonial government; helped shift labor from indentured servants to enslaved Africans.

Plymouth Colony

A settlement founded by Separatists/Pilgrims in 1620 for religious freedom; later joined other New England colonies.

Mayflower Compact

An early agreement for self-government signed by the Pilgrims, stating that government should be based on the people

's consent.

Puritans

Religious reformers who wanted to 'purify' the Church of England; founded Massachusetts Bay Colony during the Great Migration.

City upon a Hill

John Winthrop

's famous quote describing Massachusetts Bay as a moral example for the world.

Massachusetts Bay Colony

A Puritan colony founded during the Great Migration (1630

–1642); emphasized church-centered community and government.

John Winthrop

Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony; promoted a religious, model society.

Roger Williams

A Puritan minister who championed religious freedom and separation of church and state; founded Rhode Island.

Rhode Island

A colony founded on religious tolerance and freedom of conscience, with no official state church.

Quakers (Society of Friends)

A religious group led by William Penn; known as pacifists who rejected oaths and sought religious liberty.

William Penn

Founder of Pennsylvania; a Quaker who promoted religious tolerance, a representative government, and fair land deals with Native Americans.

Pennsylvania Dutch

German-speaking immigrant groups in Pennsylvania; forming Germantown and other communities with German culture.

New Netherland/New Amsterdam

A Dutch colony (Hudson River) run by the Dutch West India Company; known for fur trade and good relations with natives; later taken by England and renamed New York.

Patrons

Wealthy Dutch landowners in New Netherland who controlled large amounts of land and policy.

Anglo-Dutch Wars

Three conflicts in the 17th century (1652

–1654, 1665

–1667, 1672

–1674) over trade and colonies; ended with England taking New Amsterdam (1664) and dominating the seas.

New York (post-1664)

Former New Amsterdam became English New York; Dutch culture and economy remained in various ways.

Georgia (1733)

A colony founded by James Oglethorpe as a buffer against Spanish Florida; initially restricted slavery (until 1750) and focused on defense.

James Oglethorpe

Founder of Georgia; supported charity, defense, and early strict rules on slavery.

Rice and lumber economies in the Carolinas

Southern colonies (especially South Carolina) focused on growing rice and producing timber; relied on enslaved African labor for rice.

Slavery in the Southern Colonies

The growth of enslaved labor in the Chesapeake and Deep South; increasing reliance on enslaved Africans for work.

Stono Rebellion (1739)

The largest slave uprising in the British mainland colonies before the American Revolution, in South Carolina.

Triangular Trade

An Atlantic trade network linking Africa, the Caribbean, and the American colonies, exchanging enslaved people, cash crops, and manufactured goods.

Middle Passage

The cruel sea journey that transported enslaved Africans to the Americas; marked by high death rates and terrible conditions.

New England maritime economy

Economy based on shipbuilding, cod fishing, and triangular trade, leading to wealth and regional growth.

Salem Witch Trials (1692

–1693)

A period of widespread fear about witchcraft in Massachusetts, leading to trials and executions; reflected social tensions and religious worries.

New England town governance

Democratic town meetings, local self-government, and community rules centered around the church and family.

Pueblo Revolt and King Philip

's War

Major Native-led resistance movements against European colonization in the Southwest and New England; changed power dynamics and population pressures.

Diversity in colonial Pennsylvania

Settlement by Quakers, Germans (Pennsylvania Dutch), Scots-Irish, and others, creating a diverse society with religious tolerance.