AP US History Period 2 (1607-1754) Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, historical figures, and events from AP US History Period 2 (1607-1754).

Jamestown

The first permanent English settlement in North America, established in 1607.

John Smith

Early leader of Jamestown who provided discipline with a 'no work no eat' policy and managed skillful Indian relations.

Baron De La Warr

Governor of Jamestown who arrived in 1610 with supplies, forced fleeing colonists back to work, and waged aggressive war against local Native Americans.

Three Ds

The factors that led to the Powhatans' end: Disease, Disorganization, and Disposability.

John Rolfe

Jamestown colonist who successfully cross-bred native and West Indian tobacco, establishing Virginia's main cash crop.

Headright System

A policy offering 50 acres of free land for each person brought to America, created to meet chronic labor shortages.

House of Burgesses

The first representative assembly in the United States, created in Virginia in 1619.

Toleration Act

A 1649 Maryland law that guaranteed religious freedom to all Christians.

Barbados Slave Code

A 1661 statute that defined slaves' legal status and masters' prerogatives, denying slaves basic rights; brought to Carolina in 1670.

James Oglethorpe

High-minded philanthropist who founded the buffer colony of Georgia in 1733 as a haven for debtors.

Predestination

Calvinist doctrine holding that the 'elect' were destined for eternal bliss and others were destined for eternal torment.

Mayflower Compact

A 1620 agreement signed by Pilgrims to form a government and submit to the will of the majority under agreed regulations.

Great Migration

The 1630s movement in which approximately 70,000 refugees left England, leading to the growth of Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Anne Hutchinson

Puritan dissenter who carried predestination to logical extremes (antinomianism) and was tried in 1638 before being banished to Rhode Island.

Roger Williams

Extreme Separatist who fled Massachusetts in 1636 and founded Providence, Rhode Island, establishing complete freedom of religion.

Fundamental Orders

A 1639 Connecticut document establishing a democratically controlled regime, recognized as a modern constitution.

New England Confederation

A 1643 defense alliance created by four Puritan colonies: Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, New Haven, and Connecticut.

Half-Way Covenant

A Puritan church formula that weakened the distinction between the 'elect' and others by admitting unconverted children of existing members.

Salem Witch Trials

A 1692 wave of hysterical witch hunts in Massachusetts resulting in the legal execution of twenty individuals and two dogs.

William Penn

Quaker leader who secured a land grant in 1681 to found Pennsylvania as a haven of religious freedom and fair treatment of Native Americans.

Middle Colonies

The region comprising New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania, characterized by fertile soil, diverse populations, and known as the 'bread colonies.'

Bacon's Rebellion

A 1676 armed uprising led by Nathaniel Bacon against Virginia Governor William Berkeley over high taxes, unrepresented landless men, and Native American policies.

Middle Passage

The perilous trans-Atlantic voyage that brought captured Africans from Africa to the New World as slaves.

Stono Rebellion

A 1739 slave uprising in South Carolina where 30 white colonists were killed before militia contained the revolt.

Slave Codes

Sets of colonial laws enacted to prevent revolts and escapes by prohibiting enslaved people from reading, writing, meeting, or carrying weapons.