British Colonies in North America (sept 111)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key people, places, policies, and events from the lecture notes on early English colonies in North America.

Virginia Colony

First permanent English colony in North America; tobacco economy; relied on indentured servants early on; site of Bacon’s Rebellion and later shift toward African slavery.

Indentured servant

A poor English person who exchanged several years of labor (often seven) for passage to the colonies; the labor force for early Virginia; contracts often extended and included penalties.

Bacon’s Rebellion (1676)

Uprising in Virginia led by Nathaniel Bacon against Governor Berkeley; highlighted frontier tensions and class conflict; ended with Bacon’s death and royal intervention.

Extirpate Indians

Policy or aim to root out or destroy Native American populations to gain land for settlers, a key element of Bacon’s frontier conflict.

Shift to African slavery in Virginia

By the late 17th century, the labor force shifted from white indentured servants to African slaves, influenced by growing slave trade and codified racial distinctions.

New Netherlands (New Amsterdam)

Dutch colonial settlement on the Hudson; later became New York after British seizure in 1664; key port and fur-trade hub.

Dutch East India Company (VOC)

Powerful Dutch chartered company that controlled New Netherland; priority on commerce and empire-building with a large global presence.

New York (post-1664)

Renamed from New Netherlands to New York after British seizure; maintained Dutch commercial communities and investments.

William Penn

Quaker founder of Pennsylvania; obtained a land grant from the crown; used print ads to attract diverse European settlers to a tolerant colony.

Pennsylvania

Quaker-led colony with religious tolerance; no established church; diverse population; strong land and trade economy (lumber and grain).

Quakers (Religious Society of Friends)

Pacifist Christians who refused oaths and military service; persecuted in England; promoted religious tolerance and fair dealing with Native Americans.

Rhode Island

Colony founded by Roger Williams and followers after exile from Massachusetts; extreme religious liberty; no established church; negotiated land from natives.

Roger Williams

Puritan minister who advocated church-state separation; expelled from Massachusetts; founded Rhode Island with a policy of religious liberty and fair Native American relations.

Anne Hutchinson

Puritan lay leader who challenged colonial religious orthodoxy; accused of antinomianism; exiled to Rhode Island; associated with religious liberty in RI.

Massachusetts Bay Colony

Puritan colony with strong church-state ties; governance centered on the Congregational Church; voting tied to church membership; early model of New England governance.

Puritans

English Protestants seeking deeper reform within the Church of England; main drivers of the Great Migration to New England; visions included moral community and covenant theology.

Pilgrims / Separatists

Dissenters who sought full separation from the Church of England; founded Plymouth in 1620; emphasized religious freedom and covenant community.

City upon a Hill

Winthrop’s vision of Massachusetts as a model, virtuous Christian community intended to inspire others.

Great English Migration (1630–1642)

Mass movement of about 75,000–80,000 English to the New World, predominantly Puritans seeking religious freedom; reshaped multiple colonies.

Plymouth Colony

Early Puritan settlement established by Separatists/Pilgrims in 1620; later encompassed into the broader Massachusetts Bay framework.

Carolina (Lord’s Proprietors)

Restoration-era proprietary colony granted to eight Lords Proprietors; linked to Barbadian sugar interests and later rice economy; slavery becomes central.

Barbados connection

Barbadian sugar monoculture and slave labor networks influenced the development of Carolina’s economy and population.

Rice economy (South Carolina)

Rice cultivation driven by enslaved West African labor; by 1712 Carolina becomes the wealthiest colony due to this export crop.

African diaspora in Carolina

Large influx of West African slaves; pivotal to Carolina’s labor system and social structure; dramatically shaped culture and economy.

Predestination

Calvinist belief that God has predetermined who is saved or damned; central to Puritan worldview and dictates moral behavior.

Antinomianism

Belief that saved individuals are exempt from moral law; challenged Puritan authorities; central to Anne Hutchinson’s trial and exile.