Topic 2: European Colonization of North America (1500–1750)

Vocabulary terms covering European Colonization of North America (1500–1750), focusing on the Middle Colonies, Southern Colonies, colonial society, and colonial trade and governance.

Middle Colonies

The region consisting of the colonies of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware.

Patroons

Dutch owners of huge estates in New Netherland.

Peter Stuyvesant

The governor of New Netherland who was ordered not to interfere with other religions as long as they did not disturb the peace or restrict commerce.

Duke of York

Brother of King Charles II of England who was granted New Netherland, which was then renamed New York in his honor.

Lord Berkeley and Sir George Carteret

The proprietors of the colony of New Jersey.

Free enterprise system

An economic system in which the government plays a limited role in the economy.

William Penn

Quaker leader who founded the colony of Pennsylvania in 1681 and insisted that settlers pay Native Americans for their land.

Penn's woodlands

The meaning of the name and another term for the colony of Pennsylvania.

Breadbasket Colonies

A nickname for the Middle Colonies resulting from their massive export of grains including wheat, barley, and rye.

Sir George Calvert

Proprietor who planned to build Maryland as a colony where Catholics could practice their religion freely.

Lord Baltimore

The English nobleman who owned the colony of Maryland.

Margaret and Mary Brent

Two sisters who arrived in Maryland in 1638 with nine male servants and established two plantations of about 1,000 acres each.

James Oglethorpe

Colonial leader who wanted Georgia to serve as a haven where debtors could make a fresh start.

Headright

A grant of land given to each settler who came to a colony, or to the person who paid the cost of bringing the settler.

Quarters

Living accommodations provided on plantations.

Backcountry

The inland areas of the Middle Colonies.

Germantown Quakers (1688)

A religious group in Germantown, Pennsylvania that became the first group of colonists to publicly call for an end to slavery.

Freedom dues

The payment of a set of clothes, tools, and 50 acres of land given to indentured servants upon completing their contract of service.

Great Awakening

A widespread religious movement that fostered the spread of democratic feelings and stimulated a spirit of independence across the colonies.

John Locke

An English philosopher who asserted that people gain knowledge of the world through observation and experimentation.

Benjamin Franklin

A writer, scientist, and statesman widely regarded as the foremost embodiment of the Enlightenment spirit in the English colonies.

John Peter Zenger

A printer and publisher arrested for printing articles criticizing the royal governor, establishing an early precedent for freedom of the press.

Navigation Acts

Trade laws dictating that only colonial or English ships were permitted to transport goods to and from the colonies.

Common law

A legal tradition based on judicial precedents, also referred to as case law.

Glorious Revolution

The political event in which the English Parliament deposed King James II and invited William and Mary of the Netherlands to rule England.