AP US history unit 2 vocab

John Cabot

Italian explorer sailing for England who claimed land in North America (1497), laying the basis for England’s later colonial claims.

Joint-stock company

Business structure where investors pooled money to fund colonies (e.g., Virginia Company); minimized risk and supported English colonization.

Act of Toleration (1649)

Maryland law granting religious freedom to all Christians; first colonial law protecting religious liberty (but not non-Christians).

Roger Williams

Banished Puritan dissenter; founded Rhode Island (1636) promoting separation of church and state and religious tolerance.

Anne Hutchinson

Puritan woman who challenged church authority and gender roles; banished from Massachusetts, helped found Portsmouth, RI.

Halfway Covenant (1662)

Allowed partial church membership for children of Puritan members; aimed to maintain influence of Puritan church amid declining conversions.

Quakers

Pacifist religious group (Society of Friends) believing in equality and inner light; persecuted in England and New England.

William Penn

Quaker founder of Pennsylvania; promoted religious freedom, fair treatment of Native Americans, and democratic government.

Holy Experiment

William Penn’s vision for Pennsylvania as a refuge for persecuted people and religious minorities; promoted tolerance and diversity.

Charter of Liberties (1701)

Pennsylvania constitution guaranteeing freedom of worship and elected assembly; expanded political rights in the colony.

Jamestown (1607)

First permanent English settlement in North America; struggled initially but became profitable through tobacco.

Captain John Smith

Leader who helped Jamestown survive through discipline and trade with Powhatan Indians.

John Rolfe

Introduced profitable tobacco cultivation to Jamestown; married Pocahontas, easing tensions with Powhatan tribe.

Plymouth Colony (1620)

Founded by Separatist Pilgrims seeking religious freedom; early example of self-government and religious motivation.

Separatist

Radical Puritans who wanted to completely break from the Church of England; some founded Plymouth Colony.

Pilgrims

Separatists who sailed on the Mayflower and established Plymouth Colony in 1620.

Mayflower

Ship that transported the Pilgrims to New England; site of the signing of the Mayflower Compact

Massachusetts Bay Colony

Founded by Puritans in 1630 as a religious “city upon a hill”; emphasized strict religious conformity.

Puritans

English Protestants wanting to "purify" the Church of England; settled Massachusetts Bay seeking religious freedom (for themselves).

John Winthrop

Puritan leader and governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony; delivered “City Upon a Hill” sermon.

Great Migration (1630s)

Large movement of Puritans from England to Massachusetts Bay due to religious persecution

Fundamental Orders of Connecticut (1639)

First written constitution in America; established a representative government in Connecticut.

Virginia House of Burgesses (1619)

First elected legislative assembly in the American colonies; early example of representative democracy.

Mayflower Compact (1620)

Agreement by Pilgrims to form a self-governing community based on majority rule.

Corporate colonies

Colonies operated by joint-stock companies for profit (e.g., Jamestown in early years).

Royal colonies

Colonies directly controlled by the English crown through appointed governors.

Proprietary colonies

Colonies granted by the king to individuals or groups (proprietors), who had full governing rights (e.g., Pennsylvania).

Virginia Company

Joint-stock company that funded the founding of Jamestown; motivated by profit and expansion of English trade.

Chesapeake colonies

Maryland and Virginia; economies based on tobacco and labor-intensive plantation agriculture.

Joint-stock company

(Repeated) Business structure used to fund English colonization; shared risk and profit among investors.

Triangular trade

Trade system between Africa, the Americas, and Europe: slaves, raw materials, and manufactured goods exchanged.

Mercantilism

Economic theory where colonies existed to benefit the mother country; emphasized accumulating wealth and controlling trade.

Navigation Acts (1651–1696)

British laws restricting colonial trade to English ships and controlling exports; aimed to enforce mercantilism.

Dominion of New England (1686–1689)

British attempt to consolidate several colonies under one governor (Sir Edmund Andros); resisted and overturned after the Glorious Revolution.

King Philip's War (1675–1676)

Conflict between New England settlers and Native Americans (led by Metacom); resulted in Native defeat and loss of power in New England.

Sir William Berkeley

Royal governor of Virginia; his friendly policies toward Native Americans contributed to Bacon’s Rebellion.

Bacon’s Rebellion (1676)

Uprising of poor farmers and former indentured servants in Virginia led by Nathaniel Bacon; protested lack of protection from Native attacks and class inequality.

New England Confederation (1643)

Alliance of New England colonies for mutual defense against Native Americans and Dutch; early attempt at colonial unity.

Indentured servants

Workers who agreed to work for a set time in exchange for passage to the colonies; used heavily before African slavery became dominant.

Headright system

System giving land (usually 50 acres) to settlers who paid for their own or others' passage; encouraged immigration to colonies like Virginia.

Middle Passage

Brutal transatlantic journey that brought enslaved Africans to the Americas as part of the triangular trade.

Great Awakening (1730s–1740s)

Religious revival emphasizing emotional preaching and personal faith; challenged authority of established churches and promoted equality.

Sectarian

Religious groups or institutions tied to specific denominations (e.g., Puritan, Anglican); contrast with nonsectarian.

Subsistence farming

Farming primarily for family use, not for sale; common in New England colonies with rocky soil and short growing seasons.

Hereditary aristocracy

A class system based on inherited wealth or titles; largely absent in the colonies, unlike in Europe.

John Peter Zenger

Journalist tried for libel in 1735; his acquittal helped establish freedom of the press in colonial America.

Enlightenment

Intellectual movement emphasizing reason, science, and individual rights; influenced colonial leaders and ideas about government.

Town meetings

Form of local government in New England where male church members voted on community issues; example of direct democracy.