Topic 2 Exam - US History Study Guide

Test on Tuesday, September 5th -- Definitions straight from the glossary

Triangular Trade

the three-way pattern of trade that involved England, English colonies in the Americas, and West Africa.

Navigation Acts

British trade laws enacted by Parliament during the mid-1700s that regulated colonial commerce.

Salem Witch Trials

a series of hearings and prosecutions of over 200 people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts.

When did the Salem Witch Trials happen?

between February 1692 and May 1693.

Enlightenment

an eighteenth-century movement inspired by European philosophers who believed that society’s problems could be solved by reason and science.

King Philip’s War

a conflict between English colonists and American Indians in New England.

House of Burgesses

colonial Virginia’s representative assembly formed in 1619.

Magna Carta

an English document from 1215 that limited the power of the king and provided basic rights.

Cash Crop

a crop grown for sale.

Bacon’s Rebellion

an armed rebellion in 1676 by Virginia colonists led by Nathaniel Bacon against the rule of Governor William Berkeley.

Great Awakening

a religious movement in the English colonies during the 1730s and 1740s that was heavily inspired by evangelical preachers.

Push Factors

cause of migration that motivates people to leave their home country.

Pull Factors

a factor that attracts people to migrate to a new location.

Example of a **pull** factor

the promise of a better life and fertile soil may pull people to a new land.

Example of a **push** factor

religious persecution pushed the Puritans out of England.

Explain why so many Europeans came to the Middle Colonies?

They were looking for better social, political, and economic opportunities.

Who immigrated to the Middle Colonies from England?

English, Scots, Scots-Irish, Germans, Wales, and Dutch.

Explain the climate of the New England region.

cold winters, short growing seasons, rugged landscape.

New Englanders could not raise the crops in most demand by the Europeans, what are these crops?

tobacco, sugar, rice, and indigo.

What did the New Englanders do instead of raise the crops in most demand?

They worked on small farms raising livestock and growing wheat, rye, corn, and potatoes.

Explain the climate of the Middle Colonies region.

a temperate climate, they produced more and better wheat than New England.

What made the Middle Colonies economy boom in the 18th century?

an export trade in wheat.

Explain the climate of the South.

even warmer climate, longer growing seasons.

Which region raised the most valuable and profitable crops?

The Southern Colonies.

Explain how the Enlightenment shaped the colonists’ views.

A number of colonists were inspired by Enlightenment ideas and religious tolerance thrived in that region.

Describe how the Great Awakening impacted colonial society.

the movement challenged the authority of existing churches and led to the formation of new churches in the colonies along with inspiring ordinary people to begin preaching.

Why was the Great Awakening regarded as a political and social threat?

in colonies like Massachusetts the church and state were united.