Unit 2: The Thirteen English Colonies (1607-1754)

Chesapeake colonies

Virginia and Maryland

Southern colonies

North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia

Jamestown

the first permanent English settlement in North America, established in 1607 in Virginia; joint-stock company to make fortune; led by John Smith; the founders were “gentlemen” unused to physical labor, so colony struggled; disease major issue

Powhatan Tribe

confederacy was composed of various tribes and is best known for its complex relationships with the Jamestown settlers, which included periods of both cooperation and conflict

Headwright System

a grant of land, usually 50 acres, given to settlers in the 13 colonies; mostly used in Chesapeake and Southern colonies; increased population in British populations greatly

Chesapeake and Southern colonists’ motivations

desire to make a profit, economic benefits

Chesapeake and Southern colonists’ demographics

indigenous tribes like the Powhatan, Cherokee, and Catawba; thousands of English colonists; enslaved population from West Africa

Chesapeake and Southern colonists’ social structure

severe economic inequality with plantation owners on top, small farm owners in the middle, white indentured servants, and enslaved black people; frequent rebellions and constant instability

Virginia House of Burgesses

the oldest English-speaking representative assembly in North America, established in 1619 in Jamestown; only white male landowners eligible to run and vote

indentured servants

plantation owners paid for poor Englishmen to travel to the colonies, and promised them food, shelter, and clothing in exchange for working on planters’ farm for 4-7 years in harsh conditions; after their time, they would earn their freedom and may even be given a gun and a small bit of money

Bacon’s Rebellion

uprising in colonial Virginia, led by Nathaniel Bacon, against Governor William Berkeley, primarily fueled by tensions between wealthy landowners and frontier farmers over Indian policy and perceived government neglect; led to slavery and racism

Black indentured servants

some West Africans brought by slave traders were treated similarly to indentured servitude, which was brutal but not hereditary

Puritan colonization motivation

wanted to practice their religion freely in a new colony

Puritans

a highly religious group persecuted in England because they wanted to reform and “purify” the Church of England, led by John Winthrop

New England’s environment

winters harsh and cold, soil rocky, dense forests

New England’s economy

focused on trade, logging, ship building, fishing, and rum-distilling

New England’s demographics

not diverse: mostly white English Puritans, did not tolerate religious or racial diversity; did not respect indigenous tribes or people who opposed their ideals

Puritan towns

strong, egalitarian towns; protected one another, made sure nobody starved, had regular town meetings, and started the first colonial public schools

Anne Hutchinson

a significant figure in early colonial America, known for challenging religious and gender norms in the Puritan Massachusetts Bay Colony; a spiritual leader who held weekly meetings to discuss sermons and shared her unorthodox theological views, leading to her trial and banishment from the colony

Salem Witch Trials

a series of trials and prosecutions of individuals accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between 1692 and 1693

Middle Colonies motivation

centered around finding religious freedom or economic opportunity

William Penn

founded Pennsylvania, faced discrimination in England due to his Quaker beliefs

Holy Experiment

William Penn's attempt to establish Pennsylvania as a model Quaker colony in the late 17th century; people living together in peace; freedom of worship and unlimited immigration

Charter of Liberties

served as the constitution of Pennsylvania from 1701 to 1776, establishing a popular assembly with the right to initiate legislation and granting individuals accused of crimes the right to counsel

Middle colonies’ environment

moderate climate, very fertile soil, navigable rivers

Middle colonies’ economy

grain was a major crop— the Breadbasket Colonies; fishing and raising livestock; Philadelphia and New York become hubs for trade

Middle colonies’ demographics

diverse and more accepting than other groups of colonies; Anglicans dominant

Quakers

a Christian denomination that originated in 17th-century England; known for their pacifism, belief in the equality of all people, and rejection of traditional religious rituals

Middle colonies’ social structure

racism and sexism still rampant; more mobility for white men

Metacom’s War

a major conflict in 1675-1676 between Native American tribes, primarily the Wampanoag led by Metacom (known as King Philip by the colonists), and the English settlers in New England; stemmed from growing tensions over land encroachment, resources, and cultural differences between the two groups

Pueblo Revolt

a successful 1680 uprising by Pueblo Indians against Spanish rule in New Mexico

salutary neglect

an unofficial British policy from the early to mid-18th century where the British government relaxed enforcement of laws in the American colonies, particularly trade regulations, as long as the colonies remained loyal and economically beneficial to Britain

Navigation Acts of 1650 and 1673

required all trade to and from the colonies to happen via English or colonial ships; for some goods, the colonies could only export to England; not often enforced, smuggling common

Transatlantic print culture

the widespread exchange of printed materials (newspapers, pamphlets, books) between Britain and its American colonies

First Great Awakening

highly emotional religious movement that said regular people could interpret the bible, not just ministers/religious leaders; led to divisions within churches and people becoming more critical of authority

George Whitefield

an English Anglican minister who played a key role in the First Great Awakening; a popular and charismatic preacher known for his powerful and emotional style, which attracted large crowds and helped spread religious revivalism throughout the American colonies.

Jonathan Edwards

a prominent Congregationalist minister and theologian who played a key role in the First Great Awakening; “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”

John Locke

a 17th-century English philosopher who significantly influenced the American Revolution and the Enlightenment

The Enlightenment

a European intellectual and cultural movement, primarily during the 17th and 18th centuries, that emphasized reason, science, and individual liberty over tradition and superstition

Zenger Trial

colonial jury acquitted Peter Zenger even though he criticized England in his newspaper

Roger Williams

theologian, and philosopher who founded the colony of Providence Plantations, later known as Rhode Island; advocate for religious freedom, separation of church and state, and the purchase of land from Native Americans

cash crops

a crop grown primarily for sale and profit, rather than for consumption by the farmer or their family

population growth in the colonies

Transatlantic Slave Trade, immigration from Europe, high birthrate

Molasses Act of 1733

imposed an exorbitant tax upon the importation of sugar from the French West Indies

Stono Rebellion

a significant slave revolt that took place in South Carolina in 1739, near the Stono River; involved a large group of enslaved people, initially around 20, who marched to a store, armed themselves, and then marched south, recruiting other slaves along the way