AP US History Period 2 Terms & Significance

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Virginia Company

English joint-stock company created by King James I in 1606 (significance: goal was to establish English colonies in North America)

John Smith

English soldier, explorer, and author (significance: captain who helped to found Jamestown)

Cecil Calvert

son of George Calvert (Lord Baltimore) and became second Lord Baltimore of Maryland (significance: FOUNDED the colony of Maryland to promote freedom of religion for Catholics)

Lord Baltimore

George Calvert, British member of Parliament (s: committed to create a colony based on religious freedom)

Roger Williams

Puritan Minister who moved from England to Boston (s: advocated for religious freedom, separation of church and state… exiled from Massachusetts Bay colony and founded Rhode Island)

Anne Hutchinson

Puritan leader who challenged religious doctrines of Massachusetts Bay Colony (s: her challenging the social norms led to her banishment from Massachusetts Bay colony)

Rhode Island

founded by Roger Williams in 1636 (s: became a haven for those who faced religious persecution)

Halfway Covenant

compromise made in New England in 1662 to address declining church membership (s: attempt to maintain the Puritan religious establishment)

Quakers

religious group (aka Society of Friends) from England and found refuge in colonies (s: advocated for religious freedom and equality for both genders)

William Penn

Quaker who founded the colony of Pennsylvania in 1681 (s: played an important role in establishing principles of religious liberty)

tobacco

cash crop that played a major role in the economic development of the Chesapeake colonies… mainly Virginia (s: led to a lot of colonists moving there and become the basis of Virginia’s economy)

Jamestown

first permanent English settlement in North America… Virginia in 1607 (s: marked the beginning of English colonization)

Pilgrims

group of English separatists who wanted religious freedom and established Plymouth colony in 1620 (s: established one of the first settlements in New England)

Massachusetts Bay Colony

colony founded in 1630 by Puritans under John Winthrop (s: became major center of Puritan settlement)

Puritans

English protestants who sought to purify the Church of England of Catholic practice (s: strict religious beliefs shaped New England’s culture)

John Winthrop

governor of Massachusetts Bay colony and Puritan leader (s: described colony as a “city upon a hill”, symbolizing the idea of Americas as a moral example

Mayflower Compact

agreement signed in 1620 by Pilgrims establishing self-government (s: early example of colonial self-rule and democracy in America)

House of Burgesses

established in Virginia in 1619 as the first representative assembly in the colonies (s: set the standard for representative government in America)

Proprietary Colonies

colonies granted to individuals or groups by the English crown… like Pennsylvania and Maryland (s: showed the Crown’s attempt to control colonization while allowing private investors to profit)

Triangular Trade

trade system between Africa, the Americas, and Europe involving slaves, raw materials, and manufactured goods (s: fueled the Atlantic economy)

Mercantilism

economic theory that colonies exist to benefit the mother country through trade and resource extraction (s: led Britain to enforce Navigation Acts and restrict colonial trade… which fueled colonial resentment)

Navigation Acts

English laws regulating colonial trade to ensure profits flowed to England (s: strengthened mercantilism but encouraged colonial resistance)

Bacon’s Rebellion

uprising of Virginia settlers led by Nathaniel Bacon against Governor Berkeley’s rule and Native American policy (s: accelerated shifts from indentured servants to African slavery)

King Philip’s War

conflict between New England colonists and Native tribes led by Metacom (King Philip). (s: one of the deadliest wars in colonial history and destroyed Native resistance)

Indentured servants

laborers who worked for a set number of years in exchange for passage to the colonies (s: early source of colonial labor before shift to African slavery)

Middle Passage

transatlantic voyage that brought enslaved Africans to the Americas (s: infamous for its brutality… led to growth of slavery in colonies)

Headright System

policy granting land to settlers who paid for their own or others’ passage to Virginia (s: encouraged migration, expanded plantations, and intensified conflict with the Native Americans)

Poor Richard’s Almanack

popular almanac published by Benjamin Franklin with advice, humor, and proverbs (s: spread Enlightenment and practical ideas)

Great Awakening

religious revival movement that emphasized emotional preaching and personal faith (s: united colonies through shared experiences)

Jonathan Edwards

Puritan preacher of the Great Awakening (s: sermons sparked religious fervor)

George Whitefield

English preacher who toured the colonies during the Great Awakening (s: drew massive crowds and helped intercolonial connections)

John Peter Zenger

colonial printer tried for libel after criticizing New York’s Governor (s: his acquittal established the principle of freedom of the press)

Enlightenment

intellectual movement emphasizing reason, science, and individual rights (s: influenced colonial leaders and laid foundations for revolutionary thoughts)