APUSH Chapter 4

Chesapeake Settlers

Chesapeake Settlers

Immigrants from England who faced high mortality rates due to diseases like malaria, dysentery, and typhoid, resulting in a significantly reduced life expectancy.

Indentured Servants

Individuals who agreed to work for a certain number of years in exchange for passage to America and eventual freedom dues, including land and tools.

Headright System

A land grant policy that awarded 50 acres to anyone who paid for a laborer's passage to America, encouraging settlement and labor.

Nathaniel Bacon

A 29-year-old leader of a rebellion in Virginia in 1676 against Governor William Berkley, driven by resentment towards Indian policies.

Bacon's Rebellion

A revolt led by Nathaniel Bacon against the Virginia government, resulting in violence against Native Americans and the burning of Jamestown.

Royal African Company

A company that lost its monopoly on the slave trade in 1698, leading to an increase in the importation of slaves by American traders.

Middle Passage

The brutal sea journey undertaken by enslaved Africans from Africa to the Americas, characterized by high mortality rates.

Slave Codes

Laws that established the status of slaves as property and restricted their rights, including prohibitions on education and freedom.

Gullah

A unique language developed by African Americans in South Carolina, blending English with African languages.

Southern Society

A hierarchical social structure in the South, with wealthy planters at the top, followed by small farmers, ex-indentured servants, and enslaved individuals.

New England Family

Families in New England tended to migrate together, leading to higher life expectancy and larger family sizes compared to the Chesapeake.

Puritan New England

A society that emphasized moral integrity in marriages, with rare divorces and a focus on family values.

Half-way Covenant

A 1662 agreement that allowed the children of baptized but unconverted church members to be baptized, weakening the distinction between the elect and others.

Salem Witch Trials

A series of hearings and prosecutions in 1692-1693 in Salem, Massachusetts, where accusations of witchcraft led to the execution of 19 individuals.