Colonies Terms

Hedrick

Subsistence Farming

When farmers produce only enough to feed and maintain their families. (Pg. 151)

Export

A product that originates in one place and is sold in another. (Pg. 151)

Import

A trade product that is brought into a country. (Pg. 151)

Proprietary Colony

A colony given to an individual by the king of England. (Pg. 139)

Triangular Trade

Regular trading route that formed a triangle between West Indies, colonial America, Europe, and West Africa. (Pg. 152)

Frontier

A thinly settled area on the outer limits of a colony. (Pg. 161)

Meeting House

Originating in Massachusetts, the meeting house served two purposes: As a church and as a government building. (Not in Book)

Apprentice

One who is bound to a master without pay to learn a craft or trade. (Pg. 161)

Naval Stores

Products of pine forests used in wooden shipbuilding and maintenance. (Pg. 143)

Patroon

Landowner in the Dutch colonies who received rent, taxes, and labor from tenant farmers. (Pg. 138, 158)

Great Migration

The movement of English settlers to the American colonies from 1630 to 1640. (Pg. 132)

Conestoga Wagon

A type of horse-drawn covered wagon used to transport grain. (Pg. 158)

Commonwealth

A self-governing political unit. (Pg. 133)

Cash Crop

Food crop grown to be sold. (Pg. 157)

Puritans

Member of the Anglican Church who wanted to “purify” the church. (Pg. 128)

Constitution

A document presenting a plan of government. (Pg. 135, 250)

Separatists

Those who left the Anglican Church. (Pg. 129)

Fundamental Orders of Connecticut

The first American constitution or plan of government. (Pg. 135)

Pilgrims

English settlers seeking religious freedom in the Americas. (Pg. 129)

Toleration

The acceptance of different beliefs. (Pg. 133)

Mayflower Compact

An agreement made by the Pilgrims' leaders that ensured self-government. (Pg. 130)

Pacifists

Person opposed to the use of war or violence to settle disputes. (Pg. 85)

Mercantilism

The theory that a state’s power depends on its wealth. (Pg. 170)

Toleration Act

A guarantee that all Christians had the right to worship as they please. (Pg. 143)

Quakers

Protestant reformer who believed in religious tolerance; also known as the Society of Friends. (Pg. 139)

Indigo

A plant that produces a blue dye. (Pg. 144)

Urban

Relating to that within a city. (Pg. 163)

Rural

To be outside a city, such as the countryside. (Pg. 163)

Artisan

A person trained in a skill or labor. (Pg. 152)

Tidewater

The area around slow-flowing rivers that are affected by the ocean's tides. (Pg. 164)

Plantations

Large farms worked by many laborers. (Pg. 81, 125)

Joint-Stock Company

Form of business organization; pooled funds of many investors or stockholders who can independently sell their shares of the company. (Pg. 123)

Middle Passage

The forced trip between Africa and America made by enslaved Africans. (Pg. 165)

Indentured Servants

A person who agreed to work for a colonial employer for a specified time in exchange for passage to America. (Pg. 125)

Slave Codes

Laws that denied enslaved Africans most of their rights. (Pg. 165)

Charter

Official document granting the right to settle and trade. (Pg. 123)

Back Country

A region of hills and forests west of the Tidewater. (Pg. 105) [American Republic]

Royal Colony

A colony under control of the English king. (Pg. 126)