Mid-Chapter 3 Vocabulary

Jamestown

England's first permanent colony in North America; founded in 1606 in what is now Virginia. Key people: John Smith, John Rolfe, Pocahontas, and Chief Powhatan.

cash crop

A plant that is grown for making money. Example: tobacco in Jamestown.

demand

The level of need for something. Example: this was high for tobacco in early Jamestown.

Indentured Servants

Colonists who received free passage to North America in exchange for working without pay for a certain number of years

Pocahontas and John Rolfe

An Indian and English couple whose marriage brought peace to Jamestown.

The Starving Time

Period in Jamestown’s history when there was a drought, leading to lack of crops, so people ended up having to go to desperate measures to get food. The Powhatan also turned against Jamestown.

Powhatan

Tribe that originally lived in the area of Jamestown.

St. Lawrence River

Waterway used by the French (especially Samuel de Champlain) to explore and settle Canada.

Samuel de Champlain

French explorer who established the colony of Quebec for France in what is now Canada.

encomiendas

Spanish farms, similar to plantations, where American Indians were enslaved to do farm labor.

labor

Work or effort to do something

missionary

A person who travels to convert others to their religion.

Beaver Fur

Primary trade product for the French in America.

Mississippi River

Another important waterway for French explorers, who traveled south on it to establish New Orleans.

Beaver Wars

Conflict between the French, Huron and Algonquin on one side and the Iroquois on the other. They fought over the forested land that was important to their trade and way of life.