Chapter 3: The British Atlantic World, 1660–1750 - Key Terms (VOCABULARY)

Flashcards from Chapter 3

Covenant Chain

A diplomatic alliance between the British colonies and the Iroquois Confederacy to air grievances and coordinate policy; minutes from conferences formed part of the colonial record.

Lancaster Conference

A 1744 gathering in Lancaster, PA where colonial representatives met with Iroquois leaders to confirm land agreements and seek military support, illustrating Covenant Chain diplomacy.

South Atlantic System

An interconnected Atlantic economy centered on sugar, tobacco, and rice produced on slave labor; centered in Brazil and the West Indies and connected to British North America’s prosperity.

Tribalization

The process by which Native American groups reorganized into larger political entities (often labeled as “tribes” by Europeans) to withstand population decline and engage more effectively with neighbors.

Dominion of New England

The late-1680s royal project that merged colonies from Maine to the Caribbean coast under a single governor; ended with the Glorious Revolution and local revolts.

Glorious Revolution

The 1688–1689 overthrow of James II that established a constitutional monarchy in England and encouraged colonial self-government and parliamentary oversight.

Navigation Acts

A series of mercantilist laws (1651, 1660, 1663, 1673, 1696, 1751) restricting colonial trade to English ships and enumerated goods, enforced by the navy and imperial authorities.

Mercantilism

An economic theory that a nation should maximize exports and accumulate wealth through state-supported trade and colonization, often at the colonies’ expense.

Stono Rebellion

The 1739 slave uprising in South Carolina that led to harsher slave codes and heightened fears of enslaved revolt in the mainland colonies.

Middle Passage

The brutal sea voyage bringing enslaved Africans to the Americas; mortality was high, and conditions were horrific.

Four Indian Kings

1710 delegation of Mohawk and Mahican leaders to London to meet Queen Anne, signaling a key moment in Anglo-Native diplomacy.

Creeks and Yamasee War

Early 1700s conflicts in the Southeast involving Creek and Yamasee natives allied with or against English and other tribes, shaping regional power dynamics.

Rice in South Carolina

The rise of rice cultivation in the lowcountry using enslaved African labor; by 1710 enslaved Africans were a majority in some areas, transforming society.

Slavery in the Chesapeake

Expansion of enslaved labor on tobacco plantations; by the 1720s–1740s enslaved people formed a substantial and legally defined part of society with evolving family structures.

Rise of Colonial Assemblies

Growth of elected colonial bodies that gained taxation and appointment powers, challenging imperial authority and shaping self-government.

Salutary Neglect

Britain’s relatively lax enforcement of mercantilist laws (roughly 1714–1750), which allowed colonial institutions to strengthen and pacify tensions—until renewed oversight.

Land Banks

Colonial institutions that issued paper money to support land purchases; later curtailed by acts to stabilize currency.

Currency Act (1751)

British law prohibiting New England colonies from issuing new land banks or using paper money to pay private debts, aimed at stabilizing currency.

War of Jenkins’s Ear

1739–1741 conflict between Britain and Spain; part of the broader War of the Austrian Succession, influencing colonial and imperial policies.

Louisbourg Siege, 1745

British assault on the French fortress at Louisbourg (Cape Breton) during War of Jenkins’s Ear; fortress later returned to France by the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748).

Treaty of Utrecht

1713 peace settlement that enlarged British territory by transferring Newfoundland, Acadia, and Hudson Bay from France and Spain’s spheres; boosted Britain’s imperial reach in North America.

Quakers and Frame of Government (1681)

William Penn’s constitutional framework for Pennsylvania that guaranteed religious tolerance and political rights for property-owning men; emphasized pacifism and fair dealings with Native Americans.

William Penn

Founder of Pennsylvania; prominent Quaker leader whose Frame of Government shaped early colonial political culture and land policy.

Proprietary Colonies

Colonies (Carolina, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania) granted to private owners (proprietors) who could govern with broad authority under English law.