Thirteen Colonies and the British Empire (1607-1754)

A set of Q&A style flashcards covering the key concepts, events, and figures related to the establishment and development of the Thirteen Colonies and their relationship with the British Empire as presented in the notes.

What are the three types of charters that developed for English colonies, and name an example for each?

Corporate (Jamestown, chartered by the Virginia Company); Royal (Virginia after 1624); Proprietary (Maryland and Pennsylvania).

Which colony was founded in 1607 under a charter to the Virginia Company, becoming the first permanent English settlement in North America?

Jamestown, Virginia.

What were major early problems faced by Jamestown?

Dysentery and malaria from a swampy site; many settlers were gentlemen unaccustomed to work; food shortages.

Which individuals helped Jamestown survive and become profitable, and what crop did it rely on?

Captain John Smith's leadership and John Rolfe (with Pocahontas) introducing a profitable tobacco variety.

What change occurred in 1624 regarding the Virginia colony's governance?

The Virginia Company's charter was revoked and Virginia became a royal colony directly under the king.

What were Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay primarily motivated by for settlement?

Religious motivation and dissent from the Church of England, not primarily wealth.

Who were Separatists, and why did they leave England?

Radical dissenters who wanted a completely separate church; left England for Holland and then to America as Pilgrims.

What is the Mayflower Compact (1620)?

An agreement pledging to govern by the will of the majority; an early form of colonial self-government and written constitution.

What did the Massachusetts Bay Colony establish in the 1630s under Puritan leadership?

Founded Boston and other towns; Great Migration of Puritans; move toward self-government.

What is the significance of the Virginia Company’s 1619 act regarding governance?

Establishment of the first representative assembly in America, the House of Burgesses.

What is the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut (1639) known for?

Regarded as the first written constitution in American history, establishing a representative government.

What was the Act of Toleration (1649) in Maryland, and what later happened to it?

Granted religious freedom to Christians; later repealed after Protestant revolt, restricting Catholics’ political rights.

What event in Maryland reflected Protestant resistance and what was its consequence?

Protestant Revolt; the Act of Toleration was repealed, and Catholics lost voting rights in the Maryland assembly.

What is indentured servitude and the Headright System?

Indentured servitude: contract to work for several years for passage; Headright System: 50 acres of land granted for paying one’s own passage or someone else’s.

How did slavery evolve in Virginia and Maryland by the mid-17th century?

Initially enslaved Africans were not bound for life; by the 1660s laws made slavery hereditary and race-based, with status inherited.

What was Bacon’s Rebellion (1676) and what did it reveal?

Nathaniel Bacon led a rebellion against Governor Berkeley, attacked frontier Indians, burned Jamestown, highlighting class tensions and resistance to royal authority.

Who founded Rhode Island and why is it notable?

Roger Williams; Providence (1636); religious tolerance, recognition of Native land rights, and freedom for Catholics, Quakers, and Jews.

What colony emerged from Roger Williams’s grant that merged Providence and Portsmouth, and when?

Rhode Island, formed in 1644 by charter uniting Providence and Portsmouth.

What is the significance of Hartford and the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut?

Hartford (founded 1636); 1639 Fundamental Orders established a written constitution with representative government.

What happened to New Haven and its relation to Connecticut?

New Haven (1637) joined with Hartford in 1665 to form Connecticut under a royal charter allowing self-government.

What was New Hampshire’s status by 1679?

Separated from Massachusetts Bay and made a royal colony.

What was the New England Confederation, and why was it important?

A 1643–1684 military alliance of Plymouth, Massachusetts Bay, Connecticut, and New Haven; established precedent for unified action.

What was King Philip’s War, and what was its outcome?

Metacom (King Philip) united tribes against English settlers (1675–1676); many towns burned; colonial forces prevailed, ending major Indian resistance in New England.

What were Restoration Colonies and which colonies became royal in 1729?

Colonies founded under Charles II’s reward grant; eight Lords Proprietors of the Carolinas; by 1729, North and South Carolina became royal colonies.

How did New York and New Jersey become English colonies, and what was the Dominion of New England?

1664: New Amsterdam renamed New York after Duke of York; 1664: New Jersey split; 1702: joint New Jersey becomes royal; 1686–1689: Dominion of New England under Andros, ended by the Glorious Revolution.

Who were the Quakers and what was William Penn’s role in Pennsylvania?

Religious Society of Friends; Penn founded Pennsylvania as a refuge for Quakers and persecuted groups; promoted liberal government and religious freedom.

What was the Frame of Government and Charter of Liberties in Pennsylvania?

Frame of Government (1682–83) established a representative assembly; Charter of Liberties (1701) guaranteed freedom of worship and immigration.

What was Delaware’s status in the Penn system?

In 1702, Penn granted the lower three counties their own assembly, effectively making Delaware a separate colony with the same governor.

What were Georgia’s founding goals and early regulations under Oglethorpe?

Founded in 1732 as a buffer against Spanish Florida and as a haven for debtors; Savannah established 1733; bans on rum and slavery; later became a royal colony with looser restrictions.

What were the Navigation Acts and their three main rules?

(1650–1673) Regulated colonial trade: (1) only English or colonial ships/crews; (2) all goods to England; (3) enumerated goods could only be exported to England.

What was the Dominion of New England’s effect on colonial governance and its end?

centralized power under royal authority (Andros); it ended with the Glorious Revolution (1688), restoring separate charters.

What is Triangular Trade in the colonial era?

A three-part trade: rum from New England to West Africa for enslaved people, Middle Passage to the West Indies for sugar, sugar back to New England to make more rum.

By 1750, what proportion of Virginia and South Carolina populations were enslaved?

About half of Virginia’s population and about two-thirds of South Carolina’s population.