Period Two: Development of the English Colonies (AP US History)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from the lecture on the development of English colonies (Jamestown, Roanoke, economic and legal drivers, and relevant context).

Jamestown

The first permanent English settlement in North America (established 1607); initially a financial venture that later saved itself through the cultivation of tobacco.

Roanoke

An early English settlement that disappeared mysteriously, known as the Lost Colony.

Tobacco

The cash crop that stabilized Jamestown’s economy and enabled the colony to survive and grow.

Spanish Armada

The 1588 defeat of the Spanish Armada by England, which reinforced Protestant rule, boosted English naval power, and facilitated overseas expansion.

Enclosure Acts

English laws that enclosed common lands into private property, displacing small farmers and driving migration to towns or colonies.

Primogeniture

Inheritance practice where estates pass to the firstborn child, prompting younger siblings to seek opportunities in the Americas.

Joint-stock company

A business arrangement where multiple investors pool capital to fund colonization ventures, spreading risk and enabling large-scale ventures.

Columbian Exchange

The widespread transfer of plants, animals, and diseases between the Old World and the New World that shaped settlement and colonization.

13 colonies

The English colonies along the Atlantic seaboard (Northern, Middle, Southern) that would eventually declare independence.