American Colonial History and Key Figures: Notes and Connections

Christopher Columbus

An Italian explorer known for completing four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean.

Cortes

Hernán Cortés, a Spanish Conquistador who led the expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire.

encomienda

A system that allowed Spanish colonists to demand labor from indigenous peoples.

Malinche

An indigenous woman who served as an interpreter for Cortés.

Barbados Code

A set of laws governing the treatment of enslaved people in Barbados.

Powhatan

A Native American tribe in Virginia, known for their interactions with English settlers.

Act of Toleration

A 1649 law mandating religious tolerance for Trinitarian Christians in Maryland.

John Rolfe

An early English settler known for cultivating tobacco in Virginia.

Virginia Company

A joint-stock company that established the first permanent English colony in America.

Roger Williams

A religious dissenter who founded the colony of Rhode Island.

King Philip's War

A conflict between Native American inhabitants of New England and English colonists.

Dominion of New England

A short-lived administrative union of English colonies in the New England region.

New Amsterdam

A 17th-century Dutch settlement that later became New York City.

Bible Commonwealth

A term referring to a community governed by biblical principles.

Salem Witch Trials

A series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts.

Poor Richard's Almanack

A yearly almanac published by Benjamin Franklin, known for its proverbs and advice.

Harvard

The oldest institution of higher education in the United States, established in 1636.

Jonathan Edwards

A preacher known for his fire-and-brimstone sermons during the First Great Awakening.

Regulators

Groups of settlers in the 1760s who protested against colonial government corruption.

Quebec Act

An act passed by the British Parliament in 1774 that extended Quebec's boundaries.

Baron von Steuben

A Prussian military officer who trained American troops during the Revolutionary War.

Whigs

A political party in the 18th century that opposed the policies of the British government.

Saratoga

A major battle in the Revolutionary War that marked a turning point in favor of the Americans.

Boston Tea Party

A political protest by the Sons of Liberty against the Tea Act of 1773.

Treaty of Fort Stanwix

A treaty signed in 1768 between the British and the Iroquois.

William Pitt

A British statesman who led the government during the French and Indian War.

Townshend Acts

A series of acts passed by the British Parliament in 1767 that taxed goods imported to the American colonies.

Proclamation of 1763

An order by the British Crown that prohibited American colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains.

Pocahontas

A Native American woman notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown.

Quebec (battle)

A significant battle during the French and Indian War, resulting in British victory.

Cortés - Malinche

The connection between Hernán Cortés and his interpreter, Malinche.

Crusade - Marco Polo

The connection between the Crusades and the travels of Marco Polo.

Aztec - Inca

The connection between two major civilizations in pre-Columbian America.

Roger Williams - William Penn

The connection between two advocates for religious freedom in colonial America.

New England Confederation - Dominion of New England

The connection between two political unions in New England.

Glorious Revolution - Dominion of New England

The connection between the Glorious Revolution in England and the establishment of the Dominion of New England.

Virginia Company - tobacco

The connection between the Virginia Company and the cultivation of tobacco.

Lord Baltimore - William Penn

The connection between two founders of colonies in America.

Iroquois Confederacy - Powhatan Confederacy

The connection between two Native American confederacies.

Roger Williams - Anne Hutchinson

The connection between two religious dissenters in colonial America.

Jonathan Edwards - George Whitefield

The connection between two prominent preachers during the First Great Awakening.

Mayflower Compact - House of Burgesses

The connection between two early forms of self-governance in America.

Navigation Acts - salutary neglect

The connection between British trade laws and the period of salutary neglect.

John Winthrop - city on a hill

The connection between John Winthrop and his vision for the Puritan colony.