Our colonial Heritage-vocab quiz

cultural region

an area in which a group of people share a similar culture and language

culture

a people’s way of life, including beliefs, customs, food, dwellings, and clothing

environment

all of the physical surroundings in a place, including land, water, animals, plants, and climate

migrated

to move from one place and establish a home in a new place. A move of a large number of people is called a migration, and the people who move are called migrants.

natural resource

useful material found in nature, including water, vegetation, animals, and minerals

colony

a new settlement or territory established and governed by a country in another land

Columbian Exchange

the exchange of plants, animals, diseases, and people across the Atlantic Ocean between Europe and the Americas

conquistadors

Spanish soldier-explorers, especially those who conquered the native peoples of Mexico and Peru

coureurs de bois

French fur trappers who learned many skills from the American Indians with whom they worked and lived

missionaries

a person who travels to a territory or community in order to make converts to his or her religion

slavery

the treatment of people as property. People who are denied freedom in this way are said to be enslaved.

cash crops

a crop, such as tobacco, sugar, and cotton, raised in large quantities and sold for profit

charter

a formal document issued by the king that outlined a colony’s geographic boundaries and specified how it would be governed

democratic

ruled by the people. In a democracy, citizens elect representatives to make and carry out laws

Mayflower Compact

an agreement that Pilgrims wrote and signed describing how they would govern themselves in the Americas

slave trade

the business of capturing, transporting, and selling people to force them into enslavement

English Bill of Rights

an act passed by Parliament in 1689 that limited the monarch’s power by giving certain powers to Parliament and listing specific rights of the citizens

Great Awakening

a revival of religious feeling and belief in the American colonies that began in the 1730s

Magna Carta

an agreement made in 1215 listing the rights granted by King John to all free men of the kingdom

mercantilism

an economic policy in which natives tried to gain wealth by controlling trade and establishing colony

Parliament

the lawmaking body of England, consisting of representatives from throughout the kingdom

right

a power or privilege that belongs to people as citizens and that cannot or should not be taken away by the government