Part 1
John Cotton: Influential Puritan minister in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Sir Edmund Andros: English colonial administrator in North America, governor of the Dominion of New England.
Predestination: Doctrine that all events have been willed by God, particularly the fate of souls.
“Visible saints”: Puritans who had experienced conversion and were expected to lead godly lives.
Antinomianism: Belief that Christians are not bound by traditional moral law, associated with Anne Hutchinson.
Protestant Reformation: Religious movement in the 16th century that led to the creation of Protestant churches.
New England Confederation: Military alliance of the New England colonies.
Puritans: Group of English Protestants who sought to purify the Church of England.
Dominion of New England: Administrative union of English colonies in the New England region.
Navigation Laws: Series of English laws that regulated trade between England and its colonies.
Glorious Revolution: Overthrow of King James II of England in 1688.
Dutch West India Company: Trading company chartered by the Dutch government to conduct its merchants’ trade in the Americas and Africa.
Separatists: English Protestants who sought to separate from the Church of England.
Quakers: Religious group known for their pacifism and simple living, formally known as the
Religious Society of Friends.
Mayflower Compact: Agreement for self-government signed by the Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower.
Fundamental Orders: Early constitution that established a framework for the government of Connecticut.
William Berkeley: Colonial governor of Virginia.
Nathaniel Bacon: Leader of Bacon’s Rebellion against the rule of Governor William Berkeley.
Mercantilism: Economic theory that trade generates wealth and is stimulated by the
accumulation of profitable balances.
Headright system: Land grant program designed to attract settlers to the American colonies.
Jeremiads: Sermons lamenting the waning piety of congregations.
Middle passage: Sea journey undertaken by slave ships from West Africa to the West Indies.
Bacon’s Rebellion: Armed rebellion in 1676 by Virginia settlers led by Nathaniel Bacon against the rule of Governor William Berkeley.
Leisler’s Rebellion: Uprising in late 17th century New York, led by Jacob Leisler.
Half-Way Covenant: Form of partial church membership created by New England in 1662.
Gullah: African American culture and language developed in the coastal regions of the southeastern United States.
Chesapeake: Region of Virginia and Maryland, known for its tobacco plantations.
Plantations: Large farms that typically used slave labor to grow crops like tobacco, cotton, and sugar.
Salem Witch Trials: Series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts.
Jonathan Edwards: Preacher and theologian who played a critical role in the First Great Awakening, known for his fire-and-brimstone sermons.
Benjamin Franklin: Founding Father of the United States, inventor, writer, and diplomat, known for his contributions to the American Enlightenment and his experiments with electricity.
Michel-Guillaume de Crèvecoeur: French-American writer known for his work “Letters from an American Farmer,” which depicted American life and the concept of the American Dream.
George Whitefield: Anglican preacher who was a key figure in the Great Awakening, known for his charismatic and theatrical preaching style.
John Peter Zenger: Printer and journalist whose trial for libel in 1735 established the principle of freedom of the press in America.
Phillis Wheatley: Enslaved African American poet who gained fame for her published works in the late 18th century.
John S. Copley: American painter known for his portraits of prominent colonial Americans.
Paxton Boys/Regulators: Groups of frontiersmen in Pennsylvania and North Carolina who protested against colonial policies and Native American relations.
Great Awakening: Series of religious revivals in the American colonies during the 18th century that emphasized individual piety and a personal relationship with God.
Catawba nation: Native American tribe located in the southeastern United States, known for their pottery and involvement in colonial conflicts.
Old and New Lights: Terms used to describe the division between traditionalist and revivalist factions within Protestant churches during the Great Awakening.
Molasses Act: British law passed in 1733 imposing a tax on molasses, sugar, and rum imported into the American colonies from non-British foreign colonies.
Scots-Irish: Descendants of Scottish Presbyterians who settled in Northern Ireland before emigrating to the American colonies in the 18th century.
Royal v. Proprietary v. Charter colonies: Types of colonial administration in British America; royal colonies were directly controlled by the crown, proprietary colonies were governed by individuals or groups granted land by the crown, and charter colonies were governed by charters granted to colonists.
Economic activities of the colonies: Varied by region; New England focused on shipping and trade, the Middle Colonies on farming and commerce, and the Southern Colonies on plantation agriculture.
Stono Rebellion: Slave uprising in 1739 in South Carolina, one of the largest slave revolts in the British colonies.