King William’s War: The first of the French and Indian Wars (1689–1697), fought between England and France, with both sides involving their respective Native American allies. It was primarily fought in the New England region and Canada.

William Berkeley: The colonial governor of Virginia (1642–1652, 1660–1677) known for his role in suppressing Bacon's Rebellion and his policies favoring large plantation owners over small farmers.

Jeffrey Amherst: A British Army officer who played a key role in the conquest of New France during the Seven Years' War. He is often associated with the distribution of smallpox-infected blankets to Native Americans, though the extent of his involvement is debated.

Captivity Narratives: Stories written by European settlers who had been captured by Native Americans. These narratives were popular in colonial America and often portrayed Native Americans as savages while emphasizing the resilience of the captives.

Cherokees: A Native American tribe originally from the southeastern United States. They were involved in various conflicts with European settlers and the U.S. government, including during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolution.

William Penn: The founder of the Pennsylvania Colony, known for his fair dealings with Native Americans and his promotion of religious freedom.

Pequots: A Native American tribe in New England that was nearly annihilated during the Pequot War (1636–1638) against English settlers and their Native allies.

Creeks: A confederacy of Native American tribes in the southeastern United States, involved in trade and various conflicts with European settlers.

Deerskin Trade: The trade of deerskins between Native Americans and European settlers, which was a significant economic activity in the southeastern backcountry during the colonial period.

Backcountry: The frontier region of the British colonies, located beyond the established settlements. It was characterized by its rugged terrain and was often a zone of conflict between settlers and Native Americans.

Iroquois: A powerful confederation of six Native American nations in the northeastern United States, playing a significant role in colonial diplomacy and warfare, particularly in the Covenant Chain alliance with the British.

Nathaniel Bacon: The leader of Bacon's Rebellion (1676), an armed uprising by Virginia settlers against the rule of Governor William Berkeley, driven by grievances over Indian policy and government corruption.

Dunmore’s War: A 1774 conflict between Virginia settlers and the Shawnee and Mingo tribes, initiated by Virginia Governor Lord Dunmore to assert colonial control over the Ohio Country.

Tuscarora War: A conflict (1711–1715) between the Tuscarora tribe and European settlers in North Carolina, leading to the tribe's migration north to join the Iroquois Confederacy.

Queen Anne’s War: The second of the French and Indian Wars (1702–1713), fought between Britain and France, with their respective Native allies, in North America as part of the War of Spanish Succession.

King Philip’s War: A devastating war (1675–1678) between New England settlers and Native American tribes led by Metacom, known as King Philip, resulting in significant destruction and loss of life on both sides.

Pontiac’s Rebellion: A 1763 uprising by Native American tribes in the Great Lakes region against British rule, led by the Ottawa chief Pontiac, following the British victory in the Seven Years' War.

New France: The area of North America colonized by France, including parts of Canada and the Mississippi River Valley, which was ceded to Britain after the Seven Years' War.

Smallpox: A deadly disease brought to the Americas by Europeans, which decimated Native American populations who had no immunity to it.

Bacon’s Rebellion: An armed rebellion in 1676 by Virginia settlers led by Nathaniel Bacon against the rule of Governor William Berkeley, largely fueled by grievances over Native American policy and economic issues.

Covenant Chain: A series of alliances and treaties between the Iroquois Confederacy and British colonies in North America, aiming to foster peace and cooperation.

Proclamation Line of 1763: A boundary established by the British government after the Seven Years' War, prohibiting colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains to avoid conflicts with Native Americans.

Mary Rowlandson: A colonial American woman who was captured by Native Americans during King Philip's War and later wrote a famous captivity narrative recounting her experiences.

Tobacco: A cash crop grown extensively in the southern British colonies, particularly Virginia and Maryland, that became a significant driver of the colonial economy.

Trans-Appalachian West: The region west of the Appalachian Mountains, largely unsettled by Europeans during the colonial period, and the focus of westward expansion after the American Revolution.

Seven Years’ War: A global conflict (1756–1763) known in North America as the French and Indian War, in which Britain defeated France and gained control of Canada and other territories.

Daniel Boone: An American pioneer and frontiersman known for his exploration and settlement of Kentucky, playing a key role in westward expansion.

Edward Braddock: A British general during the early stages of the Seven Years' War, who was defeated and killed in an ambush by French and Native American forces near Fort Duquesne.

Ohio Country: A region of North America located west of the Appalachian Mountains, contested by British, French, and Native American interests during the colonial period.

Powhatan: The leader of the Powhatan Confederacy in Virginia, who initially interacted with the Jamestown settlers, including John Smith.

Opechancanough: A Powhatan leader who led major uprisings against English settlers in Virginia in 1622 and 1644, attempting to drive them out of the region.

Paxton Boys: A group of frontier settlers in Pennsylvania who, in 1763, massacred a group of peaceful Conestoga Indians and later marched on Philadelphia to protest colonial policies.

Regulators: Groups of settlers in North and South Carolina who protested corrupt colonial officials and unfair taxation in the 1760s and 1770s, leading to conflicts like the Battle of Alamance.

Virginia Company: The joint-stock company that established the Jamestown colony in Virginia in 1607, seeking profit through colonization and trade.

Fort Necessity: A fort built by George Washington in 1754 in present-day Pennsylvania, where he suffered a defeat by French forces, marking the beginning of the French and Indian War.