APUSH -Ch. 2 Vocab

  1. Huguenots – French Protestants influenced by Calvinism. After the Edict of Nantes (1598) gave them limited toleration, many still fled persecution to the New World. Their migration contributed to early French settlements in America.

  2. Coureurs de bois – Independent French fur traders (“runners of the woods”) who explored deep into North America. They spread French influence through trade and alliances with Native Americans but also disrupted Native societies by introducing alcohol and disease.

  3. New Netherland – Dutch colony founded in the 1620s in the Hudson River Valley. It focused on fur trade and attracted few settlers. England seized it in 1664, renaming it New York.

  4. Protestant Reformation – Religious movement begun by Martin Luther in 1517 that split Christianity in Europe. It created Protestant faiths and fueled rivalry between Catholic Spain and Protestant England, shaping colonization.

  5. Roanoke Island – England’s first attempt at colonization (1585) off the coast of North Carolina, sponsored by Sir Walter Raleigh. The colony mysteriously disappeared (“The Lost Colony”), discouraging early English settlement.

  6. Spanish Armada – Large Spanish naval fleet defeated by the English navy in 1588 under Elizabeth I. Its defeat marked the decline of Spanish dominance and the rise of English naval power, opening the door to English colonization.

  7. Primogeniture – European inheritance law requiring estates to go to the eldest son. It forced younger sons to seek wealth and opportunities elsewhere, including the New World.

  8. Joint-Stock Company – A company funded by multiple investors who shared profits and losses. Allowed England to finance risky colonies without government spending; crucial for establishing Virginia.

  9. Virginia Company – Joint-stock company that received a royal charter from King James I to establish a colony in Virginia (1607). Its focus on profit shaped Jamestown’s early struggles.

  10. Charter – Legal document granting colonists rights, land, and self-governance. Important because Virginia’s charter guaranteed Englishmen’s rights even in America, laying groundwork for later demands of independence.

  11. Jamestown – Founded in 1607, the first permanent English colony. Initially plagued by starvation, disease, and conflict with Natives. Survived due to tobacco cultivation by John Rolfe and leadership from John Smith.

  12. First Anglo-Powhatan War – Conflict (1610–1614) between Jamestown settlers and the Powhatan Confederacy. De La Warr introduced “Irish tactics.” Peace came with Pocahontas’s marriage to John Rolfe, the first known interracial union in Virginia.

  13. Second Anglo-Powhatan War – War beginning in 1622 after a Powhatan uprising killed hundreds of settlers. Ended in 1646 with Powhatans forced off their land, symbolizing the end of Native power in Virginia.

  14. Iroquois Confederacy – Alliance of five tribes (Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca) formed before European arrival. They used their unity to maintain power and trade leverage with Europeans until the Revolutionary era.

  15. Tuscarora War – Conflict in North Carolina (1711–1713) when Tuscaroras resisted English settlers’ encroachment. Defeat pushed survivors north to join the Iroquois Confederacy as its “Sixth Nation.”

  16. Yamasee Indians – Tribe in South Carolina who allied with other Natives against English colonists in 1715. Their defeat marked the end of coastal Native resistance in the southern colonies.

  17. Elizabeth I – Queen of England (1558–1603). Supported Protestantism and sea exploration. Her reign established England as a major naval power and encouraged overseas expansion.

  18. Sir Francis Drake – English “sea dog” who raided Spanish treasure ships and circumnavigated the globe. His exploits brought wealth to England and challenged Spanish dominance.

  19. Sir Walter Raleigh – Explorer who promoted colonization and sponsored the failed Roanoke Colony (1585). His efforts kept alive English interest in America.

  20. James I – King of England (1603–1625). Gave the Virginia Company its charter but was hostile to representative government in the colonies, setting up later tensions.

  21. Captain John Smith – Jamestown leader who enforced discipline (“He who shall not work shall not eat”). Negotiated with Powhatan Confederacy, ensuring early survival of the colony.

  22. Powhatan – Chief of the Powhatan Confederacy. Initially tried to incorporate English settlers into his alliance but conflicts over land and food led to wars.

  23. Pocahontas – Daughter of Powhatan; intervened to save John Smith’s life. Later married John Rolfe, symbolizing a temporary peace between English and Powhatan.

  24. Lord De La Warr – New governor of Jamestown (1610) who imposed harsh military discipline and initiated the First Anglo-Powhatan War. His leadership helped colony survival but worsened Native relations.

  25. John Rolfe – Jamestown settler credited with developing tobacco as a cash crop, making Virginia economically viable. His marriage to Pocahontas helped establish a brief peace.