Colonial America Key Terms

New Netherland – A Dutch colony established in the early 1600s in present-day New York, focused on fur trade and religious tolerance but later taken by the English in 1664.

Dutch West India Company – A trading company that controlled Dutch settlements in the Americas, including New Netherland, and focused on fur trade and economic expansion.

Joint-Stock Company – A business model where investors pooled money to fund colonial ventures, reducing risk and enabling large-scale exploration and settlement.

Charter – A legal document granted by a monarch or government that outlined the rights and privileges of a colony or settlement.

Virginia Company – A joint-stock company that funded the Jamestown settlement in 1607, seeking profits through gold and trade but ultimately relying on tobacco cultivation.

Jamestown – The first permanent English settlement in North America, founded in 1607 in Virginia, which struggled with famine, disease, and conflict before becoming profitable through tobacco.

John Smith – A leader of Jamestown who enforced strict discipline and negotiated with the Powhatan Confederacy, ensuring the colony’s survival in its early years.

Powhatan – A powerful Native American chief who initially traded with Jamestown settlers but later resisted English expansion, leading to conflicts.

Pocahontas – The daughter of Powhatan who helped mediate between Native Americans and Jamestown settlers, later marrying John Rolfe and traveling to England.

John Rolfe – An English settler who introduced a profitable strain of tobacco to Jamestown, ensuring the colony’s economic survival and expansion.

Tobacco – A cash crop that became the economic foundation of Virginia and other Southern colonies, leading to increased demand for land and labor, including indentured servants and enslaved Africans.

Headright System – A land grant system in which settlers received 50 acres for each person they brought to the New World, encouraging colonization and labor migration.

House of Burgesses – The first representative legislative assembly in the American colonies, established in Virginia in 1619, marking an early step toward self-government.

George Calvert (Lord Baltimore) – The founder of Maryland who sought to create a haven for English Catholics while promoting religious tolerance.

Maryland Act of Religious Tolerance (1649) – A law that granted religious freedom to all Christians in Maryland, aiming to protect Catholics from Protestant dominance.

Indentured Servant – A laborer who agreed to work for a set number of years in exchange for passage to the colonies, food, and shelter, but often faced harsh conditions.

Separatists – English Protestants who wanted to completely break from the Church of England and later settled in Plymouth Colony as Pilgrims.

Pilgrims – A group of English Separatists who sailed on the Mayflower and established Plymouth Colony in 1620 for religious freedom.

Mayflower – The ship that carried the Pilgrims to North America, landing in present-day Massachusetts in 1620.

William Bradford – The longtime governor of Plymouth Colony who helped stabilize the settlement and maintained peaceful relations with Native Americans.

Massachusetts Bay – A colony founded in 1630 by Puritans seeking religious freedom, becoming a major center of trade, culture, and governance in New England.

Mayflower Compact – An agreement signed by Pilgrims in 1620 to form a self-governing community based on majority rule, an early example of democracy in the colonies.

Squanto – A Native American who assisted the Pilgrims by teaching them agricultural techniques and acting as an intermediary with local tribes.

Massachusetts Bay Company – A joint-stock company that funded the Massachusetts Bay Colony, allowing Puritans to establish a self-governing settlement.

"City Upon a Hill" – A phrase from John Winthrop’s sermon, describing Massachusetts Bay as a model Puritan society that would inspire the world.

Thomas Hooker – A Puritan minister who founded Connecticut in 1636, advocating for expanded voting rights beyond just church members.

Calvinism – A Protestant theology emphasizing predestination and strict moral conduct, heavily influencing Puritan beliefs and colonial New England society.

Puritans – A religious group that sought to "purify" the Church of England and settled in Massachusetts Bay to build a devout Christian society.

Great English Migration – The mass movement of Puritans to New England in the 1630s, fleeing religious persecution and seeking economic opportunities.

Fundamental Orders of Connecticut – The first written constitution in the American colonies (1639), establishing a democratic government in Connecticut.

Pequot War (1636-1638) – A violent conflict between New England colonists and the Pequot tribe, resulting in the near-extermination of the Pequot people.

King Philip’s War (1675-1676) – A major Native American uprising against English settlers led by Metacom (King Philip), devastating New England towns but ending with Native defeat.

New England Confederation – A military alliance of New England colonies formed in 1643 to defend against Native attacks and Dutch threats.

Navigation Laws – English laws that restricted colonial trade to England, enforcing mercantilism and angering colonists who sought economic independence.

Glorious Revolution (1688) – The overthrow of King James II, which led to the collapse of the Dominion of New England and strengthened colonial self-rule.

Salutary Neglect – A British policy of loosely enforcing trade laws in the colonies, allowing them to develop political and economic independence.

Quakers – A religious group advocating pacifism and equality, settling in Pennsylvania under William Penn’s leadership.

John Winthrop – The Puritan leader of Massachusetts Bay who promoted a theocratic government and the "City Upon a Hill" ideal.

Anne Hutchinson – A Puritan dissenter who challenged church authority, advocating for personal religious interpretation and was banished to Rhode Island.

Roger Williams – A Puritan minister who was expelled from Massachusetts for advocating religious freedom and founded Rhode Island in 1636.

Metacom (King Philip) – A Wampanoag leader who led a major war against New England settlers in 1675-1676 before being killed.

Henry Hudson – An English explorer for the Dutch who explored the Hudson River, leading to Dutch claims in North America.

Peter Stuyvesant – The last Dutch governor of New Netherland, who surrendered to the English in 1664 without a fight.

Duke of York – The brother of King Charles II, who took control of New Netherland and renamed it New York.

William Penn – A Quaker who founded Pennsylvania as a haven for religious tolerance and democratic governance.

New England Colonies – Characteristics – Focused on religion, small-scale farming, town meetings, and a mixed economy based on trade, fishing, and shipbuilding.

Middle Colonies – Characteristics – Known for religious diversity, wheat farming, and bustling port cities like Philadelphia and New York.

Southern Colonies – Characteristics – Dependent on plantation agriculture, cash crops like tobacco and rice, and enslaved labor.

Founding of Georgia/James Oglethorpe – Georgia was founded in 1733 as a buffer against Spanish Florida and a refuge for debtors by Oglethorpe, who initially banned slavery.

Bacon’s Rebellion (1676) – A revolt led by Nathaniel Bacon against Virginia’s colonial government over Native American policy and land access, leading to increased reliance on enslaved labor.

Middle Passage – The brutal transatlantic journey that brought enslaved Africans to the Americas under horrific conditions.

Slave Codes – Laws that restricted enslaved people’s rights and reinforced racial hierarchy in the colonies.

Salem Witch Trials (1692) – A series of trials in Massachusetts in which women were accused of witchcraft, reflecting social tensions and religious extremism.

Halfway Covenant – A Puritan compromise allowing partial church membership to keep church influence strong amid declining religious participation.