Period 2 Vocabulary Flashcards: Colonial America amid Global Change (1607-1754)
Contextualizing Period 2 (1607â1754)
Period 2 focuses on Colonial America amid Global Change, where European powers consolidate across North America and form a transatlantic economy involving Native peoples and Africans.
Key ideas:
Transatlantic interactions create networks of trade, migration, and conflict across the Atlantic world.
Mercantilist policies shape colonial economies and imperial competition.
Labor systems shift from indentured servitude to enslaved African labor, especially in the South.
Religious awakenings and Enlightenment ideas influence politics, identity, and culture.
Geographic scope: eastern seaboard plus Caribbean/West Indies and interior frontiers; regional differences matter (South, Chesapeake, New England, Middle Colonies).
Enduring patterns: competition among European powers, Native nations, and enslaved Africans shaping American development.
European Colonization (Module 2.2)
French North America
Early focus on trade (fur, fish) and alliances with Native nations (e.g., Huron) for mutual gain; middle ground emerges where cultures intersect.
QuĂ©bec (1608) and forts along the Great Lakes; Champlainâs alliances with the Huron, tensions with Haudenosaunee (Iroquois).
Louisiana (1682) expands French reach to the Gulf of Mexico, with forts like Biloxi and Mobile; multicultural frontier communities form among French, Native Americans, and Jesuit missionaries.
Trade networks sustain French presence despite small settler numbers; French policy favors trade over mass migration; Huguenot refugees limited, Catholic missionaries prominent.
Dutch North America
Early Hudson River fur trade; New Netherland founded with New Amsterdam (Manhattan) as center; seaborne trade and a relatively tolerant society.
Tensions with Algonquian-speaking peoples and Mohawk allies; conflicts over land and beaver pelts.
1664â1667: English conquest ends Dutch control; New Amsterdam becomes New York.
Spanish Empire in the Southwest
Mission system and encomienda dynamics under Franciscan friars; Pueblo resistance grows in Nuevo MĂ©xico.
Pueblo Revolt (1680) temporarily disrupts Spanish control; reconquest in the 1690s reestablishes Spanish presence but alters relations with Pueblo nations.
Posts along the frontier (Texas) reinforce Spanish claims; cultural exchange and adaptation continue.
Thematic concepts
Trade versus conquest: French and Dutch emphasize trade networks and alliances; Spanish focus on missions and settlement.
Indigenous diplomacy: alliances, intermarriage, and negotiated borders shape power dynamics.
âMiddle groundâ: cultural blending and mutual adaptation between European traders and Native peoples.
The Regions of British Colonies: The South and the British West Indies (Module 2.3a)
Economic drivers in the South and West Indies
Tobacco as a foundational cash crop in Virginia and Maryland; later rice and indigo in the Carolinas.
Barriers to labor supply lead to evolving labor systems: indentured servitude grows with headright incentives; later enslaved Africans become dominant in plantation labor.
Barbados and the West Indies as model plantations; transplanting sugar agriculture to the Carolinas, Louisiana, and Georgia.
Slave codes solidify racialized slavery; Africans become the main labor force on cash-crop plantations.
Virginia and the Powhatan relationship
Early Jamestown relies on Powhatan for food; rising tobacco demand drives land expansion and further conflict.
1619 marks the introduction of enslaved Africans; headright system rewards importing laborers with land.
1622 and 1644 uprisings highlight ongoing Native-settler tensions; policy shifts toward greater English control.
Maryland as a religious haven and political experiment
Calvert family establishes Maryland (1660s) with a degree of religious toleration via the Act of Religious Toleration (1649) and later revisions.
Marylandâs religious policy fluctuates with political tides; Catholics and Protestants influence governance, but restrictions rise over time.
The Southern colonies and slavery intensify
Cash-crop economies rely on enslaved labor; Indigo, rice, and later tobacco shape southern society.
The Stono Rebellion (1739) becomes a significant slave uprising in South Carolina, reflecting the fragility of slave society and fear of resistance.
The West Indies and Carolina connections
Sugar-driven slave society emerges; Barbados planters migrate to Carolina; slave codes deepen racialized slavery.
Carolina grows into a society where enslaved Africans outnumber white settlers in some areas by the mid-18th century.
Key terms to know
headright system, indentured servitude, slave codes, plantation economy, cash crops (tobacco, rice, indigo, sugar).
The Regions of British Colonies: New England and the Middle Colonies (Module 2.3b)
Puritan New England foundations
Pilgrims and Puritans shape social and political life; Mayflower Compact establishes self-government.
Puritans envision a âcity upon a hillâ with covenantal community; Winthropâs Model of Christian Charity emphasizes communal duty and godliness.
Dissenters (Roger Williams, Anne Hutchinson) challenge church-state arrangements, leading to Providence (Rhode Island) and broader religious diversity.
Puritan society and family life
Emphasis on family, marriage as partnership, and patriarchal household structure; women contribute to the economy and religious life, yet legal rights remain limited.
The community sustains itself through town meetings and local governance; strong emphasis on education and literacy for Bible reading.
The Middle Colonies and religious tolerance
Chesapeake-like social mobility occurs but with greater religious and ethnic diversity (Quakers, Dutch, Germans, Scots-Irish, Jews in some cities).
William Pennâs Pennsylvania (1681) as a pluralistic, tolerant colony; Frame of Government (1682) guarantees religious freedom for Christians and political participation for property-owning men.
The Walking Purchase (1737) and other disputes illustrate tensions with Native nations (Delaware) despite Pennâs peaceable image.
The Atlantic religious landscape by 1750
Map of religious diversity shows a spectrum: Church of England, Congregational, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Baptist, Quaker meetings, Jewish synagogues, etc.
The Great Awakening (New Light vs Old Light) challenges traditional religious authority and reshapes religious life across colonies.
Key tensions and outcomes
Growth of urban centers and merchant classes; increasing inequality in northern cities; evolving notions of liberty and representation.
The Eighteenth-Century Atlantic Economy (Module 2.4)
Global trade becomes dominant in the 18th century
A global mercantile system links North America, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa, and Asia; colonists become consumers and participants in a global market.
The North Atlantic trade network moves raw materials to Europe, finished goods back to colonies, and enslaved people across the Atlantic.
Mercantilism and state policy
Navigation Acts (starting in the 1650s and expanded in the 1660s) require that trade with colonies move on English ships and enumerated goods go to England before elsewhere.
1663â1673 acts expand controls, enforce duties, and promote a self-sufficient imperial economy for Britain.
By mid-century, Britain restricts colonial manufacturing to protect home industries (e.g., textiles, hats, iron) and regulates intra-colonial trade.
The rise of a mercantile elite in the colonies
Colonists gain access to English markets and goods; many merchants in seaports become powerful elites.
Atlantic trade fosters wealth disparities in cities like Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Charleston.
The consumer revolution emerges as status ties to wealth and refined living strengthen among colonial elites and urban residents.
Slavery and the Atlantic economy
The slave trade expands: Royal African Company charter (1672) and direct importation from Africa accelerate the shift from indentured servitude to enslaved labor.
Slavery becomes deeply embedded in the economy, especially in the South, but also affects the Middle and Northern colonies.
The cultural and architectural impact
Urban growth, public works, and a consumer culture (tea, sugar, fashion) reflect an Atlantic consumer society.
The wealth gap broadens; elites finance brick churches, town halls, and other public spaces in port cities.
Key terms to know
mercantilism, Navigation Acts, enumerated goods, Royal African Company, consumer revolution, indentured servitude, gang labor, slave codes.
Interactions Between American Indians and Europeans (Module 2.5)
General pattern
Early English, Dutch, and French colonizers rely on trade and alliances with Native nations, but land hunger drives conflict.
Native lands and sovereignty are pressured by expanding European settlement; disease devastates Native populations.
English vs Dutch vs French approaches
English: land seizure and frontier wars (e.g., Anglo-Powhatan Wars, Pequot War, Metacom's War); frontier violence often accompanies agricultural expansion.
Dutch and French: more emphasis on trade alliances and intermarriage; smaller settler populations but strong fur/trade networks; âmiddle groundâ emerges with mutual adaptation.
In the long run, European power struggles spill into Native lands, reshaping alliances and borders.
Major conflicts and shifts
Pequot War (1636â1638), Metacomâs War (King Philipâs War; 1675â1676), Tuscarora War (1711â1715), Yamasee War (1715â1717).
Covenant Chain alliance between Haudenosaunee and northern colonies after conflicts.
Outcomes
Territorial loss for many tribes; increased dependency on European goods and military protection.
Native groups navigate empires through diplomacy and warfare to secure trade and land access.
Key terms to know
Covenant Chain, Walking Purchase, Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, Powhatan Confederacy, New France, New Netherland.
Slavery in the British Colonies (Module 2.6)
Origins and expansion
The Royal African Company (1660, renewed 1672) expands the transatlantic slave trade; millions of Africans coerced into slavery across the Americas.
The Middle Passage: brutal voyage across the Atlantic; high death rates; seasoning after arrival.
Labor systems and laws
Early Chesapeake and Southern colonies rely on indentured servitude; gradually shift toward enslaved labor as a primary labor source for cash crops (tobacco, rice, indigo, sugar).
Slave codes become more rigid, defining enslaved status as hereditary and linked to race; slave ownership concentrates wealth and power among planters.
Black and white laborers sometimes work side by side, but legal and social distinctions separate enslaved Africans from indentured Europeans.
Notable revolts and resistance
Stono Rebellion (1739) in South Carolina: uprising with several dozen rebels; suppression and brutal retaliation; reveals underlying tensions over labor, freedom, and law.
Enslaved people resist through work slowdowns, running away, rebellions, and maintaining cultural practices.
Impacts on society
Slavery shapes the economy and social structure, particularly in the South, but leaves a footprint in the Middle and Northern colonies as well.
Demographic and gender imbalances emerge with direct importation of enslaved people; race-based slavery becomes a defining feature of American society.
Key terms to know
slave codes, Middle Passage, gang labor, Stono Rebellion, chattel slavery, hereditary slavery.
Colonial Society and Culture (Module 2.7)
Religion and thought
The Enlightenment (reason, science) influences elites; Benjamin Franklin embodies Enlightenment ideals in America.
The Great Awakening (First Great Awakening) introduces New Light vs Old Light tensions, revivals, and a democratizing religious movement.
Pew distribution and church practices reflect social hierarchies; women and the poor engage in religious life in new ways.
Social structure and gender
Early 18th century sees tensions to patriarchy; marriage often seen as a partnership in practice, yet legal rights for women remain limited.
Divorce is rare and heavily restricted; runaway spouses and domestic disputes reveal evolving gender norms.
Urban and rural life show growing wealth disparities; a rich mercantile class emerges alongside subsistence and crafts economies.
Urbanization and economy
Seaports grow as economic hubs; the consumer revolution spreads goods like tea, porcelain, and clocks, reshaping colonial identity and status.
The rise of a merchant elite creates social tension with artisans and laborers; newspapers (e.g., Zenger case) reflect growing political consciousness.
Bread riots and impositions on markets reveal grassroots political activism tied to economic grievances.
Culture and everyday life
Daily life in households involves a mix of work, domestic labor, and craft; women contribute to households and local economies, while still operating under patriarchal norms.
The spread of Enlightenment ideas and religious revivals shapes education, literacy, and public life.
Key terms to know
New Light vs Old Light, Great Awakening, Zenger trial, bread riots, patriarchy, consumer revolution, urbanization.
Comparison and Synthesis (Module 2.8)
Method for comparing developments in secondary sources
Compare two historiansâ interpretations using claimâsupportâexplain (CSE).
Identify similarities and differences, supported by textual evidence, and explain how evidence supports claims.
Example: Gentility in colonial America
Bushman vs Breen debate: whether colonistsâ consumption of luxury goods implies widespread gentility or limited in scope.
Part A: one major difference in interpretation.
Parts B and C: apply historical events not explicitly mentioned to support each authorâs view (e.g., rise of urban merchant class, transatlantic trade, bread riots).
Skills practice: Analyzing stimulus and writing historically
Use two secondary sources to answer A (similarities), B (support one side with a non-explicit event), and C (support the other side with a non-explicit event).
Apply the Claim-Support-Explain framework to craft concise, evidence-based answers.
Key Dates, Figures, and Concepts (Quick Reference)
Major wars in North America: King Williamâs War (1689â1697), Queen Anneâs War (1702â1713), King Georgeâs War (1739â1748), French and Indian War (1754â1763).
Early labor and society terms: indentured servitude, headright system, colonial assemblies (e.g., House of Burgesses), joint-stock company.
Major economic concepts: mercantilism, Navigation Acts, enumerated goods, Royal African Company, transatlantic slave trade.
Important revolts and events: Baconâs Rebellion (1676), Pueblo Revolt (1680), Stono Rebellion (1739), Leislerâs Rebellion (1689).
Foundational texts and ideas: Mayflower Compact, Winthropâs A Model of Christian Charity, Lockeâs Second Treatise on Civil Government, Enlightenment and First Great Awakening.
Quick Study Prompts
Explain how the shift from indentured servitude to slavery changed colonial economies and social hierarchies.
Compare French and English colonial strategies in North America regarding Native alliances and land control.
Describe how mercantilist policy influenced colonial trade and urban development by the mid-1700s.
Analyze the impact of the First Great Awakening on colonial politics and social structure.
Assess how the Stono Rebellion reflected broader tensions in the Atlantic world between labor demands and slave resistance.
// End of notes for Period 2: 1607â1754