Unit 1 Vocabulary

Southern Colonies

• Relied on agriculture due to warmer climate and fertile soil

• Relied on indentured servants then slaves for labor to produce cash crops

Middle Colonies

• Economy was a mixture of agriculture and trade

• More tolerant and diverse than New England

New England

• Economy relied mostly on trade and shipping

• Colonists located on coastal regions and rivers benefitted from being centers of trade and transportation

Virginia Company

• Joint-stock company that provided the funding for the colony of Jamestown

• Investors hoped settlers would find gold and earn profits for them

Tobacco Cultivation

• John Rolfe introduced a new strain of tobacco that grew well in Virginia

• Tobacco became a cash crop and saved Jamestown

Powhatan

• The Native American group living in the Jamestown area

• They were often in conflict with the English settlers over land

House of Burgesses

• Legislative body in Virginia

• First example of representative government in the American colonies, will become an example for democratic tradition in America

Bacon’s Rebellion

• Nathaniel Bacon and poor farmers rebel against the wealthy landowners and government in Jamestown

• Reflects the American ideal that not only the elite should have a say in the government, and also led to increase in slavery over indentured servants

Development of Slavery

• At first, the labor force was made up mostly of indentured servants who worked for a period of 5 years before gaining freedom

• Tobacco becoming a cash crop and tensions from Bacon’s Rebellion led to plantation owners using slaves instead

Religious Reasons for Settlement of New England

• Pilgrims came to Plymouth colony to separate from the Anglican Church. They wrote the Mayflower Compact

• Puritans settled in Massachusetts Bay colony and wanted to purify the Anglican Church.

King Phillip’s War

• Colonists in New England were in conflict with Native Americans over land. Metacom (King Phillip) went to war with the colonists to try to stop it. Colonists win.

• Metacom’s defeat by the English colonists marked the end of Native American resistance in the region.

Government in New England

• The Puritan church controlled much of the government in Massachusetts Bay

• The legislature in Mass. Bay was called the General Court

• Town meetings were also common – locals would meet to discuss issues and vote

• Citizens who were male and church members had a say in government

Religious Tensions in New England

• Roger Williams was banished from Mass. Bay because he believed it was wrong to take land from the Indians

• He founded Rhode Island and guaranteed separation of Church and state and religious freedom

• Anne Hutchinson fled to RI when she was banished for leading bible studies

Half-way covenant

• Gave partial membership to descendants of church members without a conversion experience

• Church leaders hoped the young people would want full membership and stay part of the Puritan church

• Puritan leaders wanted to keep control of the colony

Salem Witch Trials

• 25 people condemned to death after being accused of witchcraft in Salem, Mass.

• Result of strict Puritan church having control over government and laws

• Also shows impact of harsh life in New England colonies

Loss of Massachusetts Charter

• Unrest in Massachusetts led to loss of the colony’s charter and the king took over

• Mass. Bay became a royal colony under the rule of a governor appointed by the king

Settlement of New Amsterdam

• Settled and called New Amsterdam by Dutch as settlement focused on the fur trade.

• Taken by the English and renamed New York. The English wanted to remove the “Dutch Wedge” and unite their southern and New England colonies.

Pennsylvania

• Founded by William Penn and the Quakers on the principle of religious freedom

• The Quakers got along better with Native Americans than many settlers and were more tolerant and peaceful

Quebec

• First permanent French settlement in North America

• Goals:– Friendly relations with the Native Americans– Make money from the fur trade– Convert Native Americans to Catholicism

Mercantilism

• The belief that the purpose of a colony was to make the mother-country richer and more powerful.

• England’s Trans-Atlantic “Triangle” trade network was developed to get the most profit possible from the English colonies.

Middle Passage

• The voyage of slaves on slave ships from West Africa to the American colonies.– Terrible conditions– High death rates

• Called the middle passage because it was the middle part of the “Triangle Trade.”

Growth of African population

• As a result of the increasing need for slave labor in southern colonies and the trans-Atlantic trade, the number of slaves grew in the American colonies

• African-American culture was diverse; slaves came from completely different backgrounds

Great Awakening

• Religious movement that called for people to search for truth themselves instead of relying on the church.

• This led people to question traditional authorities like the church or even the king.

Benjamin Franklin

• Example of self-made man; he was not born wealthy but hard work and intelligence made him rich, famous, respected, and successful

• Social mobility: he moves up in social classes

• Individualism: believed you should improve yourself and fulfill your potential