AP US unit 1 terms

George Washington

(February 22, 1732 - December 14, 1799) was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander in chief of the Continental Army in 1775-1783, and he presided over the writing of the Constitution in 1787. As the unanimous choice to serve as the first President of the United States (1789-1797), he developed the forms and rituals of government that have been used ever since, such as using a cabinet system and delivering an inaugural address. As President he built a strong, well-financed national government that avoided war, suppressed rebellion and won acceptance among Americans of all types, and Washington is now known as the "Father of his country".

Johnathan Edwards

(October 5, 1703 - March 22, 1758) was a preacher, theologian, and missionary to Native Americans. Edwards "is widely acknowledged to be America's most important and original philosophical theologian,"[3] and one of America's greatest intellectuals.[4] Edwards's theological work is very broad in scope, but he is often associated with his defense of Reformed theology, the metaphysics of theological determinism, and the Puritan heritage. Recent studies have emphasized how thoroughly Edwards grounded his life's work on conceptions of beauty, harmony, and ethical fittingness, and how central The Enlightenment was to his mindset.[5] Edwards played a critical role in shaping the First Great Awakening, and oversaw some of the first fires of revival in 1733-1735 at his church in Northampton, Massachusetts.[6] Edwards's sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God",

Harvard College

. In 1636 the New College, voted into theoretical existence by the General Court of the colony, was founded—without a single building, teacher, or student. In 1639 it was re-named in honor of the deceased John Harvard, a minister from nearby Charlestown, who in his will had bequeathed to it his entire library and a sum of money equal to half his estate. The town helped govern Harvard, maintained order on campus, and provided economic support. The Puritan minister in town provided direct oversight of Harvard and ensured the orthodoxy of the college's leadership. By 1700 Harvard relied less on local leaders to assist in academic governance

Maryland

7th state in the constitution, it was originally founded by George Calvert as a roman catholic settlement. The government also used the head right system. The government awarded land to people who transported colonists to Maryland and Catholics held majority of political power.

Roanoke

An Island off the coast of North Carolina, two attempts to English colonial attempts had been made here: Raleigh's and John White's. After Raleigh's failure, White tried to recreate the colony, but it didn't have the solid background or resources to survive. In fact, many had to return to England for supplies and goods. When suppliers returned to Roanoke, all the settlers had disappeared leaving only the CROATOAN, a local Indian tribe.

Albany Plan of Union

Aware of the strains that war would put on the colonies, English officials suggested a "union between ye Royal, Proprietary & Charter Governments."1 At least some colonial leaders were thinking along the same lines. In June 1754 delegates from most of the northern colonies and representatives from the Six Iroquois Nations met in Albany, New York. There they adopted a "plan of union" drafted by Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania. Under this plan each colonial legislature would elect delegates to an American continental assembly presided over by a royal governor. The plan is noteworthy in several respects. First of all, Franklin anticipated many of the problems that would beset the government created after independence, such as finance, dealing with the Indian tribes, control of commerce, and defense. In fact, it contains the seeds of true union, and many of these ideas would be revived and adopted in Philadelphia more than thirty years later. After the plan was unveiled, the Crown did not push it since British officials realized that, if adopted, the plan could create a very powerful entity that His Majesty's Government might not be able to control. The royal counselors need not have worried; the colonists were not ready for union, nor were the colonial assemblies ready to give up their recent and hard-won control over local affairs to a central government

John Cotton

He became a long-serving minister in the English town of Boston, Lincolnshire before his Puritanism and criticism of hierarchy drew the hostile attention of Church of England authorities.[2] In 1633, William Laud was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury, and like numerous other Puritan nonconformist figures, Cotton soon came under his close "eye of scrutiny". In the same year Cotton, his family, and a few local followers sailed for the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The Brownist congregational movement within the Church of England had by this stage, in effect at least, become a separate church. Because of his early views on the primacy of congregational government, his was an important role in Puritan aspirations to become the "City upon a Hill" which might help reform the English church. He is best known among other things for his initial defense of Anne Hutchinson early in her trials during the Antinomian crisis, during which she mentioned him with respect, though he turned strongly against her with the further course of the trial. He is also remembered for his role in the banishment of Roger Williams regarding the role of democracy and the separation of church and state in the Puritan theonomic society,

John Smith

He was the English explorer that led the first successful establishment of a colony in North America; it was Jamestown. Although this early colonial settlement faced disease, lack of resources and altercations with the Powhatan Indians, Smith was able to help build a solid foundation for Jamestown. Leading explorations inland and around Chesapeake Bay, Smith encountered hostility from the Powhatan Confederacy (leaders of the Indian tribe), but was saved by Pocahontas. New England was named by him.

Relations with Native Americans

In New England, Native Americans and Settlers fought rarely nc North was more accepting of their culture and wanted to use morality to bond with them. However, Mass Bay's land extension inland proved to be a breaking point for the safety and ownership for Native Americans and they struck back, killing New England settlers and they were also killed.

Headright

Is a legal grant of land to settlers. Headrights are most notable for their role in the expansion of the thirteen British colonies in North America; the Virginia Company of London gave headrights to settlers, and the Plymouth Company followed suit. Most headrights were for about 50 to 100 acres (0.40 km2) of land, and were given to anyone willing to cross the Atlantic Ocean and help populate the colonies. These were granted to anyone who would pay for the transportation costs of a laborer or Indentured servant.

John Wintrop

Leader of the first New England settling company and the Puritan movement to America, Winthrop convinced the King to grant the Puritans not only the right to travel to the new world, but also the ability to set up a mini government and control it on their own. On their journey to the New World, John Delivers one of the best early colonial speeches called A Model of Christian Charity that encourages the people to uphold the covenant of God (God will guide and helps us but we must follow him and work hard)and explains that they must become city on hill model for other colonies to watch.

New York

New York was inhabited by the Algonquin, Iroquois, and Lenape Native American groups at the time Dutch settlers moved into the region in the early 17th century. In 1609, the region was first claimed by Henry Hudson for the Dutch to establish trade ports. Fort Nassau was built near the site of the present-day capital of Albany in 1614. The Dutch soon also settled New Amsterdam and parts of the Hudson River Valley, establishing the colony of New Netherland. The British took over the colony by annexation in 1664.The borders of the British colony, the Province of New York, were roughly similar to those of the present-day state. About one third of all the battles of the Revolutionary War took place in New York. New York became an independent state on July 9, 1776, and enacted its constitution in 1777. The state ratified the United States Constitution on July 26, 1788 to become the eleventh state of the union.

Penn Time Line

On March 12, 1664, King Charles II of England gave James, Duke of York a Grant that included all of the lands included in the original Virginia Company of Plymouth Grant as well as other lands. This grant was - again - in conflict with the Dutch claim for New Netherland, which included parts of today's Pennsylvania.[17] On June 24, 1664, The Duke of York sold the portion of his large grant that included present day New Jersey to John Berkeley and George Carteret for a proprietary colony. On September 12, 1672, as part of the Third Anglo—Dutch War, the Dutch re-conquered New York Colony/New Amsterdam, the Dutch established three County Courts which went on to become original Counties in present day Delaware and Pennsylvania. The one that later transferred to Pennsylvania was Upland.[2.On February 28, 1681, Charles II granted a land charter[26] to William Penn to repay a debt of £16,000[27] (around £2,100,000 in 2008, adjusting for retail inflation)[28] owed to William's father, Admiral Penn. This was one of the largest land grants to an individual in history.[29] It was called Pennsylvania, meaning "Penn's Woods", in honor of Admiral Penn. William Penn, who had wanted his province to be named "Sylvania", was embarrassed at the change, fearing that people would think he had named it after himself, but King Charles would not rename the grant. Penn established a government with two innovations that were much copied in the New World: the county commission and freedom of religious conviction.[29]

Georgia

Originally created as Penal Colony of England where Prisoners did work and cultivated land. Because they didn't need slaves, Georgia was Initially very liberal colony that Prohibited slavery early on The conflict between Spain and England over control of Georgia began in earnest in about 1670, when the English founded the Carolina colony in present-day South Carolina. Nearly a century earlier, the Spanish of Spanish Florida had established the missionary provinces of Guale and Mocama on the coast and Sea Islands of present-day Georgia. After decades of fighting, the Carolinians and allied Indians permanently destroyed the Spanish mission system during the invasions of 1702 and 1704.

The Carolinas

The Carolinas were known as the Province of Carolina during America's colonial period, from 1663-1710. Prior to that, the land was considered part of the Colony and Dominion of Virginia, from 1609-63. The province, named "Carolina" to honor King Charles I of England, was divided into South Carolina and North Carolina in 1729, although the actual date is the subject of debate.

Navigation Act

The English Navigation Acts(1650-1673) were a series of laws that restricted the use of foreign shipping for trade between England (after 1707 Great Britain) and its colonies, which started in 1651. Later, they were one of several sources of resentment in the American colonies against Great Britain, helping cause the American Revolutionary War. They formed the basis for British overseas trade for nearly 200 years.

Starving Times

The Starving Time at Jamestown in the Colony of Virginia was a period of forced starvation initiated by the Powhatan Confederacy to remove the English from Virginia. The campaign killed all but 60 of the 200 colonists during the winter of 1609-1610. The colonists, the first group of whom had originally arrived at Jamestown on May 14, 1607, had never planned to grow all of their own food. Instead, their plans depended upon trade with the local Native Americans Powhatan Confederacy to supply them with food between the arrival of periodic supply ships from England.However, the efforts by anti-English leaders amongst the Powhatan Confederacy succeeded in isolating the tenuous English colony.

Sir Walter Raleigh

This English explorer led the creation of the Roanoke Colony, off the shore of North Carolina in 1585. Asked by Queen Elizabeth to begin England's colonization of the America's mainland, Raleigh funded and led settlers to Roanoke Island. As the colony struggled, England was focused on defeating the Spanish Armada, and Raleigh returned to help and the colony dissolved.

City on a Hill

This idea taken from the bible originally was Winthrop's motivational basis that would encourage Puritans to become model for not only potential new settlement but most importantly the religiously corrupt England. Mass Bay wanted to create a gov that would share wealth, while promoting religious morality and basic tenets through a strong moral government of "Visible Saints" and education of future generations on religion. Wanted to be the uncorrupt and developing version of England.

Maryland Act of Toleration

also known as the Act Concerning Religion, was a law mandating religious tolerance for trinitarian Christians. Passed on April 21, 1649 by the assembly of the Maryland colony, it was the second law requiring religious tolerance in the British North American colonies and created the first legal limitations on hate speech in the world.

George Winfield

an Anglican Protestant minister who helped spread the Great Awakening in the Kingdom of Great Britain and, especially, in the British North American colonies. A leading evangelist and preacher of the era, he was one of the founders of Methodism in America. He became perhaps the best-known preacher in Britain and America in the 18th century,

Tobacco

became the "gold and silver" the English had been in search of, but even more precious resource because they could sell it back to England for profit. With ideal growing temperature and thousands of acres, Jamestown grew upon the foundation of tobacco farming. This change the socio-economic range, politics, English interest in the colonies and interests in people to settle, as well as slavery rose and

The First Great Awakening

began in the 1730s. Ministers from various evangelical Protestant denominations supported the Great Awakening. Indeed, for an age of denominational strife and competition, the Awakening was strikingly ecumenical. Additionally, pastoral styles began to change. In the late colonial period, most pastors read their sermons, which were theologically dense and advanced a particular theological argument or interpretation. Leaders of the Awakening such as Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield had little interest in merely engaging parishioners' minds; they wanted far more to elicit an emotional response from their audience, one which might yield the workings and evidence of saving grace.

Roger Williams

circa 1603 - between January and March 1683) was an American Protestant theologian, and the first American proponent of religious freedom and the separation of church and state. In 1636, he began the colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, which provided a refuge for religious minorities. Williams started the First Baptist Church in America Providence before leaving to become a Seeker. He was a student of Indian languages and an advocate for fair dealings with Native Americans. As a seeker, Roger considered all organized churches of their day to be corrupt, and preferred to wait for God's revelation personally.

Proprietary Colony

is a colony in which one or more private land owners retain rights that are normally the privilege of the state, and in all cases eventually became so.[1] In Britain, the King repeatedly granted territory to an individual or a small group, rather than to a chartered company. The men who received these, called proprietors, or sometimes "Lords Proprietors", were invested not only with property under private law but also with gubernatorial authority to administer it with extraordinary control. Thus, in these colonies Land owners, elite class, control everything.

Factionalism

is a grouping of individuals, especially within a political organization, such as a political party, a trade union, or other group with a political purpose. It may also be referred to as a power bloc, or a voting bloc. The individuals within a faction are united in a common goal or set of common goals for the organization they are a part of, not necessarily shared by all of that organization's members. They band together as a way of achieving these goals and advancing their agenda and position within the organization. A political faction could thus be described as a "party within a party".

The Quakers

is a name used by a range of independent religious organizations which all trace their origins to a Christian movement in mid-17th century England and Wales. A central belief was that ordinary people could have a direct experience of the eternal Christ. Today, the theological beliefs among the different organizations vary, but include broadly evangelical Christian, liberal Protestant, Christian universalist and non-Christian universalist beliefs. Some of these organisations also use the name Quaker or Friends Church. Example of Quakers push for morality (like wanted slave trade halting and eventually slave emancipation in Founding Brothers) Some branches of the Religious Society of Friends are known to the public by testifying to their religious beliefs in their actions and the way they live their lives. Such testimony includes refusing to participate in war, and by social action aimed at promoting social justice and equality

Georgia

is a state located in the southeastern United States. Georgia was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788. It declared its secession from the Union on January 21, 1861, and was one of the original seven Confederate states.

Merchantilism

is an economic theory, thought to be a form of economic nationalism,[1] that holds that the prosperity of a nation is dependent upon its supply of capital, and that the global volume of international trade is "unchangeable". Economic assets (or capital) are represented by bullion (gold, silver, and trade value) held by the state, which is best increased through a positive balance of trade with other nations (exports minus imports). The theory assumes that wealth and monetary assets are identical. Mercantilism suggests that the ruling government should advance these goals by playing a protectionist role in the economy by encouraging exports and discouraging imports, DOMESTIC AND CAPITAL BULLION focused

Quitrent

is now effectively but not formally a tax or land tax imposed on freehold or leased land by a higher landowning authority, usually a government or its assigns.The quit rent system was used frequently by colonial governments in the British Empire. Many land grants in colonial America in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries carried quit rent. Quit rents went on to be used in British colonies, protectorates, etc. in Asia and elsewhere in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Power of the purse

is the ability of one group to manipulate and control the actions of another group by withholding funding, or putting stipulations on the use of funds. The power of the purse can be used to save their money and positively (e.g. awarding extra funding to programs that reach certain benchmarks) or negatively (e.g. removing funding for a department or program, effectively eliminating it). The power of the purse is most often utilized by forces within a government that do not have direct executive power but have control over budgets and taxation.

Pluralism

is the belief that politics and decision making is located mostly in the governmental framework, but many non-governmental groups are using their resources to exert influence. The central question for classical pluralism is how power is distributed in western democracies. Groups of individuals try to maximize their interests. Lines of conflict are multiple and shifting. There may be inequalities but they tend to be distributed and evened out. Any change under this view will be slow and incremental, as groups have different interests and may act as "veto groups" to destroy legislation that they do not agree with. The existence of diverse and competing interests is the basis for a democratic equilibrium[1], and is crucial for the obtaining of goals by individuals.

Enlightenment

is the era in Western philosophy and intellectual, scientific, and cultural life, centered upon the 18th century, in which reason was advocated as the primary source for legitimacy and authority. The "Enlightenment" was not a single movement or school of thought, for these philosophies were often mutually contradictory or divergent. The Enlightenment was less a set of ideas than it was a set of values. At its core was a critical questioning of traditional institutions, customs, and morals, and a strong belief in rationality and science. Thus, there was still a considerable degree of similarity between competing philosophies.Start questioning things and looking to explain them through logic

Selectmen

is the head of the Board of Selectmen in some New England towns. Historically, the First Selectman was the Selectman who received the largest number of votes during municipal elections or at town meeting. Most towns however, have chosen to elect the First Selectman in a separate election, much like a mayor. While the principle remains the same in most towns, the function has evolved differently. Traditionally, the First Selectman acts as chief administrative officer. Originally, as were all politicians in New England, this position was part time.

Powhattan

is the name of a Virginia Indian[1] tribe. It is also the name of a powerful group of tribes which they dominated. However, as Jamestown grew, their empire was destroyed and they were painted by the British as savages to the rest of the world. Tensions between them led to several altercations, even an attempt from the tribe to cut off Jamestown the island's resources by forming a blockade, establishing the starving times.

General Court

is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the Colonial Era, when this body also sat in judgment of judicial appeals cases. It was formed after the overthrow of Royal Governor Edmund Andros who governed all of New York and New England. Under the new charter the General Court drew together areas which before Andros had been separately governed within the Dominion of New England, including Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts Bay Colony and Maine. It is a bicameral system with a house and a senate.

The Indian Masscre of 1622

occurred in the Colony of Virginia, in what is now United States of America, on Friday, March 22, 1622. Though he had not been in Virginia since 1609 and was thus not a firsthand eyewitness, Captain John Smith related in his History of Virginia that the Indians "came unarmed into our houses with deer, turkeys, fish, fruits, and other provisions to sell us".[1] Suddenly the Indians grabbed any tools or weapons available to them and killed any English settlers that were in sight,

Pearce of Paris (1763)

often called the Peace of Paris, or the Treaty of 1763, was signed on 10 February 1763, by the kingdoms of Great Britain, France and Spain, with Portugal in agreement. It ended the French and Indian War/Seven Years' War.[1] The treaty marked the beginning of an extensive period of British dominance outside Europe.The Treaty of Paris is frequently noted as the point at which France gave Louisiana to Spain. However the transfer actually occurred in the Treaty of Fontainebleau (1762) but was not publicly announced until 1764. The Treaty of Paris was to give Britain the east side of the Mississippi (including Baton Rouge, Louisiana which was to be part of the British territory of West Florida). New Orleans on the east side remained in French hands (albeit temporarily). The Mississippi River corridor in what is modern day Louisiana was to be reunited following the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and the Adams-Onís Treaty in 1819.

Virginia (London) Co.

refers collectively to a pair of English joint stock companies chartered by James I on 10 April 1606[1][2][3] with the purposes of establishing settlements on the coast of North America[4]. The two companies, called the "Virginia Company of London" (or the London Company) and the "Virginia Company of Plymouth" (or Plymouth Company) operated with identical charters but with differing territories. An area of overlapping territory was created. Within the area of overlap, the two companies were not permitted to establish colonies within one hundred miles of each other.

Middle Passage

refers to the forcible passage of African people from Africa to the New World, as part of the Atlantic slave trade. Ships departed Europe for African markets with commercial goods, which were in turn traded for kidnapped Africans who were transported across the Atlantic as slaves; the enslaved Africans were then sold or traded as commodities for raw materials,[1] which would be transported back to Europe to complete the "triangular trade

Joint Stock Company

s a type of business entity: it is a type of corporation or partnership involving two or more legal persons. Certificates of ownership (or stocks) are issued by the company in return for each financial contribution, and the shareholders are free to transfer their ownership interest at any time by selling their stockholding to others.

King Phillip's War

sometimes called Metacom's War or Metacom's Rebellion,[1] was an armed conflict between Native American inhabitants of present-day southern New England and English colonists and their Native American allies in 1675-1676. The war is named after the main leader of the Native American side, Metacomet, Metacom, or Pometacom, known to the English as "King Philip".[2] It continued in northern New England (primarily on the Maine frontier) even after King Philip was killed, until a treaty was signed at Casco Bay in April 1678. Mass Bay's expansion inland into the Native tribes caused tension, then a full-out war.

Puritans

they wanted to "purify" the church. Yet they did this by leaving England bc they were being persecuted and needed to find safety and new beginning in new world. Mass Bay was first settlement who decided to do this. Develop puritan government and society where religion is essential to being part of the colonies growth. Strong familial morality often the Puritans strict obedience of the covenant with god motivated them to work hard in exchange for God's support. This created a strong work ethic among the New England class, propelling their capitalistic and entrepreneurial success.

Jamestown

was a first permanent English settlement in the US. In Virginia, the English had attempted twice before to create colonies there, including the Lost Colony of Roanoke, but failed. It was founded by the London Company (later to become the Virginia Company), headquartered in London. As the colony grew Jamestown remained the capital of the Colony until it was relocated to Middle Plantation. Thanks to John Smith, Jamestown grew to be the foundation for English settlement in the US.

Halfway Covenant

was a form of partial church membership created by New England in 1662. It was promoted in particular by the Reverend Solomon Stoddard, who felt that the people of the English colonies were drifting away from their original religious purpose. First-generation settlers were beginning to die out, while their children and grandchildren often expressed less religious piety, and more desire for material wealth. It is a colonial effort to get the new generation to join the church, bc they are moving away from religion and splitting the foundation of the settlement. Since church is part of the gov, if you claim you are not part of the church, then you claim you don't have to follow the gov. rules. Political move to keep their power.

Thomas Handcock

was a merchant in colonial Boston. He got his start in the book trade, and expanded into importing and exporting throughout the British Empire. He was also a smuggler, evading the British Navigation Acts by trading with Holland, which was forbidden. Thanks to lucrative contracts with the British government during King George's War and the Seven Years' War, Hancock became one of Boston's wealthiest men. This empire of his was created bc of his Puritan work ethic and incentive to transcend the typical theological career of his family.

Anne Hutchinson

was a pioneer settler in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Netherlands and the unauthorized minister of a dissident church discussion group. Hutchinson held Bible meetings for women that soon appealed to men as well. Eventually, she went beyond Bible study to proclaim her own theological interpretations of sermons. Some, such as antinomianism, offended the colony leadership. A major controversy ensued and after a trial before a jury of officials and clergy, she was banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony.[3] She is a key figure in the study of the development of religious freedom in England's American colonies and the history of women in ministry. Her talk of the need for personal enlightenment with god, not through a minister is what got her under fire. Yet, her claim that god spoke directly to her ( when god wasn't supposed to speak to women ) and "his" claim that he would curse her accusers (head leaders of Church and State led to her exile from Mass Bay. She then goes to RI and meets Roger Williams. They create Religiously tolerant RI.

Confederation of England

was a political and military alliance of the English colonies of Massachusetts, Plymouth, Connecticut, and New Haven. Established May 29, 1643,[1] its primary purpose was to unite the Puritan colonies against the Native Americans. The New England Confederation was highly successful in terms of bonding the colonies together, and provided a basis for the further collaboration of Colonies in times such as the American Revolution.The colonies united for defense purposes — they wanted to protect themselves from the Indians, the French, and the Dutch.

Restoration Colonies

was one of a number of land grants in North America given by King Charles II of England in the latter half of the 17th century, ostensibly as a reward to his supporters in the Stuart Restoration. The grants marked the resumption of English colonization of the Americas after a 30-year hiatus. The two major restoration colonies were the Province of Pennsylvania and the Province of Carolina. From The American People- Creating a Nation and a Society- Sixth Edition:

Dominion of New England

was a short-lived administrative union of English colonies in the New England region of North America. King James II of England decreed the creation of the Dominion as a measure to enforce the Navigation Acts and to coordinate the mutual defense of colonies against the French and hostile Native Americans. The Dominion initially comprised the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the Plymouth Colony, the Province of New Hampshire, the Province of Maine, and the Narraganset Country or King's Province. lthough the New England colonists had previously sought a loose voluntary association in the form of the New England Confederation, the imposition of a centralized authority from England was highly unpopular. The Dominion Governor in Chief Edmund Andros began promoting the Church of England, banning town meetings, and challenging land titles. Andros's actions, along with the behavior of English soldiers garrisoned at Boston, angered many colonists in the Massachusetts Bay Colony and elsewhere in British North America.When word of the overthrow of James II by William of Orange in the Glorious Revolution of 1688 reached Boston, the colonists rose up in rebellion and arrested Andros on May 18, 1689. The Dominion immediately collapsed.

Indentured Servants

was a worker, typically a laborer or tradesman, under contract to an employer for a fixed period of time, typically three to seven years, in exchange for their transportation, food, clothing, lodging and other necessities

Lord Baltimore

was an English politician and coloniser. He achieved domestic political success as a Member of Parliament and later Secretary of State under King James I, He was granted the title of 1st Baron Baltimore in the Irish peerage upon his resignation. Calvert took an interest in the colonisation of the New World, at first for commercial reasons and later to create a refuge for English Catholics. He became the proprietor of Avalon, the first sustained English settlement on the island of Newfoundland. Discouraged by the climate and the sufferings of the settlers there, Calvert looked for a more suitable spot further south and sought a new royal charter to settle the region that was to become the state of Maryland. His death left his son Cecilius with the Colony of Maryland, which would later become the state. He also help to maintain his father's idea of making Maryland of place of catholic settlers.

Ben Franklin

was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author and printer, satirist, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, inventor, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat. As a scientist, he was a major figure in the American Enlightenment. He also helped to create Albany Plan, development of Penn, as well as searching for moral perfection.

William Penn

was an English real estate entrepreneur, philosopher, and founder and "absolute proprietor" of the Province of Pennsylvania, the English North American colony and the future U. S. State of Pennsylvania. He was an early champion of democracy and religious freedom, notable for his good relations and successful treaties with the Lenape Indians. Under his direction, the city of Philadelphia was planned and developed. In 1682, James Duke of York, the future James II of England,[1] handed over a large piece of his American holdings to William Penn. This land included present-day Pennsylvania and Delaware. Penn immediately sailed to America and his first step on American soil took place in New Castle in 1682.[2] As one of the earlier supporters of colonial unification, Penn wrote and urged for a Union of all the English colonies in what was to become the United States of America. The democratic principles that he set forth in the Pennsylvania Frame of Government served as an inspiration for the United States Constitution.

Salutary Neglect

was an undocumented, though long-standing British policy of avoiding strict enforcement of parliamentary laws, meant to keep the American colonies obedient to Great Britain. Prime Minister Robert Walpole stated that "If no restrictions were placed on the colonies, they would flourish"[citation needed]. This policy, which lasted from about 1607 to 1763, allowed the enforcement of trade relations laws to be lenient. Walpole did not believe in enforcing the Navigation Acts, established under Oliver Cromwell and Charles II and designed to force the colonists to trade only with England, Scotland and Ireland,which were also under Britain's control. Successive British governments ended this policy through acts such as the Stamp Act and Sugar Act, causing tensions within the colonies.

Bacon's Rebellion

was an uprising in 1676 in the Virginia Colony, led by Nathaniel Bacon, a wealthy planter. It was the first rebellion in the American colonies in which discontented frontiersmen took part; a similar uprising in Maryland occurred later that year. The uprising was a protest against Native American raids on the frontier; some historians also consider it a power play by Bacon against the Royal Governor of Virginia, William Berkeley, and his policies of favoring his own court. Their alliance disturbed the ruling class, who responded by hardening the racial caste of slavery.[1][2] While the farmers did not succeed in their goal of driving Native Americans from Virginia, the rebellion did result in Berkeley's being recalled to England.

The House of Burgesses

was the elected lower house (summoned by an elected legislative assembly led by Governor Berkeley) in the legislative assembly established in the Colony of Virginia in 1619. Over time, the name came to represent the entire official legislative body of the Colony of Virginia, and later, after the American Revolution, the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Thomas Jefferson

was the third President of the United States (1801-1809) and the principal author of the Declaration of Independence (1776). Jefferson was one of the most influential Founding Fathers, known for his promotion of the ideals of republicanism in the United States. Jefferson envisioned America as the force behind a great "Empire of Liberty"[3] that would promote republicanism and counter the imperialism of the British Empire.

The Salem Witchtrials

were a series of hearings before local magistrates followed by county court of trials to prosecute people accused of witchcraft in Essex, Suffolk, and Middlesex counties of colonial Massachusetts, between February 1692 and May 1693.

John Locke

widely known as the Father of Liberalism,[2][3][4] was an English philosopher and physician regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers. Considered one of the first of the British empiricists, following the tradition of Francis Bacon, he is equally important to social contract theory. His work had a great impact upon the development of epistemology and political philosophy. His writings influenced Voltaire and Rousseau, many Scottish Enlightenment thinkers, as well as the American revolutionaries. His contributions to classical republicanism and liberal theory are reflected in the American Declaration of Independence. Social contract theory formed a central pillar in the historically important notion that legitimate state authority must be derived from the consent of the governed

The School Laws

were three legislative acts of 1642, 1647 and 1648 enacted in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The most famous by far is the law of 1647, also known as the Old Deluder Satan Law (after the law's first sentence) and The General School Law of 1647. They are commonly regarded as the historical first step toward compulsory government-directed public education in the United States of America. This was created to ensure the study of the bible for each generation bc otherwise the devil would prevent them from learning.