Give Me Liberty Chapter 2 Vocab

Virginia Company

A private business organization whose shareholders included merchants, aristocrats, and members of Parliament, and to which the queen had given her blessing. First joint-stock company in the colonies, promised gold, conversion of Indians to Christianity and passage to the Indies

The Sovereignty and Goodness of God

A well-known captivity narrative written by Mary Rowlandson when she was seized with other colonists by natives and held for 3 months

Act Concerning Religion

Act adopted in Maryland in 1649, institutionalized the principle of toleration that prevailed from the colony's beginning. All Christians were guaranteed the "free exercise" of religion, but this did not extend to other religions

Great Migration

Between 1629 and 1642, 21,000 Puritan families emigrated from England to Massachusetts in search of religious freedom and economic opportunities

Half-Way Covenant

Compromise made in order to keep church membership up allowing for the baptism and subordinate, or "halfway" membership for grandchildren of those who emigrated during the Great Migration

House of Burgesses

Created in 1619 in VA, a loose model of democracy where landowners could vote and the colony and its appointed government retained the right to nullify any measure the body accepted

English Freedom

Englishmen had more rights and freedom than other European countries. Applied to all in the kingdom, not just certain groups. Many saw English colonization as better than French or Spanish that had absolute monarchs

John Winthrop

First governor of the Massachusetts Bay colony. Was Puritan and made the city upon a hill speech. Led a group of English Puritans to the New World and joined the Massachusetts Bay Company in 1629

John Smith

First leader of established Jamestown in VA (founded in 1607). Jamestown's survival was largely due to his leadership, established harsh martial law in the colony to ensure that those who did not work would not eat

Mayflower Compact

First written framework of government in the U.S. Before landing, Pilgrim leaders wrote that the adult men going ashore should agree to obey "just and equal laws" enacted by representatives of their choosing

Pilgrims

Group of mostly Puritans that separated from the Church of England and set sail the Mayflower in 1620 hoping to arrive in VA. Got blown off course and landed in Cape Cod and landed in Plymouth.

Tobacco

John Rolfe was the father of this industry, even though King James I hated it. After being planted, a tobacco rush came and was Virginia's staple plant and had many tariffs

A Discourse Concerning Western Planting

List written by Protestant minister and scholar Richard Hakluyt in 1584 at the request of Sir Walter Raleigh, that stated 23 reasons why Queen Elizabeth should support the establishment of the colonies

Enclosure movement

Movement where many landowners fenced in their land. Led to many poor people losing land and fenced in land previously open to all

Uprising of 1622

Powhatan's brother and successor, Opechancanough, led a brilliantly planned surprise attack that in a day wiped out 1/4 of Virginia's population of 1,200. The surviving 900 organized into military bands, massacring Indians and destroying their villages

Moral Liberty

Puritan concept meaning "a liberty to that only which is good". To Puritans, liberty meant that the elect had a right to establish churches and govern society, not that others could challenge their beliefs or authority

Puritanism

Set of religious principles and a view of how society should be organized. Puritans wanted to purify the Anglican Church of Catholic rituals. Began in late 16th century and laid the foundation for religious, social and political order of New England colonial life

Indentured Servant

Settlers who voluntarily surrendered their freedom for a specified time (5-7 years) in exchange for passage to America. Their voyage was paid by others.

Captivity Narratives

Stories written by colonists who had been captured and held hostage by Indians. Encouraged by New England leaders to counteract the attraction of the free Indian lifestyle. Most famous one was written by Mary Rowlandson

Headright System

System where 50 acres of land was granted to anyone who paid for passage to America. Created in 1618 in Jamestown. They were used by the Virginia Company to attract more colonists after decline in colonists after noticeable trend in deaths

Dower Rights

The right of a married woman to 1/3 of her husband's property if her husband died before her. He had to leave a will granting her a portion, if not there's none for her

Pequot War

War that began over the death of a fur trader by the Pequot Indians. New Englanders killed or forced them into slavery. War was between 1634-1638 and between Pequot tribes and English colonists of Massachusetts Bay

Roanoke

Colony founded by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1585 off North Carolina coast, partly to facilitate continuing raids on Spanish shipping. First English settlement in the New World. The settlement failed, no one knows what became of the people there