The Thirteen Colonies and the British Empire (1607-1754)

Virginia House of Burgesses

the first elected legislative assembly in the New World 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.In Britain, the term "burgess" had referred to a Parliamentary representative, as of a borough.

Mayflower

the first governing document of Plymouth Colony. It was drafted by the Pilgrims who crossed the Atlantic aboard the Mayflower, seeking religious freedom. It was signed on November 11, 1620

King Phillip's War

the most devastating war between the colonists and the Native Americans in New England. The war is named for King Philip, the son of Massasoit and chief of the Wampanoag. His Wampanoag name was Metacom, Metacomet, or Pometacom.

Connecticut

the southernmost state in the region of the United States known as New England. Connecticut is also often grouped into the area known as the Tri-State area.

John Winthrop

(12 January 1587/8 - 26 March 1649) led a group of English Puritans to the New World, joined the Massachusetts Bay Company in 1629 and was elected their governor on April 8, 1630. Between 1639 and 1648 he was voted out of governorship and re-elected a total of 12 times.

Plymouth Colony

(1620) established by the pilgrims outside the jurisdiction of the Virginia company, so they were considered squatters because they had no "legal" right to the land

Separatists

a term usually applied to describe the attitudes or motivations of those seeking independence or "separation" of their land or region from the country that governs them.

headright system

System used by VA and MD to encourage servant workers. Passage paid for laborers=right to acquire 50 acres of land.

Pocahontas

was a Virginia Indian notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia.

Frame of Government (1682)

was a constitution for the Province of Pennsylvania, a proprietary colony granted to William Penn by Charles II of England.

Thomas Hooker

was a prominent Puritan colonial leader, who founded the Colony of Connecticut after dissenting with Puritan leaders in Massachusetts. He was known as an outstanding speaker and a leader of universal Christian suffrage.

Sir Edmund Andros

was an English colonial administrator in North America. He was the governor of the Dominion of New England during most of its three-year existence.

Captain John Smith

was an English soldier, explorer, and author. He was knighted for his services to Sigismund Bathory, Prince of Transylvania and his friend Mózes Székely.

Dominion of New England

was an administrative union of English colonies in the New England region of North America.

Holy Experiment

was an attempt by the Religious Society of Friends, also known as Quakers, to establish a community for themselves in Pennsylvania. They hoped it would show to the world how well they could function on their own without any persecution or dissension.

Great Migration

was the movement of 6 million African Americans out of the rural Southern United States to the urban Northeast, Midwest, and West that occurred between 1910 and 1970.

Metacom

was the second son of the sachem Massasoit. He became a chief in 1662 when his brother Wamsutta died shortly after his father Massasoit.

Navigation Acts

were a series of laws that restricted the use of foreign ships for trade between Britain and its colonies. They began in 1651 and ended 200 years later.

Fundamental Orders of Connecticut (1639)

were adopted by the Connecticut Colony council on January 15, 1639 OS (January 24, 1639 NS). The orders describe the government set up by the Connecticut River towns, setting its structure and powers.

Sir William Berkeley

1606-77, colonial governor of Virginia. Appointed governor in 1641, he arrived in Virginia in 1642. Berkeley defeated the Native Americans and the Dutch, extended explorations, and encouraged agriculture, but so persecuted dissenters that many of them left the colony. An uncompromising royalist, he made Virginia a haven for supporters of Charles I and declined to recognize the Commonwealth. Berkeley was deposed by a Puritan force from England in 1652 and lived quietly on his Virginia plantation until the Restoration in 1660, when he was reappointed governor. His second term as governor was marred by great domestic discontent and strife. A drop in tobacco prices brought great economic suffering to the colony. At the same time it was charged that Berkeley was showing favoritism toward a small group of friends and depriving the freemen of their rights. When, in addition, Berkeley refused to take the measures demanded by the frontiersmen for protection against the Native Americans, Bacon's Rebellion broke out. Temporarily forced to flee, Berkeley regained power after Bacon's premature death and ordered the hanging of many of Bacon's followers. The executions were carried out in defiance of a royal commission that had arrived with pardon for all except Bacon. Finally he yielded to the commission's order that he return to England, where he died discredited.

indentured servants

1630's- People who were brought from England to work on farms. In exhange for work they received ship passage and freedom dues (few barrels of corn, suit of clothing and perhaps small piece of land)

Bacon's Rebellion

1676 1,000 rebels led by Bacon to uprise against the government. Angry with Berkely for his friendliness to Indians. Wanted retaliation for Indian attacks on frontier settlements. Attacked Indians and chased Gov. Berkely from Jamestown. Torched the capital.

Roger Williams

A minister who advocated complete separation of church and state and religious toleration.

Quakers

A religious sect that appealed strongly to men and women at the bottom of the economic ladder. They believed that the Holy Spirit or the "Inner Light" could inspire every soul. Mainstream Christians, by contrast, found any such claim of direct, personal communication to God highly dangerous.

royal colonies

A type of colony that is administered by a crown-appointed governor, who would appoint and dismiss leading gentlemen in the colony to an advisory council.

Mayflower Compact

An agreement reached by the Pilgrims on the ship the Mayflowerin 1620, just before they landed at Plymouth Rock. The Mayflower Compact bound them to live in a civil society according to their own laws.

corporate colonies

Colonies operated by joint-stock companies; Ex: Jamestown

Chesapeake colonies

Colonies that consisted of Maryland and Virginia; the land that made up these colonies were given to Lord Baltimore as a reward for his loyal service to the crown

proprietary colonies

Colonies that were under the authority of individuals granted charters of ownership by the king; Ex: Maryland

Providence

Colony in Narragansett Bay that was established by Roger Williams; it recognized the rights of native Americans and paid them for their use of land; had complete religious toleration

Cecil Calvert, Lord Baltimore

Control of Maryland was passed down to him when his father died; implemented his father's plans for the colony

John Cabot

Italian explorer who led the English expedition in 1497 that discovered the mainland of North America and explored the coast from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland

tobacco farms

John Rolfe began planting tobacco in virginia. Many were willing to buy so growing tobacco became very popular up and down the James. This pressured the colonists to expand their territory because a lot of land is needed for growing tobacco to grow large amounts and because tobacco exhausted the soil. The need for land made Europeans move more inward away from the center of European settlement, which was going in to the native's land. Tobacco quickly became the most valuable crop. By 1616 tobacco was profitless due to overproduction.

Halfway covenant

New formula for church membership to admit to the church to baptism, but not to full communion, the unconverted children of existing members=higher membership.

James Oglethorpe

One of the trustees of the Georgia colony. He purchased land for the colony from Creek Indians, with whom he cultivated close ties. He founded the port of Savannah in 1733, and by 1740 twenty-eight hundred colonists had arrived. He was determined to keep slavery out of Georgia because slaves, he thought, degraded blacks, made whites lazy, and presented a terrible risk

Middle Passage

Part of the Triangle Trade Africans were transported to the Americas, where they were traded for sugar and tobacco.

Rhode Island

Proprietary colony founded by Roger Williams; had complete religious toleration and was tolerant of Native Americans

John Davenport

Puritan clergyman: one of the founders of New Haven.

Glorious Revolution

Revolution of 1688 which resulted in the overthrow of James II by William of Orange

Pilgrims

The pilgrims were a form of putitan (separatists) who wanted to completely break away from the church of England. They emigrated to the Americas on the Mayflower to find safe haven, after negotiating for rights with the virgina company.

antinomianism

The idea that faith alone, not deeds, is necessary for salvation

rice plantations

a usually large farm or estate, especially in a tropical or semitropical country, on which cotton, tobacco, coffee, sugar cane, or the like is cultivated, usually by resident laborers.

New England Confederation

The United Colonies of New England, commonly known as the New England Confederation, was a short-lived military alliance of the English colonies of Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, Connecticut, and New Haven.

Virginia

The first English colony; had many problems involving the economy and the government

Act of Toleration

The first colonial statute granting religious freedom to all Christians; also called for the death of anyone who denied the divinity of Jesus; created by Cecil Baltimore; was repealed when Protestants resented the Catholic proprietor

William Penn

The proprietor of the last unallocated tract of American territory at the king's disposal.

mercantilism

The theory that holds that each nation's power was measured by its wealth, especially in gold. To secure wealth, a country needed to maximize its sale of goods abroad in exchange for gold while minimizing foreign purchases paid for gold.

triangular trade

Trade that takes place between three places. Colonial trade was not triangular Navigation Acts restricted trade.

Anne Hutchinson

Woman who questioned the doctrines of the Puritan authorities; believed in antinomianism; founded the colony of Portsmouth; claimed she talked to God

New Hampshire

a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire.

Georgia

a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies.

joint-stock company

a company whose stock is owned jointly by the shareholders.

slavery

a condition of having to work very hard without proper remuneration or appreciation.

The Carolinas

a former English colony on the Atlantic coast of North America: officially divided into North Carolina and South Carolina in 1729.

Wampanoags

a member of a confederacy of American Indian peoples of SE Massachusetts.

Delaware

a member of an American Indian people formerly inhabiting the Delaware River valley of New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania.

Charter of Liberties (1701)

also called the Coronation Charter, was a written proclamation by Henry I of England, issued upon his accession to the throne in 1100. It sought to bind the King to certain laws regarding the treatment of nobles, church officials, and individuals.

Puritans

any person seeking "purity" of worship and doctrine

Jamestown

in the Virginia Colony, was founded on May 14, 1607. It is commonly regarded as the first permanent English settlement in what is now the United States, following several earlier failed attempts. It was founded by Captain John Smith. It became the first capital of the Colony for 92 years, until 1699, when it was relocated to Williamsburg

New Jersey

is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by New York State, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean

Pennsylvania

officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, and the Great Lakes region.

New York

often called New York City or the City of New York to distinguish it from the State of New York, of which it is a part - is the most populous city in the United States

John Rolfe

one of the early English settlers of North America. He is credited with the first successful cultivation of tobacco as an export crop in the Colony of Virginia and is known as the husband of Pocahontas, daughter of the chief of the Powhatan Confederacy.

Virginia Company

refers collectively to a joint stock company chartered by James I on 10 April 1606 with the purposes of establishing settlements on the coast of North America.