Name - __________________________
Individuals and Societies – 7
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Vocabulary
The American Colonies - Unit 2 Vocabulary
EARLY COLONIES
1. Roanoke – Colony established by Sir Walter Raleigh; Colony failed for unknown
reasons
2. Jamestown – English colony located in Virginia that was the first permanent settlement
in the Americas
3. Indentured Servant – one who worked for a set time without pay in exchange for a free
passage to America
4. House of Burgesses – The Virginia assembly which was the first representative
government in the American Colonies
5. Charter – Written contract giving the right to establish a colony
6. Royal Colony – a Colony ruled by the King’s appointed government official
NEW ENGLAND COLONIES
7. New England Colonies – English colonies in the North along the Atlantic Ocean that
included Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Rhode Island
8. Dissenters – A person who disagrees with an idea or a religion
9. Puritans – English Protestants that wanted to reform the Church of England
10. Pilgrims – A person who goes on a religious journey; An English separatist group that
moved to the Americas to gain religious freedom
11. Mayflower Compact – Document that helped establish the practice of self-government
12. Great Migration – the movement of tens of thousands of English settlers to New
England during the 1630s
13. Quakers – Protestant dissenters who believed that God could be known directly through
an “inner light.” Quaker women were seen as equals to men and could serve as preachers
and missionaries.
14. Persecute – to punish or mistreat a group of people because of their beliefs or race
15. Tolerance – acceptance of other people
16. Banish - to be forced to leave an area
SOUTHERN COLONIES
17. Southern Colonies – English colonies in the South along the Atlantic Ocean that
include: Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia
18. Cash Crops – crops raised to be sold for money
19. Indigo – a plant that produces a deep blue dye, used to dye clothes
20. Proprietary Colony – Colony owned by a single owner or proprietor
21. Act of Toleration – Maryland law (1649) that forbid religious persecution
MIDDLE COLONIES
22. Middle Colonies - – English colonies along the Atlantic Ocean that include New York,
Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware
23. New Amsterdam – Capital of the New Netherlands Colony; Todays New York City
24. Artisans – skilled workers or craftspeople
25. Apprentice – A person who learned a trade from an experienced craftsman
BACKCOUNTRY
26. Backcountry – the far Western edges of the colonies; region of dense forests and streams
in or near the Appalachian Mountains
27. Appalachian Mountains – Mountain ranges that stretched from eastern Canada south to
Alabama. Mountain range served as a western barrier to the Colonists
BRITISH IMPERIALISM
28. Mercantilism – The policy of building a nation’s wealth by creating a favorable balance
of trade; mother country benefits from its colonies
29. Raw Materials – natural resources that are used in manufacturing
30. Finished Products – products that are manufactured and sold for profit
31. Navigation Acts – Laws passed by the English government that ensured that England
made money from its colonies
32. Smuggling – importing or exporting goods illegally
33. Bacon’s Rebellion – (1676) Rebellion in Virginia led by Nathaniel Bacon. Bacon
demanded that the Governor of Virginia help defend the frontier lands against the natives
and refusal led to the burning of Jamestown
34. Stono Rebellion – (1739) Slave rebellion in South Carolina
SOCIAL MOVEMENTS
35. Great Awakening – A revival in Christianity in the colonies in the 1730s and 1740s.
Led to Evangelicalism or a sudden conversion or rebirth
36. Enlightenment – A movement that emphasized human reason and science as paths to
knowledge. This movement would influence the American Revolution and spread
democratic ideals
37. John Locke – English writer who believed all people were born with natural rights: life
liberty and property. He believed that people could overthrow governments that do not
protect people’s natural rights.
38. Natural Rights – Life, liberty and property
39. Magna Carta – English document that limited the power of the King. Kings were not
above the law and had to obey the laws of the land
40. Parliament – Law making body of England
41. English Bill of Rights – (1689) List of right guaranteed to English citizens. Limited the
power of the monarchy
FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR
42. French and Indian War – (1754-1763) War between the England, France and their
Native American allies to control North America
43. Albany Plan of Union – first formal proposal to unite the colonies
44. Treaty of Paris – (1763) treaty the ended the French and Indian War
45. Proclamation of 1763 – British declaration that forbade colonists from settling west of
the Appalachian
46. Pontiac’s Rebellion – (1763-1764) Native American revolts against the British Colonies