Unit 1 Terms

John Smith - Captain; realized building houses and raising food was important; expert forager and Indian trader; pleaded with company
official in London for colonists who worked with “hands”; in VA only two years

House of Burgesses – a rudimentary form of self-government instituted in 1619; consisted of delegates chosen in each district; met at
Jamestown to advice governor on local problems

Headright – a system with a principle that land should be given out according to availability of labor to cultivate it; for each “head”
entering the colony the government gave right to 50 acres of unoccupied land; to receive title to property, holder of headright had to mark
out boundaries, plant a crop, and construct habitation; system adopted in all colonies south of New York

Indentured servant – indenture resembled apprenticeship; for transportation, servant agreed to work for usu. 5 yrs – during which they
received no compensation beyond their keep; women forbidden to marry, if pregnant then time lost was added to their terms of service;
servants lacked full civil and political rights; masters allowed to abuse; indenture was however a contract, servants could sue

William Berkeley – royal governor of Jamestown; he and his “Green Spring” faction ruled VA for 30+ yrs; disliked by “outsiders” for
their use of offices to accumulate wealth and offensive opinion of western planters (crude & vulgar lot); people wanted more land from
Indians, so a grp lead by Bacon asked for permission – denied, Bacon’s Rebellion (500 men) happened; killed mercilessly, drove Berkeley
out

London Company-Virginia Company - December 20, 1606, sent 100 settlers on Susan Constant, Discovery, and Godspeed to
Chesapeake Bay area May 1607 => founded Jamestown (first permanent Eng. colony in New World); invested greatly in VA colony,
encouraged tobacco growth, wanted to make profit

William Byrd – an English composer born in London; a very faithful Catholic

Patrick Henry – asserted resolutions that the burgesses possessed “the only and sole and exclusive right and power to lay taxes” on
Virginians and suggested Parliament had no legal authority to tax the colonies; the more extreme of his resolutions failed, but they stirred
much debate; On June 6, 1765, the Massachusetts assembly proposed an intercolonial Stamp Act Congress, which, when it met in New
York City in October, passed another series of resolutions of protest. The Stamp Act was "burthensome and grievous," the delegates
declared. People should not be taxed without "their own consent.

"Seasoning Time" – new incoming settlers had to live through a period of illness and disease

Nathaniel Bacon – Bacon’s Rebellion; died of a “violent flux”; had not sought to change the political, social, or econ system of the
colony; the rebellion brought forth the difference between the “rich and poor”

Separatists – aka Pilgrims; 1606, worried about future of faith, members of church in Scrooby, Nottinghamshire left the Anglican church
calling it corrupt. Went into exile or underground; 1608 a group of 125 left England for the Low Countries; led by pastor J.Robinson,
W.Brewster, and W.Bradford

Pilgrims - possibility of America put forth for separatists; formed a joint-stock company (ppl paid for cost of trip in turn for half of profits
of the venture); Sept 1620, about 100 (25 Pilgrims) left from Plymouth on Mayflower, arrived at Cape Cod Bay (called Plymouth); before
going ashore set up Mayflower compact (equal and just laws for good of the colony); W.Bradford first governor; first December half died;
then Squanto (Eng speaking Indian) appeared, helped them survive

William Bradford – the Pilgrims’ first governor @ Plymouth; had a vision of “Exodus” – live centered around the Bible

Congregationalism - The system of government and religious beliefs of a Protestant denomination in which each member church is self-
governing.

Great Migration - Continuing bad times and the persecution of Puritans at home led to the Great Migration of the 1630s; farmers,
artisans, and around 150 university trained (nearly all studied divinity) colonists came – first ministers; outbreak of Eng. Civil War put end
to Great Migration in early 1640s; no prominent Eng. Merchants joined the G. Migration

General Court – an elected legislature established by the colonists; right to vote and hold office was limited to church members, but
government was not run by clergymen (they weren’t allowed to hold public office) – they just had lots of influence

Visible Saints - In the late 1630s, with the Great Migration in full swing and new arrivals clamoring for admission to the churches, such
"merit mongers" were excluded, thereby limiting church membership to the community's "visible saints." A decade later, the Great
Migration was over and applications down, some of the saints began to have second thoughts.

Covenant of Grace – man can gain salvation from God by fearing, believing and serving him wholeheartedly; salvation in return for faith
and obedience
Covenant of Works – man can gain salvation and repentance for his sins by doing good “deeds”

Antinomianism – heresy known as “belief against the law”; those possessed of saving grace were exempt from the rules of good behavior
and the laws of the commonwealth

John Winthrop – minister that set up the MA Bay Colony; invested his faith in God and his own efforts in the task of creating a spiritual
community; described to the passengers on the Arbella as the two imperatives of human existence: "that every man might have need of
other, and from hence they might be all knit more nearly together in the Bond of brotherly affection."

Roger Williams – was a very extreme separatist; arrived in MA 1631, elected minister of church in Salem 1635; his opposition to the
alliance of church and civil government turned both ministers and magistrates against him – he insisted magistrates should have no voice
in spiritual matters, and also said that it was a “national sin” for anyone to take possession of American land without first purchasing it
from the Indians; banished by General Court; goes and forms the colony of Rhode Island

Anne Hutchinson – was charged for antinomianism and defaming the clergy; arrived in Boston 1631 – another “visible saint” who went
too far; banished by the GC, then moved to Rhode Island

Half-Way Covenant – by mid-1650s, the 3rd generation of colonists, the majority of people were living in a state of original sin and
weren’t members of the church; religious fervor slackened; so the half-way covenant was created: provided limited (halfway) membership
for any applicant not known to be a sinner who was willing to accept the provisions of the church covenant, they and their children could
be baptized, but the sacrament of communion and a voice in church decision making were reserved for full members

Dominion of New England – after Charles I executed, Charles II and James II sought to bring the colonies under effective royal control;
MA seemed in particular need of “supervision” and accordingly in 1684, its charter was annulled, along with colonies north of PA, and
became part of the Dominion of New England – governed by Edmund Andros; Andros arrived 1686 Boston, abolished popular assemblies,
enforced religious toleration, changed land-grant to give king quitrents; Dominion fell victim 2 yrs later to the Glorious Revolution

Old vs. New Lights – Whitefield was a brilliant orator that usu. began his speeches by chastising his listeners as sinners, but leaving them
with hope of eternal salvation; supporters of Whitefield were called “Old Lights” while those who favored revivalism were called “New
Lights”; splits often ran along class lines, the richer and better-educated, and more influential members of the church tended to side with
the “Old Lights”

Glorious Revolution – 1688, Parliament were tired of Catholic Stuarts, and sent James II packing; in his place they installed a Protestant
Dutchman – William of Orange, and his wife, James’s daughter Mary; when news reached Boston spring of 1689, mob of 1000 colonists
seized Andros and put him in jail; 2 yrs later, MA was made a royal colony and new GC was elected by property owners; church
membership was no longer required for voting rights

Toleration Act of 1649 – Lord Baltimore of Maryland wanted to attract settlers, and in order to do that he had to allow them to own their
farms; to maintain political influence, he also had to give settlers religious rights; solved this by agreeing to a Toleration Act that
guaranteed freedom of religion to anyone who believed in Christ

Quakers – believed all human beings are equal before God, and a few attacked black slavery; yet a few owned slaves, and a majority that
didn’t still succumbed to color prejudice

Penn's “Holy Experiment” – William Penn considered his colony a “holy experiment”; he treated Indians fairly (bought title to their land
and tried to protect them in their dealings with settlers and traders); anyone who believed in “one Almighty and Eternal God” was entitled
freedom of worship; promoted it, and as a result attracted many settlers

James Oglethorp – founded Savannah 1733 in Georgia (last Eng. Colony); was hardworking and idealistic; hoped to people his colony
with sober and industrious yeoman farmers; land grants were limited to 50 acres and made nontransferable; rum and alcohol was banned;
to ensure hard working ppl, no slaves allowed; Indian trade was regulated to be fair dealings; although his intentions were noble, the rum
flowed and all his rules were bypassed

"Triangular Trade" – New England makes Rum, takes to Africa to trade for slaves, slaves are traded for sugar from West Indies, and
sugar is brought back to New England

Middle Passage – Muscovy Company spent large sums searching for a passage to China around Scandinavia and dispatched six overland
expeditions in an effort to reach East Asia by way of Russia and Persia; this passage is nonexistent

Jacob Leisler – in New York 1689 after the abdication of King James II, Leisler, a disgruntled merchant and militia captain, seized control
of the government; “Leisler’s Rebellion” did not amt to much, he held power for less than 2 yrs before overthrown; yet after New York
politics still continued to be a struggle between Leislerians (who disliked Eng. Rule) and anti-Leislerians (who had in common only that
they opposed his takeover)
John Peter Zenger - German printer who edited the New York Weekly journal; charged with libeling Gov. William Cosby – was acquitted
in “one of the most celebrated tests of freedom of the press in the history of journalism”

Navigation Acts - a series of laws passed by Parliament starting in the 1650s; restricted trade of colonies to England

Mercantilism - “if a country could make itself as nearly self-sufficient as possible and at the same time keep all its citizens busy producing
items marketable in other lands, it could sell more abroad than it imported”; the colonies send raw materials to the mother country, who
sends finished goods to colonies/other countries in exchange for gold

Great Awakening - ended religious apathy – emotional upheaval involving “evangelical zeal and spiritual enthusiasm”; led to theological
split between traditional (usu. upper class) and revivalists – eventually fostered toleration and pluralism; the first national event in
American history (histories of N.E., Middle colonies, and South began to intersect)

Jonathan Edwards - pastor of church in Northampton, Mass; most famous native-born revivalist; “fire and brimstone” preacher who was
dismissed in 1749 – reaction against religious enthusiasm

George Whitefield - touring minister who began the Great Awakening in 1738 and gained support of itinerant ministers; in 1754 he had
his last tour

"Deism" - “a faith that revered God for the marvels of His universe rather than for His power over humankind”; followers included Ben
Franklin

Enlightenment - the “Age of Reason”; marked by great advances in science & the belief in humans’ rational powers; changes in religious
thought, political theories (John Locke); “ministers lost their monopoly on intellectual life”

"Actual Representation" - geographically based legislature: members of the assembly represent people from a certain region – favored
by Americans

"Virtual Representation" - The idea that “the colonies were represented in Parliament because every member of that body stood for the
interests of the entire empire” – favored by British

Robert Walpole and "salutary neglect" - 1st PM of England; “salutary neglect”: looking the other way when Americans violated the
Navigation Acts

French and Indian War - war between England and France over North America; occurred when English colonists moved into Ohio
valley; spread to Europe as Seven Years’ War; England won, but got itself heavily in debt in doing so

Treaty of Paris 1763 - restored peace; France gave up North America excepting 2 small islands; got back sugar islands

Albany Plan of Union - proposed by Ben Franklin and Thomas Hutchinson; wanted colonies to be governed by a President-General and
Grand Council, but still part of England

Sugar Act: April 1764 – taxed sugar, coffee, wines, etc.; colonies didn’t think Parliament had the right to tax them w/out representation

Sons of Liberty - extralegal organization formed in summer 1765; rioted against Stamp Act

Stamp Act: 1765 - taxed any printed matter; colonies opposed it and everyone disobeyed it; plus they boycotted British goods; repealed in
1766

Stamp Act Congress - intercolonial organization that passed resolutions protesting the Stamp Act; called it “taxation without consent”

Declaratory Act - 1766; said colonies were “subordinate”, Parliament could write any law it wanted concerning America

Townshend Acts - 1767; levies on glass, lead, paints, paper, and tea; also set up courts w/out juries to enforce trade laws; colonists
responded w/more boycotts and increased their own manufacturing

Boston Massacre - March 5, 1770; colonists threw rock-filled snowballs at Redcoats, who panicked and shot 5 people

Tea Act 1773 - Parliament basically gave the East India Company a monopoly on the tea trade in America; Americans didn’t want
England controlling their commerce – led to Boston Tea Party

Coercive Acts - 1774 – reaction to Tea Party; closed Boston harbor, changed MA charter, provided for trial transfers to outside colony;
punished community for individuals’ crimes

Quebec Act - “attached the area north of the Ohio River to Canada; gave the area authoritarian, centralized government”
First Continental Congress - Sept 1774; meeting of delegates from all colonies (except Georgia): general consensus was that “if taxation
without representation was tyranny, so was all legislation.” Passed declarations that amounted to a complete condemnation of Britain's
actions since 1763.

Galloway Plan of Union - suggested an American government; leader appointed by king w/legislature chosen by colonies that had veto
over parliamentary acts towards colonies

Writs of Assistance - 1761; authorized use of general search warrants in MA; no evidence or specific court orders needed

William Pitt - took over leading French and Indian war effort in 1758; saw value of North America and led England to victory

Lord North - PM who believed that Parliament had the right to tax the colonies; gave East India its tea monopoly and was behind the
Coercive Acts

Thomas Hutchinson - Lieutenant Governor of MA; house looted by Sons of Liberty in response to Stamp Act; determined to collect Tea
tax and enforce the law

Sam Adams - “revolutionary agitator” in Boston; led Boston Tea Party

John Adams - Boston lawyer; believed Parliament had no right to control colonial trade; led Congress to pass resolutions

Committees of Correspondence - colonies’ first way of communicating w/one another; wrote informing of opposition to various laws;
led to formation of

Olive Branch Petition - written by Congress, July 5, 1775 – outlined their issues and asked George III to fix them; he refused to accept it