Chapter 1 Flashcards
Colonies founded mainly for religious reasons; included Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, & Connecticut (Puritans, Plymouth, Mayflower Compact, Public Education)
New England Colonies
Most diverse group of colonies; included NY, Pennsylvania, Delaware, & New Jersey (Quakers)
Middle Colonies
Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia
Southern Colonies
System that promised 50 acres of land to settlers coming to New World
Headright System
System in which Southern colonies relied on large farms owned by few rich individuals; slaves and/or servants needed
Plantation System
Individuals who could not pay for trip to North America so they agreed to work for an landowner for up to 7 years in exchange for the landowner paying for the trip
Indentured Servants
Wealthy, upper class in Southern colonies
Gentry
Religious group that wanted to establish a community built solely on “pure biblical teaching” rather than Anglican traditions. People of this belief settled at Plymouth, Massachusetts. Later others who shared their beliefs settled further north and established the Massachusetts Bay Colony
Puritians
Episode in Puritan New England where several young girls were accused of being possessed by the devil; several were brought to trial and some even put to death
Salem Witch Trials
Strongest in New England colonies; laws passed requiring communities of a certain size to build a school. Generally, boys attended these schools. In South, poorer folks taught children at home while those with more money often hired tutors or sent children to Europe for their education
Public Education
Religious group that started Pennsylvania; believed in equality of sexes; did not recognize class differences; practiced nonviolence (pacifism); sought to deal fairly with Native Americans. Made Pennsylvania more tolerant of other religions
Quakers
Philosophy in which English government essentially left colonies alone to govern themselves
Salutary Neglect
Governments in which individuals elect others to speak for them
Representative Government
governments that must obey a set of laws, usually in a printed document
Limited Government
Document signed by King John I in 1215 that granted the nobles various legal rights and prevented the king from imposing taxes without the consent of a council.
Magna Carta
Legislative body of the British government; composed of 2 houses, House of Lords and House of Commons; it, not the king, had authority to impose taxes. Some of laws it passed angered the colonies and led to calls for independence
Parliament
Guaranteed key freedoms to British people; king could not impose taxes, citizens had right to speedy trial, to petition the government; punishments could not be cruel or unusual
English Bill of Rights
Law based on tradition or past court decisions rather than on a written law
Common Law
Rights that every human being is born with and that no government can take away
Natural Rights
Philosophy which states that there is no implied contract between a government and its citizens; for the good of society, people agree to give up some of their freedoms so that government can maintain order
Social Contract Theory
Established in Virginia in 1619; first example of limited self-government in British colonies; had both elected and appointed members
House of Burgesses
Men appointed by the king (crown) who were technically in charge of colonies
Royal Governers
Elected bodies consisting of local residents of the colony that came to possess most of the power; usually had two houses; one house was appointed by the governor while the other was elected by eligible votersents that must obey a set of laws, usually stated in a printed document
Colonial Legislatures
