Chapter 4 Flashcards
Which region of Colonial America took nearly 10 years off of the life expectancy of the colonists who stayed there?
The Chesapeake region, or the South.
Which region of Colonial America added nearly 10 years to the life expectancy of the colonists who lived there?
New England
Indentured Servants
People who sold themselves into a state of near slavery in exchange for passage to the New World. If they survived their term of service they were given their freedom dues, which included an axe, a barrel of corn, a suit of clothes, and sometimes a small parcel of land.
Bacon’s Rebellion
A rebellion led by Nathaniel Bacon that erupted because the colonial governor of Virginia, Governor Berkeley, was very lenient toward Native Americans and was not protecting colonists and the western edges of Virginia from attack. The rebellion ended when Bacon died of disease. (ruins everything) The rebellion also marks a shift in the labor force away from Indentured servants and towards the use of slave labor.
Headright System
Under this system, meant to encourage settlement in Virginia and Maryland, whoever paid for the passage of a laborer to the New World received 50 acres of land.
Middle Passage
The gruesome voyage from Africa to the Americas. It would not be uncommon for up to 20% of the slaves on the voyage to die in route.
Stono River Rebellion
A slave revolt that broke out in South Carolina in 1739. More than 50 slaves attempted to march to Spanish Florida, only to be stopped by local militia.
What were the levels of social society in the Colonial South?
Planters- this class controlled politics, huge plantations, and the majority of the slaves. They were a small percentage of the population.
Small Farmers- This class may have owned a few slaves, they were nowhere near as powerful as the planters.
Landless Whites- Mostly luckless former indentured servants, they lived off the land.
Indentured Servants - still working towards freedom.
African Slaves - they had no rights as human beings.
Congregational Church
Puritan churches that were led and ran democratically.
Half-Way Covenant
This allowed more people to attend the once very exclusive Puritan churches. This led to a calming of the stringent religious standards that had marked the founders of the Puritan colonies.
Salem Witch Trials
An event where girls from lower socio-economic backgrounds accused girls from higher socio-economic backgrounds of witchcraft. The accusations then ran out of control, resulting in the deaths of 20 people.
What were the key components of Colonial New England’s economy?
Fishing, Timber, Ship-Building, and commercial trade at its many harbors.
