Colonial America - 8th Grade U.S. History Flashcards
- Identify major colonies in Colonial America - Explain and describe significant events and people of the time
Who founded Jamestown?
the Virginia Company
Why was Jamestown founded?
to mine gold and silver
What was the government like in Jamestown?
militaristic -> House of Burgesses (legislature)
What was Jamestown’s interactions with the Indigenous people like?
mutual benefits -> overstepping (constant need for more land)
What was a unique characteristic of the Jamestown colony?
tobacco saved them
How did Virginia come about?
grew off Jamestown’s prosperity
Why was Virginia founded?
for more land and wealth
Who founded the colony of Massachusetts?
English settlers on their way to Jamestown (mainly puritans)
Why was MB founded?
financial & religious stability
What was MB’s government like?
small group to make laws (Winthrop & assistants) -> adult males voting w/ property & strict religious rules created Connecticut + Rhode Island
What is a unique characteristic of MB?
The Great Migration
Who founded Rhode Island?
Roger Williams (banned by Puritan leaders)
Why was Rhode island founded?
everyone should be able to practice their religion / buying land from Indigenous people
What is a UC of Rhode Island?
Anne Hutchinson the feminist was here + individuals of the Jewish community
Who founded the colony of Georgia?
James Oglethorpe
Why was the colony of Georgia founded?
a fresh start for debters
What was the gov. of Georgia like?
limits for landholding, bans on slave labor & rum (too many complaints about these rules so it was overturned)
UC of Georgia?
charter -> royal; British supported it because it could serve as a military barrier between British & Spain colonies
What happened before Nathaniel Bacon’s rebellion?
William Berkely pledged to stop settlers moving on Indigenous lands (1640s)
Background info on Nathaniel Bacon?
He was a Westerner of Virginia, but there were more easterners in the Virginian government.
What happened during Bacon’s Rebellion?
led attacks on Native Americans & drove out Berkely, but died suddenly —- if he had lived, Western Virginia would’ve been independent
Who were the Separatists?
sought to separate from the church & set up their own (pilgrims)
Who was John Rolfe?
married Pocahontas — the chief’s daughter — which improved the relations with the 30+ Alogonquian-speaking Nations
What happened before King Philip’s war? (also known as Metacomet’s Rebellion)
settlers of new England moved onto Indigenous lands w/o permission & competed fiercely for land
What happened during King Philip’s War?
(1675) Wampanoag leader Metacomet waged war against the New England colonies & enlisted help of other Nations — went on for 14 months w/ Metacomet defeat & destroyed power of Native Americans in New England
What was the Mayflower Compact?
a document with signatures of Pilgrims & created an organized, orderly gov. first step of a representative democratic government in America
Who founded Plymouth?
the Pilgrims (separatists)
Why was Plymouth founded?
religious freedoms
What was the government of Plymouth like?
representative democratic based on The Mayflower Compact
Interactions with Indigenous peoples (Plymouth)?
lived together in harmony for a PERIOD of time
UC of Plymouth?
Thanksgiving.. kinda.
Who founded the colony of New York?
the Dutch West India company
Why was New York founded?
increase the colony’s population
What was the government of NY like?
patroons ruled as Kings with courts & laws -> proprietary -> legislature
UC of New York?
one of the fastest-growing places in the colonies
Who founded Pennsylvania?
Quakers — protestant group (persecuted in England)
Why was Pennsylvania founded?
William Penn saw Pennsylvania as a holy experiment to put Quaker ideas into practice
What was Pennsylvania’s government like?
allowed counties to form their own legislature; colonists had the right to elect representatives to the legislature; treaties with the Indigenous peoples for land
Who founded Connecticut?
Thomas Hooker (Massachusetts Minister)
Why was Connecticut founded?
Hooker didn’t like how Winthrop and other Puritan leaders ruled- religious freedom
What was the government of Connecticut like?
adopted fundamental orders of Connecticut- first written constitution organized like a representative government
Interactions with the Indigenous (Connecticut)
settled onto land without permissions- war
Who founded Maryland?
Sir George Calvert
Why was Maryland founded?
safe place for catholicism
What was the government of Maryland like?
act of toleration created in 1649 to keep both religious followers (catholics & protestants) safe, still faced problems- lots of land given
