Part 2: The American Colonies Flashcards
Mayflower Compact (1620)
The first agreement for self-government in America. It was signed by the 41 men on the Mayflower and set up a government for the Plymouth colony.
William Bradford
A pilgrim, the second governor of the Plymouth colony, 1621-1657. He developed private land ownership and helped colonists get out of debt. He helped the colony survive droughts, crop failures, and Indian attacks.
Pilgrims
Separatists who believed that the Church of England could not be reformed. Separatist groups were illegal in England, so the Pilgrims fled to America and settled in Plymouth
Puritans
Non-separatists who wished to adopt reforms to purify the Church of England. They received a right to settle in the Massachusetts Bay area from the King of England.
Massachusetts Bay Colony (1629)
King Charles gave the Puritans a right to settle and govern a colony in the Massachusetts Bay area. The colony established political freedom and a representative government.
Cambridge Agreement (1629)
The Puritan stockholders of the Massachusetts Bay Company agreed to emigrate to New England on the condition that they would have control of the colony
Puritan migration
Many Puritans emigrated from England to America in the 1630s and 1640s. During this time, the population of the Massachussetts Bay colony grew to 10 times its earlier population.
Church of England (Anglican Church)
The national church of England, founded by King Henry VIII. It included both Roman Catholic and Protestant ideas.
John Winthrop and his beliefs
Became the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay colony. Puritan with strong religious beliefs. He opposed total democracy, believing the colony was best governed by a small group of skillful leaders. Helped organize the New England Confederation and served as its first president.
Calvinism
Protestant sect founded by John Calvin. Emphasized a strong moral code and belief in predestination. Calvinists supported constitutional representative government and the separation of church and state.
Congregational Church origins
Founded by separatists who felt that the Church of England retained too many Roman Catholic beliefs and practices.
Anne Hutchinson and antinomianism
She preached the idea that God communicated directly to individuals instead of through the church elders. Forced to leave MA in 1637. Her followers (antinomianists) founded Portsmouth in 1639.
Roger Williams
Left Massachusetts in 1635 and purchased land from a neighboring Indian tribe to found Rhode Island. Only colony at that time to offer complete religious freedom.
Covenant theology
Puritan teachings emphasized the biblical covenants: God’s covenants with Adam and with Noah, the covenant of grace between God and man through Christ
Voting in Massachusetts Bay Colony
Massachusetts general court passed an act to limit voting rights to church members
Half-way Covenant
To combat the decline in conversions, the children of existing members could be admitted to baptism, but not full communion
Brattle Street Church
Founded by Thomas Brattle. His church did not require people to prove they had achieved grace to become full church members
Fundamental Orders of Connecticut
Set up a unified government for the towns of the Connecticut area (Windsor, Hartford, and Wethersfield), founded by Thomas Hooker. First constitution written in America.
Massachusetts school Law
First public education legislation in America. Declared towns with over 100 families had to found a grammar school.
Harvard
Founded in 1636 by a grant from the Massachusetts general court. Followed Puritan beliefs
New England Confederation (1643)
Formed to provide for the defense of the four New England colonies (Bay Colony, Plymouth, New Haven, and scattered CT valley settlements), and acted as a court in disputes between colonies
King Philip’s (Metacom) War (1675)
Series of battles in New Hampshire between the colonists and the Wompanowogs, led by a chief known as King Phillip. War started when the Massachusetts government tried to assert court jurisdiction over the local Indians. The colonists won with the help of the Mohawks, and this victory opened up additional Indian lands for expansion. Virtually ended Native resistance in New England.
Dominion of New England (1686)
British government combined New York, New Jersey, and the New England colonies into a single province headed by Royal Gov. Andros. Dominion ended in 1692 when the colonists revolted and drove out Andros.
Sir Edmond Andros
Governor of the Dominion of New England until the colonists rebelled and forced him to return to England.
Joint stock company
A company made up of a group of shareholders. Each shareholder contributes some money to the company and receives some share of the company’s profits and debts.
Virginia: purpose, problems, failures, successes
Virginia was formed by the Virginia Company as a profit-earning venture. Starvation was the major problem- about 90% of the colonists died the first year. The survivors and the company had trouble attracting new colonists. They offered private land ownership in the colony to attract settlers, but the Virginia Company eventually went bankrupt and the colony went to the crown. Virginia did not become a successful colony until the colonists started raising and exporting tobacco
Headright system
Headrights were parcels of land consisting of about 50 acres which were given to colonists who brought indentured servants into America. They were used by the Virginia Company to attract more colonists.
John Smith
Helped found and govern Jamestown. His leadership and strict discipline helped the Virginia colony get through the difficult first winter.
John Rolfe
English settler at Jamestown, married Pocahontas. Discovered how to successfully grow tobacco in Virginia and cure it for export, which made Virginia an economically successful colony
House of Burgesses (1619)
Virginia House of Burgesses is the firs legislative body in colonial America.
Bacon’s Rebellion (1676)
Nathaniel Bacon and other western Virginia settlers were angry at Governor Berkeley for trying to appease the Indians after they attacked the western settlements. The frontiersmen formed an army, which defeated the Indians and then burned Jamestown. Suddenly ended when Bacon died of an illness
Culperer’s Rebellion
Led by Culperer, the Alpemark colony rebelled against its English governor, Thomas Miller. The rebellion was crushed, but Culperer was acquitted.
Georgia: Reasons, successes (1733)
Formed as a buffer between the Carolinas and Spanish-held Florida. A military-style colony which also served as a haven for the poor, criminals, and persecuted Protestants
James Oglethorpe
Founder and governor of the Georgia colony. Ran a tightly-disciplined, military-like colony. Forbid slaves, alcohol, and Catholicism. Many felt he was a dictator, which caused the colony to break down and Oglethorpe to lose his position.
Carolinas (1665)
Charles II granted this land to pay off a debt to some supporters. They instituted headrights and a representative government to attract colonists. The southern region of the Carolinas grew rich off its ties to the sugar islands, while the poorer northern region was composed mainly of farmers. The conflicts between the regions eventually led to the split into North/South Carolina.
John Locke
Locke was a British political theorist who wrote the Fundamental Constitution for the Carolinas, but it was never put into effect. The constitution would have set up a feudalistic governement headed by an aristocracy.
Charleston (1690)
First permanent settlement in the Carolinas, named in honor of King Charles II. Much of the population were Huguenot (French Protestant) refugees
Staple crops in the colonies
Tobacco: Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina
Rice: South Carolina, Georgia
Indigo: South Carolina
Pennsylvania origins (1681)
William Penn received a land grant from King Charles II, and used it to form a colony that would provide a haven for Quakers. His colony allowed religious freedom
Liberal land laws in Pennsylvania
Penn allowed anyone to emigrate to Pennsylvania, in order to provide a haven for persecuted religions
Pennsylvania “Holy experiment”
Penn’s term for the government of Pennsylvania, which was supposed to serve everyone and provide freedom for all
Frame of government (1701)
The Charter of Liberties set up the government for the Pennsylvania colony. It established representative government and allowed counties to form their own colonies.
New York origins
Belonged to the Dutch, but King Charles II gave the land to his brother, the Duke of York in 1664, When the British came to take the colony, the Dutch, who hated their Governor Stuyvesant, quickly surrendered. The Dutch retook the colony in 1673, but the British regained it in 1674.
Patron system
Patronships were offered to individuals who managed to build a settlement of at least 50 people in 4 years. Few did.
Peter Stuyvesant
Governor of the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam, hated by the colonists. They surrendered the colony to the English.
Five Nations
Federation of tribes in Northern NY: Mohawk, Oneida, Senecca, Ondondaga, Cayuga. Some ideas from its Constitution were used in the US Constitution.
Crops in the middle colonies
Grain and corn
New York as an urban center
Harbors and rivers made it an important center for trade
Philidelphia
Center for trade and crafts, and attracted a large number of immigrants, so that by 1720 it had a population of 10,000. Capital of PA.
Leisler’s Rebellion (1689)
When King James II was dethroned and replaced by King William, the colonists of NY rebelled and made Jacob Leisler, a militia officer, governor of New York. Leisler was hanged for treason when royal authority was reinstated in 1691.
Benjamin Franklin
Printer, author, inventor, diplomat, statesman, and Founding Father. One of the few Americans who was highly respected in Europe, primarily due to his discoveries in the field of electricity
John Bartram
America’s first botanist. Traveled through the frontier collecting specimens.
Pennsylvania established church
William Penn wanted to provide protection for Quakers. Attracted religious outcasts
Maryland established church
Formed as a colony where Catholics would be free from persecution
Rhode Island established church
Formed to provide a haven for all persecuted religions, including all Christian denominations and Jews
Great Awakening (1739-1744)
Puritanism had declined by the 1730s, and people were upset about the decline in religious piety. Sudden outbreak of religious fervor that swept through the colonies. Unified the colonies. Undermined older clergy, and encouraged missionary work. Greater competition to attract followers.
George Whitefield
Revivalist preacher. Traveled east to west over conies. Gave rousing sermons on the torments of the damned, and stressed God would only save those who openly professed belief in Jesus.
Johnathan Edwards
Initiated Great Awakening. Revivalist preacher who argued God was rightfully angry with human sinfulness