| 783707151 | John Calvin | This French-born intellectual expanded on Martin Luther's Protestant ideals, which contradicted the practices of the Catholic Church. This man established Calvinism, which promotes the idea that God has supreme power and that humans are predestined to enter Heaven or Hell. His followers settled in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire. | |
| 783707152 | Protestant Reformation | This religious movement against the Catholic Church came about as a result of a German monk, Martin Luther, who published his 95 Theses in 1517. The theses protested the Catholic Church and its abuses and promoted the idea that faith was enough to gain salvation. | |
| 783707153 | The Treaty of Tordesillas | This document was signed between Spain and Portugal in 1494 and decided how Christopher Columbus's discoveries of the New World would be divided. It ensured Spain's claims in the Americas and conquistadores were quickly sent in search of gold and silver. | |
| 783770766 | Roanoke | This was the first English settlement in North America. It was established by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1585, but mysteriously vanished without a trace. | |
| 783770767 | Virginia Company | This company was established in 1607. Lead by Captain John Smith, its first venture was to create a colony in Jamestown (in the New World) in order to find gold, Christianize the natives, and secure a passage to India. More importantly, the company gave settlers a charter that guaranteed them the same rights as their fellow citizens in the Old World, thus setting the foundations for the American Revolution. | |
| 783770768 | encomienda | This was a method established by the Spanish in order to enslave Native American populations. The Spanish Crown would give land to Spaniards, but recipients were obligated to care for their native slaves. | |
| 783770769 | John Winthrop | This man was the governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and a Puritan minister. Proclaiming in his Model of Christian Charity (1630) that Boston would be a "city upon a hill" for the Christian world to see and emulate, he became one of the most influential of the leaders of the New England colonies. | |
| 783770770 | Anne Hutchinson | This person was a non-Puritan, or dissenter. She believed that God's chosen people were either predestined for Heaven or not, so they did not have to obey God's or man's laws. After holding prayer meetings in her home and claiming a direct revelation from God, she was banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. | |
| 783770771 | Roger Williams | This person was a non-Puritan, or dissenter. A minister from Salem, he believed that the colonists had no right to live on land that had been unlawfully taken from the Native Americans. He also believed that an individual's conscience made the rule of civil government or church leadership irrelevant. He advocated a complete separation of church and state. Ultimately, he was ordered out of Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1636. He and his followers traveled southward and established the settlement of Providence in what later became the colony of Rhode Island. | |
| 783770772 | John Rolfe | An influential leader of the Jamestown colony, this man introduced tobacco to Virginia farmers—it soon became the number one cash crop for the region. To derive a profit from tobacco, farmers had to grow large tracts of the crop. Thus, the plantation system was developed. | |
| 783770773 | Lord Baltimore | Also known as George Calvert, this man received a portion of the Virginia colony from King Charles I. This man's charge was to create a colony that would serve as both a haven for Catholics and turn a profit for the Crown. Before he could set forth on his mission, he died, leaving the colony in the hands of his son, who then established the colony of Maryland. | |
| 783770774 | Sir William Berkeley | As governor of the Virginia colony, this man enraged the poor farmers in the backwoods by remaining friendly with the Native Americans and failing to protect the land and lives of those living in the western frontier. | |
| 783770775 | Nathaniel Bacon | This man capitalized on the complaints of his fellow poor farmers in the backwoods of Virginia by mobilizing them to form a citizen's militia. In 1676, his militia engaged in a series of raids against local native villages, massacring inhabitants. The mob was successful in defeating Sir William Berkeley's (the governor's) forces, and then set fire to Jamestown. | |
| 783770776 | William and Mary | This couple was appointed by Parliament as the successors of King James II. Colonists expected them to rule less directly than James II; however, Parliament continued to restrict self-rule of the colonies. | |
| 783770777 | The Church of England | Also known as the Anglican Church, this Church was founded in 1534 by King Henry VIII. The king sought to divorce his first wife Catherine of Aragon. However, Pope Clement VII refused to dissolve the marriage. Enraged, the king (who had named himself "Defender of the Faith") broke away from the Roman Catholic Church and created this Church. | |
| 783770778 | Puritans | This group in England protested against the similarities between the Anglican Church and the Catholic Church. Encouraged by the teachings of John Calvin, this group sought to "purify" the Anglican Church by ridding it of the ceremony and regalia of the Catholic Church. King James I believed these people to be a threat to his power and vigorously attempted to expel them from England. | |
| 783770779 | New England Confederation | The New England colonies formed this organization in 1643 to provide collective security from attack by surrounding Native American tribes. This organization aided in the development of colonial self-leadership and widened the differences between the Mother country and her colonial citizens. | |
| 783770780 | separatists | This is another name for Puritans who felt that they needed to abandon the Church of England altogether and set up a new church independent of the monarchy. This group of Puritans, more commonly known as Pilgrims, set out in 1620 aboard the Mayflower bound for Virginia. | |
| 783770781 | nonseparatists | This is another name for the Puritans who arrived in New England in 1629 due to oppression and persecution by the English Crown. While in England, these Puritans believed they must remain within the Church of England to reform it. | |
| 783770782 | Quakers | This small group of dissenters (non-Puritans) believed in the power of one's "inner light," or that the power of God resided in the soul of the individual. They were ordered to leave the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Several were executed, and several joined William Penn of England in the founding of Pennsylvania or "Penn's Woods." | |
| 783770783 | The Great Migration | This occurred when large numbers of Puritan families ventured across the Atlantic, seeking religious freedom and a fresh start. It occurred in the 1630s and the destination was the Massachusetts Bay Colony. | |
| 783770784 | Holy Experimen | This project, established by William Penn, sought to explore the establishment of a liberal state while advertising to attract a wide array of potential settlers to the colony. Settlers from all walks of life and from many northern and western European nations were lured to Pennsylvania, a haven for Quakers, by the promise of land, religious freedom, and democracy. | |
| 783770785 | Bacon's Rebellion | This event occurred in 1676 when a citizen militia engaged in a series of raids against local native villages, massacring inhabitants. The mob was successful in defeating Sir William Berkeley's forces, and then set fire to Jamestown. This occurrence was significant in that it signaled the problems of social division, resistance on the part of colonists against royal governance, and, most importantly, the difficulty of controlling former indentured servants. This led to an increase in the demand for black slaves. | |
| 783770786 | Pueblo Revolt | This event, which occurred on August 10, 1680, in modern‑day Santa Fe, New Mexico, was the most successful uprising against Spanish authority in the New World. The Native Americans took over the governor's residence as their own and remained there to protect their land. Spain was unable to reclaim its New Mexico colony for nearly 50 years. | |
| 783770787 | Glorious Revolution | This event occurred in 1688 when Parliament overthrew King James II and replaced him with his daughter Mary and her Dutch husband, William III of Orange. | |
| 785054470 | Mayflower Compact | This agreement, drafted while the Pilgrims were sailing toward the New World, set up a secular body to administer the leadership of the colony. This document also set the stage for the concepts of the separation of church and state and the rule of the majority. Despite this division between governance and church, religion remained the most important aspect of the Plymouth colonists. | |
| 785054471 | Halfway Covenant | This agreement, established in 1662, gave nonconverted Puritans partial membership in the Church. The reason was that many young Puritans in the Massachusetts Bay Colony were not full members of the Congregational Church; thus, the children of these people could not be baptized and the Church was losing membership. | |
| 785054472 | Dominion of New England | This method of control was established by King James II in 1686. It aimed at bringing the New England colonies under stricter royal control. According to the king, the colonies existed purely for the economic benefit of the Mother country (England). Navigation Laws were instituted by Parliament to restrict colonial trade relationships with countries other than England. The colonists reacted with distaste and quiet rebellion. Smuggling and large black markets for smuggled goods became very common during this time. | |
| 785054473 | Act of Toleration | This act, which was a result of Lord Baltimore's (George Calvert's) efforts in persuading the legislative assembly, was passed in 1649. It ensured "religious freedom" in Maryland for all Christians. The act was not tolerant of all religions, however. It provided the death penalty for any non-Christian. Eventually the majority Protestants rebelled and were successful in repealing the act. The victory was short-lived, however, as Oliver Cromwell restored the act in 1650. | |
| 785054474 | Fundamental Orders | This was the "first constitution" in colonial America. It was drafted in 1639 by the citizens of Connecticut. While it modeled itself after the government of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the document called for the power of government to be derived from the governed. | |
| 785054475 | Salem | In 1692, this city in Massachusetts was the site of mass hysteria relating to witchcraft. Twenty people were executed, and the prestige of the traditional Puritan clergy was damaged beyond repair. | |
| 785054476 | headright system | This system was established in Chesapeake to deal with labor shortages due to disease and low birth rates. A landowner would pay the passage from England for a white "indentured servant" and receive 50 acres of land in return. These servants were bound by the indenture until their passage was paid back in the form of labor—usually a term of seven years. | |
| 785054477 | Jonathan Edwards | This "New Light" preacher is credited with starting the Great Awakening in 1734 by giving sermons that encouraged parishioners to absolve their sins and pay penance by praying for salvation. His most famous sermon was titled "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," which he delivered in 1741. | |
| 785054478 | New Light preachers | These preachers crisscrossed the colonies speaking to large crowds about the "fire and brimstone" eternity all sinners would face if they did not absolve their sins publicly. These preachers sought to undermine the power and prestige of "Old Light" ministers by proclaiming that ordinary people could understand the gospel of the Lord without the leadership of a man of the cloth. | |
| 785054479 | Triangular Trade | This network worked like this: the New England colonies provided timber, fish, and manufactured goods to Caribbean islands in exchange for molasses that would be used to make rum in New England. The rum would make its way to Africa in exchange for African slaves. Slaves would then eventually make their way to the colonies, thus completing the network. | |
| 785054480 | The Great Awakening | This religious fervor of the 1630s had three main effects: First, historians believe this religious experience was one of the foundations of the democraticization of colonial society that occurred after the 1740s. Second, new sects within the Protestant faith arose as a result of the religious rebirth. Baptists and Methodists, who emphasized emotion in their sermons, attracted many followers, which led to competition in attracting congregants. Finally, many universities were founded to educate "New Light" ministers who were in high demand. | |
| 785054481 | "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" | In this sermon given by "New Light" preacher Jonathan Edwards in 1741, churchgoers were told that God was angry with the sinners of the Earth, and only those who obeyed God's word would be free from damnation. | |
| 785054482 | stratification | This social structure of the English colonies became more apparent as the seventeenth century came to a close. The influx of more affluent immigrants and the further development of the plantation economy in the South further distanced the gap between rich and the poor. The Puritans in New England viewed wealth and success as a sign that one was a member of the elect, and in the South this social structure had been carried over from the old feudal society of England. | |
| 785054483 | mercantilism | This concept showed that the colonies existed solely to provide raw materials and as a market of consumers for the Mother country. This was especially true after the ascension of James II to the throne and the establishment of the Dominion of England in 1686. | |
| 785054484 | Benjamin Franklin | This man helped the Albany Congress construct the Albany Plan of Union, which called for a confederation of colonies to provide for defense from attack by European and native foes during the French and Indian War. He also used his newspaper, The Pennsylvania Gazette, to encourage colonists to support the union plan with a political cartoon titled "Join, or Die." | |
| 785054485 | John Locke | This British philosopher created a theory of natural rights that challenged the absolute and divine rule of kings and queens by asserting that all men should be ruled by natural laws and that sovereignty was derived by the will of those governed. He also asserted that the governed have a responsibility to rebel against a government that fails to protect the natural rights of life, liberty, and property. | |
| 785054486 | Stamp Act Congress | This body, with representatives from 9 of the 13 colonies, sent word to England in 1765 that only colonial legislatures had the authority to tax the colonists. The colonists agreed that external taxes—levies imposed throughout the empire on traded goods—were within the rights of the Crown to impose. | |
| 785054487 | Sons and Daughters of Liberty | This group, led by Samuel Adams, intimidated tax collectors by attacking their homes, burning them in effigy, and even tarring and feathering them. They even ransacked warehouses that held stamps and burned them to the ground. | |
| 785054488 | The French and Indian War | This war, also known as The Seven Years' War, started when the French began fortifying the Ohio Valley region to deter the British from settling further west. In 1754, Lt. Colonel George Washington's men were sent to prevent the French from putting finishing touches on Fort Duquesne. Washington's forces proved weak, and finally surrendered. The British were more successful when they turned to conquering Canada. The French surrendered Quebec and Montreal, resulting in the Peace of Paris. The British took control of Canada and Florida, effectively removing the French presence in North America. | |
| 785054489 | Pontiac's Rebellion | This event occurred in 1763 when the Ottawans, led by Chief Pontiac, launched an attack on the new colonial settlements from the Great Lakes region, of what is now Michigan, all the way to Virginia. The damage to British forts and colonial settlements was significant, with many lives lost and homes destroyed. British regular forces were sent to protect the colonies, and the situation ended after 18 months of fighting. | |
| 785054490 | Boston Massacre | This event took place in March 1770. The residents of Boston were particularly angered about the enforcement of the Quartering Act. Many British regulars had been stationed in the city to protect the port and collect customs duties from imported British goods. A crowd of disgruntled Bostonians began to harass the troops guarding the customs house by throwing rocks and frozen oysters. The guards fired upon the crowd, killing five and wounding six protesters. | |
| 785054491 | Boston Tea Party | This event occurred in 1773 in response to the Tea Act. As a new tea shipment sat in Boston Harbor, a group of colonists dressed as Native Americans boarded the ship, broke open the crates, and dumped the tea into the water. Colonists disputed whether this should be applauded as a protest against oppression or if it was simply a childish destruction of property. Lord North was not pleased. He persuaded Parliament to pass the Coercive Acts, which would close Boston Harbor until the tea was paid for, and revoke the charter of the colony of Massachusetts. | |
| 785054492 | The Albany Plan of Union | This plan, constructed by the Albany Congress, called for a confederation of colonies to provide for defense from attack by European and native foes during the French and Indian War. Unfortunately, the colonies rejected the plan because they felt it was too restrictive; the British felt it allowed for too much colonial independence. | |
| 785054493 | Peace of Paris | This treaty, which ended the French and Indian War in 1763, allowed the British to take control of French Canada and Spanish Florida, effectively removing the French presence in North America. | |
| 785054494 | Proclamation of 1763 | This document, signed by King George III in 1763, set a line of demarcation that barred American colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains. The British saw this as a quick and easy way to make peace with the Native American tribes of the region. British colonists, on the other hand, were incensed by the apparent permanent interference of the Crown in their ability to rightfully take land they had won in battle. Most colonists simply ignored the line and settled west in larger numbers than before the French and Indian War. | |
| 785054495 | Sugar Acts | These acts of 1764 raised the previous amount demanded on sweeteners (molasses and sugar) from the older Molasses Act of 1733. Britain wanted to collect the tax revenue they had been losing to the Triangular Trade by taxing molasses from the West Indies and abroad, but mainly the tax was levied to make money for the Crown. | |
| 785054496 | Quartering Act | This act of 1765 required colonial citizens to provide room and board for British soldiers stationed in the colonies. This act was tame in the eyes of the colonists—it was laxly enforced and rarely affected their everyday lives. | |
| 785054497 | Stamp Act | This act of 1765 was an attempt by Britain to collect revenue for a new colonial army. The act required that all paper (including death and marriage certificates and newspapers) was to have a stamp affixed, signifying tax had been paid. This was the first time the colonists had been subjected to a direct tax—paid directly by the consumer of the paper good produced in the colony—as opposed to paying an indirect tax on an imported good. British Prime Minister George Grenville felt this was fair, as the colonists were paying their fair share of the burden of war. | |
| 785054498 | Declaratory Act | When the Stamp Act was repealed in 1766, it was replaced by this act, which maintained the right of the Crown to tax the colonies in the future. | |
| 785054499 | Townsend Acts | These acts, passed in 1767, brought harsh taxes on goods such as glass, paper, and tea. In addition, a board of customs officials was appointed to enforce writs of assistance that allowed a search of colonial homes, businesses, and warehouses for smuggled goods without a warrant. While the colonists felt that any increase in taxes signaled an abuse of Parliament, they were slow to react to these duties as they were external, rather than internal, taxes. Eventually, boycotts of British goods began. Wishing to avoid economic troubles, Prime Minister Lord North repealed these acts in 1770. | |
| 785054500 | Massachusetts Circular Letter | This letter, written by Samuel Adams in 1768, explained that there was no distinction between external and internal taxes, and that the Townsend Acts must be immediately repealed. The letter was copied and distributed throughout the colonies, sparking the rejuvenation of boycotts of British goods. | |
| 785054501 | Tea Act | This act, passed in 1773, actually lowered the price of tea. However, colonists were wary at any attempt by Britain to collect revenue and refused to purchase the tea. | |
| 785054502 | Coercive Acts | These acts, passed in 1773, closed Boston Harbor until the tea ruined during the Boston Tea Party was paid for, and it also revoked the charter of the colony of Massachusetts. This put the colony under the control of the Crown and expanded the scope of the Quartering Act, which allowed soldiers to be boarded in private homes. | |
| 785054503 | Quebec Act | This act, also known as the Intolerable Acts of 1774, basically allowed the former French region to be self-sufficient and expanded its borders, taking away potential lands from colonists in the Ohio River Valley. | |
| 785054504 | Intolerable Acts | These acts, also known as the Quebec Act of 1774, basically allowed the former French region to be self-sufficient and expanded its borders, taking away potential lands from colonists in the Ohio River Valley. This name was given to the acts by enraged colonists who were angered more by the provision to allow Quebecois to freely practice Catholicism than by the other acts of this era. | |
| 785054505 | salutary neglect | This practice, supported by British Prime Minister Robert Walpole, meant that the British would protect the colonies and provide trade opportunities, but other than that, the colonists were left to their own devices. This practice encouraged the colonists to develop their own systems of governance, economic networks, and ideologies. | |
| 785054506 | writs of assistance | These documents, related to the Townsend Acts, allowed customs officials to search colonial homes, businesses, and warehouses for smuggled goods without a warrant from a judge. | |
| 785054507 | Thomas Paine | In 1776, this man, a recent English immigrant to the colonies, published a pamphlet that would shift the radical notion of independence from England to the mainstream. Titled Common Sense, the pamphlet used John Locke's natural rights philosophy to justify that the citizens of the colonies were obligated to rebel against the oppression of Britain and that it would be contrary to common sense to allow the injustices to continue. | |
| 785054508 | Daniel Shays | This man, along with a band of Massachusetts farmers, rose up during the summer of 1786 and demanded restitution and tax relief. His rebellion escalated in January 1787 when the mob undertook a seizure of the state arsenal. | |
| 785054509 | James Madison | At a convention in Annapolis in 1786, this political heavyweight, along with Alexander Hamilton, secured the calling of another convention, this time to be held in Philadelphia, where the focus of the meeting was to revise and repair the existing Articles of Confederation. | |
| 785054510 | Alexander Hamilton | At a convention in Annapolis in 1786, this political heavyweight, along with James Madison, secured the calling of another convention, this time to be held in Philadelphia, where the focus of the meeting was to revise and repair the existing Articles of Confederation. | |
| 785054511 | First Continental Congress | This meeting of representatives from 12 colonies took place in Philadelphia in 1774. The group met to discuss possible reactions to the Intolerable Acts. First, they urged colonies to build military reserves and organize boycotts of British goods. Second, the Declaration of Rights and Grievances was sent to urge the king to correct wrongs incurred by colonists; it also acknowledged Parliament's authority to regulate trade and commerce. Finally, they created the Association, which called for the creation of "boycott committees" throughout the colonies. | |
