Religion
What was the Great Awakening?
The Great Awakening was originally a reaction to the Enlightenment. It was a mass series of religious revivals that impacted all 13 colonies. It was characterized by extremely emotional “fire and brimstone” preachings. It resulted in the split of a lot of religious denominations and promoted egalitarianism, similar to the Enlightenment.
What was Bacon’s Rebellion?
Bacon's Rebellion, led by Nathanial Bacon, was an armed rebellion of colonists against the Virginian government after Governer Berkeley refused to defend them against Native Americans in Virginia.
In what colonies was slavery legal?
Slavery was legal in ALL colonies despite slavery not being nearly as popular in Northern colonies.
What crop ultimately saved and gave prosperity to English settlers in the Chesapeake region?
Tobacco.
What was the House of Burgesses?
The House of Burgesses was the first English representative government established in the new world. It was set up in Jamestown, Virginia by the Virginia company.
Who were the separatists?
Separatists, also known as pilgrims, were a branch of Puritans who believed the Church of England was too corrupt to be saved and wanted to separate themselves, completely from it. They built the Mayflower Compact which was a set of rules established for self-governance.
What were the Hudson Valley Land Riots?
Many people started coming down from New England because there was no more land for them and they settled in woodland areas and started farming. Oftentimes, this land already belonged to estates. Landlords of these estates started increasing rent in attempts to remove these squatters from their land in this resulted in a series of armed riots known as the Hudson Valley Land Riots.
What was the basis of the economy for settlers in the Chesapeake region?
African Slaves. African slaves could be made to do labor that no one else was willing to do. Because tobacco was so labor intensive, the settlers who farmed tobacco relied heavily on slave labor.
What was the economic theory of mercantilism?
The goal of mercantilism was to make the mother country as rich as possible and they believed they could do this through colonies and regulation of them. The theory of mercantilism was that there was a fixed and finite amount of wealth in the world and while the amount of wealth in the world can’t change, the portion of wealth that a country had could change.
What was the intent behind John Winthrop's idea of a “city upon a hill”?
John Winthrop wanted to build a community based on true Christian principals and build a “city upon a hill”, meaning he wanted Massachusetts to be an example to the world of how society should be built. This initiated the idea of American exceptionalism.
Why did the Puritans come over to the Americas?
Puritans, also known as Calvinists wanted to create a church more different than the Anglican church, so they created Calvinism. Queen Elizabeth left them alone as long as they attended the church of England and didn’t practice publicly. King James of Scotland scrapped this compromise. To escape persecution, they went to the new world.
What was King Phillip's War?
King Phillip's war was an armed conflict between Chief Metacom’s tribe and white settlers in the New England colonies. The conflict arose when the natives began to feel marginalized and rose up against the settlers. While there was an initial native victory, the white settlers ultimately won out.
What initiated the switch to using African slaves for labor?
The settlers in the Americas ran out of land to give to indentured servants as their “freedom dues” and so indentured servants stopped coming over and they switched to using African slaves for their labor.
What was the headright system?
If a person paid to come over to the new world, they were granted 50 acres of land - if they paid for someone else to come over, they were given more land. They typically brought indentured servants with them.
Who was John Locke?
He was an enlightenment thinker who believed all people were born “tabula rasa”, or, born with a clean slate. This also meant that all humans were born equal and no person was born better than another. This directly opposed slavery, monarchy, nobility, etc. He also believed all people were born with inalienable rights (rights that could not be taken away) which were the rights to life, liberty, and property.
What was the Half-Way covenant?
The Half-Way covenant said that if a person was a baptized Puritan, their kids could be baptized and they could be a Half-Way member if they moved elsewhere. This was a way to maintain their ideals despite people moving west.
What was the Pequot War?
Settlers moved into Pequot territory and this brought them into contact with natives. Two Americans were killed which led to an English raid and more bloodshed. After 400 Pequots were killed by the English, natives accepted the English and traded with them.
What was the Stono Rebellion?
The Stono Rebellion occurred in South Carolina, the one place where slaves outnumbered the white population. The Stono Rebellion was a slave uprising that was broken up but terrified slave owners and influenced them to tighten up their slave codes.
Who settled in the New England colonies and what generally characterized them?
The New England colonies were organized and settled by Puritans escaping persecution from the church of England. They were generally younger and traveled in families to start up new lives in New England.
What Enlightenment thinker came up with the idea of Laissez-Faire economics?
Adam Smith. He argued against mercantilism and said that people who were permitted to make their own economic decisions would create the most prosperous economy. Therefore, he argued for the government to stay out of the economy and he wanted free market capitalism.
Who were the Jesuits?
The Jesuits were French missionaries of Jesus who came to Quebec and tried to cover natives to their traditions - they didn’t attempt to change their way of life and a lot of natives converted and accepted their customs.
What was King William’s War?
King William’s war was an armed conflict between England and France in North America, fought over control of the fur trade. This conflict was the beginning of an ongoing series of conflicts between England and France.
What was the Middle Passage?
The Middle Passage was a series of routes of slave trade from Africa to America.
How were the settlers of Jamestown able to survive disease, drought, and unfamiliarity with the new area?
Chief Tsenacommacah agreed to a treaty with them. Despite initial mistrust and a time known as the “starving time”, settler John Rolfe and the Chief's daughter, Pocahontas married and they created peace between the settlers and the tribe.
What did the court case of John Peter Zenger establish?
Zenger was an immigrant writer who published articles that were often very critical of the governor of New York. He was accused of seditious libel because he spoke out against the governer. This case became the foundation of American “freedom of the press”, meaning people could not be found guilty if what they said was true.