Prince Henry the Navigator
This was the Portuguese Prince that gave steadfast financial and moral support to the navigators
Christopher Columbus
Italian navigator who discovered the New World in the service of Spain while looking for a route to China (1451-1506)
Columbian Exchange
Interaction between Europe and the Americas; millions of Native Americans died of new diseases (smallpox) ; new world crops (potatoes, corn) spread to other world regions; European and Asian animals (horses, cattle) came to the Americas.
Treaty of Tordesillas
In 1494 Spain and Portugal were disputing the lands of the new world, so the Spanish went to the Pope, and he divided the land of South America for them. Spain got the vast majority, the west, and Portugal got the east.
Conquistadores
Spanish 'conqueror' or soldier in the New World. They were searching for the 3-G's: gold, God, and glory.
Encomienda system
system in Spanish America that gave settlers the right to tax local Indians or to demand their labor in exchange for protecting them and teaching them skills.
Protestant Reformation
Religious reform movement within the Latin Christian Church beginning in 1519. It resulted in the 'protesters' forming several new Christian denominations, including the Lutheran and Reformed Churches and the Church of England.
Joint-stock Companies
These were developed to gather the savings from the middle class to support/finance colonies. i.e.: London Company and Plymouth Company.
Puritans
Protestant sect in England hoping to "purify" the Anglican church of Roman Catholic traces in practice and organization. Had clean homes, education, and strong family ties
Mayflower Compact
This document was drafted in 1620 prior to settlement by the Pilgrims at Plymouth Bay in Massachusetts. It declared that the 41 males who signed it agreed to accept majority rule and participate in a government in the best interest of all members of the c
Quakers
under William Penn they founded Pennsylvania, English dissenters who broke from Church of England, preache a doctrine of pacificism, inner divinity, and social equity
Middle Colonies
New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania; religious tolerance; city/cosmopolitan life; Quakers led by William Penn in Pennsylvania; easy to get land; very diverse population; largely friendly with NA's
Black Rights/South Carolina Negro Act
denied slaves; assembly, food raising, money earning, reading
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.
Indentured Servant
A migrant to British colonies in the Americas who paid for passage by agreeing to work for a set term ranging from four to seven years.
Bacon's Rebellion
an uprising in 1676 in the Virginia Colony, led by Nathaniel Bacon. It was the first rebellion in the American colonies in which discontented frontiersmen took part; a similar uprising in Maryland occurred later that year. The uprising was a protest again
Half-Way Covenant
A Puritan church document; In 1662, the Halfway Covenant allowed partial membership rights to persons not yet converted into the Puritan church; It lessened the difference between the "elect" members of the church from the regular members; Women soon made
Triangular Trade
A three way system of trade during 1600-1800s Aferica sent slaves to America, America sent Raw Materials to Europe, and Europe sent Guns and Rum to Africa
Salem Witch Trials
Several accusations of witchcraft led to sensational trials in Salem, Massachusetts at which Cotton Mather presided as the chief judge. 18 people were hanged as witches. Afterwards, most of the people involved admitted that the trials and executions had b
Henry VIII
(1491-1547) King of England from 1509 to 1547; his desire to annul his marriage led to a conflict with the pope, England's break with the Roman Catholic Church, and its embrace of Protestantism. Henry established the Church of England in 1532.
Sir Francis Drake
English explorer/pirate who circumnavigated the globe from 1577 to 1580 and was sent by Queen Elizabeth I to raid Spanish ships/settlements for gold
Tobacco
The primary staple crop of early Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina: easy to grow, needs to be grown near rivers, prices dropped with more industry