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American History
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terms 1. Iroquois Confederacy— confederation of five indigenous North American peoples, or nations, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca; founded c.1570. 2. Powhatan Confederacy— a group of 30 Native American tribes of the Eastern Woodlands. 3. Raleigh, Sir Walter— 1554-1618, English soldier, explorer, courtier, and man of letters. He conceived and organized the colonizing expeditions to America that ended tragically with the lost colony on Roanoke Island, VA with Christopher Marlowe and George Chapman. 4. Roanoke Island— 12 mi (19 km) long and 3 mi (4.8 km) wide, off the NE coast of North Carolina between Albemarle and Pimlico sounds, site of the earliest English colony in North America. The first colonists, sent out by Sir Walter Raleigh landed in Aug. 1585 but returned to England in 1586. A second group, arriving in 1587, disappeared by the time additional supplies were brought from England in 1591. Artifacts from the lost colony are displayed in Fort Raleigh National Historic Site on the island. 5. Virginia Company— name of two English colonization companies chartered by King James I in 1606. One founded on the Plymouth Colony; the other, latter known as the London Company, founded colonies in the South, notably Jamestown, VA. 6. Jamestown— former village, SE Va., first permanent English settlement in America; est. May 14, 1607, by the London Company on a peninsula (now an island) in the James R.; named for the reigning English king, James I. 7. Royal Colony— In 1691 a new royal charter was granted for the colony of Massachusetts, which incorporated the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Plymouth, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket Island, Maine, and Nova Scotia. Under the charter a popular assembly was established to aid the royal governor, and the right to elect representatives to the assembly was based on property qualifications, rather than on church membership. The royal charter ended control of Massachusetts government by Puritan religious leaders. 8. Puritans— ‘Followers' of Puritanism, a movement for reform in the Church of England that had a profound influence on the social, political, ethical, and theological ideas in England and America. In America the early New England settlements were Puritan in origin and theocratic in nature. The spirit of Puritanism long persisted there, and the idea of congregational democratic government was carried into the political life of the state as one source of modern democracy. 9. Plymouth Colony— settled by the Pilgrims in Massachusetts in 1620. The settlers had difficulty surviving early hardships, although a treaty with neighboring tribes assured peace for 50 years. 10. Mayflower Compact— Signed in November 1620 established a "Civil Body Politic" and a rudimentary legal authority for the colony. 11. House of Burgesses— In 1619, the company had introduced a second policy that authorized the landowning men of the major Virginia settlements to elect representatives to this legislature. 12. Bacon, Nathaniel— 1647-76, leader of Bacon's Rebellion in colonial Virginia. Dissatisfied with the government of Sir William Berkeley, and its neglect of frontier defense, Bacon led (1676) a popular uprising. He drove Berkeley from Jamestown, but his death from malaria ended the revolt. 13. Baltimore, George Calvert— 1580-1632, colonialist, responsible for securing Maryland's colonial charter. Historians have traditionally designated him the founder of Maryland. 14. Toleration Act of 1649— Also known as The Maryland Toleration Act of 1649. The act was a pragmatic solution to a serious problem. The Catholics in originally Catholic Maryland had become a minority of the population although still power1ul politically. They were in great danger of being ill-treated by the Protestant majority. The Toleration Act, it was believed, was a way of providing protection for Catholics while at the same time representing a nod in the direction of the English government, which in 1649 and for a dozen years thereafter was firmly under the control of the English Puritans. 15. Oglethorpe, James Edward— 1696-1785, English general and philanthropist. In 1733 he founded the American colony of Georgia as an asylum for debtors. He assured the colony's survival by defeating a Spanish force in 1742. 16. Indentured servant— an immigrant to North America during the 17th to 19th centuries who contracted to work for an employer for a number of years in exchange for passage and accommodation. 17. Dissenter— one who disagrees with the beliefs or opinions of a majority. 18. Squatter— somebody who occupies land or property illegally, especially somebody who takes over and lives in somebody else's empty house. 19. Back country democracy— the concept of a democracy being run by the people— the farmers, peasant, etc rather than the merchant class nobility. 20. Proprietorship— ownership of a commercial enterprise or business establishment such as a store, hotel, or restaurant; the legal ownership of something; one who has rights, for example, of management or use, but not full ownership of something. 21. Berkeley, Sir William— 1606-77, British colonial governor of Virginia (1642-52, 1660- 77). Poor frontier defense and favoritism to his friends in his second term led to the rebellion (1676) of Nathaniel Bacon which he ruthlessly suppressed. 22. Bacon's Rebellion— uprising in 1676 of Virginia farmers against the colonial authorities headed by Sir William Berkeley, governor of Virginia. The rebellion began when a group of former indentured servants led by Nathaniel Bacon, a young plantation owner, accused Governor Berkeley of failing to protect them from raids by Native Americans. Under Bacon's authority, the men formed an army to punish the raiding tribes. Berkeley denounced the men as rebels and accused them of attacking and killing not just hostile Native Americans, but members of friendly tribes. 23. Headright system—a provision in Virginia's body of laws called: Orders and Constitutions that said that any person who settled in Virginia or paid for the transportation expenses of another person who settled in Virginia should be entitled to receive fifty acres of land for each immigrant. 24. Williams, Roger— c.1603-1683, American colonial clergyman, advocate of religious freedom, founder of Rhode Island. Banished by the Puritans from Massachusetts, he established Providence in 1636 and welcomed religious dissenters there. In 1654 he became president of the combined colonies of Providence, Newport, Narragansett, and Warwick. He was a trusted friend of the indigenous tribes. 25. Hutchinson, Anne (Marbury)— c.1591-1643, religious leader in New England. She emigrated (1634) to Massachusetts Bay, where her brilliant mind won her a following. Believing that a person justified by grace could discover God's will not only through the Bible but directly through the spirit as well, she broke with Puritan orthodoxy. Banished as a heretic (1637), she helped found present-day Portsmouth, R.I. She later moved to what is now Pelham Bay Park, N.Y.C., where she was killed by Native Americans. 26. Hooker, Thomas— 1586-1647, Puritan clergyman in colonial America; b. England. Emigrating (1633) to Massachusetts, he became unhappy with the strict theological rule there. In 1635-36 he and his followers founded Hartford, Connecticut. 27. Fundamental Orders of Connecticut— the basic law of the Connecticut colony, 1639-62. A preamble and 11 orders presented a binding and compact frame of government that put the welfare of the community above that of individuals. 28. Halfway covenant— religious-political solution adopted by 17th-century New England Puritans that allowed the children of baptized but unconverted church members to be baptized and thus become church members and have political rights. 29. Metacom— also called Metacomet, King Philip, or Philip Of Pokanoket. sachem (chief of a confederation of Algonkin tribes) of the Wampanoag Indians who led the most severe Indian war in New England history, known as King Phillip's war. 30. King Philip's War— 1675-76, the most devastating Indian War in New England. Named for King Philip, chief of the Wampanoag Indians, the war began when the English executed three Native Americans for murder. It involved several Native American peoples and all the New England colonies before the tribes were defeated. 31. Restoration colonies— By 1640 England had founded 6 of the 13 colonies that would become the original United States. In 1660, after the end of Puritan rule, Charles II was crowned king of England, an event known as the Restoration. Charles founded or took over six more colonies: New York (taken from the Dutch in 1664), New Jersey, Pennsylvania (including what became Delaware), and North and South Carolina. All were proprietary colonies—huge land grants to individuals or small groups who had been loyal to the king during the civil war. 32. Penn's holy experiment— The founding of Pennsylvania 33. Navigation Acts— in English history, name given to the British Acts of Trade. An outgrowth of mercantilism, the acts were designed to expand the English carrying trade, to provide England with raw materials, and to develop colonial markets for English manufactures. The threat to English shipping posed by the Dutch led to the Navigation Act of 1651. This legislation was substantially reenacted in the First Navigation Act of 1660, which gave England monopolies of certain colonial produce. In 1663 shipment from English ports was required of all foreign goods bound for the American colonies. The Molasses Act of 1733 forced colonists to buy more expensive British West Indian sugar and led to an increase in smuggling. 34. Triangular trade—Ships leaving England with trade goods touched first at the west coast of Africa and sold their merchandise for African blacks. After the notorious "Middle Passage" from Africa, the next stop was either the West Indies, where slaves were in demand on plantations, or the English colonies; at this stop the slaves were exchanged for such agricultural products as sugar. The return voyage to England with a valuable cargo completed the triangle. 35. Middle Passage— the journey from western Africa across the Atlantic to the West Indies or the Americas, undertaken by many slave ships. 36. Patroonship— land grants of approximately 25 km (16 mi) along one side of the Hudson River or about 13 km (8 mi) on both banks and reaching an unspecified distance away from the river. The system was fraught with difficulties because it relied on tenant farming rather than outright land grants to settlers. 37. Quakers— emphasizes human goodness because of a belief that something of God exists in everyone. At the same time, however, it recognizes the presence of human evil and works to eradicate as much of it as possible. Quakerism is a way of life; Friends place great emphasis upon living in accord with Christian principles. Truth and sincerity are Quaker bywords; thus, Quaker merchants refuse to bargain, for bargaining implies that truth is flexible. Emulating Christ, the Friends attempt to avoid luxury and emphasize simplicity in dress, manners, and speech. Until late in the 19th century, they retained certain forms of speech known as plain speech, which employed "thee" as opposed to the more formal "you"; this usage indicated the leveling of social classes and the spirit of fellowship integral to Quaker teaching. 38. Leisler's rebellion— In 1689 news arrived in New York that James II had been overthrown in England's Glorious Revolution and that Andros, governor of the Dominion of New England, had been captured by Boston rebels. A group of armed New Yorkers called on Jacob Leisler, a German-born merchant, to take command of the colony. Leisler was stubborn and ill-tempered, but he championed the people's rebellion against the local aristocracy of landlords and merchants. He won control over the whole colony and established an assembly. 39. Great Awakening— series of religious revivals that swept over the American colonies about the middle of the 18th cent. The Great Awakening led to bitter doctrinal disputes, but it also resulted in missionary work among Native Americans and in the founding of new educational institutions. It encouraged a democratic spirit in religion. 40. Edwards, Jonathan— 1703-1758, American theologian and metaphysician; b. Windsor, Conn. In 1729 he took sole charge of a congregation in Northampton, Mass., where he soon gained a wide following by his forceful preaching and powerful logic in support of Calvinist doctrine. A revival that he held (1734-35) effectively brought the Great Awakening to New England. 41. Whitefield, George— 1714-1770, English evangelistic preacher, leader of the Calvinistic Methodist church. At Oxford he joined the Methodist group led by John and Charles Wesley. Beginning in 1738 he made seven trips to America, where he was influential in the Great Awakening. After becoming an Anglican priest, he adopted (c.1741) Calvinistic views, especially concerning predestination. He broke with the Wesleys and led the Calvinistic Methodists, who were numerous in Wales. 42. Zenger, trial of John Peter— In the English colonies of America, the first newspaper was Publick Occurrences Both Forreign and Domestick, published in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1690; it was suppressed, and its editor, Benjamin Harris, was imprisoned after having produced the first issue. The trial of the publisher John Peter Zenger in 1735 was the case that set the precedent regarding freedom of the press in America. Zenger was acquitted of charges of criminal libel based on articles critical of the colonial authorities in New York. 43. Wheatley, Phillis— 1753-1784, American poet; brought from Africa, 1761. The first important African-American writer in America, she was the slave of a Boston merchant, who educated her. 44. Paxton Boys— a band of rangers who eradicated the Susquehanna Indians by slaughtering their remaining 20 members near the city of Lancaster in December 1763 during the Indian uprising known as Pontiac's War. 45. Regulator movement— organized efforts by backcountry settlers in North and South Carolina to restore law and order in the 1760s. In South Carolina, planters and small farmers created an association to try criminals and resolve legal disputes. In North Carolina the Regulators protested actions of corrupt officials with acts of violence. When law and order were restored by 1771, the Regulators disbanded. 46. Old and new lights— old lights were puritans that were against the great awakening--traditionalists; new lights were advocates of it. 47. Molasses Act— passed by the British Parliament in May 1733, imposed taxes on molasses, rum, and sugar imported into British North America from foreign sources. It was designed to encourage Britain's North American colonists to use sugar products from the British Caribbean islands. North Americans, who profited from a lucrative trade with the French West Indies, resorted to smuggling to avoid compliance with the act. It thus contributed to the disputes that eventually led to the American Revolution. 48. Champlain, Samuel de— 1567-1635, French explorer, chief founder of New France. In 1605 he founded Port Royal, in Nova Scotia, and in 1608 brought his colonists to Quebec. He explored as far W as Lakes Huron and Ontario, and S to Lake Champlain, in New York, which bears his name. He extended French claims as far West as Wisconsin. 49. Pitt, William— 1st Earl of Chatham, 1708-78, British statesman. His criticism of the War of the Austrian Succession led to the downfall (1742) of Robert Walpole. By denouncing government policy in the Seven Years War, Pitt became head of a coalition government in 1757; his shrewd policy led to the defeat of the French in India and Canada. He formed another ministry in 1766, but mental illness forced him to retire (1768). During the American Revolution he urged conciliation, and then, breaking with the Whigs, favored any settlement short of independence. He was known as the Great Commoner for his insistence on constitutional rights. 50. La Salle, Robert— 1643-87, French explorer in North America. He commanded Fort Frontenac, developed trade, and built many forts. In 1682 he and his lieutenant, Henri de Tonti, descended the Mississippi to its mouth. La Salle took possession of the whole valley, naming it Louisiana. After three futile attempts to find the mouth of the Mississippi by sea, he was murdered in a mutiny. 51. Wolfe, James— 1727-1759, British soldier. He captured Louisbourg (1758) and defeated (1759) Gen. Montcalm on the Plains of Abraham, causing Canada to fall to the British. Both Wolfe and Montcalm were killed in the battle. 53. Braddock, Edward— 1695-1755, British general in the French and Indian Wars. While on an expedition (1755) to take Fort Duquesne from the French, he was set upon by a force of some 900 French and Native Americans at the Monongahela R. Many of his troops bolted; more than half were killed, and he was mortally wounded. 54. Albany Plan of Union— Franklin proposed that the colonies form a self-governing federation under the British crown at the Albany Congress was a meeting held at Albany, N.Y., in July 1754. Even though the plan was not realized, in many respects it foreshadowed the later union of the American states. 55. Salutary neglect— a system practiced by Britain prior to the French and Indian War, a policy which does not insist on strict laws such asthe Molasses Act, which in 1733 imposed a tax on molasses, because trade with the American colonies was making Britain very wealthy and powerful. During this period, the colonists developed a nearly independent political and economic system. 56. Pontiac's Rebellion— 1763-1766, Native American uprising against the British at the end of the French and Indian Wars, so called after one of its leaders, Pontiac chief of the Ottawa. Angry at the British for fortifying and settling Native American lands, the Ottawa and allied tribes terrorized white settlers in western Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia but failed to seize British forts at Detroit and Fort Pitt (now Pittsburgh). After some of his strongest allies sued for peace, Pontiac signed a peace treaty and was pardoned. 57. French and Indian Wars— 1689-1763, a series of colonial campaigns in North America between England and France, corresponding to wars between European alliances in the worldwide struggle for empire. In America, seaboard strongholds and western forts were seized, and the settlers engaged in guerrilla warfare with Native Americans. 58. King William's War— 1688-1697, linked to the War of the Grand Alliance, consisted chiefly of frontier attacks on the British colonies. 59. War of Jenkins's Ear— 1739-41, struggle between England and Spain. It was based on commercial rivalry and led into the larger War of the Austrian succession. When shipmaster Robert Jenkins recounted to the House of Commons how the Spanish had cut off his ear, Prime Minister Robert Walpole was pressured to declare war. Hostilities were limited to sea skirmishes. 60. George Washington's Ohio mission— 62. Fort Duquesne— a wilderness fortification at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers on the site of present-day Pittsburgh, Pa., was a key position in the French line of defense against the British in the French and Indian War. 63. Fort Necessity— was erected by George Washington in 1754 to oppose French incursions into the upper Ohio Valley. 64. The Proclamation of 1763— a royal decree prepared by the British Board of Trade and promulgated by King George III, on Oct. 2, 1763. . It established the land west of the Appalachian Mountains as an Indian reserve and prohibited white settlers from moving there or purchasing Indian land. Whites who had already settled there were ordered to leave. The proclamation was issued in response to Pontiac's Rebellion. But it was also intended to tighten Britain's control over its American colonies in the years following the French and Indian War of 1754-1763. The American colonists strongly opposed the proclamation, and many ignored it, but it remained in effect until the eve of the American Revolution. 65. Sugar Act— 1764, was actually a downward revision of an earlier Molasses Act, cut the duty on imported foreign molasses from sixpence to threepence a gallon; but it was to be vigorously enforced, and it was now called a revenue measure rather than a law designed merely to regulate trade. 66. Quartering Act— a form of indirect taxation that required American assemblies to provide British troops passing through their colonies with temporary housing and an assortment of provisions. 67. The Stamp Act— 1765, sponsored by George Grenville, was the first direct tax imposed by Britain on its American colonies. To help cover the cost of maintaining troops in the colonies, Parliament levied a tax on legal and commercial documents as well as printed material, such as newspapers and pamphlets, all of which had to carry a special stamp. The act took effect in November 1765. Americans, who did not elect members of Parliament, opposed the act not only because of their inability to pay the tax, but also because it violated the newly enunciated principle of "No taxation without representation." 68. Stamp Act Congress— a gathering of representatives from nine colonies, met in New York in October 1765 to issue a solemn protest. It held that the colonials possessed the same rights and liberties as did the British at home, among which was the principle that "no taxes be imposed on them but with their own consent, given personally or by their representatives." In March 1766, Parliament repealed the Stamp Act; it passed the Declaratory Act, asserting its complete sovereignty over the colonies. 69. Treaty of Paris, 1763— Paris, the capital of France, has been the site of many important treaty negotiations. The Seven Years' War was concluded by the Treaty of Paris of Feb. 10, 1763, signed by Great Britain, France, and Spain. France lost to Britain all of its North American possessions (except Louisiana, which it had ceded to Spain); the treaty excluded French troops from Bengal, effectively ending the French imperial drive in India and in Africa, France yielded Senegal to the British. The only colonies retained by France were Saint Pierre and Miquelon (in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence); Saint Lucia, Haiti, Guadeloupe and Martinique (in the West Indies) and Pondicherry and Chandernagor (in India). Spain recovered Cuba and the Phillippines but ceded Florida to Britain. 70. Queen Anne's War— 1702-1713, second of the four North American wars waged by the British and French between 1689 and 1763. The wars were the result of the worldwide maritime and colonial rivalry between Great Britain and France and their struggle for predominance on the European and North American continents; each of the wars fought in North America corresponded more or less to a war fought between the same powers in Europe. Queen Anne's War arose from the issues left unresolved at the end of King William's War. Bibliography:
Word Count: 3700
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