Colonizing America

Armada a fleet of war ships

Roanoke Island Sir Walter Raleigh’s attempted English settlement off of present day North Carolina Location of the first European baby born in the Americas named Virginia Dare Deserted with only clue to whereabouts of settlers being the word “Croatoan” carved into a gatepost Now known as the “Lost Colony”

Charter a document that gives the holder the right to organize settlements in an area.

Joint-Stock Company a company in which investors buy stock in the company in return for a share of its future profits

Jamestown First permanent European settlement in the Americas Named for King John I Near mosquito infested swampland Lack of good farmland

John Smith Experienced hunter and soldier Got settlers to work Set up trade with local tribe to get corn Return to England began the “starving time”

Chief Powhatan Leader of the Powhatan tribe Father of Pocahontas

John Rolfe Learned to grow tobacco using seeds from India Jamestown colonists were able to make money for their investors from tobacco

Pocahontas Daughter of the Powhatan chief Married John Rolfe Moved back to England with her husband

Headright 50 acres of land given to new colonists

House of Burgesses A church in Jamestown where burgesses met to discuss local laws the beginning of self government in America

William Tucker the first African American born in American colonies

Persecute to treat someone harshly because of their beliefs or practices

Dissent To disagree or oppose an opinion

Puritans People who wanted to reform the Anglican Church

Separatists People who wanted to break away from the Anglican Church and create their own church

Pilgrims Separatists who made the journey to North America for what they believed to be religious purposes on the Mayflower

Mayflower Compact A formal document that provided a plan for law and order to the Plymouth colony Declared the Pilgrims loyalty to England

Squanto and Samoset Native Americans who became friends with the Pilgrims and taught them how to grow crops and also helped them set up a treaty with the Wampanoag Samoset knew English from being kidnapped and brought to England when he was young

Great Migration During the 1630’s over 15,000 Puritans moved to Massachusetts to avoid religious persecution

Toleration acceptance of different beliefs

King Philip’s War Put an end to the Native American power in New England and allowed the colonists to expand without conflict King Philip is what the settlers called, Chief Metacomet, the Wampanoag leader

Dutch Colony Between northern and southern English colony Called New Amsterdam On Manhattan Island Dutch West India Company bought Manhattan Island from the Manhates tribe for a small amount of goods Became a major location for trade in America

Patroon a landowner in the Dutch colonies who ruled like a king over large areas of land

Duke of York Changed New Amsterdam to New York

Proprietary Colony a colony in which the owner, or proprietor, owned all the land and controlled the government New Amsterdam (New York) was a proprietary colony

William Penn Was a Quaker Founded Pennsylvania Founded Philadelphia “city of brotherly love”

Quakers a religious group who believed that everyone had and “inner light” that could guide them to salvation and that everyone was equal

Pacifists people who refuse to use force or fight in wars

Holy Experiment According to William Penn; a chance to put Quaker ideals of toleration and equality into practice

Seven Year Passengers Criminals from England and prisoners from Scotland and Ireland were sent to the colonies with a chance to work for their release

Indentured Servants laborers who agreed to work without pay for a certain period of time in exchange for passage to America

Mason Dixon Line The border line between Pennsylvania and Maryland mapped out by British astronomers Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon.

Act of Toleration granted Protestants and Catholics the right to worship freely

Nathanial Bacon Governor of Virginia called him “The greatest rebel that ever was in Virginia”

Bacon’s Rebellion Nathaniel Bacon led his men into Jamestown and burned down the capital, forcing the governor out. Showed that settlers were not going to be limited to just the coastline.

Constitution a formal plan for government

Georgia the last British colony established in America established as a colony where debtors and poor people could make a fresh start

Tenant Farmers farmer who works land owned by another and pays rent either in cash or crops