Vocabulary

Unit 2: Exploration & Colonization

Terms

Mayflower Compact: governing document of the Plymouth colony.

Plantation: large farm in which crops are planted, cultivated, and harvested, mainly for sale.

Indentured servant: a person who works for another for a period of time, under contract, until a debt is repaid.

Lost Colony: the name associated with the mystery surrounding the Roanoke settlement.

People & Places

Jamestown: the first permanent English settlement in North America.

John Smith: soldier and brief leader of the Jamestown colony.

Roanoke: the earliest attempted English settlement in North America.

John White: leader of the Roanoke colony.

William Bradford: leader of the Plymouth colony.

Pilgrims: English separatists who sought religious freedom in North America.

Plymouth: location of the first Puritan settlement in North America. 

New England Colonies: comprised of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Middle Colonies: comprised of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware.

Southern Colonies: comprised of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.

Concepts

Citizen: a community member who owes loyalty to a government.

Colony: a group of people living in an area under the supervision of a parent country somewhere else.

Government: the ruling authority for a community.

Conflict: a serious disagreement or argument between two or more parties.

Import: bringing goods or services into a country to sell or trade.

Export: sending goods or services to another country for profit.

Unit 3: American Revolution

Terms

Boston Tea Party: incident in which the Sons of Liberty dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor.

Boston Massacre: incident in which unarmed protesters were killed by British soldiers.

Declaration of Independence: statement from Continental Congress declaring the colonies sovereign and independent.

Continental Congress: body of delegates who spoke and acted directly on behalf of American independence.

Minutemen: voluntary, local militia prepared to fight at a moment's notice.

People & Places

Loyalist: one who remained devoted to Great Britain.

Patriot: one who fought for independence.

George Washington: commander of the Continental army.

Thomas Jefferson: primary author of the Declaration of Independence.

Benjamin Franklin: U.S. diplomat to France during the Revolutionary War.

Charles Cornwallis: commander of the British army.

Paul Revere: Boston silversmith who became famous for his "Midnight Ride".

Lexington & Concord: location of the start of the American Revolutionary War.

Saratoga: location of the turning point of the American Revolutionary War.

Yorktown: location of British surrender in the American Revolutionary War.

Concepts

Levy: to impose or collect a tax.

Massacre: the killing of many people unable to defend themselves.

Boycott: to protest by refusing to buy a certain product or service.

Revolution: a forcible overthrow of government or social order.

Guerilla warfare: the use of hit-and-run tactics by small, mobile groups.