Period 2: Glossary (College Board AP® US History): Study Guide

Themes in Period 2

• America and National Identity (NAT)

• Work, Exchange and Technology (WXT)

• Geography and Environment (GEO)

• Migration and Settlement (MIG)

• America in the World (WOR)

• American and Regional Culture (ARC)

• Social Structures (SOC)

Contextualizing Period 2

Colonization – European powers built colonies for different economic, political, and religious reasons

Regional development – Geography helped the British colonies grow in different ways, for example, small farms were most common in New England whilst plantations were more usual in the South

European Colonization

Joint-stock company – Investors funded colonies with the aim of making a profit

Puritans – Many settlers in New England came for religious reasons. Puritans were English Protestants who wanted to escape persecution for the beliefs which were not in line with the Church of England

Settler colonies – British colonies focused on permanent settlement, not just trade

The Regions of the British Colonies

Jamestown – England’s first permanent colony survived as a result of growing tobacco and labor

New England – Economy centered on small farms, shipping, and tight religious communities

Middle Colonies – Known for diversity, trade, and grain production

Southern Colonies – Large plantations relied on cash crops and labor systems

Transatlantic Trade

Mercantilism – A system based on the idea that colonies existed in part to benefit the mother country’s economy

Triangular trade – The trade which linked Europe, Africa, and the Americas

Atlantic economy – Colonies became deeply tied to global trade networks

Interactions Between American Indians and Europeans

Alliances – Indigenous (Native) groups sometimes worked with Europeans for trade or military advantage

Conflict – Land, hunger and cultural differences caused repeated warfare

Accommodation – Some groups adapted strategically to survive changing conditions

Bacon’s Rebellion – A rebellion in Virginia that led to a shift toward race

Slavery in the British Colonies

Indentured servitude – Workers who exchanged years of labor for passage to America

Chattel slavery – Race-based enslavement became permanent and hereditary. It defined enslaved humans as pieces of property

Middle Passage – Enslaved Africans endured brutal forced transport across the Atlantic

Plantation system – Large farms in the South which depended on enslaved labor

Colonial Society and Culture

Self-government – Colonists developed assemblies and local political traditions

Salutary neglect – Britain loosely enforced rules, allowing colonies more freedom

Great Awakening – Religious revivals challenged old authority and encouraged individual faith

Colonial identity – Many colonists began to think of themselves as distinct from Britain