Ch. 4: Colonial Society

the shift toward purchasing more consumer goods as manufacturing improved, prices fell, and credit became more available, making consumption a sign of respectability

goods such as tobacco or wampum used as money because colonies lacked sufficient British coins and precious metals

paper notes issued by colonial governments for limited periods on the colony's credit and used as money

British laws that restricted colonial paper money because it could lose value, be counterfeited, and be rejected by British merchants

a highly profitable plantation crop that fueled Atlantic trade, connected Caribbean plantations with mainland colonies, and increased demand for enslaved labor

British trade laws that taxed and regulated colonial commerce to direct profits toward Great Britain

urban centers such as Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Charleston that served as hubs for trade, labor, and social and political activity

a system of forced labor that was legal in every mainland British colony by 1750, with practices shaped by local economies and demographics

a plantation labor system shaped by rice cultivation, harsh slave codes, and the expertise of enslaved West Africans, who maintained cultural traditions and sometimes had greater daily independence

a labor system in which enslaved people worked in supervised groups from dawn to dusk, often under a white overseer or enslaved driver

a labor system in which enslaved people were assigned specific daily tasks and could use remaining time to grow crops or engage in other activities

an uprising in which about eighty enslaved people in South Carolina attempted to reach Spanish Florida and gain freedom, but were defeated by the colonial militia

an uprising by enslaved people in New York City that killed nine white colonists and led to the execution of twenty-one enslaved people

opposition to slavery based on Quaker beliefs in nonviolence and the equality of all souls, leading Pennsylvania Quakers to discipline members involved in the slave trade

political systems that largely resembled oligarchies, with voting and elected office restricted to a small portion of the male population

colonies most directly controlled by the Crown, with governors appointed by the British king who could veto colonial assembly decisions

colonies governed by individuals who received or purchased colonial rights from the Crown and appointed their own governors

colonies governed under charters that defined the powers of government and allowed property-owning men to elect governors

systems generally divided between a governor and council appointed by the colonial executive and an elected assembly that approved taxes and budgets

the idea that government receives its authority from the people and exists through an agreement between the governed and their government

families in the colonies that often married earlier and had larger households than European counterparts, while ideas of romantic love increasingly shaped marriage

informal relationships between enslaved people that lacked legal recognition and could be disrupted by enslavers separating partners

the creation, publication, circulation, and consumption of printed materials such as books, newspapers, and pamphlets

a series of Protestant religious revivals beginning in the 1730s that emphasized personal faith, emotional religious experiences, and a renewed commitment to piety

a New England theologian whose revival sermons emphasized sin, predestination, and searching inward for signs of God's saving grace

traveling ministers who spread religious revivals through emotional outdoor sermons and encouraged people to seek personal experiences of faith

a famous itinerant preacher of the Great Awakening who used dramatic sermons to encourage heartfelt faith and conversion

a global conflict between Britain and France and their allies, fought in North America from 1754, that ended with Britain gaining extensive former French territory

a peace treaty that ended the Seven Years' War and transferred much of Canada and other North American territory from France to Britain

an Indigenous uprising against British control and policies after the Seven Years' War that continued until 1766 and pressured Britain to change its western policies

a British measure that established the Appalachian Mountains as a boundary limiting colonial settlement on Indigenous lands

a meeting where Benjamin Franklin proposed a plan to unite the colonies for coordinated defense