Jamestown
the first colony in the United States; set up in 1607 along the James River in Virginia
Pocohontas
American Indian princess, she saved the life of John Smith when he was captured and sentenced to death by the Powhatan. She was later taken prisoner by the English, converted to Christianity, and married colonist John Rolfe.
indentured servant
a colonist who received free passage to North America in exchange for working without pay for a certain number or years
John Smith
English colonist to the Americas who helped found the Jamestown colony and encouraged settlers to work harder and build better housing
Bacon's Rebellion
an attack led by Nathaniel Bacon against American Indians and the colonial government in VirginiaT
Toleration Act of 1649
a Maryland law that made restricting the religious rights of Christians a crime; the first law guaranteeing religious freedom to be passed in America
Olaudah Equiano
African American abolitionist; he was an enslaved African who was eventually freed and became a leader of the abolitionist movement and writer of The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano
slave codes
laws passed in the colonies to control slaves
colonist
a person who lives in or helps to start a colony
New World
the Western Hemisphere, made up of North and South America.
House of Burgesses
the legislative body of colonial Virginia’s General Assembly. Established in 1619, it is considered an early model for representative democracy in America
John Rolfe
an early English colonist and planter known for introducing tobacco to the Virginia colony and marrying Pocahontas
Powhatan
a member of a confederacy of Algonquian people indigenous to eastern Virginia
representative democracy
a democracy in which elected or appointed representatives, not the people, vote on government policy and initiatives