Early America Vocabulary

On the right side are your vocabulary words, on the left are the definitions. Click on the orange dots next to the word and drag the line to the correct definition. colony A country or area under the full or partial political control of another country, typically a distant one, and occupied by settlers from that country. This is one of the main reasons for exploration. economic gain Anything that has value in monetary terms (gold, cash, crops, goods) This is a main reason for exploration during this time period. religious freedom Some colonists came to the colonies during this time to escape people in their native country that harassed or hurt them for their religious beliefs. This is another main reason why people came to the colonies monarchy When a country is ruled by a king or queen. The person becomes king or queen by inheriting the title. Inheriting means it is passed down in a family (a person has to be related to the king or queen before him or her, like a son or daughter). representative government People in the colonies chose who would be their leaders. They usually did this by voting. Then those leaders decided what rules would be in place for that group. Christianize Spanish explorers came to the colonies to spread their religion to the Indians who already lived there. tobacco One of the first cash crops grown in Jamestown, Virginia. persecution When people are treated badly or harmed because of their race, religion, or politics. A lot of settlers came to the colonies to escape religious persecution. The English colony of Plymouth was established for this reason. charter A charter is a document that gave the colonies a legal right to exist. agriculture One way colonists made money. Agriculture is anything to do with crops, farming, or raising animals animals for profit. climate The weather in an area over an extended period of time.The climate often determined what kinds of things colonists did to earn money. For example, the northern colonies were too cold for farming, but they could fish and harvest lumber for boats.