Southern Colonies: 1566–1733

Vocabulary

assembly

colonial governing body made up of elected representatives. The assembly created laws for the colony.

cash crop

crops cultivated for sale, not personal use by the grower

charter

written document that defines the laws and privileges of a state or country and is granted by a sovereign power

headright system

system is which immigrants were granted land in a colony as an incentive to settle in the colony

indentured servant

individual who agreed to work for a set number of years in exchange for passage to the Americas as well as food, shelter, and clothing during their period of service

James Oglethorpe

British philanthropist who worked on various reform measures to benefit the country's poor. He helped establish the Georgia Colony.

joint-stock company

business entity made up of many shareholders who buy a part of the company in hopes of earning a profit

Nathaniel Bacon Jr.

cousin of the governor of Virginia and instigator of Bacon's Rebellion

plantation

large estates where cash crops are grown

Powhatan

Algonquian-speaking Native American group that lived in the areas of present-day Virginia and Maryland

Sir William Berkeley

governor of the Virginia Colony responsible for putting down Bacon's Rebellion

yehakin

traditional Powhatan house built with bent saplings and covered with reeds and bark