What was the main political institution in New England?
Town meetings with elected representatives
What two economic activities formed New England’s mixed economy?
Agriculture and commerce
Why did tobacco lead to a plantation‑based economy?
It was labor‑intensive and required a large workforce.
What was the first representative government in British America?
The Virginia House of Burgesses (1619)
What crop made Jamestown economically successful?
Tobacco
Which colony became known for religious tolerance and attracting diverse settlers?
Pennsylvania
How did English settlers typically interact with Native land?
They took land for agriculture and lived separately from Native populations.
What economic activity were the French and Dutch most focused on?
The fur trade
How did the Spanish incorporate Africans and mixed‑race individuals into society?
Through a hierarchical social structure
What crop was the economic foundation of the Chesapeake and North Carolina colonies?
Tobacco
What motivated English settlers to migrate in large numbers?
social mobility, religious freedom, and economic opportunity
Which labor system replaced indentured servitude in the Chesapeake region?
Enslaved African labor
What cultural impact did enslaved Africans have in the Southern colonies?
They preserved African traditions and blended them into new cultural practices.
Why did the colonies develop self‑governing institutions?
Britain’s distance and lax oversight
What were the Spanish primarily seeking in the Americas?
Wealth and the conversion of Native populations to Christianity
Who held political power in the Southern colonies?
Elite planters
Which tribes did the French commonly partner with in the Great Lakes region?
The Huron and Algonquin
What system did the Spanish use to control Native labor?
The encomienda system
What made the Middle Colonies ideal for growing cereal crops?
Rich soil and a favorable climate
What was the first permanent English settlement in North America?
jamestown (1607)