American Colonies

Mr. Kilkuskie (United States of America)
These are the main vocabulary words for our week on the American Colonies after 1492. Study these words for our quiz!
17 words 712 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. colony
    a geographical area controlled by a distant country
    The British explorer John Smith took a boat to America. He set up the first successful English colony at Jamestown, Virginia.
  2. Britain
    a monarchy in northwestern Europe occupying most of the British Isles
    People confuse Britain and England all of the time. England is a country in Great Britain, also called the United Kingdom.
  3. empire
    a group of countries under a single authority
    The British Empire had control of areas in Africa, India, the Caribbean and America.
  4. discover
    determine the existence, presence, or fact of
    Many people say Columbus discovered America for the Europeans, but Vikings were here hundreds of years before him.
  5. founder
    a person who establishes some institution
    Ms. Hanrahan helped found the LAYC Career Academy.
  6. corporate
    of or belonging to a business firm
    He worked at Bank of America. He was definitely an employee of corporate America.
  7. Quakers
    a Christian sect founded by George Fox about 1660
    The Quakers, also called the Religious Society of Friends, helped found the Pennsylvania colony.
  8. royal
    befitting a supreme ruler
    The Royal Colonies in America belonged to the British king.
  9. agriculture
    a large-scale farming enterprise
    John was a farmer. He was involved in agriculture.
  10. origin
    the place where something begins
    He shipped a crate of chiles from Mexico to Maine. It's place of origin was Mexico.
  11. economy
    the system of production and distribution and consumption
    Economy is all about money. We can't produce (or make), distribute (or sell) or consume (or buy) without it.
  12. proprietary colony
    a colony given to a proprietor to govern (in 17th century)
    The king or government of the mother country would lease proprietary colonies to companies or individuals for them to run.
  13. lease
    a contract granting use or occupation of property
    If I lease a car, I am getting to use it for a while but I do not own it.
  14. crop
    a cultivated plant that is grown commercially
    The colonists grew cash crops such as indigo, tobacco and cotton in order to make money.
  15. mercantilism
    a system of increasing wealth through colonization and trade
    Mercantilism is as American as domestically sourced apple pie. America has always been using rules to help make more money.
  16. taxation
    government income due to charges on citizens
    When I get my check from work, money for government taxation is already taken out.
  17. representation
    standing in for someone and speaking on their behalf
    The people I vote for on election day are in charge of my representation in congress.
Created on Mon Mar 04 15:34:40 EST 2013 (updated Mon Mar 11 21:43:24 EDT 2013)

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