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U.S. History

Key Terms

U.S. HistoryKey Terms

Key Terms

deism
an Enlightenment-era belief in the existence of a supreme being—specifically, a creator who does not intervene in the universe—representing a rejection of the belief in a supernatural deity who interacts with humankind
Dominion of New England
James II’s consolidated New England colony, made up of all the colonies from New Haven to Massachusetts and later New York and New Jersey
English interregnum
the period from 1649 to 1660 when England had no king
Enlightenment
an eighteenth-century intellectual and cultural movement that emphasized reason and science over superstition, religion, and tradition
First Great Awakening
an eighteenth-century Protestant revival that emphasized individual, experiential faith over church doctrine and the close study of scripture
Freemasons
a fraternal society founded in the early eighteenth century that advocated Enlightenment principles of inquiry and tolerance
French and Indian War
the last eighteenth-century imperial struggle between Great Britain and France, leading to a decisive British victory; this war lasted from 1754 to 1763 and was also called the Seven Years’ War
Glorious Revolution
the overthrow of James II in 1688
Navigation Acts
a series of English mercantilist laws enacted between 1651 and 1696 in order to control trade with the colonies
nonconformists
Protestants who did not conform to the doctrines or practices of the Church of England
proprietary colonies
colonies granted by the king to a trusted individual, family, or group
Restoration colonies
the colonies King Charles II established or supported during the Restoration (the Carolinas, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania)
salutary neglect
the laxness with which the English crown enforced the Navigation Acts in the eighteenth century
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