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