APUSH Unit 2 Ch 4-5 Key People and Term

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William Berkeley

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Governor of Virginia; his favoritism toward wealthy planters and failure to protect frontier settlers from Native attacks fueled Bacon’s Rebellion. Significance: Exposed tensions between frontier farmers and elite planters.

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Nathaniel Bacon

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Led Bacon’s Rebellion (1676) against Berkeley and Native tribes. Significance: Early example of colonial resistance to authority; accelerated the shift from indentured servants to African slavery.

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Indentured Servants

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Poor Europeans who exchanged labor for passage to America. Significance: Main labor source before African slavery became dominant.

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Headright System

Back

Virginia/Maryland policy granting land to anyone who paid passage for a laborer. Significance: Encouraged plantation growth and aristocracy.

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Bacon’s Rebellion (1676)

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Armed revolt by frontier settlers against Governor Berkeley. Significance: Highlighted class conflict and hastened reliance on enslaved Africans.

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Royal African Company

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English company with monopoly on African slave trade until 1698. Significance: Once monopoly ended, more colonies entered the slave trade.

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Middle Passage

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Brutal transatlantic voyage for enslaved Africans. Significance: Brought millions to the Americas under horrific conditions.

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Slave Codes

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Laws defining slavery and restricting Black freedoms. Significance: Institutionalized racial slavery and made it lifelong/hereditary.

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Congregational Church

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Puritan state church in New England. Significance: Reinforced unity but also fueled dissent (Roger Williams, Anne Hutchinson).

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Jeremiad

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Sermons warning of waning piety. Significance: Reflected fears of declining religious devotion in colonies.