AP US History Unit 2 — 1607-1754: Colonial America.
This unit covers colonial settlements, colonial economies and slavery origins — essential concepts for AP US History. Use our interactive study games to test your understanding, or review questions in traditional format below.
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This unit covers colonial settlements, colonial economies and slavery origins — essential concepts for AP US History. Use our interactive study games to test your understanding, or review questions in traditional format below.
Key Concepts Breakdown
1 Colonial Settlements
Students must understand the distinct motivations, structures, and economies of the New England, Middle, and Chesapeake/Southern colonies. The AP exam tests your ability to compare regional differences and explain how geography and founding purpose shaped colonial development. Know how relations with Native Americans varied by region and how colonial governance evolved toward greater self-rule.
Key Points
- New England colonies (Plymouth, Massachusetts Bay) were founded for religious reasons; emphasized community, town meetings, and subsistence farming
- Chesapeake colonies (Virginia, Maryland) were founded for profit; marked by indentured servitude, tobacco monoculture, and high mortality
- Middle colonies (Pennsylvania, New York) were ethnically diverse, religiously tolerant, and relied on mixed farming and trade
- All colonies developed some form of representative assembly (e.g., Virginia House of Burgesses, 1619), establishing precedent for self-governance
An AP exam question might ask: 'Briefly explain ONE difference between the development of New England colonies and Chesapeake colonies in the 1600s.'
A strong response would contrast the Chesapeake's profit-driven, tobacco-dependent economy with New England's religiously motivated, community-centered settlements. You could note that New England colonists came in family groups seeking to build a godly society, while Chesapeake settlers were mostly single young men seeking economic opportunity. This difference in founding purpose directly shaped their social stability, mortality rates, and labor systems.
2 Colonial Economies
Students must understand how mercantilism shaped the relationship between colonies and Britain, and how distinct regional economies emerged based on geography and labor supply. The AP exam frequently asks how economic systems created social hierarchies and led to conflict. Know the Navigation Acts and their role in enforcing mercantilist policy.
Key Points
- Mercantilism: colonies existed to enrich the mother country by supplying raw materials and buying finished goods; enforced through Navigation Acts (1651, 1660)
- Southern/Chesapeake economy: plantation agriculture (tobacco, rice, indigo) dependent first on indentured servants, then enslaved Africans
- New England economy: subsistence farming, fishing, shipbuilding, and trade (triangular trade routes linked New England, Africa, and the Caribbean)
- Middle colonies: 'breadbasket' colonies exported wheat and grain; artisan trades and commerce in cities like Philadelphia and New York
Examine this prompt: 'Explain how the Navigation Acts affected the relationship between the American colonies and Britain in the late 1600s.'
The Navigation Acts required colonists to trade exclusively with Britain and ship goods only on British or colonial vessels, keeping colonial profits flowing to the Crown. While colonists accepted some restrictions as part of the imperial system, widespread smuggling—especially in New England—showed that colonial merchants resisted constraints on their economic autonomy. This tension between British mercantile control and colonial economic independence is a key cause of growing friction that eventually contributed to the Revolution.
3 Slavery Origins
Students must be able to explain how and why African slavery replaced indentured servitude in the Chesapeake and became the foundation of the Southern economy by the late 1600s. The AP exam tests understanding of the legal, economic, and racial dimensions of slavery's development. Know Bacon's Rebellion (1676) as a turning point that accelerated the shift to enslaved labor.
Key Points
- Indentured servitude declined as servants lived longer and demanded land; planters feared a class of landless, armed, discontented freedmen
- Bacon's Rebellion (1676): armed uprising of indentured servants and poor whites revealed the danger of relying on indentured labor; pushed planters toward enslaved Africans
- Virginia's slave codes (1660s–1705) legally defined slavery as a permanent, hereditary condition tied to race, hardening racial categories
- The Royal African Company's monopoly ended in 1698, opening the slave trade to all English merchants and dramatically increasing slave imports to the colonies
Consider: 'Explain how Bacon's Rebellion (1676) contributed to the growth of racial slavery in the Chesapeake colonies.'
Bacon's Rebellion united poor white indentured servants and some enslaved Africans against the colonial elite, demonstrating to planters that a multiracial underclass posed a serious threat to social order. In response, Virginia's ruling class deliberately shifted to African enslaved labor, which offered a permanent, self-reproducing, and—crucially—racially distinct workforce that could be more easily controlled through race-based legal codes. This transition, codified in Virginia's slave codes of 1705, shows how slavery's expansion was driven by elites' desire to maintain power as much as by pure economic calculation.
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What is 1607-1754: Colonial America?
1607-1754: Colonial America is Unit 2 of AP US History, covering colonial settlements, colonial economies and slavery origins.
How to study for AP US History Unit 2?
Start with the Quick Summary above, review the Key Concepts, then test yourself with our interactive study games. Aim for 80%+ accuracy before moving on.
How many questions are in this unit?
This unit has 30+ review questions across 5 different game modes.