Lesson 1: What Were the British Colonies in America Like in the 1770s?

Terms

Founders  The political leaders of the thirteen original colonies. They were key figures in the establishment of the United States of America.

government  The people and institutions with authority to make and enforce laws and manage disputes about laws.

indentured servant  A person who voluntarily sold his or her labor for a set period of time in return for the cost of coming to America. The most important source of labor in the colonies in the seventeenth century and for a large part of the eighteenth century.

self-sufficient  Able to provide for most of one's own needs.

subject  Someone who owes allegiance to a government or ruler.