Vocabulary

Glossary
13th Amendment	Amendment to the Constitution that abolished slavery. (Lesson 10)
14th Amendment	Declared blacks citizens and guaranteed equal protection under the law. (Lesson 10)
15th Amendment	Gave all male citizens the right to vote. (Lesson 10)
abolitionist	A person in favor of the elimination of slavery. (Lesson 10)
Alien and Sedition Acts	Acts passed by the Federalists to suppress dissent and weaken Jefferson’s Republican Party. (Lesson 7)
American System	An integrated economic program advocated by Henry Clay, calling for tariffs, a national bank, and federal transportation projects. (Lesson 7)
Amistad	Spanish slave ship on which the slaves rebelled, sailed the ship to New York, and won their freedom. (Lesson 8)
annex	To incorporate an existing state or nation into another. (Lesson 9)
antebellum	Literally meaning “before the war”, usually referring to the period before the Civil War. (Lesson 8)
Appomattox Courthouse	The site in Virginia where, on April 9, 1865, General Lee surrendered to General Grant, ending the Civil War. (Lesson 10)
arable	Fit to grow crops. (Lesson 1)
arbitration	A process by which conflict is resolved outside the court system by an unbiased person whose decision the parties agree to accept. (Lesson 13)
Articles of Confederation	The set of rules under which the United States was originally established; superseded by the Constitution in 1789. (Lesson 6)
ascend	To rise to power. (Lesson 2)
Aztec	A very powerful civilization once located under modern-day Mexico City. (Lesson 1)
Baby Boom	A huge population explosion in the United States after WWII. (Lesson 19)
Bank of the United States	A national bank established by Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton as a means of organizing national finances and promoting sound monetary policy. (Lesson 7)
Battle of Britain	An air war between Britain and Germany. (Lesson 18)
Bering Straight Theory	The theory that during the last Ice Age, or 12,000 years ago, people traveled from Asia to modern-day Alaska and into North and South America. (Lesson 1)
Bill of Rights	The first 10 Amendments to the Constitution, listing rights of American citizens. (Lesson 6)
black face	A face makeup used by white and black performers early in the 20th century to caricature black people. Burned cork ash was mixed with water to make the face completely black. (Lesson 17)
bootlegging	The illegal production or importation of alcohol. (Lesson 16)
border states	States on the dividing line between the North and the South, many of which had slavery but remained in the Union. (Lesson 10)
bullion	Uncoined metal; usually gold. (Lesson 13)
cession	A surrendering, as of territory, to another country by treaty. (Intro)
cheap money	Unlimited coinage. (Lesson 13)
checks and balances	A system in which one branch of government is limited in powers by the other branches. (Lesson 6)
chinampa	A floating island made of mud and used for farming. (Lesson 1)
Civil Rights Act	A bill passed by Congress in 1866 that aimed to protect blacks from discriminatory legislation; superseded by the 14th Amendment. (Lesson 11)
Cold War	A confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union that was not waged on a battlefield. (Lesson 18)
Compromise of 1850	A proposal by Henry Clay to avert sectional conflict by compromising between Northern and Southern demands. (Lesson 10)
concentration camp	A jailed work camp where Jewish people, as well as gypsies and the handicapped, were sent to work or to be exterminated. (Lesson 18)
Confederacy	The union formed by the southern states that seceded from the United States in 1861. (Lesson 10)
conquistador	A Spanish military explorer. (Lesson 2)
Constitution	The document, ratified in 1789, outlining the fundamental laws and principles of the United States. (Lesson 6)
Constitutional Convention	A meeting in Philadelphia in 1787 in which delegates from 12 states met to draft the Constitution. (Lesson 6)
cooperative	An enterprise or organization that is owned or managed jointly by those who use its facilities or services. (Lesson 13)
copperheads	Northerners who opposed the war. (Lesson 10)
cotton gin	A device for separating cotton fiber from seeds invented by Eli Whitney in 1793, creating an even greater demand for slaves to work in cotton production. (Lesson 8)
cotton is king	Phrase often used to describe the importance of cotton in Southern agriculture. (Lesson 8)
Credit Mobilier Scandal	One of many scandals during the Grant administration, this one involving subsidies to the Union Pacific Railroad. (Lesson 11)
decimate	To drastically reduce in number (Lesson 2)
Democratic Party	Andrew Jackson’s party; the successor to Jefferson’s Republican Party. (Lesson 8)
détente	The relaxation of tension between two powers; the policy towards the Soviet Union during the Nixon administration. (Lesson 21)
dictator	An individual who has absolute power over all aspects of governing a country. (Lesson 18)
effigy	An image or representation of a disliked person, usually for the purpose of burning. (Lesson 20)
eke	To scrape by; barely survive. (Lesson 12)
Emancipation Proclamation	Lincoln’s declaration that slaves in states fighting the Union would be free. (Lesson 10)
emancipation	Freedom from bondage or slavery. (Lesson 9)
embargo	A government policy prohibiting trade of certain goods between nations. (Lesson 21)
encomienda	A system which granted land to the Spanish explorers while forcing the indigenous peoples into slavery. (Lesson 2)
Era of Good Feelings	Period after the War of 1812 during which the country felt unified and prosperous. (Lesson 7)
Erie Canal	An artificial waterway, constructed in 1825, that linked New York City to the Great Lakes via the Hudson River. (Lesson 8)
excise tax	A tax on a particular good or service. (Lesson 7)
Fascism	A form of government that has centralized authority under a dictator, strict social and economic controls, and censorship. (Lesson 18)
Federalist Papers	A collection of influential essays in support of the Constitution, written by James Madison, John Jay, and Alexander Hamilton. (Lesson 6)
Federalist	A person in favor of the Constitution and a strong central government. (Lesson 6)
Final Solution	Hitler's plan to eliminate the Jews from the collective gene pool. (Lesson 18)
Fort Sumter	A federal fort in Charleston, South Carolina fired on by the Confederate troops, starting the Civil War. (Lesson 10)
Forty-Niner	The name given to settlers who headed West in 1849. (Lesson 9)
free silver	The political movement advocating the unlimited coinage of silver. (Lesson 11)
Freedmen’s Bureau	A government program established during Reconstruction to help former slaves. (Lesson 11)
Freeport Doctrine	The position, held by Stephen Douglas, that slavery could legally be barred from the territories if the territorial legislatures simply refused to enact the type of police regulations necessary to make slavery work. (Lesson 10)
Fugitive Slave Act	A law that allowed slave owners to go into free territories and capture runaway slaves; mandated harsh penalties for helping slaves escape. (Lesson 10)
glacier	A large sheet of ice that moves slowly down a slope or valley. (Lesson 1)
gold standard	The monetary standard under which the basic unit of currency is equal in value to and exchangeable for a specified amount of gold. (Lesson 13)
government bond	A certificate of debt issued by the United States government guaranteeing payment of the original investment plus interest by a specified date. (Lesson 7)
Great Compromise	Established a Senate with equal state representation and a House of Representatives with proportional representation. (Lesson 6)
greenbacks	Paper money distributed after the Civil War; the Greenback Party formed to help farmers with their mounting debts. (Lesson 13)
headright system	A promise of 50 acres of land to colonists willing to pay their way to Jamestown. (Lesson 3)
Holocaust	The era of history in which Hitler tried to exterminate the Jewish race. (Lesson 18)
impeach	To formally accuse an official of a crime, in preparation for removing him or her from office. (Lesson 11)
Imperialism	The acquisition and governmental control of territories. (Lesson 15)
Inca	A civilization in Peru that built terraced hillside fields for agriculture. (Lesson 1)
indigenous	Originating or occurring naturally in a particular region or environment. (Intro)
industrialization	The process by which societies are transformed from dependence on agriculture and handmade products to an emphasis on manufacturing and related industries. (Lesson 8)
inflation	A rise in prices that results from a decrease in the value of currency. (Lesson 21)
International Atomic Energy Commission	An organization created by the United Nations to monitor the world’s atomic weapons. (Lesson 19)
Irish Potato Famine	An 1847 famine in Ireland due to a disease among the potato crop that caused famine and forced millions of Irish to immigrate to the United States. (Lesson 8)
Jim Crow laws	Laws that the Southern states passed to restrict the civil rights of blacks. (Lesson 11)
Kansas-Nebraska Act	An 1854 bill that split Nebraska Territory into Kansas and Nebraska, with the expectation that the residents of each would decide the status of slavery. (Lesson 10)
laissez-faire	An economic doctrine that opposes governmental regulation of or interference in commerce. (Lesson 11)
Louisiana Purchase	America’s 1803 acquisition of France’s Louisiana Territory, which doubled the size of the United States. (Lesson 7)
lynching	The practice of “mob justice” in the South, where a person, usually black, accused of a crime was attacked by a mob and hanged, burned, or tarred-and-feathered in a public spectacle. (Lesson 16)
Marbury v. Madison	Supreme Court decision in 1803 that established the Court’s power to overturn federal laws. (Lesson 7)
Maya	A people that built city-states in the Yucatan Peninsula. (Lesson 1)
McCulloch v. Maryland	An 1819 Supreme Court decision that established the primacy of the federal government over the states. (Lesson 7)
mercantilism	An effort by the British government to solidify its power and gain wealth by strictly regulating trade and commerce. (Lesson 5)
merit system	A system of using competitive examinations and other non-political criteria as a basis for appointment to public office. (Lesson 11)
Middle Passage	The route across the Atlantic Ocean from Africa to the West Indies, specifically the voyage of Africans abducted to be sold into slavery. (Lesson 4)
Missouri Compromise	The first congressional compromise on slavery, passed in 1820-21; among other provisions, it prohibited slavery in the area of the Louisiana Purchase north of the southern border of Missouri. (Lesson7, 10)
Monroe Doctrine	Foreign policy doctrine announced by President Monroe in 1823, calling for an end of European interference in America. (Lesson 7)
muckraker	A journalist who wrote stories attempting to expose corruption and promote reform. (Lesson 14)
mugwumps	Pro-reform Republicans who deserted their party in 1884 to support Democrat Grover Cleveland for president. (Lesson 11)
nation	A distinct Native American cultural group. (Lesson 1)
nationalism	Intense loyalty and devotion to one’s nation. (Lesson 16)
NATO	An treaty among the United States, Canada, and ten Western European nations to create an alliance against the threat of communism. (Lesson 19)
New South	The parts of the South that left behind the "Old South" of slavery and plantations and embraced industrialization and modernization. (Lesson 11)
Northwest Ordinance	The law that established the Northwest Territory and set the precedent for incorporating new territories and states into the Union. (Lesson 6)
nullify	The refusal of a U.S. state to recognize or enforce a federal law within its boundaries. (Lesson 8)
Olmec	Mesoamerican people that lived between 1500 and 400 BCE. (Lesson 1)
on margin	The practice of borrowing money to buy stocks. (Lesson 17)
oral tradition	The preservation of history and myth by the retelling of stories to each generation. (Intro)
Panic of 1837	An economic depression partly caused by Andrew Jackson's banking policies that struck during the term of President Van Buren. (Lesson 8)
peculiar institution	A euphemism for slavery. (Lesson 10)
Plessy v. Ferguson	A landmark case that ruled that the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth amendment dealt with political and not social equality; legitimized the doctrine of "separate but equal". (Lesson 11)
primary source	An account from a direct participant in a given event. (Intro)
pro-choice	The opinion that every woman should have control over her own fertility. (Lesson 20)
pro-life	The belief that life begins at conception and abortion is wrong. (Lesson 20)
propaganda	The intentional spread of information (oftentimes only partially true) to sway public opinion on a particular issue. (Lesson 15)
protectorate	A "parental" relationship between a larger country and a smaller colony. (Lesson 15)
Quasi-War	A series of hostile engagements between French and American ships in 1798. (Lesson 7)
Reaganomics	"Trickle-down economics," i.e. the policy of giving tax cuts to big businesses in hopes that the economic benefits would "trickle down" to all levels of society. (Lesson 22)
Reconstruction	The period (1865-1877) during which the states that had seceded to the Confederacy were controlled by the federal government before being readmitted to the Union. (Lesson 11)
Removal Act of 1830	A law that made it legal to forcibly remove Native Americans from their land. (Lesson 8)
repartimiento	The process that granted land and slaves to Spanish landowners. (Lesson 4)
repatriate	To return to one's country or region of origin. (Lesson 17)
Republican Party	Also called the Democratic-Republican Party; founded by Thomas Jefferson, supported small farmers and opposed a large central government; ancestor to the modern Democratic Party. (Lesson 7)
Second Bank of the United States	Successor to the First Bank; established to control the financial chaos after the War of 1812; disbanded by President Andrew Jackson in 1833. (Lesson 7)
secondary source	A non-participant’s interpretation of an event. (Intro)
sectionalism	excessive devotion to the interests of one region of the country over the country as a whole. (Lesson 7)
separate but equal	The doctrine that separate facilities for blacks and whites were not inherently unequal; gave legal sanction to segregation and discrimination. (Lesson 11)
Shays’ Rebellion	An armed revolt, led by Massachusetts farmer Daniel Shays, protesting the debt forced on farmers by Boston merchants. (Lesson 6)
Sherman Anti-Trust Act	Law passed in 1890 allowing the government to break up monopolies; not implemented until 1904 because of opposition from the Supreme Court. (Lesson 11)
sod	Strips of mud and grass used to build houses in the Pioneer West. (Lesson 12)
Solid South	A phrase used to describe the dominance of the Democratic Party in the South after the Civil War. (Lesson 11)
sound money	The gold standard, favored by William McKinley, who won the 1896 Presidential election. (Lesson 13)
speakeasy	A Prohibition-era establishment that served alcohol illegally. (Lesson 16)
spoils system	The practice of awarding government offices to political supporters. (Lesson 8)
stagflation	An economic condition of high prices and low wages. (Lesson 21)
states’ rights	The doctrine that federal powers should be curtailed and returned to the states. (Lesson 8)
stock	A part ownership of a company. (Lesson 12)
strike	The refusal to work by a group of employees. (Lesson 13)
Tammany Hall	The popular name for the Democratic political organization in New York City; Tammany Hall influenced and at times dominated politics in New York for over a century, offering patronage jobs to its supporters in exchange for votes. (Lesson 11)
Tariff of Abominations	The name opponents gave to the Tariff of 1828. (Lesson 8)
tariff	A tax levied on goods imported into a country; in most instances, tariffs are intended to make imported goods more expensive and thus less competitive with domestic products. (Lesson 11)
The Gilded Age	The name referring to the opulence, or showy display of wealth, exhibited by the upper classes in late 19th century America. (Lesson 11)
The Souls of Black Folk	The most important work by African American leader W.E.B. DuBois. (Lesson 11)
theater of war	An area of land, sea, or air that is the location of war or war operations. (Lesson 5)
tight money	Limited supply of money. (Lesson 13)
Trail of Tears	The forced removal of the Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, and Seminole tribes from their lands east of the Mississippi; many Indians died on the trip to their new lands in Oklahoma Indian Territory. (Lesson 8)
Treaty of Ghent	Treaty that ended the War of 1812. (Lesson 7)
Triangular Trade	Commerce linking Africa, the New World, and Europe; slaves were carried to America in exchange for sugar and tobacco, which were then transported to Europe. (Lesson 8)
trust	A group of companies that act in coordination to reduce competition and control prices. (Lesson 11)
Wade-Davis Bill	Congress' harsh plan for Reconstruction, which Lincoln declined to implement. (Lesson 11)
War of 1812	An inconclusive war between the United States and Britain, highly unpopular in New England but an important stimulus of national pride. (Lesson 7)
Whig Party	A party that originated as a coalition of opponents of Andrew Jackson, including southern states' rights advocates, western proponents of internal improvements, and northern supporters of the Bank of the United States; the Whigs disintegrated before the Civil War. (Lesson 8)
XYZ Affair	An incident between the United States and France that nearly led to a war. (Lesson 7)