Chapter One
 
culture
a people’s way of life, including beliefs, customs, food, dwellings and clothing
 
cultural region
an area in which a group of people share a similar culture and language
 
environment
all of the physical surroundings in a place, including, land, water, animals, plants, and climate
 
migrate
to move from one place and establish a home in a new place. A move of a large number of people is called a migration, and the people who move are called migrants.
 
natural resources
useful material found in nature including water, vegetation, animals, and minerals
 
Chapter Two
 
colony
a new settlement or territory established and governed by a country in another land
 
Columbian Exchange
the exchange of plants, animals, diseases, and people across the Atlantic Ocean between Europe and the Americas
 
conquistadors
Spanish soldier-explorers, especially those who conquered the native peoples of Mexico and Peru
 
coureurs de bois
French fur trappers who learned many skills from the American Indians with whom they worked and lived
 
missionaries
a person who travels to a territory or community in order to make converts to his or her religion
 
slavery
the treatment of people as property. People who are denied freedom in this way are said to be enslaved.
 
Chapter Three
 
cash crops
a crop, such as tobacco, sugar, and cotton, raised in large quantities and sold for profit
 
charter
a formal document issued by the king that outlined a colony’s geographic boundaries and specified how it would be governed
 
democratic
ruled by the people. The power to govern belongs to the people.
 
Mayflower Compact
an agreement that Pilgrims wrote and signed describing how they would govern themselves in the Americas
 
mercantilism
an economic policy in which nations tried to gain wealth by controlling trade and establishing colonies
 
slave trade
the business of capturing, transporting, and selling people as slaves
 
Chapter Four
 
English Bill of Rights
an act passed by Parliament in 1689 that limited the monarch’s power by giving certain powers to Parliament and listing specific rights of the citizens
 
Great Awakening
a revival of religious feeling and belief in the American colonies that began in the 1730s
 
Magna Carta
an agreement made in 1215 listing the rights granted by King John to all free men of the kingdom
 
Parliament
the lawmaking body of England, consisting of representatives from throughout the kingdom
 
rights
powers or privileges that belong to people as citizens and that cannot or should not be taken away by the government
 

UNIT TWO 

 
Chapter Five
 
boycott
to refuse to but one or more goods from a certain source
 
militia
a militia army made up of ordinary citizens who are trained to fight in an emergency
 
repeal
to take back, or cancel, a law
 
tyranny
the unjust use of government power. A ruler who uses power in this way is called a tyrant.
 
Chapter Six
 
Common Sense
a pamphlet published in 1776 by Thomas Paine that persuaded many American colonists to support independence
 
Declaration of Independence
the document written to declare the American colonies as an independent nation, free from British rule
 
independence
Freedom from control by another government or country
 
natural rights
rights common to everyone, as opposed to those given by law
 
petition
a formal, written request made to an official person or organization
 
Chapter Seven
 
ally
a nation that  joins another nation in some common effort, such as fighting a war
 
American Revolution
the struggle of the colonies in North American to gain their independence from Great Britain
 
Continental Army
the American army during the American Revolution
 
strategy
an overall plan, such as for winning a war
 
 

UNIT THREE

 
Chapter Eight
 
Articles of Confederation
the first written plan of government for the United States. A confederation is an association of states that cooperate for a common purpose
 
constitution
a written plan that provides the basic framework of a government
 
Constitutional Convention
a meeting held in Philadelphia in 1787 at which delegates from the states wrote the U.S. Constitution
 
Electoral College
the group established by the Constitution to elect the president and vice president. Voters in each state choose their electors.
 
Enlightenment
the “Age of Reason” in 17th- and 18th- century Europe. Enlightenment thinkers emphasized using rational thought to discover truths about nature and society.
 
Federalist Papers
a series of essays written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay in support of the ratification of the Constitution by the states 
 
Great Compromise
the plan of government adopted at the Constitutional Convention that established a two-house Congress. In the House of Representatives, representation from each state is based on state population. In the Senate, each state is represented by two senators.
 
Northwest Territory
 A region of the United States bounded b the Ohio and Mississippi rivers and the Great Lakes. The region was given to the United States by the Treaty of Paris in 1783.
 
Northwest Ordinance
a law passed by Congress in 1787 that passed by Congress in 1787 that specified how western lands would be governed
 
ratify
to formally approve a plan or an agreement
 
republic
a country governed by elected representatives
 
Three-Fifths Compromise
An agreement made at the Constitutional Convention stating that enslaved persons would be counted as three-fifths of a person when determining a state’s population for representation in the House of Representative.
 
Chapter Nine
 
checks and balances
the system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other two branches
 
executive branch
the part of the government that carries out the laws
 
federalism
the constitutional system that shares power between the national and state governments
 
interest group
an organization that actively promotes the view of some part of the public on specific issues in order to influence government policy
 
interstate commerce
trade and other business dealings between two or more states
 
judicial branch
the part of the government , consisting of the Supreme Court and lower federal courts, that interpret the laws
 
judicial review
the power of the Supreme Court to decide whether laws and acts made by the legislative and executive branches are unconstitutional
 
legislative branch
the lawmaking part of government
 
majority rule
a basic principle of democracy that says laws are passed by majority vote and elections are decided by a majority of the voters
 
popular sovereignty
the idea that the government’s authority comes from the people
 
Chapter Ten
 
Bill of Rights
a formal listing of the basic rights of U.S. citizens
 
defendant
a person who is required to defend himself or herself in a legal action
 
double jeopardy
putting a person on trial more than once for the same crime
 
due process
the concept that the government must follow clear rules and act reasonably as it carries out the law
 
self-incrimination
giving testimony that can be used against one’s self
 
warrant
an order from a judge that authorizes police or other officials to take certain action, such as searching someone’s property
 
Chapter Eleven
 
loose construction
a broad interpretation of the Constitution, meaning that Congress has powers beyond those specifically given in the Constitution
 
nullify
to refuse to recognize a federal law. This action by a state is called nullification.
 
sedition
the crime of encouraging rebellion against the government
 
states’ rights theory
the theory that rights not specifically given to the federal government by the Constitution remain with the states
 
strict construction
a narrow interpretation of the Constitution, meaning that Congress has only those powers specifically given in the Constitution
 
Washington’s Farewell Address
George Washington’s parting message to the nation, given in 1796, in which he warned of threats to the nation’s future
 
Whiskey Rebellion
a revolt by farmers in 1794 against an excise tax on whiskey
  
Chapter Twelve
 
blockade
a closing off of an area to keep people or supplies from going in or out neutrality
a policy of not choosing sides in a dispute or war between other countries
 
embargo
a government order that forbids trade with another country
 
isolationism
a policy of avoiding political or military agreements with other countries
 
Monroe Doctrine
President James Monroe’s declaration in 1823 that the Western Hemisphere was no longer open to European colonization
 
neutrality
a policy of not choosing sides in a dispute or war between other countries
 
 

 UNIT FOUR

 
Chapter Thirteen
 
American System
a proposal to the government that called for taxes on imports, federally funded transportation projects, and a new national bank
 
capitalism
an economic system based on the private ownership of farms and businesses
 
folk art
art made by ordinary people (as opposed to trained artists) using traditional methods
 
frontier
unexplored wilderness at the edge of the country
 
spiritual
a religious folk song of African American origin
 
Chapter Fourteen
 
civil servant
an employee of the government
 
Jacksonian Democracy
the idea that the common people  should control the government
 
secede
to withdraw from an organization or alliance
 
spoils system
the practice of rewarding political supporters with government jobs
 
tariff
a tax imposed by the government on goods imported from another country
 
Trail of Tears
the removal of Cherokee Indians from Georgia to Indian Territory in 1838 and 1839 
 
Chapter Fifteen
 
annex
to add a territory to a country
 
diplomacy
the art of conducting negotiations with other countries
 
manifest destiny
the belief that is was America’s right and duty to spread the nation across the North American continent
 
Mexican-American War
the war with Mexico from 1846 to 1847 that resulted in Mexico ceding to the United States a huge region from Texas to California
 
territory
a region of land; also a region designated by Congress and organized under a governor
 
Texas War for Independence
the 1836 rebellion of Texans against Mexican rule that resulted in Texas becoming an independent nation
 
Chapter Sixteen
 
Forty-niners
the people who joined the rush for gold in California in 1849
 
legacy
a person’s or a group’s impact on future generations
 
Lewis and Clark expedition
a journey made from 1804 to 1806 by Merriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore the territory gained in the Louisiana Purchase
 
Mormons
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ pf Latter-Day Saints, founded by Joseph Smith in 1830
 
Oregon Trail
an overland route that stretched about 2,ooo miles from Independence, Missouri, to the Columbia River in Oregon
 
rancho
a land grant made by the Mexican government, used mostly for raising cattle and crops
 
Chapter Seventeen
 
Irrigation
a system for bringing water to farmland by artificial means, such as using a dam to trap water and ditches to channel it to fields
 
Mexicanos
Spanish-speaking people who, in the 1800s, lived in parts of the United States that previously belonged to Mexico
 
  

UNIT FIVE

     Chapter Eighteen
 
abolitionist
a person who supported abolition, or the ending of slavery
 
Declaration of Sentiments
a formal statement of injustices suffered by women, written by the organizers of the Seneca Falls Convention
 
reform
to make changes in order to bring about improvement, end abuses, or correct injustices
 
Second Great Awakening
a revival of religious feeling and belief from the 1800s to the 1840s
 
Seneca Falls Convention
the gathering of supporters of women’s rights in July 1848 that launched the movement for women’s right to vote
 
Transcendentalism
a philosophy emphasizing that people should transcend or go beyond, logical thinking to reach true understanding, with the help of emotions and intuition
 
Chapter Nineteen
 
agrarian
person who favors an agricultural way of life and government policies that support agricultural interests
 
cotton gin
a hand-operated machine that cleans seeds and other unwanted material from cotton
 
deforestation
the clearing away of forests
 
immigrant
a person who moves from one country to another
 
Industrial Revolution
the dramatic change in economics and cultures brought about by the use of machines to do work formerly done by hand
 
industrialist
a person whose wealth comes from the ownership of industrial businesses and who favors government policies that support industry
plantation
a  large area of privately owned land where crops were grown through the labor of workers who lived on the land
 
Chapter Twenty
 
discrimination
unequal treatment based on a person’s race, gender, religion, place of birth, or other arbitrary characteristics
 
Nat Turner’s Rebellion
a slave rebellion led by Nat Turner that took place in Virginia in 1831
 
oppression
the feeling of being weighed down or held back by severe and unfair force
 
racism
a belief that one race is superior to another
 
segregation
the social separation of groups of people, especially by race
 
Underground Railroad
a secret network of free blacks and whites who helped thousands of slaves escape to free states and to Canada
 
Chapter Twenty-One
 
Compromise of 1850
the agreements made in order to admit California into the Union as a free state.  These agreements included allowing the New Mexico and Utah territories to decide whether to allow slavery, outlawing the slave trade in Washington, D.C. and creating a stronger fugitive slave law
 
Dred Scott decision
a Supreme Court decision in 1857 that held that African Americans could never be citizens of the United States and that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional
 
fugitive
a person who flees or tries to escape
 
Kansas-Nebraska Act
an act passed in 1854 that created the Kansas and Nebraska territories and abolished the Missouri Compromise by allowing settlers to determine whether slavery would be allowed in the new territories
 
Lincoln-Douglas debates
a series of political debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas, who were candidates in the Illinois race for U.S. senator, in which slavery was the main issue
 
Missouri Compromise
an agreement made by Congress in 1820 under which Missouri was admitted to the Union as a slave state and Maine was admitted as a free state
 
Union
the United States as one nation united under a single government
 
Wilmot Proviso
a proposal made in 1846 to prohibit slavery in the territory added to the United States as a result of the Mexican-American War
 
Chapter Twenty-Two
 
Appomattox Court House
a village in Virginia that was the site of the Confederate surrender to Union forces under the command of General Ulysses S. Grant
 
civil war
a war between opposing groups of citizens from the same country
 
Confederacy
another name for the Confederate States of America, made up of the 11 states that seceded from the Union
 
Emancipation Proclamation
an order issued by President Lincoln on January 1, 1863, declaring slaves in the Confederate states to be free
 
Gettysburg Address
a speech by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863 at the site of the Battle of Gettysburg in memory of the Union soldiers who had died trying to protect the ideals of freedom upon which the nation was founded
 
habeus corpus
the right of an accused person to appear in court so a judge can determine whether he or she is being imprisoned lawfully