Unit 2: Exploration & Colonization
Terms
Mayflower Compact: governing document of the Plymouth colony.
Plantation: large farm in which crops are planted, cultivated, and harvested, mainly for sale.
Indentured servant: a person who works for another for a period of time, under contract, until a debt is repaid.
Lost Colony: the name associated with the mystery surrounding the Roanoke settlement.
People & Places
Jamestown: the first permanent English settlement in North America.
John Smith: soldier and brief leader of the Jamestown colony.
Roanoke: the earliest attempted English settlement in North America.
John White: leader of the Roanoke colony.
William Bradford: leader of the Plymouth colony.
Pilgrims: English separatists who sought religious freedom in North America.
Plymouth: location of the first Puritan settlement in North America.
New England Colonies: comprised of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Rhode Island.
Middle Colonies: comprised of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware.
Southern Colonies: comprised of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.
Concepts
Citizen: a community member who owes loyalty to a government.
Colony: a group of people living in an area under the supervision of a parent country somewhere else.
Government: the ruling authority for a community.
Conflict: a serious disagreement or argument between two or more parties.
Import: bringing goods or services into a country to sell or trade.
Export: sending goods or services to another country for profit.
Unit 3: American Revolution
Terms
Boston Tea Party: incident in which the Sons of Liberty dumped 142 chests of tea into Boston Harbor.
Boston Massacre: incident in which unarmed protesters were killed by British soldiers.
Declaration of Independence: statement from Continental Congress declaring the colonies sovereign and independent.
Continental Congress: body of delegates who spoke and acted directly on behalf of American independence.
Minutemen: voluntary, local militia prepared to fight at a moment's notice.
People & Places
Loyalist: one who remained devoted to Great Britain.
Patriot: one who fought for independence.
George Washington: commander of the Continental army.
Thomas Jefferson: primary author of the Declaration of Independence.
Benjamin Franklin: U.S. diplomat to France during the Revolutionary War.
Charles Cornwallis: commander of the British army.
Paul Revere: Boston silversmith who became famous for his "Midnight Ride".
Lexington & Concord: location of the start of the American Revolutionary War.
Saratoga: location of the turning point of the American Revolutionary War.
Yorktown: location of British surrender in the American Revolutionary War.
Concepts
Levy: to impose or collect a tax.
Massacre: the killing of many people unable to defend themselves.
Boycott: to protest by refusing to buy a certain product or service.
Revolution: a forcible overthrow of government or social order.
Guerilla warfare: the use of hit-and-run tactics by small, mobile groups.
Unit 4: Constitution & First Presidents
Terms
Bill of Rights: the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
U.S. Constitution: the fundamental law of the United States; "law of the land".
Electoral College: comprised of 538 electors who vote to determine the result of a presidential election.
Executive branch: responsible for enforcing laws.
Legislative branch: responsible for creating laws.
Judicial branch: responsible for interpreting laws.
Checks and balances: a system in which the three branches of U.S. government have powers that affect one another.
People & Places
Cabinet: the body of advisors to the President of the United States.
House of Representatives: legislative body comprised of 435 elected officials; 2-year term in office.
Senate: legislative body comprised of 100 elected officials; 6-year term in office.
Washington, D.C.: capital of the United States.
Speaker of the House: head of the House of Representatives.
Vice-President of the United States: head of the Senate.
Concepts
Amend: to change or add.
Precedent: something that sets standard for future events.
Preamble: a brief introduction.
Repeal: to remove or take away.
Impeach: to charge a public office holder with misconduct.
Campaign: an organized course of action to achieve a goal.
Unit 5: Westward Expansion
Terms
Louisiana Purchase: the acquisition of territory by the United States from France in 1803.
War of 1812: a conflict resulting from British restrictions on U.S. trade and an American desire for territorial expansion.
Monroe Doctrine: stated that any intervention in U.S. politics by another nation would be considered a hostile act.
Jeffersonian Era: period that emphasized democracy and republicanism.
Jacksonian Era: period that emphasized democracy and the "common man".
Trail of Tears: network of routes for the forced displacement and ethnic cleansing of the "Five Civilized Tribes" between 1830 and 1850.
People & Places
Thomas Jefferson: third president of the United States; served two terms.
Lewis and Clark: explorers who led an expedition to learn about the Louisiana Territory.
James Madison: fourth president of the United States; served two terms.
Sacajawea: Native American woman who helped in the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Andrew Jackson: seventh president of the United States; served two terms.
New Orleans: site of the final battle of the War of 1812.
Ghent: site of the signing of the peace treaty ending the War of 1812.
Concepts
Patriotism: devotion to and vigorous support of one's country.
Impressment: enforcement of military service on unwilling people through violent methods.
Negotiate: to confer and discuss in order to settle a matter.
Cartography: the science or practice of drawing maps.
Expedition: a journey or voyage by a group of people with a particular purpose.
Adversity: facing difficulty or misfortune.
Bombardment: a continuous attack with bombs or shells.
Unit 6: Civil War & Reconstruction
Terms
Anaconda Plan: war strategy of the Union.
Attrition: war strategy of the Confederacy.
Union: states that remained loyal to the U.S. government.
Confederacy: states that left the United States to form their own country.
Border States: slave states that did not secede from the Union.
Reconstruction: the period following the Civil War in which the Southern states were reintegrated into the Union.
Thirteenth Amendment: abolished slavery in the United States.
American Indian Wars: a series of armed conflicts between U.S. soldiers and Native American tribes.
Ghost Dance Movement: attempted to rehabilitate traditional Native American culture.
People & Places
Abraham Lincoln: sixteenth president of the United States; served one term.
Jefferson Davis: first and only president of the Confederate States of America.
Frederick Douglas: prominent nineteenth century social reformer, abolitionist, orator, and writer.
Harriet Tubman: prominent nineteenth century abolitionist and social activist who led more than 70 slaves to freedom on the Underground Railroad.
Ulysses S. Grant: commander of Union forces during the Civil War.
Robert E. Lee: commander of Confederate forces during the Civil War.
Gettysburg: site of the the most important battle of the Civil War.
Andrew Johnson: seventeenth president of the United States; served one term.
Oregon Trail: route used by hundreds of thousands of Americans traveling West in the mid-19th Century.
Sitting Bull: leader of the Sioux tribe.
Concepts
Abolition: the act of officially ending or stopping something.
Secede: to withdraw from an organization.
Assimilation: the process through which individuals or groups from different cultural heritage adopt the beliefs, customs, and ways of life of another culture.
Culture: the customs, arts, social institutions, and achievements of a particular nation, people, or social group.
Heritage: the inherited resources and attributes of a group or society from past generations.
Integrate: to form, coordinate, or blend into a unified group.