characteristic - a feature or quality belonging typically to a person, place, or thing and serving to identify it.
democratic - relating to or supporting democracy or its principles.
egalitarianism - the doctrine that all people are equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities.
era - a long and distinct period of history with a particular feature or characteristic.
freedom - absence of subjection to foreign domination or despotic government.
independence - free from outside control; not depending on another's authority.
individualism - a social theory favoring freedom of action for individuals over collective or state control.
laissez-faire - abstention by governments from interfering in the workings of the free market. "HANDS OFF"
liberty - the positive enjoyment of various social, political, or economic rights and privileges.
populism - a political approach that strives to appeal to ordinary people who feel that their concerns are disregarded by established elite groups.
turning point - specific, significant moment when something begins to change.
unalienable rights - the rights that can never be forfeited. They're fundamental parts of humanity, the basis for moral interactions between people, and are irrevocable.
“E Pluribus Unum” - "Out of many, one" U.S. Motto
“In God We Trust” - Became motto during Cold War to become distinct from "Godless communists".
Bill of Rights - the first ten amendments to the US Constitution, ratified in 1791 and guaranteeing such rights as the freedoms of speech, assembly, and worship.
Declaration of Independence - the formal statement written by Thomas Jefferson declaring the freedom of the thirteen American colonies from Great Britain. An example of the Declaration of Independence was the document adopted at the Second Continental Congress on July 4th, 1776.