Unit 1 Foundations of the American Republic
acquitted
Declared not guilty.
astrolabe
An astronomical instrument used to measure the altitude of the sun or stars.
bourgeoisie
Property owners and businesspeople as a class, as contrasted with the working class or proletariat.
burgess
A member of the lower house of the colonial legislature in Virginia.
capital
The amount of money or property that a company or a person uses in carrying on a business; national or individual wealth as produced by industry and available for reinvestment in the production of goods.
chattel
An item of movable property.
colonization
The establishment of a colony or colonies.
dissenter
A Protestant in England or Scotland who belongs to some church other than the established church.
emigrant
A person who leaves his or her own country or region to settle in another.
immigrant
A person who comes into a foreign country or region to live.
indigenous
Originating in the region or country where found; native.
indulgences
The practice that eternal punishment for sin may be lessened by doing good works, known as "doing penance."
inflation
A sharp or sudden rise in prices resulting from too great expansion in paper money or bank credit.
Islam
The religion founded by Mohammed. In its essence Islam holds to the doctrine of the unity and omnipotence of Allah, and of the responsibility of every human being to Allah.
joint-stock company
A company whose capital is owned in shares by stockholders, any one of whom can sell some or all of his or her shares without the consent of the others.
latitude
Distance north or south of the equator, measured in degrees. A degree of latitude is about 69 miles (111 km).
longitude
Distance east or west on the earth's surface, measured in degrees from a certain meridian (line from the North Pole to the South Pole). Usually the meridian in Greenwich, England, known as the Prime Meridian, is used as a starting point.
malaria
An infectious disease, caused by a parasite that is transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito, that causes periods of chills, sweating, and fevers.
medieval
Belonging to or having to do with the Middle Ages (the years from about A.D. 500 to 1450).
mercantilism
The economic system prevailing in Europe in the 1500s and 1600s which favored a balance of exports over imports, national wealth being measured by the amount of gold and silver possessed.
mercenary
A soldier hired for pay by a foreign state.
Middle Ages
The period in European history between ancient and modern times, from about A.D. 500 to 1450.
palisade
A strong fence or defensive work consisting of pointed wooden stakes set firmly and closely together in the ground. Used for defense of frontier forts.
patroon
A landowner who had certain privileges under the former Dutch government of New York. A patroon usually owned a large amount of land.
piedmont
A plateau or district lying along or near the foot of a mountain range.
propagated
To reproduce, to increase in number or intensity.
proprietary colony
Belonging to a proprietor; owned by a private person.
Puritan
A person who wanted simpler forms of worship and stricter morals than others did in the Protestant church during the 1500s and 1600s. Many Puritans settled in New England.
quitrent
A fixed rent paid in money, instead of services rendered.
Reformation
A religious movement in Europe during the 1500s and 1600s that resulted in the creation of Protestant churches.
Renaissance
The great revival of art and learning in Europe during the 1300s, 1400s, and 1500s.
Saracens
Muslim Turks who conquered the Arabs in the A.D. 1000s leading to the Crusades.
Separatists
Any of the believers who broke from the Church of England during the reign of James I.
theology
A system of religious beliefs.
tidewater
Low-lying land along a seacoast through which tides flow.
Toleration Act
The law enacted in Maryland that allowed the colonists to have freedom of religion.
Unit 2 Development of Constitutional Government
ally
A person, group, or nation united with another for some special purpose.
Antifederalist
Somebody who opposed the Constitution of the United States and the idea of a strong national government.
boycott
To refrain by concerted action from using or purchasing a product or service.
compromise
The settlement of a disagreement when each party gives up part of his or her demands.
democracy
A government run by the people who live under it. People rule either directly through meetings that all may attend, or indirectly through the election of representatives.
emancipation
The act or process of setting free; release.
Federalist
Somebody who supported the Constitution of the United States and the idea of a strong national government.
Loyalist
An American colonist who opposed independence for the American colonies at the time of the Revolutionary War; a Tory.
mercantilism
The economic system prevailing in Europe in the 1500s and 1600s which favored a balance of exports over imports, national wealth being measured by the amount of gold and silver possessed.
mercenary
A soldier hired for pay by a foreign state.
privateer
An armed ship owned by private persons and holding a government commission to attack and capture.
ratification
Confirmation; approval.
suffrage
The right to vote.
treaty
An agreement, especially one between nations, signed and approved by each nation.
Unit 3 National Expansion
Antifederalist
Somebody who opposed the Constitution of the United States and the idea of a strong national government.
blockade
Control of who or what goes into or out of a place, especially by police or by an army or by a navy.
boycott
To refrain by concerted action from using or purchasing a product or service.
cabinet
A group of advisors chosen by the head of a nation to help in government.
caucus
A meeting of members of a political party to make plans, choose candidates, or decide how to vote.
democracy
A government run by the people who live under it. People rule either directly through meetings that all may attend, or indirectly through the election of representatives.
electoral college
The group of people chosen by the voters to elect a President and Vice President of the United States.
electors
Members of the electoral college.
embargo
An order restricting certain goods and/or ships from entering or leaving a country.
excise tax
A tax on the manufacture, sell, or use of certain articles.
Federalist
A member or supporter of the Federalist Party in the United States.
Federalist Party
A political party in the United States that favored the adoption of the Constitution and, later, the establishment of a strong central government. It existed from about 1791 to about 1816.
impress
To force people to serve in a navy or army.
inauguration
The act or ceremony of installing a President into office.
inflation
A sharp or sudden rise in prices resulting from too great expansion in paper money or bank credit.
Monroe Doctrine
The doctrine that European nations should not interfere with American nations or try to acquire more territory in the Western Hemisphere. The Monroe Doctrine was derived from President Monroe's message in Congress on December 2, 1823 and became a part of United States foreign policy.
neutrality
The attitude or policy of a nation that does not take part directly or indirectly in a war between other nations.
nullify
To make void.
ratify
To confirm, approve.
republic
A nation or state in which the citizens elect representatives to manage the government, which is usually headed by a president rather than a monarch.
Republicans
Formerly, the Democratic Republicans, formed in 1792. These Republicans were comparable to today's Democrats.
sectionalism
Support for one section without regard for the needs of the other sections or the nation as a whole.
speculation
The act or practice of buying or selling when there is a large risk with the hopes of making a profit from future price changes.
spoils system
The system or practice in which public offices were awarded to supporters of the winning party.
squatter
A person who settles on land without title or right.
suffrage
The right to vote.
tariff
A duty levied by a government on imported or exported goods.
wildcat bank
Prior to the passage of the National Bank Act of 1863-64, a bank operation with insufficient capital to redeem its circulating notes.
Unit 4 A Nation Divided
abolitionist
A person who wants to do away with some rule or custom.
antebellum
The time before the American Civil War.
arsenal
A building for making and storing arms and military equipment.
boycott
To refrain by concerted action from using or purchasing a product or service.
buttress
To support and strengthen something.
cede
To give up, surrender, or hand over something to another.
chattel
An item of movable property.
compromise
The settlement of a disagreement when each party gives up part of his or her demands.
confiscate
To take by authority, or as if by authority.
deplete
To reduce by destroying or consuming.
depression
A reduction in the amount of jobs, money, and goods.
despotism
A government of tyranny or oppression led by an absolute ruler.
durante vita
During life.
emancipation
The act or process of setting free; release.
embargo
An order restricting certain goods and/or ships from entering or leaving a country.
emigrate
To leave a country to live in another place.
immigrant
A person who comes into a foreign country or region to live.
indentured servant
A colonist who contracted to work for another colonist for a certain period of time.
malinger
To pretend to be sick or injured in order to escape work or duty.
manifest destiny
The idea that the United States should extend from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
manumit
To release from slavery.
nullification
The action of a state setting aside a national law it considers unconstitutional.
optimal
The most favorable or best.
polarize
To acquire two opposite views, principles, or tendencies.
quarter
A certain part of a community; a place to live.
secede
To leave an organized group.
sectionalism
Support for one section without regard for the needs of the other sections or the nation as a whole.
sovereignty
Supreme political power or authority.
stereotypes
Oversimplified images of a person or group held in common by members of a group.
tariff
A duty levied by a government on imported or exported goods.
venerate
To regard with deep respect.
Unit 5Â A Nation Divided and United
agrarian
Organized or designed to promote agricultural interests.
artisan
One trained in some mechanic art or trade.
blockade
Control of who or what goes into or out of a place, especially by police or by an army or by a navy.
drainage basin
A land drained by a river and its tributaries.
emancipation
The act or process of setting free; release.
enfranchisement
To admit to citizenship.
fall line
Place where rivers descend in falls or rivers from a piedmont to a plain.
growing season
The period between the last killing frost in the spring and the first killing frost in the fall.
habeas corpus
An order to bring a person before a court to find whether or not he is being held lawfully.
impeachment
Charge of misbehavior in office against a government official.
literacy test
Test required to indicate the ability of a person to read and write English or to present evidence, such as a school diploma, of his ability to read and write.
piedmont
A plateau or district lying along or near the foot of a mountain range.
poll tax
A money payment, usually one or two dollars, required of a person before he could vote. This tax was common in the Southern states.
Republican Radicals
A group in Congress that wished to deal harshly with the defeated South.
sod
Soil filled with the roots of grass, herbs, and so forth.
specie
Money in the form of coins; metal money.