Covenant Community – – –A covenant community is a religious group whose members bind themselves to one another and to the group by a solemn agreement called a covenant
Direct Democracy – – –Form of government in which people vote on policy initiatives directly, as opposed to a representative democracy in which people vote for representatives who then vote on policy initiatives
Indentured Servant – – –A person who has contracted to work for another for a limited period, often in return for travel expenses, and sustenance
Virginia House of Burgesses – – –The first elected assembly in the New World, established in 1619
Joint-stock Company– – – Businesses in which investors pool their wealth or a common purpose
Puritans – – –Members of a group that wanted to eliminate all traces of Roman Catholic ritual and traditions in the Church of England
Quakers – – –Members of the Society of Friends, a religious group persecuted for its beliefs in 17th century England
Middle Passage – – –The voyage that brought enslaved Africans to the West Indies and later to North America
Jonathan Edwards – – –A major leader during the Great Awakening; Stay stationary to spread the word
John Locke – – –The Declaration of Independence were based of his writings in the Social Contract; Man had unalienable rights that consisted of life, liberty, and property
Thomas Jefferson– – – Author of the Declaration of Independence; Also wrote Virginia Statue for Religious Freedom; Doubled the size of the U.S. through the Louisiana Purchase
Stamp Act – – –A 1765 law in which Parliament established the first direct taxation of goods and services within the Britist colonies in North America
Patrick Henry – – –Quoted for saying "Give me liberty, or give me death"
Patriots – – –Colonists who supported American independence from Britain
Neutrals – – –Those who refused to take part in a war between other nations
Lexington and Concord– – – Battle that started the Revolutionary War
Saratoga – – –Battle that is considered the turning point of the Revolutionary War
Ben Franklin– – – Prime Minister to France during the Revolutionary War, encouraged the French to join U.S. in the Revolutionary War
Stamp Act Congress – – –Meeting held between October 7 and 25, 1765 in New York City, consisting of representatives from some British colonies of North America; it was the first gathering of elected representatives from several of the American colonies to devise a unified protest against new British taxation
Separation of Powers– – – The state is divided into branches, each with separate and independent powers and areas of responsibility so that no one branch has more power than the other branches. The normal division of branches is into an executive, a legislature, and a judiciary
New Jersey Plan– – – Favored by small states; Offered the idea of a unicameral (one house) legislature in which all states would have an equal number of votes
Bill of Rights– – – The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, added in 1791 and consisting of a formal list of citizen's rights and freedoms
Anti-Federalists – – –An opponent of a strong central government
Great Compromise– – – The Constitution Convention's agreement to establish a two-house national legislature, with all states having equal representation in one house and each state having representation based on its population in the other house
Democratic-Republicans – – –Political party known for its support of strong state governments, founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1792 in opposition to the Federalists Party
Election of 1800 – – –Thomas Jefferson won after a tie; It was the first peaceful transfer of power from one party to another
Judicial Review – – –The Supreme Court's power to declare an act of Congress unconstitutional
Gibbons vs. Ogden – – –Landmark decision in which the Supreme Court of the United States held that the power to regulate interstate commerce was granted to Congress by the Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution
Trail of Tears – – –The marches in which the Cherokee people were forcibly removed from Georgia to the Indian Territory in 1838-1840, with thousands of the Cherokee dying on the way
Andrew Jackson – – –Implemented the first presidential veto against the National Bank, introduced the Spoils System, advocated for the Trail of Tears
Spoils System – – –The practice of winning candidates' rewarding their supporters with government jobs
National Bank– – – A bank owned by the state. An ordinary private bank which operates nationally as opposed to regionally or locally or even internationally
Missouri Compromise– – – A series of agreements passed by Congress in 1820-1821 to maintain the balance of power between slave states and free states
Harriett Beecher Stowe– – – Wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin
Gabriel Prosser– – – Planned a slave revolt in Virginia in 1800 that failed before it could get underway; Persecuted and executed
Kansas-Nebraska Act 1854;– – – Law that called for the creation of these two new territories and stated that citizens in each territory decide whether slavery would be allowed there
Abraham Lincoln – – –16th President during the Civil War; Republican
Popular Sovereignty– – – policy of lettinng the people in a territory decide whether slavery would be allowed there
Seneca Falls Declaration– – – Early and influential women's rights convention held in Seneca Falls, New York, July 19-20, 1848
Susan B Anthony – – –Women's right activists
Jefferson Davis – – –President of the Confederacy during the Civil War
Gettysburg Address – – –A famous speech by President Lincoln on the meaning of the Civil War
Fort Sumter – – –Federal fort in the harbor of Charleston, SC; The Confederate attack on the fort marked the start of the Civil War
Battle of Vicksburg– – – Civil War battle in Mississippi that was won by the Union and allowed for Union forces to gani control of the Mississippi River
Ulysses S. Grant – – –General of the Union Army during the Civil War
Appomattox – – –Where the Confederate Surrender of the Civil War was signed
Radical Republican – – –One of the congressional Republicans who after the Civil War wanted to destory the political power of the former slaveholders and give African Americans full citizenship and the right to vote
13th Amendment– – – Freed slaves; (1-3 SLAVES ARE FREE!)
15th Amendment– – – Provided slaves with voting rights; (1-5 PICK A SIDE!)
Jim Crow Laws– – – Laws that required segregration of public services by race
Freedman's Bureau– – – A federal agency set up to help former slaves after the Civil War
Ellis Island – – –Major port for immigrants upon entering New York City
New Immigrants– – – Immigrants from Eastern Europe and Asia
Chinese Exclusion Act 1862;– – – Law that prohibited Chinese laborers from entering the country but did not prevent entry of those who had previously established U.S. residence
Henry Bessemer– – – Inventor of Bessemer Steel Process; made it cheaper and easier to remove impurities to create steel
Tenement Housing– – – A multifamily urban dwelling, usually overcrowded and unsanitary
Thomas Edison – – –Inventor of the lightbulb
The Wright Brothers– – – Inventors of the airplane and air flight
J.P. Morgan– – – Created a monolopy over the banking industry
Cornelius Vanderbilt– – – Created a monolopy over the railroad industry
Plessey v. Ferguson – – –An 1896 case in which the Supreme Court ruled that separation of the races in public accomodations was legal, thus establishing the "separate but equal" doctrine
Ida B. Wells– – – Started an anti-lynching crusade in support of African Americans
W.E.B Duboios– – –African American scholar and leader who encouraged African Americans to attend colleges to develop leadership skills
Haymarket Square Affair – – –1866 labor-related violence in Chicago
Pullman Strike – – –1894 railway workers' strike that spread nationwide
17th Amendment – – –An amendment to the U.S. Constituion, adopted in 1913, that provides for the election of U.S. senators by the people rather than by state legislatures
18th Amendment – – –Amendment for Phohibition (1-8 STEM 'EM STRAIGHT)
Theodore Roosevelt – – –President during Imperialism, "Speak softly and carry a big stick"
Open Door Policy – – –Policy that ensured all nations had equal trading rights with China
Dollar Diplomacy – – –President Taft urged American banks and bussiness to invest in Latin American; sought to increase and protect US investments abroad
League of Nations– – – An association of nations established in 1920 to promote international cooperation and peace
Woodrow Wilson– – – President during WWI
Treaty of Versailles– – – The 1919 peace treaty at the end of World War I which established new nations, borders, and war reparations
Referendum – – –Process that allows citizens to approve or reject a law passed by their legislature
Initiative– – – A process in which citizens can put a proposed new law directly on the ballot in the next election by collecting voter's signatures on a petition
The New Deal – – –President Franklin Roosevelt's program to alleviate the problems of the Great Depression, focusing on relief for the needy, economic recovery, and financial reform
3 R's in the New Deal Legislation – – –Relief, recovery, reform
AAA – – –Agricultural Adjustment Act; A law enacted in 1933 to raise crop prices by paying farmers to leave a certain amount of their land unplanted, thus lower production
Social Security– – – A law enacted in 1935 to provide aid to retirees, the unemployed, people with disabilities, and families with dependent children
Black Friday – – –The day following Thanksgiving Day in the United States, traditionally the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. On this day, most major retailers open extremely early, often at 4 a.m., or earlier, and offer promotional sales to kick off the shopping season
Adolf Hitler – – –Totalitarian dictator of Germany
Defeat Hitler First – – –Allied military strategy in the European Theater
Lend Lease Act – – –A law passed in 1941, that allowed the US to ship arms and other supplies without immediate payment, to Nations fighting the Axis powers
Pearl Harbor – – –December 7,1941; Japan carried out an air attack on the American Naval Base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan
D-Day – – –June 6, 1944; Normandy
Stalingrad – – –Month long seige that prevented Germany from getting oil fields in the Soviet Union. Turned the tide against Germany in the East
Hiroshima and Nagasaki – – –Truman ordered the dropping of the Atomic bomb to force Japan to surrender
Allied Powers In WWI– – –, the group of nations-originally consisting of Great Britain, France and Russia and later joined by the United States, Italy and others that opposed the Central Powers. In WWII, the group of nations-including Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and the United States that opposed the Axis Powers
Battle of El Alamein– – – German forces threatened to seize Egypt and the Suez Canal and were defeated by the British. This prevented Hitler from gaining access to Middle Easten Oil
Holocaust – – –Hitler's plan to exterminate all German jews and undesireables
Navajo Code– – – The U.S. Military employed this code during WWII, which was impossible for the Japanese to break or understand
Genocide – – –Systematic and purposeful destruction of a racial, political, religious, or cultural group.
Nuremburg Trials – – –The court preceedings held in Nuremburg, Germany after WWII, in which Nazi leaders were charged with war crimes
War Bonds – – –Debt securities issued by a government for the purpose of financing military operations during times of war
Rosie the Riveter – – –Figure head to encourage women to become a part of the war effort during WWII
Korean War – – –War between North and South Korea to prevent communist North Korea from forcing South Korea to become communist
Cold War – – –The competition that developed after WWII between the United States and the Soviet Union for power and influence in the world, until the collapse of the Soviet Union
Marshall Plan – – –Program of economic assistance to Western Europe
Warsaw Pact – – –Military alliance between Soviet Union and the nations of Eastern Europe formed in 1955
John F Kennedy– – – US President during Vietnam who was later assassinated
Lyndon B Johnson – – –US President during Vietnam who extended troops into Vietnam
Communism – – –Ideology of the Soviet Union, characterized there by complete government ownership of land and property, single party contol of the government, lack of individual rights, and the call for a worldwide revolution
38th Parallel – – –A dividing line for Korea
Vietnaminization– – –President Nixon's policy of replacing American military forces with those of South Vietnam
Bay of Pigs – – –Failed invasion of Cuba by a group of anti-Castro forces in 1961
Alger Hiss – – –Accused of being a Soviet spy in 1948 and convicted of perjury
McCarthyism – – –The attacks, often unsubstanciated, by Senator Joseph McCarthy and others on people suspected of being Communists in the early 1950's
Gorbechav– – –Soviet leader at the end of the Cold War
Ronald Reagan– – – US President who ordered the tearing down of the Berlin Wall
Oliver Hill – – –NAAPC Lawyer, and also Virginia's Representative during the Brown v. Board of Education case
24th Amendment – – –Amendment that stated they could no longer charge people to vote
Martin Luther King – – –Civil rights leader who encouraged peaceful protest, led the Montgomery Bus Boycott
Civil Rights Act of 1964 – – –A law the banned discrimination on the basis of race, sex, national orgin, or religion in public places and most workplaces
Sandra Day O'Connor – – –American jurist who was the first female member of the Supreme Court of the United States
Glass Ceiling – – –Term refers to "the unseen, yet unbreachable barrier that keeps minorities and women from rising to the upper rungs of the corporate ladder, regardless of their qualifications or achievements". Initially, the metaphor applied to barriers in the careers of women but was quickly extended to refer to obstacles hindering the advancement of minority men, as well as women
Patriot Act– – – Set of laws that allows for the government to have access to any person personal records, phone calls, etc.
Neil Armstrong– – – First person to step onto the moon's suface
Distance Learning– – – Field of education that focuses on teaching methods and technology with the aim of delivering teaching, often on an individual basis, to students who are not physically present in a traditional educational setting such as a classroom
Mayflower Compact– – – The first governing document of Plymouth Colony. It was written by the colonists, later together known to history as the Pilgrims, who crossed the Atlantic aboard the Mayflower
Cavaliers – – –English nobility who received large land grands in Eastern Virginia from the King of England
Jamestown – – –First permanent colony in America, settled in 1607
Virginia Company of London – – –English joint stock company established by royal charter by James I of England on April 10, 1606 with the purpose of establishing colonial settlements in North America
Triangular Trade – – –The transatlantic system of trade in which goods and people, including slaves, were exchanged between Arica, England, Europe, the West Indies, and the colonies in North America
Pilgrims– – – Name commonly applied to early settlers of the Plymouth Colony in present-day Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States
Great Awakening – – –A revival of religious feeling in the American colonies during the 1730's and 1750's
Columbian Exchange – – –The transfer beginning with Columbus's first voyage-of plants, animals, and diseases between the Western Hemisphere and the Eastern Hemisphere
George Whitefield– – – A major leader during the Great Awakening, travelled around spreading the word
Thomas Paine – – –Wrote the pamphlet, Common Sence, which persuaded many colonists to declare independence from Britain
Proclamation of 1763 – – –An order in which Britain prohibited its American colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains
Boston Massacre – – –A clash between British soldiers and Boston coloniest in 1770, in which five of the colonists were killed
George Washington– – – First President of the United States
Loyalists – – –Colonists who supported the British government during the American Revolution
Boston Tea Party– – – The dumping of 18,000 pounds of tea in Boston Harbor by colonists in 1773 to protest the Tea Act
John Marshall – – –First Supreme Court justice
Yorktown – – –Last major battle during the American Revolutionary War
Articles of Confederation– – – A document, adopted by the Second Continental Congress in 1777 and finally approved by the states in 1781, that outlined the form of government of the United States
3/5's Compromise– – – 3 out of every 5 slaves would be counted in the general population, for representation purposes
James Madison– – – Father of the Constitution
Virginia Plan – – –Favored by large states; Representation was based on population, unicameral
Federalists– – – Supporters of the Constitution and of a strong national government
George Mason – – –Wrote the Virginia Declaration of Rights; Along with James Madison he was also called the "Father of the Bill of Rights"
Manifest Destiny – – –The 19th century belief that the United States would inevitably expand westward to the Pacific Ocean and into Mexican territory
Alexander Hamilton– – – Founder of the National Bank
Marbury v. Madison – – –An 1803 case in which the Supreme Court ruled that it had the power to abolish legislative acts by declaring them unconstitutional; this power came to be known as Judicial Review
McCulloch v. Maryland – – –An 1819 case in which the Supreme Court ruled that Maryland had no right to tax the Bank of the United States, thereby strengthening the power of the federal government's control over the economy
Battle of the Alamo– – – Pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops launched an assault on the Alamo Mission. All but two of the Texian defenders were killed
Veto– – – To delete or throw away; Get rid of; Presidents right of action in the Separation of Powers
Nullification– – – A state's refusal to recognize an at of Congress that it considers unconstitutional
Panic of 1837– – – a U.S. financial crisis in which banks closed and the credit system collapsed, resulting in many bankruptcies and high unemployment