ABC BOOK OF HISTORY

Diana Aguilar 3rd pd

1607 - 1865

A

Ambush- a surprise attack.

Arsenal- a storage place for weapons and ammunition.

Abstain- to not take part in some activity, such as voting.

Affluence- the state of having much wealth.

B

Boycott- to refuse to buy items from a particular country.

Burgesses- elected representatives to an assembly.

Backcountry- a region of hills and forests west of the Tidewater.

Blockade Runner- ship that sails into and out of a blockade area.

C

Canal- an artificial waterway.

Capital- money for investment.

Cabinet- a group of advisers to the president.

Californios- Mexican who lived in California.

D

Desert- to leave without permission.

Diversity- variety or difference.

Debtor- person or country that owes money.

Depreciate- to fall in value.

E

Entrenched- occupying a strong defensive position.

Export- to sell goods aboard.

Effigy- rag figure representing an unpopular individual.

Emancipate- to free from slavery.

F

Frigate- warships Fugitive- runaway or trying to run away

Famine- an extreme shortage of food.

Federalists- supporters to the Constitution

G

Greenback- a piece of U.S. paper money 1st issued by the North during the Civil War.

Guerrilla Tactics- referring to surprise attacks or raids rather than organized warfare.

Genocide- the deliberate destruction of a racial, political, or cultural group.

Global Warning- a steady increase in average world temperatures.

H

Holocaust- the name given to the mass slaughter of Jews and other groups by the Nazis.

Horizontal Integration- the combining of competing firms into one corporation

Habeas Corpus- a legal order for an inquiry to determine whether a person has been lawfully imprisoned.

Hieroglyphics- an ancient form of writing using symbols and pictures to represent words, sounds, and concepts

I

Inflation- a continuous rise in the price of goods and services.

Interchangeable Parts- uniform pieces that can be made in large quantities to replace other identical pieces.

Import- to buy goods from foreign markets

Impressment- forcing people into service, as in the Navy.

J

Judicial Branch- the branch of government including the federal courts system, that interprets the nation’s laws.

Judicial Review- the right of the Supreme Court to determine if a law violates the Constitution.

Joint Occupation- the possession and setting of an area shared by 2 or more countries.

Joint- Stock Company- a company in which investors but stock in the company in return for a share of its future profits.

K

Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions- of 1798 and 1799 claimed that the Alien and Sedition Acts could not be put into action because they violated the Constitution .

Knox, Henry- secretary of war.

Kansas-Nebraska Act- passed by Congress in the 1854; repealed the Missouri Compromise; allowed states to decide if they should be slave or free

King George III- was the king of England who disband the colonial legislatures, taxed the colonies, and refused the Olive Branch.

L

Legislative Branch- the branch of government that make the nation’s laws.

Loyalists- American colonists who remained loyal to Britain and opposed to the war for independence.

Laissez- Faire- policy that government should as little as possible in the nation’s laws.

Landslide- an overwhelming victory.

M

Mayflower Compact- a formal document, written in 1620, that provided law and order to the Plymouth colony.

Mercantilism- the theory that a state’s or nation’s power depended on its wealth.

Magna Carta- had placed limits on the power of the monarch.

Maize- an early form of corn.

N

Neutral- taking no side in conflict.

Nullify- to cancel or make.

Nationalism- loyalty to a nation and promotion of its interests above all others.

Naturalization- to grant full citizenship to a foreigner.

O

Onis, Adams Treaty- Spanish agreed to set the limits or their territory.

Oregon Country- was a huge area that lay between the Pacific Ocean and rocky mountain and north of California.

Ordinance- law or regulation.

Ohio River Valley- French held territory.

P

Privateers- armed private ships.

Pilgrims- seperatists who journeyed to the colonies during the 1600’s for religious purpose.

Patriots- Americans colonist who were determined to fight the British until American independence won.

Popular Sovereignty- political theory that government is subject to the will of the people.

Q

Quartering of Troops- no soldier shall, in time of peace be quarted in any house.

Quechua- the Inca language.

Quakers- believed that every individual had an inner light that could guide him or her salvation.

Quebec- the capital of New France.

R

Repeal- to cancel an act or law.

Revenue- incoming money.

Ratify- to give official approval.

Recruit- to enlist soldiers in the army.

S

Sectionalism- loyalty to a region.

Suffrage- the right to vote.

Secede- to leave or withdraw.

Secession- withdrawal from the Union.

T

Total War- war on all aspects of the enemy’s life.

Triangular Trade- a trade route that exchanged goods between the West Indies, the American colonies, and the West Africa.

Tariff- a tax on imports or exports.

Temperance- the use of little or no alcoholic drink.

U

Utopia- community based on a vision of a perfect society sought by reformers.

Underground Railroad- a system that helped enslaved African Americans follow a network to escape routes.

Unalienable Rights- a right that cannot be surrendered.

Unconstitutional- not agreeing or consistent with the Constitution.

V

Virginia- was part of the upper South.

Virginia Plan- was a plan called for a two-house legislature, a chief executive chosen by the lower house.

Veto- to reject a bail and prevent it.

Battle of Vicksburg- the turning point of the Civil War.

W

Writ of Assistance- legal document that enabled officers to search home and warehouse for goods that might be smuggled.

William Bradford- leader of Plymouth and Historian.

War of 1812- war between Great Britain and the United States.

War Hawks- republicans during Madison’s presidency who pressed of war with Britain.

XXYZ Affair- French

agents that urged Congress to prepare for war.

YYankee- Union soldier. Yorktown, Virginia-

where General Cornwallis camped.

ZZachary Taylor- 12th

president.