My ABC Book of U.S. History

Aaliyah Carter Social StudiesMay 12, 2011

A.

Abolitionist- a person who strongly favors doing away with slavery Amendment- an addition to a formal

document such as the Constitution

Antifederalist- individuals who apposed ratification to the constitution

B.

Black Codes- laws passed in the South just after the Civil War aimed at controlling freedmen and enabling plantation owners to exploit African American workers

Border States- the states between the North and the South that were divided over weather to stay in the Union or join the Confederacy.

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

C.

Cash crop- farm crop raised to be sold for money.

Caucus- a meeting held by a political party to choose their party’s candidate for president or decide policy

Civil War- conflict between opposing groups of citizens of the same country.

D.Dissent- disagreement with or opposition to an opinion.

Diversity- variety or differences

Jefferson Davis- was a senator from Mississippi

E.

Electoral college- a special group of voters selected by their states’ voters to vote for the president and vice president. Emancipate- to free from slavery.

Export- to sell goods abroad

F.

Federalism-the sharing of power between federal and state government

Federalist- supporters of the constitution

Fugitive- runaway or trying to runaway

G.

Greenback- a piece of U.S paper money first issue by the North during the civil war

Guerrilla Warfare- a hit and run technique

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

H.

Human rights- rights regarded as belonging to all persons such as freedom unlawful imprisonment torture and execution.

I.

Impeach- to formally charge a public official with misconduct in office

Implied Powers- powers not specifically mentioned in the constitution

Import- to buy goods from foreign goods

J.

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

Joint occupation- the possession and settling of and area shared by two or more countries

Judicial branch- the branch of government including the federal court system that interprets the nation’s laws

K.

John F. Kennedy- 35th president

Kansas- Nebraska Act- it was called bleeding Kansas

L.

Legislative branch- the branch of government that makes the nations laws

Literacy- the ability to read and write

Loyalist- American colonist that remained loyal to Britain and opposed the war for independence

M.

Martyr- a person who sacrifices his/her life for a principle or cause

Migration- a movement of a large number of people into a new homeland

Militia- a group of civilians trained to fight in emergencies

N.

Naturalization- to grant full citizenship to a foreigner

Neutral- taking no sides in a conflict

Neutral rights- the right to sail the seas and not take sides in a war

O.

Ordinance- a law or regulation Overseer- a person who supervises a large operation or its workers

Ozone-the layer of gas composed of a form of oxygen that protects the earth and its people from cancer causing sun rays

P.

Petition- a formal request Plantation- a large estate run by an owner or manager and formed by laborers who lives there

Privateers- armed private ship

Q.Quaker- protestant group of disasters The Battle of Quebec was an attempt

on December 31, 1775, by American colonial forces to capture the city of Quebec, drive the British military from the Province of Quebec, and enlist French Canadian support for the American Revolutionary War

R.Ratify- to give official approval to

Republic- a government in which citizens rule through elected representatives

Resolution- a formal expression of opinion

S.Secede- to leave or withdraw

Sectionalism- loyalty to a region

Suffrage- the right to vote

T.Tariff- a tax on imports or exports Temperance- the use of little or no

alcoholic drinking

Turnpike- a road that one must pay to use; the money is used to pay for the road

U.

Unalienable Rights- a right that cannot be surrendered

Unconstitutional- not agreeing or consistent with the constitution

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

V.Veto- to reject a bill and prevent it from becoming a law Vigilantes- people who take

the law into their own hands

W.War hawks-republicans during Madison’s presidency who pressed for war with Britain

Writs of assistance- legal document that enabled officers to search homes and warehouses for goods that might be smuggled

X.XYZ Affair- a code from the president urges Congress to prepare for war

Y.Yankee- union soldiers

Yorktown Virginia- it was founded in 1607

Z.John Peter Zenger-was a German-born American printer, publisher, editor, and journalist in New York City