American History Vocab by William O'Sullivan _ Student - GreenLevelHS

Columbian Exchange

wposullivan — 2023-08-29 14:40:32 UTC

The process of transferring plants, animals, foods, diseases, wealth, and culture between Europe and the Americas, beginning at the time of Christopher Columbus and continuing throughout the era of exploration and expansion.

Encomienda system

wposullivan — 2023-08-29 14:43:54 UTC

The government in Spain gave away large tracts of conquered land in Spanish America, including whole villages of indigenous peoples, to court favorites, including many conquistadores. These new landlords were supposed to educate the natives and teach them the Roman Catholic faith. The system was rife with abuse, however. Landlords rarely offered much education, preferring instead to exploit the labor of the local inhabitants, whom they treated like slaves.

Indentured Servant

wposullivan — 2023-08-29 14:45:55 UTC

In an effort to entice English subjects to the colonies, parties would offer legal bonded contracts that would exchange the cost of passage across the Atlantic for up to seven years of labor in America.

Mercantilism

wposullivan — 2023-08-29 14:46:44 UTC

An economic system built on the assumption that the world's supply of wealth is fixed and that nations must export more goods than they import to assure a steady supply of gold and silver into national coffers. Mercantile thinkers saw the inflow of such wealth as the key to maintaining and enhancing national power and self-sufficiency. Within this context, the accumulation and development of colonies was of great importance, since colonies could supply scarce raw materials to parent nations and serve as markets for finished goods.

Civilization

wposullivan — 2023-08-29 22:46:44 UTC

state of human society, in which a high level of culture, science, and government has been reached.

The middle colonies

wposullivan — 2023-08-29 22:55:19 UTC

Colonies with a large agricultural base. Because of location they were key distribution centers in the English Mercantile System

Southern Colonies

wposullivan — 2023-08-29 23:21:33 UTC

Colonies focused on cash crops.

Puritan

wposullivan — 2023-08-29 23:22:09 UTC

Religious reform movement in the 16th and 17th centuries that sought to “purify” the church of England.

New England Colonies

wposullivan — 2023-08-29 23:26:48 UTC

Colonies founded by the Puritans for religious purposes. Goal was to create a society as God intended.

Chattel Slavery

wposullivan — 2023-08-29 23:28:04 UTC

Total ownership of one person over another

Triangular trade

wposullivan — 2023-08-29 23:28:58 UTC

Economic exchange amongst three markets and geographies

anti federalist

wposullivan — 2023-09-18 19:48:57 UTC

Supporters of the Articles of Confederation, not the Constitution. They fear a tyrannical national government with too much power and strongly advocate for the Bill of Rights.

Enlightenment

wposullivan — 2023-09-18 19:50:49 UTC

An eighteenth-century philosophical movement that began in Western Europe with roots in the Scientific Revolution.

Patriot

wposullivan — 2023-09-18 19:51:13 UTC

A colonist who rebelled against British rule.

Proclamation of 1763

wposullivan — 2023-09-18 19:53:04 UTC

A proclamation from the British government which forbade British colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains, and which required any settlers already living west of the mountains to move back east.

Albany plan of union

wposullivan — 2023-09-18 19:54:10 UTC

Plan proposed by Benjamin Franklin in 1754 that aimed to unite the 13 colonies for trade, military, and other purposes; the plan was turned down by the colonies and the (British) Crown

Articles of Confederation

wposullivan — 2023-09-18 19:55:09 UTC

Before the American constitution, this established the United States as a loose confederation of states under a weak national Congress, which was not granted the power to regulate commerce or collect taxes.

Newburgh conspiracy of 1783

wposullivan — 2023-09-18 19:56:29 UTC

Near the end of the Revolutionary War, the Continental Army had not received pay for many years and threatened to abandon the fight, if they were not compensated.

Salutary neglect

wposullivan — 2023-09-18 19:57:44 UTC

A period from the early 1600s to the mid 1700s where British Parliamentary Laws were not enforced on the colonists.

Federalists

wposullivan — 2023-09-18 19:58:07 UTC

Supporters of the new Constitution and a strong federal government. They fear a weak government. Generally very wealthy.

Great compromise (1787)

wposullivan — 2023-09-18 19:59:25 UTC

The decision to have a bicameral legislature, one house based on population, and one house with an equal number of representatives for every state.

Tory

wposullivan — 2023-09-18 19:59:50 UTC

A colonist who supported British rule.

Northwest Ordinance of 1787

wposullivan — 2023-09-18 20:01:17 UTC

One of the biggest accomplishments of the Articles of Confederation. This established a system for setting up governments in the western territories so they could eventually join the Union.

Three Fifth Compromise

wposullivan — 2023-09-18 20:02:28 UTC

Determined that each slave would be counted as three fifths of a person for the purpose of apportioning taxes and representation.

steam engine

wposullivan — 2023-10-04 01:17:23 UTC

A machine that turns the energy released by burning fuel into motion.

political party

wposullivan — 2023-10-04 01:17:45 UTC

Group of persons organized to acquire and exercise political power.

Factory system

wposullivan — 2023-10-04 01:18:16 UTC

Manufacturing businesses first created in the late eighteenth century that concentrated all aspects of production under one roof, reorganized production and divided work. The key aspect was that it was under one roof and had specialized tasks. Made the production faster and more efficient.

impressment

wposullivan — 2023-10-04 01:18:39 UTC

The British forcibly enlisted thousands of American men into the Royal Navy from passing ships, and refused to recognize that Americans had renounced their British citizenship.

Marbury v. Madison

wposullivan — 2023-10-04 01:19:07 UTC

Landmark 1803 Supreme Court case in which Chief Justice John Marshall established the principle of Judicial Review, which grants the Supreme Court the power to declare laws unconstitutional.

Canals

wposullivan — 2023-10-04 01:19:30 UTC

Human-made waterways connecting natural bodies of water, very important for early travel.

Interchangeable parts

wposullivan — 2023-10-04 01:19:56 UTC

Uniform pieces that can be made in large quantities to replace other identical pieces.

Temperance movement

wposullivan — 2023-10-04 01:20:21 UTC

Movement dedicated to promoting moderation and, more often, complete abstinence in the use of alcohol.

Monroe Doctrine

wposullivan — 2023-10-04 01:20:51 UTC

Warned European powers not to interfere in the affairs of the Western Hemisphere.

Abolition movement

wposullivan — 2023-10-04 01:21:44 UTC

Campaign to end Slavery

Telegraph

wposullivan — 2023-10-04 01:22:42 UTC

Machine invented by Samuel Morse that used a system of dots and dashes to send messages across long distances electronically through a wire. It connected the different hemispheres of the world, allowing for more communication between people.

Women's rights movement

wposullivan — 2023-10-04 01:23:05 UTC

The fight for the suffrage (voting) for half of the population.

Democratic party

wposullivan — 2023-10-04 01:23:32 UTC

Pro Slavery, favored secession from Union, States' rights, agrarian-oriented, opposed gold standard, supported lowering tariff, and opposed imperialism in 1890s.

Cotton gin

wposullivan — 2023-10-04 01:23:54 UTC

Eli Whitney's 1793 invention that dramatically improved the speed for processing cotton, changing the trajectory of cotton production in the United States.

Whigs

wposullivan — 2023-10-04 01:24:15 UTC

Opposed Jackson's strong-armed leadership style and policies, but promoted protective tariffs, federal funding for internal improvements, and other measures that strengthened the central government.

Capitalism

wposullivan — 2023-11-20 19:03:36 UTC

A system of economic production based on the private ownership of property and the contractual exchange for profit of goods, labor, and money.

Vanderbilt

wposullivan — 2023-11-20 19:14:04 UTC

The railroad owner who built a railway connecting Chicago and New York. He popularized the use of steel rails in his railroad, which made railroads safer and more economical.

Andrew Carnegi

wposullivan — 2023-11-20 19:14:37 UTC

Known as the steel king; he integrated every phase of his steel-making operation.He pioneered "Vertical Integration" to improve efficiency by controlling the quality of the product at all stages of production and eliminating the middleman.

John D. Rockefeller

wposullivan — 2023-11-20 19:15:21 UTC

A man who started from meager beginnings and eventually created an oil empire. In Ohio in 1870 he organized the Standard Oil Company. By 1877 he controlled 95% of all of the refineries in the United States.

Jp Morgan

wposullivan — 2023-11-20 19:15:43 UTC

A banker who financed the reorganization of railroads, insurance companies, and banks. He bought out Carnegie and in 1901 he started the United States Steel Corporation.

Titans of Industry

wposullivan — 2023-11-20 19:16:07 UTC

Positive name for wealthy business owners during the Gilded Age, implying that they helped the United States become strong through their business pursuits.

Robber Barons

wposullivan — 2023-11-20 19:16:35 UTC

Negative term for wealthy business owners during the Gilded Age who made fortunes by monopolizing huge industries through unethical business practices.

Unions

wposullivan — 2023-11-20 19:16:56 UTC

An organized group of workers that use collective bargaining to improve working conditions.

Migration

wposullivan — 2023-11-20 19:17:18 UTC

Patterns of movement across the country, including waves of new immigrants and formerly enslaved people moving toward urban centers.

Gilded Age

wposullivan — 2023-11-20 20:45:22 UTC

The age between the Civil War and WWI when the American economy grew rapidly and individuals were able to use monopolies to amass great wealth.

Social darwinism

wposullivan — 2023-11-20 20:55:54 UTC

The idea that the wealthy and powerful were naturally superior and deserved their success.

Gospel of wealth

wposullivan — 2023-11-20 20:57:32 UTC

The idea that extremely wealthy Americans had a responsibility to spend their money in order to benefit the greater good.

Muchraking

wposullivan — 2023-11-20 20:58:29 UTC

When writers sought to expose corruption in big business and government.

Holocaust

wposullivan — 2023-12-19 19:06:30 UTC

The death and destruction of six million jews and five million other people by the Nazis during WWII.

Nato

wposullivan — 2023-12-19 19:07:18 UTC

Military alliance between countries in Eastern Europe and the USSR.

Domino Theory

wposullivan — 2023-12-19 19:07:45 UTC

Belief that if one country becomes Communist its neighbors would also become communist.

Great society

wposullivan — 2023-12-19 19:08:23 UTC

Created by President LBJ to improve the social welfare safety net in the USA.

international organizations

wposullivan — 2023-12-19 19:08:58 UTC

Globally centered groups that try to solve world problems.

iron curtain

wposullivan — 2023-12-19 19:09:34 UTC

Named by Winston Churchill. This is the metaphorical demarcation between communism and democracy in Europe.

Mutally assured destruction

wposullivan — 2023-12-19 19:10:00 UTC

Theory that if one country uses nuclear weapons other countries will use them as well effectively ending the world as we know it.

Brown v. Board

wposullivan — 2023-12-19 19:10:31 UTC

Supreme Court Case that ended the segregation of schools.

united Nations

wposullivan — 2023-12-19 19:11:01 UTC

Successor to the League of Nations. Exists to solve the world’s political problems.

Warsaw pact

wposullivan — 2023-12-19 19:11:32 UTC

Military alliance between countries in Eastern Europe and the USSR.

Atomic Bomb

wposullivan — 2023-12-19 19:11:53 UTC

Significantly more powerful than past weapons. First used in Hiroshima.

Bretton Woods system

wposullivan — 2023-12-19 19:12:20 UTC

Created the World Bank and IMF to solve the world’s economic problems.

Containment

wposullivan — 2023-12-19 19:12:49 UTC

Theory that communism must be prevented from spreading to other countries and that the USA must use military force to stop it if necessary.

Nuclear Weapons

wposullivan — 2023-12-19 19:13:17 UTC

Vastly more powerful than atomic bombs. Capable of destroying entire cities and permanently irradiating countries.

reaganomics

wposullivan — 2024-01-09 03:00:40 UTC

refers to the economic policies of President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s, emphasizing tax cuts, reduced government regulation, and a belief that stimulating economic growth among the wealthy would benefit the entire economy.

Liberal

wposullivan — 2024-01-09 03:01:17 UTC

individuals or policies advocating for social and economic equality, government intervention in the economy, and progressive social values.

conservative

wposullivan — 2024-01-09 03:01:53 UTC

individuals or policies favoring limited government intervention, traditional values, and a free-market approach to economic issues.

moral majority

wposullivan — 2024-01-09 03:02:18 UTC

a political movement in the 1980s, led by religious conservatives, advocating for socially conservative policies and seeking to influence American politics based on moral and religious principles.

trickle down economics

wposullivan — 2024-01-09 03:03:45 UTC

an economic theory asserting that benefits provided to the wealthy and businesses will eventually "trickle down" to the rest of the population through job creation and economic growth.

monetary policy

wposullivan — 2024-01-09 03:04:10 UTC

actions by a central bank to control the money supply and interest rates, influencing economic activity by managing inflation, employment, and overall economic stability.

fiscal policty

wposullivan — 2024-01-09 03:04:35 UTC

government actions related to taxation and spending to influence the economy, aiming to achieve economic goals such as full employment and stable prices.

laissez faire

wposullivan — 2024-01-09 03:05:23 UTC

an economic philosophy advocating minimal government interference in the marketplace, allowing natural market forces to determine prices, production, and distribution.

inflation

wposullivan — 2024-01-09 03:05:59 UTC

the general increase in the prices of goods and services over time, reducing the purchasing power of currency.

delegulation

wposullivan — 2024-01-09 03:06:23 UTC

reducing or eliminating government restrictions and regulations on industries, with the goal of fostering competition and economic efficiency.

terror

wposullivan — 2024-01-09 03:06:48 UTC

the use of violence or threats to intimidate and create fear for political, religious, or ideological purposes.

globalization

wposullivan — 2024-01-09 03:07:43 UTC

the process of increased interconnectedness and interdependence among countries, economies, and cultures through international trade, communication, and cultural exchange.

GDP

wposullivan — 2024-01-09 03:08:30 UTC

the total value of all goods and services produced within a country's borders in a specific time period, serving as a key indicator of economic performance.