American History Vocab by Parinita Kale _ Student - MillsParkMS

Civilization

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an advanced and organized human society with advancements in areas like technology and culture.

Mercantilism

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Beliefs in the benefit of profitable trading.

Columbian Exchange

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a widespread transfer of many things and ideas between the old world and the new world after christopher Columbus's voyages.

Indentured servants

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People who sign contracts to work for a certain amount of time in exchange for free transportation to America.

Chattel Slavery

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a system where people are treated like personal property, sold, given away, etc.

Puritans

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a person who adheres to strict morals or religious principles.

Triangular Trade

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trade between 3 ports or regions

encomienda system

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a spanish labour system that rewarded conquerers with the labour of conquered non-christian people.

southern colonies

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Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia

middle colonies

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a subset of the Thirteen Colonies in British America, located between the New England Colonies and the Southern Colonies

new england colonies

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the settlements established by English religious dissenters along the coast of the north-east of North America

Proclamation Line of 1763

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British law that stopped colonists from moving west

patriot

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colonists who wanted freedom from Britain

Tory

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A colonist who stayed loyal to the king of England

Articles of Confederation

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America's first plan of government with weak national powers

Federalists

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A group that wanted a strong central government and supported the new constitution

Anti-Federalists

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Feared a strong central government and pushed for the bill of rights

Enlightenment

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The era of ideas about liberty, equality, and government by consent.

Albany plan of union

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Ben Franklin's proposal to unite the colonies for defense it failed.

Northwest ordinance

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Created a system for adding new states, and outlawed slavery in the new territory

Newburgh Conspiracy

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Officers of the army considered rebellion over unpaid wages, but Washington calmed it

Great compromise

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Solved problems between large and small states by creating a 2 house Congress

three-fifths compromise

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counted enslaved people as 3/5 of a person for population/taxation.

Salutary Neglect

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The period when Britain let the colonies govern themselves with little interference

Political Party

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A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in elections and participate in governance

Marbury vs Madison

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The U.S. Supreme Court first declared an act of Congress unconstitutional, thus establishing the doctrine of judicial review

Temperance Movement

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A social movement promoting temperance or total abstinence from the consumption of alcoholic beverages.

Abolition Movement

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Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world

Women's Right Movement

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The fight for women's suffrage in the United States began with the women's rights movement in the mid-nineteenth century

Cotton Gin

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a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds

Steam Engine

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a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid

factory system

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A manufacturing system that started in the 1700s with inventions like the power loom and steam engine, where work was done in big factories instead of at home.

Canals

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a human made waterway that allows boats and ships to pass from one body of water to another

Monroe Doctrine

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Warns European nations that the United States would not tolerate further colonization or puppet monarchs

Democratic Party

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supports government action to solve problems, higher taxes on the wealthy, and policies for equality, healthcare, education, and the environment.

Whigs

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hostile towards the ideology of manifest destiny, territorial expansion into Texas and the Southwest, and the Mexican American War

Telegraph

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a device for transmitting and receiving messages over long distances

Interchangeable Parts

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components that are identical for practical purposes

Impressment

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the practice of forcing men to serve in the military against their will

Manifest Destiny

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the idea that white Americans were divinely ordained to settle the entire continent of North America

Compromise of 1850

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a deal to keep peace between free and slave states

Kansas-Nebraska Act

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This act allowed people in those territories to vote on whether to allow slavery.

Popular Sovereignty

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This means people vote to decide an issue, like whether to allow slavery.

Fugitive slave act

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This said that escaped slaves had to be returned to their owners, even if they were found in free states

Sectionalism

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This is when people are loyal to their region instead of their country.

Secession

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this means leaving or breaking away from a country

Union

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Northern states that stayed together during the Civil War

Confederacy

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the group of Southern states that broke away from the Union during the Civil War

Thirteenth Amendment

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Ended slavery

Fourteenth Amendment

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citizenship to everyone born in the U.S. and guaranteed equal protection under the law.

Fifteenth Amendment

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Gave Black men the right to vote

Capitalism

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An economic system where businesses are owned by private people not the government and they compete to make money

Cornelius Vanderbilt

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A wealthy businessman who made his fortune in railroads and shipping

Andrew Carnegie

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A steel industry leader who became very rich and later donated much of his money to charity

John D Rockefeller

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The founder of Standard Oil known for creating a huge monopoly in the oil industry

JP Morgan

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A powerful banker who helped finance railroads and large companies

Titans of Industry

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A positive term for powerful business leaders who helped grow the US economy

Robber Barons

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A negative term for rich business leaders who used unfair or greedy methods to get wealth

Unions

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Groups of workers who join together to fight for better pay hours and working conditions

Migration

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When people move from one place to another often for jobs or better living conditions

Gilded Age

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The late 1800s period when the US looked rich and successful on the surface but had many social and economic problems underneath

Social Darwinism

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The idea that in business and society only the strongest or most successful people survive and prosper

Gospel of Wealth

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Andrew Carnegies belief that rich people should use their money to help others and improve society

Muckraking

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Investigative journalism that exposed corruption bad working conditions and unfair business practices

Women’s Suffrage

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The movement and right for women to vote in elections, achieved in the U.S. in 1920.

Prohibition

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A period from 1920–1933 when making, selling, or transporting alcohol was illegal in the U.S.

Isolationism

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A policy where a country stays out of other nations’ conflicts, politics, and wars to focus on itself.

Imperialism

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When a strong nation takes over weaker lands for power, money, natural resources, or military bases.

Alfred Thayer Mahan

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A U.S. Navy officer who believed a powerful navy and control of the seas were key to becoming a strong world power

Open Door Policy

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A U.S. policy saying all countries should have equal trading rights with China, not just the strongest ones

Militarism

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The belief that a country should have a very strong military and be ready to use it to solve problems.

Nationalism

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Extreme pride and loyalty to one’s country, sometimes leading to competition or conflict with other nations

League of Nations

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An organization created after WWI to keep peace and prevent future wars, but it was weak because the U.S. didn’t join.

Treaty of Versailles

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The agreement that ended WWI; it blamed Germany and forced them to pay money and give up land.

Great Migration

pnkale2 — 2025-11-20 00:44:28 UTC

A movement when millions of African Americans moved from the rural South to northern cities for jobs and better treatment.

Zimmerman Telegram

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A secret message from Germany asking Mexico to attack the U.S. during WWI; it helped push the U.S. into the war.

Stocks on margin

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Buying stocks using borrowed money, which worked well when stocks went up but helped cause the Great Depression when they crashed.

Tariffs

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Taxes placed on products coming from other countries to protect American businesses from competition.

3 Rs (New Deal)

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Relief (help people right away), Recovery (fix the economy over time), and Reform (change laws so another Depression doesn’t happen).

Island Hopping

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A WWII strategy where the U.S. captured one Pacific island at a time, skipping heavily defended ones, to move closer to Japan.

Holocaust

pnkale2 — 2025-12-18 23:03:24 UTC

The Holocaust was the murder of six million Jews by Nazi Germany during World War II.

International Organizations

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Groups formed by countries to work together on global problems.

United Nations

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An international organization created in 1945 to promote peace and cooperation.

Bretton Woods System

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A system created to stabilize the world economy after WWII.

NATO

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A military alliance formed to protect democratic countries from the Soviet Union

Iron Curtain

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A term describing the division between communist and democratic Europe

Warsaw Pact

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A military alliance of communist countries led by the Soviet Union.

Containment

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A U.S. policy to stop the spread of communism.

Domino Theory

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The idea that if one country became communist, others nearby would follow.

Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)

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The idea that nuclear war would destroy both sides.

Atomic Bomb

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A powerful weapon first used by the U.S. in WWII.

Nuclear Weapons

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Weapons that use nuclear energy and can cause massive destruction.

Great Society Program

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Lyndon B. Johnson’s plan to reduce poverty and improve education and healthcare.

Brown v. Board of Education

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A Supreme Court case that ended school segregation.

Moral Majority

pnkale2 — 2026-01-14 02:16:20 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.

Inflation

pnkale2 — 2026-01-14 02:16:46 UTC

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

Liberal

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

Monetary Policy

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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 Policy

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

Reaganomics

pnkale2 — 2026-01-14 02:19:01 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.

Deregulation

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

GDP (Gross Domestic Product)

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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.

Conservative

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

Globalization

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

Terrorism

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

Laissez-Faire

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

Trickle Down Economics

pnkale2 — 2026-01-14 02:22:05 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