American History Vocab by Layla Chadha _ Student - GreenLevelHS

Civilization

lmchadha — 2025-08-26 18:04:07 UTC

A developed society that has a stable, strong government.

Mercantilism

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Maximizing exports and minimizing imports for a country.

Columbian Exchange

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The transfer of diseases, animals, plants, and people from the "old world" to the "new world" after it was discovered.

Indentured Servant

lmchadha — 2025-08-26 18:04:47 UTC

A form of labor where someone signs a contract and works for little or no pay for many years.

Chattel Slavery

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Chattel slavery considered slaves as personal property, meaning they could be bought and sold whenever and were owned by their enslaver.

Puritans

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English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries that believed that the Reformation of the Church of England was incomplete.

Triangular Trade

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Trade routes connected Africa, the Americas, and Europe. Included trading goods, materials, and enslaved people.

Encomienda System

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The Spanish labor system granted Spanish conquerors the ability to use Indigenous people for labor.

Southern Colonies

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Colonies within British control. Included the Province of Maryland, the Province of Carolina, the Province of Georgia, and the Colony of Virginia.

Middle Colonies

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Part of British control. Included New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware.

New England Colonies

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The northern part of British America. Included Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.

Proclamation Line of 1763

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British-made boundary marking the Appalachian Mountains that blocked the colonists from exploring western.

Patriot

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A colonist who opposed British rule and supported independence for America.

Tory

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Colonists who remained loyal to British rule and opposed independence.

Articles of Confederation

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The first United States Constitution eventually replaced with the one we know today.

Federalists

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A group that was disappointed with the Articles of Confederation. They fought for a stronger central government.

Anti Federalists

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A group that opposed a stronger central government.

Enlightenment

lmchadha — 2025-09-13 23:50:09 UTC

Provided the colonists with the ideas and values that led to the American Revolution.

Albany Plan of Union

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A rejected attempt to unify the colonies under a centralized government.

Northwest Ordinance

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Created a government for the Northwestern territory and also made a method to admit states from the territory into the Union.

Newburgh Conspiracy

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A failed attempt by Continental Army officers to challenge the Confederation Congress.

Great Compromise

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An agreement that determined state representation in the federal government.

Three-Fifths Compromise

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An agreement that determined that only three-fifths of the enslaved population would be counted for in legislation and taxation.

Salutary Neglect

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Unofficial British policy that relaxed strict regulations on the American colonies.

Political Party

lmchadha — 2025-09-24 17:43:14 UTC

An organization that has candidates who compete in elections to participate in the government. Members of a party share beliefs on different topics.

Marbury v Madison

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Madison denied Marbury's commission, leading to Marbury suing and the case moving up to the Supreme Court. This case established the principle of judicial review.

Temperance Movement

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A social movement that promoted alcoholic temperance or total alcohol abstinence. The Temperance Movement pressed for alcohol education and the passage of laws against the sale of alcohol or total prohibition of alcohol all together.

Abolition Movement

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A movement that fought to end the slave trade and abolish slavery across the whole world. Gained momentum throughout the 18th and 19th centuries.

Women's Rights Movement

lmchadha — 2025-09-24 17:43:42 UTC

A movement across the world to achieve gender equality. It fought for women to have the same rights as men, especially in the workforce.

Cotton Gin

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A machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, making it much fast than manually separating.

Steam Engine

lmchadha — 2025-09-24 17:43:51 UTC

A heat engine that uses steam as its working fluid for mechanical work. This was typically done by pushing a piston in a cylinder to create rotational motion.

Factory System

lmchadha — 2025-09-24 17:43:59 UTC

A method of manufacturing that centralizes production using machinery and labors forces to mass produce goods.

Canals

lmchadha — 2025-09-24 17:44:03 UTC

A waterway or engineered channel built for drainage management or for water transport vehicles. The water is calm and slow.

Monroe Doctrine

lmchadha — 2025-09-24 17:44:08 UTC

A US foreign policy that opposed European colonialism in the Western Hemisphere. Argued that any intervention in political affairs form foreign powers in America was considered hostile.

Democratic Party

lmchadha — 2025-09-24 17:44:14 UTC

A party formed in response to the Federalist Party's push for a strong central government. The democratic party was dominant after the 1800 elections after the Federalist Party collapsed.

Whigs

lmchadha — 2025-09-24 17:44:18 UTC

A political party from the mid-19th century that advocated against executive tyranny and presidential power.

Telegraph

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The first electrical telecommunications system designed to send text messages more quickly than physically carrying them.

Interchangeable Parts

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Components that are identical, leading to them freely replacing another. This allowes for easy assembly of new devices, and easier repair of existing devices.

Impressment

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A way of forcing people into a military force, especially a naval force, via intimidation and physical coercion. This is normally done by a group of people, commonly in European countries.

Manifest Destiny

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The belief that America is justified to expand westward and go from coast to coast.

Compromise of 1850

lmchadha — 2025-10-20 22:16:02 UTC

5 policies that eased tensions between the Slave and Free States. Figured out how to handle slavery in territories from the Mexican-American War.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

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Created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska while repealing the Missouri Compromise.

Popular Sovereignty

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The principle that all power in a nation is dervied from the people.

Fugitive Slave Act

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Mandated the capture and return of escaped slaves to their owners.

Sectionalism

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Loyalty to a region or section of the country, rather than the whole country.

Secession

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The withdrawal of eleven Southern states from the Union.

Union

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Twenty Northern states and the federal government that fought the Confederacy during the Civil War.

Confederacy

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Eleven Southern states that seceeded and fought the Union during the Civil War.

Thirteenth Amendment

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Abolished slavery and indentured servitude throughout the United States.

Fourteenth Amendment

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Guaranteed citizenship to all born and naturalized in the United States and guaranteed equal protection under the law.

Fifteenth Amendment

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Prohibits states from denying the right to vote based on race or ethnicity.

Capitalism

lmchadha — 2025-11-06 22:39:49 UTC

An economic system where production is privately owned and operated for profit.

Cornelius Vanderbilt

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A US entrepreneur who built his wealth from railroads and shipping, creating a transportation empire. He was criticized as being a robber baron.

Andrew Carnegie

lmchadha — 2025-11-06 22:43:22 UTC

A philanthropist who became the richest man in the world through his control of the steel industry

John D. Rockefeller

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A philanthropist who revolutionized the petroleum industry. He is considered the richest American in history.

JP Morgan

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A philanthropist who focused his contributions on the arts, sciences, and religion.

Titans of Industry

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Wealthy business leaders. Included Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and Henry Ford.

Robber Barons

lmchadha — 2025-11-06 23:36:07 UTC

A term used for monopolists during the Gilded Age who built their fortunes through ruthless business tactics and the mistreatment of workers.

Unions

lmchadha — 2025-11-06 23:38:46 UTC

An organization of workers who negotiate for better wages and workplace health.

Migration

lmchadha — 2025-11-06 23:42:02 UTC

The movement of people into a new region or country who seek work or better living conditions.

Gilded Age

lmchadha — 2025-11-06 23:44:25 UTC

A period of history from the 1870s to the 1890s, categorized by industrial economic growth.

Social Darwinism

lmchadha — 2025-11-06 23:46:59 UTC

A theory that applies Darwin's theory of survival of the fittest to human society.

Gospel of Wealth

lmchadha — 2025-11-06 23:49:58 UTC

An essay by Andrew Carnegie arguing that wealth should be used for good social causes.

Muckraking

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Finding and publicizing scandalous information about famous people in an underhanded way.

Women’s Suffrage

lmchadha — 2025-11-30 18:45:25 UTC

The movement that ultimately led to the passing of the 19th Amendment and gave women the right to vote.

Prohibition

lmchadha — 2025-11-30 18:48:48 UTC

An era from 1920 to 1933 where the United States banned the production and sale of alcohol.

Isolationism

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An ideology that advocated for a foreign policy that opposed involvement with political affairs in other countries.

Imperialism

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Extending a nation's power and influence over other countries, normally through expansionism.

Alfred Thayer Mahan

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A United States Navy officer who was considered to be the most important American strategist of the 19th century.

Open Door Policy

lmchadha — 2025-11-30 19:00:58 UTC

The United States' policy that aimed to give all nations equal access to trade with China and prevent any country from taking complete control of Chinese trade.

Militarism

lmchadha — 2025-11-30 19:02:03 UTC

The idea that a country should maintain a strong, large military and be prepared to use it aggressively. This was a main cause of World War 1.

Nationalism

lmchadha — 2025-11-30 19:02:57 UTC

A strong feeling of pride and loyalty toward one's country, leading to a belief in national superiority.

League of Nations

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An international organization created after World War I to prevent future wars by promoting collective security.

Treaty of Versailles

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The 1919 peace document that formally ended World War I and imposed severe economic and territorial penalties on Germany.

Great Migration

lmchadha — 2025-11-30 19:07:00 UTC

The movement of five million African Americans out of the rural Southern United States to the urban Northeast, Midwest, and West

Zimmermann Telegram

lmchadha — 2025-11-30 19:10:32 UTC

A secret communication from the German Foreign Office that proposed a military contract between Germany and Mexico if the United States entered World War 1.

Stocks on margin

lmchadha — 2025-11-30 19:11:56 UTC

Borrowing money from a broker to purchase more securities than you could with only your own cash, which amplifies both potential returns and losses.

Tariffs

lmchadha — 2025-11-30 19:13:31 UTC

Tax imposed by a national government on imports of goods and is paid by the importer.

3 Rs

lmchadha — 2025-11-30 19:15:58 UTC

Relief, Recovery, and Reform programs during the Great Depression were used to combat the economic crisis.

Island Hopping

lmchadha — 2025-11-30 19:17:57 UTC

A military strategy used by Allied forces during World War II to advance across the Pacific, allowing them to isolate and weaken Japanese strongholds.

Holocaust

lmchadha — 2025-12-15 18:08:59 UTC

The genocide of Europeans Jewish people during WWII. 6 million were killed between 1941 and 1945.

International Organizations

lmchadha — 2025-12-15 18:13:03 UTC

After WWII, many international organizations were established, the United Nations for peace, the IMF & World Bank for economic stability, and military alliances like NATO.

United Nations

lmchadha — 2025-12-15 18:15:06 UTC

Global organization of 193 member states, founded in 1945 to maintain international peace, security, and cooperation.

Bretton Woods System

lmchadha — 2025-12-15 18:16:50 UTC

Post-World War II international monetary agreement that established a system of fixed exchange rates, creating the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

NATO

lmchadha — 2025-12-15 18:18:32 UTC

Political and military alliance of 32 countries from North America and Europe. It was founded in 1949 to safeguard the freedom and security of all its members through political and military means.

Iron Curtain

lmchadha — 2025-12-15 18:19:38 UTC

The symbolic and physical division of Europe after WWII, separating the Soviet-controlled communist East from the democratic West.

Warsaw Pact

lmchadha — 2025-12-15 18:21:12 UTC

Military alliance formed in 1955 by the Soviet Union and its Eastern European satellite states as a counterweight to NATO.

Containment

lmchadha — 2025-12-15 18:24:13 UTC

U.S. Cold War strategy to prevent the global spread of communism from the Soviet Union and its allies.

Domino Theory

lmchadha — 2025-12-15 18:26:28 UTC

Cold War belief that if one country fell to communism, its neighbors would quickly follow, like a line of toppling dominoes, justifying U.S. intervention to contain its spread, especially in Southeast Asia.

Mutually Assured Destruction

lmchadha — 2025-12-15 18:28:58 UTC

Military doctrine where two opposing nuclear-armed powers, knowing a first strike would guarantee their own catastrophic retaliation, are deterred from attacking.

Atomic Bomb

lmchadha — 2025-12-15 18:32:18 UTC

In August 1945, the United States detonated two atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II. Threats of nuclear warfare continued into the Cold War.

Nuclear Weapons

lmchadha — 2025-12-15 18:51:51 UTC

The Soviet Union and the US fought for superiority in the development and accumulation of nuclear weapons during the Cold War.

Great Society Program

lmchadha — 2025-12-19 12:31:00 UTC

A set of domestic programs in the 1960s aimed to end poverty, reduce crime, eliminate racial injustice, and improve education and the environment through major legislation, including Medicare and the landmark Civil Rights Acts.

Brown vs. Board of Education

lmchadha — 2025-12-19 12:32:07 UTC

a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court, which ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools violated the Constitution.

Reaganomics

lmchadha — 2026-01-13 12:29:15 UTC

The free-market, supply-side economic policies of U.S. President Ronald Reagan, focused on stimulating growth through significant tax cuts, reduced government spending (especially social programs), deregulation, and increased defense spending

Liberal

lmchadha — 2026-01-13 12:31:17 UTC

Someone who supports liberalism, a political philosophy emphasizing individual rights, liberty, equality, consent of the governed, and limited government.

Conservative

lmchadha — 2026-01-13 12:32:38 UTC

Someone who supports the political and social philosophy that favors preserving traditional institutions, customs, and values and resists sudden or radical change.

Moral Majority

lmchadha — 2026-01-13 12:32:46 UTC

Conservative Christian political movement founded by Jerry Falwell in 1979, uniting evangelical Protestants, Catholics, and Jews to influence politics around "pro-family," "pro-life," and "pro-morals" values

Trickle Down economics

lmchadha — 2026-01-13 12:33:00 UTC

The theory that tax cuts and benefits for the wealthy and corporations stimulate investment, job creation, and overall economic growth, eventually benefiting everyone as wealth "trickles down".

Monetary Policy

lmchadha — 2026-01-13 12:33:08 UTC

Involves a central bank managing the money supply and interest rates to control inflation, promote maximum employment, and stabilize the economy.

Fiscal Policy

lmchadha — 2026-01-13 12:33:15 UTC

The use of government spending and taxation to influence a country's economy, aiming to stabilize growth, manage unemployment, and control inflation.

Laissez-Faire

lmchadha — 2026-01-13 12:33:23 UTC

A doctrine advocating minimal government interference in economic affairs, allowing free markets to operate naturally through supply and demand.

Inflation

lmchadha — 2026-01-13 12:33:31 UTC

An increase in the average price of goods and services in monetary terms. This increase is measured using a price index, typically a consumer price index.

Deregulation

lmchadha — 2026-01-13 12:33:38 UTC

The removal or reduction of government laws and controls over an industry or economic activity aims to foster competition, innovation, and efficiency by allowing market forces to play a larger role.

Terrorism

lmchadha — 2026-01-13 12:33:47 UTC

The unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims.

Globalization

lmchadha — 2026-01-13 12:33:54 UTC

The increasing interconnectedness and interdependence of the world's economies, cultures, and populations.

GDP (Gross Domestic Product)

lmchadha — 2026-01-13 12:34:03 UTC

The total monetary value of all final goods and services produced within a country's borders in a specific time period.