AH Vocab by Evelyn Seyss _ Student - MillsParkMS

Civilization

emseyss — 2025-08-27 17:07:21 UTC

A complex society with cities, government, social classes, and culture.

Mercantilism

emseyss — 2025-08-27 17:10:03 UTC

An economic system where countries try to get wealthy by controlling trade and colonies.

Columbian Exchange

emseyss — 2025-08-27 17:11:08 UTC

The widespread transfer of plants, animals, culture, human populations, technology, and diseases between the Americas and the Old World following Columbus’s voyages.

Indentured Servant

emseyss — 2025-08-27 17:11:48 UTC

A person who agreed to work for a set number of years in exchange for passage to America and eventual freedom.

Chattel Slavery

emseyss — 2025-08-27 17:12:20 UTC

A system where enslaved people are treated as personal property to be bought, sold, and inherited.

Puritans

emseyss — 2025-08-27 17:12:37 UTC

A religious group from England seeking to purify the Church of England and who settled in New England in the 1600s.

Triangular Trade

emseyss — 2025-08-27 17:12:57 UTC

A three-part trade route between Europe, Africa, and the Americas involving goods, enslaved people, and raw materials.

Encomienda System

emseyss — 2025-08-27 17:13:15 UTC

A Spanish colonial system granting settlers the right to demand labor and tribute from Indigenous people.

Southern Colonies

emseyss — 2025-08-27 17:13:31 UTC

British colonies in North America known for agriculture, plantations, and cash crops like tobacco and rice.

Middle Colonies

emseyss — 2025-08-27 17:14:10 UTC

A diverse group of British colonies known for farming, trade, and religious tolerance.

New England Colonies

emseyss — 2025-08-27 17:14:38 UTC

British colonies in the northeast characterized by small farms, town meetings, and a focus on religion and education.

Proclamation Line of 1763

emseyss — 2025-09-08 17:10:10 UTC

The Proclamation Line of 1763 was a boundary established by Britain after the French and Indian War, forbidding American colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains in order to avoid conflicts with Native Americans.

Patriot

emseyss — 2025-09-08 17:14:54 UTC

In the American Revolution, a patriot was a colonist who opposed British rule and supported independence for the American colonies. Patriots wanted self-government, resisted British taxes and control, and eventually fought against Loyalists.

Tory

emseyss — 2025-09-08 17:18:51 UTC

In the American Revolution, a Tory was another name for a Loyalist, a colonist who remained loyal to Britain and opposed independence. Tories supported the king, British laws, and often believed breaking away would bring disorder and harm trade.

Articles of Confederation

emseyss — 2025-09-08 17:22:04 UTC

The Articles of Confederation (1781–1789) were the first constitution of the United States. They created a weak national government with most power left to the states.

Federalists

emseyss — 2025-09-08 17:26:39 UTC

Federalists were supporters of the U.S. Constitution during the late 1780s. They believed in a stronger central government to keep order, regulate trade, and unify the states. Federalists argued that the Constitution had enough checks and balances to prevent tyranny.

Anti Federalists

emseyss — 2025-09-08 17:35:52 UTC

Anti-Federalists were people who opposed the U.S. Constitution in the late 1780s. They feared a strong central government would take away states’ rights and individual freedoms.

Enlightenment

emseyss — 2025-09-08 17:40:55 UTC

The Enlightenment was an intellectual movement in the 1600s–1700s that emphasized reason, science, and individual rights over tradition and authority. Thinkers like John Locke, Montesquieu, and Voltaire influenced ideas about government, natural rights, and liberty.

Albany Plan of Union

emseyss — 2025-09-08 17:42:42 UTC

The Albany Plan of Union (1754) was a proposal by Benjamin Franklin to create a unified government for the 13 colonies during the French and Indian War. It suggested a Grand Council of colonial representatives to handle defense, taxes, and relations with Native Americans.

Northwest Ordinance

emseyss — 2025-09-08 17:49:02 UTC

The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 was a law passed under the Articles of Confederation that set rules for governing the Northwest Territory.

Newburgh Conspiracy

emseyss — 2025-09-08 17:50:44 UTC

The Newburgh Conspiracy (1783) was a plan by some officers in the Continental Army, frustrated over unpaid wages and pensions, to pressure Congress into granting them back pay and stronger government powers.

Great Compromise

emseyss — 2025-09-08 17:53:04 UTC

The Great Compromise (1787) was an agreement during the Constitutional Convention that settled how states would be represented in Congress. It created a bicameral legislature.

Three-Fifths Compromise

emseyss — 2025-09-08 17:54:17 UTC

The Three-Fifths Compromise (1787) was an agreement reached at the Constitutional Convention regarding the representation and taxation of enslaved people. Each enslaved person would count as three-fifths of a person when determining a state’s population for the House of Representatives and taxation purposes.

Salutary Neglect

emseyss — 2025-09-08 17:56:31 UTC

Salutary Neglect was a British policy in the 1600s–1700s of loosely enforcing colonial laws and trade rules. This allowed the American colonies to develop self-government and economic independence.

Political Party

emseyss — 2025-09-28 20:27:47 UTC

An organized group of people who share similar political ideologies and work together to influence government policy and gain political power.

Marbury vs. Madison

emseyss — 2025-09-28 20:28:28 UTC

A landmark 1803 Supreme Court case that established the principle of judicial review, allowing the Court to invalidate laws that conflict with the Constitution.

Temperance Movement

emseyss — 2025-09-28 20:29:25 UTC

A social and political campaign in the 19th and early 20th centuries advocating for the reduction or prohibition of alcohol consumption.

Abolition Movement

emseyss — 2025-09-28 20:29:52 UTC

A movement aimed at ending slavery and the slave trade, particularly prominent in the United States during the 19th century.

Women's Rights Movement

emseyss — 2025-09-28 20:30:17 UTC

A social movement advocating for the equal rights of women, including suffrage, education, and workplace equality, which gained momentum in the mid-19th century.

Cotton Gin

emseyss — 2025-09-28 20:30:50 UTC

A machine invented by Eli Whitney in 1793 that mechanized the process of separating cotton fibers from seeds, significantly boosting cotton production and the economy of the South.

Steam Engine

emseyss — 2025-09-28 20:31:15 UTC

An engine that uses steam to generate power, fundamentally transforming transportation and industry during the Industrial Revolution.

Factory System

emseyss — 2025-09-28 20:31:36 UTC

A method of manufacturing where goods are produced in large quantities in centralized locations using machinery and a division of labor, emerging in the 18th century.

Canals

emseyss — 2025-09-28 20:32:16 UTC

Man-made waterways constructed to facilitate the transportation of goods and people, significantly enhancing trade and commerce in the 19th century.

Monroe Doctrine

emseyss — 2025-09-28 20:32:39 UTC

A U.S. foreign policy articulated in 1823, declaring that European powers should no longer colonize or interfere in the Americas, asserting American influence in the Western Hemisphere.

Democratic Party

emseyss — 2025-09-28 20:33:11 UTC

One of the two major political parties in the United States, which traditionally supports social equality and a mixed economy, tracing its roots back to the early 19th century.

Whigs

emseyss — 2025-09-28 20:33:44 UTC

A political party active in the early to mid-19th century in the U.S., formed in opposition to the Democratic Party and supporting modernization and economic protectionism.

Telegraph

emseyss — 2025-09-28 20:34:34 UTC

An electrical communication system developed in the 1830s and 1840s that enabled the transmission of messages over long distances using Morse code, revolutionizing communication.

Interchangeable Parts

emseyss — 2025-09-28 20:35:30 UTC

Standardized components that can be easily replaced, invented in the early 19th century, which enhanced manufacturing efficiency and repairability.

Impressment

emseyss — 2025-09-28 20:35:56 UTC

The act of forcibly recruiting individuals into military service, notably practiced by the British against American sailors in the early 19th century, contributing to tensions leading up to the War of 1812.

Manifest Destiny

emseyss — 2025-10-26 17:24:00 UTC

Manifest Destiny was the belief that the United States should stretch from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. People thought it was their right to expand westward.

Compromise of 1850

emseyss — 2025-10-26 17:24:37 UTC

The Compromise of 1850 was a series of laws meant to settle arguments about slavery. It tried to balance the needs of free and slave states.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

emseyss — 2025-10-26 17:25:05 UTC

The Kansas-Nebraska Act allowed people in those territories to decide if they wanted slavery. This led to fighting between pro-slavery and anti-slavery groups.

Popular Sovereignty

emseyss — 2025-10-26 17:25:32 UTC

Popular sovereignty means that the people living in an area get to vote on important issues. This was often used to decide if a new state would allow slavery.

Fugitive Slave Act

emseyss — 2025-10-26 17:25:57 UTC

The Fugitive Slave Act required people to help catch runaway slaves. It made it illegal to help slaves escape to freedom.

Dred Scott Decision

emseyss — 2025-10-26 17:26:23 UTC

The Dred Scott Decision was a Supreme Court ruling that said African Americans could not be citizens. It also stated that Congress could not ban slavery in the territories.

Emancipation Proclamation

emseyss — 2025-10-26 17:27:05 UTC

The Emancipation Proclamation was an order by President Lincoln that freed slaves in the Confederate states. It was signed during the Civil War to weaken the South.

Appomattox Court House

emseyss — 2025-10-26 17:27:35 UTC

Appomattox Court House is where General Lee surrendered to General Grant, ending the Civil War. This event marked a significant point in American history.

Lincoln Assassinated

emseyss — 2025-10-26 17:28:08 UTC

Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth in 1865. His death shocked the nation and changed the course of American history.

Reconstruction

emseyss — 2025-10-26 17:28:36 UTC

Reconstruction was the period after the Civil War when the South was rebuilt and integrated back into the Union. It aimed to bring equality and rights to former slaves.

Secession

emseyss — 2025-10-26 17:29:04 UTC

Secession is when a state chooses to leave the Union. Several Southern states seceded before and during the Civil War over issues like slavery.

Union

emseyss — 2025-10-26 17:30:01 UTC

The Union refers to the Northern states that stayed together during the Civil War. They fought to preserve the country and end slavery.

Confederacy

emseyss — 2025-10-26 17:30:24 UTC

The Confederacy was made up of the Southern states that seceded from the Union. They fought to maintain their way of life, which included slavery.

13th Amendment

emseyss — 2025-10-26 17:30:50 UTC

The Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery in the United States. It was passed after the Civil War to ensure freedom for all.

14th Amendment

emseyss — 2025-10-26 17:31:22 UTC

The Fourteenth Amendment granted citizenship and equal protection under the law to all people born in the U.S. This was important for protecting the rights of former slaves.

15th Amendment

emseyss — 2025-10-26 17:31:51 UTC

The Fifteenth Amendment gave African American men the right to vote. It aimed to ensure that all citizens could participate in elections.

Capitalism

emseyss — 2025-11-11 18:09:29 UTC

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

Titans of Industry

emseyss — 2025-11-11 18:10:09 UTC

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

Social Darwinism

emseyss — 2025-11-11 18:10:38 UTC

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

Cornelius Vanderbilt

emseyss — 2025-11-11 18:11:10 UTC

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

Robber Barons

emseyss — 2025-11-11 18:11:35 UTC

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

Gospel of Wealth

emseyss — 2025-11-11 18:12:13 UTC

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

Andrew Carnegie

emseyss — 2025-11-11 18:12:39 UTC

Known as the steel king; he integrated every phase of his steel-making operation and pioneered "Vertical Integration" to improve efficiency

Unions

emseyss — 2025-11-11 18:13:08 UTC

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

Muckraking

emseyss — 2025-11-11 18:13:35 UTC

When writers sought to expose corruption in big business and government

John D. Rockefeller

emseyss — 2025-11-11 18:13:57 UTC

A man who started from meager beginnings and eventually created an oil empire, organizing the Standard Oil Company in 1870

Migration

emseyss — 2025-11-11 18:14:21 UTC

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

JP Morgan

emseyss — 2025-11-11 18:14:45 UTC

A banker who financed the reorganization of railroads, insurance companies, and banks, and started the United States Steel Corporation

Gilded Age

emseyss — 2025-11-11 18:15:12 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

Womans Suffrage

emseyss — 2025-12-01 13:36:29 UTC

A movement advocating for women's right to vote, achieving significant milestones with the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920, which granted women voting rights in the U.S.

Prohibition

emseyss — 2025-12-01 13:37:04 UTC

A nationwide ban on the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol in the U.S. from 1920 to 1933, intended to reduce crime but led to widespread illegal activities.

Isolationism

emseyss — 2025-12-01 13:37:38 UTC

A foreign policy stance emphasizing non-involvement in international conflicts and alliances, particularly characterized by American attitudes before World War II.

Imperialism

emseyss — 2025-12-01 13:38:49 UTC

A policy of extending a nation's power and influence through colonization or military force, prevalent among major world powers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Alfred Thayer Mahan

emseyss — 2025-12-01 13:39:15 UTC

A U.S. naval officer and historian whose influential writings on naval power and strategy shaped U.S. foreign policy and contributed to imperialistic expansion.

Open Door Policy

emseyss — 2025-12-01 13:39:48 UTC

A U.S. diplomatic principle advocated in the late 19th century, promoting equal trading rights for all nations in China and preventing any single power from monopolizing trade.

Militarism

emseyss — 2025-12-01 13:40:36 UTC

The belief in building and maintaining a strong military, emphasizing military readiness, and glorification of military power contributed to tensions leading to WWI.

Nationalism

emseyss — 2025-12-01 13:41:26 UTC

A sense of pride and loyalty to one’s nation, often leading to desires for independence or dominance, significantly affected global events and conflicts in the 20th century.

League of Nations

emseyss — 2025-12-02 02:31:05 UTC

An international organization established after WWI aimed at maintaining world peace through diplomacy and cooperation, though it ultimately failed to prevent WWII.

Treaty of Versailles

emseyss — 2025-12-02 02:31:56 UTC

The 1919 peace treaty that formally ended WWI, imposing heavy reparations and territorial losses on Germany, which sowed the seeds for future conflict.

Great Migration

emseyss — 2025-12-02 02:33:29 UTC

The large-scale movement of African Americans from the rural South to urban centers in the North and West during the early to mid-20th century, driven by the search for better economic opportunities.

Zimmerman Telegram

emseyss — 2025-12-02 02:34:12 UTC

A secret communication sent by Germany to Mexico in 1917 proposing a military alliance against the U.S., which helped galvanize American public support for entering WWI.

Stocks on Margin

emseyss — 2025-12-02 02:37:04 UTC

A practice where investors borrow money to purchase stocks, significantly contributing to the stock market crash of 1929 and the onset of the Great Depression.

Tariffs

emseyss — 2025-12-02 02:39:09 UTC

Taxes imposed on imported goods to protect domestic industries, often leading to international trade tensions as countries retaliate with their own tariffs.

3 Rs

emseyss — 2025-12-02 02:40:50 UTC

An acronym for Relief, Recovery, and Reform, representing the three goals of the New Deal programs instituted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in response to the Great Depression.

Island Hopping

emseyss — 2025-12-02 02:42:31 UTC

A military strategy used by Allied forces in the Pacific during WWII, focusing on capturing strategically important islands while bypassing others to advance toward Japan.

Holocaust

emseyss — 2025-12-17 14:46:15 UTC

The Holocaust was the mass killing of six million Jews and others by the Nazis during World War II. It is remembered as a terrible time of hatred and suffering.

International Organizations

emseyss — 2025-12-17 14:52:57 UTC

International organizations are groups formed by countries to work together on common goals like peace, health, and trade. Examples include the United Nations and the World Health Organization.

United Nations

emseyss — 2025-12-17 14:53:49 UTC

The United Nations (UN) is an organization created in 1945 to promote peace and cooperation among countries. It works on issues like human rights, health, and education around the world.

Bretton Woods System

emseyss — 2025-12-17 14:54:34 UTC

The Bretton Woods System was an agreement made in 1944 to create a stable international monetary system. It set fixed exchange rates and established the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank.

NATO

emseyss — 2025-12-17 14:55:37 UTC

NATO, or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, is a military alliance of countries that promise to defend each other. It was created in 1949 to counter threats during the Cold War.

Iron Curtain

emseyss — 2025-12-17 14:56:26 UTC

The Iron Curtain was a term used to describe the divide between Western countries and Eastern communist countries after World War II. It symbolized the lack of communication and cooperation between these two sides.

Warsaw Pact

emseyss — 2025-12-17 14:57:37 UTC

The Warsaw Pact was a military alliance formed in 1955 by countries in Eastern Europe led by the Soviet Union. It was created in response to NATO and aimed to strengthen ties among communist nations.

Containment

emseyss — 2025-12-17 14:58:14 UTC

Containment was a U.S. policy during the Cold War aimed at preventing the spread of communism. The idea was to stop Soviet influence from growing in various parts of the world.

Domino Theory

emseyss — 2025-12-17 14:58:52 UTC

Domino Theory was the belief that if one country became communist, nearby countries would also fall to communism like a line of falling dominoes. This idea influenced U.S. policies in places like Vietnam.

Mutually Assured Destruction

emseyss — 2025-12-17 14:59:30 UTC

Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) is a military strategy that says that if two countries can each destroy the other with nuclear weapons, neither will attack. This idea discouraged nuclear war during the Cold War.

Atomic Bomb

emseyss — 2025-12-17 14:59:57 UTC

An atomic bomb is a powerful weapon that uses nuclear reactions to create an explosion. It was first used in World War II by the United States on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Nuclear Weapons

emseyss — 2025-12-17 15:00:23 UTC

Nuclear weapons are bombs that release energy from nuclear reactions and have the potential for massive destruction. They are considered one of the most dangerous threats to global security.

Great Society Program

emseyss — 2025-12-17 15:00:45 UTC

The Great Society was a set of programs launched by President Lyndon B. Johnson in the 1960s to reduce poverty and improve education and healthcare in the U.S. It aimed to create a better quality of life for all Americans.

Brown vs. Board of Education

emseyss — 2025-12-17 15:01:14 UTC

Brown vs. Board of Education was a landmark Supreme Court case in 1954 that declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional. This decision helped pave the way for the civil rights movement in the U.S.

Reaganomics

emseyss — 2026-01-14 18:06:15 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.

Trickle Down Economics

emseyss — 2026-01-14 18:06:54 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.

Inflation

emseyss — 2026-01-14 18:07:28 UTC

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

GDP (Gross Domestic Product)

emseyss — 2026-01-14 18:20:08 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.

Liberal

emseyss — 2026-01-14 18:20:35 UTC

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

Monetary Policy

emseyss — 2026-01-14 18:20:59 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.

Deregulation

emseyss — 2026-01-14 18:21:22 UTC

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

Conservative

emseyss — 2026-01-14 18:21:49 UTC

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

Fiscal Policy

emseyss — 2026-01-14 18:22:11 UTC

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

Terrorism

emseyss — 2026-01-14 18:22:37 UTC

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

Moral Majority

emseyss — 2026-01-14 18:23:01 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.

Laissez-Faire

emseyss — 2026-01-14 18:23:36 UTC

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

Globalization

emseyss — 2026-01-14 18:24:09 UTC

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