Download Review 7th Grade Terms for the State Exam Do Not Write on this sheet

100 7th Grade terms you should know for the State Exam:
DO NOT WRITE ON THIS PACKET!
1. Albany Plan of Union (1754) plan put forth by colonial leaders meeting at Albany, New York that sought to
join the English colonies together under a president appointed by the king. The king rejected the plan.
2. Amendment an addition or change to the Constitution. There are currently 27 amendments.
3. Antifederalists those people who argued against the ratification (approval) of the Constitution.
4. Annapolis Convention of 1786 meeting in Annapolis, Maryland where leaders from the different states
urged a major revision of the Articles of Confederation.
5. Archaeologist a person who studies the past through relics.
6. Articles of Confederation the charter of the first national government of the United States. Its features
included state governments that were more powerful than the central government and no elected president.
7. Aztecs one of the first great empires of ancient America occupying central and southern Mexico between
1200 AD and 1400 AD
8. Bicameral legislature a legislative body made up of two houses.
9. Bill of Rights the first ten amendments to the Constitution; it guarantees basic rights to U.S. citizens and
limits the government's ability to reduce basic liberties such as freedom of speech, the press, and religion, and
the rights of the accused.
10. Boston Massacre (1770) the killing of five colonists in Boston by British soldiers led by Captain Thomas
Preston.
11. Boston Tea Party reaction of colonists in Boston against tea taxes imposed by the British. The colonists,
dressed as Indians, boarded British ships and dumped tea into Boston Harbor
12. Cabinet the heads of executive departments of the U.S. government who advise the president. Created by
George Washington, the cabinet is an example of the "unwritten constitution."
13. Central government also known as the federal government; it is located in Washington, D.C.
14. Checks and balances principle of government that separates federal powers among three branches and
prevents a single branch from becoming too powerful.
15. Citizen Genet affair (1793) incident in which a French minister stirred up anti-British sentiment in the
United States.
16. Clay's Compromise (1820) agreement arranged by Henry Clay that led to the Missouri Compromise,
which determined the boundary between free and slave states.
17. Colony a territory controlled by a more powerful country.
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18. Compromise of 1850 law that established the boundary between free and slave territories and revised the
Missouri Compromise.
19. Congress the legislative or lawmaking body of the United States government made up of the Senate and
the House of Representatives.
20. Consent of the governed philosophy calling for the direct election of governmental representatives by the
people. Once elected these lawmakers would respond to the policies favored by those who elected them.
21. Constitution document that outlines the powers and limitations of the U.S. government.
22. Constitutional Convention (1787) meeting of delegates from the original thirteen states in Philadelphia for
the purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation. Instead, the delegates drafted the Constitution.
23. Culture the beliefs, values, and customs of a particular group or race of people.
24. Declaration of Independence document written by Thomas Jefferson declaring the United States as an
independent nation, and stating that all men have the basic rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
25. Delegated powers those powers listed in the Constitution that are not specifically reserved for the federal.
Government.
26. Democracy form of government characterized by free and open election of representatives who are
responsive to the will of the people.
27. Democratic Party one of the two major political parties in the United States today. Its symbol is the
donkey.
28. Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857) case in which the Supreme Court decided that slaves were property; the
decision was a catalyst for the Civil War.
29. Elastic clause section of the Constitution enabling the government to make any laws "necessary and
proper" to carry out its specific powers. It is also known as the "necessary and proper clause."
30. Electoral College established by the Founding Fathers, it is a method of indirectly electing the president
and vice president by a delegation of electors from each state. The number of electors a state has is equal to the
number of Senators and House members the state has in Congress.
31. Emancipation Proclamation (1863) President Lincoln's order freeing the slaves in the Southern states that
seceded from the Union during the Civil War.
32. Erie Canal a canal connecting New York City with Buffalo along Lake Erie, completed in 1825. The canal
opened new markets from New York City to Albany, and Albany to Buffalo.
33. Ethnocentrism belief that a person's own ethnic group is superior to others.
34. Executive branch - the branch of government, headed by the president that carries out the laws of the land.
35. Federalism form of government that divides power between a central government and state governments.
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36. Federalists people who favored ratification of the Constitution and a powerful central government. They
wrote the Federalist Papers, which outlined reasons for approving the Constitution. Federalists included
Alexander Hamilton and James Madison.
37. First Continental Congress (1774) meeting of representatives of all colonies, except Georgia, in
Philadelphia, in response to the Intolerable Acts imposed on the colonists by Great Britain.
38. Fugitive Slave Law (1850) act of Congress requiring Northern states to return escaped slaves to their
Southern owners; rewards were often given for their return.
39. Great Compromise agreement made at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 creating the two houses of
Congress; one house based on population and the other house based on equal representation.
40. House of Burgesses legislative body of the Virginia colony; it was-the first elected representative
legislature in the English colonies.
41. House of Representatives one of the two houses of Congress; its members are elected every two years and
allotted among the states according to population.
42. Incas one of the earliest ancient American civilizations, founded in 1100 AD in Peru; by the time of their
conquest by Spanish explorers in the 1500s, the Incas had established a powerful empire.
43. Intolerable Acts series of harsh laws imposed by the British on the American colonies to assert control and
raise revenues.
44. Iroquois one of the most powerful Native American nations in the eastern woodlands of New York State.
45. Iroquois Confederacy league of tribes of the Iroquois nation located in New York State; the Iroquois
Confederacy sided with the British and helped defeat the French in the French and Indian War.
46. Jacksonian Democracy term used to describe the presidency of Andrew Jackson, characterized by greater
political participation for the common man.
47. Judicial review principle established in Marbury v. Madison; the power of the Supreme Court to declare
laws unconstitutional.
48. Judiciary branch of government responsible for interpreting laws; the court system.
49. Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854) law allowing the people of Kansas and Nebraska to choose whether their
territory would be admitted to the Union as a free or slave state.
50. Legislature branch of government responsible for making laws.
51. Limited government belief that government power is restrained or limited by legal principles.
52. Louisiana Purchase (1803) agreement made by Thomas Jefferson to purchase the territory between the
Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains from France. The purchase more than doubled the size of the
United States.
53. Loyalists colonists who remained loyal to England during the Revolutionary War.
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54. Magna Carta (1215) agreement signed by King John I guaranteeing certain rights to the people of
England. Also known as the "Great Charter," it became the foundation of the Bill of Rights.
55. Manifest Destiny belief held by many Americans during the nineteenth century that it was God's will for
the United States to expand its borders from the East Coast to the West Coast.
56. Marbury v. Madison (1803) Supreme Court decision written by Chief Justice John Marshall declaring a
congressional act unconstitutional; the decision established the principle of judicial review.
57. Maya early civilization located in southern Mexico and Central America; by 1000 BC the Maya had
established an advanced culture.
58. Mayflower Compact (1620) agreement among the Pilgrims to create a representative form of government
in their new colony.
59. mercantilism economic principle favoring the acquisition of colonies as a source of raw materials for and a
market for finished goods of the mother country.
60. Mexican War (1846-1848) armed conflict between Mexico and the United States resulting in the U.S.
acquisition of territory in Texas and the purchase of California and New Mexico for $15 million.
61. Missouri Compromise (1820) agreement between advocates and opponents of slavery admitting Missouri
as a slave state, Maine as a free state, and establishing a boundary between free territory and slave territory.
62. Monroe Doctrine (1823) policy announced by President James Monroe declaring the Western Hemisphere
off limits to European colonial powers.
63. natural rights liberties granted by God to which all people are entitled as human beings; first discussed by
John Locke, these rights include life, liberty, and property.
64. necessary and proper clause section of the Constitution granting Congress the right to make any laws
"necessary and proper" for carrying out any of its stated powers; also known as the "elastic" clause.
65. Northwest Ordinance of 1787 legislation providing for the admission of the Northwest Territory to the
Union and its administration; the Ordinance prohibited slavery in the newly admitted states and granted
admission on an equal basis with the thirteen original states.
66. Nullification Act (1828) laws enacted by Southern states allowing a state to overrule or nullify a law of the
federal government on the basis that Congress had exceeded its powers.
67. Pinckney Treaty (1795) U.S. agreement with Spain settling land disputes between the two countries after
the Revolutionary War.
68. plantation system method of land management practiced in the South utilizing slave labor and overseers
(individuals in charge of slave labor).
69. populism political movement of the late 1800s favoring greater government regulation of business, a
graduated income tax, and greater political involvement by the people.
70. Preamble introduction to the Constitution stating the purposes of the document; begins with "We the
people, in order to form a more perfect Union”
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71. protective tariff (1828) tax on imported goods designed to protect domestic industries by increasing prices
of imports. In the South, protective tariffs were disliked as European countries placed retaliatory tariffs on
Southern goods like cotton.
72. Puritans group of early English settlers who came to America to escape religious persecution.
73. Quakers group of early English settlers who established a colony in Pennsylvania. Quakers oppose war on
religious grounds
74. Quebec Act (1774) act of British government extending the boundaries of the Canadian Province of
Quebec. The Quebec Act angered English colonists by threatening the territorial claims of the colonies.
75. Republican Party one of the two major U.S. political parties. Founded in 1854, its first major political
figure was Abraham Lincoln; its symbol, the e1ephant.
76. reserved powers powers not specifically granted by the Constitution to the federal government and held to
be reserved to the states. Listed in the Tenth Amendment, they include the power of state governments to
regulate education, maintain police, and guarantee the health and welfare of their citizens.
77. salutary neglect term describing English colonists' belief that the British government's lack of interest in
the colonies resulted in their ability to develop political and economic systems with little interference from
England.
78. secession withdrawal of Southern states from the Union in 1860.
79. sectionalism development of rivalries and alliances within the same country based on geographic or
economic differences. Sectionalism created conflicts between the North and South and ultimately led to the
Civil War.
80. Senate the upper house of Congress; based on equal representation of two members from each state.
81. Seneca Falls Convention (1848) convention held in Seneca Falls, New York for the purpose of furthering
the rights of women; organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott. The convention issued the
"Declaration of Sentiments," urging passage of legislation granting women more rights.
82. separation of powers principle of government established by the Constitution dividing governmental
powers among three branches of government and assuring liberty through a system of checks and balances.
83. Shays' Rebellion (1786) armed rebellion in Massachusetts led by Daniel Shays to protest government
auctions of farms for failure to pay to taxes.
84. Stamp Act (1765) British law imposing a tax, in the form of stamps, on all legal and printed documents
used in the English colonies.
85. states' rights doctrine supporting the power of states to overrule, oppose, or withdraw from the federal
government if they choose. Southern states believed in states' rights and eventually seceded from the Union
prior to the Civil War; a direct cause of the Civil War.
86. supremacy clause contained in Article VI of the Constitution, the clause declaring the Constitution as "the
supreme law of the land.. "
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87. Supreme Court highest court in the federal judicial branch of government; the Court rules on issues
related to the Constitution.
88. three branches of government legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the federal government.
89. Three-Fifths Compromise clause contained in the Constitution counting every five slaves as three people
for purposes of calculating representation in Congress; reached at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia
in 1787.
90. Tories English colonists sympathetic or loyal to the British during the Revolutionary War; also known as
Loyalists.
91. Trail of Tears term used by Native Americans to describe forced removal of tribes after President Andrew
Jackson's signing of the Indian Removal Act into law.
92. Treaty of Paris (1783) agreement ending the American Revolution and granting the English colonies their
independence.
93. triangular trade system of trade pursued by New England merchants in the late eighteenth and early
nineteenth centuries that involved trading sugar, molasses, rum, finished goods, and slaves between the West
Indies, Europe, and Africa.
94. Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852) book written by Abolitionist author, Harriet Beecher Stowe, describing the
cruel treatment of black slaves in the South.
95. Underground Railroad system of assistance designed to aid fugitive slaves in their attempts to escape
from Southern masters.
96. Union states that opposed secession during the Civil War.
97. unwritten Constitution policies and practices of government not specifically established by the
Constitution but based on custom. Examples include the establishment of the .president's cabinet and the
formation of political parties.
98. War of 1812 armed conflict between the United States and Great Britain instigated by "War Hawks"
elected to Congress who wanted western lands controlled by the British. The war ended with neither side
claiming victory.
99. Whigs political party, in existence from 1800 until the Civil War, that opposed the two major parties of the
time; many members eventually joined the Republican Party.
100. Whiskey Rebellion (1794) armed rebellion by settlers in Pennsylvania and Virginia protesting a tax on
whiskey passed as part of Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton's financial plan. Federal troops, under George
Washington, put down the uprising.
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