Download STAAR ABC Glossary

STAAR Glossary
8 Grade United States History
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*DATES TO REMEMBER:
1607 Jamestown, Virginia becomes 1st permanent English settlement in North America
1620 Mayflower Compact, arrival of Pilgrims at Plymouth, Massachusetts
1776 Declaration of Independence is signed
1787 U.S. Constitution is written
1803 Louisiana Purchase
1861-1865 Civil War
*1st Amendment - Guarantees religious freedom by stating the government cannot establish a religion nor
can it interfere with an individual right to practice the religion of their choice; also protects freedom of
speech, press, assembly, and the right to petition the government.
*13th Amendment – banned slavery throughout the nation.
*14th Amendment – gave citizenship to all people born in the United States.
*15th Amendment – forbade any state from denying African-American males the right to vote.
*Adams, Abigail – wife of John Adams (2nd president) and mother of John Quincy Adams (6th president)
who was in favor of equal rights for women. Encouraged her husband to “Remember the women…” when
helping draft the Declaration of Independence.
*Adams, John – delegate from Massachusetts to the 2nd Continental Congress, helped draft the Declaration
of Independence, ambassador to France and Great Britain, vice-president under George Washington, 2nd
president of the United States; XYZ Affair, Alien & Sedition Acts passed under his presidency.
*Adams, John Quincy – son of John Adams, served in various government positions, Secretary of State
under James Monroe, drafted the Monroe Doctrine, elected President of the United States with great
controversy in 1824. Helped build Erie Canal. Served as congressmen after being President and supported
abolitionist movement.
*Adams, Sam - delegate from Massachusetts to 1st Continental Congress, led Sons of Liberty.
*African Americans - 1st arrived in Jamestown in 1619 and were indentured servants; however, after
development of cash crops, laws put into place where this group lost any and all rights; Others were forced
into slavery; suffered huge inhumanities in Middle Passage, sold and abused, separated from family
frequently and used as labor source within plantation system mainly but also in other areas. Despite
hardships, many chose to fight for the U.S. in the Revolution, War of 1812, U.S. Mexican War, and the Civil
War and fight prejudice and discrimination to ensure equal rights described in Declaration and guaranteed in
Bill of Rights applied to ALL groups of people in this country.
*Amendment – change or addition to the U.S. Constitution - requires 2/3 Congress proposing it and 3/4 of
the states approving it for one to occur. The Bill of Rights contained the 1st 10 amendments, and since
then, our Constitution has only been amended 17 times.
*Anthony, Susan B. - Women's rights advocate and supporter of suffrage; helped lead the Seneca Falls
Convention
*Anti-Federalists – people opposed to the Constitution and a strong national government that developed
into one of our first political parties - the Democratic Republicans.
*Anti-Federalist Papers - series of newspaper articles written mainly by George Mason explaining why the
states did not and should support a strong, national government and adopt the U.S. Constitution.
*Antietam - bloodiest 1-day battle of Civil War with 23,000 casualties; while neither side "won," Lincoln
claimed it as Union victory and used it to issue Emancipation Proclamation.
*Appomattox - Site where Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S
Grant ending the Civil War.
*Armistead, James - African American soldier/spy who aided Washington during American Revolution.
*Articles of Confederation – first American constitution, passed in 1777, which created a loose league of
13 independent states.
*Attucks, Crispus - African American who lost his life in Boston Massacre.
*Bill of Rights – first 10 amendments to the United States Constitution.
*Boston Massacre – a 1770 conflict between colonists and British troops in which 5 colonists were killed.
*Boston Tea Party – a 1773 protest in which colonists dressed up as Indians and dumped British tea in
Boston harbor.
*Boycott – refusal to buy certain goods and services; colonists boycotted tea to protest taxes.
*Branches of Government –
EXECUTIVE – president…this branch ENFORCES, CARRIES OUT the law
1.
Checks on Congress by:
Veto, calling special sessions, suggesting legislation and sending messages.
2.
Checks on Court by:
Appointing Supreme Court Justices and Federal Judges, and can grant reprieves and pardons.
JUDICIAL – Supreme Court…this branch INTERPRETS the fairness of the law
1.
Checks on Congress by:
declaring acts unconstitutional.
2.
Checks on President by:
declaring acts unconstitutional, being appointed for life so that the President has no control over the
judges’ rulings.
LEGISLATIVE BRANCH – Congress (House of Representatives and the Senate)…this branch WRITES the law
1.
Checks on President by:
ability to impeach President, overriding his/her veto by a 2/3’s vote, controls budget, can refuse to
approve Presidential appointments, can refuse to ratify treaties.
2.
Checks on Court by:
ability to impeach federal justices, refuse confirmation of judicial appointments, establishing lower
federal court, can propose constitutional amendments to overturn court decisions.
*Brown, John – abolitionist who believed God had sent him to punish supporters of slavery. He carried his
campaign against slavery from Kansas to the east where attempted to lead a small group of men in a raid on
a federal arsenal in Harper’s Ferry, Virginia. His group did not succeed in keeping the arsenal. His son was
killed in the uprising and he was captured and hanged. He was seen as a martyr to many northerners, but
in the south the northern response to his death was seen as outrageous. Previously had killed slave
supporters - BLEEDING KANSAS.
*Calhoun, John C. - Vice President under Andrew Jackson who resigned when his home state (South Carolina)
threatened to secede from the Union over the high tariff’s they had to pay on imported goods. Supported idea of
nullification.
*Carney, William - Honor of Medal recipient for his valor at the Battle of Fort Wagner during the Civil War;
21st African American to receive this award.
*Cheswell, Wentworth - 1st African American to hold public office in the United States; warned the people
in Connecticut that the "British were coming."
*Chinese Americans - Immigrants who came for financial freedom; built the western part of the railroad
and suffered great prejudice and discrimination.
*Civic virtue – the willingness to work for the good of the nation or community even a great sacrifice to
oneself. George Washington coming back to be President when he wanted to retire is an example.
*Civil Disobedience – idea that people have a right to disobey laws they consider to be unjust if their
consciences demand it. Henry David Thoreau's refusal to pay tax and the colonists' act at the Boston Tea
Party were examples.
*Civil War 1861-1865 – The war between the Union (North) and the Confederacy (South) over states' rights,
slavery, and sectionalism.
*Clay, Henry - Influential congressman who supported tariffs and helped shape the Compromise of 1850.
*Colonization – era of U.S. history beginning with English establishing permanent settlement at Jamestown,
Virginia.
*Compromise of 1850 – agreement over slavery by which California entered the Union as a free state and
a strict fugitive slave law was passed; Texas was allowed to be a slave state; New Mexico & Utah were to
decide the slavery issue based on popular sovereignty.
*Concord – village in Massachusetts where 1st battle occurred between the British and Americans at the
start of the American Revolution; referred to as "the shot heard around the world."
*Constitutional Convention - 1787 meeting of the states of the U.S. to "revise" the Articles of
Confederation - instead they discarded and wrote our current Constitution.
*Cotton Gin – a machine that separates the seeds from the fibers of cotton that transformed the cash crop
industry in the South causing an increase in slavery. Invented by Eli Whitney.
*Davis, Jefferson – President of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War.
*Dawes Act - 1887 law that gave President the right to divide tribal Indian land and give it to individual
Indians.
*Declaration of Independence – a 1776 document stating that the 13 English colonies were a free and
independent nation; the birth certificate of the United States of America.
*Dix, Dorothea - leader of prison reform and care of the disabled.
*Douglass, Frederick - Born a slave, but escaped in 1838 and went to Massachusetts. He was an
outspoken critic of slavery. He helped convince President Lincoln to allow African American troops to fight
for the U.S. (Union) during the Civil War. When slavery was abolished he worked for the civil rights of
Blacks, especially the right to vote, and he helped obtain the passage of the 15th Amendment.
*Douglas, Stephen - 19th Century politician who helped come up with the idea of popular sovereignty. Ran
against Lincoln for Illinois Senate and won…lost to Lincoln in 1860 when he ran for presidency.
*Democratic Party - Party started by Andrew Jackson in which property ownership was NO longer a
requirement for voting.
*Dred Scott vs. Sanford 1857 – an 1857 Supreme Court case in which a slave, Dred Scott, sued for his
freedom and lost; case brought into question the federal power over slavery in the territories. Claimed
slaves were property and could not be abolished or prohibited by law.
*Due Process – fair treatment under the law, protected by the 5th Amendment.
*Emancipation Proclamation 1863 – President Lincoln’s 1863 declaration freeing slaves in the
Confederacy (South).
*English Bill of Rights - influenced the U.S. system of government and rights put in the U.S. Bill of Rights
such as the right to a trial by jury (6th Amendment).
*Era of Good Feelings –the eight years of James Monroe’s presidency, from 1817 to 1825, when
Democratic Republicans dominated the nation’s politics.
*Exploration – the era in which European nations came to the Americas in search of riches, to spread their
religious beliefs, and acquire national recognition and acclaim.
*Exports – trade products sent to markets outside a country.
*Federal Government – central government, national government.
*Federalists – supporters of the Constitution, who favored a strong federal, or national government who
then developed into one of our first political parties.
*Federalist Papers - Series of newspaper articles written anonymously (we now know it was James
Madison, John Jay, and Alexander Hamilton) explaining why the states needed to support a strong, national
government over state government and adopt the U.S. Constitution.
*Fort Sumter – a federal fort in South Carolina which became the site of the first battle in the Civil War.
*Franklin, Benjamin – probably the most famous American of his time, he was involved in the writing of the
Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of Paris in 1783, and the U.S. Constitution. Also an incredible
scientist - Franklin stove, bifocals, etc., and an early opponent of slavery.
*Free Enterprise System - economic system of the United States in which the people have the right to own
their own property and businesses; to compete against each other in the free market without governmental
interference.
*French and Indian War – a war that took place from 1754 to 1763 between England and France, both
aided by Native American allies, that led to the end of French power in North America.
*Galvez, Bernardo de - Spanish military leader who led troops against British during the American
Revolution preventing them from attacking through Florida.
*Georgia – Founded by James Oglethorpe for debtors; last of the original 13 colonies. A southern state
during the Civil War that suffered great devastation including the burning of its major city Atlanta.
*Gettysburg – town in southern Pennsylvania. Site of Union victory in 1863 which was the turning point in
the Civil War.
*Gettysburg Address – speech made by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863 after the Battle of Gettysburg.
*Gibbons v Ogden - Supreme Court case that gave the federal government the right to control and regulate
interstate commerce (trade & business between the states)
*Grant, Ulysses S. – Union general during the Civil War who later became the 18th president of the United
States. Forced the surrender of Robert E. Lee and the Confederate forces at Appomattox Courthouse in
1865, ending the Civil War.
*Hamilton, Alexander – first Secretary of the Treasury; created the United States Bank, supporter of
American industry, favored tariffs and free enterprise system. Helped write Federalist Papers and was a
Federalist and leader of the party.
*Henry, Patrick - Virginia statesman who argued FOR independence and is credited for saying, "Give me
liberty, or give me death" as well as creating the phrase, "no taxation without representation." Did NOT
support the adoption of the U.S Constitution and was an Anti-Federalist.
*Homestead Act - Federal government gave free land to settlers who would build a home on set # of acres
and live out west.
*House of Burgesses – representative assembly in colonial Virginia.
*Imports – trade products brought into a country.
*Indentured Servant – person who agreed to work without wages for a period of time in exchange for
passage to the colonies; mostly poorer people wanting second chance.
*Industrial Revolution – occurred in the U.S. as result of War of 1812 and Americans having to make their
own products to fight in the war; machines and factories replaced the cottage industry (people making items
one at a time in their homes).
*Interchangeable Parts - invented by Eli Whitney, this process of creating parts to be mass produced
helped produce industrialization and the factory system.
*Intolerable Acts - Also called Coercive Acts; passed by British Parliament to "punish" the colonists for the
Tea Party; shut down Boston harbor, closed the Massachusetts assembly/legislature; imposed martial law.
*Irish Americans - group of European immigrants (from Ireland) who came to the United States after
suffering a potato famine and who suffered great discrimination; worked in factories and low-paying jobs.
*Jackson, Andrew – 7th president of the United States; famous for being the first “common man” to become
president and for removing the Indians to Oklahoma Territory; vetoed bill to reestablish U.S. Bank; Whig
Party formed to protect his policies; creator of modern Democratic Party.
*Jamestown – first permanent English settlement in North America established in 1607
*Jefferson, Thomas – Author of the Declaration of Independence, 3rd President, purchased Louisiana.
*Judicial Review –power of Supreme Court to decide whether acts of a President of laws passed by
Congress are constitutional or not. Established by the case Marbury v. Madison.
*King George III – King of Great Britain leading up to and during the American Revolution.
*Lafayette, the Marquis de - French noble who aided and fought in the American Revolution
*Lee, Robert E. – Confederate general in the Civil War, he surrendered to Ulyssess S. Grant at Appomattox
Courthouse.
*Lexington –village in Massachusetts where the first clash between minutemen and British troops occurred.
Usually combined with battle at Concord to refer to 1st battle of the U.S. Revolution against Great Britain.
*Limited Government –a principle of the United States Constitution that states that government has only
the powers that the Constitution gives it.
*Lincoln, Abraham – 16th president of the United States. Considered by some to be the greatest president
of the United States, he was assassinated in Ford’s Theater on April 14, 1865, five days after the end of the
Civil War.
*Louisiana Purchase, 1803 – vast territory between the Mississippi River and Rocky Mountains, purchased
from France in 1803 by Thomas Jefferson.
*Madison, James – principle writer of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights, considered Father of the
Constitution. A delegate from Virginia, Madison was a strong supporter of the Constitution. He also helped
write the Federalist Papers. He later - while Jefferson was president - became a Democratic Republican
and was opposed to the policies of the Federalist Party. He was also the 4th president of the U.S. during the
War of 1812.
*Magna Carta – signed in 1215, a British document that contains two basic ideas: Monarchs themselves
have to obey the laws, and citizens have basic rights. Colonists believed in these 2 ideas when they came
to America and expected the English/British government to honor it in their colonies.
*Manifest Destiny – belief held in the 1800s that Americans had the right and the duty to spread across the
continent all the way to the Pacific Ocean.
*Marbury vs. Madison – an 1803 court case in which the Supreme Court ruled that it had the power to
decide whether laws passed by Congress were constitutional and to reject laws that it considered
unconstitutional. Established judicial review.
*Maryland - established as a place where Catholics could live without religious persecution.
*Massachusetts – 1. Established in 1620 (Plymouth) by William Bradford and John Winthrop for religious
freedom for Puritans. 2. 6th state to join the Union (1788), capital is Boston
*Mayflower Compact – a 1620 agreement for ruling the Plymouth Colony establishing the idea that every
man's vote is equal, signed by the pilgrims before landing at Plymouth.
*Maryland v McCulloch - Supreme Court case in which the federal government was given the right to pass
laws not in the Constitution - acknowledged that the federal government had "implied" powers.
*Mercantilism – theory that a nation’s economic strength came from protecting and increasing its home
economy by keeping strict control over its colonial trade.
*Mexican Americans - group of people descending from Spanish and Native American original settlers in
the Western U.S. who were forced to become citizens after U.S. Mexican War who suffered discrimination,
loss of property, and basic rights as a result of being seen as a "conquered" people. Today Mexican
Americans are our #1 immigrant group coming to the U.S. for financial opportunity and economic freedoms.
*Militia – army of citizens who serve as soldiers during an emergency; way U.S. troops were organized
during the American Revolution.
*Monroe Doctrine – President Monroe’s foreign policy statement warning European nations not to interfere
in Latin America.
*Monroe, James – 5th president of the United States during the "Era of Good Feelings."
*Morrill Act - law allowing federal government to give states land to be sold and used to build colleges in
each state.
*Navigation Acts – series of laws passed by the English Parliament in the 1650s that regulated trade
between England and its colonies.
*New England - northeastern area of the United States (and 13 colonies) in which fishing, shipbuilding, and
whaling were major industries; area where 1st factories were built. Massachusetts, Rhode Island,
Connecticut, New Hampshire (original colonies), Vermont, and Maine.
*Northwest Ordinance – a 1787 article that set up a government for the Northwest Territory, guaranteed
basic rights to settlers, and outlawed slavery there. Established principles and procedures for the orderly
expansion of the United States (settlers move there, write own constitution, apply for statehood, etc.).
*Nullification Crisis – occurred when South Carolina declared the 1832 Tariff Act null and void in their
state. South Carolina believed that a state had a right to nullify a federal law if they considered the law to be
unconstitutional. President Andrew Jackson sent in troops to enforce the federal law.
*Paine, Thomas - pamphlet, “Common Sense” arguing for American independence; also wrote "Crisis"
used by Washington to inspire his troops at Valley Forge.
*Parliament – representative assembly in England, similar to our Congress that passed all the taxes the
colonists rebelled against.
*Paul Revere – famous silversmith and member of Son’s of Liberty who helped warn the colonists that the
British were marching towards Concord. He was arrested before he reached Concord with the news.
*Petition – formal written request to someone in authority, signed by a group of people. Guaranteed to us by
the 1st Amendment.
*Philadelphia Convention 1787 – also called, the Constitutional Convention. The delegates got rid of the
Articles of Confederation and wrote a new U.S. Constitution.
*Plantation System – agricultural system of large farms that raised cash crops like cotton and tobacco; way
of life in Southern colonies that became states. Relied on slave labor for the production of the cash crops.
*Plymouth – colony founded by separatists (from the Puritan faith) in Massachusetts. They called
themselves pilgrims. Wrote the Mayflower Compact before getting off the boat in 1620.
*Political Party – a group of people with similar views on government who work to elect their
representatives to government positions.
*Popular Sovereignty – a principle of the United States Constitution that states that the people have the
right to create, alter, and abolish their government; in the mid-1800s, a term referring to the idea that each
territory could decide for itself whether or not to allow slavery.
*Preamble – introduction to a declaration, constitution, or other official document. Usually refers to
beginning of the U.S. Constitution…"We the people, in order to form a more perfect union…"
*Proclamation of 1763 –law forbidding English colonists to settle west of the Appalachian mountains.
*Protective Tariff – tax on foreign goods brought into a country to help bolster the country’s economy
supported by Northern industrialists and hated by Southern agriculture leaders.
*Puritans – group of English Protestants who settled the Massachusetts Bay Colony and took over
Plymouth colony. Wanted to build a city upon a hill.
*Quakers - group in England that came to Pennsylvania to practice religious freedom. Believed in brotherly
love; were 1st abolitionists; originally led by William Penn.
*Quartering Act - Act imposed on colonists requiring them to "house" British soldiers. 3rd Amendment
enacted to protect us from this.
*Reconstruction - Period AFTER the Civil War in which southern states were allowed to reenter United
States after passing 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendment. Became "radical" after Lincoln's assassination - saw
1st African Americans elected to Congress; saw Southern opposition to change be born with KKK.
*Representative/Republican(ism) Government – political system in which voters elect representatives to
make laws for them.
*Republican Party – political party established in the United States in 1854 with the goal of keeping slavery
out of the western territories. Abraham Lincoln was a Republican and the 1st to be elected.
*Rhode Island – 1. Founded by Roger Williams for religious freedom after he was kicked out of
Massachusetts
*Salomon, Haym - Jewish financier of the American Revolution
*Saratoga – city in eastern New York. The American victory there in 1777 was a turning point in the
American Revolution.
*Secede – to withdraw from membership in a group.
*Second Great Awakening - Religious movement and series of revivals during the 1800s that ultimately led
to a series of reforms in American society including public education, healthcare, rights of insane, slavery,
women's rights.
*Sectionalism - era in American history prior to Civil War (concurrent with Westward Expansion) that led to
regional divisions and disputes especially over tariffs and slavery.
*Seneca Falls Convention 1848 – an 1848 meeting at which leaders of the women’s rights movement
called for equal rights for women. Elizabeth Cady Stanton wrote The Declaration of Sentiments.
*Sons of Liberty – a group of colonists who formed a secret society to oppose British policies at the time of
the American Revolution.
*Spain - European nation that colonized western U.S.A., built missions; helped U.S. in American Revolution.
*Stamp Act - indirect tax on colonists on all paper goods and anything requiring license.
*Stanton, Elizabeth Cady - Leader of the Seneca Falls Convention, writer of the Declaration of Sentiments.
*Steamboat - Robert Fulton designed to help transport people and products from the West to the East using
rivers and man-made canals.
*Suffrage - the right to vote. In U.S., first property owners, then all white men 21+, then Black men, then
women, then Native Americans.
*Sugar Act 1764 – a law passed by Parliament in 1764 that placed a tax on sugar, molasses, and other
products shipped to the colonies; also called for harsh punishment of smugglers.
*Telegraph - invention by Samuel Morse that allowed people to communicate from the East to West using
Morse Code - led to later development of telephone.
*Temperance Movement – campaign against alcohol consumption.
*Thoreau, Henry David – Author of “Walden” and “Civil Disobedience” Went to jail in protest of paying
taxes to support US Mexican War and thus slavery. Example of civil disobedience.
*Transcontinental Railroad - Railroad that went all the way from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific Coast.
Called the Overland Route. Remarkable feat accomplished by building from east to west and meeting in the
middle during presidency of Ulysses S Grant. Built mainly by Irish and Chinese immigrants being used as
cheap labor.
*Treaty of Paris – a 1763 agreement between Britain and France that ended the French and Indian War,
and marked the end of French power in North America…OR…a 1783 agreement between the United States
and Great Britain that recognized the United States as an independent nation and ended the American
Revolution.
*Unalienable Rights – rights that can’t be taken away without due process.
*Underground Railroad – network of abolitionists who secretly helped slaves escape to freedom in the
North to Canada and in the South to Mexico. Started by the Quakers; Harriet Tubman was a conductor.
*United States Constitution – the rulebook for the United States government; the supreme law of the
nation.
*U.S. Mexican War - war fought between U.S. and Mexico AFTER Texas joined the U.S. Mexico lost all the
land west of Texas including New Mexico, Arizona, California, Colorado, and Nevada (Mexican Cession).
*Valley Forge - Pennsylvania - place where Washington retreated with his troops during the Revolution;
experienced horrible winter there in 1777-78.
*Vicksburg – military blockade and bombardment of Vicksburg, Mississippi, during the Civil War. Ulysses
S. Grant, fighting for the Union, eventually won the battle and cut the South in two preventing it from
receiving shipments.
*Virginia – Established in 1607 (Jamestown) and founded for economic reasons.
*War of 1812 - war against British for having Native Americans attack frontier settlements and the
impressments of sailors. US won great victories/Battle of New Orleans/Star Spangled Banner.
*Warren, Mercy Otis - Friend of Abigail Adams who wrote plays in support of American independence.
*Washington George - Farewell Address warned against forming political parties and making permanent
alliances with other countries.
*Washington, George – 1. at 22, he served as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Virginia Militia. He fought with
British forces against the French in the French and Indian War. His leadership during the war led many
Americans to respect him. This led to him being named Commander of Continental Army during the
American Revolution.
*Washington, George - President of Philadelphia Convention where he served as a delegate from Virginia.
He was elected unanimously because of his success in the American Revolution.
*Washington, George - President of United States from 1789 – 1797
*Webster, Daniel - Influential politician during 1800s; supported tariff, U.S. Bank, and helped with
Compromise of 1850.
* XYZ Affair – 1st scandal in American History where French officials insisted on being bribed to receive
American ministers – Helped Adams pass the Alien and Sedition Acts and made Americans
FRANCOPHOBIC!
Yorktown – town in Virginia, which was the site of the British surrender in 1781, which effectively ended the
American Revolution.
MAP 1: US TERRITORIAL GROWTH:
MAP 2: US PHYSICAL