"The Americans: Reconstruction to the 21st Century," Vocabulary from Chapter 5

This list focuses on changes on the western frontier (Unit 2, Chapter 5).

Here are links to all the chapters in Unit 2, Bridge to the 20th Century: Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8

Here are links to all the units of the California edition of the textbook published by McDougal Littell: Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3, Unit 4, Unit 5, Unit 6, Unit 7
35 words 129 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. coup
    a brilliant and notable success
  2. reservation
    a district that is set aside for a particular purpose
  3. restriction
    the act of keeping something within specified bounds
  4. assimilation
    the process of absorbing one cultural group into another
  5. shaman
    one acting as a medium between the visible and spirit worlds
  6. prophet
    someone who speaks by divine inspiration
  7. cavalry
    troops trained to fight on horseback
  8. cattle
    domesticated cows as a group
  9. stampede
    a wild headlong rush of frightened animals
  10. frontier
    a wilderness at the edge of a settled area of a country
  11. range
    a large tract of grassy, open land on which livestock graze
  12. homestead
    the house and adjacent grounds occupied by a family
  13. speculator
    one who makes risky investments in the hopes of high profits
  14. pioneer
    one the first colonists or settlers in a new territory
  15. dugout
    a hole in the ground used as a shelter or fortification
  16. agricultural
    relating to or used in or promoting farming
  17. reaper
    farm machine that gathers a food crop from the fields
  18. mortgage
    a conveyance of property as security for repaying a loan
  19. bonanza
    an especially rich vein of precious ore
  20. extortion
    unjust exaction, as by the misuse of authority
  21. foreclosure
    proceedings initiated to repossess the collateral for a loan
  22. plight
    a situation from which extrication is difficult
  23. distress
    a state of adversity
  24. discontent
    a longing for something better than the present situation
  25. grange
    a farm or farmhouse with outbuildings
  26. patron
    someone who supports or champions something
  27. husbandry
    the practice of cultivating the land or raising stock
  28. regulate
    bring into conformity with rules, principles, or usage
  29. populism
    political doctrine that supports the rights of common people
  30. platform
    a document stating the principles of a political party
  31. reform
    a change for the better as a result of correcting abuses
  32. currency
    the metal or paper medium of exchange that is presently used
  33. standard
    the value behind the money in a monetary system
  34. downtrodden
    abused or oppressed by people in power
  35. debt
    money or goods or services owed by one person to another
Created on Wed Nov 16 11:40:41 EST 2016 (updated Thu Nov 17 14:13:04 EST 2016)

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