American History

Emily C.
184 words related to American History
184 words 571 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. abolitionist
    a reformer who favors putting an end to slavery
  2. acquisition
    something gained
  3. acquitted
    declared not guilty of a specific offense or crime
  4. advocate
    a person who pleads for a person, cause, or idea
  5. agrarian
    relating to rural matters
  6. ally
    a friendly nation
  7. amphibious
    relating to vertebrates that live on land but breed in water
  8. annex
    attach to
  9. antebellum
    belonging to a period before a war
  10. antitrust
    relating to laws that prevent unfair business practices
  11. apropos
    of a suitable, fitting, or pertinent nature
  12. armada
    a large fleet
  13. armament
    weaponry used by military or naval force
  14. armistice
    a state of peace agreed to between opponents
  15. arsenal
    all the weapons and equipment that a country has
  16. artisan
    a skilled worker who practices some trade or handicraft
  17. assets
    anything of material value owned by a person or company
  18. astrolabe
    instrument used to calculate positions of celestial bodies
  19. balk
    refuse to proceed or comply
  20. balm
    preparation applied externally as a remedy or for soothing
  21. barter
    exchange goods without involving money
  22. blockade
    a war measure isolating an area of importance to the enemy
  23. bootlegging
    the act of selling illegally or without permission
  24. bourgeoisie
    a socioeconomic group that is neither wealthy nor poor
  25. boycott
    refusal to have commercial dealings with some organization
  26. burgess
    a citizen of an English borough
  27. buttress
    a support usually of stone or brick
  28. cabinet
    a storage compartment for clothes and valuables
  29. capital
    a large alphabetic character used in writing or printing
  30. caucus
    meet to select a candidate or promote a policy
  31. cede
    give over
  32. chancellor
    the person who is head of state (in several countries)
  33. chattel
    personal property, as opposed to real estate
  34. Cold War
    a state of political hostility that existed from 1945 until 1990 between countries led by the Soviet Union and countries led by the United States
  35. collective bargaining
    negotiation between an employer and a trade union
  36. colonization
    the act of settling a group of people in a new place
  37. colonize
    establish political control over a place by sending settlers
  38. command module
    a space module in which astronauts can live and control the spacecraft and communicate with earth
  39. component
    one of the individual parts making up a larger entity
  40. compromise
    an accommodation in which both sides make concessions
  41. confiscate
    take temporary possession of a security by legal authority
  42. containment
    the act of keeping something from spreading
  43. corollary
    an inference following from the proof of another proposition
  44. cosmonaut
    a person trained to travel in a spacecraft
  45. cruise missile
    an unmanned aircraft that is a self-contained bomb
  46. curtail
    terminate or abbreviate before its intended or proper end
  47. deem
    judge or regard in a particular way
  48. deficit
    an amount that is less than expected or required
  49. defray
    bear the expenses of
  50. democracy
    the orientation of those who favor government by the people
  51. Democratic Party
    the older of two major political parties in the United States
  52. deplete
    use up, as resources or materials
  53. depression
    a sunken or lowered geological formation
  54. despotism
    dominance through threat of punishment and violence
  55. detente
    the easing of tensions or strained relations
  56. devastate
    cause extensive destruction or ruin utterly
  57. diagnose
    subject to a medical analysis
  58. dictator
    a ruler who is unconstrained by law
  59. diplomacy
    negotiation between nations
  60. disarmament
    the act or process of reducing or depriving of weapons
  61. dissenter
    a person who objects to some established policy
  62. draft
    a current of air
  63. drainage basin
    the entire geographical area drained by a river and its tributaries; an area characterized by all runoff being conveyed to the same outlet
  64. electoral college
    the body that formally selects the United States president
  65. electorate
    the body of enfranchised citizens; those qualified to vote
  66. emancipation
    freeing someone from the control of another
  67. embargo
    a government order imposing a trade barrier
  68. emigrant
    someone who leaves one country to settle in another
  69. emigrate
    leave one's country of residence for a new one
  70. enfranchisement
    the act of certifying or bestowing a franchise on
  71. entente
    an informal alliance between countries
  72. erect
    upright in position or posture
  73. excise tax
    a fee measured by the amount of business done
  74. fascism
    a political theory advocating an authoritarian government
  75. Federalist
    a member of a former political party in the United States that favored a strong centralized federal government
  76. Federalist Party
    a major political party in the United States in the early 19th century; founded by Alexander Hamilton; favored a strong centralized government
  77. fiasco
    a complete failure or collapse
  78. foreclosure
    proceedings initiated to repossess the collateral for a loan
  79. free trade
    the exchange of goods without governmental interference
  80. furor
    an interest followed with exaggerated zeal
  81. garrison
    a fortified military post where troops are stationed
  82. growing season
    the season during which a crop grows best
  83. guerrilla
    a member of an irregular army that fights a stronger force
  84. habeas corpus
    a writ ordering a prisoner to be brought before a judge
  85. haven
    a sheltered port where ships can take on or discharge cargo
  86. hedonistic
    devoted to pleasure
  87. illegitimacy
    unlawfulness by virtue of not being authorized by or in accordance with law
  88. immigrant
    a person who comes to a country in order to settle there
  89. immune
    of the condition in which an organism can resist disease
  90. impeach
    bring an accusation against
  91. impeachment
    the act of charging an official with an offense committed while in office
  92. imperialism
    a policy of extending your rule over foreign countries
  93. implicated
    culpably involved
  94. impress
    have a powerful and usually positive effect on
  95. inauguration
    the ceremonial induction into a position
  96. indigenous
    originating where it is found
  97. infest
    occupy in large numbers or live on a host
  98. infiltration
    a process in which individuals penetrate an area
  99. inflation
    the act of filling something with air
  100. ingenuity
    the power of creative imagination
  101. inhabitant
    a person who lives in a particular place
  102. initiate
    set in motion, start an event or prepare the way for
  103. intellectual property
    intangible property that is the result of creativity
  104. interest
    a sense of concern with and curiosity about something
  105. internal combustion
    the combustion of fuel inside a cylinder
  106. internationalism
    quality of being global in scope
  107. ironic
    displaying incongruity between what is expected and what is
  108. Islam
    the monotheistic religious system of Muslims
  109. isolationism
    a policy of nonparticipation in international relations
  110. joint-stock company
    a business collectively owned by those who bought shares
  111. Kuomintang
    the political party founded in 1911 by Sun Yat-sen
  112. latitude
    an imaginary line around the Earth parallel to the equator
  113. longitude
    the angular distance from the prime meridian at Greenwich
  114. malaria
    a disease caused by parasites transmitted by mosquito bite
  115. malinger
    avoid responsibilities and duties, often by faking illness
  116. maneuver
    a military training exercise
  117. manifest destiny
    a policy of imperialist expansion said to be inevitable
  118. manumit
    free from slavery or servitude
  119. medieval
    relating to or belonging to the Middle Ages
  120. mercantilism
    a system of increasing wealth through colonization and trade
  121. mercenary
    a person hired to fight for another country than their own
  122. Middle Ages
    the period of history between classical antiquity and the Italian Renaissance
  123. militarism
    maintaining a strong force of armed services
  124. mobilize
    make ready for action or use
  125. monopoly
    a market in which there are many buyers but only one seller
  126. Monroe Doctrine
    an American foreign policy opposing interference in the western hemisphere from outside powers
  127. nationalism
    the doctrine that your country's interests are superior
  128. neutrality
    nonparticipation in a dispute or war
  129. nullification
    counteracting or overriding the effect or force of something
  130. nullify
    declare invalid
  131. optimal
    most desirable possible under a restriction
  132. pacifist
    someone opposed to violence as a means of settling disputes
  133. palisade
    a strong fence made of stakes driven into the ground
  134. perish
    pass from physical life
  135. persecute
    cause to suffer
  136. piedmont
    a gentle slope leading from the base of a mountain to a region of flat land
  137. polarize
    cause to divide into conflicting positions
  138. poll tax
    an amount to be paid as a requirement for voting
  139. precipitate
    bring about abruptly
  140. predestination
    previous determination as if by destiny or fate
  141. predicate
    involve as a necessary condition or consequence
  142. premier
    first in rank or degree
  143. privateer
    a ship commissioned to prey on other ships
  144. progressivism
    the political orientation of those who favor progress toward better conditions in government and society
  145. prohibition
    the action of forbidding
  146. proprietary colony
    a colony given to a proprietor to govern (in 17th century)
  147. protectorate
    a state or territory partly controlled by a stronger state
  148. Puritan
    a member of a group of English Protestants who in the 16th and 17th centuries thought that the Protestant Reformation under Elizabeth was incomplete and advocated the simplification and regulation of forms of worship
  149. quarantine
    isolation to prevent the spread of infectious disease
  150. quarter
    one of four equal parts
  151. racketeering
    engagement in an illegal enterprise carried on for profit
  152. ratification
    making something valid by formally confirming it
  153. ratified
    formally approved and invested with legal authority
  154. ratify
    approve and express assent, responsibility, or obligation
  155. ravage
    cause extensive destruction or ruin utterly
  156. rehabilitation
    use of therapies to restore or improve physical function
  157. reprisal
    a retaliatory action against an enemy
  158. republic
    a form of government whose head of state is not a monarch
  159. revoke
    cancel officially
  160. royal charter
    a charter granted by the sovereign
  161. secede
    withdraw from an organization or polity
  162. sectionalism
    excessive devotion to the interests of a particular region
  163. segregation
    the act of keeping apart
  164. self-determination
    the free choice of one's own goals and actions
  165. sharecropper
    a tenant farmer who owes a portion of each harvest for rent
  166. sod
    surface layer of ground containing a mat of grass and roots
  167. sovereignty
    the authority of a state to govern another state
  168. specie
    coins collectively
  169. speculation
    continuous contemplation on a subject of a deep nature
  170. speculative
    not based on fact or investigation
  171. spoils system
    the practice of helping supporters after winning an election
  172. squatter
    someone who lives on a property without right or title
  173. stalemate
    a situation in which no progress can be made
  174. subpoena
    a writ issued to compel the attendance of a witness
  175. suffrage
    a legal right to vote
  176. surveillance
    close observation of a person or group
  177. tariff
    a government tax on imports or exports
  178. theology
    the rational and systematic study of religion
  179. throes
    violent pangs of suffering
  180. tidewater
    low-lying coastal land drained by tidal streams
  181. treaty
    a written agreement between two states or sovereigns
  182. unearth
    recover through digging
  183. urbanization
    the social process whereby cities grow
  184. vengeance
    harming someone in retaliation for something they have done
Created on Thu Mar 22 12:15:00 EDT 2012 (updated Sat Mar 31 13:49:12 EDT 2012)

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