This list is
NOT all-inclusive! It WILL serve as a review of many of the most
important terms you
NEED to know in order to pass. The inclusive
list is in your notes and textbook.
Basic terms....
Anathema
"accursed;" the strongest possible condemnation.
When something is anathema to someone, it goes against everything
they believe. (Example: school vouchers are anathema to the
teachers' unions.)
Bias
one's particular belief system and philosophy influences how
one interprets history, what is important, and why.
Capital
usually refers to money to invest in a new
business, but really means any money or goods used to produce other
goods. A hammer is capital when used by a carpenter, but not when
a homeowner has one for occasional repairs.
Euphemism
a nice, inoffensive term that is used to disguise an ugly
meaning. (Example: "reproductive rights" is often used
to refer to "abortion rights.")
Precedent
an event that serve as an example to be followed; in law, a
court decision that serves as pattern for later decisions
Revisionist
History advocates
that the long-standing interpretation of events be changedusually
to conform to a "modern-day" philosophy or outlook. Often
an attempt to correct one bias with another!
Government terms...
Three
Branches of Government:
Autonomous
self-ruling. Semi-autonomous
means somewhat
self-ruling.
Bicameral
two-house; refers to the legislature. (Like the Senate
and House of Representatives make up Congress.)
Boycott
to refuse to by something (usually in protest)
Checks
and Balances each branch of
government's power is limited by the others to keep any
one branch from
becoming too powerful. Examples: Congress approves
Presidential appointments; Supreme Court may declare
a law
unconstitutional, etc.
Capitalism
free enterprise; every individual is free to undertake his/her
own business and succeed (or fail!) without government interference
or help.
Cabinet the
heads of the Executive departments, who meet with the President to
advise him.
Elastic
Clause or, the "necessary
and proper" clause (Article I, Sec. 8, Clause 18) which allows
Congress to make any laws "necessary and proper" to carry
out its Constitutional powers. For instance, even though the
Constitution does not give Congress the power to institute an Air
Force, the power is implied by its Constitutional power to raise an
army and a navy. This clause is subject to abuse. See Implied
Powers; Express Powers.
Express
Powers those specific powers enumerated
or "spelled out" in the Constitution for the
federal government.
Implied
Powers powers not
specifically mentioned in the Constitution but inferred from it. See
"elastic" clause.
Lassiez-faire
-French for "hands off" gov't keeps away from
regulating the economy or businesses.
Precedent a
happening that becomes an example for the future. In court cases, a
decision that serves as a model for later decision.
Implied
Powers
powers not specifically mentioned in the Constitution but inferred
from it. See loose construction;
elastic clause.
Reformation
break away from Roman Catholicism begun by Luther; return to
Bible-based doctrine with an emphasis on individual interpretation of
Scripture. TOTALLY revolutionized Western culture; a MAJOR turning
point in history with ramifications in every area of life down to the
present time.
Strict
Construction a strict or
literal interpretation of the Constitution; the government may only
assume powers specifically granted it.
Unicameral
one-house. (I.e., a one-house legislature.)
17th~ & 18th~century terms...
Bill
of Rights
the first ten amendments; you must be aware of numbers 1-5, 9,
and 10 (6-8 all are important, but all have to do with the right to a
fair trial).
Confederacy
the national government is subordinate to the state governments and
has only the powers they grant it. The Articles
of Confederation called it a "firm league
of friendship."
Congregationalism
believed every church body should be independent and
autonomous. Opposite of Presbyterianism.
Continental
Congress The First and Second Continental
Congresses consisted of delegates from each of the colonies who met
in response to the unfair treatment the colonies suffered from
England. The First Continental Congress
(1764) issued the Declaration and Resolves, instituted a boycott, and
banned exports to the British Empire. The Second
Continental Congress (1775-1781?) still hoped to reconcile
with England but began to organize an army, appointed George
Washington as commander-in-chief. It issued the Olive
Branch Petition, the Declaration
of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms,
and the Declaration
of Independence. During the war, the Second
Continental Congress became the de facto government of the
colonies.
County the
unit of local government in the South; a republican form of
government necessitated by the many large plantations.
Deism
- belief that God created the universe to operate solely by natural
law and does not interfere with human events; man must use his own
intellect alone to solve his problems. John Locke and Voltaire
were deists.
Democrat-Republicans
Later shortened to "Republicans," this was NOT the
beginnings present-day Republican Party; it is more the beginnings of
today's Democratic Party.
Elastic
Clause or, the "necessary
and proper" clause (Article I, Sec. 8, Clause 18) which allows
Congress to make any laws "necessary and proper" to carry
out its Constitutional powers. For instance, even though the
Constitution does not give Congress the power to institute an Air
Force, the power is implied by its Constitutional power to raise an
army and a navy. This clause is subject to abuse. See Implied
Powers; Express Powers.
Express
Powers those powers "spelled
out" for Congress in the Constitution; those explicitly
mentioned.
Federalism
a division of power between the states and the national
government.
Foreclosure when a bank loans money for someone
to buy a home, farm, etc., and is not paid for a while, the bank will
ask a court to take the property from the owner and give it to the
bank. The bank then typically auctions the property off to get its
money back. The owner, of course, loses everything. This is what
Shays'
Rebellion was about.
"Great
Compromise" the Connecticut Compromise,"
whereby the present bicameral legislature was proposed, the lower
house based on proportional representation and the upper house
based on equal representation.
"Great
Decision" decision by delegates to the
Philadelphia Convention to write a new Constitution for our country
rather than revising the Articles of Confederation; thus we now refer
to this as the "Constitutional Convention."
Headright
system system of granting land to those who came to
America or those who sponsored them; caused the growth of plantations
in the South.
Halfway Covenant
allowed descendants of church members to become members
without evidence of their own salvation. Such members had full
privilegeseven voting--except for Communion.
Hierarchical
top-down administration; a system over oversight of local
churches by higher authorities.
Implied
Powers powers not
specifically mentioned in the Constitution but inferred from it. See
loose construction.
Joint-stock
company
several businessmen pooled their money to form a company; forerunner
of the modern corporation.
Magna Charta (Magna
Carta)
The "Great Charter" King John was forced to sign in
1215 limiting the king's power.
Mayflower Compact
document drawn up by Pilgrims when they found that they were
geographically outside of England's jurisdiction. Important because
it set a precedent for self-government.
Mercantilism
a county's wealth is based on accumulation of wealth;
colonies exist to benefit the mother country.
Pilgrims
(Separatists & Strangers) vs. Puritans
check your handout!
Precedent
an event that serve as an example to be followed; in law, a
court decision that serves as pattern for later
decisions.
Presbyterianism
a hierarchical system of church government. Opposite of
Congregationalism. (see hierarchical)
Peace
of Paris - ended the French & Indian War. The Treaty
of Paris ended the Revolutionary War.
Stamp
Act a tax in the form of stamps/seals for all legal
documents, pamphlets, and newspapers. Offenders were to be tried
without a jury.
Stamp Act Congress
a kind of precedent for the Continental Congresses; a
gathering of representatives from the colonies in 1765 to formally
petition the king to end unfair taxation (e.g., the Stamp Act),
restore the Royal charters, and restore the colonies original land
grants.
States' Rights the idea that the Constitution was a
compact between the states and that each state could judge for itself
what federal acts violated that compact; such acts would be declared
void in the state. The Kentucky
and Virginia Resolutions mark the beginning
of the states' rights movement which would only
be ended by the Civil War.
Tariff
a tax, usually on imported goods. It forces the price of imported
goods to go up so people will hopefully buy goods made inside the
country.
Town
Meeting -
in New England, the whole town would gather to vote on each proposed
piece of legislation; still in use in smaller towns.
Townshend
Acts taxes on imports; established a Board of
Customs in Boston; led indirectly to the Boston Massacre.
Writs
of Assistance
essentially, these were search warrants allowing British officials to
search at will for anything they might find. (U.S. Law now prohibits
this; an officer of the law must show good reason before he is
allowed to search a home or ship, etc.)
19th~century
terms...
Communal societies
groups of people who attempted to
equally share work and rewards in a kind of socialist community.
(Brook Farm, New Harmony, etc.)
Entrepreneur
one who risks personal loss to
market a new product or idea.
Laborer
one who works for his wages, usually in a factory or on a
farm. (See investor,
below.)
Initiative,
Referendum, & Recall
u
Initiative - people have the right to
propose a new law. (Populist idea.)
u
Referendum - a law passed by the
legislature can be reference to the people for approval/veto.
(Populist idea.)
u
Recall - the people can
petition and vote to have an elected official removed from office.
(Populist
idea.)
ð
These all were supposed to make elected
officials more responsible and sensitive to the needs of the
people.
Investor
one who invests his money in a business, hoping to realize a profit.
Often several investors pool their money, thus forming a corporation.
A laborer works directly for his
pay, while an investor lets his
money work for him.
Philanthropy
the giving away of large
sums of money by an individual to worthy causes.
Plebiscite
the people express their will by direct vote (as opposed to
letting elected officials decide for them).
Populist
Party formed by Farmers Alliance (think Grangers) and
labor groups. It looked to the government to solve problems.
Platform: free silver, graduated income tax, gov't ownership/control
of transportation and communication facilities (railroads &
telegraphs), initiative, referendum, shorter workdays, etc. See
Progressivism,
below.
Socialism
basically,
an economic system of government control/regulation of the means of
production. (In other words, the gov't regulates the businesses,
prices, wages, etc.) Socialism can be achieved through the democratic
process or forced upon a country by a dictator.
20th~century terms...
Communism
a totalitarian state in which the
government controls every area of the citizen's lives. The citizen
exists for the state. True Communists see violent revolution as
simply a way to help the evolution of society toward its final,
classless state.
"on margin"
borrowing to buy
stocks.
Progressivism
basically the descendent of 19th-century Populism,
Progressivism also looked to the government to alleviate societal
ills (e.g., 16th Amendment). Never a unified movement, it
opposed government waste and corruption, promoted government
regulation/supervision of business, and more direct voter involvement
(e.g., 17th Amendment).
Speculation
buying risky stocks, hoping
(speculating) that they will become valuable.