My Abc Book of History!

Raven Morris2nd Period

May 17, 2011

Abolitionists- people who strongly favored doing away with slavery

Abigail Adams- the 2nd first lady of the United states, she changed many things in the White House

African Americans- most of them in America were slaves and were treated very badly

Albany Plan of Union- called for one general government in the original 13 colonies

Benjamin Franklin- Founding Father of America and inventor

Bill of Rights- document that guarantees Americans individual rights

Baltimore, Maryland- place where Northern troops were attacked by a mob isolating the capital from the rest of the North

Boston Massacre- event where civilians were attacked by armed British soldiers, the unofficial beginning of the Revolutionary War

Charter colony- colony established by settlers who were given written, formal documents allowing them to settle

Civil War- conflict between opposing groups of the same country

Clermont- the first steamboat in the United States

Charles Cornwallis- general of the British army during the American Revolution

Democratic Party- people who supported states’ rights and mistrusted a strong central government

Declaration of Independence- declared that the United States was an independent country

Declaratory Act- stated that Parliament had the right to make decisions for the British colonies

Daughters of Liberty- group of women that advised Americans to make their own clothing and produce their own goods so they would be more independent

Eighth Amendment- said that excessive bail and cruel and unusual punishment could not be imposed

English Bill of Rights- influenced the creation of the American Bill of Rights

Electoral College- a special group of elected officials who vote for president and vice president

Enlightment- the spread that knowledge, reason, and science could improve society

Federalists Papers- series of essays explaining and defending the Constitution; written by John Jay, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton

Fort Sumpter- the sight of the first battle of the American Civil War

Free African Society- free African Americans had their own churches, institutions, and social-aid societies

Fourth Amendment- the right to not have people search you or your belongings without a warrant

Gadsden Purchase- strip of land along the southern edge of Arizona and New Mexico, purchased from Mexico

Gettysburg Address- given by President Lincoln concerning the unity of the Confederate and Union states

Guerilla warfare- tactics used to sneak attack British during the American Revolution

Gibbons v. Ogden- case where the court held that federal law takes precedence over state law and interstate transportation

Homestead Act- gave 160 free acres of land to any settlers who paid a filing fee and lived on the for five years

House of Burgesses- the first representative government in the United States

Henry Hudson- explored America and discover what is now called the Hudson River and Hudson Bay

Harvard College- the first college founded in the United States

Indian Removal Act- act where the federal government paid Native Americans to move off their land and further west

Industrial Revolution- period of time when factories and manufacturing became a huge part of the American way of life

Indian Territory- area in present-day Oklahoma for Native Americans living in the south-east

Intolerable Acts- closed Boston Harbor until money could be paid back for the tea destroyed in the Boston Tea Party

John Jay- chief justice of the Supreme Court during Washington’s presidency

John Paul Jones- the creator of the navy

Jamestown, Virginia- first permanent English settlement in America

Judiciary Act of 1801- set up regional courts in the United States with 16 judges and many other judicial officials

Kansas- Nebraska Act- said that Kansas and Nebraska could be territories and would decide whether to be free or not by voting

Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions- said that the Alien and Sedition Acts could not be put into action because they violated the Constitution

Know-Nothing Party- political party that called for stricter citizenship laws that extended the immigrants’ waiting period from 5 to 21 years, and they wanted to ban foreign-born citizens from holding office

Ku Klux Klan- groups of whites who hated blacks

Land of Law of 1851- set up a group of people to review the Californios land rights

Lewis and Clark expedition- explored the western lands of America

Lexington, Massachusetts- sight of the first battle the revolutionary war

The Liberator- a book written by William Lloyd Garrison concerning slavery

Mayflower Compact- the first colonial government

Mason-Dixon Line- line set up to separate Charles Mason’s land from Jeremiah Dixon’s

Magna Carta- placed limits on the power of the monarch

McCulloch v. Maryland- held that Congress can do more than the Constitution expressly authorizes it to

Ninth amendment- says that we have certain rights guaranteed to us through the Constitution

Nullification Act- said that South Carolina would not pay the “illegal” tariffs of 1828 and 1832

Norfolk, Virginia- place where Confederate soldiers seized the naval shipyard during the Civil War

New Jersey Plan- kept the Confederation’s one-house legislature with one vote for each state

Olive Branch Petition- petition that assured the King George III of the colonists’ desire for peace; he ignored it though

Oregon Trail- path to Oregon from Missouri

Ordinance of 1785- Congress created a system of surveying and selling land

Ohio River Valley- area of land that started the rivalry between England and France

Parliament- the British government

Patrick Henry- person who persuaded the Burgesses to take action against the Stamp Act

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania- sight of the Constitutional Conventions and signing of the Constitution

Popular sovereignty- political theory that government is subject to the will of the people

Quakers- Protestant group of citizens that opposed slavery

Quebec Act- act that set up a permanent government for Quebec and granted religious freedom to French and Catholics

Quartering of troops- the right that British troops had to live in any colonial home they wanted to

Quadruple Alliance- group of four countries; Russia, Prussia, France, and Austria; that Spain asked to help them with its fight against South America

Reconstruction- period of time after the Civil War when the South had to be rebuilt

Richmond, Virginia- sight where the North planned to attack Confederate forces

Revolutionary War- the war where America fought for independence from Britain and other countries

Republic of Texas- area of land purchased from

Sedition Act- act to try and weaken the established government

Shay’s Rebellion- event where Daniel Shays and a group of 1,000 farmers got guns and ammunition from an arsenal and attacked rebels because of the new government

Sugar Act- lowered the tax on molasses imported by colonists

Stamp Act- tax on all paper goods

Three-Fifths Compromise- counted every slave as three-fifths of a person in the census

Tea Act- act passed to help the British East India Company by giving them the right to ship tea without paying the taxes

Treaty of Ghent- treaty that ended the Revolutionary War

Trail of Tears- extremely difficult journey that the Cherokee Indians took to the western territory

Underground Railroad- series of paths used to help thousands of slaves escape slavery

Uncle Tom’s Cabin- book written by Harriet Beecher Stowe concerning the harshness of slavery

Union- the Northern states during the time of the Civil War

Utopia- the idea of a perfect society

Vicksburg, Mississippi- the sight of one of the battles of the Civil War

Virginia Plan- plan that called for a two house legislature, a chief elected by the legislature, and a court system

Martin Van Buren- eighth president of the United States

Virginia- Union warship destroyed by Confederates, rebuilt, and covered with iron

War Hawks- people who pressured President Madison to declare war against Britain

Whiskey Rebellion- armed protest where farmers opposed the tax on whiskey

Writs of assistance- allowed customs officers to enter any location in search of smuggled goods

William Lloyd Garrison- famous abolitionist who worked hard to end slavery

XYZ Affair- when John Adams wanted to avoid war with France, he arranged a meeting with the foreign minister, but instead of sending someone to meet with Adams, he sent three agents who demanded a bribe, John Adams labeled them X, Y, and Z.

Yorktown, Virginia- sight of the last battle of the American Revolution

Brigham Young- head of the Mormons in 1844

John Peter Zenger- man who faced charges of libel for printing a critical report about the royal governor of New York