US History, Politics, and Society Vocabulary

A comprehensive set of fill-in-the-blank flashcards covering US history, constitutional law, social values, and contemporary vocabulary from student lecture notes.

To officially end a law or a system is to __________ sth.

abolish

The __________ is the border between settled/civilized and unsettled/uncivilized country.

the Frontier

The __________ were individuals like Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and George Washington who began a new way of thinking and founded the country.

Founding Fathers

The policy of nonparticipation in international economic and political relations is __________ .

isolationism

A large piece of land where crops are grown is known as a __________ .

plantation

A __________ is a member of a Protestant religious sect in the 16th and 17th centuries who wanted to make religion simpler.

Puritan

When people of different races are kept apart so that they live, work, or study separately, it is called __________ .

racial segregation

A change to a law that is still being discussed is called an __________ .

amendment

The set of basic laws and principles that a country or organization is governed by is its __________ .

Constitution

The internal policy of a country without involving other countries is __________ .

domestic policy

The ordinary people rather than the rulers are referred to as the __________ .

grass roots

To make a treaty official by signing it is to __________ it.

ratify

What is thought to be God's intervention in the world is called __________ .

divine providence

The founding Puritans in 1630 believed they were __________ and had the duty to build an ideal Christian community in the New World.

God's chosen people

Rights that cannot be taken from you are called __________ rights.

inalienable/unalienable

The belief that the US people had the right and the duty to take land in North America because it was God's plan is __________ .

Manifest Destiny

The idea of a place where different races and cultures blend together into one nation is the __________ .

Melting Pot

The idea of becoming very rich after starting life very poor is described as a __________ story.

rags-to-riches

A person who is related to a person that lived a long time ago is a __________ .

descendant

To become a citizen of a particular country through a legal process is __________ .

naturalization

The act of taking an __________ is a formal promise to be loyal to a country.

oath of allegiance

A difficult time when there is less business activity and trade in a country is a __________ .

financial recession

A meeting of party members to select candidates or make decisions about party direction is a __________ .

caucus

The official counting of the population that occurs every 10 years is the __________ .

census

The system of __________ involves dividing authority into 3 branches: Legislative, Executive, and Judicial.

Checks and Balances

Moving from a low standard of living to a higher one through factors like education or increasing income is __________ .

upward mobility

The __________ is an area where Protestant fundamentalism is widely spread.

Bible Belt

The killing of someone else, which is the opposite of suicide, is called __________ .

homicide

The __________ is a racist, extremist organization.

KKK

A woman who has lost her husband is a __________ .

widow