I-M terms vocabulary social studies

illegal alien

person who enters the country without legal permission

immigrant

person who enters a new country in order to settle there

impeach

bring charges of wrongdoing

imperialism

policy by which one country controls the economy and politics of another country

impressment

practice of forcing sailors to work on a ship

income tax

tax on earnings

inflation

rise in prices

initiative

way for voters to put a bill before the legislature

integration

mixing of different ethnic groups

interpret

explain

irrigation

method of bringing water to crops

isolationist

person who wanted the United States to stay out of foreign affairs

isthmus

narrow strip of land connecting two larger bodies of land

jazz

music that has strong rhythms and in which players or singers often make up parts as they go along

judicial

branch of government that makes judgments about laws

judicial review

power of the Supreme Court to decide whether laws passed by Congress are constitutional

justice

fairness

latitude

distance north or south from the Equator

legislative

branch of government that passes laws

legislature

group of people who make laws

leisure

free time

liberty

freedom to live as you please, as long as you obey the laws and respect others

longitude

distance east or west from the Prime Meridian

mass production

making large quantities of a product cheaply and quickly

Middle Passage

voyage in which captured Africans were taken to the Americas

migrant workers

people who move in search of work

militarism

policy of building up armed forces to prepare for war

militia

army of citizens who serve as soldiers during an emergency

minutemen

volunteer soldiers ready to fight at a minute's notice

mission

religious settlement

missionary

a person who is sent by a church to spread its religion

mobilize

organize and prepare for war

monopoly

a company that controls all or nearly all the business of an industry

muckraker

journalist who reports on corruption