US HISTORY VOCAB

Raw Material

Natural resources used to make products, such as timber, minerals, or oil.

Manufactured Goods

Products that have been processed and made from raw materials.

Mercantilism

An economic theory that promotes government regulation of a nation’s economy to enhance state power at the expense of rival national powers.

Navigation Acts

A series of laws passed by Britain to control colonial trade, requiring goods to be shipped on British ships.

Taxation without Representation

A political slogan used by American colonists to protest taxes imposed by the British government without their consent.

Natural Rights

The rights inherent to all humans, such as life, liberty, and property.

Census

An official count or survey of a population, typically used for determining representation and distribution of resources.

Federal / Federalism

A system of government where power is divided between a central government and regional governments (like states).

Great Compromise

An agreement during the Constitutional Convention of 1787 to create a bicameral legislature, balancing representation by population and equal representation for states.

3/5ths Compromise

An agreement that counted enslaved people as three-fifths of a person for purposes of taxation and representation in Congress.

Branches of Government

The three divisions of government: legislative, executive, and judicial, each with distinct powers.

Bicameral Legislature

A legislative body that has two chambers or houses, such as the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.

Congress & House & Senate

The legislative branch of the U.S. government, made up of the House of Representatives (based on population) and the Senate (with equal representation for each state).

Checks and Balances

A system in which each branch of government can limit the powers of the other branches to prevent any one from becoming too powerful.

Abolition

The movement to end slavery.

American System

An economic plan that advocated for a strong national bank, protective tariffs, and internal improvements to strengthen the economy.

Jacksonian Democracy

A political movement that expanded voting rights to all white men and emphasized the common man’s role in government.

Tariff

A tax on imported goods, used to protect domestic industries or generate revenue.

Nullification / Nullify

The idea that a state can invalidate any federal law deemed unconstitutional.

Manifest Destiny

The belief that it was America’s destiny to expand its territory across the North American continent.

Monopoly

A market structure in which one company or entity has exclusive control over an industry or product, limiting competition.

Immigrant

A person who moves to a country to live permanently.

Nativism

The belief in protecting the interests of native-born citizens over those of immigrants.