Westward Expansion Vocabulary

Abrogate

 To officially cancel or end a law or agreement

Allotment

 A small piece of land given to an individual, often by the government

Appropriation

Money set aside for a specific purpose

Assimilate

To absorb and adopt the culture of another group

Commissary

A store that sells food and supplies, especially for soldiers

Duress

Under pressure, force, or threat

Frontier

 Land at the edge of settled areas

Homestead

A farm or land given to settlers, often for free or very cheap

Impervious

Unable to be affected or harmed

In perpetuity

Forever or for a very long time

Massacre

A violent killing of many people

Nomadic

A person who moves from place to place without a permanent home

Prairie

Grass-covered land with few trees, common in the Great Plains

Rations

 Food supplies given out in limited amounts

Rider

A condition added to a law or bill

Shaman

A religious or spiritual leader in some Native American cultures

Sod

 Thick grass and soil held together by roots