Democracy and Expansion

democracy

a system of government in which supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them either directly or through freely elected representatives

expand

to make or become larger, wider, or more detailed in size, volume, scope, or expression

expedition

a long, organized journey or voyage undertaken by a group of people for a specific purpose

Industrial Revolution

a global historical period- starting in Great Britain during the mid-18th century- that transformed agrarian and handcraft economies into societies dominated by industry, science, and machine manufacturing

tariff

a tax imposed by a government on goods and services imported from another country

union

an organization formed by employees who join together to negotiate with employers over wages, benefits, working conditions, and job safety

tenements

a large, multi-family apartment building, historically associated with low income, overcrowded urban housing, or legally any property or building held by a tenant rather than owned outright

reform

to make an improvement to a system, law, organization, or person’s behavior by removing faults, errors, or abuses

economy

a large system where people, businesses, and governments make, trade, and use goods and services

temperance

moderation, self-restraint, or self-control in your actions, thoughts, and appetites

annex

to attach, add, or incorporate something similar into a larger entity

consensus

a general or widespread agreement in the opinions, judgments, or decisions of a group of people

Manifest Destiny

a 19th-century American belief that the United States was divinely ordained to expand its borders across the North American continent, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean

civilize

to bring a person, group, or society out of a primitive, uneducated, or wild state into a more refined, organized, and culturally developed condition

famine

an extreme, widespread shortage of food in a region that causes severe malnutrition, starvation, and high rates of death

abolitionist

a person who strongly supports ending or abolishing a system, practice, or institution

forty niners

the roughly 100,000 prospectors, migrants, and adventurers who flooded into California in 1849 following the discovery of gold at Sulter’s Mill in January 1848

textiles

any filament, fiber, or yarn that can be spun or constructed into fabrics or cloth, as well as the resulting material itself

urban

relating to, characteristic of, or located in a city or town

rural

a geographic location situated outside towns or cities, characterized by open land, low population density, small settlements, and a focus on natural resource-based activities like agriculture and forestry