AP United States History Vocabulary

13th Amendment

An 1865 constitutional amendment that abolished slavery and involuntary servitude throughout the United States.

Example: "The          permanently ended the institution of slavery that had existed in America for over two centuries."

14th Amendment

An 1868 constitutional amendment granting citizenship to all persons born in the United States and guaranteeing equal protection under the law.

Similar definitions: Equal Protection Clause, Due Process Clause

Example: "The          became the basis for landmark civil rights cases including Brown v. Board of Education."

15th Amendment

An 1870 constitutional amendment prohibiting the denial of voting rights based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

Example: "Despite the passage of the         , Southern states used poll taxes and literacy tests to disenfranchise Black voters for decades."

16th Amendment

A 1913 constitutional amendment authorizing Congress to levy a federal income tax on individuals and corporations.

Example: "The          gave the federal government a major new source of revenue to fund Progressive Era reforms."

17th Amendment

A 1913 constitutional amendment establishing the direct election of U.S. senators by popular vote rather than by state legislatures.

Example: "The          was a key Progressive reform aimed at making government more democratic and less corrupt."

18th Amendment

A 1919 constitutional amendment that prohibited the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages in the United States.

Similar definitions: Prohibition Amendment

Example: "The          ushered in the era of Prohibition, which lasted until its repeal by the 21st Amendment in 1933."

19th Amendment

A 1920 constitutional amendment guaranteeing women the right to vote in all federal and state elections.

Similar definitions: Women's Suffrage Amendment

Example: "The ratification of the          was the culmination of decades of activism by suffragists like Susan B. Anthony and Alice Paul."

9/11 Attacks

The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in which hijacked planes struck the World Trade Center and Pentagon, killing nearly 3,000 people.

Example: "The          fundamentally changed American foreign policy and led to the War on Terror."

Abolitionism

The movement to end slavery in the United States, gaining momentum in the 1830s through moral, religious, and political arguments.

Similar definitions: antislavery movement

Example: "         grew from a fringe cause into a powerful political force that contributed to the sectional crisis leading to the Civil War."

Admiralty Courts

British maritime courts in the colonies that tried smuggling cases without juries.

Example: "Colonial merchants resented being tried in          where they were denied the right to a trial by jury."

Affordable Care Act

A 2010 federal law that expanded health insurance coverage through mandates, subsidies, and Medicaid expansion.

Similar definitions: Obamacare, ACA

Example: "The          represented the most significant overhaul of the American healthcare system since Medicare and Medicaid."

Agricultural Adjustment Act

A 1933 New Deal law that paid farmers to reduce crop production in order to raise prices.

Similar definitions: AAA

Example: "The          was controversial because it destroyed crops and livestock while many Americans went hungry during the Depression."

Albany Plan of Union

Benjamin Franklin's 1754 proposal for a unified colonial government to coordinate defense against the French and Native Americans.

Example: "The          was rejected by the colonies but foreshadowed later efforts at colonial unity."

Alien and Sedition Acts

Four laws passed in 1798 that restricted immigration and made it a crime to criticize the federal government.

Example: "The          were used by the Federalist Party to silence Democratic-Republican critics and were widely condemned as unconstitutional."

Amendment

A formal change or addition to the U.S. Constitution, requiring approval by two-thirds of Congress and three-fourths of the states.

Example: "The process of passing an          to the Constitution is intentionally difficult to prevent hasty changes to the nation's fundamental law."

American Expeditionary Forces

The U.S. military forces sent to Europe during World War I, commanded by General John J. Pershing.

Similar definitions: AEF

Example: "The arrival of the          in France in 1917 helped turn the tide of the war against the Central Powers."

American System

Henry Clay's plan for economic development through protective tariffs, a national bank, and internal improvements.

Example: "Clay's          aimed to promote national economic self-sufficiency and bind the different regions of the country together."

Annexation

The formal incorporation of territory into an existing political unit, such as a state or nation.

Example: "The          of Texas in 1845 brought the United States into conflict with Mexico over disputed borders."

Antebellum

The period before the Civil War, typically referring to the era from 1820 to 1860 in the American South.

Example: "The          South was defined by its reliance on plantation agriculture and enslaved labor."

Anti-Federalists

Opponents of the ratification of the U.S. Constitution who feared a strong central government and demanded a Bill of Rights.

Example: "The          argued that the proposed Constitution gave too much power to the national government at the expense of the states."

Appeasement

A diplomatic policy of making concessions to an aggressive power to avoid conflict.

Example: "Critics compared the Munich Agreement to         , arguing that giving in to Hitler's demands only encouraged further aggression."

Armistice

A formal agreement between warring parties to stop fighting, typically as a prelude to peace negotiations.

Similar definitions: ceasefire, truce

Example: "The          signed on November 11, 1918, ended the fighting of World War I on the Western Front."

Arms Race

A competition between nations to build up military weapons and technology, especially nuclear arsenals during the Cold War.

Example: "The          between the United States and the Soviet Union led both superpowers to stockpile thousands of nuclear warheads."

Articles of Confederation

The first constitution of the United States, establishing a weak central government with limited powers.

Example: "The          proved inadequate because Congress lacked the power to tax, regulate commerce, or enforce laws."

Assembly Line

A manufacturing process in which parts are added to a product in sequence, greatly increasing production speed.

Example: "Henry Ford's use of the          made automobiles affordable for ordinary Americans and revolutionized industrial production."

Assimilation

The process by which diverse cultural groups merge into a unified society, often losing their distinct identities.

Similar definitions: absorption, integration

Example: "Federal policy toward Native Americans in the late 1800s promoted          through boarding schools and the Dawes Act."

Atlantic Charter

A 1941 joint declaration by FDR and Winston Churchill outlining Allied goals for the postwar world, including self-determination and free trade.

Example: "The          established the principles of freedom and democracy that would guide Allied war aims during World War II."

Baby Boom

The dramatic increase in birth rates in the United States from 1946 to 1964, following the return of soldiers from World War II.

Example: "The          generation shaped American culture, politics, and economics for decades."

Bacon's Rebellion

A 1676 uprising in Virginia led by Nathaniel Bacon against Governor Berkeley's policies, reflecting frontier grievances and class tensions.

Example: "         exposed deep divisions between wealthy tidewater planters and poor backcountry settlers."

Balance of Power

A diplomatic concept in which nations seek to prevent any single country from becoming dominant by forming alliances and maintaining military equilibrium.

Example: "European nations used the          system to prevent any one country from dominating the continent, a principle that influenced American foreign policy."

Bank Holiday

A temporary closure of banks ordered by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1933 to prevent further bank failures during the Great Depression.

Example: "FDR declared a nationwide          shortly after taking office to restore public confidence in the banking system."

Battle of Antietam

An 1862 Civil War battle in Maryland that was the bloodiest single day in American history and gave Lincoln the opportunity to issue the Emancipation Proclamation.

Example: "The Union victory at          halted Lee's invasion of the North and enabled Lincoln to frame the war as a fight against slavery."

Battle of Gettysburg

A pivotal 1863 Civil War battle in Pennsylvania that marked the turning point of the war and ended Lee's invasion of the North.

Example: "The Union victory at the          was a devastating blow to the Confederacy and ended any realistic hope of Southern independence."

Battle of Saratoga

A 1777 American victory in New York that proved to be the turning point of the Revolutionary War by convincing France to ally with the United States.

Example: "The American victory at          persuaded France to enter the war as an ally, providing crucial military and financial support."

Bay of Pigs

A failed 1961 CIA-sponsored invasion of Cuba by Cuban exiles attempting to overthrow Fidel Castro's government.

Example: "The          invasion was a major embarrassment for the Kennedy administration and strengthened Castro's hold on power."

Berlin Airlift

The 1948-1949 operation in which Western allies flew supplies into West Berlin after the Soviet Union blockaded ground access to the city.

Example: "The          demonstrated Western resolve to resist Soviet expansion and became an early Cold War triumph."

Berlin Wall

A concrete barrier built in 1961 by East Germany to prevent citizens from fleeing to West Berlin; its fall in 1989 symbolized the end of the Cold War.

Example: "The fall of the          in 1989 became the most powerful symbol of communism's collapse in Eastern Europe."

Bicameral

A legislative body composed of two separate chambers or houses.

Example: "The Great Compromise at the Constitutional Convention created a          legislature with the Senate and the House of Representatives."

Big Stick Diplomacy

Theodore Roosevelt's foreign policy approach emphasizing military readiness to achieve international objectives.

Example: "Roosevelt's          was exemplified by his role in building the Panama Canal and asserting American power in the Caribbean."

Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, guaranteeing fundamental individual freedoms and rights.

Example: "Anti-Federalists demanded a          be added to the Constitution before they would agree to ratify it."

Bimetallism

A monetary system using both gold and silver as the basis for currency.

Example: "Populist farmers in the 1890s supported          because increasing the money supply with silver would raise crop prices."

Black Codes

Restrictive laws passed by Southern states after the Civil War to limit the freedom and economic opportunities of formerly enslaved people.

Example: "The          effectively recreated conditions similar to slavery by restricting Black people's labor, movement, and civil rights."

Black Power

A political movement among African Americans in the late 1960s emphasizing racial pride, self-determination, and sometimes militant resistance.

Example: "The          movement represented a shift from the nonviolent integrationist approach of earlier civil rights leaders."

Black Tuesday

October 29, 1929, the day the stock market crashed catastrophically, triggering the Great Depression.

Example: "         saw millions of shares traded in a panic, wiping out countless investors and signaling the start of the Great Depression."

Bleeding Kansas

The period of violent conflict in Kansas Territory (1854-1861) between pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers over the territory's future status.

Example: "         was a preview of the Civil War, as settlers on both sides used violence to determine whether Kansas would be free or slave."

Bonus Army

A group of World War I veterans who marched on Washington, D.C. in 1932 to demand early payment of their promised service bonuses.

Example: "The violent dispersal of the          by federal troops damaged President Hoover's reputation and his chances for reelection."

Bootlegging

The illegal manufacture, distribution, and sale of alcohol, especially during the Prohibition era of the 1920s.

Example: "         became a lucrative criminal enterprise during Prohibition, fueling the rise of organized crime figures like Al Capone."

Border States

Slave states that remained in the Union during the Civil War, including Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, and Delaware.

Example: "Lincoln worked carefully to keep the          loyal to the Union, knowing their loss would cripple the Northern war effort."

Boston Massacre

A 1770 confrontation in which British soldiers killed five colonists, fueling anti-British sentiment in the colonies.

Example: "Paul Revere's engraving of the          was used as propaganda to stir colonial outrage against British tyranny."

Boston Tea Party

A 1773 protest in which colonists dumped tea into Boston Harbor to oppose British taxation without representation.

Example: "The          was a dramatic act of defiance that escalated tensions between the colonies and Britain."

Brinkmanship

A Cold War strategy of pushing dangerous confrontations to the edge of war to force an opponent to back down.

Example: "Secretary of State John Foster Dulles advocated          as a way to deter Soviet aggression without actually starting a war."

Brown v. Board of Education

A landmark 1954 Supreme Court decision that declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional.

Example: "The ruling in          overturned the 'separate but equal' doctrine established by Plessy v. Ferguson."

Bull Market

A period of rising stock prices and investor optimism.

Example: "The          of the 1920s encouraged millions of Americans to invest in stocks, often on borrowed money."

Cabinet

A group of presidential advisers composed of the heads of executive departments.

Example: "George Washington established the tradition of a presidential          by consulting regularly with the heads of federal departments."

Camp David Accords

A 1978 peace agreement brokered by President Carter between Egypt and Israel, the first peace treaty between Israel and an Arab nation.

Example: "The          demonstrated that diplomacy could resolve longstanding conflicts in the Middle East."

Capitalism

An economic system based on private ownership of property, free markets, and profit-driven enterprise.

Similar definitions: free enterprise, market economy

Example: "The growth of          in the Gilded Age led to enormous wealth for industrialists but also harsh conditions for workers."

Caravel

A small, maneuverable sailing vessel with lateen sails used by Portuguese and Spanish explorers.

Example: "The          enabled European explorers to sail against the wind and navigate the open Atlantic Ocean."

Carpetbagger

A derisive term for Northerners who moved to the South during Reconstruction, often to pursue political or economic opportunities.

Example: "White Southerners resented          politicians whom they viewed as outsiders exploiting the defeated South."

Cash Crop

An agricultural product grown primarily for sale and profit rather than for the farmer's own use.

Example: "Tobacco was Virginia's most important         , generating enormous profits but depleting the soil rapidly."

Caucus

A meeting of members of a political party or faction to select candidates, plan strategy, or make decisions on policy.

Example: "The congressional          system of nominating presidential candidates was eventually replaced by national nominating conventions."

Cession

The formal yielding of territory from one nation to another, usually through a treaty.

Example: "The Mexican          of 1848 added California and the Southwest to the United States."

Charter

A legal document issued by a government granting specific rights, privileges, or authority to a person or group.

Example: "The Virginia Company received a royal          authorizing the establishment of a colony at Jamestown in 1607."

Checks and Balances

The constitutional system in which each branch of government can limit the powers of the other branches.

Example: "The system of          prevents any single branch of government from becoming too powerful."

Chinese Exclusion Act

An 1882 federal law that prohibited Chinese laborers from immigrating to the United States, the first major law restricting immigration by nationality.

Example: "The          reflected the anti-Chinese sentiment on the West Coast and set a precedent for future immigration restrictions."

Citizens United

A 2010 Supreme Court ruling that corporations and unions have First Amendment rights to spend unlimited money on political advertising.

Similar definitions: Citizens United v. FEC

Example: "The          decision dramatically increased the role of money in American elections by allowing unlimited independent expenditures."

Civil Disobedience

The deliberate, nonviolent refusal to obey unjust laws as a form of political protest.

Example: "Henry David Thoreau's essay on          influenced later movements led by Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr."

Civil Liberties

Individual rights and freedoms protected from government interference, such as freedom of speech and religion.

Example: "The internment of Japanese Americans during World War II was one of the most severe violations of          in American history."

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Landmark federal legislation that outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in public places and employment.

Example: "The          was the most sweeping civil rights legislation since Reconstruction and banned segregation in public accommodations."

Civil War

The armed conflict between the Union and the Confederacy from 1861 to 1865, fought primarily over slavery and states' rights, resulting in Union victory and the abolition of slavery.

Example: "The          was the deadliest conflict in American history, killing an estimated 620,000 soldiers and transforming the nation."

Civilian Conservation Corps

A New Deal program that employed young men in conservation and natural resource projects on public lands.

Similar definitions: CCC

Example: "The          put hundreds of thousands of unemployed young men to work planting trees, building parks, and fighting soil erosion."

Clayton Antitrust Act

A 1914 law that strengthened antitrust regulation by prohibiting specific business practices and exempting labor unions from being classified as trusts.

Example: "The          was hailed by labor leader Samuel Gompers as the 'Magna Carta of labor' because it protected unions from antitrust prosecution."

Cloture

A Senate procedure used to end debate and bring a measure to a vote, requiring a supermajority of 60 votes.

Similar definitions: closure

Example: "Southern senators filibustered the Civil Rights Act of 1964, but supporters eventually invoked          to end debate and pass the legislation."

Cold War

The prolonged geopolitical rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union from roughly 1947 to 1991, characterized by ideological conflict and proxy wars rather than direct combat.

Example: "The          shaped American foreign and domestic policy for over four decades."

Collective Bargaining

The process by which workers negotiate with employers through their union representatives over wages, hours, and conditions.

Example: "The Wagner Act guaranteed workers the right to          with their employers."

Columbian Exchange

The transfer of plants, animals, diseases, and culture between the Americas and the Old World following Columbus's voyages.

Example: "The          dramatically transformed ecosystems and societies on both sides of the Atlantic."

Commerce Clause

The constitutional provision giving Congress the power to regulate trade among the states and with foreign nations.

Example: "The          has been used to justify a wide range of federal regulations since the founding era."

Common Sense

Thomas Paine's 1776 pamphlet arguing for American independence from Britain in plain, persuasive language.

Example: "Paine's          convinced thousands of ordinary colonists that independence was both necessary and justified."

Compact

A formal agreement or contract between states or groups establishing mutual obligations.

Similar definitions: agreement, covenant

Example: "The Mayflower          was an early example of self-government in which the Pilgrims agreed to abide by majority rule."

Compromise of 1850

A series of congressional measures that temporarily defused tensions between free and slave states by admitting California as a free state and enacting a stricter Fugitive Slave Law.

Example: "The          delayed the Civil War by addressing the status of slavery in territories acquired from Mexico."

Compromise of 1877

The informal agreement that resolved the disputed 1876 presidential election by awarding the presidency to Rutherford B. Hayes in exchange for ending Reconstruction.

Example: "The          effectively abandoned African Americans in the South to the rule of white supremacist state governments."

Confederacy

An alliance or league of nations or peoples, looser than a federation; also refers to the Confederate States of America during the Civil War.

Similar definitions: alliance, league

Example: "The Iroquois          united several Native American nations under a common council for mutual defense and governance."

Conquistador

A Spanish explorer and conqueror who sought wealth, glory, and religious conversion in the Americas.

Example: "Hernán Cortés was a          who overthrew the Aztec Empire with a combination of military force, alliances, and disease."

Conscription

Mandatory enrollment of citizens for military service; also known as the draft.

Similar definitions: draft, compulsory service

Example: "The Union's use of          during the Civil War sparked violent draft riots in New York City in 1863."

Consent of the Governed

The democratic principle that government derives its legitimate authority from the approval of the people it governs.

Example: "The Declaration of Independence asserted that governments derive their just powers from the         ."

Conservative Movement

The political shift toward conservative values in the 1980s, emphasizing limited government, traditional morality, and free-market economics.

Example: "Ronald Reagan's election in 1980 marked the rise of the          that reshaped American politics for decades."

Constitutional Convention

The 1787 meeting in Philadelphia at which delegates drafted the United States Constitution.

Example: "The          was originally called to revise the Articles of Confederation but ended up creating an entirely new framework of government."

Containment

The U.S. Cold War foreign policy strategy aimed at preventing the spread of communism beyond areas already under Soviet influence.

Example: "George Kennan's policy of          became the guiding principle of American foreign policy throughout the Cold War."

Continental Congress

The representative assembly of colonial delegates that organized resistance to British policies and eventually declared independence.

Example: "The Second          served as the de facto national government during the Revolutionary War."

Contract with America

A 1994 legislative agenda promoted by Republican congressional candidates under Newt Gingrich, pledging tax cuts, welfare reform, and reduced government.

Example: "The          helped Republicans win control of the House of Representatives for the first time in forty years."

Cotton Gin

Eli Whitney's 1793 invention that mechanized the separation of cotton fibers from seeds, dramatically increasing cotton production and the demand for enslaved labor.

Example: "The          revitalized slavery in the South by making short-staple cotton enormously profitable."

Counterculture

A social movement in the 1960s that rejected conventional values and embraced alternative lifestyles, music, and protest.

Example: "The          of the 1960s challenged mainstream American values through antiwar protests, communal living, and rock music."

Court-Packing Plan

FDR's 1937 proposal to add additional justices to the Supreme Court to secure favorable rulings for New Deal legislation.

Example: "Roosevelt's          was widely criticized as an attempt to undermine judicial independence, and Congress rejected it."

Cuban Missile Crisis

A 1962 confrontation between the U.S. and the Soviet Union over Soviet nuclear missiles placed in Cuba, bringing the world to the brink of nuclear war.

Example: "The          was the closest the Cold War came to escalating into a full-scale nuclear conflict."

D-Day

June 6, 1944, the Allied invasion of Normandy, France, the largest amphibious military operation in history.

Similar definitions: Normandy invasion

Example: "The success of          opened a second front in Europe and began the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi occupation."

Dawes Act

An 1887 law that divided tribal lands into individual allotments to promote assimilation and undermine Native American communal culture.

Example: "The          resulted in the loss of millions of acres of Native American land and the destruction of tribal social structures."

De Facto Segregation

Racial separation that exists in practice through custom, housing patterns, or economic conditions rather than by law.

Example: "         in Northern cities meant that Black and white Americans lived in separate neighborhoods even without legal mandates."

De Jure Segregation

Racial separation that is imposed and enforced by law.

Example: "         in the South was upheld by Jim Crow laws that mandated separate facilities for Black and white citizens."

Declaration of Independence

The 1776 document, primarily authored by Thomas Jefferson, declaring the American colonies free from British rule and asserting natural rights.

Example: "The          proclaimed that all men are created equal and possess unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

Deficit Spending

A government fiscal policy of spending more money than it collects in revenue, financed by borrowing.

Example: "The New Deal relied on          to fund relief programs during the Great Depression."

Democratic-Republican

A political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison that favored limited government, states' rights, and agrarian interests.

Example: "The          party opposed the Federalists' vision of a strong central government and close ties with Britain."