"The Idea of America" "The Democracy" vocabulary

Anecdote

A short account of a particular incident or event

Apartheid

any system or practice that separates people according to color, ethnicity, caste

Colonization

to settle into areas other than one’s own

Chattel Slavery

the enslaving and owning of human beings and their offspring as property, able to be bought, sold, and forced to work without wages

codified

complied into an orderly, formal code

commodity

an article of trade or commerce

Degradation

humiliation, disgrace: dishonor

Egalitarian

belief in the equality of all people

Endemic

natural to or characteristic of a specific people or place; indigenous

The Great Nadir

nadir means “low point”, the great nadir refers to the lowest point of race relations, from the end of Reconstruction 1877 well Into the 20th century

Indelible

impossible to eliminate, forget, change

Indian Removal Act 1830

congress passed the act and president Andrew Jackson signed it into law, essentially forcibly removing indigenous peoples from their land and moving them West

Industrial Revolution

the transition from creating goods by hand to using machines; it generally agreed upon to span from about 1760 to 1840

Insurrection

an act or instance of rising in revolt; rebellion, or resistance against civil authority or an established government

Lynching

to put to death, especially by hanging, by mob action and without legal authority

Marginalized

placed in a position of little or not importance, influence, or power

Mississippi delta

the most important coastal region of the U.S.; contains more than 2.7 million acres of wetland

Osmosis

a subtle or gradual absorption or mingling

pejorative

having a disparaging, derogatory, or belittling effect or force

perfecters

a skilled worker who perfects something

recalcitrance

the resistance of authority or control; state of disobedience

reconstruction

the process by which the states that had seceded were reorganized as part of the union after the civil war, the reconstruction era only lasted 12 years, 1865-1877 when federal troops who were protecting black people were removed from the south

redlining

a discriminatory practice by which banks, insurance companies, etc… refuse or limit loans, mortgages, insurance, etc…, wishing specific geographic areas, especially inner-city neighborhoods

redress

to set right what is wrong

segregated

restricted to one group, especially exclusively on the basis of racial or ethnic membership

subjugated

to bring under complete control; to conquer, to master

systemic

relating to or noting a policy, practice, or set of beliefs that has bee established as normative or customary throughout a political, social, or economic system

Terrorism

the unlawful use of violence or threats to intimidate or coerce a civilian population or government, with the goal of furthering political, social, or ideological objectives

textile

any cloth or goods produced by weaving, knitting, or felting