| A | B |
|---|
| abolish | To formally put an end to. |
| amendment | change to the Constitution |
| American Revolution | The war fought by the American colonists to gain their independence from Great Britain. |
| Anti-Federalists | People who were against ratification of the Constitution because they thought it gave too much power to the federal government and did not protect the political rights of the people. |
| Articles of the Confederation | The first Constitution of the United States |
| Bill of Rights | The first ten amendments to the Constitution |
| Boston Massecre | On March 5, 1770, a mob of colonists harassed British soldiers guarding the tax collector's office in Boston. The soldiers opened fire, killing five Bostonians. |
| boycott | To refuse to buy from or deal with a store or company as an act of protest. |
| Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka | THe U.S. supreme Court Case in which the Court declared that "separate but equal" educational facilities are inherently unequal and therefore a violation of the equal protection of the laws guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment. |
| cabinet | Appointed officials who head government departments and act as advisors to the President. |
| checks and balances | The distribution of powers to prevent one branch from becoming too powerful. |
| Civil Rights Act of 1964 | federal law that made segregation illegal in most public places, increased penalties and sentences for those convicted of discrimination in employment, and withheld federal aid form schools that discriminated on the basis of race or gender |
| Civil War Amendments | The Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments to the US Constitution ratified after the Civil War. They abolished slavery, granted full citizenship to African Americans, and guaranteed the right to vote to men regardless of their race. color. or previous condition of servitude. |
| common good | The good of the community as a whole. |
| Congress | the national legislative body of the U.S., consisting of the Senate, or upper house, and the House of Representatives, or lower house, as a continuous institution. |
| Dawes Act (1887) | an act of congress that granted American citizenship and small parcels of land to American Indians who would give up allegiance to their tribe, their historical traditions, and ways of life. The law was devistating to Indian cultural traditions and forced many Indians into farming. |
| Declaration of Independence | a proclamation that listed the basic principles of democratic governenment, stated the colonists' greivances against the king, and gave reasons why the colonists were free from British rule. |
| democracy | a form of government in which political power is exercised by all citizens, either directly or through thier elected representatives. |
| domestic tranquility | peace within the country |
| establishment clause | the First Amendment guarantee that the government will not create and support an official state church |
| Executive Branch | Branch that carries out and enforces laws. President |
| Legislative Branch | Branch that makes the laws |
| Judicial Branch | This Branch interprets laws and makes sure nothing violates the Constitution. |
| federalism | a form of government in which power is devided and shared between a central government and state and local governments. |
| Federalists | supporters of the stronger central govt. who advocated the ratification of the new constitution |
| Framers | the delegates to the Philidelphia Convention of 1787. They are the group of men who composed the United States Constitution. |
| free exercise clause | the First Amendment guarantee that citizens may freely engage in the religious activities of their choice |
| grandfather clause | these laws allowed individuals who did not pass the literacy test to vote if their grandfathers and fathers voted before them |
| Great Compromise | Compromise made by Constitutional Convention in which states would have equal representation in one house of the legislature and representation based on population in the other house |
| 1st Amendment | Freedom of religion, press, speech, assembly, and petition |
| 4th Amendment | Prevents illegal searches and seizures |
| 19th Amendment | Women's suffrage |
| suffrage | The right to vote |
| 13th Amendment | Ban of Slavery |
| 5th Amendment | Rights of the Accused |
| 18th Amendment | Prohibition of Alcohol |
| 8th Amendment | No cruel or unusual punishment |
| 6th Amendment | Right to a fair and speedy trial |
| 26th Amendment | lowered the voting age to 18 |
| George Washington | Chairman of the Constitutional Convention |
| James Madison | Father of the Constitution |
| Thomas Jefferson | Main writer of the Declaration of Independence |
| Rosa Parks | Her arrest led to the boycott of buses in Alabama |
| Civil War | War fought in the U.S over the issue of slavery |
| Preamble | The introduction to the Constitution. |
| July 4, 1776 | Declaration of Independence was adopted |
| Law of soil | Being born in the U.S. or territory to acquire citizenship |
| Law of blood | being born to U.S citizens to acquire citizenship |
| Naturalization | The process of becoming a U.S. citizen |
| 15th Amendment | Males regardless of race could vote |
| poll tax | Fees charged to prevent others from voting at the booth. |
