100 Important
8th Grade
Terms to Know
Early Government & Colonization
1. America was named in honor of Amerigo Vespucci.
2. The document that declared independence from Britain and
contains the phrase “...all men are created equal...” is the
Declaration of Independence (written by Thomas Jefferson).
3. Overpopulation, religious intolerance, and economic difficulties led
the Europeans to seek new opportunities in the New World.
4. One who moves from place to place often in search of food is a
nomad.
5. Someone who trades the cost of passage to America for services
they would give for the next 4-7 years is an indentured servant.
6. Subsistence farming is when farmers only produce enough food to
feed their own family.
7. A person who moves into a new country is an immigrant.
8. A nation where many ethnic, religious, and cultural groups live
together is pluralism.
9. Salutary neglect is when a mother country establishes laws yet
fails to enforce them.
10. The period of religious revival that occurred during the 1730's-50's
was the Great Awakening.
11. To be under absolute rule is tyranny.
12. A primary source document is a document that is written at the
time the event occurred.
13. An export is a product that is sold to another country.
14. A product that is brought into the country is an import.
15. The Magna Carta limited the power of one ruler by forcing him to
seek advice on laws and taxes and provided a trial by jury to those
accused of crimes.
16. The Enlightenment was based on the idea that people should
approach religious, political, and economic issues through reason
and science.
17. The Mayflower Compact established a form of self-government to
promote the good of all for Plymouth Colony.
18. The English Bill of Rights, signed by the King in 1689, limited the
power of the monarchy by forbidding the King to keep a permanent
army and gave more power to Parliament to spend money.
19. The Articles of Confederation, written by Ben Franklin, proposed a
unified government for the colonies.
20. A law making body formed during early colonization in Virginia was
called the House of Burgesses.
21. A common trade route between Europe, West Indies, Africa, and
America was called the Triangle of Trade.
Pre-Revolution and Revolutionary War
22. An order allowing British officials to conduct searches of homes was
the writs of assistance.
23. A government prohibition on trade is a boycott.
24. The Proclamation of 1763 forbade the colonists to settle west of this
boundary line.
25. A tax placed on stamps, newspapers, and other paper documents by
the British Parliament was called the Stamp Act.
26. A law forcing colonists to house and feed British soldiers was the
Quartering Act.
27. British soldiers and colonists fought in the streets of Boston resulting
in the deaths of 5 people, the first being Crispus Attucks, this later was
called the Boston Massacre.
28. The event that occurred when the colonists, disguised as Native
Americans, dumped chests of tea into the ocean is known as the Boston
Tea Party.
29. Laws passed in 1774 by Parliament, such as closing the port of
Boston, and increasing the powers of the governor, were called the
Intolerable Acts.
30. Patrick Henry was famous for saying “...give me liberty or give me
death!” in a speech presented to the Virginia assembly.
31. A group of civilians (non-military trained) who volunteered to
fight in the Revolutionary War were called the militia.
32. A civilian soldier who was called a minuteman.
33. The famous saying, “Don’t fire until you see the whites of their
eyes!” was said at the Battle of Bunker Hill.
34. Colonists who supported the war against Britain were called
Patriots.
35. Common Sense was a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in
1776 to persuade colonists to become independent.
36. Lexington Green, was the first battle of the American
Revolution where “The shot heard around the world...” was
fired.
37. The camp in which Washington and his men camped through
a treacherous winter was called Valley Forge.
38. The last battle of the war, Cornwallis surrendered to George
Washington here at Yorktown.
39. In 1783, the Treaty of Paris was signed officially ending the
war.
Constitutional Convention
40. A representative is also called a delegate.
41. Edmond Randolph proposed the Virginia Plan which supported a
bicameral Congress with representation of each state based on
population.
42. The New Jersey Plan supported the idea that each state would have
one vote regardless of population.
43. The Great Compromise called for 2 houses in Congress, one based
on population, one given 2 representatives per state.
44. The Federalist Papers were a collection of essays written by
James Madison, John Jay, and Alexander Hamilton which
supported the Constitution.
45. Men who opposed the Constitution were Anti-Federalists.
Government & U.S. Constitution
46. To approve by a vote means to ratify.
47. The right to vote is referred to as suffrage.
48. The number of people present and necessary to hold a meeting
is a quorum.
49. A change to a document is called an amendment.
50. The building in which the Constitution and the Declaration of
Independence were produced is called Independence Hall.
51. Federalism is the system of government where power is
shared between the national and state governments.
52. The system established in the Constitution, giving authority to
each branch of government, allowing each some authority over
the other is called checks and balances.
53. The branch of government that creates the laws is the
Legislative Branch.
54. The branch of government that carries out the laws made by
the legislative branch is called the Executive Branch.
55. The branch of government that interprets the fairness of the
laws is the Judicial Branch.
56. The First Amendment guarantees our right to free speech.
57. A political party is a group of people who share the same
viewpoints on governmental issues.
58. The members of the House of Representatives are based on
the state’s population.
59. The house in which each state sends 2 representatives to
vote is the Senate.
60. Separation of Powers is the division of power among the
legislative, executive, and judicial branches.
61. The power to declare war belongs to Congress.
62. The first 10 amendments to the Constitution are called the
Bill of Rights.
63. The voting system used to elect the President is the electoral
college.
64. The Preamble to the Constitution tells why it was written.
65. There are a total of 100 U.S. Senators.
66. James Madison was considered the “Father of the
Constitution”.
67. The differing opinions of Alexander Hamilton and Thomas
Jefferson over various issues (Alien/Sedition Acts, the
National Bank, and the debt left from the Revolution) led to the
development of 2 political parties.
68. The Monroe Doctrine established 2 ideals; Europe could not
colonize in America any longer and America would not interfere
with European conflicts.
69. Napoleon (France) sold the Louisiana territory to America for
$15 million, this was called the Louisiana Purchase.
American Expansion
70. Nullify means to cancel or disregard.
71. The Indian Removal Act allowed the federal government to pay
Native Americans to move west.
72. The U.S. Army moved 15,000 Cherokee west during the winter of
1838-39 resulting in the deaths of 4,000; this became known as the
Trail of Tears.
73. Lewis and Clark explored the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains in
search of the Northwest Passage.
74. Sacajawea aided Lewis and Clark’s expedition by interpreting for
them and finding plants that could be used for medicine and food.
75. The War of 1812 was fought against Britain over land, impressment,
and the furnishing of weapons to Native Americans.
76. The battle fought between Texans and Mexicans over land in Texas
is called the Alamo.
Industrial Revolution
77. Samuel Slater was a man from England who brought over plans to
create a mill, ultimately starting the Industrial Revolution.
78. Eli Whitney’s 2 important inventions (interchangeable parts, cotton
gin) helped kick-start the Industrial Revolution.
79. Products produced in mass quantity in a short period of time is
called mass production.
80. An entrepreneur is a person who takes a risk to start a new
business.
81. The Industrial Revolution was an era when factories and
machines were used for mass production for the first time in the
U.S.
82. The era representing the progression of women’s rights was called
the Women’s Rights Movement.
83. Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Susan B. Anthony
were women active in the anti-slavery movement who later became
involved in the Women’s Rights Movement.
Civil War
84. To secede means to leave or withdraw from a large political body.
85. The war that was fought over “Nation’s Rights vs. State’s Rights”
was the Civil War.
86. A plantation is a large farm on which crops are grown by slaves.
87. The 13th Amendment abolished slavery.
88. Various homes that were hiding places to runaway slaves were
called the Underground
Railroad.
89. Harriet Tubman was called the “Moses of her people” because
she led so many slaves to freedom by means of the Underground
Railroad.
90. Sojourner Truth, an escaped slave who worked to end slavery
and increase women’s rights, was most known for her speech,
“Ain’t I a Woman?”
91. Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote the book Uncle Tom’s Cabin,
describing the brutal slave system.
92. Freed slave and anti-slavery activist, Frederick Douglass,
founded the North Star, a newspaper promoting freedom for slaves.
93. William Lloyd Garrison published the Liberator, to support the
antislavery movement.
94. Clara Barton a nurse for the Union, founded the American Red
Cross.
95. The Battle of Gettysburg was the bloodiest 3 day battle fought on
American soil. Lincoln later dedicated this battleground to the dead
Union soldiers in the Gettysburg Address.
96. The Battle of Vicksburg led to Union control of the Mississippi
River, cutting off trade to the south.
97. The Emancipation Proclamation issued by Lincoln, freed all the
slaves in “rebel” states, it also allowed blacks to enlist in the military.
98. Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox
Court House, ending the war.
99. John Wilkes Booth assassinated Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre 5 days
after the war ended.
100. The rebuilding period following the Civil War was called
Reconstruction.