Colony: A territory ruled by another country
Settler: A person who moves to and lives in a new place
Immigrant: A person who moves to a new country to live
Emigrant: A person who leaves one country to live in another
Pioneer: One of the first people to settle in a new area
Frontier: The edge of settled land
Territory: Land owned by a country but not yet a state
Statehood: Becoming one of the states
Expansion: Growth in size or reach
Annex: To add a territory to a country
Treaty: A formal agreement between nations
Alliance: A partnership among nations or groups
Neutral: Not taking a side in a conflict
Revolution: A sudden, major change, often in government
Rebellion: An open fight against authority
Independence: Freedom from outside control
Patriot: A person who loves and supports their country
Loyalist: A colonist who supported Britain
Tax: Money people pay to support the government
Tariff: A tax on goods from other countries
Boycott: Refusing to buy or use something as a protest
Embargo: A government ban on trade with a country
Constitution: The written plan for a country's government and laws
Amendment: A change or addition to the Constitution
Ratify: To formally approve
Federal: Having to do with the national government
Federalism: Power shared between national and state governments
Republic: A government where people elect representatives
Democracy: Government by the people, through voting
Monarchy: Government led by a king or queen
Dictator: A ruler with total power
Compromise: Each side gives up something to reach an agreement
Abolish: To officially end something
Abolitionist: Someone who worked to end slavery
Slavery: The forced ownership and unpaid labor of people
Emancipation: Freeing people from slavery
Secede: To formally withdraw from a group or country
Union: The states that stayed with the US during the Civil War; also the nation
Confederate: Belonging to the Confederacy
Civil war: A war between groups within the same country
Reconstruction: The rebuilding of the South after the Civil War
Sharecropper: A farmer who pays rent with part of the crop
Segregation: Forced separation of people by race
Discrimination: Unfair treatment based on identity
Suffrage: The right to vote
Suffragist: A person who worked for voting rights, especially for women
Industry: Business that makes goods, often in factories
Factory: A building where goods are made with machines
Urban: Having to do with cities
Rural: Having to do with the countryside
Monopoly: Complete control of a product or service by one business
Union (labor): A group of workers organized to protect their interests
Strike: Workers stop working to demand change
Reform: To improve something by changing it
Progressive: Favoring reform, as in the Progressive Era
Depression: A long period of very weak economy and high unemployment
Inflation: A general rise in prices
Recession: A shorter, milder slump in the economy
Ration: To limit how much people can have of something scarce
Draft: A system that requires people to serve in the military
Propaganda: Information used to push a view, often one-sided
Cold War: Rivalry between the US and USSR without direct fighting between them
Communism: System where the state controls the economy and property
Containment: Policy to stop the spread of communism
Primary source: Evidence from the time, like a letter, photo or diary
Secondary source: A later account written about the past, like a textbook
Timeline: A line of events shown in order
Era: A long period of history with a common theme
Century: One hundred years
Decade: Ten years
Chronological order: Arranged in the order events happened
Cause: Why something happened
Effect: What happened because of an event
Legacy: What is left behind for the future
Heritage: Traditions and history passed down
Landmark: A place or event of historic importance
Memorial: Something built to remember a person or event
Artifact: An object made by people long ago
Historian: A person who studies the past
Archaeologist: A scientist who studies the past by digging up objects

Free flashcards from Peabody at peabody.kids/flashcards/us-history-vocabulary