Top 50 Regents Terms
U.S. History and Government
DEMOCRACY
1 .A philosophy of government that recognizes the people’s right to take part directly
or indirectly in controlling the government. A key idea of this type of government is
that the “government must have the consent of the governed.”
CONSTITUTION
2.Term for a written plan of government. In the U.S. this establishes the guidelines for
how our government works
FEDERALISM
3.A system of government in which power is shared between the state governments
and a relatively strong central or national government. A key duty for the states is
control over education. This system of government is also referred to as division of
powers.
LEGISLATIVE
4.Branch or section of government whose primary duty is to make the laws, In the
national government Congress is the legislative branch. Congress has two houses or
parts and is therefore a bicameral legislative branch.
EXECUTIVE
5.Branch or section of government whose primary duty is to enforce or carry out the
laws. In the national government the President is the head of this branch. The
President is the head of all regulatory agencies such as the Interstate Commerce
Commission and the Food and Drug Administration.
JUDICIAL
6.Branch or section of government whose primary duty is to interpret the laws. The
Supreme Court is the highest court in nation performing this function.
SEPARATON OF
OF POWERS
7.The separation of government power into different branches with each branch having
different duties or functions.
CHECKS AND
BALANCES
8.A system that allows each branch of government to limit the power of the other
branches. Put into the Constitution because the authors feared one branch of
government becoming too strong. Key examples of checks and balances are the
Presidential veto or rejection of a law passed by Congress and the Senate’s ability to
reject a treaty negotiated by the President.
9.A formal change or addition to the Constitution. The amendment process was
included in the constitution to allow the government to meet the changing needs of
society. The first ten amendments are called the Bill of Rights and protect the people’s
basic rights.
AMENDMENT
JUDICIAL REVIEW
ELASTIC CLAUSE
10.The power of the Supreme Court to declare whether an action of the President or a
law passed by Congress or by a state or local government violates the Constitution.
Chief Justice John Marshall created this power in the case Marbury v. Madison.
11. Section of the Constitution that allows Congress to extend its powers/duties
because it states that Congress may pass such other laws as may be “necessary and
proper” to carry out its other powers. Powers that come from the elastic clause are
called implied powers. The best example of implied powers is the power of the
national government to regulate industry by using the elastic clause and the delegated
power to regulating interstate commerce show that the writers of the Constitution
realized government needed to adapt to change.
ELECTORAL
COLLEGE
12. Method of indirectly electing the President. This method
was placed into the Constitution because the writers of the
Constitution did not trust the wisdom of the common man.
IMPEACH
13. To formally accuse a public official of misconduct in office. The House of
Representatives holds this power. The trial to actually remove is held in the Senate.
LOBBYIST
14. A person not holding public office who is a member of a special interest group that
tries to influence what laws are passed. There is a great deal of criticism of lobbyist
because they spend large amounts of money trying to persuade Congress and they have
too much influence on government. Examples of such groups are the National Rifle
Association and the American Medical Association.
UNWRITTEN
CONSTITUTION
15. Practices involving the operation of the U.S. government that are followed but are
not part of the Constitution itself. The formation o f political parties, Judicial Review
and the two-term Presidential tradition are all considered part of the unwritten
constitution
“NEW
IMMIGRANTS”
16. Refers to immigrants who came to America after 1890 when large numbers of
people arrived from eastern and southern Europe (countries such as Italy and Poland).
The “new Immigrants” arrived during the period of industrialization and usually lived
in urban areas and worked in the new factories. The new immigrants also came to U.S.
for economic reasons.
NATIVISM
17. Belief in the superiority of the culture of one's own country. In the U.S. this belief
is associated with a desire to limit or even halt immigration into the U.S. The new
immigrants faced a great deal of nativist sentiment, insulting term implying that Asian
peoples threatened the ways of life of white Americans.
MELTNG POT
THEORY
18. The belief that different immigrant groups in the U. S. will lose their old identities
in America and that a new American identity will emerge from the blending of
cultures.
CULTURAL
PLURALISM/
SALAD
BOWL TEORY
19. Belief that immigrants to the U.S. maintain their own cultural identity and thus the
U.S. is a type of society in which diverse ethnic, racial, and national groups coexist
while maintaining their own cultural heritage.
SOCIAL
DARWINISM
20. The idea of survival of the fittest applied to human behavior. This belief was used
to justify the ruthless business practices of the Robber Barons during the industrial era
of the late 1800s.
MUCKRAKER
21. Term for American journalist/writers who tried to improve society exposing
corruption, health hazards, and other social problems. These writers are most closely
connected to the Progressive Era. Two of most famous muckrakers were Upton
Sinclair (The Jungle) and Jacob Riis (How the Other Half Lives)
CIVIL SERVICE
22. Reform movement which insisted that government jobs and promotions should be
based on merit rather than on political patronage, This led to a system in which tests
are required for most government jobs. The civil service system is the opposite of the
spoils system.
INITIATIVE &
REFERENDUM
23. Process by which citizens can become directly involved in the making of laws. By
gathering enough signatures on a petition, the people can force an issue to be placed on
the ballot, Then the people can vote on the proposed law at the next election. This was
a key democratic reform of the Progressive Era.
PROGRESSIVE/
GRADUATED TAX
24. Type of tax in which larger incomes are taxed at a higher rate or percentage than
lower incomes. This type of tax was a key goal of the Progressive movement. The 16th
Amendment introduced a graduated federal income tax.
JIM CROW
25. Term used for the segregation laws passed in the South following the period of
Reconstruction. These laws prevented African-Americans from going to the same
restaurants, hotels, parks, etc. as white Americans. This shows that despite 14th and
15th amendments Africa-Americans were not able to achieve equality.
CIVIL
DISOBEDIENCE
26. Non-violent protest against unjust laws. This is the method of protest
used by Martin Luther King, Jr. in the 1950's and 1960's. during the
Civil Rights Movement.
AFFIRMATIVE
ACTION
27. Actions taken by businesses, colleges, the government, etc. to
increase the representation of women and minorities in jobs and higher
education. The aim is to promote educational and economic gains by
minorities and women. The criticism made by opponents of affirmative
action is that these programs discriminate against white males by giving
preference to minorities and women not necessarily as qualified as the
white males. Critics of affirmative action call this reverse
discrimination.
SUFFRAGETTES
28. People who campaigned for women's right to vote in the late 1800s
and early 1900s. Two leading suffragettes were Susan B. Anthony and
Elizabeth Cady Stanton. This struggle eventually led to the ratification of
the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote in 1920.
FEMINIST
MOVEMENT
29. The struggle of women for equality in the 2nd half of the 20th century.
The height of this movement was in the 60's and 70's when they tried
unsuccessfully to get an Equal Rights Amendment passed.
ISOLATIONISM
30. A policy of avoiding alliances and other types of political
involvement in the affairs of other nations. George Washington began
this foreign policy with the advice he gave in his Farewell Address. This
policy was followed in regards to European affairs until the U.S. entered
W.W. I. When the U.S. Senate rejected the League of Nations after
W.W. I the U.S. returned to the policy of isolationism.
MANIFEST
DESTINY
31. The idea commonly held in the mid 1800's that America had the God
given right to expand westward across the entire North American
continent. This policy led to conflict with other countries and Native
Americans. Westward expansion also increased tensions between the
North and South regarding slavery.
IMPERIALISM
32. Policy by which one country takes control of another either directly
or through economic or political dominance. The U. S. became an
imperialistic country in the late 1800s with the Spanish American War.
YELLOW
JOURNALISM
33. Sensational style of reporting used by newspapers in which the
newspaper uses dramatic photos and language to attract the attention of
readers. Newspapers used this style of reporting in the late 1800s to
generate support for a war with Spain over Cuba after the sinking of the
U.S. battleship Maine.
UNRESTRICTED
SUB WARFARE
34. Policy followed by Germany during W.W. I in which they sunk
merchant and passenger ships without warning. This was the main cause
of the U.S. entry into W.W. I because the German actions violated
America’s “freedom of the seas.”
COLLECTIVE
SECURITY
35. System in which member nations agree to take joint action to meet
any threat or violation of international peace. This is the principle of
both the League of Nations formed after W.W.I and the United Nations
formed after W.W. II. The NATO alliance between the U.S. and
Western Europe is also considered an example of collective security
COLD WAR
36. State of tension and conflict, without an actual "hot war,” between
the United States and the Soviet Union following W.W. II. The Cold
War continued until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
DOMINO THEORY
37. The idea commonly held in the U.S. during the Cold War period, that
if one nation in an area became communist, other, neighboring nations
would also fall to communism. The belief in the domino theory led to
the U.S. involvement in both Korea and Vietnam.
CONTAINMENT
38. The U.S. policy after W.W. II of trying to stop the spread of
communism.
RED SCARE
39. Term used to describe periods in the 1920s and 1950s when
American fear and suspicion of communism was at its height. During
these periods there were often limitations/violations of the civil liberties
of people in the United States. The Red Scare of the 1950s is most
associated with Senator Joseph McCarthy.
DETENTE
40. Term associated with the easing of tensions between the U.S. and the
Soviet Union in the 1970's. President Nixon began this policy and a key
action was the signing of the SALT nuclear arms agreement between the
U.S. and Soviet Union.
INTERDEPENDEN
CE
41. The idea that nations of the world are reliant upon each other. This
has become more true in the late 20th century with the many advances in
technology.
CAPITALISM
42. Economic system in which the means of production (factories,
businesses, etc.) are privately owned and operated for profit. In this type
of system the interaction of supply and demand determines prices and
wages. Competition between businesses is necessary for this type of
system to work fairly.
LAISSEZ-FAIRE
43. Noninterference has come to mean a policy by which the government
does not regulate business and does not interfere with the economy. The
idea that government will “keep its hands off of business."
CORPORATION
44. Type of business organization developed in the U.S. during the late
1800’s in which the business is begun by selling shares of stocks to
investors. This makes it easier to raise the money to begin a business
(venture capital). The development of the corporation helped stimulate
the Industrial Revolution in America.
MONOPOLY/
TRUSTS
45. Type of business that tries to gain total control of an entire market for
a particular good or service. Monopolies/trusts try to eliminate all
competition and if they can they can completely control the price of the
item. The federal government passed the Sherman Anti-trust Act and the
Clayton Anti-trust Act in order to restore competition.
COLLECTIVE
BARGANING
46. Process whereby a union negotiates with management (the business
owners) for a contract. A key goal of the American Federation of Labor
was to be able to collectively bargain for its members.
INJUNCTION
47. A court order prohibiting a certain action. This tactic was often used
by business owners against striking workers so that union leaders could
be arrested for striking.
48. Tax on imports designed to discourage the buying of foreign goods
so as to encourage the development of industry and manufacturing
within the U.S. Alexander Hamilton’s financial plan included the ideas
of tariffs and the Republican Presidents of the 1920s also raised tariffs.
When a country raises tariffs they are said to be following a policy of
protectionism.
49. Requirement of the Constitution that the population of the United
States be counted every 10 years. The purpose of the census is to
determine how many representatives each state has in the House of
Representatives. This will also determine the number of electoral votes
for each state.
TARIFF
CENSUS
SUPPLY-SIDE
ECONOMICS
50. Economic policy followed by Republican Presidents Hoover and
Reagan. The goal is to stimulate the economy by cutting taxes,
especially for the wealthy and business. Critics of this approach refer to
supply-side economics as the “trickle-down” theory because they believe
very few benefits reach the poorer Americans.