definition civi us
Abolitionists
the people who wanted to abolish slaevry in Britain in the 18th century and in the USA in the 19th century, before and during the Civil War
ACLU
the American Civil Liberties Union
Affirmative action
a policy requiring that ethnic minorities and women should be favoured for jobs or entry to college
American Bar Association
a powerful lobby created in 1878; it supports lawyers' rights
Bible belt
the South of the United States
Bill of Rights
composed of the first ten amendments to the Constitution; ratified by the states in 1791. Guarantees freedom and individual rights (freedom of religion, speech and of the press, the right to assemble in public places)
Bipartisan
a person is ready to work with the other political party for the good of the country
Boston Massacre
March 1770; a riot in Boston (British soldiers killed five people)
Boston Tea Party
December 1773; ships arrived in Boston harbour carrying tea and some American patriots dressed up as Native Americans threw the tea into the water to protest against taxes
Brown versus Board of Education of Topeka
1954; the Supreme Court ruled out segregation at school and started a legal revolution
Busing
consists in taking children in buses from their homes to schools in a different area, in order to achieve a greater mixture of races in school
Capitol Hill
the hill in Washington DC, where the Capitol building stands; refers to the US Congress
Checks and Balances
the separation of powers; each branch has powers that the others do not have and each branch has a way of counteracting an limiting another branch's wrong action. Aimed at avoiding the concentration of power in one branch
Civil rights movement
started in 1954; aimed at getting equal rights for African Americans and for people of any race or colour, through non-violent actions. In 1964, the Civil Rights Act made unequal treatment of races illegal
Confederacy
the 11 states that broke away from the Union in 1861 (Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, Arkansas, Texas). Jefferson Davis was its president; Richmond (Virginia) was its capital
Constructionists
- loose constructionists: justice of Supreme Court construe (interpret the Constitution in a broad sense
- strict constructionists: they construe the Constitution in a narrow sense
The (Great) depression
this economic crisis lasted from 1929 until World War II; began in the USA when the New York Stock Exchange fell on October 1929, known as Black Tuesday. A lot of businesses and banks failed and millions of people lost their jobs. President F.D. Roosevelt improved the situation with his New Deal policy
Dixie
the South of the USA
Donkey
the symbol of the Democratic party
Dow Jones Average Index
a list in which the price of stocks and bonds in some companies is mentioned. It started in 1884 and is used as an indicator of US economic health
Dred Scott Decision
1857; a decision taken by the Supreme Court, according to which Blacks had no rights as American citizens
Elephant
the symbol of the Republican party
Ellis Island
also known as the golden doors; in Ellis Island, in New York Harbour, immigrants were examined before entering the USA. It opened its doors in 1892 and closed them in 1954
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
created in 1970 to establish rules and standards aimed at protecting the environment against pollution
Federal Reserve System
created in 1913. Issues banknotes and implements US monetary policy. Controls the supply of money and the nation's economy. It includes 12 Federal Reserve Banks
Federalism
belief in a federal system of government; the federal government: the national or central government of the USA, as compared with the governments of the states that form it
Filibustering
a strategy used by US senators to defeat bills and motions by prolonging debate indefinitely. It may include long speeches and an extensive series of proposed amendments
Food and Drug Administration
a US government organization created in 1928 that establishes standards for food and drugs and test their safety
Founding Fathers/Framers
a group of men - Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, among others - who wrote major political documents in the US (the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights)
Freedom Riders
groups of black and white people who in 1961 rode together in buses in the Deep South as a protest movement against segregation on public transport
Frontier
the area where European settlements finished and where the lands of the Native Americans began
Fugitive Slave Act
helped Southerners to recapture slaves who had escaped to free states
Gerrymandering
refers to the way districts are divided
Grandfather clauses
allowed the vote only to people whose grandfathers had been qualified to vote in 1865
Grand Old Party
the republican Party
Great Society
a phrase used by President Lyndon Johnson in 1964 to explain his new social and economic programmes aimed at creating a society in which all Americans were equal and there was no poverty. Medicaid and Medicare were part of the programme
Groundhog Day
2nd February; the first day of the year that the groundhog comes out of its hole. If it sees its shadow, there will be siw more weeks of winter; if it does not, good weather will come early
Halloween
the night of October 31, when it was formerly believed that the spirits of the dead appeared. Children dress in special clothes (ghosts, witches, for example) and go trick-or-treating (they go from house to house, knock on doors and say: "trick or treat". If people in the house do not give them a treat (sweets), the children will play a trick on them. They also make Jack-O'-Lanterns by cutting faces in pumpkins and putting a lights inside
Impeachment
consists in charging a public official with serious misbehaviour in office; federal officials can be impeached for "treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors"
Ivy League
gathers institutions that have a very high academic reputation and are very expensive; known as Ivy League because of the ivy that covers the buildings
Ku Klux Klan
a violent secret society that hoped to protect white interests by terrorizing blacks and preventing them from achieving social progress. Its members were wearing white sheets and hoods to hide their faces. First founded in 1866 in Tennessee. Nearly 5 million members in the 1920s. Strong again in the 1960s when it fought against the civil rights movement. Less influential today
Liberty Bell
a bell used during the American revolution; a symbol of freedom; made in London and taken to Philadelphia in 1752. It rang for such events as the Boston Tea Party and the Declaration of Independence
Lobby
pressure group
Lynch law
the punishments of someone who its thought to be guilty of a crime, usually by death, without a legal trial
Manifest Destiny
refers to John O'Sullivan's idea, according to which the USA has a natural rights to expand which is justified by God's will. This idea was embraced by supporters of US expansionism
Marbury versus Madison
1803; the Supreme Court affirmed its own right of "judicial review": "it is emphatically the province and duty of the judicial department to say what the law is"
Mason-Dixon Line
the border between the states of Maryland and Pennsylvaniain the US. The boundary between the states of the South where it was legal to own slaves and the states of the North where it was illegal, until the end of the American Civil War
McCarthyism
during the Cold War, a witch hunt against people who were suspected of being communists. Senator Joseph McCarthy accused all kinds of people of secretly working for the Soviet Union. Government officials, scientists or entertainers were blamed for so-called "Un-American activities"
Medicaid
the non-contributory programme for the poor and the needy (1965)
Medicare
the contributory social security system for everyone over the age of 65, which provides health car for the elderly (1965). About 40 million people benefit from the system
Missouri Compromise
1820; slavery was allowed in Missouri and the Arkansas territory but was forbidden everywhere west and north of Missouri
MIT
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Boston)
NAFTA
North American Free Trade Agreement; ratified by Congress in 1994, a free trade agreement between the USA, Canada and Mexico
National Rifle Association
created in 1871; supports gun culture, the right to bear guns; supposed to have a lot of influence in the Republican party
Natural Ressources Defence Council
dates back to the early seventies. An environmental movement. 1,2 million activists and a permanent staff of 276 scientists, policy wonks and lawyers
New Deal
under Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidency; the federal government decides to fight against the Depression. Agencies were set up to help the nation recover from the Depression. Money was given to individual states for the unemployed and the homeless. Dams, roads, schools and hospitals were built
New Frontier
a programme launched by John F. Kennedy
Partisan
the staunch supporter of a political party
Permanent Campaign
the fact that the President's term is very short (4 years) leads the winner to behave as if he were already campaigning for the future election
Pilgrim Fathers
Puritans who were persecuted in England; they arrived on a famous ship, the Mayflower, and settled at Plymouth (Massachusetts), in 1620. They wanted to create the New Jerusalem
Pledge of Allegiance
a speech that US citizens learn, which is a promise to respect the US and be loyal to it. In schools children usually say the Pledge of Allegiance every morning, while looking at the national flag and putting their right hand over their heart: "i pledged allegiance to the flag of the United State of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all"
Plessy versus Ferguson
1896; also known as "the separate but equal decision" taken by the Supreme Court; separate facilities and services could be provided for black and white people as long as the facilities and services were of equal quality; in fact, the Supreme Court legalized segregation
Pork barrel
slang; a government plan to spend a lot of money in an area in order to win votes (not necessarily for the public good)
Presidential Electors
538 presidential electors; during the presidential election, the people of each state do not vote directly for the president; they choose presidential electors
Reconstruction
1865-1877; the Southern states were occupied by the Northern army
Roe versus Wade
1973; the Supreme Court legalized abortion
Second amendment to the Constitution
guarantees the right to have weapons: " a well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infriged"
Sierra Club
founded in 1892; an environmental movement
Speaker
the presiding officer of the House of Representatives
State of the Union Address
according to the Constitution, the President has to give to US Congress information on the "State of Union" and to advocate measures he thinks are necessary. This annual message is delivered every January or February
Super Tuesday
the second Tuesday in March during the presidential campaign; before the main election in November, there is a serie of "primaries" in which the people in each state choose their party's candidate for President. On Super Tuesday, a lot of primaries take place in major states such as California
Tea Party movement
a grass-roots movement; it began on websites. Tea partiers are against taxation and big government, centralized authority, large deficits, the banks being bailed out and immigration
Thanksgiving
a celebration held by the Pilgrim Fathers to thank God and Native Americans for their survival. Takes place on the 4th Thursday in November
Ticket
a list of people supported by a political party in an election; example: 2 candidates on the ticket in the presidential election
Uncle Tom's Cabin
a novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe and published in 1852; the anti-slavery novel converted a lot of readers to the abolitionist cause
USA PATRIOT Act
passed in October 2001 and reauthorized in 2005; "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism.
It extended the executive branch's powers of surveillance and prosecution
Wall Street
the financial center of the US in New York City, in Lower And Midtown Manhattan. It includes the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)
Whip
a member of Congress who is responsible for party discipline