SOCIAL SCIENCE VOCABULARY
GRADE 7
Beginnings through
1877
Vocabulary Definition
Colony group of people who settle in a distant land but are
still ruled by the government of their native land (p. 70)
Circumnavigate travel all the way around the Earth (p. 71)
Lesson 2
Mission religious settlement run by Catholic priests and
friars (p. 78)
Plantation large estate farmed by many workers (p. 80)
Lesson 3
Missionary person who tries to spread certain religious beliefs
among a group of people (p. 56,84)
Lesson 4
None
Lesson 5
Persecution mistreatment of or punishment of a group of people
because of their beliefs (p.94)
Chapter 4
Lesson 1
None
Lesson 2
None
Lesson 3
Debtor person who cannot pay money he or she owes (p.
116,436)
Racisism belief that one race is superior to another (p.119)
Lesson 4
Mercantilism theory that a nation’s economic strength came from
protecting and increasing its home economy by keeping strict control over its
colonial trade (p.120)
Export trade product sent to markets outside the country (p.
120)
Import trade product brought into a country (p. 120)
Legislature group of people who have the power to make laws (p.
122)
Lesson 5
Apprentice person who learns a trade or craft from a master (p.
128)
Libel act of punishing a statement that may unjustly damage
a person’s reputation (p. 130)
Chapter 5
Lesson 1
None
Lesson 2
Petition formal written request to someone in authority, signed by a group of
people (p. 149)
Boycott refusal to buy certain goods and services (p. 150)
Repeal cancel (p. 150)
Lesson 3
Militia army of citizens who serve as soldiers during an
emergency (p. 158)
Assessment 2
Chapter 6
Lesson 1
Patriot colonist who favored war against Britain (p. 169)
Loyalist colonist who remained loyal to Britain (p. 170)
Blockade the shutting of a port to keep people or supplies from moving in or out
(p. 171)
Mercenary soldier
who fights merely for pay, often for a foreign country (p. 171)
Lesson 2
None
Lesson 3
Ally nation that works with another nation for a common
purpose (p. 183)
Cavalry troops on horseback (p. 184)
Lesson 4
None
Lesson 5
Guerilla soldier who uses hit-and-run tactics (p.192)
Siege military blockade or bombardment of an enemy town or position
in order to force it to surrender (p. 193, 387, 506)
Ratify to approve (p. 194)
Chapter 7
Lesson 1
Constitution document
that sets out the laws, principles, organization, and processes of a government
(p. 200)
Execute carry out (p. 201)
Cede to give up (p. 202, 396)
Currency money (p. 202)
Lesson 2
Compromise settlement
in which each side gives up some of its demands in order to reach an agreement
(p. 208)
Lesson 3
Republic system of government in which citizens choose representatives to govern
them (p. 57, 211)
Dictatorship government
in which one person or a small group holds complete authority (p. 212)
Lesson 4
Amend change (p. 218)
Chapter 8
Lesson 1
Civilian nonmilitary (p. 249)
Liberty freedom (p. 249)
Federalism a
principle of the United States Constitution that establishes the division of
power between the federal government and the states (p. 251)
Lesson 2
Bill proposed law (p. 253)
Appeal to ask that a decision be reviewed by a higher court
(p. 256)
Veto reject, as when a President rejects a law passed by
Congress (p.257)
Impeach to bring charges of serious wrongdoing against a public official (p.
257, 523)
Lesson 3
Incriminate to give evidence against (p. 260)
Civil relating to lawsuits involving the private rights of
individuals, as opposed to criminal lawsuits (p. 267)
Lesson 4
None
Lesson 5
Citizen person who owes loyalty to a particular nation and is
entitled to all its rights and protections (p. 265)
Immigrant person who enters another country in order to settle
there
(p.
266)
Patriotism feeling of love and devotion toward one’s country (p.
266)
Chapter 9
Lesson 1
Precedent an act or decision that sets the example for others to
follow
(p.
96, 278)
Bond certificate that promises to repay money loaned, plus
interest, on a certain date (p. 280)
Speculator someone
who invests in a risky venture in the hope of making a large profit (p. 280)
Tariff tax on foreign goods brought into a country (p. 281)
Lesson 2
Neutral not taking sides in a conflict (p. 285)
Lesson 3
None
Lesson 4
Nullify-
to cancel (p. 293)
Assessment 3
Chapter 10
Lesson 1
Laissez faire idea
that government should play as small a role as possible in economic affairs (p.
303)
Lesson 2
Expedition long voyage of exploration (p. 308)
Lesson 3
Embargo ban on trade (p. 314)
Smuggling importing or exporting goods in violation of trade
laws
(p.
314)
Lesson 4
Confederation league of independent states or nations (p. 317)
Nationalism devotion to one’s country (p. 318)
Chapter 11
Lesson 1
Intervention direct involvement (p. 351)
Chapter 12
Lesson 1
Suffrage the right to vote (p. 361)
Majority more than half (p. 362)
Democrats supporters
of Andrew Jackson; included frontier farmers and factory workers (p. 364)
Caucus private meeting; often a political meeting (p. 364)
Chapter 13
Lesson 1
None
Lesson 2
Dictator ruler with absolute power and authority (p. 386)
Annex to add on (p. 389)
Self-sufficient able to produce enough for one’s own needs 9p. 392)
Lesson 3
Cede to give up (p. 202, 396)
Lesson 4
None
Chapter 14
Lesson 1
None
Lesson 2
Nativist person who wanted to limit immigration and preserve the United States
for native-born, white citizens (p. 416)
Discrimination policy
or attitude that denies equal rights to certain groups of people (p. 417)
Strike refusal by workers to do their jobs until demands are
met
(p.
414)
Artisan skilled worker (p. 413)
Famine severe food shortage (p. 415)
Lesson 3
None
Lesson 4
None
Assessment 4
Chapter 15
Lesson 1
None
Lesson 2
Abolitionist person who wanted to end slavery completely in the
United
States
(p. 440)
Lesson 3
None
Lesson 4
None
Chapter 16
Lesson 1
None
Lesson 2
Secede to withdraw from membership from a group (p. 463)
Fugitive runaway (p. 464)
Lesson 3
Lawsuit legal case brought to settle a dispute between a person or group (p.
471)
Lesson 4
Arsenal place where guns are stored (p. 476)
Treason actions against one’s country (p. 476)
Martyr person who dies for his or her beliefs (p. 476)
Chapter 17
Lesson 1
None
Lesson 2
None
Lesson 3
Emancipate to set free (p. 497)
Lesson 4
Draft law requiring certain people to serve in the military
(p. 502)
Income
Tax a tax on people’s earnings (p. 502)
Inflation a rise in prices and a decrease in the value of money
(p.
503)
Lesson 5
Siege military blockade or bombardment of an enemy town or
position in order to force it to surrender (p. 193, 387, 506)
Chapter 18
Lesson 1
Amnesty government pardon (p. 517)
Lesson 2
Impeach to bring charges of serious wrongdoing against a public official (p.
257, 523)
Lesson 3
Sharecropper person
who rents a plot of land from another person and farms it in exchange for a
share of the crop (p. 529)
Lesson 4
Segregation legal separation of races (p. 532)