Chapter 18: The Americas in the Age of Independence- Vocab

Question 1

Abraham Lincoln

Answer 1

An anti-slavery American president who predicted in 1858 that “a house divided against itself cannot stand” in reference to slavery. He was a sectional candidate and aimed to restore the Union (not abolish slavery).

Question 2

Antonio López de Santa Anna

Answer 2

1794–1896 C.E. Mexican army officer and politician best known for his efforts to prevent Spain from recapturing Mexico. Served as president of Mexico several times.

Question 3

Battle of the Little Bighorn

Answer 3

A battle in Montana in 1876 where thousands of Lakota Sioux and their allies defeated an army under the command of Colonel George Custer.

Question 4

Benito Juárez

Answer 4

1806–1872 C.E. Mexican lawyer of indigenous origins who served as president of Mexico on five occasions.

Question 5

British North America Act of 1867

Answer 5

An act in Canada that recognized Quebec, Ontario, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick as the Dominion of Canada.

Question 6

Canadian Pacific Railroad

Answer 6

A transcontinental railroad built with British investment capital in 1885. It opened the western prairie lands to commerce, stimulated the development of industries, and promoted a Canadian national economy.

Question 7

Caudillos

Answer 7

Latin American term for nineteenth-century local military leaders.

Question 8

Domingo Faustino Sarmiento

Answer 8

1811–1888 C.E. Argentine intellectual, writer, and activist who became the seventh president of Argentina.

Question 9

Dominion of Canada

Answer 9

An association in Canada that signaled its continuing connection to the British government but control of internal affairs. Under the Dominion, each province had its own government, legislature, and lieutenant governor representing the British crown.

Question 10

Durham Report

Answer 10

Report issued in 1839 by the British Earl of Durham and recent governor- general of Canada, which advocated significant self-government for a united Canada.

Question 11

Emancipation Proclamation

Answer 11

A proclamation issued by Lincoln in 1863 (5 days after the Union victory) which freed enslaved people in the states that had rebelled. Slavery still remained constitutional, however, until the 13th amendment in 1865.

Question 12

Emiliano Zapata

Answer 12

1879–1919 c.e. Mexican revolutionary and leader of the peasant revolution during the Mexican Revolution whose followers were called Zapatistas.

Question 13

Francisco (Pancho) Villa

Answer 13

One of the leaders of warfare against the Mexican government. A charismatic man of an agrarian background, he organized a massive army fighting for land and liberty and embodied the aspirations of the indigenous Mexican people. He attacked and killed US citizens for supporting the government.

Question 14

Gauchos

Answer 14

Argentine cowboys, highly romanticized figures.

Question 15

Indian Removal Act of 1830

Answer 15

An act enacted by the US government that sought to forcefully move all Native Americans west of the Mississippi River on to marginal “Indian Territory” lands in Oklahoma.

Question 16

John. A. Macdonald

Answer 16

The first prime minister of Canada. He moved to incorporate all of British North America into the Dominion, purchasing the Northwest Territories in 1869 and persuading Manitoba, British Colombia, and PEI to join the Dominion. He wanted to make Canadian union a reality, so he constructed a transcontinental railroad.

Question 17

Juan Manuel de Rosas

Answer 17

A notable caudillo who from 1829 to 1852 ruled Argentina as it was divided between the gaucho of the pampas and the urban elite of Buenos Aires. He subdued other caudillos and established control in Buenos Aires, centralizing the government and ruthlessly quelling rebellions.

Question 18

Louis Riel

Answer 18

1844–1885 C.E. Leader of metis and indigenous people who organized the unsuccessful Northwest Rebellion against Canadian settlement in 1885. Riel was executed by Canadian authorities.

Question 19

Machismo

Answer 19

Latin American social ethic that honored male strength, courage, aggressiveness, assertiveness, and cunning.

Question 20

Manifest Destiny

Answer 20

An idea saying that the US was destined (even divinely ordained) to expand across North America from the Atlantic to the Pacific and beyond. It was invoked to justify US expansion.

Question 21

Mexican-American War

Answer 21

A war from 1846-1848 (known as “la intervención norteamericano” or “la guerra del 47”) instigated by US forces sending troops into a disputed zone on the Rio Grande. This led to a conflict where the US defeated the Mexican Army and took possession of 1/2 of Mexico’s Territory in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.

Question 22

National Policy

Answer 22

Nineteenth-century Canadian policy designed to attract migrants, protect industries through tariffs, and build national transportation systems.

Question 23

Northwest Rebellion

Answer 23

An insurrection organized by Riel in 1885 where a military force of métis and indigenous people in Saskatchewan rebelled against the Canadian forces. They were quickly subdued, however.

Question 24

Porfirio Díaz

Answer 24

1830–1915 C.E. Mexican general and politician who served seven terms as president, for a total of thirty-one years.

Question 25

Railroad Time

Answer 25

A time put into place by railroad companies in 1883 which divided North America into 4 zones where all railroad clocks read the same time. It was adopted by the general public, and the 4 time zones were legally established as US time in 1918.

Question 26

Reconstruction

Answer 26

System implemented in the American South (1867–1877) that was designed to bring the Confederate states back into the union and also extend civil rights to freed slaves.

Question 27

Seneca Falls Convention

Answer 27

A convention of feminists where, in 1848, women rights activists issued a “declaration of sentiments” where they demanded equal political and economic rights for US women.

Question 28

Soldaderas

Answer 28

Female soldiers or supporters of soldiers who demonstrated activism during the Mexican revolution.

Question 29

Trail of Tears

Answer 29

Forced relocation of the Cherokee from the eastern woodlands to Oklahoma (1837–1838); it was symbolic of U.S. expansion and destruction of indigenous Indian societies.

Question 30

US Civil War

Answer 30

A war from 1861-1865 between the Union and the Confederacy. It started when 8 states withdrew from the Union because of their support for slavery and cash crop production.

Question 31

War of 1812

Answer 31

A war between Britain and the US. The US declared war on Britain in retaliation for encroachments on their rights, and Canada was one of the front lines of conflict.

Question 32

Wounded Knee

Answer 32

The name of the creek where a Sioux man (when they were fleeing to the South Dakota Badlands) accidentally shot a gun and the cavalry overreacted, slaughtering 200 men, women, and children with machine guns. It symbolized where “a people’s dream died.”