GlossaryGlossary
G1abolitionism (p. 281) Worldwide movement to end slavery. In
the United States the term chiefly applies to the antebellum
reformers whose cause culminated in the Civil War.
acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) (p. 834) A
deadly, and very often sexually transmitted disease that emerged in
the 1980s and that at first spread chiefly among injection drug
users and gay male populations, but soon affected all communities.
The disease is a complex of deadly pathologies resulting from
infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). By
2000, AIDS deaths in the United States had surpassed 40,000.
Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) (p. 688) New Deal legisla-
tion that raised farm prices by restricting output of staple crops. It
restricted production and paid subsidies to growers; declared
unconstitutional in 1936.
Albany Plan (p. 87) A proposal, drafted in Albany, New York, in
1754 by Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, for a “plan of union”
for the collective defense of the British colonies. Because it held
the potential for unifying the colonies against its rule, the British
government never adopted the plan.
Alien and Sedition Acts (p. 165) Four laws passed by the
Federalist-dominated Congress in 1798 directed against sympathiz-
ers to the French Revolution—chiefly Thomas Jefferson and his
Republican party. The laws, which stifled dissent and made it more
difficult for immigrants to gain citizenship, had lapsed by 1802.
Allied Powers (p. 613) The military alliance during World War I,
chiefly consisting of Britain, France, Russia, and Italy, that opposed
theCentral Powers, chiefly Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Turkey.
Allies (p. 722) In the context of United States history, a term
that refers to the nations that opposed the Axis Powers, chiefly
Nazi Germany, Italy, and Japan, during World War II. The Allies
included Britain, France (except during the Nazi occupation,
1940–1944), the Soviet Union (1941–1945), the United States
(1941–1945), and China.
American Colonization Society (p. 234) An organization,
founded in 1816, that proposed to solve the “Negro problem” by
transporting freed slaves from the United States to Africa.
Although the society purchased land in Africa (Liberia), few
African Americans chose to resettle there.
American Federation of Labor (AFL) (p. 479) A union, formed
in 1886, that organized skilled workers along craft lines. It focused
on workplace issues rather than political or social reform.
American System (p. 214) Kentucky Senator Henry Clay’s
plan for national economic development; it included protective
tariffs, a national bank, and federal subsidies for railroad and
canal construction.
Anaconda Plan (p. 377) General Winfield Scott’s strategy for
defeating the Confederacy; its central elements included a naval
blockade and seizure of the Mississippi River valley.
Antifederalists (p. 149) Critics of the Constitution who initially
opposed its ratification. By the late 1790s, they generally endorsed
states’ rights and sought limitations on federal power.
antinomianism (p. 39) A religious doctrine that affirmed that
individuals who possessed saving grace were exempt from the rules
of good behavior and from the laws of the community. In puritan
New England, such beliefs were generally regarded as heresy.
Arminianism (p. 35) A religious doctrine that held that good
works and faith could lead to salvation. In puritan New England,
this was regarded as heresy akin to Catholicism because it implied
that God’s will was contingent on the acts of man.
Articles of Confederation (p. 129) The charter establishing the
first government of the United States, ratified in 1781. The
Articles placed the coercive powers to tax and regulate trade
within the individual state governments; the national govern-
ment, widely criticized for being weak, was superseded by the
government established by the Constitution of the United States,
effective in 1789.
Ashcan School (p. 558) Artists in the early twentieth century
who used as their subject matter the things and people found in
city streets and slums. Ashcan artists often supported progressive
political and social reform.
Atlanta Compromise (p. 539) A social policy, propounded by
black leader Booker T. Washington in 1895, advocating that
blacks concentrate on learning useful skills rather than agitate
over segregation, disfranchisement, and discrimination. In
Washington’s view, black self-help and self-improvement was the
surest way to economic advancement.
axis of evil (p. 859) A pejorative phrase, coined by President
George W. Bush in 2002, referring to states that supported terror-
ism and sought weapons of mass destruction. He specifically iden-
tified Iraq, Iran, and North Korea.
Axis Powers (p. 706) A term for the alliance between Nazi
Germany and Italy after 1936 and, after 1940, Japan.
Bacon’s Rebellion (p. 62) An armed uprising in 1676, led by
Nathaniel Bacon, against Virginia governor Sir William Berkeley.
Initially the rebels attacked Indian settlements but later moved
against Berkeley’s political faction and burned Jamestown, capital of
the colony. After Bacon’s death that year, the rebellion collapsed.
Bank of the United States (p. 156) Established as a joint public
and private venture in 1791 at the behest of Secretary of Treasury
Alexander Hamilton, the Bank of the United States served as a
depository of government funds, collected and expended govern-
ment revenue, and issued notes to serve as a national medium of
exchange. The bank’s charter expired in 1811. A Second Bank of
the United States was chartered in 1816.
Bank war (p. 252) The political dispute over whether to renew
the charter of the Second Bank of the United States. In 1832,
Congress voted to recharter the bank but President Andrew
Jackson vetoed the measure and the charter expired in 1836. He
argued that the Bank was unconstitutional, a dangerous monop-
oly, and vulnerable to control by foreign investors.
Bay of Pigs fiasco (p. 767) A military debacle in April 1961, dur-
ing an American-organized effort to invade Cuba and drive Fidel
Castro, the communist ruler, from power. The invasion force of