A-76 ★ GLOSSARY
irrevocably abolished slavery throughout
the United States.
Three Mile Island Nuclear power plant
near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, site of
1979 accident that released radioactive
steam into the air; public reaction ended
the nuclear power industry’s expansion.
three- fifths clause A provision signed
into the Constitution in 1787 that three-
fifths of the slave population would be
counted in determining each state’s repre-
sentation in the House of Representatives
and its electoral votes for president.
Title IX Part of the Educational Amend-
ments Act of 1972 that banned gender dis-
crimination in higher education.
totalitarianism The term that describes
aggressive, ideologically driven states that
seek to subdue all of civil society to their
control, thus leaving no room for individ-
ual rights or alternative values.
Townshend Acts 1767 parliamentary
measures (named for the chancellor of
the Exchequer) that taxed tea and other
commodities, and established a Board of
Customs Commissioners and colonial
vice- admiralty courts.
Trail of Tears Cherokees’ own term for
their forced removal, 1838–1839, from
the Southeast to Indian lands (later Okla-
homa); of 15,000 forced to march, 4,000
died on the way.
transcendentalists Philosophy of a small
group of mid- nineteenth- century New
England writers and thinkers, including
Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Tho-
reau, and Margaret Fuller; they stressed
personal and intellectual self- reliance.
transcontinental railroad First line
across the continent from Omaha,
Nebraska, to Sacramento, California,
established in 1869 with the linkage of the
Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads
at Promontory, Utah.
Treaty of Greenville 1795 treaty under
which twelve Indian tribes ceded mostwhites, the revival of traditional Indian
culture, and resistance to federal policies.
Tejanos Texas settlers of Spanish or Mexi-
can descent.
temperance movement A widespread
reform movement, led by militant Chris-
tians, focused on reducing the use of alco-
holic beverages.
Tennessee Valley Authority Administra-
tive body created in 1933 to control flood-
ing in the Tennessee River valley, provide
work for the region’s unemployed, and
produce inexpensive electric power for
the region.
Tenochtitlán The capital city of the Aztec
Empire. The city was built on marshy
islands on the western side of Lake Tetz-
coco, which is the site of present- day Mex-
ico City.
Ten- Percent Plan of Reconstruc-
tion President Lincoln’s proposal for
reconstruction, issued in 1863, in which
southern states would rejoin the Union
if 10 percent of the 1860 electorate signed
loyalty pledges, accepted emancipation,
and had received presidential pardons.
Tenure of Office Act 1867 law that
required the president to obtain Sen-
ate approval to remove any official
whose appointment had also required
Senate approval; President Andrew John-
son’s violation of the law by firing Secre-
tary of War Edwin Stanton led to Johnson’s
impeachment.
Tet offensive Surprise attack by the Viet
Cong and North Vietnamese during the
Vietnamese New Year of 1968; turned
American public opinion strongly against
the war in Vietnam.
the Texas Revolt The 1830s rebellion of
residents of the territory of Texas— many
of them Americans emigrants— against
Mexican control of the region.
Thirteenth Amendment Constitu-
tional amendment adopted in 1865 that