aqueduct
a man-made channel constructed to convey water from one location to another
Bear Flag Revolt
a brief attempt at the beginning of the Mexican-American War to establish an independent California republic
Bushido
the code of knights in feudal Japan, the equivalent of chivalry in Europe
California's Mission System
a "sacred expedition" in which twenty-one Spanish Catholic missions were established, spaced to be a single day's travel apart on El Camino Real (the Royal Road)
Californios
residents of the rancho system in California just before the Mexican-American War, mainly comprised of Mexican citizens who identified more as Californios than as Mexicans
Capitalism
an economic system regulated by the state that encourages the accumulation of wealth and property by individuals
Caste
a division of society based on differences of wealth, inherited rank or privilege, profession, or occupation
Central Valley Project (CVP)
a federal water project undertaken by the Bureau of Reclamation in 1935 as a long-term plan to effectively use water in California's Central Valley
Checks and Balances
written into the Constitution, this concept is one of the cornerstones of our republic, encompassing three branches of government and a system for them to act as watchdogs for the others
Circumnavigate
to sail completely around the Earth
Code of Hammurabi
the first known written legal code, developed in ancient Babylon, predated the Justinian Code by about 2000 years
Communism
an economic system in which the state controls the means of production and distributes the profits
Conquistadores
Spanish explorers that sought riches in Central and South America, establishing colonies along the way
Daimyo
Japanese feudal lord
Democratic-Republican Party
one of the first two political parties in the United States, led by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison; opposed by the Federalist party and was strongly in favor of individual rights
Economics
a social science dealing with the production , distribution, and consumption of goods and services
Emancipation Proclamation
a proclamation made by President Lincoln in 1863 freeing all slaves in regions still fighting against the Union
Executive branch
a branch of the system of checks and balances that sees that the country's laws are executed
Federalism
a system of government consisting of a number of self-governing regions (states) united by a central (federal government)
Federalist Papers
a series of articles written in 1787 by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay to gain popular support for the then-proposed Constitution
Feudalism
a social, economic, and political system in which power is decentralized, and a varying number of lords hold land on which they allow others to live and work in return for loyalty and service
Fief
land held by lords under the feudal system
Forty-Niners
nickname for the influx of people that arrived in California, starting in 1849, in search of gold
Free-Soilers
a minor but influential political party in the pre-Civil War period that opposed the extension of slavery into the western territories
Gentleman's Agreement
a 1907 treaty with Japan that allowed wives to join their husbands in the U.S. on the condition that the Japanese government deny exit visas to any men wishing to emigrate to the states
Great Awakening
a religions revival in the colonies during the first part of the eighteenth century
Great Compromise
a decision made by the Constitutional Congress splitting Congress into two houses, one based on population (House of Representatives), and one based on equal representation (the Senate)
Hunter/gatherer societies
an early society in which men hunted meat and women gathered more readily-available food
Initiative
a process that gives individual citizens, or groups of citizens, the power to place a proposed law on a ballot (CA)
Intolerable Acts (Coercive Acts)
British reaction to the Boston Tea Party, including more rigid restrictions on colonial town meetings and other harsh penalities
Judicial Branch
a branch of the system of checks and balances that interprets Congressional laws
Justinian Code
considered to be the basis for the justice systems in use throughout much of the western world, including the United States
Land Commission
established to settle the Californios' land claims during the first few years of California's statehood
Law of Supply and Demand
a basic economic principle stating that if supply is greater than demand, the value of a product is lower; if demand is greater than supply, the value is higher
Legislative branch
a branch of the system of check sand balances that makes Congressional laws
Louisiana Purchase
1803 purchase made by President Thomas Jefferson that essentially double the United States' territory
Manifest Destiny
an 1845 phrase encapsulating the American vision of western expansion
Mercantilism
the practice of state regulation and control of an economy
Missouri Compromise
1820 legislation that tried to resolve the conflicts raised by the addition of new territories as either slave or non-slave owning states
Monotheism
the worship of only one god
Nullification
a concept espoused by southerners following the Missouri Compromise that would have given southern states the right to refuse to obey any laws they didn't agree with
"Octopus"
the nickname given to the Central Pacific Railroad for their monopoly and having an "arm in every sector" of California's commerce
Pilgrims
a religious group who had broken away from the Church of England, first relocating to Holland, and then sailing in the fall of 1620 to become the first settlers in Massachusetts
Popular Sovereignty
a direct democracy
Presidio
forts built by the Spanish to offer protection to California's missionaries and settlers during periods of violent revolt by native workers
Pueblos
towns based around California's missions and presidios, built around a church and town square
Rancho system
a land allotment system defined by a few large landowners and many landless workers
Recall
a mechanism for ending an elected official's tenure before its scheduled completion (CA)
Reconstruction
President Lincoln's first priority after the Civil War to reconcile the warring sides and rebuild the areas affected by war
Referendum
a statue or amendment that has passed the state legislature, which is then placed on the ballot for approval by the electoral body
Reincarnation
a religious belief in which, after physical death, a rebirth in another body occurs; a central tenet of Hinduism, among other religons
Relocation Camps
internment camps that held people pf Japanese descent during WWII
Renaissance
means "rebirth" - the name given to the flowering European culture at the end of the Medieval period
Secession
the self given right of the seven states of the lower South to leave the Union if they so desired (after Civil War)
Separate but equal
a philosophy, along with election rules that was designed to deny blacks the right to vote after reconstruction ended
Shogun
in feudal Japan, the equivalent of a Medieval king
Serf
peasants who work on land in a feudal system
Silicon Valley
a nickname for the southern part of the San Francisco Bay area in northern California, originally referring to the concentration of silicon chip innovators and manufacturers, but eventually referring to the entire concentration of all types of high-tech businesses
Socialism
an economic system in which workers control the means of production and share in the profits of their labor
Three-Fifths Compromise
an initial rule in the Constitution stating that in state population counts, each slave would count for three-fifths of a free person
Vassal
the equivalent of a knight in the feudal system