Global History & Geography for 14-15 Yr olds USA) (Thomas Caswell)
Note: You may download the entries for this glossary here. If you wish to use this in your own Moodle course, first make a blank glossary and then follow the instructions for importing glossary entries here.
Thomas describes this database: "This 800+ term glossary is based on the New York State curriculum for 9th and 10th grade social studies. Called "Global History and Geography," this curriculum culminates in a high-stakes Regents examination that all students must pass in order to graduate and earn a high school diploma."
Browse the glossary using this index
Special | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | ALL
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Abbassid Dynasty(750 - 1258) Ruling family of the Islamic Empire during its golden age and responsible for many achievements. | ||
absolute monarchyA political system in which a country is ruled by a monarch, who has absolute control. | ||
acid rainRain that contains pollutants due to the burning of fossil fuels. It is damaging to the environment. | |
acupunctureChinese method of treating disorders by inserting needles into the skin. This is to help with the flow of energy that is thought to be blocked. | |
adaptationA change made to survive an environment or to overcome a disadvantage. | |
African Trading KingdomsThree African kingdoms, Ghana, Mali, and Songhai that were important in the trans-Sahara trade of gold form the west coast of Africa to North Africa and the Middle East. Their trade provided enough wealth to create the conditions necessary for cultural and intellectual achievement. | |
AfrikanersDutch descended colonist living in South Africa. Also called Boers. | |
Age of ExplorationTime period during the 15th and 16th centuries when Europeans searched for new sources of wealth and for easier trade routes to China and India. Resulted in the discovery of North and South America by the Europeans. | |
Age of ReasonTerm given to describe the Enlightenment. | |
Age of TransitionTerm given to describe the Renaissance. | |
Agrarian RevolutionA change in farming methods that allowed for a greater production of food. This revolution was fueled by the use of new farming technology such as the seed drill and improved fertilizers. The result of this revolution was a population explosion due to the higher availability of food. It was one of the causes of the Industrial Revolution. | |
agricultureThe cultivating of land, producing of crops, and raising of livestock for human consumption. | |
AhimsaIn Hinduism, it is the principal of non violence against all living things. | |
AIDSAcquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. A disease of the human immune system caused by the HIV retrovirus. | |
Akbar the Great(1542-1605) Emperor of the Mughal Empire in India. He is considered to be their greatest ruler. He is responsible for the expansion of his empire, the stability his administration gave to it, and the increasing of trade and cultural diffusion. | ||
al-KhwarizimiIslamic mathematician who pioneered the study of algebra. His textbook on the subject became a standard in European universities for centuries. | |
Al-QaedaIslamic terrorist organization led by Osama bin Laden. They are responsible for numerous terrorist attacks, including the destruction of the World Trade Center buildings in New York City. | |
al-Sadat, Anwar(1918-1981) President of Egypt between 1970 and 1981. He was assassinated by Islamic fundamentalists for making peace with Israel. | |
Alexander the Great(356 BCE-323 BCE) He conquered most of the ancient world from Asia Minor to Egypt and India, which began the Hellenistic culture which was a blending of Greek, Persian, Indian, and Egyptian influences. | |
algebraA branch of mathematics pioneered by Islamic mathematician al-Khwarizimi in which letters are used to represent unknown numbers to generalize arithmetic. | |
Allied PowersAlliance of Great Britain, Soviet Union, United States, and France during World War II. | |
American RevolutionPolitical revolution in the British North American Colonies starting in 1776 that removed the colonies from Great Britains control, and established an independent nation know as the United States of America. | |
Amin, Idi(1925?- ) President of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. His brutal regime resulted in the death of hundreds of thousands of people, as well as the near total ruin of Uganda. He was overthrown and exiled to Saudi Arabia in 1979. | |
Amritsar MassacreApril 3rd of 1919. British soldiers killed close to 400 unarmed Indian men, women, and children, and wounded 1,100 more. People had gathered in the center of town to protest British occupation of their country, and to demand equality. This was a turning point in British domination of India. Independence movements became very popular and eventually forced India's independence. | |
Analects, TheCollection of moral and social teachings of Confucius, including the concept of the Five Relationships. | |
anatomyThe branch of science that studies the physical structure of living organisms. | |
ancestor worshipWorship given to deceased relatives who are believed to be closer to the Gods, and therefore able to grant favors. | |
AnimismThe oldest known type of belief system in the world. It is still practiced in a variety of forms in many traditional societies. Animists practice nature worship. They believe that everything in the universe has a spirit. This is exemplified by the practices of the Plains Indians in North America who would praise the spirit of the buffalo that they killed for giving its life to them so that they might survive. Animists also believed that ancestors watch over the living from the spirit world. This belief resulted in ancestor worship as a means of communicating with and showing respect to ancestors. | |
AnthropologyThe science that studies mankind, especially it's origin, development, divisions, and customs. | |
anti-SemitismThe hatred of people of Jewish descent. | |
antibioticsA substance that kills bacteria in the human body. It is used to prevent or treat various illnesses. | |
antisepticAn agent that helps prevent or reduce infection in wounds. | |
apartheidA political policy in South Africa where black South Africans could only live in certain areas, were required to use separate trains, beaches, restaurants, and schools, and could not enter into an interracial marriage. | |
appeasementThe policy of pacifying an aggressive nation in the hopes of avoiding further conflict. | |
aqueductsAbove ground structures used to carry water long distances. Built by the ancient Romans. | |
ArabicA language that is the official language of several countries of North Africa and the Middle East, as well as the religion of Islam. | |
Arabic NumeralsA written number system created during the Gupta golden age in India, then adopted by the Islamic Empire before spreading further. Used throughout western civilization today. | |
arableLand that is able to support the growing of crops. | |
Arafat , Yasir(1929- ) President of the Palestine National Authority and Chairman of the Palestinian Liberation Organization. Considered by many to be a terrorist, he has in recent years been accepted as the legitimate authority to speak for the Palestinians. His goals is to create a homeland for the displaced Palestinians. | |
archA curved structure that shapes the edge of an open space, such as, a doorway, a window. | |
ArcheologyStudies the lives of early peoples by analyzing the objects left behind by ancient civilizations. | |
Archimedes(287-212 BCE) Greek mathematician and inventor. He wrote works on plane and solid geometry, arithmetic, and mechanics. He is best known for the lever and pulley. | |
ArchipelagoA chain of islands (e.g., Hawaii, Indonesia, Japan). | |
architectA person who designs buildings. | |
Aristarchus(310?-250? BCE) Greek scientist who first stated that the Earth revolved around the Sun, and rotated on its axis. | |
armisticeA truce during wartime. | |
Arranged MarriageA marriage where the marital partners are choosen by others based on considerations other than pre-existing mutual attractions of the partners. | |
artisanA person who is skilled at a craft, such as weaving, or woodcarving. | |
AryansNomadic warriors from Central Asia who migrated into India around 1500 BCE. They are responsible for many aspects of current Indian culture including their language, sacred texts called the Vedas, and a system of government that later evolved into the caste system. | |
Asian TigersTaiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and South Korea. These nations have experienced rapid economic growth and prosperity due to industrialization, and were aligned both politically, and economically with the West throughout the Cold War | |
Asoka(?-232 BCE) King of the Maurya dynasty. He ruled nearly the entire subcontinent of India. He also was instrumental in the spread of Buddhism after his conversion. | |
assassinationThe killing of a political leader or other public figure. | |
Association of Southeast Asian NationsMultinational organization that cooperates economically by lowering trade barriers, such as, tariffs, to encourage commerce between member nations. | |
astrolabeA device used to determine latitude by observing the altitude and position of the sun or other start or planet. | |
astronomerA person who specializes in the study of astronomical bodies. | |
Aswan High DamDam across the Nile River in Egypt. Created Lake Nassar and helps to create more farmland. Built between 1960 and 1970. | |
Ataturk, Mustafa Kemal(1881-1938) Nationalist leader of Turkey who is responsible for modernizing and westernizing his country after World War I. This enabled Turkey to resist imperialist attempts at takeover by various European powers. | |
AtmanIn Hinduism, the human soul. | |
Augustus(63 BCE 14 CE) First emperor of Rome (27 BCE 14 CE) He restored order and prosperity to the Empire after nearly a century of turmoil. Grandnephew to Julius Caesar. | |
Austro-Hungarian EmpireAlso known as Austria-Hungary, or the Hapsburg Empire, as it was ruled by the Habsburg monarchy from 1867 to 1918. Austria-Hungary extended over most of central Europe. It was composed the modern day countries of Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic, as well as parts of present-day Poland, Romania, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. | |
Axis PowersAlliance of Germany, Italy, and Japan during World War II. | |
Ayatollah Khomeini(1900?-1989) Islamic religious leader who led a fundamentalist revolution in Iran in 1979. Ruled until 1989. | |
AztecsA Mesoamerican civilization of Mexico who created a strong empire that flourished between the 14th and 15th century. The arrival of Hernando Cortez and the Spanish Conquistadores ended their empire. | |