Resource Guide Unit 1

Vocabulary Part 1
Contextualize to place something (such as an event or activity) in the circumstances that form the
setting for an event, statement, or idea, and in terms of which it can be fully understood
and assessed.

Synthesize combine a number of different pieces and events into a whole picture.

Corroborate the ability to compare two or more sources with each other and identify points of
agreement.

Sourcing the act of understanding who wrote a document, where they wrote it, and why they wrote it,
for the purposes of analysis or interpretation.

Close Reading focus on what the author has to say, what the author's purpose is, what the words mean,
and what the structure of the text tells us.

Rule of Law Democratic concept that Government shall be carried out according to established laws.
Both those who govern and those who are governed will be bound by these laws.

Limited Democratic concept that the Government should perform only the functions that people
Government have given it the power to perform. Power is shared between the governed and those who
govern.

Due Process of Democratic principle that the Government must act fairly and in accord with established
Law rules in all that it does and may not act arbitrarily.

Consent of the Democratic principle that the Government is based on the will of the people who grant their
Governed approval through elections and other forms of civic participation.

Magna Carta a document constituting a fundamental guarantee of rights and privileges for the people. It
outlined 63 items the King could not do.

English Bill of An act that the Parliament of England passed on December 16, 1689. The Bill creates
Rights separation of powers, limits the powers of the king and queen, enhances the democratic
election and bolsters freedom of speech.

American Bill The first 10 Amendments to the Constitution. It spells out Americans' rights in relation to
of Rights their government. It guarantees civil rights and liberties to the individual—like freedom of
speech, press, and religion.

Declaration of France’s preamble (Intro/rough draft) to create a government responsive to the people. It
the Rights of was produced out of the French Revolution and promotes human civil rights.
Man & Citizen

Tyrant a cruel and oppressive ruler

 Vocabulary Part 2
Scientific a series of events during the 16-17th century where new ideas and discoveries
Revolution fundamentally changed the way people thought; they also forced people to think differently,
and started what is called science today.

Monk man who separates himself from society and lives either alone (a hermit or anchorite) or in
an organized community in order to devote himself full time to religious life

Copernicus First to pioneer the idea of the heliocentric (sun-centered) system but maintained circular
orbits

Kepler Took data collected with his mentor Tycho Brahe and developed 3 laws of planetary motion
and elliptical orbits.

Newton Explained the laws of gravity and believed that everything could be described through
mathematical equations. Developed calculus.

Galileo Observed the moons of Jupiter with his telescope. Outspoken supporter of the heliocentric
system who was called a “heretic” by the Catholic Church and the papal inquisition.

Descartes He was known for his philosophy of doubting his senses. He proved his own existence
through deductive reasoning: “I think therefore I am”

Bacon Considered a father of the scientific method. Focused on inductive reasoning,

experimentation and observation.

Ptolemaic also called geocentric system or geocentric model, is a model of the universe Ptolemy
Model (150 CE) that placed Earth at the center of the universe.

epicycles a small circle whose center moves around the circumference of a larger one. Used to
describe planetary orbits.

Copernican developed by Nicolaus Copernicus where the Sun is at the center of the Universe
Model (Heliocentric) with Earth and the other planets orbiting around it in circular paths, modified
by epicycles, and at uniform speeds.

Catholic the Christian Church over which the pope presides, with administrative headquarters in the
Church Vatican. Also called the Church of Rome.

Heresy the holding of religious beliefs opposed (against) to church doctrine.

Inductive making generalized conclusions based off of specific scenarios (When you should leave
Reasoning based off of traffic patterns)

Deductive backing up generalized statements with specific scenarios (Monkeys like bananas, Lucy is
Reasoning a monkey, so Lucy likes Bananas)
 Vocabulary Part 3
Enlightenment a philosophical movement that dominated in Europe during the 18th century, was centered
around the idea that reason is the primary source of authority and legitimacy, and
advocated such ideals as liberty, progress, tolerance, fraternity, constitutional government,
and separation of church and state.

Nonage The period of immaturity or youth

Monarchy A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch (King/Queen), is head
of state for life or until abdication

Republic a state in which supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives, and
which has an elected or nominated president rather than a monarch.

Divine Right of the doctrine that kings derive their authority from God, not from their subjects.
Kings

Deist A religious belief holding that God created the universe and established rationally
comprehensible moral and natural laws but does not intervene in human affairs through
miracles or supernatural revelation.

Philosophical relating or devoted to the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and
existence.

Dogmatic inclined to lay down principles as incontrovertibly true. This is a Fact.

Advocate publicly recommend or support

Exile expel and bar (someone) from their native country or place

Despotism the exercise of absolute power, especially in a cruel and oppressive way

Enlightened a non-democratic or authoritarian leader who exercises their political power based upon
Absolutism the principles of the Enlightenment. Refers to the conduct and policies of European
absolute monarchs during the 18th and early 19th centuries who were influenced by the
ideas of the Enlightenment to enhance their power.
 Vocabulary Part 4
Guillotine a machine with a heavy blade sliding vertically in grooves, used for beheading people

Peasant a poor farmer of low social status who owns or rents a small piece of land for cultivation.
Was part of the third estate.

Beorgiouse middle class, typically with reference to its perceived materialistic values or conventional
attitudes. Was part of the third estate

Noble belonging to a hereditary class with high social or political status; aristocratic. Made up the
second estate

Estate an extensive area of land in the country, usually with a large house, owned by one person,
family, or organization.

Clergy the body of all people ordained for religious duties (i.e. Bishops, priests, etc.) Made up the
first estate.

Pamphlets a small booklet or leaflet containing information or arguments about a single subject.

Parlaments royal courts dominated by the nobility

Assembly of a group of high-ranking nobles, ecclesiastics, and state functionaries convened by the King
Notables of France on extraordinary occasions to consult on matters of state.

resurgence an increase or revival after a period of little activity, popularity, or occurrence

reassertion the act or an instance of asserting something

Cahiers De a list of grievances drawn up by each of the three Estates in France

Doléances

Tennis Court a commitment to a national constitution and representative government, taken by

Oath delegates at the Estates-General at Versailles. It has become one of the most iconic
scenes of the French Revolution.

Reign of Terror Period in France during revolution when a lot of people were murdered.

Estates General Meeting of the three estates to vote on taxation.

Louis XVI and

Marie the King & Queen of France during the French Revolution.
Antionette

Robespierre a radical democrat and key figure in the French Revolution of 1789
 Vocabulary Part 5
Revolution a forcible overthrow of a government or social order, in favor of a new system

Dissident Elites one of the factions that lead to a revolution. These are educated, wealthy, and powerful
people

Haitian a successful insurrection by self-liberated slaves against French colonial rule in

revolution Saint-Domingue, now the sovereign state of Haiti

Creoles Known today as a person of mixed European and black descent, especially in the
Caribbean but also known as Wealthy white Spanish residents (español criollo) of Latin
America who were born in the Spanish colonies during revolutionary times.

Decemberists Russian revolutionaries who led an unsuccessful uprising on Dec. 14/Dec. 26, 1825, and
through their martyrdom provided a source of inspiration to succeeding generations of
Russian dissidents

Tsar an emperor of Russia before 1917

Plantation a usually large group of plants and especially trees under cultivation

Petit Blanc those who were largely established in the Saint Domingue economic and social spheres for
no other reason than the color of their skin. They were poor white people who DID NOT
own a plantation.

Mulattos The first offspring of a white and black person.

Insurrection a violent uprising against an authority or government.

Gens de Used during the Haitain Revolution for Free Black Citizens
Couleur

Peninsulares The top of Latin America social classes

Mestizo Mixed-race people of White Spaniards and Native American parents

 Vocabulary Part 6

Topics of Study

Study Games
● Enlightenment Thinkers Matching Card Game.
○ Match the ideas and concepts of the enlightenment by flipping cards and
matching definitions.
● Rise of Nation States Map Quiz
○ The rise of nation-states describes the period when feudalism declined as
merchants and traders grew more powerful. National borders and
territories were formalized and increasingly came to be ruled by central
governments, eventually forming the countries we know today
 ● English Civil War Map Quiz
○ From the Magna Carta through the development of the monarch as a
figurehead, England (later Great Britain, then the United Kingdom) has,
despite ups and downs and flaws, led the leading nations of the world in
establishing participatory democracy. The laws of England greatly
impacted both the common and constitutional law of the United States
and other former colonies.
● Enlightenment Study Games
○ The European Enlightenment saw the nature and structure of human
societies called into question. Rather than kings ruling by divine right,
natural laws prevailed. Human beings engaged in a social contract,
exchanging rights for societal protections. Major thinkers included John
Locke, Thomas Hobbes, Francois Rabelais, and Rene Descartes.

Books & Movies

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