APUSH Chapter 5 Vocab

veto

The executive power to prevent acts passed by the legislature from becoming law

almshouse

A home for the poor, supported by charity or public funds

apprentice

A person who works under a master to acquire instruction in a trade or profession

sect

A small religious group that has broken away from some larger mainstream church, often claiming superior or exclusive possession of religious truth

revival

In religion, a movement of renewed enthusiasm and commitment, often accompanied by special meetings or evangelical activity

gentry

Landowners of substantial property, social standing, and leisure, but not titled nobility

tenant farmer

One who rents rather than owns land

penal code

The body of criminal laws specifying offenses and prescribing punishments

secular

Belonging to the worldly sphere rather than to the specifically sacred or churchly

mobility

The capacity to pass readily from one social or economic condition to another

speculation

Buying land or anything else in the hope of profiting by an expected rise in price

melting pot

The mingling of diverse ethnic groups in America, including the idea that these groups are or should be "melting" into a single culture or people

elite

The smaller group at the top of a society or institution, usually possessing wealth, power, or special privileges

stratification

The visible arrangement of society into a hierarchical pattern

agitators

Those who seek to excite or persuade the public on some issue