Ch. 6 Vocabulary

representative democracy

A system of government in which citizens elect representatives, or leaders, to make decisions about the laws for all the people.

Dust Bowl

Region of the Great Plains that experienced a drought in 1930 lasting for a decade, leaving many farmers without work or substantial wages.

free enterprise

economic system in which individuals and businesses are allowed to compete for profit with a minimum of government interference

Colombian Exchange

The exchange of plants, animals, diseases, and technologies between the Americas and the rest of the world following Columbus's voyages

Sunbelt

The southern and southwestern states, from Florida to California, characterized by warm climate and recently, rapid population growth

New World

name given to the americas during the time of european exploration and colonization

urban

referring to the city

rural

referring to the country

West

region of the U.S. consisting of 13 states that stretches from the Great Plains to the Pacific Ocean and includes Alaska and Hawaii

Rust Belt

term for some of the states in the Midwest and Middle Atlantic around the Great Lakes because of their declining and abandoned traditional industries

Louisiana Purchase

territory in western United States purchased from France in 1803 for $15 million

Frontier

the free, open land in the American West that was available for settlement

migration

the movement of persons from one country or locality to another

Midwest

the north central region of the United States (sometimes called the heartland or the breadbasket of America)

urbanization

the process of becoming more like a city

South

the region in the U.S. that covers about 1/4 of the U.S. and contains more than 1/3 of its population

American Dream

the widespread belief that the United States is a land of opportunity and that individual initiative and hard work can bring economic success

BOSWASH

unofficial name given to the megalopolis of cities running south from Boston, Massachusetts, to Washington, D.C.

multinational

a corporation that has manufacturing or service operations in a number of different countries

metropolitan area

a functional area including a city and its surrounding suburbs and exurbs, linked economically

breadbasket

a geographic region serving as the principal source for growing grain crops; in the U.S., the Midwest

suburb

a political unit or community touching the borders of the central city or touching other such areas that touch the city

import

a product or good that is brought into a country from another country to be sold

megalopolis

a region in which several large cities and surrounding areas grow together

New England

a region of northeastern United States comprising Maine and New Hampshire and Vermont and Massachusetts and Rhode Island and Connecticut

postindustrial economy

an economic phase in which manufacturing no longer plays a dominant role but service jobs do instead

export

commodities (goods or services) sold to a foreign country

Cold War

A conflict that was between the US and the Soviet Union. The nations never directly confronted each other on the battlefield but deadly threats lasted from after WWII (1945) to 1991 whent he Soviet Union fell apart

Service Industry

business that provides services to people instead of producing goods