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Vocabulary Suppliment for California
History Online Timeline
The “Vocabulary Supplement” provides
brief definitions for dozens of the historical terms used in the CALIFORNIA
HISTORY ONLINE TIMELINE. The chapter in which the word can be found
follows each word. This resource was created by the Publications Department
at the California
Historical Society.
ABORIGINAL (2-1)
The first inhabitants of a country or region. Usually referring to plants,
animals, or people. Being the first of its type in an area.
ANTHROPOLOGIST
(2-1)
A specialist in the study of anthropology, or the scientific study
of the origin and development of human beings.
ARCHEOLOGISTS (2-3)
A specialist in archaeology, or the scientific study of the lives and
cultures of past peoples, by excavation of past cities and surrounding
evidence.
ARGONAUT (6-1)
A person who went to California seeking gold after its discovery in 1849.
Argonaut was also the title for the crew members on the boat in the classic
tale The Quest for the Golden Fleece.
BOOMTOWN (6-1)
A town whose sudden growth and prosperity is caused by a business “boom” or “explosion.” Some
towns built during the gold rush were considered boomtowns. Those towns
did not survive long after the gold rush ended, due to a rapid decline
in money and resources. Many people left boomtowns for larger cities
like San Francisco, or they returned home when their prospects were over,
leaving ghost towns still found today in California and Nevada.
BORAX
(1-4)
A white, crystalline salt. California has the largest natural source
of borax for distribution in the U.S. Borax is especially valuable for
making color glazes for pottery and porcelain. Its popular usage is for
various medicine and toilet preparations. Regions of Death Valley used
to be a major source for the excavation and processing of borax.
BOTANIST
(1-5)
A specialist in the study of plants.
BREAKWATER (1-1)
Any barrier placed at the mouth of a body of water to form a harbor that
protects the surrounding area from the force of waves.
CLANDESTINE (5-2)
Concealed or kept secret.
CEDED (6-3)
To yield, surrender, or give up a plot of land or country.
CHOLERA, SCURVY,
TYPHOID, and DYSENTERY (6-1)
An infectious disease called cholera was the leading cause of death
during the overland migration, but other diseases took their toll
on the travelers.
Poor diet and bad food storage led to diseases like scurvy and dysentery.
Scurvy is due to Vitamin C deficiency and can lead to many deadly symptoms.
Dysentery is caused by poor diet and spoiled food, and results in abdominal
cramping, diarrhea, and subsequent dehydration. Dysentery was also
the leading cause of death for soldiers during the Civil War. Large
families
crowded together caused the spread of diseases such as typhoid fever,
caught by drinking contaminated milk and water. COMMISSIONED (3-4)
An authorization by document or verbal clearance to perform certain duties.
A person appointed or chosen by the state or government for a special
task.
CONSERVATIONALIST (8-2)
A person or group who seeks to conserve natural resources, usually very
committed to the cause. John Muir and his followers were considered conservationists
and helped popularize the term, defining it for today’s groups
who work to protect the environment.
CONTAGION (6-1)
The spreading of disease from one person to another by direct or indirect
contact. During the gold rush, “gold fever” was an example
of a contagion that was not a disease but the spreading of an emotion,
idea, or custom from person to person until many were affected.
CYPRESS
(1-1)
An evergreen, cone-bearing tree in the pine family. Cypress trees have
dark foliage and a unique symmetrical form. They are native to North
America, Europe, and Asia.
DISCRIMINATE (6-2)
Acting on the basis of prejudice.
DISPOSSESSED (6-3)
To deprive of the possession of something, especially land or real estate.
In law, it means the confiscation of property by the state.
DUST BOWL
(9-1)
An area that becomes desert-like because of severe dust storms or drought.
The dust bowl of the early 20th century was so harsh, causing starvation
and crop failure, that it brought mid-westerners to California.
ENTABLATURE
(4-1)
A large, horizontal structure supported by columns and composed of various
parts used in traditional architecture.
ETHNIC (6-2)
Distinguishing one group from another based on cultural differences,
family origin, and language. The word ethnic originally referred to someone
of non-Christian or non-Jewish descent.
EQUESTRIAN (4-2)
A rider on horseback, usually referring to skilled horsemanship or horseback
riding.
EVANGELIST (9-3)
A person who aggressively seeks people to convert to their religion or
belief, usually by traveling widely in order to broadcast his preaching
to gain followers.
GENOCIDAL (6-3)
Attempt of the systematic extermination of an entire group of people,
usually distinguished by race, politics, religion, or culture. Genocide
differs from other methods of killing because the goal is to erase the
culture completely, meaning the majority of victims are usually women
and children.
GREGARIOUS (1-5)
Living in herds, packs, or flocks. In botany, growing in clusters.
HACIENDA
(9-4)
A large estate used as a farm or ranch, including large houses and
regions of land owned by Californios or other Spanish speaking groups.
Sometimes
passed on generation to generation.
HARPOONED (2-2)
A kind of hunting using a spear with a line attached to it, thrown from
a hand or fired from a gun. The spear is longer than others used for
hunting smaller animals, and the triangular head is sharpened on both
edges. Used to kill whales and other large sea animals.
HASIDIC JEW (8-1)
A strict form of Judaism, with rigid guidelines and ritual law.
HONKY-TONKS
(9-1)
A noisy and cheap dancehall, bar, or nightclub. Popular throughout
the working class communities, they were often the location for the
creation
of risky or controversial dance moves and counter culture, but many were
also violently exclusive, banning women and minority groups from attendance.
Similar establishments were called cabarets, joints, or theatres. As
more women migrated to California honky-tonks opened their doors to a
wider audience.
HORTICULTURIST (8-1)
A person involved in the science and art of growing fruits, vegetables,
flowers and ornamental plants.
HYDROELECTRIC (9-4)
The generation of electricity by means of the energy produced by moving
water.
INAGURAL ADDRESS (9-2)
A political term usually describing a politician’s first speech
in office. The inaugural address is a tradition in American politics.
INSURGENTS (5-3)
Members of a group who rise in opposition to governmental and political
authority.
IRRIGATED (1-3)
To supply land with water by artificial ditches or channels, sometimes
over long distances from the original source.
JALOPIES (9-1)
Worn-out, old automobiles.
LINEAGE (2-3)
Direct descent from an ancestor.
LINGUISTICS (2-1)
The science of language, taking into account historical, comparative,
and geographical influence. Also the study of the structure and development
of a particular language, and its relationship to other languages.
LYNCHING
(9-2)
To kill without legal authority, especially by hanging. Most lynchings
were public demonstrations, and have been a continuous and realistic
fear of ethnic and minority groups living in California. Angry groups
of men participated in unjust lynching during the Gold Rush and later,
with the last lynching in California taking place in 1933. In fact, many
gold diggers came to California to witness lynching; it was considered
part of the California adventure.
MARITIME INDUSTRY (8-3)
An industry related to navigation or the sea, employing shipbuilders,
dockworkers and longshoreman.
METAMORPHOSED (1-2)
Changed from one form to another. To transform.
MOTHERLODE (6-3)
The main lode or vein of ore in a mine.
MUCK RAKING (7-3)
To search for and then expose political corruption and scandal.
MULATTOS
(4-3)
The offspring of one black parent and one white parent, or any person
with mixed black and white ancestry.
MUTINY (2-3)
To rise against lawful authority, especially in the armed forces or while
at sea. Mutiny implies open resistance of soldiers or seamen against
their commanders.
NATIVISM (9-1)
The practice that favors and preserves the interests of natives over
immigrants.
PENSION (9-3)
A sum of money paid routinely by the government or former employer as
a retirement or disability benefit. Allowance.
PETROLEUM (8-1)
An oily and flammable liquid that can vary from clear to black and occurs
naturally in many places around the world. It is a complex compound and
apart from its well-known use as fuel, it can have a variety of uses
when refined properly.
PLATE TECTONICS (1-5)
The theory that the earth’s surface consists of plates, or large
slabs, whose constant motion explains continental drift and mountain
formation.
POLLUTANT (1-5)
Something that pollutes the environment, such as harmful manmade chemicals
that enter into the water supply or the atmosphere.
PRECIPITATION (1-5)
In weather, a depositing of rain, snow, or sleet after it condenses and
falls.
PILASTER (4-1)
A rectangular support in the shape of a column, with a thick base, long
shaft, and decorative capital, or piece that attaches the pilaster to
the roof of the structure.
POLITICAL MACHINE (7-4)
A monopoly of power, in either a group of politicians or government officials
working toward a similar goal that overpowers outside influence. It usually
results in a control of money and resources of the city or state. Many
times politicians will be coerced into the ‘machine’ by bribes
of power and wealth, or forced into participating due to fear of losing
their status in society. Political machines can elevate members of society,
but can also ruin an individual if they refuse to take part in the cause.
Because America’s government was founded on the freedom of political
choice, it is in many ways a large contradiction of the established system
of government.
QUADRANGULAR (4-2)
Having four angles and consequently four sides.
RAMPART (4-2)
A construct used to defend or protect.
REFUGEES (9-1)
Persons forced to leave their home or native land to seek a safer environment,
usually as a result of war, persecution, or starvation.
RESORT (1-4)
A place where people go for relaxation or recreation.
SABOTEURS (8-2)
A person who commits sabotage, meaning the undermining of a cause, plan,
or effort.
SALUBRIOUS (5-2)
Healthy, healthful, or promoting health, such as salubrious air or climate.
SCAPEGOATS (6-3)
A group or thing that bears the blame for the mistakes or crimes of others.
SEDIMENTARY
MATERIAL (1-2)
Any matter that settles to the bottom of water or other liquid naturally.
In geology it refers to any matter deposited by water or wind.
SEGREGATED
(8-4)
Maintaining separate facilities for members of different ethnic groups.
A form of discrimination that many minorities of California have faced
in the past, legally and socially.
THE SIERRA NEVADA (7-2)
A chain of mountains and hills that have rugged peaks that resemble saw
teeth, located on the eastern edge of what is today the California border.
Historically, the Sierra Nevada was the primary obstacle for many settlers
migrating from the East Coast. Until transportation by railroad was possible,
traveling across the Sierra Nevada was a long, arduous, and unpredictable
journey.
SOCIALIST (9-2)
A member of the Socialist Party or person who believes in socialism.
There were many groups during the great depression that identified with
socialist ideas: worker’s rights, equal wages, and a fair distribution
of power for the people. Socialism is a social system in which the producers
possess political power and the means of producing and distributing goods.
SOVERNIGHTY
(3-4)
An independent and powerful political authority, which exercises supreme
or ultimate power. A territory existing as an independent state.
STEVENSON, ROBERT LOUIS (9-4)
(1850-1894) A Scottish novelist, essayist, and poet who lived in downtown
San
Francisco.
STRIKEBREAKERS (9-1)
A technical term for a “scab”, a person who is hired to work in place
of striking employees while a strike is in progress. Because there was usually
a surplus of workers desperately in need of food and money, business owners took
advantage of strikebreakers keeping wages low and power out of the hands of the
working class.
SUFFRAGE (6-3)
Right or privilege of voting.
SWASHBUCKLED (8-1)
To behave or perform like a swashbuckler: a flamboyant swordsmen, soldier,
or
adventurer
TOURISM (1-1)
The activity of traveling tourists or visitors, especially when regarded
as a
source of income for a country or business.
TRAPPERS (1-3)
People who set traps to catch animals with fur, usually for the purpose of their
fur. Trappers destroyed the population of many species in California because
they could profit from the trading and selling of various kinds of furs.
UTILITARIAN
(4-1)
Stressing the importance of usefulness or practical over beauty or aesthetics.
VICEROY
(4-3)
The governor of a country, province, or colony ruling in the name of the
king or queen with supreme authority.
VIGILANTE (6-2)
A person who serves on a vigilance committee. A vigilance committee is
a volunteer group of citizens that without authority assumes police
powers,
pursuing and
punishing criminal suspects. In early California, vigilante activity sometimes
resulted in hysteria and unjust murder.
THE WORKINGMEN’S PARTY (7-3)
One of the first unions of California, the Workingmen’s Party was
formed between August and October of 1877. Many members, along with its
president, the
Irishman Dennis Kearny, came from smaller organized groups of San Francisco
fighting for worker’s rights. They were fervently against the monopoly
of railroad power, and tried to convince many workers to strike. The
Party would engage in
protests and pickets, sometimes resulting in violent and uncontrolled riots.
The Party also targeted minorities, especially the Chinese, and many workers
were threatened by what they felt was dangerous competition. Kearny’s
emotionally charged oratory usually criticized the Chinese, rallying for
their deportation.
Yet in as much as the Workingmen’s Party was violently prejudice, it
did make a large impact in statewide elections on the representation of the
working
class in California politics. The Party began to crumble in 1879, being replaced
by other more organized unions.
XENOPHOBIA (9-1)
Fear of foreigners or foreign things. California has a long history
of fear against Native Americans, Chinese Immigrants, and other groups
or cultures
that were
either here before settlers of European descent came, or migrated. Xenophobia
can be seen in public policy and union rights at the turn of the century.
Sources:
-----------------------------------------
Research: Julia Demorest, Publication Intern
(Spring 2003)
Project Manager/ Editor: Jennifer Liss, Publications Manager
Design/Webmaster: Enrique
Pena, Webmaster
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