GRADE 8 HISTORY VOCABULARY

 

Assimilation - the process of being absorbed into another culture; picking up another culture’s values, traditions, religion, language, etc…

 

Consensus - general agreement, the majority of the group wanted to…

 

Constitution - the basic principles & laws of a nation that determine the powers & duties of the government & guarantee certain rights to its citizens. The highest law of the land.

 

Delegate - a person acting for another, ie. a country’s representative at a convention or meeting.

 

Discrimination - the act of treating others unfairly / poorly. Being biased or prejudiced basing your decisions or opinions of others on race, religion, gender, nationality, etc…

 

Dominion - a self-governing nation of the Commonwealth of Nations other than the United Kingdom that acknowledges the British monarch as chief of state ie. Former British Colony

 

Entrepreneur - one who organizes, manages & assumes the risks of a business or enterprise

 

Fenian - Irish-American group with military experience from the American Civil War that attacked the province of Canada in the 1860’s. Wanted to take it over & name it New Ireland. Their goal was to hold Canada ransom & force England to allow Ireland’s independence. American government eventually helped stop these raids on Canada with spies, etc… These raids were 1 of the main causes for the union of provinces into the Canadian Confederation.

 

Legislature - an organized governmental body (group) having the authority to make laws. Our provincial version meets at Queen’s Park in Toronto. TO. is the provincial capital of Ontario.

 

Metis - one of the three kinds of aboriginal groups recognized in the Canadian Constitution. This group’s origins date back to the early 1700’s & a mix of native American & French-Canadian ancestry.

 

Militia - regular citizens trained to defend the country & fight as an army only during emergencies.

 

Nomadic - describing a group who have no fixed residence but move from place to place usually seasonally & within a well-defined territory.

 

Political deadlock – describes a government that is unable to pass any bills (new laws) Always disagreeing. The parties are cancelling out each other’s votes. Ie. Upper Canada & Lower Canada. (early 1860’s)

 

Referendum - the practice of having an entire population voting on a government proposal instead of having just the elected officials decide on a bill that will become law.

 

Reform - to change for the better.

 

Strike - to stop work in order to force an employer to comply with demands, a labour union’s technique to achieve goals such as higher wages, safer working conditions, etc…

 

Subsidy - a grant or gift of money used to support a company or person. Ie. The government trying to encourage young farmers by paying ½ the price of farmland.

 

Sweatshop - a shop or factory in which workers are employed for long hours at low wages & under unhealthy (often illegal) conditions.

 

Treason – the betrayal of trust. Attempting to overthrow a country’s government that the person is a citizen of.

 

Union (labour union) - an organization of workers formed for the purpose of advancing its members' interests in respect to wages, benefits & working conditions