N & O

  1. NAFTA : North American Free Trade Agreement, an economic treaty between Canada, the United States, and Mexico to lower tariffs and create a free trade environment. NAFTA was ratified by its member nations in 1994.
  2. Nagasaki : Japanese city devastated during World War II when the United States dropped the second atomic bomb on Aug 8th, 1945.
  3. NASA / National Aeronautical and Space Administration : American space agency responsible for administrating the United State’s space program.
  4. National Assembly : First new government during the first stage of the French Revolution.
  5. nationalism : Pride in one’s country or culture, often excessive in nature.
  6. Native Americans & Slaves : In colonial Latin America, lowest social class. They had no rights and were often treated poorly and used as a labor source by the plantation owning Creoles.
  7. NATO : North Atlantic Treaty Organization, an international defense alliance between the United States, Great Britain, and others formed in 1949 as a response to the spread of communism.
  8. natural resources : Various materials found in nature used in manufacturing such as wood, coal, and oil.
  9. natural rights : Concept of John Locke’s that states all people have the right to life, liberty, and property.
  10. navigable rivers : A river that is able to be navigated by boat.
  11. Nazi : Name of German National Socialist Party, which gained control of Germany in 1933 under the leadership of Adolf Hitler.
  12. Neolithic Age : (10,000 BCE - 5000 BCE) New Stone Age. A period of time in human history characterized by the development of agriculture and permanent settlements.
  13. Neolithic Revolution : (10,000 - 8,000 BCE) The development of agriculture and the domestication of animals as a food source. This led to the development of permanent settlements and the start of civilization.
  14. New Testament : The second half of the Christian Bible. It describes the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, as well as other Christian teachings.
  15. Newton, Isaac : (1642-1727) English scientist who discovered gravitation, invented calculus, and formulated the laws of motion.
  16. Nirvana : In Buddhism, spiritual enlightenment.
  17. nomad : A person who belongs to a group of people who move from place to place seasonally in search of food and water.
  18. nuclear weapons : Weapons in which the explosive potential is controlled by nuclear fission or fusion.
  19. Nuremburg Trials : War crime trials held in Nuremburg after World War II to try the surviving Nazis concerning the Holocaust, aggressive war making, mistreatment of prisoners among other things.
Vocabulary O
  1. occupation (military) : The control of one country by another through the stationing of military troops and military government.
  2. Old Testament : The first half of the Christian Bible, that describes the creation of the world, the history of ancient Israel, the Ten Commandments, and contains the Psalms and the prophetic books. Also is the Hebrew Torah.
  3. Oligarchy : A political system in which the government is under the control of the merchant class.
  4. OPEC : Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, an international organization concerned with the crude-oil policies of its member states. This organization was founded in 1960, and has 11 members, including Kuwait, Algeria, Iran, Iraq, Indonesia, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela. Due to their control of most of the world’s oil supply, OPEC has a strong influence on many industrialized nations.
  5. Open Door Policy : A policy of the United States that stated China should be open to all nations that which to trade with them. This policy did not include the consent of the Chinese, and was another form of imperialism.
  6. Opium War : In the early 19th century, Great Britain began importing opium, processed from poppy plants grown in the Crown Colony of India, into China. Chinese officials attempted to ban the importation of the highly addictive opium, but ultimately failed. The British declared war on China in a series of conflicts called the Opium Wars. Superior British military technology allowed them to claim victory and subject the Chinese to a series of unequal treaties.
  7. oracle bones : In ancient China, they were pieces of bone or turtle shell used by Shang priests to tell the future. They would write a question addressed to either one of the gods, or an ancestor on the bone, then heat it until it cracked. They believed that by studying the pattern of cracks, one could learn the answer to the question. Oracle bones are the oldest example of Chinese writing.
  8. Orthodox Christianity : A branch of Christianity developed in the Byzantine Empire, after its split from the Roman Empire. It spread throughout the eastern Mediterranean and Russia.
  9. Osama bin Laden : (1957-2011 ) Saudi Arabian multimillionaire and leader of the terrorist organization al-Qaeda. He is responsible for numerous terrorist attacks on the United States including the destruction of the World Trade Center.
  10. Ottoman Empire : Hereditary nation state centered in Turkey. It was founded in the late 13th century after the collapse of the Byzantine Empire and extended across most of Asia Minor and the Middle East. The Ottoman Empire collapsed shortly after World War II.
  11. ozone layer : The layer of the upper atmosphere where ozone collects. This layer absorbs harmful ultraviolet radiation from the Sun.