Vocabulary

Chapter 8 Vocabulary

abstract painting-showing reality as the artist sees it, not necessarily as it appears

agnostic-one who does not profess to believe in God's existence

Arkies-the name given to 1930s refugees from Arkansas who traveled to California seeking work

"bank holiday"-the forced closing of all banks by Roosevelt to stem the nationwide run on banks

bazooka-Bob Burns's radio trademark, a comical musical instrument; WWII G.I.s named a rocket launcher after it

"Bear State"-Arkansas's frontier-era nickname

boll weevil-a destructive beetle that infested southern cotton crops during the 1920s, causing great damage

bootleggers-people who sold and, in some cases, made liquor illegally, particularly during the Prohibition

commodity-an agricultural product of value

conservation-saving something, such as farm soil through contour plowing, windbreaks, and rotating crops

consumer goods-merchandise designed for home or personal use

default-to fail to make payments on a loan

diphtheria-a bacteria caused contagious disease resulting in inflammation of the heart and nervous system

domestic workers-maids, housekeepers, and others who perform labor in the home of someone else for pay

Dust Bowl-the ruinous condition of drought during the 1930s that caused horrible dust storms

erosion-the wearing away of soil through the action of wind and water

evolution-the gradual change of a species over time to better adapt to existing environmental conditions

fundamentalism-the literal interpretation of the Bible

furnish-the means of a sharecropper's survival, including seed, tools, draft animals, food, etc

Great Depression-global economic collapse from 1929 through 1942; businesses came to a virtual standstill, resulting in high unemployment

gusher-oil rushing out of a new oil well as it is struck by dilling equipment

home economics-the study of managing and operating a household, including cooking, sewing, ect

"Hundred Days"-the first one hundred days of Roosevelt's administration when many relief and recovery bills were enacted

inaugural-upon the taking of office, as an inaugural address given by a brand new governor or president

Ku Klux Klan-a group of white Protestant supremacists known for its violent, terrorist activities directer against other groups

levee-an earthen wall extending a river's natural banks upwards to contain high water so that it will not flood

livestock-farm animals, especially cattle, sheep, horsed, and hogs

Martineau Road Plan-the ambitious highway-building program Governor Martineau began in 1927

midwives-women who assist other women in delivering their babies

"Monkey trial"-newspapers' name for the Scopes trial, which involved the teaching of biological evolution in the public schools

natural selection-the gradual improvement of a species through survival of the fittest

New Deal-President Roosevelt's programs aimed at alleviating the effects of the Great Depression and preventing another depression

oil boom-rapid population and economic growth following the discovery of oil in an area

Okies-the name given to refugees from Oklahoma during the Depression who traveled to California seeking work

parity-as used in New Deal agricultural programs, the goal of setting prices for farm products that would give the farmer a fair share of the national income

pension-money set aside for use in retirement and old age

racist-the belief that one race is superior to another, or a person who holds this belief

sanatorium-a hospital created for the long-term treatment of one particular ailment

septic tank-an underground tank used for the disposal and treatment of sewage, usually in rural areas

sharecropper-one who rents farmland and pays for its use by sharing his crop with property owner

smallpox-an acute viral disease characterized by skin eruptions with pustules and scar formation

socialists-those who believe in government ownership rather than private ownership of business and industry

sorghum-a cane-like tropical grass that produces sweet sap that is made into syrup

species-a group of animals similar enough to one another to reproduce

speculate-to assume a business risk in the hope of gain, especially buying and selling stocks

survival of the fittest-the theory that the best and strongest examples of a species live and reproduce themselves

sustained yield forestry- to manage forests for economic uses by planting new trees as others are cut

tenant farmer-one who lives and works on rented farmland, usually meaning the same as sharecropper

tuberculosis-a bacteria-caused lung disease which is highly contagious

typhoid-a contagious disease caused by bacteria with symptoms resembling the flu with very high fever

"Wonder State"-Arkansas's nickname during the early decades of the twentieth century