AQA GCSE History Key Terms

The 1865 constitutional change that ended slavery in the USA.

The 1868 constitutional change that formally 'nationalized' citizenship and barred states from depriving persons of life, liberty, or property without due process of law.

A law enforcing "Fish Days" on specific days of the week to support the English fishing industry and ensure a supply of trained sailors for the navy.

The 1870 constitutional change that declared voting rights could not be denied on the basis of race.

A legal decree by Charles II mandating that all female roles in theatre must be played by women.

The provisional military demarcation line established by the Geneva Accords, temporarily dividing North and South Vietnam.

The first major piece of British government legislation on public health, establishing a General Board of Health, though it was largely optional for towns.

A landmark piece of legislation that forced local councils to provide clean water, build sewers, and appoint health inspectors, ending laissez-faire.

The 1919 constitutional amendment that banned the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol in the U.S.

Legislation that created the CUKC status, granting all Commonwealth subjects the legal right to enter, live, and work in the UK.

A constitutional amendment ratified in 1920 that legally granted all American women the right to vote.

Saddam Hussein's term for Kuwait after its annexation, claiming it as a historical part of the Iraqi Basra Governorate.

The circle of latitude used as the original pre-war boundary, and roughly the post-war boundary, between North and South Korea.

A law limiting the jurisdiction of baronial courts by requiring any cases worth over 40 shillings to be heard in royal courts.

Eight former Eastern Bloc countries (including Poland and Hungary) that joined the European Union in 2004.

The strict chain of command within monasteries, which the Normans restructured and centralized to ensure loyalty to the King.

The formal act of a monarch giving up their throne.

The formal act of putting an end to a system, practice, or institution; in this context, slavery.

The political and social movement dedicated to ending the transatlantic slave trade and chattel slavery.

A person who favoured the immediate and total end of the institution of slavery.

The moral and ideological movement aiming to end slavery immediately and completely everywhere.

A major structural flaw of the League, as the world's largest economy never joined, making economic sanctions largely useless.

A plantation owner who lived in Britain while employing overseers to manage their Caribbean estates.

A 1935-1936 conflict where Italy invaded an African nation, proving that the League's leading members would betray their own rules.

The agreement that settled the primacy dispute in favour of Canterbury, ensuring a single head for the English Church.

A law allowing a commission of 24 peers to try anyone claiming the throne involved in a plot against the Queen.

Direct, often illegal or violent action aimed at damaging or overthrowing the regime, such as sabotage or assassination attempts.

Legislation passed after Cromwell's campaign in Ireland that mandated land confiscation and forced relocation of Irish Catholics.

The 1559 law that re-established the monarch as the leader of the church and required all clergy to swear an oath of loyalty.

The 1559 law that mandated the use of the 1552 Book of Common Prayer in English and dictated that all church services look identical nationwide.