Alderman: A member of a city legislative body.

Army Appropriations Act: The designation of funds by Congress to support the U.S. military.

Black Codes: Laws and provisions that limited civil rights and placed economic restrictions on African Americans.

Freedmen's Bureau: An agency that provided federal help for freed slaves.

Gerrymandering: A practice whereby the political party in power changes boundaries in a voting area to include more people likely to support the party in power. This can occur when Congressional districts are rezoned (marked off into different sections) following the national census that occurs every ten years.

Impeachment: A legislative proceeding charging a public official with misconduct. Impeachment consists of the formal accusation of such an official and the trial that follows. It does not refer to removal from office of the accused.

Midterm elections: Congressional elections that occur midway through a president's...