direct democracy a system of government in which an assembly of ordinary citizens makes decisions. jury a panel of citizens who make judgments in a trial. republic a system of government in which the people choose representatives who govern in their name. legislature a group of people who have the power to make laws. bill of rights a written list of freedoms that a government promises to protect. habeas corpus the principle that a person cannot be held in prison without being charged with a specific crime. cartographer mapmakers Christopher Columbus An Italian sailor who reached the islands of the Bahamas on Oct. 12, 1492. colony a group of people who settle in a new place but are ruled by the government of their native land. plantation a large estate farmed by many workers capitalism an economic system in which people put money, or capital, into a business in order to make a profit. interest a percentage added to the original amount. mercantilism an economic policy which held that a nation's wealth was measured by its supply of gold and silver. northwest passage a water route through or around North America. charter an official document that gives certain rights to an individual or group. representative government a political system in which voters elect others to make laws. religious freedom the right of all individuals to follow their won religious beliefs. subsistence farming a type of agriculture in which people live on what they grow themselves cash crop crops that are grown to be sold debtor a person who cannot pay money owed to someone else. participate to take part in, to share in an activity decline to lose strength or power over a period of time distinct clearly different economy system governing the production, use, and distribution of goods. invest to purchase something with the hope that its value will grow finance to pay for, to supply with money immigrate to move to a foreign region or country deprive to take away or hold back something needed starvation running low on eatible food supplies piracy pirates who attacked merchant ships to steal the cargo. Prentice Hall: America History of Our Nation "Independence Through 1914"