| Term | Definition |
| African Americans | (noun) black people, Americans whose early relatives came from Africa |
| boycott | (verb) refusing to buy something or pay to use a service as a protest |
| civil rights | (noun) the equal rights of every citizen in the country |
| colored | (adjective) what African-Americans or black people were called through the early 1960s |
| assembly line | (noun) a path in a factory where something is put together |
| gasoline engine | (noun) engine powered by gasoline |
| Smithsonian Institution | (noun) a famous science and technology museum in Washington, D.C. |
| steam engine | (noun) an engine that is run by steam from boiling water |
| segregate | (verb) to separate by race |
| inspired | (verb) to move someone to action |