GLOSSARY
OF
SOCIAL STUDIES
TERMS AND VOCABULARY
This glossary is another tool to help you better understand the language of social studies. It was not created to be a study guide for vocabulary tests--- learning social studies vocabulary is best done in context. Instead, it is our hope that this glossary, used in conjunction with the social studies portion of MI CLiMB and other projects will provide you with the answer to the important question What does that word mean?
Glossary of Social Studies Terms and Vocabulary
Absolute Advantage exists in the production of a good when one country can produce a good more efficiently than another country.
Adapt to change or tailor something to fit, humans change their environment or their way of doing something to fit their current needs or goals.
Advertising information provided to encourage the purchase or use of a good, service or idea by emphasizing its positive qualities.
Affirmative Action efforts to recruit or hire members of underrepresented groups, such as women and minorities.
Allegiance devotion or loyalty.
Allocation the process of choosing which needs will be satisfied and how much of our resources we will use to satisfy them.
Alternative Course of Action the other choices that could have been made which are inherent in every decision.
Amendment (constitutional) changes in, or additions to, a constitution. Proposed by a two-thirds vote of both houses of Congress or at the request of two-thirds of the state legislatures. Ratified by approval of three-fourths of the states.
American Influence on Foreign Countries as the most powerful nation and economy in the world the United States affects the cultures, economies, and politics of nations worldwide. When other nations seek access to and become part of the lucrative U.S. market their own economies, cultures and politics are affected by American culture and values.
American Political System/Presidential System a system of government in which the legislative and executive branches operate independently of each other and in which power is distributed through a system of checks and balances.
Amnesty - A general pardon granted by a government, especially for political offenses.
Analog a face clock with hands.
Anarchy - Absence of any form of political authority, political disorder and confusion. A state of lawlessness and disorder (usually resulting from a failure of government.)
Apartheid South African policy of separation of the races enforced by law
Apportionment The distribution of legislative seats according to population
Arbitration settlement of a dispute by the decision of a judge, umpire or committee.
Articles of the Confederation created a firm league of friendship among the 13 original states. The states agreed to send delegates to a Confederation Congress. Each state had one vote in Congress.
Artifact object made by humans and used by archaeologists and historians to recreate a picture of the past.
Authority right to control or direct the actions of others, legitimized by law, morality, custom, or consent.
Barter the direct trading of goods and services between people without the use of money.
Beliefs Opinions about what is considered to be true and trustworthy.
Benefits something of value, a benefit can be tangible like a gift or money or intangible like satisfaction.
Bias an unfair act or policy resulting from prejudice.
Bigotry Intolerance and prejudice; obstinate and unreasoning attachment to one's own belief and opinions, with narrow-minded intolerance of beliefs opposed to them
Biography a narrative account of a persons life.
Bill of Rights first ten amendments to the Constitution ratified in 1791, these amendments limit governmental power and protect basic rights and liberties of individuals.
Biome a major regional or global biotic community, such as a grassland or desert, characterized chiefly by the dominant forms of plant life and prevailing climate.
Boundary the limit or extent within which a system exists or functions, including a social group, at state, or physical feature.
Branches of Government established in the U.S. Constitution to divide the power of government between legislative, executive and judicial branches
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954) Supreme Court case that declared that separate-but-equal educational facilities are inherently unequal and therefore a violation of equal protection of the law guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment.
Calendar a table showing the days, weeks, and months of at least one specific year.
Campaign the overall effort a candidate makes to win votes through speeches, press conferences, and advertising.
Campaigns activities planned to achieve a certain goal as in electing a candidate or establishing a public policy.
Campaign finance reforms How money is collected and spent in campaigns for public office is subject to rules. Many groups believe that a major change in those rules is necessary to limit the amount of money that any person or group can donate to a political campaign with the goal being to limit the influence any person or group will have after the election to influence the office holder they helped to elect.
Capital cash or goods that are used to produce income.
Capital Equipment manufactured equipment used in the production of goods and services.
Capital Resources goods made by people and used to produce other goods and services (also called intermediate goods).
Capitalism economic system characterized by the following: private property ownership exists; individuals and companies are allowed to compete for their own economic gain; and free market forces determine the prices of goods and services.
Cartel explicit forms of collusion concerned with product price, output, service, or sales.
Cash currency and coins
Census - An official, usually periodic enumeration of a population, often including the collection of related demographic information. As required by the Constitution, the census of the population of the United States takes place every 10 years.
Century one hundred years.
Certificates of Deposit (CD) - These offer a guaranteed rate of interest for a specified term, usually one year. The institution generally requires that you keep your money in the account until the term ends. The institution may pay a higher rate of interest than for a savings or other account. Typically, the longer the term, the higher the interest
Characteristics a special quality or feature; whatever distinguishes one person or thing from others.
Checking Accounts Deposits in a checking
account give individuals quick, convenient, and immediate access to money in
their account. Money is accessed
through the writing of a check, which transfers money to the person or business
named. Some checking accounts pay
interest (NOW accounts), but most do not institutions may impose fees on
checking accounts, along with a charge for the checks.
Checks and Balances constitutional mechanisms that authorize each branch of government to share powers with the other branches and thereby check their activities. For example, the president may veto legislation passed by Congress, the Senate must confirm major executive appointments, and the courts may declare acts of Congress unconstitutional.
Chlorofluorocarbons a series of hydrocarbons containing both chlorine and fluorine. These have been used as refrigerants, blowing agents, cleaning fluids, solvents, and as fire extinguishing agents. They have been shown to cause stratospheric ozone depletion and have been banned for many uses.
Choice what someone must make when faced with two or more alternative uses for a resource, also called an economic choice.
Chronological order arranged in order of time occurrence.
Circular Flow the flow of money from businesses to households and government, from households to businesses and government, and from government to households and business.
Citizens responsibilities and conduct actions expected of citizens in their daily conduct such as upholding the values and principles of the Constitution, obeying the rule of law, voting and participating in the civic life of the community.
Citizenship status of being a member of a state, one who owes allegiance to the government and is entitled to its protection and to political rights.
Civil court the place where disputes between people are solved, or between people and the government
Civilization The type of culture and society developed by a particular nation or region or in a particular epoch: The ways in which people organize themselves.
Civil
Rights protections and privileges given to all U.S. citizens by the
Constitution and Bill of rights
Coin money issued by a government in the form of a metal disk.
Command Economies an economy in which the government makes the decisions about what, where, how and how much is produced and finally who will get what is produced.
Common Good involves individual citizens having the commitment and motivation (that they accept as their obligation) to promote the welfare of the community and to work together with other members for the greater benefit of all.
Communism the final state of social evolution according to Marx, in which the state has withered away and economic goods are distributed according to need.
Communication the exchange of thoughts messages and or information.
Community a group of people living in the same locality and under the same government.
Community Characteristic a feature that helps to define, describe, or distinguish one community from another.
Comparative advantage the principle that states that a country benefits from specializing in the production of goods at which is relatively most efficient.
Comparison an examination of two or more objects, ideas, locations, concepts, or individuals to discover the similarities and differences.
Competitive Markets markets with many buyers and sellers where not one person or firm controls prices or the number of products for sale.
Complementary Goods goods that are jointly consumed. The consumption of one enhances the consumption of the other (examples hot dogs/hotdog buns; left shoe/right shoe; snow skis and snow clothing).
Compromise of 1850 had four parts first, California was allowed to enter the Union as a free state; second, the rest of the Mexican Cession was divided into the territories of New Mexico and Utah (in each territory, voters would decide the slavery question according to popular sovereignty); third, the slave trade was ended in Washington, D.C., the nations capitol (Congress, however, declared that it had no power to ban the slave trade between slave states; fourth, a strict new fugitive slave law was passed.
Conflict an open clash between two opposing groups, individuals, or nations regarding an ideology or a course of action.
Conflict and cooperation a recurring theme of social studies that represents the opportunities for people in communities, nations, regions or worldwide to engage in activities in which they openly clash with one another while retaining the capacity at other times to work together towards accomplishing common goals.
Conflicting viewpoints a position taken by one individual group, or nation, which is in opposition to the position of another individual, group or nation.
Consensus general agreement of all or most of the people consulted.
Constitution the system of fundamental laws and principles that prescribes the nature, functions, and limits of a government or another institution. The fundamental law of the United States, framed in 1787, ratified in 1789, and variously amended since then.
Constitutional guarantee The promises or assurances given to the people of the nation in their written constitution, which cannot be taken away without the due process of law.
Consumer a customer who buys the products or services a business produces.
Consumer Credit ability to buy goods or services now and pay later by installment payments.
Consumer Goods items that are made for final consumption.
Consumer Spending purchase of consumer goods and services.
Contemporary factors something that belongs to the same time period as the event, which contributes causally to the event, like the present efficiency and abundance in the production of wheat in the United States allows us to sell wheat to other countries who need it.
Core Democratic Values basic rights outlined in the Declaration of independence and/or the United States Constitution and other important writings of the nation such as Supreme Court decisions.
Corporation an organization of people legally bound together by a charter to conduct some type of business.
Costs the total money, time and resources associated with a purchase or activity.
Costs of Production all resources used in producing goods and services, for which owners receive payment.
Country a sovereign nation or state.
County the largest territorial division of a state.
Coup d etat - The sudden overthrow of a government by usually a small group of persons in or previously in positions of authority
Crimes against humanity actions that are agreed to be so universally abhorrent that they are determined to be unacceptable by all people regardless of culture and for which people seek to have the perpetrators punished on behalf of humanity.
Criminal court the place where cases are heard for those accused of breaking a law
Criminal procedure a set of established steps taken when the government is preparing a criminal prosecution to bring a person accused of breaking a law to trial, which includes due process for the accused.
Cultural diffusion The spread of linguistic or cultural practices or innovations (including ideas and beliefs) within a culture or from one culture to another.
Cultural geography The study of how people use space and interact with their environment.
Cultural stability and change an important theme in social studies, particularly in geography and history, which addresses how different societies maintain the stability of their culture and how they deal with the inevitable difficulties associated with change as a result of interactions with other cultures or changes in prevailing values.
Culture learned behavior of people, which includes their belief systems and languages, their social relationships, their institutions and organizations, and their material goods (food, clothing, buildings, tools, and machines).
Currency paper money with a specified value, issued by the government or a central bank.
Currency Exchange the comparative value of foreign currencies.
Decade ten years.
Deciduous type of tree that loses its leaves during portions of the year, usually beginning in the autumn months
Decision a conclusion or judgment reached after consideration of alternatives.
Decision Matrix a table comparing possible decisions.
Declaration of Independence the declaration of the Congress of the Thirteen United States of America, on the 4th of July, 1776, by which they formally declared that these colonies were free and independent States, not subject to the government of Great Britain.
Defining Characteristic
Deflation a decline in general price levels, often caused by a reduction in the supply of money or credit.
Delegated Powers powers granted to the national government under the Constitution, as enumerated in Articles, II, III, and I
Demand the desire and ability of individuals to purchase economic goods or services at the market price; along with supply, one of the two key determinants of price.
Democracy a system of government in which political authority is held by the people; typically feature constitutional governments where the majority rules, a belief in individual liberty and in equal rights for all people, freedom of expression, political freedom, and freedom of choice.
Dictator a ruler with absolute power.
Digital clock clock, which only uses numbers to tell the time.
Discrimination - Treatment based on class or category rather than individual merit; also partiality or prejudice.
Disparities lack of equality.
Distributor a firm that sells and delivers merchandise to retail stores or acts as an intermediary in business.
Distribution the delivery of merchandise to retail stores.
Diversity not alike; different; varied--Variety in culture and ethnic background, race and belief is not only permissible but also desirable and beneficial in a pluralistic society.
Domestic of ones own country; not foreign.
Domestic Economy activities dealing with the production and distribution of goods and services within ones own country.
Dred Scott Decision in 1857 the Supreme Court ruled that Dred Scott could not file a lawsuit because, as a black, he was not a citizen. The justices also agreed that slaves were property. They also ruled that Congress did not have the power to outlaw slavery in any territory.
Due Process of Law right of every citizen to be protected against arbitrary action by government; the government must use fair procedures to gather information and make decisions in order to protect the rights of individuals and the interests of society.
Earning activities people engage in to acquire resources. Also, income after taxes is deducted.
Early Inhabitants people who first lived in a place.
Economic and political connections the relationship between the government of a state nation or municipality and its economic system, such as regulation of banking, local ordinances, or worker safety.
Economic Development actions taken to improve the ability of people to more productively use capital and natural and human resources in the production of goods and services.
Economic Dispute a disagreement over how resources will be used.
Economic Freedom the right to acquire, use, transfer and dispose of private property without unreasonable governmental interference; the right to seek employment wherever one pleases; to change employment at will; and to engage in any lawful economic activity.
Economic geography the study of how people use space and interact with their environment to answer the basic economic question of production and distribution.
Economic Goals of Government In the mixed
economy of the United States government has six broad goals: economic growth, more and better
goods and services produced; full employment, everyone who wants to work
should have a job; price stability, stable prices that do not rise
dramatically, economic freedom, individuals should be free to make their
own economic decisions; fair distribution of wealth, an agreement in
principle that it is undesirable for any group to suffer extreme poverty while
others enjoy extreme wealth; and economic security, government aid for
those who are sick, disabled, or aged.
Economic Growth the change in the level of economic activity from one year to another.
Economic Incentives factors that motivate the behavior of households and business, prices, profits, and losses act as incentives for participants to take action in a market economy.
Economic Indicators the leading indicators include the money supply, stock prices, consumer expectations, commodity (raw materials, farm products) prices, the average work week, new unemployment claims, new building permits, new orders for consumer goods, new orders for investments goods, unfilled orders, and back-logged deliveries.
Economic Institutions, household, government, business, banks, labor unions an organization founded and united for a specific economic purpose, i.e.; making decisions about the consumption and production of resources.
Economic Measurement Tracking the change in the level of economic activity from one time period to another. Standard economic measurements are the GDP, housing starts, unemployment rates, and the Consumer Price Index.
Economic Roles of Government In the mixed
economy of the United States government has six broad goals: economic growth, more and better
goods and services produced; full employment, everyone who wants to work
should have a job; price stability, stable prices that do not rise
dramatically, economic freedom, individuals should be free to make their
own economic decisions; fair distribution of wealth, an agreement in
principle that it is undesirable for any group to suffer extreme poverty while
others enjoy extreme wealth; and economic security, government aid for
those who are sick, disabled, or aged.
Economic Systems the way a society organizes the production, consumption, and distribution of goods and services.
Economic Trends The current general direction of movement of an economic indicator. Trends can track consumer purchases and production, supply and demand, GDP, prices, and interest rates
Economics 1. having to do with the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. 2. the management of the income, supplies, and expenses of household, government, etc.
Ecosystems (ecological system) a system formed by the interaction of all living organisms (plants, animals, and humans) with each other and with the physical and chemical factors of the environment in which they live.
Electoral college- the group of people selected by each state that elect the president and Vice President of the United States. The number of votes each states receives is determined by the number of representatives they have in Congress (the number of their states Representatives plus their two Senators).
Endowed - provided with/for; in the Declaration
of Independence: "...that they are endowed by their creator with
certain unalienable rights... i.e. rights are provided to each
person by their creator and can neither be given or taken away
English Bill of Rights a law passed by Parliament in 1689 that forms the foundation of Britains unwritten constitution. The bill prohibited the monarchy from suspending laws, levying taxes or maintaining an army in peacetime without consent of Parliament.
Entrepreneur individual who takes the risk of producing a product for a profit
Environment the natural or human surrounding in which living things interact.
EPA Environmental Protection Agency
Equality everyone should get the same treatment regardless of where their parents or grandparents were born, their race or religion, or how much money they have, citizens all have political, social, and economic equality.
Era a period of time in history.
Ethical consideration a set of standards based on morals that is a factor when making decisions or judgments.
Ethics standards of right and wrong; morals.
Ethnic Group people who share a common cultural background, including ancestry and language.
Ethnic Cleansing the removal or extermination of a racial or cultural group.
Evaluate Make judgments about the value of ideas or materials.
Exchange giving one thing in return for some other
thing.
Executive Branch carries out and enforces laws to protect individual rights and promote the common good.
Executive Power power of the president governor or mayor to implement and enforce laws.
Exports goods or services produced in one nation but sold to buyers in another nation.
Federal anything pertaining to the national government, but not the state or local government.
Federal
Judiciary nine members of the U.S. Supreme Court and approximately
five hundred judges appointed by the president and approved by the Senate for
the federal courts
Federal Reserve System (the Fed) the central banking system in the United States. It regulates money and banking in the United States.
Federalism
power is shared between two sets of governmental institutions, those of the
states and those of the central or federal authorities, as stipulated by the
Constitution
Fees
- charges for services rendered.
Fiscal Policy decisions by the President and Congress, usually relating to taxation and government spending, with the goals of full employment, price stability, and economic growth
Five Themes of Geography
- Location includes both absolute and relative. Absolute location: expressed in terms of the latitude and longitude identifies a places exact location on the earth. Relative location: describes where a place is in relation to other places.
- Place - Particular city, village, or area with distinctive physical and human characteristics that distinguishes it from other places.
- Human Environment/Interaction How people change their surroundings like clearing land to make farms; and how people adapt to their environment like building homes with insulation and central heating in cold climates.
- Movement the moving of people, ideas, information, and products around the world.
- Region an area with one or more common characteristics or features, which gives it a measure of homogeneity and makes it different from surrounding areas.
Fluorocarbons any of various chemically inert compounds containing carbon and fluoride used chiefly as lubricants and refrigerants and in making resins plastics. (see chlorofluorocarbons)
Foreign
market - When buyers and sellers
from different countries make transactions, directly or via intermediaries.
Foreign policy - When dealing with other nations, the systematic collection of practices, regulations, and rules of procedure and conduct followed by the Federal Government.
Forms of Taxation - forms of taxation: taxes are charges imposed by the government on people or property for public purposes. Taxes take different forms like the benefit principle (gasoline taxes for road construction), progressive taxes, regressive taxes, proportional taxes, direct taxes, indirect taxes, income taxes, sales taxes, excise taxes (levied on a specific item), property taxes estate and gift taxes, and social security tax.
Free Market Economy an economy in which individuals decide the economic questions in the market place.
Freedom being able to act without interference or control by another; right to believe in what you want, right to choose own friends, and have own ideas and opinions, to express own ideas in public, the right for people to meet in groups, the right to have any lawful job or business.
Genocide the extermination of a cultural or racial group.
Gideon v. Wainwright (1963) the Supreme Court ruled that in federal and state criminal cases involving serious criminal cases involving serious crimes, the court must appoint a lawyer to represent an accused person who cannot afford one. In 1972 the Supreme Court extended the right to counsel even further. It ruled that an accused person cannot be sent to jail for any offense unless he or she has either been represented by counsel or voluntarily given up that right. This ruling covers all cases that could involve imprisonment, no matter how minor the crime.
Goods objects that can be held or touched that can satisfy peoples wants.
Governor The chief executive of a state government who is elected by the states voters.
Government an institution that determines and enforces a societys laws. The size and nature of a government varies according to the society it governs.
Government Regulations a rule, law, statute or ordinance, through which the government monitors the use of wealth or property by individuals, groups or businesses.
Graphic Data information organized in a pictorial way like a chart, graph or map.
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) the total dollar value of all final goods and services produced in a country in a given year equals the total consumer, investment and government spending, plus the value of exports minus the value of imports.
Gross National Product (GNP) is calculated by adjusting the GDP to include income accruing to domestic residents as a result of investments abroad minus the income earned in domestic markets accruing to foreigners abroad.
Households individual or family units.
Human Characteristics of Place things that humans do to change the environment or natural surroundings (e.g., bridges, roads, and buildings). Also the language, culture, food and religions of a place.
Human Environment/Interaction how people adapt their lives to some environmental conditions; how people protect themselves from cold climates; how people will change their natural environment.
Human Resources quantity and quality of human effort directed toward producing goods and services (also called labor).
Human rights - The basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled, often held to include the right to life and liberty, freedom of thought and expression, and equality before the law.
Ideas - Something, such as a thought or concept, that potentially or actually exists in the mind as a product of mental activity, an opinion, conviction, or principle.
Imports goods and services that one country buys from another country.
Inalienable (also unalienable) rights that cannot be given or taken away.
Incentives factors that motivate and influence the behavior of households and businesses; prices, profits, and losses act as incentives for participants to take action in a market economy.
Income Taxes taxes paid by households and business firms on the income they receive.
Indian Removal Act (1830) Native Americans were forced to sign treaties agreeing to move west of the Mississippi.
Individual Ownership a business owned and managed by one individual who assumes all risk of loss and gets all the profit.
Individual Rights fundamental to American constitutional democracy is the belief that individuals have certain basic rights that are not created by government but which government should protect. These are the right to life, liberty, economic freedom, and the pursuit of happiness. It is the purpose of government to protect these rights, and it may not place unfair or unreasonable restraints on their exercise. Many of these rights are enumerated in the Bill of Rights.
Inflation an increase in the general level of prices people pay for goods and services. A popular measure of inflation is the consumer price index.
Infringement contrary to or violate; go beyond the proper or usual limits.
Innovation a newly introduced idea, inventions or way of doing things that changes the world.
Institutions - A custom, practice, relationship, or behavioral pattern of importance in the life of a community or society: the institutions of marriage and the family. Established organizations or foundations that reflect the culture and beliefs of a people
Interdependence people relying on each other in different places or in the same place for ideas, goods, and services.
International between or among nations; having to do with the relations between nations.
International Monetary Fund (IMF) an organization set up to lower trade barriers between countries and to stabilize currencies, often by lending money to developing nations.
International Trade the exchange of goods and services between or among nations.
Interpretations an explanation of something that is not immediately obvious.
Investment purchase of tangible assets, such as machines, factories, or inventories that are used to produce goods and services for the purpose of making a profit.
Investments in Capital Resources business purchases of new plant and equipment.
Investment in Human Resources activities that increase the skills and knowledge of workers.
Invisible hand Term used by Adam Smith to describe the natural force that guides free market capitalism through competition for scarce resources.
Jim Crow Laws the systematic practice of discriminating against and segregating Black people, especially as practiced in the American South from the end of Reconstruction to the mid 20th century.
Judicial Branch the Branch of the Federal government responsible for interpreting laws. The Supreme Court heads it. A major responsibility is to protect individual rights and settle conflicts or disputes.
Justice people should be treated fairly in the distribution of the benefits and burdens of society, the correction of wrongs and injuries, and in the gathering of information and making of decisions.
Labor the physical and mental exertion that human beings put into production activities.
Labor force those who are working or actively seeking work.
Law a set of rules, issued and enforced by a government that binds every member of society.
Law of Demand if supply is held constant, an increase in demand leads to an increased market price, while a decrease in demand leads to a decreased market price.
Law of diminishing
returns - A point beyond which
the application of additional resources yields less than proportional
increases in output.
Law of diminishing marginal utility - The principle that as additional units of a
product are consumed during a given time period, the additional satisfaction
decreases.
Law of Supply if demand is held constant, an increase in supply leads to a decreased price, while a decrease in supply leads to increased price.
Legal according to the law; permitted by law; lawful
Legislative Branch passes laws to protect individual rights and promote the common good.
Libertarian party - Libertarians believe in
complete liberty, free enterprise, and personal responsibility without the
constraints of government. www.lpty.org
Liberty includes the freedom to believe what you want, freedom to choose your own friends, and to have your own ideas and opinions, to express your ideas in public, the right for people to meet in groups, and the right to have any lawful job or business.
Life each citizen has the right to the protection of their life; individuals right to life should be considered inviolable except in certain highly restricted and extreme circumstances, such as the use of deadly force to protect ones own or others lives.
Limited Resources the condition of there not being enough resources to fulfill all wants and needs.
Location where something is
Absolute Location the exact position on the globe using the imaginary lines of longitude and latitude and addresses.
Relative Location - the location of a place or region in relation to other places or regions (e.g., northwest or downstream).
Lumbering industry involved in cutting timber and selling it.
Major World Processes population growth, economic development, urbanization, resource use, international trade, global communication, and environmental impact.
Marbury v. Madison (1803) case in which the Supreme Court held that it had the power of judicial review over acts of Congress.
Market the place where buyers and sellers come together to make transactions of goods and services.
Market Economy an economic system based only on the interaction of market forces, such as supply and demand. A true market economy is free of governmental influence, collusion and other external interference. Buyers and sellers making exchanges determine prices
Mediation to come in to help settle a dispute; be a go between; act in order to bring about an agreement between persons or sides.
Meeting of the Three
Worlds the era of early North American History when the people of
North America, Europe, and Africa interact on the North American Continent.
Migration to move from one place to settle in another.
Miranda Rule an arresting officers requirements to inform criminal suspects of their rights before questioning.
Mixed Economy an economy that combines elements of the traditional, market, and command economic models.
Model a set of assumptions and hypotheses that is a simplified description of reality.
Monarchy a system of government in which the head of state, usually a royal figure (king, queen) is a hereditary position
Monetary Policy the regulation of the money supply and interest rates by a central bank, such as the Federal Reserve Board in the U.S., in order to control inflation and stabilize currency.
Money a medium of exchange, a good that can be used to buy other goods and services.
Money Market Deposit Accounts (MMDA) - An MMDA is an interest-bearing account that allows you to write checks. It usually pays a higher rate of interest than a checking or savings account. MMDAs often require a higher minimum balance, and you are limited to only three checks per month. Most institutions impose fees on MMDAs.
Movement
the moving of people, ideas, information and products around the world.
NAFTA North American Free Trade Agreement the United States, Canada, and Mexico formed a major trading block in 1992 that removed tariffs and other barriers to the creation of a free market among the three countries.
Narratives in social studies narratives are stories or tales about events that identify the people involved, describe the setting, and sequences the important events.
Natural/Physical Characteristics of Place a description of what is there naturally, the gifts of nature, such as water, minerals, land and timber.
Natural Resources anything from the natural environment that people use to meet their needs. They are gifts of nature that are present without human intervention.
Needs those things that everyone must have to survive.
Negotiate to arrange for or bring about through conference,
discussion, and compromise.
Northwest Ordinance in 1787 Congress set up a government for the Northwest Territory and outlawed slavery there. It also provided for the vast region to be divided into three to five separate territories in the future.
Oligarchy a government controlled by a small group to serve their own purposes.
OPEC the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries is an international cartel of thirteen nations designed to promote collective pricing of petroleum, unified marketing policies, and regulation of petroleum extraction.
Opportunity Cost the next best alternative that must be given up when a choice is made. Not all alternatives, just the next best choice.
Ownership the right to use something and to enjoy its benefits.
Ozone a gas formed from an interaction between oxygen and sunlight
Ozone Layer a region in the earths upper atmosphere that protects life beneath by filtering out dangerous ultraviolet solar radiation
P
Parliamentary System a system of government in which power is concentrated in a legislature. The legislature selects one of its members, usually called a prime minister, as the nations principal leader and other legislative members deserve as the leaders cabinet.
Patriotism Virtuous citizens display a devotion to their country in words and deeds, including devotion to the fundamental values and principles upon which it depends
Per Capita Income the average income per person.
Personal Virtue moral excellence, good quality
Physical Features natural characteristics of the earths surface such as land forms, climate, winds, and ocean currents.
Physical Natural Characteristics of place the natural environment of a place such as water, minerals, land, and timber.
Place a particular city, village, or area with distinctive physical and human characteristics that distinguishes it from other places.
Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) the court ruled that segregation was legal so long as facilities for blacks and whites were equal.
Political Freedom the right to participate freely in the political process choose and remove public officials, to be governed under a rule of law; the right to a free flow of information and ideas, open debate and right of assembly.
Popular sovereignty The citizens are collectively the sovereign of the state and hold the ultimate authority over public officials and their policies.
Preamble introduction to a formal document that explains its purpose.
Prejudice - holding unreasonable preconceived judgments or convictions especially pertaining to irrational suspicion or hatred of a particular group, race, or religion
Primary Source Documents original artifacts that help us learn about people or events (e.g., letters, diaries, maps, drawings and artifacts).
Presidential System /American Political System a system of government in which the legislative and executive branches operate independently of each other and in which power in branches operate independently of each other and in which power is distributed through a system of checks and balances.
Price the amounts of money that people pay in exchange for a unit of particular good or service.
Primary Sources any document that is direct evidence of historical events such as diaries and photographs.
Privacy the state of being free from unsanctioned intrusion.
Private Goods goods that are privately owned and used to benefit only their owners.
Private Life concerns the personal life of the individual such as being with family and friends or practicing ones religious beliefs.
Process a series of gradual changes bringing about a result.
Processes the series of changes by which something develops (major world processes are population growth, economic development, urbanization, resource use, international trade, global communication, and environmental impact.)
Producers people who use resources to make goods and services.
Production the act of making or manufacturing goods and services.
Productivity the amount of output per unit of input.
Profit the positive gain from an investment or business operation after subtracting for all expenses. Opposite of loss
Propaganda the systematic spreading of ideas or beliefs reflecting the views and interests of those advocating a doctrine or cause.
Property that which is legally owned by an individual or entity.
Property taxes taxes paid by households and businesses on land and buildings.
Public Goods goods and services that are provided by the government. They are often too expensive or not practical to be obtained by individuals.
Public Policy decisions and laws that a government makes about an area of public concern to guide the actions of government.
Public Service service to local, state, or national communities through appointed or elected office.
Pursuit of Happiness the right of citizens in the American constitutional democracy to attempt to attain to pursue happiness in their own way, so long as they do not infringe upon rights of others
Reapportionment The number of representatives in Congress is fixed. The Supreme Court has established that all election districts must be equal or nearly equal in population. States which must make changes as a result of new census figures (situations where new districts are drawn or seats lost---reapportioning) often experience rancorous debate by the political parties. Reapportionment plans can affect the ease with which a party can get its candidates elected.
Reciprocity mutual exchange, especially an exchange of special privileges in regard to trade between two countries
Reconstruction period after the Civil War when the south was re-built; also, the Federal program to rebuild it.
Reform movement to improve unsatisfactory conditions.
Regions an area that shares common characteristics. Regions can be physical regions; land formations and climate; human traits that make up a region such as language, religion history and political boundaries.
Regulation - Rules and laws the government makes to
control the economy. In laissez-faire economic systems there is no regulation
of the economy. In the United States, the government participates in the
economy to assure the accomplishment of the economic goals of government.
Relative Location describes where a place is in relation to other places.
Relative Price the price of one good or service compared to the prices of others goods and services.
Religious Liberty there shall be full freedom of conscience for people of all faiths or none. Religious liberty is considered to be a natural inalienable right that must always be beyond the power of the state to confer or remove. Religious liberty includes the right to freely practice any religion or no religion without governmental coercion or control.
Representative Democracy a system of government in which the people choose political leaders to make policy decisions on their behalf.
Resources all natural, human and man-made aids to the production of goods and services. Also called productive resources.
Rule of Law principle that every member of a society, even a ruler, must follow the law.
Sales Taxes taxes paid on the goods and services people buy.
Scarcity the condition that occurs because peoples wants and needs are unlimited, while the resources needed to produce goods and services to meet these wants and needs are limited.
Secondary Sources summaries and interpretations of original artifacts.
Separation of Powers the distribution of political power among the branches of government, giving each branch a particular set of responsibilities.
Services an intangible act, which satisfies the wants or needs of consumers such as medical advice and education.
Shortages the situation resulting when the quantity demanded exceeds the quantity supplied of a good, service, or resource.
Sketch Map the representation of all or part of the surface location on a flat piece of paper drawn from memory.
Specialization the situation in which a nation produces a narrower range of goods and services than they consume/specialization in mass production occurs when a worker repeats a single operation over and over.
Socialism any one of various systems in which the means of producing goods are owned by the community or the government rather than by private individuals with all people sharing in the work and the goods produced.
Sovereign - The person, body, or state in which independent and supreme authority is vested; such as, in a monarchy, a king, queen, or emperor---in the United States, the people.
Stock Market a financial market which is organized to buy and sell stocks through exchanges, over-the-counter, and electronically
Subsidy a payment made by government to encourage some activity.
Substitute goods goods that can be interchanged. The consumption of one replaces the consumption of the other.
Supply the quantities of a good or service that a firm is willing and able to make available for sale at different prices (economic concept of supply and demand).
Surpluses the situation resulting when the quantity supplied exceeds that quantity demanded of a good, service, or resource.
Synthesize - Build a structure or pattern from diverse elements. Put parts together to form a whole, with emphasis on creating a new meaning or structure.
Tariff tax on foreign goods brought into a country.
Taxes required payments of money made to governments by households and business firms.
Theory a set of principle that can be used to make inferences about the world.
Three Basic Economic Questions 1.) What goods and services will be produced and in what quantities? 2.) How will they be produced? 3.) For whom will they be produced?
Totalitarian country where a single party controls the government and every aspect of the lives of the people
Trade/Exchange trading goods and services with people for other goods and services or for money. When people exchange voluntarily, they expect to be better off as a result.
Trade-offs giving up one thing to get something else.
Traditional Economy an economy in which the three basic questions are answered by custom, or how things have been done in the past. Roles in traditional economies are gender based and often inherited. Barter holds an important position.
Truth the government and citizens should not lie.
Unalienable (also inalienable) rights that cannot be given or taken away; that cannot be transferred to another
Unemployment the situation in which people are willing and able to work at current wages but do not have jobs.
Unicameral - a state government with a single
legislative chamber
Values - Beliefs of a person or social group in which they have an emotional investment (either for or against something); those things that are considered to be most important by a person or group
Voluntarism people who work without monetary compensation to help others in their family, schools, communities, state, nation, and the world.
Voluntary Exchanges choosing to give one thing in exchange for another without force.
Wants things that people desire.
World Processes population growth, economic development, urbanization, resource use, international trade, global communication, and environmental impact.
Suggestions for additions to this glossary may be e mailed to Karen R Todorov at
todorok@michigan.gov