Civics Terms Flashcards

Civics and Citizenship

• Civics is the study of citizen rights and duties.
• Citizenship encompasses the rights and obligations of individuals within a state.
• A citizen shows loyalty to their government and receives protection in return.

Economic Structures

• A service economy is characterized by a workforce primarily engaged in service provision, rather than manufacturing.
• Value refers to the underlying principles or beliefs guiding people's judgments and decisions.

Governance Concepts

• Popular sovereignty emphasizes that power resides with the people.
• Institutions are frameworks of ideas regarding societal relationships and obligations.

Historical Movements

• The Enlightenment was a movement advocating that reason and science could enhance societal conditions.

Government and Legal Terms

• A monarch is a king or queen.
• A legislature is a structured body of individuals responsible for lawmaking.
• Precedent serves as a judicial guideline based on previous rulings.
• Common law is derived from customs and judicial precedents.
• Natural rights refer to inherent freedoms pertaining to life, liberty, and property.
• A social contract signifies an agreement among members of a society and their government.

Colonial and Economic Structures

• A colony consists of a population governed by an external parent country.
• Joint-stock companies allow investors to share ownership in profit-oriented enterprises.
• A charter is a formal document granting land and governance rights for colonies.
• A compact represents an agreement among specified groups of individuals.
• Proprietary colonies have lands and governmental authority controlled by a private individual.
• Royal colonies are directly governed by a monarch.

Religious and Societal Groups

• Religious dissenters follow faiths outside the established religion of England.
• Puritans sought to reform the Anglican Church through their settlement in the colonies.
• Pilgrims were Puritans on a religious voyage seeking a new home.
• Toleration reflects the acceptance of diverse groups, particularly religious ones.

Labor and Economic Practices

• Indentured servants worked in exchange for food and shelter during colonization.
• Plantations are extensive estates typically using enslaved labor for agricultural production.
• The triangular trade refers to historical trade routes connecting the Americas, Africa, and Europe.

Geographic and Ideological Characteristics

• Tidewater regions are characterized by low, flat plains near the coastline, particularly in Virginia and North Carolina.
• Egalitarianism is the principle advocating for equality among individuals.
• Mercantilism promotes exporting more goods than importing to enhance national wealth.

Political Actions and Representation

• A boycott is a collective refusal to purchase specified goods.
• Delegates are representatives assigned to partake in meetings.
• Independence signifies self-reliance and liberation from external control.

Constitutional Development

• A constitution is a comprehensive, written framework for government structure.
• Bicameral refers to a legislative body composed of two chambers.
• A confederation denotes a coalition of individual states or governments.
• Ratification is the formal approval process for agreements or statutes.
• The Constitutional Convention of 1787 led to the formation of the current U.S. Constitution.

Compromises in Legislation

• The Great Compromise established a dual representation system in Congress.
• The Three-Fifths Compromise determined that enslaved individuals would count as three-fifths of a person for congressional representation.

Electoral Framework

• The Electoral College is a group chosen by state legislatures responsible for electing the president and vice president.
• Federalists were advocates supporting the adoption of the new constitution.