Civics & EconomicsDictionary for Dummies

By: Amanda

Goal One:

Foundations of the United States Political

System

Articles of Confederation

The Articles of Confederation, thought up by Congress, was ratified in 1781. It was supposed an outline of the federal government, but ended up not giving them enough power so it was later replaced.

Checks and Balances

This was a system to make sure that each branch of government wasn’t becoming too authoritative.

Legislative

Executive

Judicial

Common Sense

Common Sense was a pamphlet published in January of 1776. It lit a fire underneath a lot of people and persuaded them to keep fighting for their independence.

Double Jeopardy

When a person cannot be tried for the same crime more than once it is called double jeopardy. The fifth amendment protects people of this.

Egalitarianism

Egalitarianism is the thought that all men are equal and have natural rights just because they are human. It was brought about by all of the philosophers in the enlightenment.

Enlightenment

This was a time period where philosophers such as Montesquieu, Voltaire, and Rousseau were introducing new concepts that helped America form new ideas about their government.

Factions

A group of people who believe in the same thing and are usually against another group who believe in something opposite are called a faction.

Magna Carta

The Magna Carta was signed in 1215 by King John I. It made sure that without the consent of what later became the British Parliament, the king could not impose taxes. Also, it gave nobles more legal rights.

Natural Rights

John Locke came up with the idea that all people were born with natural rights. These were life, liberty, and property.

LifeLiberty

Property!

Proclamation of 1763

This proclamation was ignored by most, but it was supposed to prevent colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains.

Quartering

Quartering just means housing, mainly of federal troops. Some colonists were forced to take in British soldiers, but, after the revolution, the third amendment prevented it.

Separation of Powers

The separation of powers prevented government from getting too powerful by dividing it into three branches: Legislative, Executive, and Judicial.

Legislative

Executive

Judicial

Three-Fifths Compromise

There were more slaves in the Southern colonies and they wanted to be able to vote so the Three-Fifths Compromise was reached. It stated that slaves would be counted as 3/5th of a person while voting.

Totalitarianism

Totalitarianism is basically where the government rules everything and the citizens have no say in the matter.

Government

Treaty of Paris

The Treaty of Paris was the document that ended the American Revolution and finally recognized the United States as free. It was enacted in 1783.

Goal Two:

The Government of the United States of

America

Committee System

This is the system where before a bill can go for a vote by the entire house, small committees within each house review the bill. When they are done reviewing, they say if the bill should be passed or not.

Constitutional Convention

Two thirds of the states call this meeting to order. This is where amendments are proposed to the Constitution. They have to be approved by three fourths of the states.38

17

Direct/Indirect Tax

Direct taxes are those that you pay directly to the government, while indirect taxes are those that you pay through someone other than the government.

Other

Government

TAX

Direct

Indirect

Expenditures

These are all of the things that the federal government must pay for.

Ex Post Facto Laws

These laws make certain things illegal that were once legal. If you were doing something that was legal, but you stopped and then it became illegal, you can’t be prosecuted for what you did in the past.

CocaCola

Impeachment

This is the process of removing a president, vice president, or any other “civil officer of the United States”. Only the House of Representatives may do so.

Interest Groups

These are groups that come together to support a certain cause. They use whatever methods they can to get their cause heard and supported.

Judicial Review

Judicial Review is when the Judicial Branch declares something unconstitutional.

Constitution

Limited Government

This is a type of government that must follow a set of written laws.

Government

Patriot Act

This act makes it easier for law enforcement to collect evidence in a case by asking citizens to give up certain freedoms that the Constitution protects.

Popular Sovereignty

Popular Sovereignty is all about the people and how the government is based off of our ideas and beliefs.

Supremacy Clause

This clause makes the Constitution the ultimate law. If anything conflicts with it, whatever the Constitution says will overrule it.

The Constitution

Law

Law

Law

Tariffs

These are taxes that are put on anything that was imported from a foreign country.

Foreign Country

TAX

TAX

TAX

TAX

Treaty

This is just a fancy word for agreements between two or more countries. It must be approved by the Senate.

Country

Country

Writ of Habeas Corpus

This writ states that if you are put in jail a judge can review your case, if you wish, and make sure that you were not falsely accused of something.

Goal Three:

State and Local Governments Under the North Carolina

Constitution

Board of Elections

The Board of Elections is responsible for making sure the election process goes smoothly.

Declaration of Rights

The Declaration of Rights is the part of the North Carolina Constitution that explains the rights of the citizens.

Rights

Fifteenth Amendment

The Fifteenth Amendment was ratified in 1870 and guaranteed voting rights to people of all different races or people who were former slaves.

YAY! We can vote!

Fourteenth Amendment

The Fourteenth Amendment is basically an extension of the Bill of Rights, defining the rights of citizens and who citizens are. It was ratified in 1868 and says that no state can deny civil rights to anyone.

Bill of Rights

14th Amendment

Governor The governor is part

of the executive branch and he is the state’s highest executive officer. He/She has many duties; for example, he/she makes sure state laws are properly carried out, veto legislation, and deals with the state budget.

Lieutenant Governor

The lieutenant governor is the state’s second highest executive officer. He/she is the successor to the governor and presides over the Senate, but only votes if there is a tie.

Nineteenth Amendment

The Nineteenth Amendment was ratified in 1920 and stated that women received the right to vote.

YAY! I can vote!

Referendum

A referendum is a vote by the citizens of North Carolina on whether or not an amendment should be added to the North Carolina Constitution.

Yes or No?

State v. Mann

Significance: This case showed that the North Carolina Constitution ruled over all, even the court’s sympathies. Specifics: Mann (slave master) shot and injured a slave, convicted of battery, appealed, and won.

Statutes

Statute is just another word for state law.

Colorado State Law

Goal Four:

Active Citizenship

Caucus

In the caucus system, members of political parties choose delegates in local meetings. Those delegates then choose other delegates to nominate a certain candidate at the national convention.

Civil Laws

These are laws that don’t have to do with anything criminal, but do deal with relationships between individuals, businesses, or establishments.

Compromise

Compromise is where when two sides are having a disagreement, they both give something up in order to achieve an agreement.

YAY! We agree!

Democrats

Democrat is one of the two main political parties in the United States. Democrats tend to like a more active government.

Government!

Electoral College

The Electoral College is a group of electors who choose the winner of the presidential elections.

You’ve Won!

YESSS!!

General Election

Held in November of an election year, general elections are where people vote for local, state, and federal officials to serve in office.

******VOTE

******

Incarceration

Incarceration just refers to time in a youth detention center, jail, or prison.

Jury Duty

Jury duty is a mandatory thing where normal, every day citizens must serve on a jury for an actual court case.

Lobbyists

A lobbyist is a person who influences legislation or state legislatures in Congress. They are hired by interest groups.

Mass Media

Mass media refers to TV, radio, and printed materials and how they impact society with the opinions of journalists, celebrities, writers, etc.

Platform

A platform is something a political party writes that tells what it will do when their candidates are in office.

Political Parties

Organizations that sponsor people running for political office and support certain political beliefs are called political parties.

I’m a democrat

I’m a republican

I’m an independent

Public Agenda

The public agenda is simply what’s most important to the citizens of the United States.

1……….2………3………4………5………6………7………8………9………10…….

Public Service

Public service involves things like serving on juries, running for office, or taking part in community projects.

Republicans

Republican is one of the two main political parties in the United States. Republicans tend to go for less government involvement.

Government

Goal Five:

Conflict in the United States’ Political and

Judicial Systems

Adversarial System

The adversarial system is a system in which a judge presides, a jury predicts an outcome, and attorneys argue for opposing sides of a case.

Judge

Attorneys

Jurors

Annexation

Annexation is when a city expands and takes over previously independent areas that are close by.

Independent Area

City Expanding

Felonies

Felonies are very serious crimes and are punishable by long periods of incarceration or execution.

Judicial Review

Judicial Review is when federal courts can declare any law unconstitutional. Federal Court

That’s unconstitutional

!

Misdemeanors

Misdemeanors are not as serious as felonies. They can be punished by probation, a fine, or less than a year in jail.

$ 300 $

U.S. District Court

U.S. District Courts act as the federal court system’s trial courts for civil and criminal cases. Sometimes their jurisdiction is split with Special Courts that only hear certain kinds of cases.

DistrictCivil & Criminal

SpecialCertain Cases

U.S. Court of Appeals

The U.S. Court of Appeals uses appellate jurisdiction over the lower U.S. District Courts and Special Courts.

Court of Appeals

District

Special

U.S. Supreme Court

The U.S. Supreme Court is the highest court in the country. It has appellate jurisdiction over all lower courts, along with original jurisdiction on some special cases.

SUPREME COURT

Lower CourtLower Court

Lower Court

Lower Court

Verdict

A jury will predict the outcome of a case and decide if the defendant is guilty or not guilty, which would be the verdict.

Not Guilty

Guilty

Writ of Certiorari

The writ of certiorari gives the higher courts the power to request certain decisions that the lower courts have made to be sent to them so that they can review them.Decision

Higher Court

Goal Six:

Purpose, Development, and Implementation of

Laws

Administrative Law

Administrative law controls the operation of government agencies.

Administrative Law

Government Agency

Government Agency

Government Agency

Compensation

Compensation is when a defendant is required to pay back whatever was lost due to their crime.

$$ MONEY $$

Labor

Time

Constitutional Law

Like it says in the name, constitutional law deals with interpretation and application of the United States Constitution.

Economic Interest

Economic interests are simply interests that involve money.

$$ MONEY $$

Independent Agencies

Agencies that are not included in the departments of the executive branch of either federal or state governments and that are created by legislative statute are called independent agencies.

Government

Independent

Non-Economic Interest

Non-economic interests are interests in which money is not considered to be the driving factor.

$$ MONEY $$

Public/Single Interest Groups

Public interest groups tend to focus on issues that are best for the public, while single interest groups focus only on a specific group of people and their issues.

Public

Single

Recidivism Recidivism refers to

the rate at which criminal behavior is repeated by the same people. For example, people who have committed crimes before are more likely to commit them again, rather then someone else committing their first offense.

Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation is concerned with making sure that criminals turn in to people who obey the law. When a person favors rehabilitation they want to do more then just punish the person, they want to know why they committed the crime.

Restitution

Restitution refers to the money or property a person gained when they committed their crime.

$$$$

property

Retribution

Retribution is dealing with punishing someone for a crime. Usually when one favors retribution, they want longer prison sentences, uncomfortable conditions for people who are incarcerated, etc.

20 years?

10 years?

Life?

Statutory Laws

Statutory laws are laws that are enacted by legislative bodies like Congress. Most laws are statutory laws.

Congress

Law

Law

Law

Goal Seven:

Making Economic Decisions

Consumer

A consumer is anyone who purchases or receives any kind of good or service.

Toy

YAY! A new toy!

Decision-Making Model

The decision-making model consists of five steps: define the problem, list the alternatives, state the criteria, evaluate the alternatives, and make a decision.

define

state

evaluate

decide

list

Economics

Economics is the study of how people can get the most of what they need for the least of money. Also, it is the study of how people can get the most of what they need from the limited resources.

need need

need need

least $

resources

Four Basic Factors of Production

The four basic factors of production are land, labor, entrepreneurship, and capitol. They are a part of any business - small or large.

land

entrepreneur

labor

capitol

Goods/Services

Goods are material items that are produced, while services are activities preformed. Both of them are used to satisfy the consumer’s wants and needs.

Good

I’m happy!

Service

Keynesian Theory

The Keynesian Theory promotes fiscal policy. Fiscal policy is the government’s plan for changing public spending and taxation to sway combined demand.

Government

Public $$$

Tax $$$

Opportunity Cost An opportunity cost is

whatever option you decided not to go with when making your decision. For example, if you were choosing between studying for a test and going out with friends and you chose going out with friends, the opportunity cost would be possibly failing that test.

F

Producer

A producer is anyone who provides any kind of good or service.

Here you go!

Good

Trade-Off

A trade-off is basically giving up one thing to have another.

Option Two

Option One

Wage/Salary

Both wages and salaries are money paid to people in exchange for their labor. The difference is wages are a set amount of money, while salaries change depending on how much work is done.

$$ MONEY $$

=Labor

Goal Eight:

The U.S. Economy

Demand

Demand is the record of how much consumers want a certain good.

We want strawberrie

s!

We want apples!

We want oranges!

Economic Interdependence

Economic interdependence is the fact that households, businesses, and the government depend on each other for the economy to function.

Government

Household

Business

Fiscal Policy

Fiscal policy is how the government spends money and how it enforces taxes.

Government

$ $ $

Inflation

Inflation is when there is a rise in prices for most products throughout an economy.

$$$$$$$$$$$$

Monopoly

A monopoly is where there is only one producer of a good or service.

I’m the only one

Oligopoly

An oligopoly only has a few producers of a good or service.

We’re competing

against each other.

Shortage

Shortage refers to when the supply of a good falls short of the demand for that same good.

Dem

and

Sup

ply

Supply

Supply is the record of how much of a good is available for consumers to purchase.

Product One - 500

Product Two - 300

Product Three - 700

Product Four - 400

Surplus

When there is more of a supply for a good then there is demand, then that is called a surplus.

Dem

and

Sup

ply

“Trickle Down Effect”

The “trickle down effect” is just saying that everyone in society would benefit if businesses could spend more money on capitol and labor.

Poor

Middle Class

Rich

Government

Goal Nine:

Factors Influencing the U.S. Economy

Discount Rate

A discount rate is the interest rate that banks pay to the Federal Reserve when they borrow money.

$$$$$$$$$$$$

“Easy Money” Policy

The “easy money” policy increases the money supply because it allows people to borrow and spend money, unlike the “tight money” policy.

$$ MONEY $$

Economic Indicators

Economic indicators, facts and data, are used to monitor the economy and see how well it’s doing.

Exchange Rate

The exchange rate tells us how much an amount of money in one country is worth in another.

America

China

Australia

Canada

Human Rights

Human rights are rights that every living person has.

We deserve this.

We deserve that.

We deserve this.

We deserve that.

We deserve this.

We deserve that.

Immigration

Immigration is where people come from another country to live permanently in the United States.

Russia

America

Interest Rate

An interest rate is a percentage that tells someone how much money they must pay a lender in exchange for a loan.

% = $$$

Revenue

Revenue is the money that the government takes in, normally from taxes.

$$$$

Government

Standard of Living

The standard of living is the level of economic prosperity at which people live.

$$ MONEY $$

$$ MONEY $$

$$ MONEY $$

$$ MONEY $$

$$ MONEY $$

v.s.

$$ MONEY $$

$$ MONEY $$

$$ MONEY $$

$$ MONEY $$

$$ MONEY $$

Tariffs

Tariffs are taxes on products that come from another country.

Other Country

Product

Product

Product

Product

Goal Ten:

Issues and Responsibilities in

U.S. Society

Civic Responsibilities

Civic responsibilities are responsibilities that people have to take on to make sure that the U.S. functions properly.

U.S.

U.S.

Not Functioning Properly

Functioning Properly

Compromise

A compromise is when you have two or more people who disagree and then they each give up a little of what they want in order to reach a solution to their problem that everyone is pretty happy with.

I agree! I agree too!

Discrimination

Discrimination is defined as denying something to someone because of their race, sexual orientation, gender, nationality, etc.

Economic Choices

Economic choices refers to the freedom you have when deciding how to spend money, which career plan to follow, how to invest money, etc.

$$$$????

Fiscal Responsibilities

Fiscal responsibilities are any responsibilities related to money.

$$ 20 $$

Immigration

Immigration is just the process of someone coming to the United States from another country to live.

United States

OtherCountry

Legal Responsibilities

Legal responsibilities are people obeying the law.

Pick up litter!

Literate

Being literate just means you are able to read and write.

Moral Responsibilities

Moral responsibilities are specific to each and every person. They include maintaining your integrity, honoring a promise, etc.

NO!

Hey want to smoke

some crack?

Political Choices

Political choices refers to the freedom to have opinions, join political parties, be educated on the issues, etc.

One opinion

Another opinion