Political attitudes: The opinions people hold about the role of government and the specific programs and policies that their government should implement. Political culture: The combined set of political attitudes held by individuals within the same culture. Individualism: A social and political philosophy that promotes individual well-being over the well-being of society as a whole. […]
Bill of Rights: The first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution.Civil liberty: Freedom to do something, usually to exercise a right. Civil right: Freedom from something, such as discrimination. Civil Rights Act of 1964: Law signed by President Johnson that prohibited discrimination in public accommodations on the basis of race or sex. Voting Rights Act […]
U.S. Congress: The legislature of the federal government, divided into a Senate and a House of Representatives. Senate: Upper house of Congress, designed to represent state interests; this chamber consists of 100 members, two from each state. House of Representatives: Lower house of Congress, designed to represent the people; this chamber consists of 435 members, […]
The Declaration of Independence: Formal statement written by Thomas Jefferson in 1776 declaring the freedom of the thirteen American colonies from Great Britain. Popular sovereignty: The principle that a government derives its power from the consent of the people, primarily through their elected representatives. Federalism: A key constitutional principle that calls for the division or […]
Urbanized population: The number of people living in cities. Urbanization: The process by which people live and are employed in a city. Nucleated form of settlement: The type of settlement typical of urban areas in which the settlement is closely grouped around a central area of development. Core area: The center area of development. Dispersed […]
Economic geography: A field of human geography that studies economic development and the inequalities that are created. The main goal is to find out why the world is divided into relatively rich and relatively poor countries. Capitalism: An economic system in which businesses are owned by private individuals and companies who are free to decide […]
Farming: The methodical cultivation of plants and/or animals. Hunting and gathering: The first way humans obtained food. Nomadic groups around the world depended on migratory animals, wild fruit, berries, and roots for sustenance. Agriculture: The raising of animals or the growing of crops on tended land to obtain food for primary consumption by a farmer’s […]
Material culture: Anything that can physically be seen on the landscape. Built environment: Produced by the physical material culture, the built environment is the tangible human creation on the landscape. Nonmaterial culture: Anything on the landscape that comprises culture that cannot be physically touched (e.g., language and religion). Folk culture: The practice of particular customs […]
Demography: The study of population characteristics. Birth rate: The number of births per 1,000 people in the population. Death rate: The number of deaths per 1,000 people in the population. Population explosion: A crisis in which population growth occurs in countries ill- prepared to handle the growing numbers of people. Ecumene: The term for habitable […]
Geography: The description of the Earth’s surface and the people and processes that shape those landscapes.Environmental determinism: A philosophy of geography that stated that human behaviors are a direct result of the surrounding environment. While discredited for decades due to its use as a justification for European imperialism, it has undergone a recent revival in […]