Definition and meaning of Generalizations

Generalizations

Generalizations are statements about relationships between and among concepts. They organize and summarize information obtained from the analysis of facts. A generalization is usually a broad assertion that something is always true. A fact, on the other hand, is a truth only about a particular incident or case. Here is a generalization: The nature of democracy in the United States continually evolves as society grows and changes. Here is a fact which supports it: Women received the right to vote in 1924.

(Source: The Social Studies Center at Texas University )

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Definition and meaning of Graph

Graph(s)

A graph is a diagram (as a series of points, a line, a curve, an area) which represents the change of a variable in comparison with that of one or more other variables.

(Source: The Social Studies Center at Texas University )

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Definition and meaning of Graph

Graph(s)

A graph is a diagram (as a series of points, a line, a curve, an area) which represents the change of a variable in comparison with that of one or more other variables.

(Source: The Social Studies Center at Texas University )

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Definition and meaning of Generalizations

Generalizations

Generalizations are statements about relationships between and among concepts. They organize and summarize information obtained from the analysis of facts. A generalization is usually a broad assertion that something is always true. A fact, on the other hand, is a truth only about a particular incident or case. Here is a generalization: The nature of democracy in the United States continually evolves as society grows and changes. Here is a fact which supports it: Women received the right to vote in 1924.

(Source: The Social Studies Center at Texas University )

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Definition and meaning of Governmental Social Controls

Governmental Social Controls - [Sociology]

Individuals must conform to certain standards of performance or norms within society. Otherwise the society degenerates into chaos. Norms are enforced through internalization and through sanctions. Governmental social controls are usually sanctions on behavior. Internalization is more an individual process by which people accept the right and just nature of norms, and they practice self-control. People who have not internalized norms must be motivated to conform by sanctions. A formal sanction is a reward for good behavior or a punishment for bad behavior which is given by a formal organization such as government. Beyond self-control, social control is enforced by figures of authority including the judicial system and police, and the adoption of laws.

(Source: The Social Studies Center at Texas University )

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Definition and meaning of Governmental Social Controls

Governmental Social Controls - [Sociology]

Individuals must conform to certain standards of performance or norms within society. Otherwise the society degenerates into chaos. Norms are enforced through internalization and through sanctions. Governmental social controls are usually sanctions on behavior. Internalization is more an individual process by which people accept the right and just nature of norms, and they practice self-control. People who have not internalized norms must be motivated to conform by sanctions. A formal sanction is a reward for good behavior or a punishment for bad behavior which is given by a formal organization such as government. Beyond self-control, social control is enforced by figures of authority including the judicial system and police, and the adoption of laws.

(Source: The Social Studies Center at Texas University )

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Definition and meaning of Great Plains

Great Plains - [Social Studies]

The Great Plains is the high grassland region of central North America extending south from the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba to Texas.

(Source: The Social Studies Center at Texas University )

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Definition and meaning of Greek and Roman Myths

Greek and Roman Myths

"Myth" is a Greek word describing a spoken story, a speech or a tale. In ancient times, the Greeks created myths to explain creation, the exploits of divine and heroic figures, and their deeds of strength and daring. The heroes of the myths were gods or superhumans who functioned outside of ordinary life. Yet the myths relayed lessons which were important to humans who listened. Common themes included the destruction of those who defied the gods, were arrogant, or made rash promises. Myths stressed the value of personal honor. They formed the basis of Greek and later Roman religion. Roman mythology was largely adopted from Greek mythology but was more linked to historic occurrences and city life. In the early 19th century the Romantic movement reinvigorated the study of myth. Since then attempts to classify and compare folklore and mythology are concerned with common social functions and relationships in different societies over time.

(Source: The Social Studies Center at Texas University )

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Definition and meaning of Grid System

Grid System

A grid system is a network of horizontal and vertical lines used to locate points on a map or a chart by means of coordinates. The grid system often used on state highway maps consists of columns and rows labeled with letters and numbers. A place identified as G25 in the index is found at the intersection of "column" G and "row" 25 (or vice versa). Latitude and longitude also form divisions in a grid system.

(Source: The Social Studies Center at Texas University )

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Definition and meaning of Group Membership

Group Membership - [Sociology]

Membership in a group is open to those who share a goal. Some groups perform task functions and others perform social functions. Most task-oriented groups are formal and are organized around accomplishing a specific project or objective. Most social-oriented groups are informal and temporary and are motivated by social satisfaction. Members of any group have a status within the group, assume a role, and bring value or expectations of conduct to the situation. Each member's role differs depending on his or her status and his or her values. The director of the project has the highest status of the group and therefore the value of that position is perceived as high. The expectations of performance for the director are different than those of the construction worker, but tasks require the expertise of both.

(Source: The Social Studies Center at Texas University )

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Definition and meaning of Growth of Labor Unions

Growth of Labor Unions - [Social Studies]

As industrialization increased in the United States following the Civil War, the rights of laborers were undermined by the emphasis of employers to increase production and profits. Workers unionized to effect change. However, laborers were not united in the efforts because established workers rarely cooperated with immigrant or black workers who were willing to work for less. The majority of laborers, particularly the unskilled, did not join the early unions and their interests were not defended. In the late 1800s, two out of three working Americans depended on wages instead of self-employment. Laborers organized, forming unions to oppose unfair treatment but corporations continued to wield more power than labor. The first union was the National Labor Union (1866). By 1872, 32 national unions existed serving the special interests of bricklayers, typesetters, and shoemakers. In 1886 Samuel Gompers founded the American Federation of Labor (AFL) as an association of several national unions. Gompers sought better wages and hours and general improvement in the conditions under which laborers worked. He supported boycotts and walkouts and focused on the issues concerning skilled workers. He did not represent the interests of the unskilled, of women, or blacks. Between 1881 and 1900 there were 23,000 strikes involving 6,610,000 workers and employers lost $450 million. But this labor agitation still reflected the interests of only a small percentage of all laborers. Public support for labor increased during the period as people recognized the rights of laborers to organize, practice collective bargaining, and strike. In 1894, the federal government declared Labor Day as a legal holiday in tribute to laborers. This occurred the same year the federal government broke the strike of laborers for the Pullman Palace Car Company in Chicago.

(Source: The Social Studies Center at Texas University )

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Definition and meaning of Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution - [Social Studies]

Prompted by reports of North Vietnamese aggression toward the American destroyer, the U.S.S. Maddox, in August 1964, Congress authorized President Lyndon Johnson to increase American military involvement in Vietnam. The resolution was not an official declaration of war against North Vietnam but it gave the president the freedom to send troops into combat.

(Source: The Social Studies Center at Texas University )

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Definition and meaning of The Grapes of Wrath

The Grapes of Wrath - [Social Studies]

The Grapes of Wrath is a novel by John Steinbeck portraying the plight of migrant agricultural workers in California during the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl.

(Source: The Social Studies Center at Texas University )

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Definition and meaning of Gender Groups

Gender Groups - [Sociology]

The female sex differs from the male sex biologically. Other distinctions result from socialization. Sociologists use the term "gender" to refer to the distinctions constructed by society and culture. Members in a gender group share expectations as do members in any other social- or task-oriented group, but members in gender groups also share biological characteristics. Girls go to Girl Scout meetings and boys attend Boy Scout meetings. Yet, women are becoming increasingly involved as leaders of Cub Scouts, an organization founded to work with younger boys. 

(Source: The Social Studies Center at Texas University )

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Definition and meaning of Geographic Distributions and Patterns

Geographic Distributions and Patterns

Geographers are interested in the location of things on Earth, that is, where things are located, how they are distributed, and what relationships exist between things separated by distance. Sometimes things are distributed randomly across the surface of Earth. Other times a pattern is apparent in the distribution. That helps us to understand the forces that affect distribution. Consider the location of key industries, cities, types of agriculture--all of these things are distributed (located) somewhere, and show a pattern. Industries are located near resources or near markets. Cities are often located at vital transportation crossroads. The types of crops grown depend upon physical conditions as well as access to markets and transportation. Noting distribution and pattern helps us to understand why things are where they are.

(Source: The Social Studies Center at Texas University )

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Definition and meaning of Geographic Factors

Geographic Factors

Several factors may influence the settlement and development of a place. Geographic factors include the physical characteristics of a place such as landforms, bodies and sources of water, vegetation, climate and weather patterns, and animal life. People who relocate to an area to farm prefer fertile land, abundant rainfall, and a moderate climate to a desert. Those who make their living by fishing settle near bodies of water. Settlers often avoid mountainous areas or swamp land for various reasons. Other geographic factors such as accessibility to transportation routes and to markets also influence settlement and population distribution in Texas.

(Source: The Social Studies Center at Texas University )

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Definition and meaning of Geographic Information System

Geographic Information System - [World Geography]

A geographic information system (GIS) is an integrated system of a computer, software, and procedures designed to support the collection, management, manipulation, analysis, modeling, and display of spatially referenced data about Earth's surface in order to solve geographic problems.

(Source: The Social Studies Center at Texas University )

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Definition and meaning of Gettysburg Address

Gettysburg Address

During the Civil War, on November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln traveled to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, to dedicate a national cemetery at the site of the Battle of Gettysburg. Three sentences excerpted from his short speech capture the spirit of liberty and morality ideally held by citizens of a democracy. That ideal was threatened by the Civil War. Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. . . . . . . It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us--that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion--that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain--that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom--and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

(Source: The Social Studies Center at Texas University )

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Definition and meaning of GI Bill

GI Bill - [Social Studies]

In 1944 Congress passed the Servicemen's Readjustment Act, known as the GI Bill. Part of the strategy to avoid economic downturn after World War II, the GI Bill allotted funds to send former soldiers to school. In the ten years after the war, more than eight million veterans went to school at government expense. Most sought vocational and technical training, but many also attended colleges and universities. In addition, the act allowed the Veteran's Administration to guarantee $16 billion in loans to veterans so they could purchase homes, farms, or small businesses. The bill did contribute to economic stability after the war.

(Source: The Social Studies Center at Texas University )

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Definition and meaning of Gibbons v. Ogden

Gibbons v. Ogden

In Gibbons v. Ogden (1824), Chief Justice John Marshall of the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution gave control of interstate commerce to the U.S. Congress, not the individual states through which a route passed. The ruling responded to an effort by the state of New York to accept a monopoly to operate steam boat traffic between New York and New Jersey.

(Source: The Social Studies Center at Texas University )

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