Politics and Government

Read Zinn 96-102

Answer the following questions. Use the vocabulary list to assist you as you read.

1. Discuss the right to vote in the new Constitution.

2. Zinn suggests that there is more to democracy than voting. What does he mean?

3. What was the basis for the "factionsal struggles that were developing?"

4. Why does Zinn seem to doubt that the "government...maintain[s] peace...as a referee between two equally matched fighters"?

5. Discuss the quote from Madidison in Federalist #10. What does he want people to know, think believe?


6. Discuss the compromise between Northern business and Southern slaveholders.

7. Why do you think the Constitution protected "life, liberty and property" instead of the pursuit of happiness?

8. Write several sentences to describe the following terms. Include a quote for each.
a) Bill of Rights
b) Sedition Act
c) Whiskey Rebellion

popular election: universal suffrage (also universal adult suffrage, general suffrage or common suffrage) consists of the extension of the right to vote to adult citizens (or subjects) as a whole, though it may also mean extending said right to minors and non-citizens.

tumultuous: disruptive, characterized by unrest or disorder or insubordination; "effects of the struggle will be violent and disruptive"; "riotous times"; "these troubled areas"; "the tumultuous years of his administration"; "a turbulent and unruly childhood"

faction/factional: in politics, a political faction is a grouping of like-minded individuals, especially within a political organization, such as a political party, a trade union, or other group.

unison: corresponding exactly; "marching in unison"
occurring together or simultaneously; "the two spoke in unison"

apt: naturally disposed toward; "he is apt to ignore matters he considers unimportant"; "I am not minded to answer any questions"

pervade: to be in every part of; to spread through

tempestuous: stormy, characterized by violent emotions or behavior; "a stormy argument"; "a stormy marriage"

repress: put down by force or intimidation; "The government quashes any attempt of an uprising"; "China keeps down her dissidents very efficiently"; "The rich landowners subjugated the peasants working the land"

insurrection: rebellion, organized opposition to authority; a conflict in which one faction tries to wrest control from another

delusion: a fixed belief that is either false, fanciful, or derived from deception. Psychiatry defines the term more specifically as a belief that is pathological (the result of an illness or illness process). ...

lament: a cry of sorrow and grief; "their pitiful laments could be heard throughout the ward"

illicit: contrary to accepted morality (especially sexual morality) or convention; "an illicit association with his secretary"

delegate: a person appointed or elected to represent others

Native American vs. Indian vs. American Indian vs. Amerindian

In our discussions about U. S. History, I may use reference groups of people in different ways as a means to contextualize a time period. For instance, Negro suffrage may be used in reference to the fourteenth amendment.

To address the concern about the use of "Indian": This term is both a historic reference and it be a politically correct term, though the proper term is "American Indian." I have tried to gather a little evidence. Here are a couple of links, albeit one is from wikipedia.

http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/3027/a_politically_correct_lexicon/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_American_name_controversy

http://www.sonofthesouth.net/american-indians/

http://www.americanindian.net/

Democratizing Twentieth Century/Poltics and Government HW

Hey folks. I'll be away until tomorrow afternoon, I will post some vocabulary tomorrow night. Poly Govt students should complete a current event. Democratizing students should complete the secondary source sheet for "Industrializing America"

Check blog tomorrow.

Have a good weekend.

Democratizing Twentieth Century Homework

Read 328-339 in Zinn. Answer the following questions using complete sentences. Include a quote from the text to support your answer.

1) Compare the AFL with the IWW. Construct a Venn Diagram and write several sentences.

2) What is a general strike? What would that look like in New York City?

3) Discuss the tacticts of the IWW. In what ways did they organize workers? What tacticts did they use to help workers resist oppression?

4) Select and discuss 2 quotes that illustrate the impact of immigration on the IWW. Where were these immigrants from?

5) Construct a primary source analysis chart for "Rules for Female Teachers".

6) Discuss the excerpt from the Handbook of the Women's Trade Industrial League. In what ways are the concept of Taylorism expressed? Can you make any connections to the Women's Suffrage Movement?

longshoreman: a laborer who loads and unloads vessels in a port

militant: disposed to warfare or hard-line policies; "militant nations"; "hawkish congressman"; "warlike policies"

persistance: the property of a continuous and connected period of time

ordinance: regulation, an authoritative rule, a statute enacted by a city government

Politics and Government Homework

Read Zinn handout pages 86-96
Answer the following questions. Use the vocabulary list below to help with yor reading. I advise that you print it out so it is handy as you read.

1) Compare the British relationship with Indians to the French relationship with Indians.

2) Discuss the British use of biological warfare.

3) Why did Inidans side with the British during the Revolution?

4) Reflect on Zinn's discussion of blacks before and after the Revolution.
a) Why did slavery expand in the South and not the North?
b) Discuss the demands that free blacks made on society.
c) Prepare a primary source analysis chart for Banneker's letter to Jefferson.

5) Compare and contrast the opinions of Charles Beard and George Bankcroft regarding the Constitution.

6) List the economic interests groups who attended the Constitutional COnvention.

7) What prompted Shays' Rebellion? Consider both economic and political reasons.


inexorable: unable to be persuaded; relentless; unrelenting; impossible to stop or prevent; inevitable; adamant; severe

subdue: repress, put down by force or intimidation; "The government quashes any attempt of an uprising"; "China keeps down her dissidents very efficiently"; "The rich landowners subjugated the peasants working the land"

coexistance: exist together

intricate: having many complexly arranged elements; elaborate; "intricate lacework"

swindling: victimize, deprive of by deceit; "He swindled me out of my inheritance"; "She defrauded the customers who trusted her"; "the cashier gypped me when he gave me too little change", the act of swindling by some fraudulent scheme; "that book is a fraud"

provincial: of or associated with a province; "provincial government"

redress: damages, a sum of money paid in compensation for loss or injury

acquaint: introduce, cause to come to know personally; "permit me to acquaint you with my son"; "introduce the new neighbors to the community"

cede: give over, surrender or relinquish to the physical control of another

negotiate: discuss the terms of an arrangement; "They negotiated the sale of the house"

guerilla: a member of an irregular armed force that fights a stronger force by sabotage and harassment

expedition: a military campaign designed to achieve a specific objective in a foreign country

cession: that which is ceded. Insurance: (part of) a risk which is transferred from one actor to another; The transfer of a personal claim from a cedent to a cessionary

multiplicity: the property of being multiple, numerousness, a large number

bulwark: a protective structure of stone or concrete; extends from shore into the water to prevent a beach from washing away

amid: surrounded by; in the middle of; in the center of

evade: avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing (duties, questions, or issues); "He dodged the issue"; "she skirted the problem"; "They tend to evade their responsibilities"; "he evaded the questions skillfully"

rhetoric: using language effectively to please or persuade

apprehend: appreciated, fully understood or grasped; "dangers not yet appreciated"; "these apprehended truths"; "a thing comprehended is a thing known as fully as it can be known"

conceive: have the idea for; "He conceived of a robot that would help paralyzed patients"; "This library was well conceived"
think, judge or regard; look upon; judge; "I think he is very smart"; "I believe her to be very smart"; "I think that he is her boyfriend"; "The racist conceives such people to be inferior"

exert: put to use; "exert one's power or influence"

attest: provide evidence for; stand as proof of; show by one's behavior, attitude, or external attributes; "His high fever attested to his illness"; "The buildings in Rome manifest a high level of architectural sophistication"; "This decision demonstrates his sense of fairness"

censure: harsh criticism or disapproval

endowment: natural abilities or qualities
(2) the capital that provides income for an institution
(3)the act of endowing with a permanent source of income; "his generous endowment of the laboratory came just in the nick of time"

prevail: predominate: be larger in number, quantity, power, status or importance; "Money reigns supreme here"; "Hispanics predominate in this neighborhood"

sentiment: tender, romantic, or nostalgic feeling or emotion

concurrent: occurring or operating at the same time; "a series of coincident events"

imbibed: absorb, take in, also metaphorically; "The sponge absorbs water well"; "She drew strength from the minister's words"

consonant: accordant, in keeping; "salaries agreeable with current trends"; "plans conformable with your wishes"; "expressed views concordant with his background"

redemption: (theology) the act of delivering from sin or saving from evil
(2) repayment of the principal amount of a debt or security at or before maturity (as when a corporation repurchases its own stock)
(3) the act of purchasing back something previously sold

maxim: a saying that is widely accepted on its own merits

imprudence: a lack of caution in practical affairs, unwise

opulence: deluxe, rich and superior in quality; "a princely sum"; "gilded dining rooms"

Politics and Government Homework

Unit 1: How Democratic is the Constitution?

Read pages 87-86 in "A Kind of Revolution"
Answer each of the following questions using SEVERAL COMPLETE SENTENCES. Include at least one quote that helped you determine your answer. Use the vocabulary list below to help with complex passages.

1. Which segments of the population supported the war, which were against and which were neutral? Why do you think this was the case?

2. Which groups in were not allowed to participate in the Revolutionary Militia? Why do you think they were forbidden?

3. Discuss the findings of historian John Shy. What does he seem to be suggesting about the relationship between social class and war?

4. Discuss the Connecticut draft. Do you think this draft was democratic? Why or why not?

5. How do the soldiers react to Robert Morris?

6. Why might one describe the Maryland constitution as aristocratic?

7. Discuss concerns about poor whites as they related to blacks.

8. Zinn seems to be suggesting that the war was more about class than independence. Provide three quotes that support his claim. Explain why you have selected each quote.

commissary: someone delegated by a superior to execute a duty or an office; in a formal, legal context, one who has received power from a legitimate superior authority to pass judgment in a certain cause or to take information concerning it

recalcitrant: marked by a stubborn unwillingness to obey figures of authority; hard to deal with or operate

impressment: the act of compelling men to serve in a navy by force and without notice

conscription: the draft, call-up or national service

cognizant: being fully aware or having knowledge of something

viz: namely, as follows

avaricious: immoderately desirous of acquiring e.g. wealth; "they are avaricious and will do anything for money"; "casting covetous eyes on his neighbor's fields"; "a grasping old miser"; "grasping commercialism"; "greedy for money and power"; "grew richer and greedier"; "prehensile employers stingy with ..."

commerce: transactions (sales and purchases) having the objective of supplying commodities (goods and services)

speculation: an investment that is very risky but could yield great profits; "he knew the stock was a speculation when he bought it"

profiteer: someone who makes excessive profit (especially on goods in short supply)

grievance: grudge, a resentment strong enough to justify retaliation; "holding a grudge"; "settling a score"

mutiny: open rebellion against constituted authority (especially by seamen or soldiers against their officers)

consternation: alarm, fear resulting from the awareness of danger

divisive: having a quality that divides or separates

vigilant: carefully observant or attentive; on the lookout for possible danger; "a policy of open-eyed awareness"; "the vigilant eye of the town watch"; "there was a watchful dignity in the room"; "a watchful parent with a toddler in tow"

disposition: your usual mood; "he has a happy disposition"

debtor: a person who owes a creditor; someone who has the obligation of paying a debt

apparition: a ghostly appearing figure; "we were unprepared for the apparition that confronted us"

consumption: the utilization of economic goods to satisfy needs or in manufacturing; "the consumption of energy has increased steadily"

carnage: slaughter, the savage and excessive killing of many people

concession: a point conceded or yielded; "they won all the concessions they asked for"

treason: a crime that undermines the offender's government

encompass: include in scope; include as part of something broader; have as one's sphere or territory; "This group encompasses a wide range of people from different backgrounds"; "this should cover everyone in the group"

corroborate: support with evidence or authority or make more certain or confirm; "The stories and claims were born out by the evidence"

fuedal: any system that resembles the one used in the middle ages, where the people provided labour and military service to a lord in return for the use of his land. A form of contractual servitude.

prominent: standing out, or projecting; jutting; protuberant; Likely to attract attention from its size or position; conspicuous; Eminent; distinguished above others

Democrazting Twentieth Century America Homework

Democracy and Equality for Women- The Right to Vote: Why Then?

Read Zinn pages 321-329
Answer the following questions. For each, provide a quote from the text that helped you determine your answer.
Each answer should consist of several complete sentences.
Below, you will find a list of vocabulary and definitions to assist you as you read.

1. Discuss Upton Sinclair's book The Jungle. Why do you think he wanted more government regulation of business? Why do you think such problems were new in the Twentieth Century?

2. Discuss the relationship between banks and railroads.

3. Discuss Taylorism. How were immigrants impacted by Taylorism? Why do you think some people call typical public high schools with bells and timed periods the "factory model"?

4. What happened at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company? Why do you think this led to increased calls for regulation of business?

5. Analyze the findings of the Commission on Industrial Relations, 1914. What would you have said next if you were Weinstock?

6. How did race impact the ability of workers to organize into unions?

obscure- not clear; hidden
exiled-to be banished (by your country)
commodities- economic goods
resolution- resolving
perforated- having a hole
commenced- to initiate, to begin
exclusion- to leave out
hobnobbed- to hang out with socially
anarchists- people who rebels against authority