Poly Govt Homework - Due Monday Oct 3

Next week we will finish our discussion of the political, cultural and economic spectrum. There will be an exam to evaluate your understanding of the concepts.

Our second unit will last about two months. The Essential Question is "Did the Constitution’s Framers Intend to Construct a Revolutionary and Democratic Government?"

I apologize for the late posting. There is quite a bit of vocab. I defined some and used in a sentence for you. Finish the rest, do the readings and answer the questions.



Define the following terms. List parts of speech and use each in a sentence.

delegate
inaugurate
vigorous
bustle
vicinity
precedent
scrutiny
soberly
invoke
scurrilous
epic
allegory
impede
federal
heterogeneous
adherent
variant
middling
buoyed
plebeian
populist
agrarian



deliberation: noun. 1. Long and careful consideration or discussion.
2. Slow and careful movement or thought.

The U. N. Security Council's perennial deliberations regarding Israel and Palestine have yet to make serious progress.


despotism: 1. The exercise of absolute power, esp. in a cruel and oppressive way.
2. A country or political system where the ruler holds absolute power

Benjamin Franklin feared our republican form of government would devolve to despotism.


indispensable: adjective: absolutely necessary or essential

A strong vocabulary will prove to be indispensable when you enter college, so why would anyone ever complain about "getting to much vocabulary homework"? Jeez. I'd hate to meet that person.

intemperate: Adjective

1. Having or showing a lack of self-control; immoderate:"intemperate outbursts".

2. Given to or characterized by excessive indulgence, esp. in alcohol

I was appalled by Mike's intemperance as he snatched the last hash brown, even though he already ate four.


enfranchise: Verb

1. Give the right to vote to.

2. Free (a slave).

While the Fifteenth Amendment enfranchised African Americans, poll taxes, literacy tests and grandfather clauses effectively prevented them from voting.


citadel: Noun: A fortress, typically on high ground, protecting or dominating a city.

It was a bit terrifying to see machine guns pointing down from the citadel.


precipitate: Verb: Cause (an event or situation, typically a bad one) to happen suddenly, unexpectedly, or prematurely: "the incident precipitated a political crisis".

Adjective: Done, made, or acting suddenly or without careful consideration.

The housing crash was precipitated the recklessness of several large banks.

abolitionist: a person who opposed slavery before the civil war.

Abolitionist John Brown attempted to lead an uprising of slaves.

litigation: noun: a legal proceeding in a court; a judicial contest to determine and enforce legal rights.

My lawsuit was tied up in years of litigation before I ever saw one red cent.

emphatic: (noun) Showing or giving emphasis; expressing something forcibly and clearly.

The United States' emphatic denunciations of tyranny seem disingenuous when you consider its alliance with Saudi Arabia.


ordain: (verb) 1. Make (someone) a priest or minister; confer holy orders on.
2. Order or decree (something) officially: "equal punishment was ordained for the two crimes".

Rev Al Sharpton claims to have been ordained at the age of nine.

idiom: (noun) 1. A group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words (e.g., raining cats and dogs).
2. A form of expression natural to a language, person, or group of people: "he had a feeling for phrase and idiom"

invective: Noun/adj: Insulting, abusive, or highly critical language.

It was almost impossible for James to debate without slipping into an invective tone.

monolith: noun: Formed of a single large block of stone.
2. (of a building) Very large and characterless.

The bland, unimpressive monolith was an odd tourist attraction.




Readings:

http://www.gilderlehrman.org/historynow/09_2007/historian.php

http://www.gilderlehrman.org/historynow/09_2007/historian6.php

1) Discuss how the concept of state sovereignty relates to Patrick Henry's attitude about the Constitution.

2) Why was the Bill of Rights added to the Constitution?

3) Discuss the following quote. What message was Franklin attempting to convey?

“Today a man owns a jackass worth fifty dollars and he is entitled to vote; but before the next election the jackass dies. The man in the meantime has become more experienced, his knowledge of the principles of government and his acquaintance with mankind are more extensive, and he is therefore better qualified to make a proper selection of rulers—but the jackass is dead and the man cannot vote. Now, gentlemen, pray inform me, in whom is the right of suffrage? In the man or the jackass?”7


4) Discuss the conflict between President Jackson and the Supreme Court.

5) List the groups that were not included in the notion of "We the People".

6) Explain the difference between Federalists and Anti-Federalists. Discuss the Anti-Federalist opinion of the Constitution.