Chapter 22. Politics - Part V. Careers

Interactive Vocabulary - Amy E. Olsen 2017

Chapter 22. Politics
Part V. Careers

Women in Office

In July 1848, Charlotte Woodward traveled from New York City to Seneca Falls, New York, to attend the first women's rights con­vention. Woodward worked as a glove maker, and by law she was required to give her earn­ings to her father and if married, to her hus­band. She was one of the one hundred people who signed the Declaration of Sentiments arguing for a woman's right to vote. This convention was one step in the battles women fought to attain a place in politics.

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Other conventions followed, including the 1869 National Female Suffrage Convention, which may have been the genesis for Victoria Woodhull's presidential campaign. In 1872 she became the first female candidate for president of the United States. Woodhull was a capable woman evidenced by her experiences as the first female stockbroker and owner, along with her sister, of a weekly news­paper. The number of votes she received is unknown, but her campaign did draw attention to various women's issues. In 1884, Belva Lockwood, one of the first female attorneys, became the second female candidate; she received 4,000 popular votes. Though it would have been easy to grow weary from years of setbacks, women continued holding rallies until in 1920, with the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, they finally won the right to vote. Imagine Charlotte Woodward's feelings when at age 90 she voted in her first election. Now she could at last affirm that her ride to Seneca in 1848 had been a worthwhile trip. She was the only one of the signers still alive for this historic vote.

One reason often given for not allowing women to vote was that a woman's "purity" didn't fit in the world of politics. Others doubted how compatible women and politics could be because women were "frail" creatures. These ideas seem irrational now that thousands of women have entered politics and demonstrated their strengths. One of the early women to do so was Frances Perkins. When she be­came the Secretary of Labor in 1933 it was unprecedented for a woman to hold a cabinet position. She served four 4-year terms. Perkins was reluctant to keep her job each term, but she noted that "the door might not be opened to a woman again for a long, long time, and I had a kind of duty to other women to walk in and sit down on the chair that was offered, and so establish the rights of others ...." During her tenure as secretary, she helped create a minimum wage and establish maximum limits on work hours. Since her appointment, women have continued to fill numerous political positions, such as Sandra Day O'Connor, first woman on the Supreme Court (1981); Madeleine Albright, first female Secretary of State (1996); and Condoleezza Rice, first female National Security Advisor (2001). Today, most men in poli­tics would probably agree that women are able colleagues and that their purity and frailty are non-issues.

Women have also played vital parts in world politics. Sirimavo Bandaranaike was the first female prime minister in the world when she headed Sri Lanka in 1960. A number of countries have since had female heads of state, including Iceland, Germany, Finland, Ireland, Great Britain, Liberia, India, Australia, the Philippines, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua. While the United States waits for its first female president, women around the world continue to find politics a rewarding career choice and a chance to promote equality, progress, and prosperity for all.

Predicting

For each set, write the definition on the line next to the word to which it belongs. If you are unsure, return to the reading on page 144, and underline any context clues you find. After you've made your predictions, check your answers against the Word List on page 149. Place a checkmark in the box next to each word whose definition you missed. These are the words you'll want to study closely.

Set One

to confirm

beginning

to reach

tired

well-matched

□ 1. attain (line 11) ...

□ 2. genesis (line 14) ...

□ 3. weary (line 19) ...

□ 4. affirm (line 22) ...

□ 5. compatible (line 25) ...

Set Two

never before known or experienced

term

important

associates

foolish

□ 6. irrational (line 26) ...

□ 7. unprecedented (line 28) ...

□ 8. tenure (line 32) ...

□ 9. colleagues (line 36) ...

□ 10. vital (line 37) ...

Self-Tests

1 In each group, circle the word that does not have a connection to the other three words.

1. affirm    assert   support   deny

2. opening   possession  tenure   term

3. attain fail   achieve   accomplish

4. ridiculous   illogical   sensible   irrational

5. common   unmatched  unprecedented exceptional

6. exhausted   weary   tired    energetic

7. vital minor  essential  important

8. genesis   origin   result    start

9. coworker   stranger  partner   colleague

10. agreeable  compatible  harmonious  conflicting

2 Finish the sentences with the vocabulary words below. Use each word once.

Vocabulary list

tenure genesis  attained  vital   unprecedented

weary compatible colleagues affirmed  irrational

1. When legislator Harry T. Bum of Tennessee received a note from his mother urging him to vote for ratification of the 19th Amendment, it played a ... role in breaking a tie and

giving women the right to vote.

2. Vigdis Finnbogadottir was elected Iceland's president in 1980; her ... lasted for twenty years in which she was reelected every four years.

3. The ... of female heads of state in the Americas began in 1990 with the election of Violeta Chamorro as president in Nicaragua.

4. In 1984 when Walter Mondale ran for president with Geraldine Ferraro as his vice-president, it was ... to have a woman running for such an office as part of a major party.

5. Congresswoman Jeannette Rankin ... her belief in peace by voting against the United States' entry into World War I and again in World War II, though that time she was the only representative to vote against entering.

6. Some people thought that women like Susan B. Anthony and Emily Pankhurst were ... in their continuous campaign to get women the right to vote.

7. Her ... must have thought highly of her when Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit of India became the first female president of the United Nations.

8. Maria Estela Martinez de Peron might have been getting ... of conditions in her country just before she was overthrown as President of Argentina.

9. Politics must be a ... career for the Bandaranaike family. After her father and mother served as prime ministers, Chandrika was elected president of Sri Lanka in 1994.

10. When Ellen Johnson Sirleaf ... the title of President of Liberia in 2006, she became the first woman elected as a head of state in Africa.

3 Match each sentence to the word it illustrates. Context clues are underlined to help you. Look for synonyms, antonyms, the general meaning, or examples. Use each word once.

Set One

Vocabulary list

compatible

vital

colleagues

attain

irrational

1. My associates and I had a productive meeting. We settled several issues that had been hurting our work environment.

2. I was finally able to reach my goal of being debt free after five years of carefully watching my money.

3. My friend and I are agreeable travel companions; we both love to sleep in late.

4. The package must go out in today's mail.

5. Frank actually thought it would only take an hour to read the entire history book that he had ignored all semester.

Set Two

Vocabulary list

weary unprecedented  genesis  tenure  affirm

6. Omar denies being at last night's wild party, but several people insist they saw him there early in the evening.

7. Sofia has been our state senator for twelve years.

8. Wow, no one has ever eaten an entire Mega-burger before!

9. "When the club began, it only had five people, and now it has two hundred."

10. "I wish I felt more energetic this morning."

4 For each set, complete the analogies. See Completing Analogies on page 6 for instructions.

Set One

1. worry : concern ::  a. usual unprecedented

2. cushion : chair ::  b. hard work : attain a goal

3. big date : dress up :: c. approve : affirm

4. dirty : clean ::   d. dream : irrational

5. oak: tree:    e. colleague : team

Set Two

6. firm : solid ::   f. mismatched : compatible

7. ate too much : full :: g. origin : genesis

8. honey : sweet ::  h. tenure : professor

9. nervous : confident :: i. air : vital

10. racket: tennis player :: j. long day at work : weary

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Identify the two vocabulary words represented in the drawings.

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Interactive Exercise

Finish the sentence starters. The first five contain one of the vocabulary words in the starter. Complete these sentences so that the use of the vocabulary word makes sense. For the second five use each of the following vocabulary words once in your completed sentences: affirm, colleague, compatible, tenure, vital.

1. I grow weary of ...

2. It is irrational that ...

3. In the next year I hope to attain ...

4. The genesis for my plan to ...

5. It is unprecedented that ...

6. Voting is ...

7. If I were to enter politics, I would ...

8. I feel women in politics ...

9. Reading about the various countries that have had female heads of state ...

10. When I think about politics, an image I see ...

Conversation Starters

Gather three to five friends or classmates, and use one or more of the conversation starters below. Before you begin talking, have each person write down six of the vocabulary words he or she will use during the conversation. Share your lists with each other to check that you did not all pick the same six words. Try to cover all of the words you want to study, whether you are reviewing one, two, or more chapters.

1. What do you consider the greatest contribution of science to society? Which field of science most interests you? Why?

2. Which area of the arts most intrigues you: music, writing, or visual (i.e., painting, sculpture)? Do you prefer to create or view/listen to this medium?

3. Do you feel women bring any special skills to the political world? Do you think the United States will have a female president in the next twelve years?

4. What types of careers are you interested in pursuing? What attracts you to these fields?

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Words to Watch

Which words would you like to practice with a bit more? Pick 3-5 words to study, and list them below. Write the word and its definition, and compose your own sentence using the word correctly. This extra practice could be the final touch to learning a word.

Word

Definition

Your Sentence

1.



2.



3.



4.



5.