Say What?
A competing position that challenges a claim
COUNTERCLAIM
A counterclaim presents a competing position that challenges the original claim.
“We demand representation. We demand justice. We demand change.”
Name the rhetorical technique.
ANAPHORA
“We demand” is repeated at the beginning of successive clauses.
Government in which political power derives from the people.
DEMOCRACY
A letter written by Abigail Adams in 1776 is what type of source?
PRIMARY SOURCE
It was created during the historical period by a participant/observer.
“Primary sources are automatically unbiased.”
MYTH or FACT?
MYTH
Primary sources can be biased, mistaken, selective, persuasive, or limited in perspective.
A reason or proposition that supports a conclusion.
PREMISE
A premise is a reason or proposition used to support a conclusion.
“Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” uses similarly structured grammatical elements. Name the technique.
PARALLELISM
Parallel grammatical structures create balance, rhythm, and emphasis.
Government in which citizens choose representatives to exercise political power.
REPUBLIC
TRUE OR FALSE: If a source was created during the event being studied, its claims should be accepted as unbiased.
FALSE
“Primary” describes a source’s relationship to the event, not its reliability or neutrality. Bias, purpose, access, and corroboration still matter.
“The founders agreed on what democracy should mean and how the new government should operate.”
MYTH or FACT?
MYTH
The founders disagreed significantly about representation, federal power, executive power, rights, slavery, and other issues.
Place evidence within the circumstances that give it meaning.
CONTEXTUALIZE
To contextualize evidence is to explain the circumstances necessary to interpret it accurately.
A speaker emphasizes statistics about taxes to persuade an audience through logic. Which broad vocabulary term describes this strategy?
APPEAL
An appeal targets an audience’s logic, values, emotions, or trust. Here, the speaker is primarily appealing to logic.
Kansas controls many education policies while the national government regulates interstate commerce. Which concept does this illustrate?
FEDERALISM
Federalism divides governmental power between national and state governments.
You see a dramatic quotation attributed to George Washington in a social-media image. What should you do BEFORE repeating it as evidence?
VERIFY IT.
Use lateral reading, trace the quotation to an original/reliable source, and corroborate it. An image is not proof of attribution.
If we contextualize a historical action, we are making excuses for it and cannot judge it.”
MYTH or FACT?
MYTH
Context improves understanding. Explaining circumstances does not require approving or excusing the action.
A culturally powerful story that may simplify or distort history.
MYTH
A national or cultural myth can contain true elements while still simplifying or distorting the larger history.
A modern speech says, “This is our generation’s Boston Tea Party.” What technique is being used?
ALLUSION
The speaker indirectly references a well-known historical event and relies on the audience to recognize its significance.
A system of political or social beliefs that influences how a person interprets government and society.
IDEOLOGY
A historian quotes a founder saying “all men are created equal.” Name TWO pieces of context that could help a reader interpret the quotation responsibly.
Possible context: speaker/author, audience, date, purpose, surrounding passage, political circumstances, legal status of excluded groups, or the document’s genre.
“If a national myth includes events that really happened, calling it a myth means claiming the whole story is false.”
MYTH or FACT?
MYTH
A culturally powerful narrative can contain factual elements while simplifying, selecting, or distorting parts of the historical record.
Which term describes the relationship among speaker, audience, purpose, context, and message?
RHETORICAL SITUATION
The rhetorical situation considers how speaker, audience, purpose, context, and message interact.
A pamphlet uses emotional stories, leaves out conflicting evidence, and urges colonists to join a cause. Which term BEST describes the communication?
PROPAGANDA
Propaganda is designed to shape attitudes or actions and often presents information selectively.
The Declaration of Independence and Constitution are sometimes treated as if they do the same job. Explain ONE major difference in purpose.
The Declaration announces and justifies separation from Britain; the Constitution establishes the framework and powers of the U.S. government.
Two primary sources from 1776 contradict each other. Does this mean one must be useless? Explain.
The disagreement itself may reveal different perspectives, interests, experiences, or purposes. Evaluate each source and corroborate rather than automatically discarding one.
“The Constitution is basically a revised version of the Declaration of Independence because both documents explain why America separated from Britain.”
Defend or reject the statement.
REJECT IT.
The Declaration justifies independence and separation. The Constitution, written later, establishes a framework for governing the United States.