Excerpt from the Keynote Address to the 2004 Democratic National Convention

As a senator, Barack Obama gave a speech that paved the way to the White House. Vote for this list of words from a former civil rights lawyer and teacher who became the 44th President of the United States.

Here are all the word lists to support the reading of Grade 11 Unit 1's texts from SpringBoard's Common Core ELA series: A Cause Greater Than Self, The New Colossus, The Statue of Liberty Address, poems about America, America, America and I, What Is an American, Growing Up Asian in America, Let America Be America Again, The Four Freedoms, The Bill of Rights, What Is Freedom, Is the American Dream Still Possible, The Declaration of Independence, poems about immigrants, Money, A Raisin in the Sun, Who Burns, Roberto Acuna, Barack Obama, The Right to Fail
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. perseverance
    persistent determination
    Through hard work and perseverance my father got a scholarship to study in a magical place, America, that shone as a beacon of freedom and opportunity to so many who had come before.
  2. barrier
    any condition that makes it difficult to make progress
    They would give me an African name, Barack, or "blessed," believing that in a tolerant America your name is no barrier to success.
  3. affirm
    establish or strengthen as with new evidence or facts
    Tonight, we gather to affirm the greatness of our nation, not because of the height of our skyscrapers, or the power of our military, or the size of our economy.
  4. premise
    a statement that is held to be true
    Our pride is based on a very simple premise, summed up in a declaration made over two hundred years ago
  5. retribution
    the act of taking revenge
    That is the true genius of America, a faith in the simple dreams, the insistence on small miracles; that we can tuck in our children at night and know they are fed and clothed and safe from harm; that we can say what we think, write what we think, without hearing a sudden knock on the door; that we can have an idea and start our own business without paying a bribe; that we can participate in the political process without fear of retribution
  6. eradicate
    destroy completely, as if down to the roots
    They know that parents have to teach, that children can't achieve unless we raise their expectations and turn off the television sets and eradicate the slander that says a black youth with a book is acting white.
  7. fundamental
    being or involving basic facts or principles
    it is that fundamental belief--I am my brother's keeper, I am my sister's keeper--that makes this country work
  8. pundit
    an expert who publicly gives opinions via mass media
    The pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States
  9. optimism
    the hopeful feeling that all is going to turn out well
    I'm not talking about blind optimism here--the almost willful ignorance that thinks unemployment will go away if we just don't talk about it, or the health care crisis will solve itself if we just ignore it.
  10. audacity
    fearless daring
    Hope in the face of difficulty, hope in the face of uncertainty, the audacity of hope!
Created on 十一月 9, 2014 (updated 十一月 9, 2014)

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