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THE TAMING
Dramaturgy Packet

Large Topics of Reference

Page Topic

7 The Ms. America Pageant: An annual beauty competition that is open to

women in the US between the ages of 17 and 25. Originating in 1921 as
a “bathing beauty review”, the contest is now judged on the competitors’
talent performances and interviews. The origins of the contest lie in an
event entitled THE FALL FROLIC which was held in Atlantic City on
September 25, 1920. The pageant has been held consistently since then
with the exception of 1928-1932 when it was shut down due to nancial
issues because of the Great Depression. O cially, The Ms America
Pageant no longer includes a swimsuit competition and there is a larger
focus on the competitors’ talent, passion and ambition.

8 The National Mall: A landscaped park within the National Mall and
Memorial Parks, an o cial unit of the United States National Park
System. It is located near the downtown area of Washington, D.C.. The
term is often taken to refer to the entire area between the Lincoln
Memorial on the west and the United States Capitol grounds on the eats,
with the Washington Monument dividing the area.

10 CNN: The Cable News Network is a multi-national news-based pay

television channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. It was founded in
1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a
24-hour cable news channel. CNN was the rst all-news television
channel in the US. The network is known for dramatic live coverage of
breaking news which has drawn criticism as overly sensationalistic,
however its e orts to be nonpartisan have led to accusations of false
balance.

11 Condoleeza Rice: Born November 14, 1954. She is an American

diplomat and Political Scientist. Rice served as the 66th US Secretary of
State from 2005-2009 and as the 20th National Security Advisor from
2001 to 2005. A member of the Republican Party, Rice was the rst
African American Secretary of State and the rst woman to serve as the
National Security Advisor. Until the election of Barak Obama she and

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Colin Powell are the highest ranking African Americans in the history of
the federal executive branch.

Hilary Clinton: Born October 26, 1947. She is an American politician,

diplomat, lawyer, writer and public speaker who served as rst lady of the
United States from 1993-2001. A member of the Democratic Party, she is
the rst woman to win a presidential nomination. Clinton won the popular
vote, however, she lost the Electoral College vote and thereby lost the
presidential election.

13 Chief Of Sta : Is the identity of the leader of a complex organization

such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it may also
identify a principle sta o cer who is the coordinator of the supporting
sta to an individual such as a president. In general the Chief of Sta
provides a bu er between a chief executive and that executives direct
reporting team.

Supreme Court: The highest court within the hierarchy of courts.

Broadly speaking, the decisions of a supreme court are not subject to
further review by any other court. The idea of the Supreme Court owes
much to the framers of the Constitution of the United States. It was while
debating the division of powers between the legislative and executive
departments the delegates of the 1787 Constitutional Convention
established the parameters for the national judiciary.

16 Ronald Reagan: Born February 6, 1911. Died June 5, 2004. He was an

American politician who served as the 40th President of the United States
from 1981-1989. A member of the Republican Party he previously served
as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 to 1975. Early n his
presidency he began implementing new political and economic initiatives.
His supply-side economics policies or “Reganomics” advocated tax
reduction, economic deregulation and a reduction in government
spending. In his rst term he survived an assassination attempt, spurred
the War On Drugs, invaded Grenada and fought public-sector labor
unions.

Chocolate Labradors: A British breed of retriever gun dog. It was

developed in the United Kingdom from shing dogs imported from the
colony of Newfoundland now a province of Canada. Considered the most
popular breed in the world.

17 Barak Obama: Born August 4, 1961. An American politician who served

as the 44th President of the United States from 2009-1-2017. A member
of the Democratic Party, Obama was the rst African-American president
of the US. The rst black president of the Harvard Law review he
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became a civil rights attorney, and academic teaching constitutional law

at the University of Chicago Law School. Obama signed many landmark
bills into law in his rst two years of o ce. The main reforms include: the
A ordable Care Act, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform, and the
Consumer Protection Act and the Don’t Ask, Don’t tell Repeal Act of
2010.

Ruth Bader Ginsberg: Born March 15, 1933 and died September 18,
2020. She was an American lawyer and jurist who served as an associate
justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1933 until her
death. She eventually became a part of the liberal wing of the Court as
the Court shifted to the right over time. Ginsburg was the rst Jewish
woman and the second woman to serve on the Court.

20 American Constitutional Government: The oldest and shortest written

constitution still in force.

Heritage Foundation: An American conservative think tank based in

Washington, D.C., primarily geared towards public policy. The foundation
took a leading role in the conservative movement during the presidency
of Ronald Reagan, whose policies were taken from Heritage’s policy
study Mandate for Leadership. Historically, the Heritage Foundation has
had signi cant in uence in US public policy making. It is among the most
in uential public policy organizations in the Unites States.

Thomas Je erson: (April 13, 1743-July 4, 1826) An American statesman,

diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher and Founding Father who served
as the third President of the United States from 1801-1809. He had
previously served as the second Vice President of the United States
under John Adams and as the rst United States Secretary under George
Washington. The principal author of the Declaration of Independence,
Je erson was a proponent of democracy, republicanism and individual
rights. Motivations American colonist to break from the Kingdom of Great
Britain and form a new nation. During his lifetime Je erson owned over
600 slaves. Controversy has revealed around his relationship with Sally
Hemings, a mixed-race slave woman. According to DNA evidence,
Je erson and Hemings had 6 children together. He predicted that a
period of 20 years would be the optimal time for any constitution to still
be in force, since “the earth belongs to the living and not the dead.”

Founding Fathers: A group of American revolutionary leaders who united

the Thirteen Colonies, led the war on independence from Great Britain,
and built a frame of government for the new United State of America
upon classical liberalism and republican principles during the later
decades of the 18th century.Seven gures are considered to be key
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Founding Fathers: John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton,

John Jay, Thomas Je erson, James Madison and George Washington
based on critical and substantive roles they played in the formation of the
country’s new government.

Articles of Confederation: The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual

Union was an agreement among the 13 original states of the United
States of America that served as its rst frame of government. It was
approved after much debate between 1776 and 1777 by the Second
Continental Congress and sent to the states for rati cation. The Articles
of Confederation came in to force on March 1, 1781 as a guiding
document meant to preserve the independence and sovereignty of the
states.

Article 5: Describes the process whereby the Constitution may be

altered. Each state may come and carries equal weight regardless of the
states population or length of time in the union. There is no language
regarding deadlines for the rati cation of proposed amendments. Many
scholars believe that Article 5 itself can be amended but there is some
disagreement over whether Article 5 is the exclusive means of amending
the Constitution. Article 5 also shields three clauses in Article I from
ordinary amendment attaching stipulations. Regarding two of the
clauses-one concerning importation of slaves and the other
apportionment of direct taxes- the prohibition on amendment was
absolute but of limited duration, expiring 1808.

Constitutional Convention: The constitutional Convention took place in

Philadelphia from may 25th to September 17, 1787. Although the
convention was designed to revise the league of states and the rst
system of government under the Articles of Confederation, the intention
from the outset of many of its proponents, chief among them James
Madison and Alexander Hamilton was to create a new frame of
government rather than x the existing one. The delegates elected
George Washington to become president of the convention. The result of
the convention was the creation of the Constitution of the United States,
placing the convention among the most signi cant events in American
History.

21 Benjamin Franklin: (January 17, 1706-April 17, 1790) An American

polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman,
diplomat, printer, publisher and political philosopher. Franklin was one of
the Founding Fathers, drafter and signer of the United States Declaration
of Independence and the rst US Postmaster General. In June 1776,
Franklin was appointed a member of the Committee of Five that drafted
the Declaration of Independence. Disabled with gout and unable to
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attend most meetings, Franklin made several “small but important”

changes to the draft sent to him by Thomas Je erson. In 1787, Franklin
served as a delegate to the Philadelphia Convention.

James Madison: (March 16, 1751-June 28, 1836) An American

statesman, diplomat, expansionist, philosopher and Founding Father who
served as the fourth President of the United States from 1809-1817. He
is hailed as “Father of the Constitution” for his pivotal role in drafting and
promoting the Constitution of the United States nd the Bill of Rights. He
co-founded the Democratic-Republican Party. He became dissatis ed
with the weak national government established by the Articles of
federation and helped to organize the Constitutional Convention.
Madison’s Virginia Plan served as the basis for the convention’s
deliberations. He became one of the leaders in the movement to ratify t
he Constitution and join Alexander Hamilton in writing The Federalist
Papers, a series of pro-rati cation essays that was one of the most
in uential works of political science in American history.

George Washington: (February 22, 1732-December 14, 1799) An

American military o cer, statesman and Founding Father who served as
the rst President of the United States of America. Washington led the
Patriot forces to victory in the American Revolutionary War and presided
at the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Washington has been called
the “Father of the Nation” for his manifold leadership in the formative
days of the country. Washington was twice elected to the Electoral
college unanimously. As president he implemented a strong, well
nanced national government while remaining impartial to the erce
rivalry between Thomas Je erson and Alexander Hamilton. A slave
owner he signed laws passed by Congress that both protected and
curtailed slavery.

22 Beltway: The Capital Beltway is a 64-mile Interstate Highway in the

Washington area that surrounds Washington, D.C. and its inner suburbs
in adjacent Maryland and Virginia. It is the basis for the phrase, “inside
the beltway”. Used when referring to issues dealing with US federal
government and politics.

29 1787 Constitutional Convention: Took place in Philadelphia from May 25

to September 17, 1787. Although the convention was intended to revise
the league of states and rst system of government under the Articles of
Confederation, the intention of many of its proponents was to create a
new frame of government. The delegates elected George Washington to
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become president of the convention. The result of the convention was

the creation of the Constitution of the United States.

32 Constitution: An aggregate of fundamental principles or established

precedents that constitute the legal basis of polity, organization or other
type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
When these principles are written down into a single document or set of
legal documents, those documents may said to embody a written
constitution. If the principles are encompassed in a single
comprehensive document it is said to embody a codi ed constitution.
The Constitution of the United States is the oldest (and shortest) active
codi ed constitution.

34 Martha Washington: The wife of George Washington. Although the term

was not coined until after her death, she served as the inaugural First
Lady of the United States. During her lifetime she was referred to as
“Lady Washington”. The Washingtons’ wealth was due to monies
inherited from her rst marriage. This enabled her husband to buy land
and add to his personal estate. She brought with her 84 slaves. Martha
became an early celebrity with press reports and towns greeted her
arrival by ringing bells. Martha presented herself as an amiable wife but
privately complained about restrictions placed on her life.

36 Electoral College: A set of electors who are selected to elect a

candidate to particular o ces. Often these represent di erent
organizations, political parties or entities, with each organization, political
party or entity represented by a particular number of electors or with
votes weighted in a particular way. The US Electoral College is an
example of a system in which an executive president is indirectly elected.
Under this system, all electors generally cast their votes for the winner of
the popular vote in their respective states. Currently, 270 of the 538
electors are currently needed to win the presidential election. If no
candidate receives the required 270 the House of Representatives
chooses the president and the Senate chooses the vice-president.

Bill of Rights: A document comprised of the rst ten amendments to the

United States Constitution. Proposed following the often bitter 1787-88
debate over the rati cation of the Constitution and written to address the
objections raised by Anti-Federalists. The Bill of Rights amendments add
to the Constitution speci c guarantees of personal freedoms and rights,
clear limitations on the governments’s power in judicial and other
proceedings, and explicit declarations that all powers not granted to the
federal government by the Constitution are reserved to the states or the
people. This is due largely to the e orts of James Madison who studied
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the de ciencies of the Constitution and then crafted a series of corrective

proposals.

Charles Cotesworth Pinckney: (February 25, 1746-August 16, 1825).

An American Founding Father, statesman of South Carolina,
Revolutionary War veteran and delegate to the Constitutional Convention
where he signed the US Constitution. Pinckney advocated a stronger
national government than that provided by the Articles of Confederation.
He advocated that African American slaves be counted as a basis of
representation and opposed attempts to end the importation of slaves,
arguing that S. Carolina’s economy required the continual infusion of new
slaves. He also opposed paying senators, the popular vote and placing a
limitation on the size of a federal standing army.

39 Dolley Madison: (May 20, 1849-July 12, 1849). The wife of James
Madison. She was noted for holding Washington social gatherings in
which she invited members of both political parties, essentially
spearheading the concept of bipartisan cooperation.

Vocabulary

Page

9 Republicanism: A political ideology centered on citizenship in a state

organized as a republic. It is a system that replaces or accompanies
inherent rule. There is an emphasis on liberty and a rejection of
corruption. Republicans tend to reject inherited elites and aristocracies.

Liberalism: A political and moral philosophy based on the rights of the

individual, liberty, consent of the governed and equality before the law.
Generally, the philosophy supports civil rights and human rights,
secularism, economic and political freedom, private property and a
market economy.

Patriotism: A feeling of love, devotion and attachment to one’s own

country.

12 Red State: A state who’s voters primarily choose the Republican Party.

Blue State: A state who’s voters primarily chose the Democratic Party
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20 Constitutional Law Degree: A Juris Doctorate degree that provides a

wide-ranging education in law and the legal process. Major areas of
focus include implementation and amendment of the US Constitution and
the federal laws that govern the 50 states. It focuses on what the
Constitution says, what speci c laws mean and what limitations exist.

28 Extremist: A person who holds extreme or fanatical political or religious

views, especially one who resorts to or advocates extreme action.

Faction: A group of individuals that share a common political purpose

but di ers in some respect to the rest of the entity. Essentially, it is
parties within a party that band together as a way of achieving particular
goals and positioning within an organization.

34 Bicameral: Describes a government that has a two-house legislative

system.

37 Slave Trade: Refers to the Atlantic slave trade, transatlantic slave trade
or Euro-American slave trade. This involved the transportation of slave
traders of various enslaved African people. Near the beginning of the 19th
century, various governments acted to ban the trade.

39 Free Market: A system in which the prices for goods and services are
self-regulated by buyers and sellers negotiating in an Open Market
without market coercion.

42 Industrial Complex: The network of government and private agencies

involved in the construction and operation of prison facilities, regarded as
a powerful vested interest that pro ts from incarceration.

43 Militia: A military force raised for the civil population to supplement a

regular army in an emergency.

Zealots: A person who is fanatical and uncompromising in pursuit of

their religious or political ideals.

45 Popular Vote: A group of people who vote on an issue or candidate.

The votes are then tallied and the issues or candidates are rank-ordered.

48 Revisionist: A supporter of a policy of revision or modi cation.

50 Purview: The scope of the in uence or concerns of something.

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54 Entrapment: A practice in which a law enforcement agent or agent of

the state induces a person to commit a crime that the person would have
been otherwise unlikely or unwilling to commit.

55 NRA: The national Ri e Association of America is a gun rights advocacy

group based in the United States. Founded in 1871 to advance ri e
marksmanship, the modern NRA has become a prominent gun rights
lobbying organization with over 5 million members.

GOP: The Grand Old Party is the Republican Party!

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