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＊ abolish [uh-bol-ish]

Definition:

to do away with; put an end to; annul; make void: to abolish slavery.

Origin: 
1425–75; late Middle English  < Middle French aboliss-,  long stem of abolir  < Latin abolēre  to destroy,efface, put an end to; change of conjugation perhaps by association with Latin abolitiō abolition

Examples:

Several states have attempted but failed toabolish  the law.

This program is now dormant pending a decisionto continue or to abolish  it. 

＊  amend [uh-mend]

Definition:

verb (used with object)

1.to alter, modify, rephrase, or add to or subtract from (a motion, bill, constitution, etc.) by formalprocedure: Congress may amend the proposed tax bill.

2.to change for the better; improve: to amend one's ways. Synonyms: ameliorate, better. Antonyms:worsen.

3.to remove or correct faults in; rectify.

verb (used without object)

4.to grow or become better by reforming oneself: He amends day by day. Synonyms: improve,ameliorate. Antonyms: worsen. 

Origin: 
1175–1225; Middle English amenden  < Old French amender  < Latin ēmendāre  to correct, equivalent to ē- e-1 + mend ( a ) blemish + -āre  infinitive suffix

Examples:

This request offers the opportunity for the peopleto amend  their ways.

＊ lame duck

Definition:

an elected official whose term in office has not yet expired, but who has not been re-elected

Examples:

Since he lost the last election, Senator Blowhard will be a lame duck until his opponent is sworn in.

＊ govern[guhv-ern]àmanage 

Definition:

1.to rule over by right of authority: to govern a nation.

2.to exercise a directing or restraining influence over; guide: the motives governing a decision.

Origin:

1250–1300; Middle English  < Old French gouverner  < Latin gubernāre  to steer (a ship) < Greek kybernân  tosteer

 Examples:

1.Senate career also may hold clues about how hewould govern .

2.We govern  our democracy either by leadershipor by crisis.

＊indifferent [in-dif-er-uhnt, -dif-ruhnt]

Definition:

1.without interest or concern; not caring; apathetic: his indifferent attitude toward the suffering of others.

2. having no bias, prejudice, or preference; impartial; disinterested.

3.neither good nor bad in character or quality; average; routine: an indifferent specimen.

4.not particularly good, important, etc.; unremarkable; unnotable: an indifferent success; an indifferentperformance.

5.of only moderate amount, extent, etc.

Origin: 
1350–1400; Middle English  (adj.) < Latin indifferent-  (stem of indifferēns ). See in-³ , different

Examples:

1.It's simply more evidence that the world isindifferent  to us.

2.The schedule was indifferent  to your needs andthe destinations were pointless.

＊ Foreshadowing

Foreshadowing or adumbrating is a literary device in which an author indistinctly suggests certain plot developments that might come later in the story.

＊  Ironical [ahy-ron-i-kuhl]

Definition:

1: relating to, containing, or constituting irony <an ironic remark> <an ironic coincidence>

2: given to irony <an ironic sense of humor>

— iron·i·cal·ness noun

Examples:

It is easy to see that harsh or ironical  criticismof art collectors who have been fooled byimitations may be overdone.

＊  What is American literature?

American literature is the written or literary work produced in the area of the United States and its preceding colonies. For more specific discussions of poetry and theater, see Poetry of the United States and Theater in the United States. During its early history, America was a series of British colonies on the eastern coast of the present-day United States. Therefore, its literary tradition begins as linked to the broader tradition ofEnglish literature. However, unique American characteristics and the breadth of its production usually now cause it to be considered a separate path and tradition.

Norton anthology of american literature shorter 8th edition

＊  Captain John Smith

John Smith (c. January 1580 – 21 June 1631) Admiral of New England was an English soldier, explorer, and author. He was knighted for his services to Sigismund Bathory, Prince of Transylvania and his friend Mózes Székely. He was considered to have played an important part in the establishment of the first permanent English settlement in North America. He was a leader of the Virginia Colony (based at Jamestown) between September 1608 and August 1609, and led an exploration along the rivers of Virginia and the Chesapeake Bay. He was the first English explorer to map the Chesapeake Bay area and New England.

Virginians know that Captain John Smith was one of the first American heroes. But because he was a proud and boastful man, it is difficult to know which parts of his life, as recorded in the written record, are fact and which are fiction. What many people may not know is that Smith's adventures started even before Jamestown. 

＊  WASP à White Anglo-Saxon Protestant

White Anglo-Saxon Protestant (WASP) is an informal term, sometimes derogatory or disparaging,^[1] for a closed group of high-status Americans mostly of English Protestant ancestry. The term applies to a group believed to control disproportionate social and financial power.^[2] The term WASP does not describe every Protestant of English background, but rather a small restricted group whose family wealth and elite connections allow them a degree of privilege held by few others.

＊  The Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence is the founding document of the American political tradition. It articulates the fundamental ideas that form the American nation: All men are created free and equal and possess the same inherent, natural rights. Legitimate governments must therefore be based on the consent of the governed and must exist “to secure these rights.”