concert

Memorial Day, or Decoration Day as it was originally called in the localities in which it was celebrated, began as an occasion for decorating the graves of soldiers who had died fighting in the U.S. Civil war. Declared a national holiday in 1966, it is traditionally observed by decorating fallen soldiers' graves, honoring them with parades, speeches, and concerts, and gathering for picnics and family gatherings. Celebrate Memorial Day with these words that help promote an understanding of the holiday's meaning. Then look for more meaning in the day by learning vocabulary from Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, and recite the famous memorial oration on this solemn day.

Following the Constitutional Convention in 1787, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay published a series of essays supporting the new Constitution. Together these essays are called The Federalist Papers. Federalist No. 10 by Madison is considered one of the most important political documents in U.S. history. Madison discusses political factions, which in today's language might be called political parties. The essay was first published in newspapers under the pen name "Publius." Read the full text here.

The Ninth Democratic Debate took place on April 14th, 2016 in Brooklyn, NY. The two candidates were determined to get their points across in this debate, whether they were criticizing each other or talking about policy, and they often ignored the moderators' signals that their time was up. The debate featured loud crowd noise, an extended discussion about the situation in Israel, a segment on climate change and heated exchanges on gun control and the banking industry. Here are twenty vocabulary words from the ninth Democratic Debate.