“I have a dream” vocabulary

Exile

A person who is forced to leave their native country

Promissary note

A signed document containing a written promise to pay a stated sum to a specified person

Hallowed

Holy

Militancy

The state of being aggressively active in a cause

Hamlet

A small settlement, generally one smaller than a village

Invigorate

To give life and energy to

Hew

To chop or cut something

Unalienable

Unable to be taken away from or given away by the possessor

Manacles

A metal band, chain, or shackle

Prodigious

Remarkably or impressively great

Exalted

Placed at a high or powerful level

Languish

To suffer from being forced to remain in an unpleasant place or situation

Redemptive

Acting to save someone from error or evil

Oasis

A fertile location in the desert with water and plants

Gradualism

The process of taking gradual steps to reach a goal

Creed

A set of beliefs or aims that guide someone’s actions

Desolate

Deserted of people

Degenerate

To sink to a low intellectual or moral state

Ghetto

A part of a city in which members of a minority group live, especially because of social, legal, or economic pressure

Devotee

A person who is enthusiastically committed to a cause