{"id":6912,"date":"2025-05-26T19:08:36","date_gmt":"2025-05-26T19:08:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/?p=6912"},"modified":"2025-05-26T19:10:45","modified_gmt":"2025-05-26T19:10:45","slug":"word-of-the-day-rectitude","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/2025\/05\/26\/word-of-the-day-rectitude\/","title":{"rendered":"Word of the Day: Rectitude"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Today\u2019s word of the day, courtesy of the Words Coach website, is rectitude<\/em> (https:\/\/www.wordscoach.com\/dictionary<\/a>). Rectitude is a noun that means \u201cthe quality or state of being straight; moral integrity, righteousness; the quality or state of being correct in judgment or procedure\u201d (https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/rectitude<\/a>). M-W continues, \u201cRectitude<\/em> is a formal word that comes from the Latin adjective rectus<\/em>, which means both \u2018right\u2019 and \u2018straight,\u2019 and ultimately from the Latin verb regere<\/em>, meaning \u2018to lead straight.\u2019 Rectitude<\/em> today typically refers to moral integrity\u2014that is, to \u2018straightness\u2019 or \u2018rightness\u2019 of character. (An early use referred literally to a straight line, but that sense is now rare.) Rectus<\/em> has a number of other descendants in English, including rectangle<\/em><\/a> (a closed four-sided figure with four right angles), rectify<\/em><\/a> (\u2018to make right\u2019), rectilinear<\/em><\/a> (\u2018moving in or forming a straight line\u2019), and even rectus<\/em><\/a> itself, a medical term for any one of several straight muscles in the body\u201d (ibid.).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Etymonline.com, the word entered the language in the \u201cearly 15c., \u2018straightness, quality of being straight or erect,\u2019 from Old French rectitude<\/em> (14c.) and directly from Late Latin rectitudinem<\/em> (nominative rectitudo<\/em>) \u2018straightness, uprightness,\u2019 from Latin rectus<\/em> \u2018straight\u2019 (from PIE root *reg-<\/strong><\/a> \u2018move in a straight line,\u2019 with derivatives meaning \u2018to direct in a straight line\u2019). Sense of \u2018uprightness in conduct or character, rightness of principle or practice\u2019 is from 1530s\u201d (https:\/\/www.etymonline.com\/search?q=rectitude<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Etymonline entry continues with a long recital of words that may have derived from that PIE root word: \u201cIt might form all or part of: abrogate; address; adroit; Alaric; alert; anorectic; anorexia; arrogant; arrogate; bishopric; correct; corvee; derecho; derogate; derogatory; Dietrich; direct; dress; eldritch; erect; ergo; Eric; Frederick; Henry; incorrigible; interregnum; interrogate; maharajah; Maratha; prerogative; prorogue; rack<\/em> (n.1) \u2018frame with bars;\u2019 rail <\/em>(n.1) \u2018horizontal bar passing from one post or support to another;\u2019 Raj; rajah; rake<\/em> (n.1) \u2018toothed tool for drawing or scraping things together;\u2019 rake<\/em> (n.2) \u2018debauchee; idle, dissolute person;\u2019 rakish; rank<\/em> (adj.) \u2018corrupt, loathsome, foul;\u2019 real <\/em>(n.) \u2018small Spanish silver coin;\u2019 realm; reck; reckless; reckon; rectangle; rectify; rectilinear; rectitude; recto; recto-; rector; rectum; regal; regent; regicide; regime; regimen; regiment; region; regular; regulate; Regulus; Reich; reign; resurgent; rex; rich; right; Risorgimento; rogation; royal; rule; sord; source; subrogate; subrogation; surge; surrogate; viceroy<\/em>\u201d (ibid.). It\u2019s a broad collection of derivatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On this date in 1857, Taylor Blow filed manumission papers for slaves he owned in Missouri.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The freeing of this slave family came just three months after one of the most hated decisions in the history of the United States Supreme Court, the Dred Scott decision. Most of us learned the name red Scott in US history classes in school, but the story is actually pretty complicated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDred Scott was born a slave in Virginia. He was sold to Army Major John Emerson in Missouri, in 1830. Scott accompanied Emerson on multiple assignments in territories which outlawed slavery.  Emerson allowed Scott to marry and left Scott and Scott\u2019s wife in Wisconsin and traveled to Louisiana on assignment.  Emerson then married Eliza Sandford. Shortly after, Emerson had Scott and Scott\u2019s wife travel to Louisiana to serve Emerson\u2019s family. Emerson died in 1843. Scott attempted to purchase freedom from slavery for himself and his family but Eliza Sandford, after inheriting Emerson\u2019s estate, refused. In response, Scott filed suit against the executor of Emerson\u2019s estate, John Sandford.  The federal district court relied upon Missouri law, finding Scott remained a slave\u201d (https:\/\/legaldictionary.net\/dred-scott-v-sandford\/<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chief Justice Roger Taney wrote that \u201cpeople of African descent \u2018are not included, and were not intended to be included, under the word \u201ccitizens\u201d in the Constitution, and can therefore claim none of the rights and privileges which that instrument provides for and secures to citizens of the United States\u2019; more specifically, that African Americans were not entitled to \u2018full liberty of speech … to hold public meetings … and to keep and carry arms\u2019 along with other constitutionally protected rights and privileges. Taney supported his ruling with an extended survey of American state and local laws from the time of the Constitution’s drafting in 1787 that purported to show that a \u2018perpetual and impassable barrier was intended to be erected between the white race and the one which they had reduced to slavery\u2019\u201d (https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Dred_Scott_v._Sandford<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the more interesting things that you may not have learned in school is the involvement of President James Buchanan in the Dred Scott decision. Buchanan, a Democrat, had won the presidency in 1856. At this point, the Dred Scott case, which had begun in 1846, was in front of the Supreme Court. Buchanan \u201cconsulted with Justice John Catron in January 1857, inquiring about the outcome of the case and suggesting that a broader decision, beyond the specifics of the case, would be more prudent. Buchanan hoped that a broad decision protecting slavery in the territories could lay the issue to rest, allowing him to focus on other issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCatron replied on February 10, saying that the Supreme Court’s Southern majority would decide against Scott, but would likely have to publish the decision on narrow grounds unless Buchanan could convince his fellow Pennsylvanian, Justice Robert Cooper Grier, to join the majority of the court. Buchanan then wrote to Grier and prevailed upon him, providing the majority leverage to issue a broad-ranging decision sufficient to render the Missouri Compromise of 1820 unconstitutional\u201d (https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/James_Buchanan#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEBaker200483%E2%80%9384_70-0<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buchanan apparently thought that a broad decision in favor of slavery would put the issue to rest. Instead, it inflamed abolitionists around the country to work even hard to put an end to slavery. In his last address to Congress, Buchanan set the stage for the secession of the South. \u201cHe placed the blame for the crisis solely on \u2018intemperate interference of the Northern people with the question of slavery in the Southern States,\u2019 and suggested that if they did not \u2018repeal their unconstitutional and obnoxious enactments … the injured States, after having first used all peaceful and constitutional means to obtain redress, would be justified in revolutionary resistance to the Government of the Union.\u2019 Buchanan’s only suggestion to solve the crisis was \u2018an explanatory amendment\u2019 affirming the constitutionality of slavery in the states, the fugitive slave laws, and popular sovereignty in the territories\u201d (ibid.).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, the newly elected president in 1861 was Abraham Lincoln, and secession did occur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But before that happened, Taylor Blow exhibited a certain kind of rectitude by freeing Dred Scott and his family from slavery just three months after Scott lost his case at the Supreme Court. Scott became a porter at a hotel in St. Louis, but sadly he died less than a year and a half later, in November of 1858 (https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Dred_Scott_v._Sandford<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today\u2019s image is an uncredited, public domain picture of Dred Scott (https:\/\/www.discoverwalks.com\/blog\/united-states\/20-intriguing-facts-about-dred-scott\/<\/a>).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today\u2019s word of the day, courtesy of the Words Coach website, is rectitude (https:\/\/www.wordscoach.com\/dictionary). Rectitude is a noun that means \u201cthe quality or state of being straight; moral integrity, righteousness; […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":6913,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[52],"tags":[347,238,762,284,763],"class_list":["post-6912","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-word-of-the-day","tag-apologetics","tag-dictionary","tag-dred-scott","tag-linguistics","tag-rectitude","clearfix"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6912","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6912"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6912\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6914,"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6912\/revisions\/6914"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6913"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6912"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6912"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6912"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}