Should the U. S. require half of its government to be female?

I don't think it should. Whether a person should be apart of government should depend on experience and qualifications, not gender. That can be almost biased in itself because you could be picking someone just for their gender and disregarding another person, despite them actually having more skills for the job.

- "the die is cast; i have consented to return if we are not destroyed. thus are my hopes blasted by cowardice and indecision; i come back ignorant and disappointed. it requires more philosophy than i possess to bear this injustice with patience. i have lost my hopes of utility and glory; i have lost my friend."

the underline word is basically like a prepositional phrase.