Tuesday, November 26, 2019

About the Civil Rights Cases of 1883

About the Civil Rights Cases of 1883   In the Civil Rights Cases of 1883, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the Civil Rights Act of 1875, which had prohibited racial discrimination in hotels, trains, and other public places, was unconstitutional. In an 8-1 decision, the court ruled that the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution did not give Congress the power to regulate the affairs of private individuals and businesses. Background During the post-Civil War Reconstruction Period between 1866 and 1875, Congress passed several civil rights laws intended to implement the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments. The last and most aggressive of these laws, the Civil Rights Act of 1875, imposed criminal penalties against the owners of private businesses or modes of transportation that restricted access to their facilities because of race. The law read, in part:   â€Å"†¦ all persons within the jurisdiction of the United States shall be entitled to the full and equal enjoyment of the accommodations, advantages, facilities, and privileges of inns, public conveyances on land or water, theaters, and other places of public amusement; subject only to the conditions and limitations established by law, and applicable alike to citizens of every race and color, regardless of any previous condition of servitude.† Many people in both the South and the North objected to the Civil Rights Act of 1875, arguing that the law unfairly infringed on personal freedom of choice. Indeed, the legislatures of some Southern states had already enacted laws allowing separate public facilities for whites and African Americans. Details of the Civil Rights Cases of 1883 In the Civil Rights Cases of 1883, the Supreme Court took the rare route of deciding five separate but closely related cases with one unified ruling. The five cases (United States v. Stanley, United States v. Ryan, United States v. Nichols, United States v. Singleton, and Robinson v. Memphis Charleston Railroad) reached the Supreme Court on appeal from the lower federal courts and involved suits filed by African American citizens claiming they had been illegally been refused equal access to restaurants, hotels, theaters, and trains as required by the Civil Rights Act of 1875. During this time, many businesses had attempted to skirt the letter of the Civil Rights Act of 1875 by allowing African Americans to use their facilities, but forcing them to occupy separate â€Å"Colored Only† areas. Constitutional Questions The Supreme Court was asked to decide the constitutionality of the Civil Rights Act of 1875 in light of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. Specifically, the court considered: Did the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment apply to the day-to-day operations of privately-owned businesses?What specific protections did the 13th and 14th amendments provide for private citizens?Did the 14th Amendment, which prohibits state governments from practicing racial discrimination, also ban private individuals from discriminating under their right to â€Å"freedom of choice?† In other words, was â€Å"private racial segregation,† like designating â€Å"Coloreds Only† and â€Å"Whites Only† areas legal? The Arguments Presented to the Court Over the course of the case, the Supreme Court heard arguments for and against allowing private racial segregation and, thus, the constitutionality of the Civil Rights Act of 1875.    Ban Private Racial Segregation: Because the intent of the 13th and 14th Amendments had been to â€Å"remove the last vestiges of slavery† from America, the Civil Rights Act of 1875 was constitutional. By sanctioning practices of private racial discrimination, the Supreme Court would â€Å"permit the badges and incidents of slavery† to remain a part of Americans’ lives. The Constitution grants the federal government the power to prevent state governments from taking actions that deprive any U.S. citizen of his or her civil rights. Allow Private Racial Segregation: The 14th Amendment banned only the state governments from practicing racial discrimination, not private citizens. The 14th Amendment specifically declares, in part, â€Å"†¦ nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.† Enacted and enforced by the federal, rather than the state governments. The Civil Rights Act of 1875 unconstitutionally infringed on the rights of private citizens to use and operate their property and businesses as they saw fit.   The Court’s Decision and Reasoning In an 8-1 opinion written by Justice Joseph P. Bradley, the Supreme Court found the Civil Rights Act of 1875 to be unconstitutional. Justice Bradley declared that neither the 13th nor the 14th Amendment granted Congress the power to enact laws dealing with racial discrimination by private citizens or businesses. Of the 13th Amendment, Bradley wrote, â€Å"The 13th Amendment has respect, not to distinctions of race †¦ but to slavery.† Bradley added, â€Å"The 13th Amendment relates to slavery and involuntary servitude (which it abolishes); ... yet such legislative power extends only to the subject of slavery and its incidents; and the denial of equal accommodations in inns, public conveyances and places of public amusement (which is forbidden by the sections in question), imposes no badge of slavery or involuntary servitude upon the party, but at most, infringes rights which are protected from State aggression by the 14th Amendment.† Justice Bradley went on to agree with the argument that the 14th Amendment applied only to the states, not to private citizens or businesses. â€Å"The 14th Amendment is prohibitory upon the States only, and the legislation authorized to be adopted by Congress for enforcing it is not direct legislation on the matters respecting which the States are prohibited from making or enforcing certain laws, or doing certain acts, but it is corrective legislation, such as may be necessary or proper for counteracting and redressing the effect of such laws or acts,† he wrote. The Lone Dissent of Justice Harlan Justice John Marshall Harlan wrote the only dissenting opinion in the Civil Rights Cases. Harlan’s belief that the majority’s â€Å"narrow and artificial† interpretation 13th and 14th Amendments led him to write, â€Å"I cannot resist the conclusion that the substance and spirit of the recent amendments of the Constitution have been sacrificed by a subtle and ingenious verbal criticism.† Harlan wrote that the 13th Amendment did far more than â€Å"to prohibit slavery as an institution,† it also â€Å"established and decreed universal civil freedom throughout the United States.† In addition, noted Harlan, Section II of the 13th Amendment decreed that â€Å"Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation,† and had thus been the basis for the  enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which granted full citizenship to all persons born in the United States. Basically, Harlan contended that the 13th and 14th Amendments, as well as the Civil Rights Act of 1875, were constitutional acts of Congress intended to ensure African Americans the same rights to access and use of public facilities that white citizens took for granted as their natural right. In summary, Harlan stated that the federal government had both the authority and the responsibility to protect citizens from any actions that deprive them of their rights and to allow private racial discrimination would â€Å"permit the badges and incidents of slavery† to remain. Impact of the Civil Rights Cases Decision The Supreme Court’s decision in the Civil Rights Cases virtually stripped the federal government of any power to ensure African Americans equal protection under the law. As Justice Harlan had predicted in his dissent, freed of the threat of federal restrictions, Southern states began enacting laws sanctioning racial segregation. In 1896, the Supreme Court cited its Civil Rights Cases ruling in its landmark Plessy v. Ferguson decision declaring that requiring separate facilities for blacks and whites was constitutional as long as those facilities were â€Å"equal† and that racial segregation itself did not amount to unlawful discrimination. So-called â€Å"separate but equal† segregated facilities, including schools, would persist for over 80 years until the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s swayed public opinion to oppose racial discrimination. Eventually, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Civil Rights Act of 1968, enacted as part of the Great Society program of President Lyndon B. Johnson, incorporated several key elements of the Civil Rights Act of 1875.

Friday, November 22, 2019

Corythosaurus - Facts and Figures

Corythosaurus - Facts and Figures Name: Corythosaurus (Greek for Corinthian-helmet lizard); pronounced core-ITH-oh-SORE-usHabitat: Forests and plains of North AmericaHistorical Period: Late Cretaceous (75 million years ago)Size and Weight: About 30 feet long and five tonsDiet: PlantsDistinguishing Characteristics: Large, bony crest on head; ground-hugging, quadrupedal posture About Corythosaurus As you can guess from its name, the most distinctive feature of the hadrosaur (duck-billed dinosaur) Corythosaurus was the prominent crest on its head, which looked a bit like the helmet worn by the ancient Greek soldiers of the city-state of Corinth. Unlike the case with distantly related bone-headed dinosaurs like Pachycephalosaurus, however, this crest probably evolved less to establish dominance in the herd, or the right to mate with females by head-butting other male dinosaurs, but rather for display and communication purposes. Corythosaurus wasnt native to Greece, but to the plains and woodlands of late Cretaceous North America, about 75 million years ago. In a spectacular bit of applied paleontology, researchers have created three-dimensional models of Corythosaurus hollow head crest and discovered that these structures create booming sounds when funneled with blasts of air. Its clear that this large, gentle dinosaur used its crest to signal (extremely loudly) to others of its kindthough we may never know whether these sounds were meant to broadcast sexual availability, keep the herd in check during migrations, or warn about the presence of hungry predators like Gorgosaurus. Most likely, communication was also the function of the even more ornate head crests of related hadrosaurs like Parasaurolophus and Charonosaurus. The type fossils of many dinosaurs (most notably the north African meat-eater Spinosaurus) were destroyed during World War II by Allied bombing raids on Germany; Corythosaurus is unique in that two of its fossils went belly-up during World War I. In 1916, an England-bound ship carrying various fossil remains excavated from Canadas Dinosaur Provincial Park was sunk by a German raider; to date, no one has attempted to salvage the wreckage.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

PAUL AND ELDER CRTICAL THINKING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

PAUL AND ELDER CRTICAL THINKING - Essay Example A critical thinkers decision should be understandable, in that it can be elaborated and explained. It should be free from errors, mistakes and lies and should be detailed to a level. It should be logical , the ideas in ones reasoning should make sense, coherent and not contradict each other. It is through the seasoned practicing of these standards does one gain intellectual traits. Intellectual traits are virtues that are necessary for right action. These are values adopted by open minded thinkers who seek more than one opinion to arrive at the truth. Valuable intellectual traits include intellectual humility which is the ability for an individual to embrace the limits of his knowledge as opposed to claiming what he does not know or understand. I often say things which I have no knowledge for and it will suit me if I listen more and talk less in conversations on topics I have no knowledge of. A critical thinker is one who has the courage to face and discuss topics that are avoided by most people due to either its sensitivities or its correctness rationally and fairly. Some issues and topics are considered incorrect in our society and for that reason most people refrain from discussing such topics. I am no different as I shy away from topics that are deemed sensitive but it is important if I find out this issues for myself and what is wrong with such an issue thus giving me the courage to discus those issues rationally. The ability to put myself in others shoes in order to better understand other individuals point of view is a trait that I have lacked.Listening to other points of view more often and trying to understand where this views are coming from will take a step closer to attaining intellectual

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Literature Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Literature Analysis - Assignment Example Hierarchical organizations that need a focused approach for task completion appealed to a leadership style that was more authoritarian in nature where as an organization with the same demographics needing to explore/brainstorm new ideas, required less restriction. Existence of different leadership styles is an indicator of possible differences in effectiveness of the styles in different organizational environments or differences in leader’s traits to facilitate effectiveness of a leadership style. Almansour (2012) sought to investigate relationship between leadership approach and leaders’ effectiveness, with focus on the leaders’ level of motivation. This was based on the hypothesis that leaders’ performance is an indicator of their level of motivation. The author applied an exploratory approach on existing literature on the relationship, approach that offers sufficient data for an in-depth analysis of a subject matter. The research method is however limited to reliability and validity of the applied literature, which may also be difficult to ascertain. The author identifies three leadership styles that are explored. Transformational leadership is the first style, is associated with change and influence, and has fo ur fundamental factors. Idealized influence is one of the factors and defines a mentorship role to followers. The factor also attracts trust and respect on leaders and these empower leaders towards effectiveness, and ensure that followers are obedient to the leader’s directions. Intellectual stimulation is another of the author’s reported factors and defines ability to promote creativity and innovation among followers through improving people’s rationale and ability to solve problems. Transformational leaders are also inspirational, improving followers commitment to objectives, and considerate to ensure utility in both followers and the subject organization. These factors therefore identify

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Movie ticket pricing Essay Example for Free

Movie ticket pricing Essay Household behavior forms an interesting area of study for economists given that the human aspect involved in making of economic decisions by a household vary a lot depending on the perception of a commodity or service in the market. This is done in the view of gaining a certain level of utility only known to the consumer. One such area that has attracted scrutiny is the consumption and pricing of movie tickets and goods sold in the movie theaters. An article by Jennifer McNulty titled â€Å"Concessions on Movie Ticket Pricing? details the tricks present in the pricing of movie tickets and products such as popcorn crisps and soft drinks sold in the movie theaters. This paper critically analyses this article and discusses the economic sense in the article plus a reflection on the whole issue. Article review In this article the writer is worried about the high charges of popcorn in movie theaters than in ordinary shopping outlets. This she poses as the introductory question in the article asking â€Å"why does popcorn cost so much at the movies? † She notes that despite the high prices, movie goers are always willing to pay the high prices charged for the popcorn as evidenced by â€Å"all the people standing in line waiting to buy popcorn, soft drinks, and candy†. The author notifies us of the findings of a research by Stanford and the University of California, Santa Cruz that reveals the trick behind this idea. The findings show that charging lower prices for primary products in this case movie tickets and charging higher prices for secondary products in this case popcorn, beverages, peanuts etc drives the customer into seeing the bargain in the primary product and not the overcharging in the secondary product. This will always keep demand for both high courtesy of low price tickets. The author says â€Å"If you want to bring more consumers into the market, you need to keep ticket prices lower to attract them†. Products sold in movie theaters are charged on concession basis in that there is an added price on the product as a â€Å"commission† to the vendor. They account a lot in term of revenue for movie theaters as Jennifer says that â€Å"movie exhibition houses rely on concession sales to keep their businesses viable†. The idea according to Jennifer is that movie theaters transfer some movie charges to the concession goods. This then increases demand for movie tickets and revenues high but profits low. From the article we see that â€Å"Although concessions account for only about 20 percent of gross revenues, they represent some 40 percent of theaters profits†. Therefore it would seem that it is better to charge low prices for tickets so as movie consumers are made to believe that they have â€Å"saved† some amount on which they can spend on the concession goods. Unfortunately, this is just an illusion as the moviegoer ends spending more. Economic analysis of the article The movie theaters have hinged their business sense on the demand elasticity in response to price changes. They have noted that a proportionate increase in the price of movie tickets leads to a more than proportionate drop in demand of movie tickets. Therefore we would say that demand for movie tickets is perfectly elastic to price changes. On the other hand, demand for concession goods is not affected, as per the article by change in prices thus perfectly inelastic. Nevertheless, we would normally expect perfect some degree of elasticity when prices are increased to inconsiderate levels. This would probably force moviegoers to carry along products that they could have otherwise bought at the theater. From another economic perspective, we can say that there is a level of complementarity between the movie tickets and the concession goods though it is one sided. This is because of the fact that concession goods will and can only be consumed after purchasing a movie ticket. However, one can consume a purchase/consume a movie ticket without necessarily having to purchase any of the concession goods on sale in the theater. For fully complementary goods, it is impossible to consume one good in the absence of the other. In such cases, the price and demand of one affects the other. In the case of movie tickets and concession goods, the demand for movie tickets leads to a considerable increase in the demand for the more profitable concession goods. Unfortunately, demand for concession goods does not in any way affect the demand for movie tickets as a consumer can make use of the movie ticket alone without the concession good. Reflection Consumption of leisure hours by households do not usually follow economic principles witnessed in other goods and services. Households attach levels of utility on leisure hours as determined by fashion trends and culture. The idea of purchasing and consuming goods such as popcorns and peanuts in the movie theaters is something that has been nurtured by today’s generation and fashion. This is what is demonstrated in the article in that there is no economic sense that can link any complementing aspect between concession goods and movie tickets but just a creation of our society. It is thus the movie theaters that have capitalized on this fallacy to gain profits. I would personally think that the movie theaters have succeeded in making the best use an economic opportunity and are creating and inducing demand for otherwise low selling products in the name of concession goods. Therefore, the article plays its purpose of informing the moviegoers of where they â€Å"cheated†. In economic sense, the paper shows the power of elasticity in action.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Animal Testing in the Research Field Essay -- Biology Medical Biomedic

Animal research, or animal testing, is the use of animals in scientific researches to study and develop drugs for the life-taking diseases that human beings contract. It has been practiced for hundreds of years. Animal testing helps produced many vaccines and other drugs, like penicillin, and thus, save many human lives. On the other hand, animal testing also causes pain and kills a lot of animals used during the researches that many people oppose this practice. Supporters show their support, while opponents show their oppositions toward this controversial issue that is still in debates today. In a laboratory for animals, all sorts of animals, such as rats, mice, baboons, dogs, cats, and chimpanzees, can be found. All of them are locked in cages individually, kept away from the natural world of where they should have belonged. In addition, they may be connected to wires or may look aberrant because they are infected with â€Å"human diseases.† Scientists â€Å"force-feed chemicals to animals, conduct repeated surgeries on them, implant wires in their brains, crush their spines, and much more†¦ usually without any painkillers† (â€Å"Life in a Laboratory†). This practice is called â€Å"Animal Research,† which has been a controversial issue, placing the public’s emotions into a dilemma. Have you ever wonder how some of your personal care products were made? By trial and errors, scientists conduct many experiments, not on themselves, but on animals in order to successfully bring the newly developed products into the market. Some of the products are penicillin and many vaccines against diseases, like rabies and measles (â€Å"Animal Experiments†). These products would not have been created without the help or even the sacrifice of the animals in the animal ... ... Animal Test. 24 Jul 2014 . â€Å"Animal Testing.† Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 27 Jul 2014 . Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 27 Jul 2014 . â€Å"Ethics of Research Involving Animals, The.† Nuffield Council on Bioethics. 24 Jul 2014 . â€Å"House of Lords – Animals in Scientific Procedures – Report.† The United Kingdom Parliament. 2010. 25 Jul 2014 . â€Å"Life in a Laboratory.† Stop Animal Test. 24 Jul 2014 . â€Å"Use of Laboratory Animals in Biomedical and Behavioral Research.† The National Academy Press. 1988. 24 Jul 2014 .

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Being American

In America, anyone can grow to be successful and all it takes is hard work. A lot of instances in the country have proven that the playing field is level. There is no reason that any person can be hindered by his or her background from achieving success in America. It is possible to find any individual in any position, even the most unlikely. In some countries around the world, there are positions that are left for the privileged in the society; schools for the rich and those for the poor, occasions for the rich and those for the poor, and opportunities for the rich and those for the poor.Watching the documentary, Spellbound reveals an entirely different scenario in America. The documentary is on eight teenagers who walk their way to the finals in the Scripps Howard national spelling bee championship in Washington D. C. , from regional level. With hard work and commitment, success is possible in America and nothing can hinder this from taking place. The freedoms and opportunities in America means that once a person has a dream, is committed and willing to sacrifice in order to achieve it, there is nothing that can stop him or her from achieving it.There are hindrances and failures, but the fate of every American is in an individual’s willingness to dream and put efforts in achieving the dreams. Every dream in the country is offered an opportunity to be nurtured to achievement. The truth of this statement is evident where we meet unlikely heroes, who against all odds, achieve beyond imagination. From interview with their parents and teachers, it is realized that the students are hard working. They practice on a daily basis and have to start by winning in regional competitions before proceeding. Success however does not come in a silver platter.There are challenges and pressures that are faced by those who dare to dream and work hard in achieving their dreams. However, these challenges cannot hinder those who are determined to succeed from gaining success. The students in the documentary begin competing in a large group of over 250 students from different backgrounds and socio-economic status. They face tremendous pressures and challenges as the words they are meant to spell gets more difficult. Against all these challenges and pressures, eight of the students from different backgrounds get to the finals.Unexpectedly, out of the eight, two have single parents and three are children born of immigrants. This might seem a peculiar situation since in most cases; children who would be expected to win in such a tough competition are children from privileged families who are able to access private school education and other privileges like computers and television. The students who compete in the finals are talented and work hard to win the prize. As I watch the finals, I realize that any of the students is likely to win the prize.One of the parents, an immigrant dad, comments that in America, hard work brings success. This means that one d oes not have to be financially or socially privileged to become successful in the country. This is one country where one can grow to be a President, a Congressman or a Senator. There is an equal opportunity for all and all it requires is hard work. Every person in the country is entitled to become what he or she wishes and is provided with a level playing ground to compete with others eying the same opportunity. Work cited: Blitz, Jeffrey. Spellbound. Blitz/Welch, 2003.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Civil War and Reconstruction Essay

Born September 28, 1941 in Eunice, Louisiana James L. Roark is a Stanford educated historian who has written countless texts on American History and the impact of the American Civil War, to include The American Promise: A History of the United States (2008), No Chariot Let Down: Charleston’s Free People on the Eve of the Civil War (2001) and Black Masters: A Free Family of Color in the Old South (1986). He is a currently a Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of American History at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia and working on a documentary on the Confederate States of America . Though I may not have expected it to be so, this award winning literary piece was actually quite thought provoking and well-written in a way that reaches far beyond similar works of its time. Roark eloquently presents a well thought out and well written series of arguments organized in subsections relying dominantly on the use of primary sources, along the lines of diary entries and personal letters, to display the thoughts and examine the philosophy of Southern planters. He presents the well-researched examination of the impact of Reconstruction and all of its components from secession to emancipation. Though their thoughts and understandings, their ideologies ma have been centralized and immensely focused on the idea f the plantation, the way in which Roark presents their thoughts and opinions allows the reader to open their minds about the process of Reconstruction in a way that allows them to think freely about the institution of slavery in a different way. In the days of its practicing the institution of slavery was presented and lived in tune vision, it was a way of life that was so widespread that there was no way to see around it and thus no one ever ventured to look. It was a system of hatred and oppression, yes, but it was above all a way of life, making it difficult for many to have imagined life in any other way, thus making southern planters quite nervous to have their system of living threatened by Union efforts at Reconstruction. The planters, slave masters shared a sense of unity amongst a class of people whom they believed to be untouchable because for them, their lives as slave masters was all that there was to their identities and without it, how would they continue to exist. How would they be able to go on having had their way of life threatened and attacked. I enjoyed the way that Roark broke down the process of Reconstruction for the reader in a way that allowed them to more fluidly follow the path secession. He sets forth three periods in his analysis and presentation: the planters decision to secede, the effects of the Civil War on the planter’s way of life-on their plantations, and the period of adjustment required to cope with a new world and a reformed system, thrust upon them by emancipation. Not altogether sadly, the southern planters had made the mistake of forming the thought and eventually believing that the American government was put in place to support and protect them, to prevent such happenings as emancipation. When they realized that this was in no way true is when they began to recognize, but not at all accept defeat. Over time some were able to cope and others were not, ultimately relocating to an area that better suited their understanding of the world. The saddest of truths revealed by Roark in this work is the actual mental processes of the slave owners. They honestly felt that slavery was the best way to go and that there could or should be nothing else but slavery. There was no evidence of guilt on the part of these individuals, no conscious thought or understanding of the hatred and innate inhumane treatment that was eroding the intended and to that point completely false American system of democracy. All that mattered to these people was the fact that this was and had always been the way that they had lived their lives and that way of life was being threatened by outsiders whom they felt simply could or did not understand the way their system of living worked. These people were fully committed to their lifestyle at all costs and on every level. The institution of slavery was for many all that they knew making it impossible for them to conceive of anything else. They did not feel that they lived in a land that would take the essence of their existence, the ownership of other human beings, away from them and had absolutely no understanding of how others lived outside the institution of slavery because for them slavery was all there was and all that there could ever be. It was the base upon which their entire life, their reason for being, was founded. Nothing else could be conceived because nothing else existed, they couldn’t’ even understand poverty and how poor whites were able to function economically forced to live outside f the institution of slavery. Roark presents a type of homeland versus homestead view of the American lifestyle and way of functioning. From reading this work one can deduce that all Americans were either on one of two sides – they either erred on the side of the Union and sought unity for their nation as a whole or they erred on the side of the Confederacy and sought the maintenance of their current living situation. Either you were willing to turn away from the life that you had always known for sake of nationwide unity or you were dead focused on maintaining the life you had always known and did not feel should be interrupted. Some may find fault in this homeland versus homestead view but what must be understood is that these were peoples lives they may have been living immorally, this I do not deny, but these were their lives nonetheless and the reader must therefore attempt to understand the rationale behind the division of understanding that is relayed to them within the pages of this work. There may be aspects of your life with which others ay find great fault, but it is your life nonetheless and your story thus bears interest in being told. I do not in any way agree with the institution of slavery but I do understand that prior to reading this work a great deal of the literature that I have read about the institution of slavery over the years has come from the standpoint of the enslaved not portraying the ideas or thoughts of those who relied on that enslavement. I am never one to make excuses especially for improper behavior, hatred and moral relativism, but I am one who prefers to have both sides of every story, no matter how ignorant the one side may be. With this having been said it is clear that although I do not approve of the southern planters views or understandings of the way that the world works, I was able to appreciate the manner in which those understandings were portrayed to the reader by the author of this work. In his use of extensive quotes and personal accounts Roark adds a great deal of in depth analysis of the southern planters’ thoughts and position to the reader for review. In my opinion this puts literature at its finest to honestly present the material and allow the reader to draw their own conclusions and form their own ideas of the material. It is my belief that the reasoning for the slaveholders story never having been told is that there is in literature as in every other aspect of culture a division between the minority and majority standpoint as viewed by the public and unfortunately it is not all too often that the minority standpoint is presented to the authors’ readership. Slave owners were greatly outnumbered by the slaves that they took ownership over; they were able to control these people with the numbers of individuals involved being greatly imbalanced. I, again, do not condone such acts or behaviors, but that fact that thousands of slave owners could take captive and keep hundreds of thousands of people enslaved bears note. They should ever had owned other human beings but it is important to find out why they owned other human beings; what was their thought behind the ownership and forced labor of another man. There were instances throughout history were men were enslaved for payment of debt or loss of battle, but the American institution of slavery was not one of those such instances. This was the forced capture of innocent peoples and the enslavement of those people for the acquiring of free labor. Thus it bears note to question and present what could have possibly lain on the minds of such individuals that would perform these immoral acts. These people viewed slavery as necessary for the furthering of the American agricultural agenda. No place else could you acquire labor for free and they felt that enslaved labor was not necessarily the only kind but it was the best that no money could buy. They honestly didn’t’ feel that they should have had to pay for the labor put to use by force on their lands, they probably figured that they had paid enough having purchased the slaves in the first place. What bears great note is the understanding of these planters’ views of the world – they honestly did not see anything morally wrong or corrupt with what they were doing. They looked upon the ownership of human beings as business as usual. It was nothing out of the ordinary because it was how they had always lived their lives. This is why they had such difficulty imaging and accepting the idea of emancipation even in the partial state in which it was enacted, because to them there was no other way but slavery to bring out all the work that America needed done. Emancipation, they felt was thrust upon them, and it challenged not only everything that they knew, but all that they believed could be possible. They lived their lives based on an innate thought of African Americans as inferior beings and thus could not on any level imagine the states of America (because they were not yet united) putting these inferior beings in a position of liberation, the removal of legal and physical restraint, and giving them any of the rights these slave owners believed were set aside for whites only. For these southern planters the very thought of this was inconceivable. Roark presented the battle over emancipation as the revolutionary transformation and struggle that it was intended to be, unable at the time to present the shortcomings that would result from the somewhat failed attempt at liberation of the African American people. There is no presentation of the actual outcome of emancipation because that is not what this work is about. The focus of this work was to underline the deep-seated issues that southern planters had with the very idea of slavery being abolished, it’s not about how they would later and not long after form a new system of oppression that would keep African Americans enslaved for decades following the intended emancipation. Yes, the slave owners would emerge victorious over the attempt at destroying their way of living because of the fact that the American government failed to redistribute lands to freed peoples, ensuring that the class of planters would still have all of their power because they still ha all of the land. It was not as if the Africans brought to this country and enslaved could now return home, but although this is a very great point, it was not the purpose of this work, and as such this piece should appreciated for the task that Roark set out to accomplish having been just that, accomplished. Prior to Masters Without Slaves: Southern Planters in the Civil War and Reconstruction there was no study exclusively dedicated to the exploration of slave owners’ view of the world in the days leading up to and surrounding American Reconstruction. There was no one to offer us a glimpse into the social and moral values (or lack thereof) of the class of slave owners present in America at that time which is undoubtedly and without question one of the most critical moments in our nation’s history. Roark presents the attitudes of the slave owners at the very thought of emancipation and the difficulties that they endured in attempting to adjust to and make a comeback from the acts implemented as a division of Reconstruction. These slave owners were pointed out and told explicitly that their way of life was absolutely wrong and not just that it had to be changed but that it was going to be changed in the very near future whether they liked it or not. This work chronicles their reaction to that knowledge and their planning of a comeback for what they initially perceived as a defeat but later found to be a bright new opportunity. The institution of sharecropping was not altogether the same as the institution of American slavery, but it was not a far cry from the same oppression that slaves had experienced for years. Roark must be commended for his obvious talent for portraying the truths that not many would desire to recognize and for doing so in such an eloquent manner. He has taken the thoughts of slave owners at the time of American Reconstruction and put it in the face of the reader for consideration of the slave owners’ thoughts on emancipation and their return from defeat of their lifestyle. The unfortunate truth is that all positives have a negative and along those lines just as there was so much that I enjoyed and appreciated about this work there were also aspects of this piece which I found either fell short or remained unsettled. The greatest issue that I believe may be found in this work as far as I am concerned is that Roark created only one group of planters. There was no distinction presented between ideologies or ideals, he in many ways formed a race, a collective and representative sample consisting all al southern planters. There was no distinction made in the possibility that maybe planters had different ideals coming from different areas of the country. I can understand is view of this matter because for e and clearly for Roark tyranny is tyranny and there can be only two cases of oppression- the oppressor and the oppressed, but from a literary standpoint I do believe that a greater distinction could have been made between the classes of planters and that it would have added a lot to the work. There were also some points in the work that were touched on very lightly in comparison to how the themes and ideas could have been developed thus taken some of the effect way from the work itself. Thing like the beginning of the work when Roark speaks about secession, I believe that portion of the work could have been more well developed and if it had been would have likely added a great deal of affect to the already substantial quality of the work. Roark adds exquisite detail to most other portions of the work so to have lightly grazed upon the subject of secession makes the work, in many ways, appear unfinished and imbalanced. You cannot ask for everything, for every element of a literary work to be present and in perfect condition, but I do feel that this could have added a lot to the aesthetics of the piece. Yet even lacking in these two somewhat vital elements the book still does not lose its focus in exposing the reader to the thoughts of slave owners in the days leading up to Reconstruction. In this fashion, Roark did much to accomplish all that he set out to do. He presented the reader with an unbiased account of southern planter ideologies as based on their own words and thoughts of how they viewed their lives. The author does not add anything to their views or take anything away that could jeopardize the quality of his work. The book was written professionally in the manner expected of Stanford graduate and life-long historian with Roark being careful not to allow his personal views or ideas concerning the institution of American slavery to cloud his presentation of the evidence, leaving the ultimate decision whether or not to judge completely up to the reader. Roark’s distant relation of the materials sets him apart from other historians by making the presentation of the content more interesting and easy to follow. All-in-all a quality experience and fine read. I would recommend this work to others. Bibliography Roark, James L. â€Å"James L. Roark Department of History Faculty Webpage†. Emory University Department of History. Retrieved: 20 April 2009

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Saladin - Muslim Hero - Salah Ad-din Yusuf Ibn Ayyub

Saladin - Muslim Hero - Salah Ad-din Yusuf Ibn Ayyub Saladin was also known as: Al-malik An-nasir Salah Ad-din Yusuf I. Saladin is a westernization of Salah Ad-din Yusuf Ibn Ayyub. Saladin was known for: founding the Ayyubid dynasty and capturing Jerusalem from the Christians. He was the most famous Muslim hero and a consummate military tactician. Occupations: SultanMilitary LeaderCrusader Adversary Places of Residence and Influence: AfricaAsia: Arabia Important Dates: Born: c. 1137Victorious at Hattin: July 4, 1187Recaptured Jerusalem: Oct. 2, 1187Died: March 4, 1193 About Saladin: Saladin was born to a well-off Kurdish family in Tikrit and grew up in Balbek and Damascus. He began his military career by joining the staff of his uncle Asad ad-Din Shirkuh, an important commander. By 1169, at the age of 31, he had been appointed vizier of the Fatimid caliphate in Egypt as well as commander of the Syrian troops there. In 1171, Saladin abolished the Shiite caliphate and proclaimed a return to Sunni Islam in Egypt, whereupon he became that countrys sole ruler. In 1187 he took on the Latin Crusader Kingdoms, and on July 4 of that year he scored a resounding victory at the Battle of Hattin. On October 2, Jerusalem surrendered. In retaking the city, Saladin and his troops behaved with great civility that contrasted sharply with the bloody actions of the western conquerors eight decades earlier. However, though Saladin managed to reduce the number of cities held by the Crusaders to three, he failed to capture the coastal fortress of Tyre. Many Christian survivors of the recent battles took refuge there, and it would serve as a rallying point for future Crusader attacks. The recapture of Jerusalem had stunned Christendom, and the result was the launch of a third Crusade. Over the course of the Third Crusade, Saladin managed to keep the greatest fighters of the West from making any significant advances (including the notable Crusader, Richard the Lionheart). By the time fighting was finished in 1192, the Crusaders held relatively little territory in the Levantine. But the years of fighting had taken their toll, and Saladin died in 1193. Throughout his life he had displayed a total lack of pretension and was generous with his personal wealth; upon his death his friends discovered hed left no funds to pay for his burial. Saladins family would rule as the Ayyubid dynasty until it succumbed to the Mamluks in 1250. More Saladin Resources: Saladin in PrintBiographies,   primary sources, examinations   of Saladins military career, and books for younger readers . Saladin on the WebWebsites that offer biographical information on the Muslim hero and background  on the situation in the Holy Land during his lifetime. Medieval IslamThe Crusades Chronological Index Geographical Index Index by Profession, Achievement, or Role in Society The text of this document is copyright  ©2004-2015 Melissa Snell. You may download or print this document for personal or school use, as long as the URL below is included. Permission is  not  granted to reproduce this document on another website. For publication permission,  please  contact  Melissa Snell. The URL for this document is:http://historymedren.about.com/od/swho/p/saladin.htm

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Mary Higgins Clark - Most Recent Releases

Mary Higgins Clark - Most Recent Releases Mary Higgins Clark has thrilled readers for years with her psychological suspense novels. Called the Queen of Suspense, all of Clarks books are fast and enjoyable reads that will make your mind race. Heres a list of Mary Higgins Clarks works along with her newest books and upcoming releases. How many books have you read?   Ive Got You Under My Skin Published in  April 2014, Ive Got You Under My Skin  quickly rose to the top of the ranks and became a #1 New York Times bestseller. This crime-filled novel follows Laurie Moran- a television producer whose husband was murdered. The murderer is still at large and Laurie fears the killer will come back for her son and herself. At the same time, Laurie is coincidentally producing a true-crime, cold case files television show. On set, secrets unravel and the show somehow connects to the murder of Lauries husband.    The Cinderella Murder Released on November 18, 2014, this book immediately follows Ive Got You Under My Skin and is actually an extension of the storyline. In this collaboration with Alafair Burke, Mary Higgins Clark starts a new series titled Under Suspicion. These books are about a TV series that covers cold case murders, and the main character is the same Laurie Moran as in  Ive Got You Under My Skin.   The Sleeping Beauty Killer The third book in the Under Suspicion series, Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke bring fans another page-turning thriller.   Released in November 2016, the novel continues to follow the drama of Laurie Morans life. Laurie gives it her all in trying to salvage Casey Carters reputation. Casey was convicted of murdering her  fiancà © 15 years ago, but Laurie believes she is innocent. But is she? The Sleeping Beauty Killer keeps readers guessing until the very end.   As Time Goes By News reporter Delaney Wright wants to find her birth mother, but at the same time, she is assigned to cover the high-profile murder trial involving Betsy Grant. To help out, Delaneys friends look into the mystery surrounding her birth, but in the process learn about a secret they are not sure Delaney should know. Meanwhile, evidence against Betsy is growing, but Delany believes she is innocent and tries to prove it. Released in April 2016, As Time Goes By is filled with suspense and written in Clarks classic style.    All By Myself, Alone Trying to escape the public eye after the mortifying arrest of her fiance the day before their wedding, Celia Kilbride boards a luxury cruise ship. There, she meets the wealthy Lady Em who owns a priceless emerald necklace. A few days later, Lady Em is found dead and the necklace is gone.   In a series of who-did-it speculations, Celia tries to solve the mystery case and in the process puts herself in danger. Mary Higgins Clarks latest release,  All By Myself, Alone  is expected to be published on April 4, 2017.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

The history of Money Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The history of Money - Assignment Example This is because it made the quantifying of value of goods and services easier. Traders required coins for buying and selling goods, and paying other services such as labor and transport (Davies & Bank 11). The other factor, which facilitated the spread of coin money, is the need for more slaves to work in manufacturing industries. Most of the products were hand made, and this implies that factory owners required more slaves to work in their factories. Factory owners, therefore, required coinage money to buy slaves, as it was the only legal tender available during that time in Greece and other neighboring nations (Davies & Bank 13). Many historians have developed several differences between the Roman Empire and the modern day America. First, the United States was founded on rebellion against British Empire in the name of self-governance and freedom (Davies & Bank 18). While Romans valued their status as masters of the known world, only a few Americans brag their own imperialism. In the ancient times, most people perceived Greece as the world’s superpower, and a nation living in democracy with the ideal liberty, life and happiness. In contrary, most people currently perceive the U.S. as nation trying to force its ways as the world’s superpower (Davies & Bank 19). In term of money, the ancient Roman Empire coin was one of the major trading currencies, along side other currencies such as Greek coin, and the U.S. dollar is also one of the major trading currencies alongside other currencies such s GBP,AUD and JPY (Davies & Bank