Evaluation Argument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Evaluation Argument - Essay Example In other words the material things which were acquired from the earth will not help us in our future assignment. After death a person’s body will be destroyed; but what will happen to the mind and spirit? The relation between mind and spirit with the body is still debated among psychologists and philosophers. What will happen to the mind and body if all the materials used in the making of our body with some other materials from another planet? It is difficult to answer the above question though we can assume certain things on the basis of the evidences at present we have. The concept of mind and spirit is still a confusing topic for the psychologists and the philosophers. In my opinion mind cannot exist without a body and hence it will be destroyed after the death of the body. Our mind activities are controlled by our brain which is made of material things and once those material things destroyed all the entities associated with them like the mind will also be destroyed. But what will happen to the spirit? Physicians explain various functions of body while psychologists concentrate on the activities of mind. But nobody knows much about the soul or spirit though everybody agrees that it is the spirit which drives us in this material world. After death what happens to the spirit? Only the religions studied about the features of spirit and they have their own explanations about the future of spirit on the basis of the good and evil committed during the life in earth. Religions believe that those who engaged in good activities during the stay on earth will get salvation after death while others will be punished by God. I don’t want to comment on the future of spirit or mind. But I would like to argue that both spirit and mind can travel at a speed which may be greater than that of light. Light rays are considered to be the fastest (3 x 108 m/s) thing in the world. As per the principles of Physics nothing can achieve a speed greater than

The Use Of Union Dues For Political Activities Essay Example for Free

The Use Of Union Dues For Political Activities Essay A union is an association that represents workers well being to running their salaries, work hours and working conditions. The workers are involved in ensuring the unions sustain their activities with its due fees to pay for their services. Workers are mandated to pay union an outstanding amount are required to know the how their money is being utilized. The organization controlling the unions must give the employees with enough data on how their money is being used. The work of these unions levy for opinionated goings on continues to be a contentious issue for both community and private sector unions. This thesis will give an impression of the lawful issues of the use of union’s dues in America for both community and private sectors. Law protects all workers a right to join and get involved in union actions. Workers can negotiate and discuss with unions over service issues that affect the join workers about their operational terms. The bargaining items include issues like salaries, supremacy and penalizing procedures are some examples. The workers join the unions for various reasons including, when they feel:- o Are unhappy about some aspects of their occupation. o Sense that they are not involved meeting the required changes. o See the joining together as an answer to their troubles. The union best friend is bad operational system. If the managers listen to workers and let them dictate in policies that influence their jobs and treat them literally, then the workers won’t need to join the union. The manager who pay no attention to their employees well being and are dictatorial in their operational style often have their companies organized. Most job providers prefer to hire workers who have not joined unions, as the unions may limit the potentiality of the managers. This relates to decisions that openly affect joint workers working conditions. In the private sector for example a company may contract out part of its operations, and this may be legal but the effect of that pronouncement has to be discussed with the union. And if the senior workers are made redundant because of the decision to contract out, the contract terms must be evaluated to see the level of harm caused to the involved workers. HISTORICAL OVERVIEW I n the beginning of the 20th century, as the American economy was building up most employers created bad working conditions for workers. Most workers were from other nations to the US and they were not trained, could not communicate properly in English and had no money to pillow their jobs. Some were from the rural areas of America and were most occupants of the towns. They were misused because people looking for jobs were many. Due to economical growth, it resulted to understanding between the employers and employees. This understanding made people to loose their jobs, thus created poverty. During this period a private sector union was allowed to operate called the Wagner act of 1935 also called (National Labor Relations Act). The Wagner Act was enacted to guard employee’s rights and enable them to form join unions. This allowed them to have a right to be involved in such activities as strikes, picketing and collective bargaining. The Act also enhanced multiple employments as illegal, as the workers can not be interfered with or persuaded in practicing their rights to engage or not to engage in combined activities, dictate or interrupt the union activities, categorize workers to prevent them joining together forming an association, expulsion or placing charges against workers who file charges against their employers and or testify against their employees according to the Act’s provision, decline to negotiate with the union . The NLRB also formed a self governing organization to enforce American labor law and its primary actions were as follows:- o To identify the actual unit for cooperative bargaining in a company. o To manage documentation elections secret ballot that decided whether the workers were to be represented by a joint group. o To avoid and deal with illegal labor Acts. ‘The Taft – Hartley Act’ was enacted and represented a delicate change in connection between the unions and employers. The legislation was formed to bind some of the authority that the unions had secured under the Wagner’s Act; also it was made to defend the rights of organization and the workers too. The Taft Hartley Act is positive towards the employees concerns against unjust labor practices. Joint organizations cannot or persuade workers in the duty of their rights as provided under the Act, insight employees to discriminate each other especially those are not members of labor union for whatever the reason. Including:- failing to pay the union levy and joining fees as required to attain membership in the union, decline to negotiate with the management after a good number of employees have decided to be represented by a certain union group, persuade the associates and members to refuse to use products by companies involved in a labor dispute, and charge workers for extreme levy as a condition of relationship in a joint group. The Landrum Griffin Act has sustained this change in lawful surroundings and creating More limits in joint groups activities. The Act was enacted to protect joint members and their involvement in the activities and presentation of their joint groups. The Act controls how unions are managed. The Act has three sections including; o Bill of rights for union members, it assures clandestine and seasonal elections to choose their joint group representatives. It also gives the group members the right to take legal action against the union if it abuses their lawful rights. o Requires complete reports to the secretary of labor concerning all economical issues of the joint group. o Controls the persons who may be used or employed as union officers. Persons who are found guilty of illegal activities or may have investment interests that may not agree with interests of the joint groups are stopped from holding office. Most of the factors affecting the employees in the private sector are same as those affecting the public sector. The legal association between public sector and private sector employees and their bosses are legally not the same at federal and state level. The government is the supreme ruler and may be compelled by law to perform certain actions and provide some services. The administration officials have the permission to take legal action and make supposed decisions to ensure performance of those activities. Negotiation involves the sharing of decision making power between the administration and the joint groups. For instance; communal workers at a national level in the most states are forbidden to strike. In America the lawful history of the communal sector organizations has gone through major reforms. The communal joint groups can be categorized as being at the national level, state employee level and local county and municipal level. The community workers have no rights under the Wagner Act, with the exception of workers of the American Postal Service. The Postal Reforms Act in America has a private agency and legalized National Labor Relations Board to decide appropriate negotiating units, oversee version elections, and put in force the unjust labor practice of the Wagner Act. THE USE OF UNION DUES FOR POLITICAL ACTIVITY F ederal employees have started negotiating over the terms of their employment. This is due to Lloyd La Follette Act. The Civil Service Act and it gives power to set wages, hours and other terms and conditions of employment. It is prohibited that national workers or their joint groups from dictating in salaries, either before congress, its committee or before heads of executive agencies. It appears that on the collective negotiating events of the community unions at both the national and state levels have more officially authorized than their private partners. The national workers have a right to organize and form unions. National workers also have a right to present their views on salaries and terms of employment to companies which h they worked for. It is an illegal practice to discriminate an employee on basis of color, race, nationality, sex, age, political status and marital status. It is also an offence to interfere with exercise of employee rights or to take disciplinary actions against a worker or categorize an employee because of union activity, or to persuade a regulation that differs with a collective negotiating agreement. An important variation in the legislation is the absence of the right to strike among the federal level employees. While the use of the unions levy for the political activity has always been frowned upon in both the community and private sectors, thus the issue of has remained a major topic of the debate. Thus, many people argue that unless closely monitored, the joint groups will continue to utilize their members levy for political activity in regardless of the lawful constraints; for example the American Supreme Court has illegalized the use of union for political activity. The Supreme Court defined the term â€Å"agency fee† and this ruling applies to both communal and private sector workers. The joint group may require all the workers covered by a union security agreement t pay an â€Å"agency fee† which is designed to cover the cost associated with collective bargaining, contract administration and grievance administration procedures. The recent presidential promotion has once again highlighted the issue of the union dues being utilized for supporting purposes. Congress and many states have enacted or tried to enhance new laws to more lawful constraints in this area. On the one hand, many argue that all that all that is needed is for the current laws as interpreted by the courts are implemented and imposed and no extra legislation is needed. If an employee does not want his or her money used for political purposes, then they have the authority to block this from occurring. Another survey focuses on the pubic sector. The results show that much has been done to make services accessible, but how typical they are across the other sectors. Websites in the US commercial sectors including airlines, newspaper, banks, supermarkets, sport, retail and telecommunications have at some percentage achieved their goals. This ending therefore suggests that the private sector not superior than the communal unit when it comes to web accessibility. ESTMATED VERSUS ACTUAL CONFORMANCE The strategy study requested the respondents to estimate the proportions of sites in each member state that already conform at various levels. Only a few people said that they had data, about the public sector versus community. The most parallel information returned related showed a conformance with the public sector, where there were six clear estimates. The most states cannot know the actual conformance of their member states and those can offers low estimates, which makes it clear that they are not coming up with good standards. If we estimate the site studies are representing the administration websites in the states, they shows that there is a recognizable gap in data and comment in between the strategy planning and actual results. Changing this data difference should improve effectiveness of all related strategy interventions. This could be realized more independently by the member states but there may be positive outcomes through union efforts. The internet accessibility observatory project may provide a mechanism for such collaboration and its main objective is to contribute to better accessibility for all citizens and to improve the standards for online services and resources. Recommendation for public policy makers is to develop response mechanisms for closing the data gap between the strategy planning and actual results may provide a mechanism for such collaboration. To produce a strategy for improving awareness throughout the nation by reviewing all the examples of engagement, shows that this study is for improving awareness of web accessibility. Most of the sites studies are those put in place to provide the administration services. They are basically the government sites which offer some degree of interaction or transaction rather than purely informational sites. Provided this situation and the general move towards greater degree of transaction in the government services and web accessibility are more complicated sites might be not easy to make and keep them accessible or create awareness. In the event there is no statistical association between the accessibility and either of the key measures used in that report for online complexity or the availability of the government data online. It is urged that the underlying administration system is in that respect for more significant number of checkpoints and help in meeting a range of others. Position of salary protection laws differ from state to state. Washington is the first state to pass the salary protection law which was supported by a majority of supporters. In other states like California and Oregon took a different position took a different position. The plan allows and requires joint groups to seek annual written permission from each member before utilizing their dues to support a political activity. Conclusion The discussion over the use of union levy for the supporting activity will continue. Even if the laws are clear that the employees can avoid their money from being used for political purposes, this issue remains contentious. It is wise to say this remains a major issue with closeness of the recent presidential election as an example we see the republicans are always in the favor of salary protection legislation while the democrats opposed. Experts suggested that the power of the joint unions as a political voice had gone down. The recent figures on the campaign contributions suggest this conclusion may not be true. Therefore it is safe to assume that this issue will continue to be debated in congress and in state legislatures to every corner of the country. References Official Title and Summary retrieved on 2nd April 2008 available at www.sos.ca.gov/elections/bp_nov05/voter_info_pdf/entire75.pdf Should we restrict political use of union dues? / Political choice retrieved on 2nd April 2008 available at www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/05/06/EDGKDCKGA01.DTL 55k Cached Similar pages Note this The Worker Paycheck Fairness Act: Ending the Involuntary Use of retrieved on 2nd April 2008 available at www.heritage.org/Research/Labor/BG1156.cfm 58k Labor Relations :: Education :: Glossary retrieved on 2nd April 2008 available at www.massnurses.org/labor/education/resources/glossary3.htm 72k

Child Labor and England’s Industrial Revolution Essay -- Exploratory E

Child Labor and England’s Industrial Revolution    The Industrial Revolution in nineteenth-century England brought about many changes in British society. It was the advent of faster means of production, growing wealth for the Nation and a surplus of new jobs for thousands of people living in poverty. Cities were growing too fast to adequately house the numerous people pouring in, thus leading to squalid living conditions, increased filth and disease, and the families reliance upon their children to survive. The exploitation of children hit an all time peak in Britain when generations of its youth were sacrificed to child labor and the â€Å"Coffers† of England. From the late 18th century to the mid 19th century, the economy in England was transformed from an agricultural to a manufacturing –based economy. In 1801, agriculture provided employment for 36% of the British population. By 1851, only 10% of the British population was employed in agriculture, while over 40% was employed in industry (Hopkins, 36). As a direct result of this transformation, a surplus of jobs were created and displaced farming families moved in to fill them. Factory and Mine owners exploited the situation by offering families a means to make more money, by putting their children to work. Industry profited from this arrangement by saving money, since child labor was more â€Å"cost effective†. According to one historian, Clark Nardinelli, â€Å"in 1835 56,000 children under the age of thirteen were working in textile factories alone. By 1874, the number of child laborers in the market hit its peak with over 122,000 children between the ages of 10 and thirteen working in textile factories (4).† ... ...om Cruickshank, Marjorie. (1981). Children and Industry. Oxford, Manchester: Manchester University Press.    Dreary, T. (1994). The Vile Victorians. London, United Kingdom: Scholastic Publications Ltd.    Evans, R. M.(1979). Children Working Underground. Cardiff, Wales: McLays.    Horn, Pamela. (1994). Children’s Work and Welfare, 1780-1880’s. Houndsmills, Basingshtoke, Hampshire, London: The MacMillion Press.    Hopkins, E. (1994). Childhood transformed. Manchester: Manchester University Press.    Jordan, T. (1987). Victorian Childhood. Albany, New York: State University of New York Press.    Nardinelli, C. (1990). Child Labor and The Industrial Revolution. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press.    Spartacus Encyclopedia. (1997). Home page. British History 1700-1950. http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk./IRchild.main.htm.

Essays for the American Pageant, 14th Ed.

Essays for The American Pageant, 14th ed. Part One 1. From the perspective of Native Americans, the Spanish and English empires in America had more similarities than differences. Assess the validity of this generalization. Response Strategy It is important to develop a clear thesis on the validity of the statement at the outset of the essay. A good essay could be developed on either side of the issue or in support of a middle-of –the-road position. Supporting paragraphs should be developed to build the position chosen.Both the Spanish and the English treated the Native Americans as inferiors, thought it important to bring them Christianity, sought to profit economically from relations with the Native Americans, and forced some Native Americans into slavery. Both brought terrible diseases to the New World, though the Spanish impact was more devastating because of earlier arrival. The Spanish attempted to integrate Native Americans into their colonial societies through intermarr iage and through the establishment of agricultural communities with Native American workers.The English separated themselves from Native American life to a greater extent and relied mostly on trade for economic gain. 2. Evaluate the extent of settlement and influence of three of these groups of non-English settlers in North America before 1775. French Dutch Scots Irish German African Response Strategy It is important to point out that English settlers were a definite majority of those in North America during the entire eighteenth century. However, the proportion declined from about twenty to one in 1700 to only about three to one by 1775.So a good essay should point out that the significance of non-English groups was increasing. The next task is to select three groups from the list and describe the influence of each. Of the non-English settlers, the largest group consisted of Africans, most of whom were enslaved and forced to immigrate. The laws and social customs that enabled the i nstitution of slavery to exist were firmly in place by the 1700s. There were enslaved Africans in all of the colonies, though the practice was most prevalent in the South, due to the labor-intensive export crops common there.The French had relatively small settlements in the St. Lawrence River valley, but exerted economic influence over vast expanses of the interior through trade and missionary activities. Because French economic power rivaled that of England, the English feared the French settlers more than those from the other countries, until the French colonies came under English rule in 1763. The Dutch originally controlled the Hudson River valley as a separate colony, but this had been absorbed by New York by the 1700s. Dutch names remained important there and Dutch social customs were influential.The relative poverty and the independent spirit of many of the Scots Irish settlers is demonstrated by their tendency to settle along the western frontiers on both sides of the Appal achians from Pennsylvania southward. They maintained their Presbyterian religion, and a history of struggles with the Church of England meant that they were unlikely to respect the English colonial governments. German settlers located themselves mostly in Pennsylvania where they were called â€Å"Pennsylvania Dutch. † They maintained relatively prosperous farming communities and tried to remain culturally separate from the English. . Explain the theory of mercantilism and the role in played in prompting Americans to rebel in 1776. Essay A (Strong) In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the set of economic ideas that prevailed in the governments of several leading European nations came to be called mercantilism. Based on these ideas, English leaders made decisions that were more advantageous to the mother country than they were to the colonies. While this resulted in some discontent among the colonists, mercantilism by itself was not responsible for the acts of rebellion in 1776.Mercantilism played a role in American independence, but it was only one of a number of ideas and events that were important. Mercantilist ideas emphasized that nations should strive toward economic self-sufficiency and that the power of a nation should be measured by the amount of its gold and silver reserves. Ultimately, a nation should arrange to produce everything it needed for its own citizens and sell surpluses to for hard currency. This metal reserve, in turn, could be used in emergency situations to pay for wars or solve shortages.Colonies, like those England had in North America, played an important part in this economic equation. They could help England become self-sufficient by producing things that could not be made or grown there such as tobacco, sugar, and tall masts for ships. Colonists could also provide a market for British goods, particularly manufactured products, such as woolen cloth or beaver hats. This meant that the home economy in England could becom e more fully developed, while the colonial economies were relegated to a role of supplying raw materials.To insure that the American colonies would contribute to this overall sense of British wealth, various Navigation Acts were passed beginning in 1650 to regulate trade between the colonies, England, and the rest of the world. In many cases, ships carrying American products to other European countries had to stop in England first to pay duties before continuing onward. Also, goods traveling to and from America had to be carried in English or American ships, not Dutch or French, regardless of the source or destination of the cargoes.Furthermore, the requirement that gold and silver be spent to purchase English goods meant that there was a great shortage of money in the colonies. They could only obtain these precious metals by illicit trade with the French and the Spanish colonies. The British right to nullify colonial laws that conflicted with the mother country’s objectives meant that efforts of colonies to issue paper money were sometimes halted because of concerns by English banks and merchants. The colonists often resented these intrusions by British authorities and the resulting limitations on economic opportunities.Despite the existence of the mercantilist policies, relations between Britain and its North American colonies were relatively good through most of the 1600s and 1700s. Partly this was because the Navigation Acts were not well enforced during the period of â€Å"salutary neglect† and the colonial economies grew. Also the Americans gained some advantages from the system such as the tobacco monopoly. Relations became strained to the point of rebellion only after 1763. The royal government began to impose taxes on the colonists, such as Sugar Act, the Stamp Act, and the Townshend Acts.While these new taxes bore some relationship to the mercantilist control of the colonial economies, they were primarily motivated by England’s n eed to pay the expenses of an ongoing struggle with France. There was also a growing awareness among the colonists of the radical Whig ideas that liberties and economic livelihood could be lost to a corrupt government unless actively protected, so colonists were primed to rebel when England tried to increase its colonial revenue stream. Mercantilist ideas set up a situation in which the economic interests of the American colonists were subordinated to those of England.However, this alone was not sufficient to cause the colonists to rebel. The situation tipped toward rebellion after 1763 because of England’s war-related expenses and because the colonists were becoming more aware of their rights and the need to defend them. Essay B Mercantilism was an economic policy that emphasized that, to be successful, a nation had to make money. This meant that it had to sell more than it bought and build up gold and silver reserves. The British strongly believed in this policy.This led th e colonists to rebel in 1776 for three reasons—trade restrictions, economic shortages, and a lack of respect for colonial rights. The Navigation Acts required that the colonists could trade certain enumerated products only with England. This meant that tobacco growers and others had to sell to England, even when better prices could be obtained elsewhere. Also, items shipped to and from the American colonies had to travel in English or American ships, even when other nations might be the customers or might be able to ship things more cheaply.Sometimes exports being send from the colonies to other countries had to land in England first to pay duties to the English. These trade restrictions limited economic opportunities for the colonists, but there were other grievances as well. Manufacturing was discouraged in the colonies since England want to earn money by sending products such as woolen cloth to America to be sold for hard currency. This in turn caused American to be short of gold and silver. Then they could not buy and sell things to each other except through barter.After the French and Indian War, England wanted more money to pay for the expenses incurred in fighting France. Since England had been used to considering the colonists as subordinates under mercantilist policies, they did not hesitate about passing additional taxes such as the hated Stamp Act. The colonists really started to feel threatened and began to talk rebellion. The economic situation and the lack of respect for colonial rights caused by mercantilism were responsible for prompting the colonists to rebel in 1776. Essay C (Weak)Mercantilism was a system set up by England to regulate merchants. It said what each could sell and how much taxes each would have to pay. The merchants in the colonies resented this more than the merchants in England because they had more regulations. There laws like the Navigation Acts to regulate shipping and there were taxes like the tax on tea, which led to the Boston Tea Party. The colonists became rebellious. When British soldiers were sent to enforce the taxes, the colonists did not want to have to pay them or let them live in their houses like was required in the Quartering Act.Eventually the British shot at the colonists in Lexington and Concord where the shot heard round the world was fired. The British were put on notice that there was a rebellion when the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776. It was written by Thomas Jefferson. He was a farmer, not a merchant, and had an estate in Virginia called Monticello. Part Two 1. To what extent did European events influence the course of American development between 1795 and 1810? Assess with respect to three of the following. XYZ Affair Alien and Sedition Acts Louisiana Purchase Embargo of 1807Response Strategy Start by observing that the French Revolution that began in 1789 and the subsequent Napoleonic Wars plunged Europe into a turbulent historical era. Many Ame ricans hoped to stay out of the European struggles, and this goal was articulated in George Washington’s Farewell Address. However, American merchants depended on free use of the seas for trade, and this brought them into contact with the warring European parties. Some Americans favored Britain, the former mother country and largest trading partner. Other Americans favored France, whose revolution seemed similar to their own.A good essay will develop a thesis demonstrating that European affairs extensively influenced the United States during this time period in both harmful and beneficial ways. When President Adams sent a delegation to France to negotiate fair treatment for American ships, bribes were demanded by unnamed officials labeled X, Y, and Z. This angered many Americans including Alexander Hamilton who wanted to raise an army to fight against France. In 1798, a majority of the new Congress was Federalist and very anti-French. They viewed the statements of many of the Democratic-Republicans (who often favored France) as treasonous.Therefore, they passed the Alien and Sedition Acts, allowing the deportation of aliens and imposing fines and imprisonment on those who criticized the president or Congress. By 1803, France was under the control of Napoleon who needed funds to build the European empire he envisioned. He was also soured on the idea of a French presence in the New World by the rebellion led by Toussaint L’Ouverture in Santo Domingo. These circumstances led to the French sale of Louisiana and a doubling of the size of the United States under Jefferson’s presidency.Jefferson faced additional problems regarding shipping, as both British and French navies were seizing American ships. This led to the Embargo Act of 1807, which aimed at preventing trouble with European countries by stopping all Americans exports. This unpopular and economically disruptive law was repealed in 1809. 2. Analyze the social changes that gave rise to m ass democracy in the United States between 1820 and 1840. Include the roles of three of the following in this process. John Marshall Henry Clay Andrew Jackson William Henry Harrison Essay A (Strong)By 1840, the process for attaining high office, particularly the Presidency, was significantly different than it had been in 1820. Those who controlled the major decisions in the government of the United States, for the most part, were still men of some wealth and experience. However, to gain and keep political power, these men had to win and keep the support of the common man. Suffrage was still limited to free, white males; however the increased interest in politics and the greater rate of participation in elections showed that some measure of mass democracy had emerged as ordinary citizens became more influential in the political process.This was something new on the world stage at that time, and the individuals listed played varying roles in inventing mass democracy. The person who be st symbolized this process was Andrew Jackson. He entered politics as a nationally known hero from the Battle of New Orleans at the conclusion of the War of 1812, and was the first president from the West. He first ran for president in 1824. No candidate that year received a majority in the Electoral College, and the House of Representatives had to choose the winner.Speaker of the House Henry Clay supported John Quincy Adams, who became President and named Clay as Secretary of State. Jackson and his supporters condemned Clay and began promoting the idea that Adams had become President because of a corrupt bargain. Though there is no definite evidence that this charge was true, the issue provided an important tool for whipping up partisan support, particularly in the West where rallies were held on the issue. They also used the cold and distant personality of John Quincy Adams to portray him to voters as an elitist who was out of touch with the needs of the people.By building up west ern enthusiasm and gaining the support of some political machines that were being developed to recruit voters among the working class in the cities of the East, the Jackson campaign easily prevailed in the Election of 1828. Jackson reciprocated by holding an inaugural party at the White House to which all were invited. The resulting fracas was referred to as â€Å"King Mob†, but it showed that Jackson was in touch with common people. Though Jackson’s Democratic Party had mass support, there were various groups that opposed it, particularly among the social and economic elite.Included were businessmen of the northeast, many of whom favored the Bank of the United States that had been attacked by Jackson. Also there were the anti-Masons who believed that the secret societies conspired to keep power and that the government should be used to promote the moral reforms favored by the preachers of the Second Great Awakening. There were also southerners and westerners who wante d federal money to be spent on internal improvements, as had been proposed by Henry Clay’s American System. These diverse groups were very disorganized in the Election of 1832, in which Jackson easily won reelection.However, by 1836, they had organized themselves into the Whig Party, and the second political party system in U. S. history was born. Political parties were beginning to be seen as important parts of mass democracy rather than as harmful threats to national unity. Henry Clay became the Whig candidate in the Election of 1836, but the Jacksonian influence was still too strong to overcome. Even though Clay had a strong record as a national leader in the Senate, the Presidency went to Martin Van Buren, Jackson’s Vice-President and chosen successor.By 1840, the Whigs were well aware of what they had to do to win the Presidency. They needed a candidate who could be portrayed as a hero and a commoner to appeal to the voting masses in the West. This candidate was W illiam Henry Harrison. He had won some battles fighting Indians much earlier in his long life, one of which was the Battle of Tippecanoe. An opposing newspaper said that Harrison should stay home in his log cabin and drink hard cider. This validated the approach of Harrison’s supporters who held rallies and marches to promote the image of the frontier hero who lived in a log cabin.This was a deliberate use of a social class status symbol to identify Harrison with a large western voting bloc. That his actual dwelling was much nicer did not seem to make much difference as the Whigs used the same tactics to arouse mass voter support that the Jacksonians had initiated earlier. The economic downturn that had occurred under Van Buren helped the Whig cause as well. The slogan, â€Å"Tippecanoe and Tyler Too† carried the day and put Harrison in the White House. Between 1820 and 1840, the ways in which large numbers of white male voters were mobilized altered the U.S. political process was forever. The idea of deference to a natural aristocracy had weakened and white men of all social classes expected to be able to vote. By 1840, the percentage of eligible voters who participated in the election had grown to a record 78 percent. The Jacksonians developed techniques of mass campaigning in the West as well as in the eastern cities. Those who opposed Jackson had no choice but to adopt similar strategies themselves to appeal to the greatly increased number of men who were now interested in politics.Through this process, the two-party system of mass democracy was developed for the first time. Essay B Between the years 1820 and 1840, there were three different approaches to governing the United States. By that time, the right to vote had been extended to most men who were free, white, and at least twenty-one years of age. This meant that candidates had to learn how to deal with a wide range of men before they could be important in government. John Marshall, And rew Jackson, and Henry Clay illustrate the different approaches.As the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, John Marshall did not need to run for office. He had been a Federalist, a political party whose members tended toward the idea that government should be in the hands of a natural aristocracy. Such beliefs hampered Federalists an era that saw a greatly increased number of voters. In this new era, Marshall’s presence, until his death in the 1830s, served to remind people that there were limits to popular democracy. Decisions like the Dartmouth College case and Fletcher v.Peck showed that Constitutional guarantees for private property had to be respected, regardless of the wishes of the majority of voters in various states. This probably contributed to the development of mass democracy by preventing excesses and maintaining the importance of unity under the Constitution. With private property protected, people who considered themselves part of the natural aristocracy felt l ess vulnerable and were more willing to accept the political participation of the common man. As a successful two-term president, Andrew Jackson knew how to appeal to the voting public.He was already well-known as the hero of New Orleans. In his political campaigns, he successfully portrayed himself as a frontier hero with common tastes. Even though he owned slaves, and lived in a mansion, he was identified with the popular opinions. He also portrayed his political enemies such as John Quincy Adams and Nicholas Biddle as representatives of an elite group that was trying to prevent the common people from having what they needed from government. The campaigns of Andrew Jackson became the basis for the modern Democratic Party.Such parties are an important part of mass democracy. Henry Clay was an important figure in starting the Whig Party. American mass democracy seems to require a two-party system so that those opposed to the policies of the party in power will have a way to get powe r for themselves. Some Americans opposed Jackson’s policies because they wanted the national government to encourage economic development such as proposed in Clay’s American System. Others believed that moral reforms should receive greater emphasis.These groups became Whig supporters and by 1840, the Whig Party was a vigorous part of the emerging mass democracy, and provided a political home for many who considered themselves a cut above the common man. The continuation of some Federalist ideas, the innovations of the Jacksonian Democrats, and the development of the opposition Whig Party all contributed to the development of mass democracy in the United States. White male voters of a variety of social classes and beliefs found ways to participate in the system. Essay C (Weak) Andrew Jackson was known as Old Hickory.He had been a hero in the War of 1812. Then he got into politics and served two terms as President of the United States. He was known for opposing the Bank of the United States, which was portrayed by its opponents as a monster that would devour the fortunes of the common American people. He also would not stop the removal the Cherokee to the West, an event that is known as the Trail of Tears. Henry Clay is known as the Great Compromiser. He was involved in the Compromise of 1820, which is the Missouri Compromise. Missouri entered the union as slave state and Main as a free state.This helped to prevent a Civil War between the North and the South. Though he ran for President, he was never elected. William Henry Harrison was known as Old Tippecanoe after a battle he had won as a general in some wars against the Native Americans. When he ran for President, his running mate was named Tyler, so his campaign used the slogan â€Å"Tippecanoe and Tyler Too†. When Harrison won the election, everyone could see that a good campaign slogan is a useful thing for mass democracy. So you can see that Jackson, Clay, and Harrison each played a pa rt in developing mass democracy in the United States. . Analyze the ways in which the â€Å"transportation revolution† (1820–1860) affected economic relationships among the Northeast, the South, and the West. Response Strategy A successful essay should begin by analyzing the components of the â€Å"transportation revolution. † Road building techniques were improved and travelers on the National Road could go as far west as Illinois. The steamboat increased the importance of river transportation as travelers and freight could now easily go upstream as well as downstream. River transportation was especially important in the South.There was a boom in canal building, the most famous of which was the Erie Canal in upstate New York. Railroad construction exploded in the 1850s, especially in the North. The next task is to analyze the resulting economic relationships. A good approach would be to observe that the transportation revolution was closely linked to the market revolution that meant people were making fewer things for themselves and buying more things from far away. The Northeast provided manufactured goods for the South and the West. The South provided cotton as a raw material for factories located primarily in the Northeast.The West provided grain and livestock to feed the East. Earlier the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers had joined the South with the West as westerners depended on the port of New Orleans for imports and exports. However, the Erie Canal allowed goods to be shipped to the East Coast via the Great Lakes. This, together with railroad expansion, increased economic ties between the Northeast and the West, and weakened western economic ties with the South. Part Three 1. Explain popular sovereignty. How and why was it proposed as a political doctrine? How well did it work in Kansas in the 1850s?Response Strategy The three distinct parts in this essay prompt should prove useful in structuring a good answer. Begin with an overall in troductory thesis on popular sovereignty, perhaps including the definition in the introduction. It was designed to give the inhabitants of new territories the opportunity to decide whether slavery would be allowed. It was proposed as a political doctrine in the 1840s, probably by Senator Lewis Cass, the Democratic nominee for President in 1848. This was an effort to keep the northern and southern sections of that party united by making it unnecessary to take a tand for or against the expansion of slavery. The flaw in this logic was that the doctrine transferred a highly charged moral issue into a local context. In answering the third part of the question, be sure to mention the Kansas Nebraska Act of 1854, which allowed slave owners to settle in Kansas. Abolitionists hated this. Then it is important to summarize the essential events of the contest that has been labeled â€Å"Bleeding Kansas. † Lawlessness prevailed on both sides with raids and killings. Rival constitutions an d capitals were established.As a result, the national government was forced to face the issue it had hoped to avoid as Congress was asked by President Buchanan to accept the Lecompton Constitution as the basis for Kansas’ admission to the union. Stephen Douglas, leader of the northern Democrats and author of the Kansas Nebraska Act, believed that the vote in Kansas to approve this constitution had been fraudulent. A split in the Democratic Party resulted. So it seems fair to label popular sovereignty a failure. 2. What geographic and strategic advantages did the South possess at the outset of the Civil War?Why were these not sufficient to prevail in the struggle? Response Strategy This question can be best answered by a quick review of the early advantages of the South and then a more detailed analysis of the advantages possessed by the North. Some attention could be given to the military events of the war, but this is not necessary to answer the question well. The South had extensive territory, about the size of Western Europe. It also had a very long coastline that could be used to access outside help. This made it very difficult to conquer militarily.The South could adopt a defensive strategy, making the North bring the war to it. The North had to conquer the South and win military victories, but the South could maintain its independence by defending its interior lines and retaining at least the heart of its territory. These advantages prevented a quick northern victory, but they did not prevail in the end. Demographics favored the North, which had a larger population and continued to attract new immigrants during the war. Economic advantages overwhelmingly favored the North, which had far more factories and financial institutions.The North already had an organized and functioning national government, something the Confederacy was never entirely successful at establishing. There was also the moral issue of slavery, which made foreign nations reluctan t to aid the South. In the end, the North proved able to sustain the long war of attrition that was needed to overcome the southern geographic advantages. 3. To what extent did the Constitutional Amendments ratified during Reconstruction (13th, 14th, and 15th) bring political and economic equality to the former slaves by 1900? Essay A (Strong)Unlike the earlier amendments to the Constitution, which were designed to limit the powers of the federal government, the Reconstruction amendments asserted federal power into new situations. The victorious Union government, heavily influenced by the so-called Radical Republicans, wanted to insure the end of the South’s system of slavery and aimed to assure that the former slaves had the rights and privileges of United States citizens. While a measure of success was achieved, attitudes embedded in American society prevented full political and economic equality for the former slaves.Regrettably, the political and economic institutions of the nation evolved ways that kept most African Americans in positions of subordination, limiting their political and economic power. During the Reconstruction period, the U. S. government ended up treating most of the former Confederacy as conquered territory that had to be readmitted to the Union. Part of the process of readmission was to ratify three Constitutional Amendments designed to give rights to the former slaves. The 13th, ratified in 1865, prohibited slavery.The 14th, ratified in 1868, defined American citizenship in a way that included the former slaves and required all states to respect the rights of citizens. The 15th (1870) required that states give adult males had the right to vote regardless of race or former status as slaves. These amendments, together with a number of federal laws and agencies created to enforce them, appear on their face to be sufficient to create political and economic equality for the former slaves. However, entrenched attitudes and customs kep t these ideals from becoming a reality in the period before 1900.Freedom was a life-transforming experience for many former slaves. In the knowledge that their former masters had no legal hold over them, people traveled widely looking for lost friends and relatives. Many chose to settle in new locations or to exchange legally binding marriage vows. The Freedman’s Bureau and various private agencies set up schools to provide literacy training. The Union League provided a vehicle for many African Americans to participate in forming new constitutions for the former Confederate states. Blacks served in state legislatures and held offices at the local level.There were 14 African Americans in the U. S. House of Representatives and two in the Senate. After the deadlocked Election of 1876, however, a compromise ended what was left of federal efforts to guarantee the political rights of the former slaves. Most white Americans still considered blacks to be inferior and had little inter est in continuing Reconstruction efforts. Redeemer governments passed laws requiring literacy tests and poll taxes that served as barriers to black political participation. The hostility of some whites manifested itself in a system of terror carried out by the Ku Klux Klan and lynch mobs.Former slaves who tried to exercise political rights had to fear for their lives. African Americans who held political office or even exercised the right to vote were very few by 1900. Right after the Civil War, many former slaves hoped that they would be given plots of land as had been done in the few Union occupied areas. This rarely happened. It would have required that private property be confiscated, a practice that goes against American traditions. Instead Black Codes were passed, which usually required the former slaves to sign labor contracts with landowners.Those who did not sign, or who broke their contracts, could be arrested as vagrants. Even organizations such as the Freedman’s B ureau acquiesced in this arrangement. In time, many former slaves were able to maintain their own homes and work land as sharecroppers. However, they had to buy supplies on credit from white merchants and give a substantial percentage of each crop to the owners of the land. Very few individuals were able to make economic progress under such conditions. While there were African Americans who owned plots of land or small businesses in the period before 1900, this was quite unusual.Most of the former slaves were very poor. As Frederick Douglass pointed out, the former slaves no longer had individual masters; but they were the slaves of society. The prevailing political and economic attitudes and institutions kept them from true equality. Essay B During Reconstruction, the American national government sought to bring political and economic equality to the former slaves. Three amendments to the Constitution were passed by Congress and ratified by the states to bring this about. However, despite this well-intentioned effort, equality was not achieved.This can be seen by analyzing the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments. Amendment 13 said that slavery and involuntary servitude were prohibited. Of the three amendments, this was the one that was most fully carried out. Many freedmen and women moved away from their former masters for a new start. Controls such as Black Codes that required blacks to sign labor contracts prevailed for a time. Eventually, many of the former slaves became sharecroppers. As such, they were a better off than slaves, since they could have more control over their own lives and work schedules. African American churches and social organizations were created.They were not really well-off socially or economically, but at least they were no longer slaves. Amendment 14 made the ex-slaves citizens and required that all states respect citizenship rights. This has been an important restriction on the power of the states throughout recent American history. H owever, the way this amendment was interpreted before 1900 limited its usefulness as a vehicle toward equality for the former slaves. In the 1896 case of Plessy V. Ferguson, the U. S. Supreme Court ruled that it was not against the 14th Amendment for blacks to be kept separate from whites so long as the facilities provided were equal.In actual practice this sanctioned a system of separation much like a caste system. The Jim Crow laws that were upheld by this decision meant that African Americans were almost always kept separate but hardly ever were the facilities truly equal. Amendment 15 said that citizens could not be denied the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude. For a while, many men who had been slaves did vote. However, many former Confederates resented the political power this gave them. Intimidation was used to keep blacks from voting, especially by the KKK.Some states passed poll taxes requiring that people pay to vote or literacy tests t hat were unfairly administered. By 1900, voting was more a theoretical right than an actual one for most former slaves. While people with good intentions passed the Reconstruction Amendments, the way they were implemented meant that equality was not achieved. Essay C (Weak) The framers of the Constitution provided a method for amending when a significant change is needed in the way the American government operates. The amendment has to be passed through Congress and ratified by most of the states before it can go into effect.That is what was done during Reconstruction after the Civil War. The amendments that were passed and ratified were to make sure that the former slaves had political and economic equality. The right to vote is an important political right. With this right, people can choose their own leaders and be represented. Sometimes there were organizations like the Ku Klux Klan that tried to keep the former slaves from exercising the right to vote. However, in the end, this right is fundamental to Americans and was guaranteed. An important economic right is the right to own property and hold a job.Some of the former slaves got 40 acres and a mule and had the property they needed to earn a living. Others became sharecroppers and got to keep part of what they grew for themselves. They were not as rich as most of the whites, but they had a living and got by. The former slaves did not achieve complete political and economic equality, and Jim Crow laws kept blacks separated from whites. But these three amendments insured that progress was made. Part Four 1. Analyze the part played by immigration in transforming the urban social fabric of the United States between 1870 and 1900.Essay A (Strong) In the early days of the American union, Thomas Jefferson envisioned a nation peopled mostly by yeoman farmers, each owning his own land and enjoying a relatively equal status as a citizen. While the United States never really approached this ideal, the nation was mo stly rural throughout the 19th century. Between 1870 and 1900, however, this began to change. America’s overall population doubled in those decades while the urban population tripled. The biggest transformation in U. S. cities of the era was that of shear size.Several cities such as New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia had more the one million residents. However, new waves of immigrants composed an ever-larger percentage of the people building the way of life in these and other cities. The ethnic makeup and residential settlement patterns of these groups shaped the face of cities. Economic and cultural obstacles had to be confronted and overcome. In the end, the assimilation of various ethnic groups meant that the Americans cities of 1900 were forming a way of life that would typify American society in the 20th century.While the tradition of welcoming newcomers had been a fundamental part of American life from the beginning, the sources of immigration were changing by the late 1800s. Before the 1880s, most non-English immigrants had been of northern European stock such as German and Scandinavian. Now more and more immigrants were from southern and eastern Europe. There were many Italians, Slovaks, Greeks, Poles, and Russians. These groups tended to be poorer and less educated than earlier groups of immigrants. Also, they often had religions such as Orthodox or Jewish, unlike the Protestant Christianity that had been considered the norm in earlier America.Although many who arrived in this â€Å"new immigration† had been farm workers in their home countries, they rarely had the means to leave the cities to take up farming in the U. S. They naturally gravitated toward neighborhoods where they understood the language and customs. So cities developed many crowded enclaves populated by single ethnic groups – Little Italy, Little Poland, and the like. Each new group of arrivals seemed to settle in some of the worst housing in a particular city. Th ose displaced by newcomers headed toward slightly better neighborhoods.The descendants of the original White Anglo-Saxon Protestant settlers moved to more attractive park-like districts or to less crowded communities away from the congestion. In the end, the urban geography of late 19th century America displayed considerable segregation based on socio-economic class. Economic opportunity had been the prime motivator for immigration to the United States through most of its history. This continued to be true. Jobs were available for immigrants in a wide variety of manufacturing, transportation, service, and construction occupations.Since the labor supply was so great, working-class jobs tended to be poorly paid, requiring entire families to be employed. The ready-to-wear garment business was booming, and sweatshop jobs or home piecework jobs were readily available for women and children. Dangerous and difficult construction labor was often the lot of the men as sanitation and transpor tation networks were belatedly expanded. Each ethnic community had individuals of higher status, often political bosses or labor recruiters who could speak both English and the immigrant language and link newcomers with available positions.Relative social isolation and a high degree of economic exploitation gave rise to tensions among various ethnic groups as well as between immigrants and the more settled groups. Customs regarding drinking and the observation of the Sabbath caused many older Americans to regard new immigrants with disdain. The common practice of establishing newspapers, businesses, and even schools that used only the immigrant language, not English, caused many to despair that the southern and eastern European newcomers would never become part what they regarded as the American way of life.Groups such as the American Protective Association and various labor unions to placed pressure on the government to restrict immigration. Gradually, beginning in 1882, immigratio n laws become somewhat more restrictive. However, immigration numbers continued to increase even after 1900, and cities grew ever larger. On the other hand, American cities also saw considerable efforts to improve and assimilate the new wave of immigrants. The national government of the era had an aversion to meddling in social issues. Rural interests, by and large, dominated state governments.This left it up to city governments and private agencies to deal with the immigrants. The urban political machines were often criticized for corruption. However, they did provide a network of ward bosses who could link immigrants with needed jobs and services in return for votes. The Social Gospel movement, led by Walter Rauschenbusch and Washington Gladden, brought the needs of the immigrants to the attention of many Christian churches. One outgrowth of this was the opening of settlement houses, such as Jane Addams’ Hull House in Chicago, to provide social services and cultural educati on to newcomers.The profession of social work was born in this era, and often appealed to reform-minded middle-class women. Also the rapid expansion of public school system in the cities meant that many of the younger immigrants learned the English language and American customs that were the gateway to upward social mobility. As the 19th century drew to a close, American cities were still crowded and chaotic. However, immigrant groups from southern and eastern Europe were gaining a foothold in American society.The opportunities to work hard, gain a living, and send youngsters to school meant that most immigrants remained in the United States rather than returning to Europe. In the end, American cities were more successful economically and had a more varied cultural textures because of their presence. They helped construct the type of urban social fabric that became the norm for Americans during the 20th century. Essay B During the late 1800s, the United States became increasingly ur ban. The majority of Americans still lived in small communities and on farms. However, the cities were growing faster.A large portion of the urban growth came from immigration. Immigrants changed the cities in social, political, and economic ways. By the 1880s, it became clear that an increasing percentage of the immigrants were coming from southern and eastern Europe. This wave of immigrants has been labeled the â€Å"new immigration† to distinguish it from the immigrant wave of mostly German and Irish immigrants that came before the Civil War. Because these immigrants, such as Poles and Italians, had languages and customs that differed from the majority, they settled in their own neighborhoods in the cities.This meant that they could stick to ways of life they knew with their own foods, language, and religion. In the end, this caused quite a bit of concern because many people did not think that they would Americanize rapidly enough. To hasten this process, private agencies such as Hull House and the Henry Street Settlement were organized to teach American ways to the immigrants. Also the public schools began requiring attendance and punished immigrant children for using their own language. Political machines dominated governments in many cities in the late 1800s. The most famous example was Tammany Hall in New York City.Machines used immigrant votes to keep their power. In return for being able to tell immigrants for whom to vote, political ward bosses did favors for immigrants such as getting them jobs and housing as well as and providing gifts at funerals and during hard times. When the political leaders used their positions to get rich, reformers had a hard time getting them out of office because of the loyalty displayed by those they had helped. The new immigrants occupied the lowest rungs of the urban economy. Many jobs were in factories that required repetitive tasks and often hired women and children.The garment factories, or sweatshops, in the New York City area are best known. Many wealthy and middle-class Americans had moved into larger homes and required many domestic servants, often hired from among the new immigrant class. Immigrant men often held dangerous jobs such as railroad construction or meatpacking. If they were injured, they lost their jobs. America cities were growing larger and more diverse. The immigrants between 1870 and 1900 helped to shape and change those cities. Essay C (Weak) Millions of immigrants came to the United States between 1870 and 1900 and settled in the cities.Earlier, most immigrants had come from northern and western Europe. Now most came from countries such as Italy, Greece, and Poland, in southern and eastern Europe. Immigrants were encouraged to come by factory owners and others who wanted cheap labor. Most were illiterate and had few job skills. They found it harder to adjust to America than many earlier immigrants. There were some Americans who opposed immigration. They thought th e immigrants might be after their jobs. They began to get restrictions passed like the Chinese Exclusion Act. Each immigrant group settled in its own neighborhood.Eventually, though, they began to meet each other and even intermarry. The many different immigrant groups brought change and variety to the cities. There was Italian spaghetti and pizza that became popular throughout the country. Germans brought beer and sausages. Everyone also began to enjoy Jewish bagels and the many other things that are part of the melting pot culture found in American cities. 2. Assess the roles played by three of the following in the social class conflicts that characterized the late nineteenth century. Tom Watson W. E. B. Du Bois Mary Harris â€Å"Mother† Jones Ida B. Wells Response StrategyBegin by developing an overall thesis on the nature of class conflict in the last 1800s. The most obvious areas on which to concentrate are the conflicts between labor and industry and those that occurred as the rights of African Americans were suppressed by the Jim Crow laws. But urban- rural conflicts, conflicts over immigration, and moral conflicts over issues such as prohibition could also have a place in this essay. Once an overall theme is established, go on to select three of the individuals named, identify them well, and establish their relationship to the theme of social class conflict.At first, Tom Watson tried to organize both black and white farmers to gain economic fairness. Later, as racial segregation became more firmly entrenched, he appealed to white racism as a tactic for getting political support. A Harvard-educated intellectual, Du Bois wrote and argued for immediate black equality and helped to found the NAACP. Jones was an organizer with the Knights of Labor who tried to unite all workers, both black and white, to get better wages and working conditions in mines and factories.Wells led anti-lynching protests and helped bring African American women into an organ ization to seek equal rights at a time when the leading women’s suffrage organizations only admitted whites. 3. Analyze and explain the role played by railroads in the rapid economic growth of late nineteenth century America. Response Strategy Begin with a thesis emphasizing the fundamental role of railroads played in the economic growth of the United States in this time period. Railroads were both a major purchaser of the products of mines and factories (coal and steel) and a network that linked an immense national market.Then go on to develop several lines of analysis on the importance of railroads. The list of possibilities is almost endless. Mass production and consumption were encouraged. Various areas could specialize in goods that could be shipped to the entire country. A more uniform national culture was encouraged through the creation of time zones and opportunities for travel. Public-private partnerships were arranged through government land grants. Railroads recrui ted immigrants both to work on railroad construction and to occupy lands made accessible by the new railroads.Railroads were among the first large stockholder-owned corporations with professional management. The nationwide nature of railroads necessitated some of the first federal laws regulating commerce. Hazardous working conditions on the railroads brought calls for greater protection of workers rights in cases of accident or injury, resulting in some of the first legislation in this field. Part Five 1. Explain how the presidential candidates in the Election of 1912 demonstrated the contrasting political interests and ideas of the early 1900s. Response StrategyTwo key pieces of information are essential for answering this question. The first is that the year 1912 marked a high point in the influence of the set of reform-minded political ideas labeled â€Å"Progressivism†. The second is that there was a split in the Republican Party, which allowed the Democrats to take cont rol of the White House for the first time since Cleveland left office in 1897. William Howard Taft had been elected in 1908 with the blessing of his predecessor, Theodore Roosevelt. Progressives had grown disenchanted with Taft, in part because of issues related to tariffs and conservation.With their support, Roosevelt challenged Taft for the nomination only to have his challenge thwarted because Taft controlled the Republican Party machinery that made the convention rules. Roosevelt and many of his followers bolted to form the Progressive Party, which ran TR as a third-party candidate. Meanwhile, on the Democratic side, progressives eventually prevailed in a drawn-out convention to nominate Woodrow Wilson. In the election, Taft represented the more conservative forces that favored less regulation of business and fewer reforms.Both Roosevelt and Wilson emphasized progressive ideas such as the direct election of senators and the lowering of the tariff. Wilson, however, also had many conservative supporters in the South. To emphasize his differences from Roosevelt, he called his proposals the New Freedom and called for reforms to weaken monopolies, help small business, and promote competition. Roosevelt’s New Nationalism proposals called for a stronger role for the Federal government in regulating and shaping large businesses. The election results showed that most voters favored progressive candidates.With the Republican vote split, however, Wilson captured the most states and easily won in the Electoral College. However, he took only 41 percent of the popular vote. An answer to this question also could point out that the Socialist party, which favored government ownership of major industries, received 6 percent of the vote in this election, higher than in any other presidential election. The Socialist candidate, Eugene Debs, argued that Progressives were proposing only stopgap measures that would delay radical reform. 2.Explain the role of new ideas and technologies in creating political and social tension during the 1920s. Response Strategy This is a broad question that can be taken in many directions. It is not possible to cover all of the new ideas and technologies in an answer that can be written in the 35-minute time limit. Select several topics that you can cover well and build your answer. Bolshevism and Prohibition were not really new ideas, but the communist takeover of Russia and the passage of the 18th Amendment gave them a new impact.Other ideas that could be discussed would include evolution, cultural pluralism, religious modernism, and cultural liberation in literature. The flowering of black culture in the Harlem Renaissance could be contrasted with the increase in repression evident in the growth of the KKK. The automobile, radio, and the motion picture were new technologies that became common in the 1920s. With a 50-50 split between urban and rural population for the first time, the tension between older and newer ways of life was keenly felt. Also the jazz age youth culture made generational conflicts apparent.While the national government seemed firmly in the hands of conservatives, there were still pockets of progressivism at work, particularly at the state and local level. Develop a thesis that links social and political tensions with the new ideas and inventions of the Twenties; then use appropriate examples of your choice to support and illustrate that concept. 3. Analyze the long-term significance of the New Deal for three of the following groups. industrial workers retired workers women farmers and farm workers Essay A (Strong) The nation’s economy reached the lowest level of the Great Depression in 1933, just as Franklin D.Roosevelt took office as President. His confident speeches and call for a â€Å"New Deal† for Americans boosted the morale of a discouraged nation. Critics correctly point out that FDR’s programs were improvisational, bureaucratic, and failed t o cure the Great Depression. Nonetheless, it is true that the New Deal changed the relationship between the American people and their national government in many ways that have had long-term significance. The U. S. government took responsibility for protecting its citizens from many of the economic vicissitudes of life.Many of the basic New Deal policies set in place for industrial workers, retired workers, farmers, and farm workers have remained in force in the ensuing decades. For industrial workers, the basic issues were job security, and just compensation. A major early program of the New Deal was the National Recovery Administration (NRA). This government program required various industry to set up codes regulating many business practices including wages to be paid and hours to be worked. For the first time, the right of workers to be represented by labor unions was guaranteed by the federal government.When the Supreme Court declared this complex and intrusive program unconstit utional in 1935, new laws were passed to maintain many of the protections workers had received. The National Labor Relations Act (Wagner Act) of 1935 renewed the right of labor union representation; and unions, including the CIO, grew rapidly. Also in 1935, the Social Security Act included provisions for unemployment compensation and disability payments for those injured at work. Then in 1938, the Fair Labor Standards Act was passed. It established the minimum wage, the 40-hour workweek, and restrictions on child labor.The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 and several other laws and economic changes have weakened the role of labor unions somewhat since the New Deal. However, the basic changes made by the Social Security Act and Fair Labor Standards Act have stood the test of time and are generally part of workers’ expectations today. Though it had the provisions mentioned above for active workers, the Social Security Act today is associated in most peoples’ minds with retired w orkers. In the 1930s, many families had become so poor that they were unable to care for their elderly relatives as had been expected in the past.Radicals like Dr. Francis Townsend proposed that all people over 60 be given good incomes by the government. Partly to reduce the appeal of radicals, FDR signed the Social Security Act into law in 1935. A program of modest pensions was set up to be paid for by a tax on the incomes of people still working and their employers. Over time, this helped to transform the nature of old age in the United States by assuring the retired workers would have at least a basic income. Over the years, the level of payments and the number of people covered have expanded greatly.Medical benefits have been added to the program. Though there are concerns about how the nation will continue to pay for them, these benefits for retired workers are now viewed as an entitlement by most Americans. Farmers, for the most part, did not share in the economic prosperity o f the 1920s; and their lot continued to decline as the United States plunged into the Great Depression. A variety of New Deal programs aimed at making farming more economically secure. The Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933 paid farmers to cut production of certain products so that surpluses would not drive down prices.When this law was declared unconstitutional, it was replaced by a similar law that also emphasized soil conservation and gave payments to farmers who limited production by conserving land for the future. Special laws were passed to help specific poverty pockets, such as the Dust Bowl victims who had resettled in California and the residents of the Tennessee River Valley who got hydroelectric plants in their region of the country. Electricity made life easier for farmers in many other areas as well after the REA was launched to provide loans for the construction of electric power lines.Federal programs to construct major dams in the West also had the effect of making power and more irrigation water available for farmers in that region. Overall, the tradition of government involvement in agriculture has continued. The exact extent and nature of the restrictions and subsides has changed over time. However, they are still part of the national policy aimed at assuring a plentiful good supply. Little was done during the New Deal to help tenant farmers or farm laborers, however. Many landless farm workers are still on the lowest rungs of the American economy.The New Deal represented a basic change in how the United States government involved itself in the national economy. The economic desperation of many people during the Great Depression made them willing and even eager to embrace more government authority and control. Industrial workers, retired workers, and farmers welcomed the increased economic security many of them received. The years since have seen some efforts to reduce the level of government involvement in economic life; however the basic expectations and structures established by the New Deal remain in place. Essay BThe New Deal was an important part of our nation’s political and economic structure during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed a program of relief, recovery, and reform that changed the nature of how the government related to people. This can be seen through an examination of the long-term significance of the New Deal for industrial workers, retired workers, and women. Before the New Deal, there were few uniform standards for workers and employers in industry. Some states had progressive regulations while others did not. New Deal policies changed this.In 1935, the Wagner Act was passed which assured workers the right to be represented by labor unions. Industrial workers were organized through sit down strikes and other tactics. A standard workweek of 40 hours and a minimum wage of at least 40 cents per hour were the goals set by the Fair Labor Standards Act. Unemploym ent compensation and workmen’s compensation payments for job-related injuries were also set up during the New Deal. All of these things are still in force today. Until the New Deal, there was no Social Security program for retired workers. Many older workers had employers who could no longer afford to pay pensions.Partly as a political strategy to lessen the appeal of Huey Long, Father Coughlin, and Dr. Townsend, the Social Security Act was passed in 1935. It set up a system of pensions workers over the age of 65. Even though Herbert Hoover charged that the program would set up expectations of too much leisure time, it was very popular and millions of people began receiving benefits. Now this is an important benefit, and few politicians are willing to risk changing it. Under the New Deal, women received more attention from the government than had been the case in the past.Though the right to vote had been assured by the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920, very few women were actual ly involved in the federal government. Franklin D. Roosevelt’s wife, Eleanor, set the example by traveling extensively and speaking out on behalf of the needy. There was a program to recruit qualified women for administrative posts. Two of the best known are Frances Perkins, the Secretary of Labor and America’s first woman cabinet member, and Mary McLeod Bethune, of the National Youth Administration, America’s highest-ranking African American at the time.Women, of course, also gained from the benefits provided for workers and retirees mentioned above. Though there were no major new laws or amendments directed specifically at women’s rights, the New Deal era was part of a continuing trend of more women becoming involved in the federal government. The New Deal represented a major change in the way the government related to its citizens. These changes were of long-term significance and are still felt today. Essay C (Weak) Industrial workers got the right to bargain in union

Developmental psychology Essay

I have identified a number of themes from both interviews which relate to Jo and Tony’s childhood and life experiences and how these have influenced their development and how their children’s lives have differed from their own. Â  Educational influence Educational issues appear to have influenced both Tony and Jo Tony refers to himself as being uneducated: And then I only went to school for a year, after I was eleven. Tony ex plains this was due to the years education he did receive: I had a very interesting year the year’s education I had was very interesting situation in at a boarding school in Sussex. Where I was I learned a great deal actually. Lines 34-36 He says that other influences had contributed to his education: strange influences, and yes I suppose I am self-educated I’ve read an awful lot obviously Lines 40 – 41 Jo describes her education as being different I went to school in Leeds ’til I was eight and then I was evacuated. Lines 44 – 45 I then went to boarding school for the next ten years Lines 46 -47 * Parental influence There are several references to Jo and Tony’s views on the important role of parenting, for them this had been through their parent’s work and religious beliefs: Tony: Victorian Work Ethic in Line 54 Tony and Jo agree that religion was a very big influence from their parents Tony Lines 63 – 67: Jo’s mother was brought up as a Methodist and my father was as well. And I think Methodist principles were fairly firmly entrenched. And Yes I think that has, that makes us to a certain extent the sort of people we are. In lines 81 – 82 Tony talks about which career paths were available to them and one’s parent’s experiences and aspirations certainly entered into it as well In the second interview both Tony and Jo make reference to separation from their fathers because of the war, this appears to be a shared experience for both of them. Jo then compares this with their own children’s experience of separation, their children feared that Tony and Jo would separate like another family that they knew. Jo says that when the children are young it is important to make sacrifices or you adapt Line 122 Interests could be pursued later. She emphasizes this further if you want to nurture and encourage your children, then some one or other had got to stay, perhaps hold back a little to give as much as you can to your children Lines 145 – 148. Although Jo acknowledges that women have equal rights today in contrast with the past, she believes that in order to provide a nurturing role women should still put their children first. She also talks about the importance of stability for children children like stability. And it’s the stable base that you make around them that matters more Lines 154 -156 * Social/cultural/historical influence Historical influence has played a part in Jo and Tony’s development, the war had a huge impact on them, their fathers went away and there was uncertainty as to whether they would return. The educational opportunities available differed between them, Jo went to school and boarding school but Tony only had one year of education and apart from this was self taught.

34 Writing Tips That Will Make You a Better Writer

34 Writing Tips That Will Make You a Better Writer 34 Writing Tips That Will Make You a Better Writer 34 Writing Tips That Will Make You a Better Writer By Daniel Scocco A couple of weeks ago we asked our readers to share their writing tips. The response was far beyond the initial expectations, and the quality of the tips included was amazing. Thanks for everyone who contributed. Now, without further delay, the 34 writing tips that will make you a better writer! 1. Daniel Pay attention to punctuation, especially to the correct use of commas and periods. These two punctuation marks regulate the flow of your thoughts, and they can make your text confusing even if the words are clear. 2. Thomas Participate in NaNoWriMo, which challenges you to write a 50,000 word novel in a month. I noticed that my writing has definitely improved over the course of the book - and it’s not even finished yet. 3. Bill Harper Try not to edit while you’re creating your first draft. Creating and editing are two separate processes using different sides of the brain, and if you try doing both at once you’ll lose. Make a deal with your internal editor that it will get the chance to rip your piece to shreds; it will just need to wait some time. A really nice trick is to switch off your monitor when you’re typing. You can’t edit what you can’t see. 4. Jacinta In a sentence: write daily for 30 minutes minimum! Its easy to notice the difference in a short time. Suddenly, ideas come to you and you think of other things to write. You experiment with styles and voices and words and the language becomes more familiar 5. Ane Mulligan Learn the rules of good writing†¦ then learn when and how to break them. 6. Pete Bollini I sometimes write out 8 to 10 pages from the book of my favorite writer in longhand. This helps me to get started and swing into the style I wish to write in. 7. Nilima Bhadbhade Be a good reader first. 8. Douglas Davis While spell-checking programs serve as a good tool, they should not be relied upon to detect all mistakes. Regardless of the length of the article, always read and review what you have written. 9. Kukusha Learn to take criticism and seek it out at every opportunity. Dont get upset even if you think the criticism is harsh, dont be offended even if you think its wrong, and always thank those who take the time to offer it. 10. John England Right click on a word to use the thesaurus. Do it again on the new word and make the best use of your vocabulary. 11. Lillie Ammann After editing the work on screen or in print, I like to read the text aloud. Awkward sentences and errors that slipped through earlier edits show up readily when reading out loud. 12. H Devaraja Rao Avoid wordiness. Professor Strunk put it well: â€Å"a sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts.† 13. David Write as if you’re on deadline and have 500 words to make your point. Then do it again. And again. 14. Yvette Sometimes I type in a large font to have the words and sentences bold before me. Sometimes, in the middle of a document I will start a new topic on a fresh sheet to have that clean feeling. Then, I’ll cut and insert it into the larger document. I wait until my paper is done before I examine my word usage and vocabulary choices. (And reading this column it has reminded me that no two words are ever exactly alike.) So at the end, I take time to examine my choice of words. I have a lot of fun selecting the exact words to pinpoint my thoughts or points. 15. Amit Goyal To be a good writer is to start writing everyday. As Mark Twain said, the secret of getting ahead is getting started. Try using new words. i.e avoid repeating words. this way we learn the usage of different words. Do edit your previous articles. Start with small paragraphs like writing an article for a Newspaper, and proceed from there. 16. John Dodds Remove as many adjectives as possible. Read Jack Finney’s tale, Cousin Len’s Wonderful Adjective Cellar for a fantastical tale about how a hack becomes a successful author with the help of a magical salt cellar that removes adjectives from his work. 17. John Ireland I set my writing aside and edit a day or two later with the aim of making it terse. It has trained me to be more conscious of brevity when writing for immediate distribution. 18. Jai Try to write in simple way. Express your views with most appropriate words. 19. Mark Read great writers for inspiration. If you read them enough, their excellent writing style will rub off onto your dazzling blog. YOU ARE what you read (and write!). 20. Caroline I watch my action tense and wordiness in sentences when I am writing my technical diddley. For example, in a sentence where you say †¦Ã¢â‚¬ you will have to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I replace it with â€Å"†¦you must†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , or â€Å"Click on the Go button to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  can be replaced with â€Å"Click Go to†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . Think of words such as â€Å"enables†, instead of â€Å"allows you to† or â€Å"helps you to†. If one word will work where three are, replace it! I always find these, where I slip into conversational as I am writing quickly, then go back and purge, purge, purge. 21. Akhil Tandulwadikar Don’t shy away from adopting the good habits that other writers use. Do not worry about the length of the article as long as it conveys the point. Of course, the fewer words you use, the better. Start the article with a short sentence, not more than 8 words. 22. Julie Martinenza Instead of adding tags (he said/she said) to every bit of dialogue, learn to identify the speaker by showing him/her in action. Example: â€Å"Pass that sweet-smelling turkey this way.† With knife in one hand and fork in the other, Sam looked eager to pounce. 23. Aaron Stroud Write often and to completion by following a realistic writing schedule. 24. Joanna Young One that works for me every time is to focus on the positive intention behind my writing. What is it that I want to communicate, express, convey? By focusing on that, by getting into the state that I’m trying to express, I find that I stop worrying about the words just let them tumble out of their own accord. It’s a great strategy for beating writer’s block, or overcoming anxiety about a particular piece of writing, whether that’s composing a formal business letter, writing a piece from the heart, or guest blogging somewhere ‘big’†¦ 25. Shelley Rodrigo Use others writer’s sentences and paragraphs as models and then emulate the syntactic structure with your own content. I’ve learned more about grammar and punctuation that way. 26. Sylvia Avoid long sentences. 27. Mike Feeney Learn the difference between me, myself and I. For example: Contact Bob or myself if you have any questions. I hear this very often! 28. Richard Scott When doing a long project, a novel, for instance, shut off your internal editor and just write. Think of your first draft as a complex outline waiting to be expanded upon, and let the words flow. 29. David Careful with unnecessary expressions. â€Å"At this point in time† came along during the Nixon congressional hearings. Too bad it didn’t go out with him. What about â€Å"on a daily basis?† 30. E. I. Sanchez For large documents, I use Word’s Speech feature to have the computer read the article back. This allows me to catch errors I have missed especially missing words or words that ’sort of sound the same’ but are spelled differently (e.g. Front me instead of ‘From me’). 31. Cat Either read the book â€Å"Writing Tools 50 Strategies for Every Writer†, by Roy Peter Clark, or read the Fifty Writing Tools: Quick List on his blog. Then join a writing group, or hire a writing coach. 32. Suemagoo Write the first draft spontaneously. Switch off your internal editor until it is time to review your first draft. 33. Lydia If youre writing fiction, its a great idea to have a plot. It will coordinate your thoughts and add consistency to the text. 34. Pedro Edit your older articles and pieces. You will notice that great part of it will be crap, and it will allow you to refine your style and avoid mistakes that you used to make. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Possessive of Proper Names Ending in S"Latter," not "Ladder"Dissatisfied vs. Unsatisfied

Mass Media Effects Essays

Mass Media Effects Essays Mass Media Effects Essay Mass Media Effects Essay Media has been an integral part of the world we live in today. It has been so since World War II when Nazi Germany used different kinds of propaganda through media to portray their message to the nation. Since then many breakthroughs have been made with televisions, radios and, newspapers. Today, media is the most important element and the most organized form of communication in our modern society as a source of information, especially in category of politics and government. The media sets all kinds of trends and decides â€Å"what’s in and what’s not. It also serves as a representative for political socialization. There are many differing opinions about the workings of the media; some negate the media and some shed positive light on the role of the media. Mobilization Theory and Media Malaise Theory are two contradicting schools of thought. While one supports the media as being a gateway for knowledge and information, the other pins it as a useless commodity. The medi a is supposed to mobilize the people but instead it performs malaise, which turns many people off politics, which can lead to the mass population avoiding media as a whole in the near future. Media can become an unwilling servant of the government,† (MacLean Wood, 2010; Pg. 193). Modern mass media has an influence on people far and wide, that is why the government can use the media to broadcast what is in their best interest. The government can control the flow of information that is released or they can choose to hold back information that might be sensitive and too valuable to expose to the public eye. The media malaise theory touches on similar topics. Media Malaise theory suggests because of the media, people’s trust and interest n politics, government, and policies has declined. Media is responsible for the negative light shed on some of these topics, which causes people to avoid the media and its stories altogether. Newton (1999) states that media is always in search of bigger and better audiences so generate more reputation and better numbers and rankings, so the media is forced to â€Å"dwell on dramatic news especially bad news about crime, and conflict, death, and disaster. † (Newton 1999). The media picks and chooses its stories according to the number of viewers it will grasp. The media also tends to exaggerate the stories in order to achieve an even greater effect. Newton 1999). And generally people are interested in the worse of the world to overlook their own shortcomings. â€Å"Attack Journalism† is also another term that ties in perfectly with media malaise and further clarifies why the media plays such an important role in situation of avoiding the media. Newton ‘s (1999) says this tactic is used mostly in the world of politi cs to highlight the weakness o political opponents and institutions, which will generate a negative opinion in the public mind about that particular politician. The modern mass media world is a fast-paced and ever changing world. News comes and goes like traffic on the highways. Once a piece of news of passes it highly unlikely it will be seen again. So the public is presented with so many world affairs with very little information. â€Å"The ‘fast forward’ effect is used to create political confusion and distrust among citizens who lack certain kinds of information† (Newton 1999). The media preys on people and their naivety, and try to confuse and manipulate people on certain topics when they do not have enough information to formulate an opinion of their own on political affairs. For some people certain kinds of information plus the ‘fast forward’ effect creates too much information to handle so people start to avoid the whole affair altogether. Mobilization theory strongly contradicts the media malaise theory. Newton (1999) argues mobilization theory is a combination of rising educational levels and easier access to larger amounts of political information has helped citizens mobilize. Mobilization theory states knowledge and education causes people to get together and challenge each other intellectually on political affairs with discussions, which concludes in the people getting mobilized. Unlike media malaise theory, mobilization theory tends to focus on the ‘good. ’ Even though the public is exposed to every kind of mass media, they still choose to read newspapers and watch television news to further increase their understanding of politics. People with better understanding of politics tend to read more in comparison to watching television (Newton 1999, Table. 2). Since there are so many different kinds of modern mass media covering every single thing going on globally, it becomes hard to keep track of everything. But it is not the form of which news is received in that matters, instead it is the content that matters the most. â€Å"If it is content that matters, then there is room for both good and bad in each type of mass media and, therefore, for different kinds of effects caused by the same type of media. † (Newton 1999). Content is probably the one thing, if controlled, can have the kind of influence and effect that the media conglomerate wants. Controlled nformation is a way of getting the public under control and it also manipulates the public opinion in the sense that there is a limited amount of information released, so based on only that an opinion is formed in the mass public. It is almost like the media is forcing a particular thought into the minds of the people. Then again the government or politicians can also influence the media. Governments tend to control more information on the issues of war, while in the political world an opponent is exposed through weakness or scan dals. Another argument that occurs in between these two theories is that, which form of media develops more malaise or which one mobilizes more. Is it television or newspapers? Television is the strongest form of media malaise according to Newton (1999). Television is used for entertainment, but it also creates a lot of confusion and political alienation. It serves as a very big distraction since people isolate themselves from society, so that they can watch something on television all day. There are so many different kinds of channels that entertain that people tend to get sidetracked from the news and political affairs. As Newton (1999) quotes Postman, â€Å"Modern television must be entertaining by nature. † On the other hand, people who watch less television read more newspapers. Reading increase political knowledge and understanding. The newspapers give a better background story so the whole situation is understood on a different level. But among all the argument, no precise argument can be made on what or who affects the malaise or mobilization. The reason the media was created in the first place was to inform the public of the different situations around the world, let them be a disaster, scandal, or death. Media was the third eye for everyone, catching every little detail and reports it as they see it. But somewhere along the way the initial meaning was lost. Media became a competition and ulterior motives started forming. It started to matter who had the highest numbers or the bet reputation. The media world changed completely. Everyday became a race with no finish line; the news became choppy with no explanation. Especially in the political world the media was used as a spy, to expose people and opponents and political parties, so the other one could have an upper hand. Media started to do more harm than good, the media started to create malaise. Today it works the same way, the public does not decide for themselves what to think, the media does it for them. And the media itself is a puppet for someone with power and reach. In conclusion the media is not doing its job, it is supposed to mobilize the world and show every side of the story. But instead the only side shown is the one that benefits a certain somebody the most. So eventually the public does get tired of this fast paced news world and start to avoid the media altogether also called creating media malaise. Word Count: 1400 Bibliography. * MacLean, G. A. , Wood, D. R. (2010). Political Socialization and Culture. Politics: an introduction (p. 193). Don Mills, Ont. : Oxford University Press. * Newton, K. (1999). â€Å"Mass Media Effects: Mobilization or Media Malaise? † British Journal of Political Science, 29, 577-599.