The Great African Americans Migration 1910 to 1920s Essay Example for Free

The Great African Americans Migration 1910 to 1920s Essay By the turn of the nineteenth century, the number of African Americans living in the living in the United States was approximated at almost nine million. Of the estimated figures, ninety percent of the African Americans lived in the South where they constituted almost a third of the total population of the region. Around a fifth of them were said to live in the urban areas while four out of every five African Americans lived in the rural areas. At this point, they could be said to have been very much a closed population. They had not been significantly affected by either in or out migration but this status was soon to change from around 1910 when they embarked on a South to North (and West) migration, starting with a very slow place but steadily gaining speed as the years advanced 5. During the years of the First World War, the out- migration of African Americans from the South became increasingly apparent. Between 1910 and 1920, more than 800, 000 African Americans living on the South migrated to the north. This pace of outward migration was to slow down but still continue way into the 1930s and 1940s. Thus in a span of just three decades, from the 1910s to the 1930s, an estimated 1. 8 million African Americans living in the south migrated from the region to other areas. However, the South is said to have retained a sizable percentage of its native population of African Americans as almost eight out of ten African Americans still remained southerners by place of residence. All in all, the percentage of African Americans occupying the southern states and the entire region began to shrink steadily. This decline was estimated to be from thirty percent to twenty-four percent within a span of forty years (1910-1940). The individual states which suffered the biggest decline in African American population percentages were Florida, South Carolina, Georgia and Virginia. Those which registered the least number of declines were Mississippi and Alabama 5. Thus the closed African American population became more open with the out migrations towards the North and West. By the 1940s, the South had lost around 1. 5 million of African Americanss inhabiting the region; one of the most significant net migrations ever 5. This movement of African Americanss to the north from the 1910s to around the 1920s and 30s has been referred to as the Great African Americans migration. Most of the African Americans who were looking for a way to improve their life moved to the cities in the Northern states as well as the West. The migration patterns created by these movements were highly complex. Some of the rural southerners did not move to the North but looked for greater opportunities within the Southern region’s agriculture which was tenancy- dominated. Others moved to the urban regions of the South while still others migrated to the Northern states such as New York, Pittsburgh, Chicago and Philadelphia so as to escape the ‘barbarism’ of the southern states. The following section analyzes the factors leading to this great migration of the African Americanss 6. CAUSES OF THE GREAT AFRICAN AMERICANS MIGRATION Social reasons In 1914, approximately 90 percent of African Americans Southerners lived in the states that had been part of the former Confederacy. These states had legalized the Jim Crow statutes which allowed for racial segregation. In the 1890s, the Supreme Court had made a series of rulings which validated these statutes, thereby leading to the ‘separate but equal’ doctrine of 1896 by Plessy v. Ferguson which in effect, legalized segregation in the United States 3. Segregation had existed before though it was not systematically applied until the late part of the nineteenth century and the early part of the twentieth century. What brought about such systematic discrimination was the blur in the line separating the African Americans and the Whites. The Whites were particularly irked by the fact that a certain generation of African Americans who had grown up as free people were demanding respect and competing for the same jobs and public space as the Whites. The increasing African Americans’ independence made the Whites feel that the only way to put African Americans’ â€Å"back in their place† was through maintaining clear racial boundaries, hence the rise of the Jim Crow laws 4. African Americans were obviously on the loosing end from the legalization of these statues. They were treated unfairly and considered inferior to the White race which made them lose their dignity. The segregation was deeply entrenched in public institutions such as schools, restaurants, hotels and even in hospitals. African Americans were not supposed to be seen in areas frequented by Whites and were restricted to the African American dominated areas. They had their own institutions such as schools and hospitals built for them but these did not match in quality to those of the Whites. As a result of this outright and dehumanizing discrimination, many of them left the South in the hope that they would find better treatment in the North 1. Other than being discriminated against and segregated by the White populace, the African Americans also experienced open hostility and violence from the Whites, often times leading to death. There were widespread beatings of African Americans and in some cases, mutilation of various forms such as castrations. African Americans were frequently attacked by White mobs and murder of African Americans became a common occurrence. With time, lynching became the preferred means of killing African Americans and a popular means of racial control. The incidences of lynching became more and more regular mostly as a result of anxieties by the Whites over changes in the political, social as well as economic landscapes. In the 1890s, approximately two African Americans were lynched per week. However, there were some Whites who did not support it though all felt that it was a necessary means of maintaining racial order 4. From 1900 to 1914 alone, more than 1000 African Americans were killed by Whites, thereby necessitating a movement to the relatively safer North 1. Political reasons for migration In 1867, African Americans people were allowed to vote but they did not really get to practice their voting rights as the White southerners devised several methods to prevent them from exercising their rights. For instance, they made it a requirement for anyone wishing to exercise his voting right to pass a test on literacy before he or she could be allowed to vote. This was targeted at disenfranchising the African Americans since many of them were illiterate as they had been given no education at all. The White southerners also introduced a poll tax which meant that those wishing to vote would have to pay money first. This was also another move to disenfranchise the African American southerners since most of them were extremely poor and therefore could not manage to pay a voting fee each time they wanted to vote. Another move taken to bar African Americans from voting was the introduction of the ‘grandfather clause’ into many constitutions of the Southern States. The grandfather clause stated that people who were allowed to vote on or before the first of January 1867, or whose father or grandfather had voting rights were not subject to the literacy test as well as poll tax payment. This clause therefore successfully barred African Americans from voting and the Whites enjoyed the voting privilege by themselves. Generally, Whites had more civil as well as legal rights compared to the African Americans and were accorded more superiority. This led the African Americans to look for other places where they could be heard 1. Economic reasons Before the period of the great African Americans migration, African Americans practiced agricultural production as their means of earning their livelihood. This agriculture was based on tenancy, where the freedmen, having no ownership of land, would rent it and work as tenants; exercising complete control over the produce of the farmlands and the profits subsequently earned. The tenancy of the land was to be renewed every year. The most prevalent form of farming however, was sharecropping. Under this practice, the owners of the land subdivided it into smaller farms of about thirty acres or so which were then allocated to single families. In return, the resident families paid the land owners through a share of the crop, usually half by half. The terms of this agreement depended on a variety of things such as whether the tenant was known or if the owner of the farm provided tools and other farming requirements to the tenant. In this manner, the African Americans returned to the fields and provided labor to the land owners 4. In the 1910s, there was a major agricultural depression due to natural occurrences and the farmers, both African Americans and white, suffered greatly. The cotton fields in particular, were invaded by the boll weevil which devoured the crop in the entire African Americans belt. Another natural phenomenon which devastated the farmlands was flooding in the south. The summer of 1915 saw massive floods which destroyed the crops in the farms and left the African Americans destitute as well as homeless 2. As a result, the prices paid for agricultural products fell and the small farms such as the ones rented to the African Americans yielded negligible profits. The African Americans therefore sank further into poverty and led a very precarious existence 1. The wages paid to the farm laborers reduced significantly and life for the African Americans was once again hard. Ironically, the North at this time, were experiencing significant increases in production and were therefore in dire need of labor. This can be attributed to the First World War which increased demand for goods produced in the North but restricted immigrations into the U. S yet it is the immigrants who provided the biggest share of labor to the Northern cities. The laborers in the North were also increasingly taking part in Union activities as they demanded for an increase in wages as well as better conditions for working. Northern industrialists therefore looked to the South for new labor supply and recruited the displaced African Americans as well as white workers into their industries. African Americans saw this as an opportunity to improve their livelihoods and migrated to the North in search of greener pastures 2. Testimonies of African Americans living in the North Appalled by the living conditions of their people in the South, African Americans living in the North especially those who owned newspapers or operated them started editorial campaigns that were aimed at convincing the African American southerners to move to the North where life would be better for them. Examples of newspapers involved in such campaigns were the Chicago defender as well as the Christian Recorder. These editorial campaigns tended to portray the North as the Biblical ‘Promised Land’ and convinced the African Americans that there they would have better opportunities. Thus due to interplay of the social political and economic reasons for migration as well as urgings from the African Americans living in the North, the African Americans left the South in their droves for real or perceived better opportunities in the North and the West 2. CONCLUSION Some of the African Americans who migrated to the North were able to find better opportunities and improve their livelihood. They were able to secure employment in the Northern industries dealing with various production processes. However, most of the migrants soon found that life in the North was not too different from life in the South. They still faced racial prejudice and were discriminated against by the Whites. Where they were employed, they were paid less than Whites employed in the same positions and most found that they were given jobs that involved manual labor. The public facilities in the North were open to both races but housing remained segregated as Whites remained unwilling to share their space with the African Americans. All in all, the great migration did manage to somewhat improve the living conditions of African Americans 2. REFERENCES 1. â€Å"At Home with Art Industry: 1890-1920: The economic, political and social reasons behind the Great Migration†. Illinois State Museum, 31 Dec 2006 http://www. museum. state. il. us/exhibits/athome/1890/TeachR/south. htm 2. Baskerville, John D. â€Å"The rural to urban African Americans â€Å"Great migration†: A brief history http://ci. coe. uni. edu/facstaff/zeitz/museum/migrate. html (accessed Feb 20, 2009) 3. Great Migration, 1910-1920, Gale Encyclopedia of U. S Economic History 01 Jan 1999 http://www. accessmylibrary. com/coms2/summary_0193-13024_ITM (accessed 20 Feb 2009) 4. Harrell, David Edwin Jr, Gaustad Edwin S. , Boles, John B. , Griffith, Sally Foreman, Miller, Randall M. , Randall B. Woods. Unto a good land: A history of the American people Volume 1: To 1900. Eerdmans Publishing, 2005 5. Harrison, Alferdteen. African Americans Exodus: The Great Migration from the American South. Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi, 1992. 6. Hurt, Douglas. African American Life in the Rural South, 1900-1950. Missouri: University of Missouri Press, 2003

How Will Genetic Engineering Impact Our Lives? :: Expository Essays Research Papers

How will our lives change in the future? Are we as a society going to live longer because we have better medical treatments? The answer is most likely, yes, but will our genetic manipulation/sequencing take us to a new level. Instead of living to one hundred, will we be able to live to two hundred? More importantly, is this ethically correct to create a â€Å"fountain of youth† through genetic correction? An article I read recently helped me to draw some understanding. Thus far, researchers have had minimal success in using gene therapy to correct most genetic conditions and no researcher has used gene therapy to correct genetic impairments in a fetus (Parens). Although it is impossible to correct genetic flaws, we have discovered how to test for over 400 conditions, from those viewed as severe, such as Tay Sachs, to those that many might describe as relatively minor, such as polydactyly (a trait involving an extra little finger) (Parens). As it gets easier to test for these genetic disorders, so does the perception within both the medical and broader communities that prenatal testing is a logical extension of good prenatal care. On the other hand, as long as in-utero interventions remain relatively rare, and as long as the number or people seeking prenatal genetic information to prepare for the birth of a child with a disability remains small, prospective parents will use positive prenatal test results primarily as the basis of a decision to abort fetuses that carry mutations associated with disease or disability (Parens). â€Å"†¦There is a sense in which prenatal testing is simply a logical extension of the idea of good prenatal care† (Parens). Whether it is a logical extension or not, using prenatal tests to prevent the birth of babies with disabilities seems to be a good decision to many people (Parens). Even if the testing will not help bring a healthy baby to term this time, it gives prospective parents a chance to try and conceive again (Parens). â€Å"To others, however, prenatal testing looks rather different. If one thinks to appreciate why people identified with the disability rights movement might regard such testing as dangerous. For the members of this movement, including people with and without disabilities and both issue-focused and disability-focused groups, living with disabling traits need not be detrimental either to an individual's prospects of leading a worthwhile life, or to the families in which they grow up, or to society at large† (Parens). How Will Genetic Engineering Impact Our Lives? :: Expository Essays Research Papers How will our lives change in the future? Are we as a society going to live longer because we have better medical treatments? The answer is most likely, yes, but will our genetic manipulation/sequencing take us to a new level. Instead of living to one hundred, will we be able to live to two hundred? More importantly, is this ethically correct to create a â€Å"fountain of youth† through genetic correction? An article I read recently helped me to draw some understanding. Thus far, researchers have had minimal success in using gene therapy to correct most genetic conditions and no researcher has used gene therapy to correct genetic impairments in a fetus (Parens). Although it is impossible to correct genetic flaws, we have discovered how to test for over 400 conditions, from those viewed as severe, such as Tay Sachs, to those that many might describe as relatively minor, such as polydactyly (a trait involving an extra little finger) (Parens). As it gets easier to test for these genetic disorders, so does the perception within both the medical and broader communities that prenatal testing is a logical extension of good prenatal care. On the other hand, as long as in-utero interventions remain relatively rare, and as long as the number or people seeking prenatal genetic information to prepare for the birth of a child with a disability remains small, prospective parents will use positive prenatal test results primarily as the basis of a decision to abort fetuses that carry mutations associated with disease or disability (Parens). â€Å"†¦There is a sense in which prenatal testing is simply a logical extension of the idea of good prenatal care† (Parens). Whether it is a logical extension or not, using prenatal tests to prevent the birth of babies with disabilities seems to be a good decision to many people (Parens). Even if the testing will not help bring a healthy baby to term this time, it gives prospective parents a chance to try and conceive again (Parens). â€Å"To others, however, prenatal testing looks rather different. If one thinks to appreciate why people identified with the disability rights movement might regard such testing as dangerous. For the members of this movement, including people with and without disabilities and both issue-focused and disability-focused groups, living with disabling traits need not be detrimental either to an individual's prospects of leading a worthwhile life, or to the families in which they grow up, or to society at large† (Parens).

The Role Of The Learner In His Development Education Essay

In this essay I will be comparing two different theories and looking at how they contrast against each other when studied and applied towards the function of the scholar. The country we will be looking at in peculiar is development, and how these theories create two opposing political orientations that suggest separate waies the scholar takes. The first theory I will discourse is Behaviourism which views the function of the scholar as a inactive and ductile signifier that is the consequence of the environments input ( Bee, H. & A ; Boyd, D. , 2010 ) . Behaviourism classifies most actions as behavior, such as feeling or thought, therefore opening them up to observation of alteration. Behaviorists believe we learn through a rewarding procedure that emphasises our behavior and whether or non it was right ( Bee, H. & A ; Boyd, D. , 2010 ) . Not needfully opposing the first theory but my 2nd theory of Constructivism takes a different stance on how it perceives the scholar. Alternatively o f being a inactive being, constructivists feel the scholar plays an active function in his/her ‘s development. This is possible, as the theory suggests that we create different systems to get the better of day-to-day experiences and thenceforth an understanding upon contemplation ( Woolfolk, A. , Hughes, M. , 2008 ) . It is besides implied that we learn through a more synergistic attack, which includes job resolution ( Woolfolk, A. , Hughes, M. , 2008 ) . From both of these theories I will pull out the thoughts that form either a inactive or active attack and use those properties to compare the two. Within Behaviourism there are two immediate different types of conditioning. There is Classical conditioning and Operant conditioning. Classical conditioning believes larning takes topographic point between a stimulation and a response. This is a automatic response which in bend topographic points the environment in control – rendering the scholar as inactive, whereas operant conditioning expressions at behavior specifically and its links between different results. This means that through variable behaviors the scholar can derive different results – leting the scholar a grade of pick, but still inactive to the fact that the scholar can merely move upon an event driven by his/her ‘s environment ( Bee, H. & A ; Boyd, D. , 2010 ) . This is non a split within the theory, but instead it is two different signifiers of behaviorism. Even though we have these two separate thoughts, we can still see a big similarity that bonds them together, due to the environment itself st ill keeping a certain sum of control in the scholar ‘s development. This theory utilises the thought that human existences are an 'empty vas ‘ or in the words of John Locke â€Å" Tabula Rasa † ( A Blank Slate ) that is waiting to be filled by experience and cognition ( Woolfolk, A. , Hughes, M. , 2008 ) . Although, behaviorism does non concentrate on cognition as being the key to the scholar ‘s development, it observes alteration of behavior as the true key ( Doherty, J. & A ; Hughes, M. , 2009 ) . This is interesting as it therefore can merely analyze discernible events – including those that are unwilled. By unwilled I refer to the thought of being incognizant during the procedure of development and attainment of cognition or experience. This brings me onto another factor in the scholar ‘s function as inactive. Due to how random these events can happen, the scholar has little or no clip to be after in front and hence, as Classical conditioning suggests, has to move instinctively ( Doherty, J. & A ; Hughes, M. , 2009 ) . The lone clip contemplation occurs is when the scholar realises they have been developing. This can be a slow procedure and is the ground it is referred to every bit conditioning as it is physically and mentally exciting the physiological reaction system to be able to run better with the input and end product. Operant conditioning uses several different supports to distinguish between the acquisition processes. The three conspicuously used results can be ; positive support, negative support and penalty ( Doherty, J. & A ; Hughes, M. , 2009 ) . Using these, it is observed and so ready to be broken down into events on a simple flow chart to see the input, procedure, behavior and end product. This peculiar thought can be seen in the experiment ‘The Skinner Box ‘ ( Doherty, J. & A ; Hughes, M. , 2009 ) . Merely as the carnal receives positive support in the signifier of nutrient for executing the right action, such as pressing a button to let go of it, or finishing a ma ze – as does the scholar in a similar manner through footings of working within their environment. If the scholar carries out an action and receives a enjoyable result, the scholar is most likely traveling to execute the same action once more, in hopes of the same consequence. This once more adds to the inactive function of the scholar as he is still at the clemency of the environments boundaries and restrictions. Now that I have outlined the rudimentss of Behaviourism, I shall travel onto constructivism which believes the scholar is born with basic, natural and cardinal accomplishments. Therefore through geographic expedition of the environment and by manner of different phases in each person ‘s development, the scholar begins to get the better of the challenges that present themselves by utilizing experience and cognition ( Schaffer, H. R. , 2008 ) . It is through this that the scholar begins to besides understand his/her function as active, and acts suitably. A term used here is Adaptation – this refers to the ability that worlds have to alter and accommodate harmonizing to the environment through use of it ( Schaffer, H. R. , 2008 ) . By this I mean the scholar is able to use what it has around him and do it better. This is a large phenomenon as it challenges the behaviorists ‘ thought of the scholar being inactive to the environment, and alternatively the environment is the ductile signifier used by the active function of the scholar. Through ripening the scholar is able to develop through different phases that are set out in the constructivist theory – this is based on the cognitive theory that was designed by Piadget. It is really elaborate and distinguishes between different ages and different abilities. Sensory-motor ( 0-2 ) , Pre-Operational ( 2-7 ) , Concrete operational ( 7-12 ) and Formal operations ( 12+ ) ( Schaffer, H. R. , 2008 ) . Harmonizing to Piadget, merely like a design at birth, this is all preset and we can non travel frontward to another phase until we are at the right age and have completed the anterior phase. For illustration we can non get down to run before we begin to walk. This may look like a restriction, but in existent fact it ‘s still analogous to our input to the environment and how we choose to research our universe through sing it. To further reflect the thought that the function of the scholar is act ive, we can get down to look at how constructivism breaks down larning into scheme ( which is an internal representation of actions we can execute ) and utilize it to explicate assimilation. Schemas are either a group or individual action that compile together to execute an overall action, and the scheme refers to them as a whole ( Doherty, J. & A ; Hughes, M. , 2009 ) . The thought of assimilation is that with scheme that we already possess we are able to research different objects and obtain different experiences. The scholar is invariably constructing upon what we know and seting together a different method for each possible state of affairs ( Doherty, J. & A ; Hughes, M. , 2009 ) . An illustration of this is the sucking action performed when suckling. This scheme can subsequently be adapted to a bottle as the kid needs to imbibe. The possibilities are infinite and we develop more complex scheme as we grow and develop through life. This once more puts the scholar in a function th at is active and invariably moving upon his/her environment. Aside from Piadget ‘s theory of constructivism is Vygotsky ‘s theory of Social Constructivism. This takes into history the societal context of the development. The scholar is non merely challenged by his environment physically but besides intellectually in society. He viewed civilization as a major portion in the scholar ‘s development such as the linguistic communication they use, the history and societal context ( Doherty, J. & A ; Hughes, M. , 2009 ) . A construct that relates to the function of the scholar that once more shows how active they are is the construct of the Zone of Proximal Development. This concept positions instructors as the accelerator in the development of the kid. If the kid is in their comfort zone and is pushed farther than usual – the result is eventual scheme building to get the better of the challenge ( Doherty, J. & A ; Hughes, M. , 2009 ) . This construct causes the sc holar to be seen as far more dimensional character other than an object at the clemency of his/her environment. I will now get down to contrast between the two theories get downing with their differences and traveling onto the little similarities. As we saw, the two chief differences are that both take a strong side with the function of the scholar. In Behaviourism the scholar can merely be inactive ( albeit with little pick operant conditioning ) , and Constructivism views the scholar as an active participant in his pursuit for cognition. This spread is non merely caused by the function of the scholar, but merely as important is how the theory places the environment. It seems that the environment is the key to understanding the function of the scholar. In behaviorism the environment is seen as the active member that through doing different events forces the scholar to have and react through physiological reactions. In constructivism it is close plenty opposite with its theory on the function of the environment. Alternatively the environment is seen as a governable variable that the scholar us es to their advantage. It besides ties in with the construct of ripening and that as we develop we obtain several different schemes that we use to get the better of challenges in life. This can be every bit simple as larning the alphabet to every bit hard as larning a new linguistic communication. The chief function of the scheme that we develop is to help us in sing and researching our universe exhaustively. On the other manus, Behaviourism takes a different attack. The theory suggests that we use our physiological reactions to cover with state of affairss we meet twenty-four hours to twenty-four hours. This can alter with clip and finally operant conditioning takes topographic point where we use our experience to derive preferred results. This may look to suggest that the function of the scholar is slightly active, but in existent fact it is still dependable on the environment to derive the experience and even put the scholar in a state of affairs that requires them to construct upon what they already know. Both theories are at either side of the spectrum and go on to stand as cardinal constructs for looking at the function of the scholar and their development. As we discussed, Behaviourism is more interested in detecting events that can be seen. The alteration in behavior is seen as the lone variable that is utile when analyzing development of the scholar. This may look like an uneven attack as human existences are believing animals, but we are besides natural. It is these physiological reactions that we unconsciously condition suitably to our environment. However on the other side is the theory of constructivism which looks at the ability of version and ripening. Through these two thoughts there is a platform created for analyzing development non merely physically but mentally. Using scheme it brings out an even more active function, as it shows us that we ever researching and larning to get the better of anything we face. I believe by utilizing a in-between land there could be infini te to larn more about natural physiological reactions alongside those that are constructed. Furthermore I would besides wish to raise a inquiry as to the importance of cognition and behavior between the two. It seems behaviorism is far excessively focused on detecting what can be seen, and yet most of our development, aside from obvious alterations in behavior, happens internally. Can it genuinely observe every alteration internally as an discernible event? Constructivism ‘s return on cognition and assimilation besides leaves a batch left to be desired. Schemas are one manner of depicting things, but I believe there should besides be consideration for anomalousnesss and that some people wo n't follow the same ripening form. Is this still natural, even though it goes against the cognitive attack adopted within constructivism? Both these theories are every bit of import in the perusal of what function the scholar takes and should be treated as such, side by side.

Effects of modern gadgets to high school students Essay

PREFACE PART ONE What is a Person? Chapter 1 Missing Persons Chapter 2 An Apocalypse of Self-Abdication Chapter 3 The Noosphere Is Just Another Name for Everyone‟s Inner Troll PART TWO What Will Money Be? Chapter 4 Digital Peasant Chic Chapter 5 The City Is Built to Music Chapter 6 The Lords of the Clouds Renounce Free Will in Order to Become Infinitely Lucky Chapter 7 The Prospects for Humanistic Cloud Economics Chapter 8 Three Possible Future Directions PART THREE The Unbearable Thinness of Flatness Chapter 9 Retropolis Chapter 10 Digital Creativity Eludes Flat Places Chapter 11 All Hail the Membrane PART FOUR Making The Best of Bits Chapter 12 I Am a Contrarian Loop Chapter 13 One Story of How Semantics Might Have Evolved PART FIVE Future Humors Chapter 14 Home at Last (My Love Affair with Bachelardian Neoteny) Acknowledgments Preface IT‟S EARLY in the twenty-first century, and that means that these words will mostly be read by nonpersons—automatons or numb mobs composed of people who are no longer acting as individuals. The words will be minced into atomized search-engine keywords within industrial cloud computing facilities located in remote, often secret locations around the world. They will be copied millions of times by algorithms designed to send an advertisement to some person somewhere who happens to resonate with some fragment of what I say. They will be scanned, rehashed, and misrepresented by crowds of quick and sloppy readers into wikis and automatically aggregated wireless text message streams. Reactions will repeatedly degenerate into mindless chains of anonymous insults and inarticulate controversies. Algorithms will find

ANGELS & DEMONS- DAN BROWN essays

ANGELS & DEMONS- DAN BROWN essays The novel Angels and Demons written by Dan Brown is a thriller, an exiting discovery of histories deepest secrets. An old rival of religion, the Illuminati, arrives to the present to destroy what gets in the way- thats what it makes you think. Theres an invention that mankind invented that can destroy a whole city, like a nuclear bomb, is called the anti material. This bomb is stolen and taken to the Vatican, there is taken place the Il Conclave, a celebration were they choose a new Pope. The inventor of the bomb is killed with a fire burn in his chest, saying Illuminati. With this clue the director of the Conseil Europen pour la Recherche Nuclaire-CERN- calls an expert on the subject, a Professor from Harvard that had made investigations of this antique group. This Professor with accompany of the dead scientist daughter has to stop the assassin from killing and the Vatican from exploding. In their mission they find a lot of surprises as they go deep inside in the mysterious Rome. T he novel brings the history of the never ending battle between religion and science. The Illuminati, representing the science group, has managed to survive with their way of keeping secrets and making symbols only they could know the meaning. They did that to fool the Catholic Church, representing religion, so they could never find their hiding place. Also, like most people say, when theres hate theres also love, and here the novel shows love and affection between a father to his child, the developing love of a man and a woman, also the obsessing love between a man and his beliefs. But like most novels theres also the bad guy, and here is when the person you least suspect is the one betraying everyone around them. Since the beginning of history there has been a battle between science and religion. Scientist without hair in their tongs like Copernicus, were murder by the churches for revealing scien...

Definition of American Lyceum Movement

Definition of American Lyceum Movement The American Lyceum Movement inspired a popular trend of adult education  in the 1800s as scholars, authors, and even local citizens, would give lectures to local chapters of the organization. Town lyceums became important gathering places for civically engaged Americans. Lyceum speakers came to include luminaries such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. A future president, Abraham Lincoln, gave his first public address at a Lyceum meeting in his adopted hometown of Springfield, Illinois, on a winter night in 1838. originated with Josiah Holbrook, a teacher and amateur scientist who became a passionate advocate for volunteer educational institutions in towns and villages. The name lyceum came from the Greek word for the public meeting space where Aristotle lectured. Holbrook began a lyceum in Millbury, Massachusetts in 1826. The organization would host educational lectures and programs, and with Holbrook’s encouragement the movement spread to other towns in New England. Within two years, approximately 100 lyceums had been started in New England and in the Middle Atlantic states. In 1829, Holbrook published a book, American Lyceum, which described his vision of a lyceum and gave practical advice for organizing and maintaining one. The opening of Holbrooks book stated: â€Å"A Town Lyceum is a voluntary association of individuals disposed to improve each other in useful knowledge, and to advance the interests of their schools. To gain the first object, they hold weekly or other stated meetings, for reading, conversation, discussion, illustrating the sciences, or other exercises designed for their mutual benefit; and, as it is found convenient, they collect a cabinet, consisting of apparatus for illustrating the sciences, books, minerals, plants, or other natural or artificial productions.† Holbrook listed some of the â€Å"advantages which have already arisen from the Lyceums,† which included: The improvement of conversation. Holbrook wrote: â€Å"Subjects of science, or other topics of useful knowledge, take the place of frivolous conversation, or petty scandal, frequently indulged, and uniformly deplored, in our country villages.†Directing amusements for children. In other words, providing activities that would be useful or educational.Calling into use neglected libraries. Holbrook noted that libraries in small communities often fell into disuse, and he believed the educational activity of a lyceum would encourage people to patronize libraries.Increasing the advantages, and raising the character of, district schools. At a time when public education was often haphazard and disorganized, Holbrook believed that community members involved in a lyceum would be a useful adjunct to local classrooms. In his book, Holbrook also advocated for a â€Å"National Society for the improvement of popular education.† In 1831 a National Lyceum organization was started and it specified a constitution for lyceums to follow. The Lyceum Movement Spread Widely Holbrook’s book and his ideas proved to be extremely popular. By the mid-1830s the Lyceum Movement had grown enormously. More than 3,000 lyceums were operating in the United States, a remarkable number considering the small size of the young nation. The most prominent lyceum was one organized in Boston, which was led by Daniel Webster, renowned lawyer, orator, and political figure. A particularly memorable lyceum was the one at Concord, Massachusetts, as it was regularly attended by authors Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Both men were known to deliver addresses at the lyceum that would later be published as essays. For instance, the Thoreau essay later titled â€Å"Civil Disobedience† was presented in its earliest form as a lecture at the Concord Lyceum in January 1848. Lyceums Were Influential in American Life The lyceums scattered throughout the nation were gathering places of local leaders, and many political figures of the day got their start by addressing a local lyceum. Abraham Lincoln, at the age of 28, gave a speech to the lyceum in Springfield, Illinois in 1838, ten years before he would be elected to Congress and 22 years before he would be elected president. By speaking at the Lyceum, Lincoln followed a familiar path of other young aspiring politicians. The Lyceum Movement gave them a chance to gain some respect in their local communities, and helped lead the way toward political careers. And in addition to homegrown speakers, lyceums were also known to host prominent traveling speakers. The records of the Concord Lyceum indicate that visiting speakers included the newspaper editor Horace Greeley, the minister Henry Ward Beecher, and the abolitionist Wendell Phillips. Ralph Waldo Emerson was in demand as a lyceum speaker, and made a living traveling and giving lectures at lyceums. Attending lyceum programs were a very popular form in entertainment in many communities, especially during winter nights. The Lyceum Movement peaked in the years before the Civil War, though it did have a revival in the decades after the war. Later Lyceum speakers included the author Mark Twain, and the great showman Phineas T. Barnum, who would give lectures on temperance. Sources: Josiah Holbrook. Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed., vol. 7, Gale, 2004, pp. 450-451. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Ljungquist, Kent P. Lyceums.  American History Through Literature 1820-1870, edited by Janet Gabler-Hover and Robert Sattelmeyer, vol. 2, Charles Scribners Sons, 2006, pp. 691-695.  Gale Virtual Reference Library. Holbrook, J. Josiah Holbrooks Letter on the Farmers Lyceum.  American Eras: Primary Sources, edited by Sara Constantakis, et al., vol. 4: Reform Era and Eastern U.S. Development, 1815-1850, Gale, 2014, pp. 130-134.  Gale Virtual Reference Library.

How Christianity shaped the colonization of the New World Research Paper

How Christianity shaped the colonization of the New World - Research Paper Example this concept is so wrapped around with the misconception, if not premeditated efforts to have it seem either less or more important to native people than it actually is, that getting it directly, even precisely expressed, seems to be a task nearly impossible to accomplish. People of European origin who harbor no exacting ill-will toward Native American have a tendency to over-emphasize the notion of the Great Spirit because it makes some people seem more Christians than others. Some even propose that it is but a little step from belief in a Great Spirit to faith in the one, true God of Judeo Christian custom. At the same time, individuals who still anchorage the hope of our ultimate annihilation point to the notion as one that proves we still persevere in worshipping the devil, an article they see as a Great Spirit with authority over a pack of evil spirit who intimidates the existence of a Christianized civilization itself. Neither situation can be said to conserve any truth whatsoe ver with regard to Native American culture. This tries to guide in understanding the thesis of this essay, which question Native Americans concept on Christianity (Beardsley, pgs 463). Spanish Conquistadors The famous Spanish conquistadors, who were tremendously active throughout the Age of Exploration to the new civilization, impacted the process of civilization in regards to Christianity. In fact, thy were so well skillful and victorious in their efforts that they were directly accountable for a large part of the eastern zest trade, as well as creating massive wealth for their state of Spain.   Gold and spices along with the unearthing of silver made Spain a powerful nation. The name conquistadors imply conquer, which is precisely what these men accomplished.   The Spanish conquistadors were faithful soldiers and explorers, dedicating their lives to the improvement of their favorite Spain.   The Muslim Moors lost charge of the Iberian Peninsula to these soldiers after 800 ye ars of conflict.   This particular victory, referred to as the reconquist, entailed of Holy War fighting.   The Spanish soldiers and explorers travelling the journey to the New World possessed the name of conquistador. In addition to the prosperities enjoyed by the gold, spice, and silver commercial activities the Spanish conquistadors had other motivations.   For example, they sought to grasp a position of power and prestige, key fundamentals to building the Spanish territory (Abler, pgs 1-2).   Additionally, the conquistadors needed to convert natives to the Catholic religion; Christianity, which is why ministers always traveled with the explorers. The Spanish conquistadors took the Indians as being savage.   The exploitation and oppression associated with the populace became recognized as the Encomienda System, which was alike to the Medieval Feudal structure.   In spite of, the objective was to penetrate the Indian communities with religion so they would transform.   However, while the conversion progression was taking place, the Spanish conqu