History Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

History - Coursework Example Slaves were assigned a first name only, and after Reconstruction, many of them took on new names, as did Lewis Evans, who said â€Å"the white folks gave me a new name†. America missed the opportunity to create a multiracial society. First, Lincoln missed that chance by legitimizing pro-Union governments in the South that only allowed white men to vote. After Lincoln was assassinated, the new President, Andrew Johnson, took power. He was extremely racist, saying â€Å"Damn the negroes† (textbook, 474). As someone with a class chip on his shoulder, Johnson quickly returned the southern states to the Union, allowing them to enforce Black Codes of law that kept African Americans without property, and with very few legal rights. The former slave narratives include the story of Henry â€Å"Happy Day† Green, Sarah Gray, Lewis Evans and Measy Hudson. Henry Green reports that he voted. The right to vote was an important symbol of freedom. Sarah Gray’s voice did no t come through in the interview, perhaps because of the interviewer, Minnie Ross’s, condescending attitude: â€Å" [it gave] her as much pleasure as a child playing with a favorite toy†. All that Miss Ross seems to have found out is that Sarah Gray thought she was well-treated in slavery. Lewis Evans speaks of his house, and garden lot, his own land on which he raises a garden and chickens. This is important because along with his small pension, it provides his livelihood. Measy Hudson describes working as a laundress, being married and voting twice, all important parts of freedom. I think the slaves’ narratives are accurate when their actual words are faithfully recorded, because they were there, and experienced these events first-hand. ELECTIONS OF 1912 Roosevelt espoused Progressivism, which believed in reducing the power of giant trusts(corporations). Progressivism wanted to remove the influence of special interest groups to form a â€Å"pure democracy† where people had a more direct voice in the central government. He proposed to limit the power of the judicial system by allowing a popular vote or referendum to overturn court decisions. Wilson, a Democrat, espoused antitrust measures and state regulations to control the powers of giant trusts. He also espoused small government. Taft, the incumbent Republican President, espoused the protection of the judicial system from popular votes intended to overturn rulings. He believed that checks and balances were written into the constitution to prevent mass hysteria in governance. Taft believed in protection of the environment and safety standards for mines and railroads, as well as an 8-hour workday, all of which he put in place while president. Eugene V. Debs espoused the organization of workers into unions. He ran on the Socialist Party ticket and was one of the founding members of the International Labor Union. The outcome of the election, with Roosevelt’s victory, says that Americans wanted to have a more direct influence on their national government, and that many of them were in favor of the various reform movements of the time. WORLD WAR 1 PROPAGANDA The U.S. Food Administration sent the message in its propaganda posters to conserve food, especially meat. A poster for navy recruiting week listed the dates to attend. The president lent his image to say conserve food, as well as to say that we must conquer the enemy, and stay united in the war effort. The Armenian and Syrian Relief Campaign’

Implementing Strategy and Leadership Ethics Assignment

Implementing Strategy and Leadership Ethics - Assignment Example Culture is considered as a core element in the overall vision of any organization (Schein, 2010). The first way of embedding culture into the organization is through avoiding cultural drift. Even though it is easier to follow some cultural practices, there is a tendency of ignoring them with time. A drift comes in and the main culture is supported by several gestures. There is a tendency to overlook the important cultures of the organization. Therefore, leadership should recognized and reward those who are consistent with following the core organization’s culture. In talking about organizational midlife, it means that the organizations have been in existence for a period of between 35 to 75 years. Such organizations are complex in terms or character of the employees and a fascinating folklore. They tend to be a bit resistant to change than the younger entities. Things tend to be more stabilized for these types of organizations and they have their own way of carrying out their daily duties. Additionally, they have a culture that drives their success or failure in all their initiatives. This type of organizational soul-searching in most cases is triggered by a number of factors (Schein, 2010). Ethical leadership basically needs ethical leaders. If an organization has ethical leaders, they will find it easy to ensure ethical practices are followed in the organization, right from the management to the subordinates. Naturally, leaders are in a position of power, either on or off-duty. Therefore, ethical leadership focuses on how leaders leverage their power in the decisions they make and ways they influence others (Schein, 2010). By demonstrating ethics in leadership, leaders promote a high level of integrity. The integrity they promote stimulates trustworthiness and equally encourages the subordinates to accept and follow the organization’s vision. Basically, integrity and character

Amy Chua Hanna Rosen Essay Example for Free

Amy Chua Hanna Rosen Essay Amy Chua and Hannah Rosin: a comparison and contrast of parenting styles In recent years, Yale professor Amy Chua has drawn a great deal of attention due to her focus on a parenting style that is foreign – both figuratively and literally – to most Western parents. This style centers on a Chinese model that Chua espouses, and that has become famous, or infamous, for the stern and rigorous practices that Chua enforced with her own two daughters. Chua has received a large amount of criticism; one of her critics is Hannah Rosin, a prominent writer and editor. In response to Chua, Rosin outlines an alternative method of parenting. It can be argued that while both Chua and Rosin are involved and devoted mothers, they have distinctly contrasting views on how to raise children. There are three areas in which this contrast can be most clearly seen: attitudes to success, attitudes to self-esteem, and attitudes to happiness. Amy Chua’s model of parenting has success at its core. Chua sums up the Chinese approach to activities in this way: â€Å"What Chinese parents understand is that nothing is fun until you’re good at it† (Chua, 2011). With this as a mantra, Chua promotes an extremely rigorous approach to such activities as learning a musical instrument; she believes that two or three hours of practicing an instrument daily is appropriate for young children. Furthermore, Chua believes that parents should not give their children any choice over which musical instruments to learn; the violin and piano are the only acceptable choices, regardless of the child’s natural talent or predilection. This approach is also evident in academics. Chua says, â€Å"†¦the vast majority of Chinese mothers†¦believe their children can be ‘the best’ students, that ‘academic achievement reflects successful parenting’ and that if children did not excel at school there was ‘a problem’ and parents ‘were not doing their job’† (Chua, 2011). Hannah Rosin takes a distinctly different approach to success, one that is arguably more reflective of Western attitudes in general. Rosin says, â€Å"Ms. Chua has the diagnosis of American childhood exactly backward. What privileged American children need is not more skills and rules and math drills. They need to lighten up and roam free, to express themselves in ways  not dictated by their uptight, over-invested parents† (Rosin, 2011). In Rosin’s view, Chua’s version of success is ultimately very limiting. Rosin doesn’t argue that success is a negative thing in and of itself; however, her looser, freer approach suggests that it can be achieved differently. Another area where Rosin and Chua differ from each other is in their approach to self-esteem and the way in which parents should treat their children. Chua openly admits that it is common for Chinese parents to make comments to their children that Western parents find reprehensible, such as â€Å"Hey fatty, lose some weight†, or referring to a child as â€Å"garbage† (Chua, 2011). However, Chua defends these comments by arguing that in fact, Chinese parents speak in this way because ultimately, they believe that their children are capable of being the â€Å"best†. She contends that Chinese children know that their parents think highly of them, and criticize them only because they have high expectations and know that their children can meet them. Hannah Rosin disagrees. She says, â€Å"†¦there is no reason to believe that calling your child ‘lazy’ or ‘stupid’ or ‘worthless’ is a better way to motivate her to be good than some other more gentle but persistent mode’† (Rosin, 2011). She believes that a parent’s role is not to act as a harsh critic and task master, but rather to guide them through the inevitable difficulties of life that arise. Unlike Chua, Rosin is not concerned with forcing her children to be â€Å"the best†. Rather, she says that â€Å"It is better to have a happy, moderately successful child than a miserable high-achiever† (Rosin, 2011). It is in this area, pertaining to notions of happiness that Chua and Rosin depart most distinctly from each other. It can be argued that the idea of happiness is almost completely absent from Amy Chua’s template. Chua says, â€Å"Chinese parents believe that they know that is best for their children and therefore override all of their children’s own desires and preferences† (Chua, 2011). In other words, the feelings or preference of the child as an individual are lacking completely from the Chinese framework of parenting. The child’s happiness, or misery, is completely irrelevant, because the  parent is the supreme authority, acting in the child’s best interest. Chua claims, â€Å"It’s not that Chinese parents don’t care about their children , just the opposite. They would give up anything for their children† (Chua, 2011). However, the one thing that Chua and other parents will not give up is complete authoritarian control. Rosin takes an entirely different approach to the value of individual happiness. She observes that happiness does not come through being successful; furthermore, â€Å"happiness is the great human quest† (Rosin, 2011). Parents cannot possibly always be in a position to know what will make a child happy or not; children must work out their own path to happiness (Rosin, 2011). Rosin believes that an over-emphasis on perfection will not lead to greater happiness and may even create less happiness in the end. In conclusion, it is undeniable that both Amy Chua and Hannah Rosin love their children and believe that their approach to parenting is based on a desire to do what is best for those children. However, the two approaches present a sharp contrast to each other. Amy Chua believes that success, perfection and being â€Å"the best† are of paramount importance, and will ultimately build a child’s self-esteem (Chua, 2011). Hannah Rosin is critical of the harshness of the Chinese template and argues for a gentler approach, one that takes the natural interests and talent of the child into account (Rosin, 2011). Rosin notes that the idea of enjoyment or happiness is strikingly absent from Chua’s parenting style; in turn, Chua observes that many Western parents are disappointed with the choices that their children make in their lives (Rosin, 2011; Chua, 2011). It can be argued that both the Eastern approach and Western approach have a great deal to offer each other; a wise parent knows how to walk a middle ground.

PAULA ABDUL :: essays research papers

Rarely in the history of entertainment has there been an artist equally recognized, awarded and celebrated in front of the camera as well as behind the camera, as is Paula Abdul. Abdul’s extraordinary music career encompasses worldwide album sales exceeding 40 million records, two #1 Albums, six #1 Singles, a Grammy Award, seven MTV Awards, 3 American Music Awards, two Emmy Awards, two People ¹s Choice Awards and two Kid’s Choice Awards. She has also been honored with her very own Star on Hollywood Boulevard and inducted into Nickelodeon’s Kid’s Choice Hall of Fame. Currently, Abdul is receiving acclaim as â€Å"the heart and soul† of the record-breaking primetime FOX show American Idol, for which she is a Celebrity judge. Abdul has even gone so far as to design inspirational â€Å"Innergy† good luck jewelry for the American Idol contestants, which they can occasionally be seen grasping for strength and inspiration during more stressful times on the popular high-stakes show. The jewelry became so popular, that Paula developed an entire jewelry line to make available for all men and women in America. Each piece represents the â€Å"Inner Energy† it takes to succeed. Paula’s jewelry is available at Sam’s Club and on her web site, www.paulaabdul.com. Most recently, Paula has used her former dance and cheer career, along with her unique expression of style, to design her own lines of dance and cheer clothing called â€Å"Skirtz.† â€Å"Skirtz† serves as an inspiration for young girls and teens all over the country. Her clothing is available at Wal Mart stores. Behind the camera, Abdul is known as one of the most gifted and recognized choreographers in the industry of film, television, video, stage and live tours. Her celebrated work in choreography includes Emmy-winning contributions to The Tracey Ullman Show, She choreographed the film Coming toAmerica, which starred Eddie Murphy. Paula’s own performance as an artist on the American Music Award, and her choreography for the Academy Awards, for which she earned an Emmy nomination. Other triumphs include her award-winning work with Janet Jackson, which garnered two MTV Video Awards; and working with such musical legends as Aretha Franklin, George Michael, Luther Vandross, INXS, Heart and Prince.

Plague, Pox and Pestilence: Disease in History Essay

The book ‘Plague, Pox and Pestilence’ is an interesting and complete survey of epidemics and diseases, which have occurred in the past. The book was written by a historian, and it contains a lot of detailed information that puts the progression of various epidemics into view, as they relate to societies that are in their developing stages. Western imperialism, Western elites, Western religions, and Western medicine have made these epidemics even more dreadful. Throughout the text, short contemporary reports are shown, which suggest that these epidemics have had an enormous impact on society, especially during the peak of their outbreaks. The book is also aesthetically illustrated with a lot of engravings, drawings and photographs that were collected from plenty of sources. â€Å"Some of the sources used for this book back as far as the 15th century. Although not a â€Å"hard† science book, it should be of enormous interest to all microbiologists. Its size and appearance suggest that the book is aimed at the â€Å"coffee table† to which it would be an interesting if somewhat gruesome addition. † Westwell, J. The book ‘Plague, Pox and Pestilence’ is an interesting read because it brings into focus, the pathogenic killers diseases of the developing world (bubonic plague, leprosy, smallpox, syphilis, cholera, and the tropical fevers, malaria and yellow fever. ) About the Author. Kenneth Kiple is the author of the book ‘plague, pox and pestilence’ He has written several other books including the book ‘Black Yellow Fever Immunities, Innate and Acquired, as Revealed in the American South, A Movable Feast: Ten Millennia of Food Globalization (2007), Contemporary Authors: (1939), The Caribbean Slave: A Biological History (Studies in Environment and History) (2002), Blacks in Colonial Cuba (1976), The African Exchange: Toward a Biological History of Black People (1988), The Cambridge World History of Human Disease (1993), Another Dimension to the Black Diaspora: Diet, Disease and Racism (2003), The Cambridge World History of Food (2000), The Cambridge Historical Dictionary of Disease (2003), and Stone agers in the fast lane? Today’s health and yesterday’s nutrition (University professor lecture series) (1995). He has also written several book reviews, including an article on Malaria: Poverty, Race, and Public Health in the United States, which was published in the Journal of Southern History on the 31st of July, 2005. Book Summary. The book ‘Plague, Pox and Pestilence: Disease in History’ states that epidemics have had an enormous impact on society, especially during the peak of their outbreaks. The book also tries to remind the reader of the larger problem of the consequences of allowing disease and pestilence to multiply, without checking their spread in time. The author succeeds in showing that epidemics have had an enormous impact on society and its development. The book also observes that it is unlikely that most pandemics would have become anything more than an epidemic without the modern methods of transportation. For example, Cholera â€Å"unlike other diseases that require human transportation, can exist outside the human body. † (Kiple, K. F. 1997). It is a bacterium and under the microscope it is shaped like a comma. It only affects humans. Epidemiologists believe that it evolved in the Ganges Delta region and until the modern era, was isolated to that area. Until the arrival of Europeans and their technological transportation inventions including railroads, steamships and canals, cholera had been restricted to India. For this reason, Cholera has been called a disease of the 19th century. Anyone having contact with an individual suffering from this ailment, his soiled bedding, clothing, or infected water sources was a potential victim and transporter of the disease. In its most virulent form, cholera’s death rates were, and are, over 50% for adults and overwhelmingly fatal for the elderly, infants, and the otherwise infirmed. (Kiple, K. F. 1997). The book also enlightens about the mortality rate of diseases like cholera, and about the fears and superstitions of a disease like cholera in the developing parts of the world, and the effects of such superstitions. With great justification, Cholera was perceived as a demonic, evil and foreign force similar if not worse than smallpox or the plague. In its most virulent forms, it was a highly efficient killer and often resulted in a 50% mortality rate among its healthy adult victims. Deaths in India between 1817 and 1860 are generally considered to have exceeded 15,000,000 persons. Another 23,000,000 died between 1865 and 1917. (Kiple, K. F. 1997). The author’s work has made a contribution to the academic community herein because the work succeeded in creating an awareness of diseases and the importance of controlling disease, so as to stop the growth of illness, especially among people in developing countries.

Comparison between FAIR and AIM

Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR) and Accuracy In Media (AIM), are two of the most active media watch groups, who seeks to influence and encourage members of the media to deliver fair and objective information to the people, without injecting biases and personal opinions. FAIR considers themselves as a national media watch group who â€Å"offers well-documented criticism of media bias and censorship† ever since they started with the cause in 1986 (F.A.I.R., 2007). On the other hand, AIM sees themselves as a grassroots citizens’ watchdog, which â€Å"critiques botched and bungled news stories and sets the record straight on important issues that have received slanted coverage† (A.I.M., 2007). Simply put, they are both against the misinformation that the media sometimes deliver to the people because of personal reasons, like biases, opinions and more. But scrutinizing this two properly, the question would then be on who is able to convince more people regarding the slanted news and information of some media practitioners and agencies. Looking closely on FAIR’s characteristics, they say that they seek both the opinion of the journalists and the activists. They present the side of the journalist, whenever they have presented a bit of a biased article or information. They give the journalist a chance to defend themselves and be able to explain further why they have resorted to writing such article. They also present the side of the activists and the critics who notices the mistakes and the points where the journalists went out of line. This is to provide a point of argument for the people, who usually wouldn’t realize that they are receiving biased commentaries from the people they would often think to deliver an unbiased report of the facts. Because of this, FAIR keeps the line open between the journalists and the activists. Through them, they can keep a constant dialogue so that they could be able to work things out for them. This then leaves a room for improvement for the journalists, especially if they consider what the activists say. With the help from FAIR, they would know whether what they are doing is right or wrong. Through constant communication, they are able to sharpen their senses to bring about truthful, unbiased pieces of information for the public. Another characteristic of FAIR is that they are encouraging the people to ask for the person responsible to change their ways, say, the media who gave biased information to the public. They are having a part where they propose a possible solution to a problem and then ask the people to act in order to solve that problem by following what they have suggested. An example would be asking them to call the person involve by giving that person’s contact number. They would encourage the people to ask for an explanation why that media practitioner made such a biased comment regarding a certain topic. AIM on the other hand, sees that the media needs a watch dog, which is why they exist. They said that the news media don’t seem to always give out the right information, wherein they could be misleading the people or giving out biased information shadowed by their personal opinions. But looking closely at AIM’s works, they are more on the political opinions of the media. They are more into scrutinizing that these people should not reflect their political belief in what they are writing. This has become a distinguishing characteristic, since most of their discussions are on whether some media personnel are for the democratic or the liberal side. In addition to that, they tackle on some publications that they see to â€Å"stir people’s minds† with what they publish. They say that these publications exist to deliver straight, hard hitting facts and information, and not to promote a certain belief or side they represent or endorse. In comparing the effectiveness of both FAIR and AIM, it can be seen that both of them are getting feedbacks from people, saying that what they are doing are really helping out in delivering the appropriate, unbiased information. This means that both of them prove that they are effective. But comparing them FAIR is able to communicate more with the people with regards to the wrong-doings of the media. This is because of the wide range of topics and information that FAIR gives and they are not as much as shadowed by the political stand of the media, as compared to that of AIM. In an article in the New York Times last July 3, 2007, writer Sheryl Stolberg has somewhat infused her thoughts in what she has written. The article was about President Bush deciding to commute the sentence of I. Lewis Libby Jr. who has committed a crime by lying to the FBI regarding an Iraq war issue (Stolberg, 2007). With Stolberg saying that the President seem to find the 30-month imprisonment for Libby as harsh, and that the case was a test of will, she was clearly sympathizing with what President Bush is feeling, whether what she said was factual or not. She mentioned that President Bush was forced to give the decision, a statement clearly implying of her, injecting her own opinions. This article was taken by some media watch group negatively, saying that Sheryl Stolberg was violating the media ethics of delivering a truthful, unbiased news and information to the people. What she did was an act of showing her biases, which she was siding and sympathizing with President Bush. As a media practitioner, doing as such reduces her credibility to give truthful, untainted information to the people. Conclusion Democracy includes the people’s freedom to freely speak their minds, the freedom to voice out their opinions whenever they want. But democracies freedoms also have limitations. This is applicable to media, where in order to get a true grasp of a story, the media practitioner, journalists or reporters should be able to give the unbiased face of the story. In order to do so, they must set aside their own opinions and interests in order to give the appropriate information to the people. The media’s role in democracy is the freedom of all people to access information. This information must be untainted with the media people’s opinions or biases, in order not to mislead the recipient of these pieces of information, which are the masses. References: A.I.M. (2007). What is Accuracy In Media(AIM)?  Ã‚   Retrieved July 4, 2007, from http://www.aim.org/static/19_0_7_0_C F.A.I.R. (2007). Media Views.  Ã‚   Retrieved July 4, 2007, from http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=11 Stolberg, S. G. (2007, July 3, 2007). For President, Libby Case Was a Test of Will The New York Times.      

Essay about Effects of Images

Essay about Effects of Images Essay about Effects of Images Effects of Images Most Americans are searching for the American Dream: a nice house, a white picket fence, a big yard with children running around and a spouse to come home to. No one seems to be satisfied with this â€Å"dream† anymore because everyone wants to go beyond it. Commercials and advertisements on television compel us to go out and buy things we don’t need so we can achieve happiness and fulfillment. These advertisements are constantly on television brainwashing us into thinking we need the latest and greatest. We are unaware of the impact they have on our lives. Although these images seem very appealing, they are causing many negative problems in American’s everyday lives. Advertisers have shaped our generations’ way of thinking by evoking emotion in many of the television commercials today. In Cameron Johnson’s â€Å"The Mighty Image† he claims that most Americans don’t realize the influence images have on them. â€Å"Millions of products suddenly get purchased directly after a slick marketing campaign reveals the tremendous power of a finely wrought image† (177). However, advertisers are successful when it comes to creating an emotional appeal by using valuable symbols that makes a dramatic attraction to the product, such as the American Flag. For example, J. Francis Davis points out that the American flag is an important symbol for Americans because it evokes so many heartfelt emotions. â€Å"The flag works as an image because it suggests a long list of stories and myths that are buried inside us. Image makers hope that in the moment it takes to ‘consume’ an ad or commercial frame, their carefully sel ected graphics-like the image of the flag-will evoke emotions and memories bubbling deep within us† (569). The American flag is a very useful visual effect for advertisements because it represents our countries values. When Americans see the flag they feel a sense of pride in their country and are compelled to buy a product that it is associated with. If an advertisement is trying to get Americans to buy something, all they have to do is wave a flag around and say, â€Å"Buy this if you are a true American.† Advertisers are spending millions of dollars researching what will work best to attract us to certain products. Commercials and advertisements have created an addiction within us that we are unaware of. â€Å"They all teach us to buy and to feel somehow dissatisfied and inadequate unless we have the newest, the latest, the best† (Thoman 174). Americans are always focused on what we don’t have rather than what we do have. We are unaware of the influenc e that the image culture has on us. One example of how images affect our society is by the commercials they make. Images stereotype certain genders and how they are portrayed. For example, Carl’s Jr. commercials focus mainly on men. They are known for their ads with fancy cars or girls in their bikinis. After a man watches these commercials he begins to think that Carl’s Jr. is manly food and will be more likely to go out and buy it. Many of these stereotypical advertisements can be very harmful to the audience watching them. One gender may be attracted to the commercial while the other gender is furious at the message they’re sending out. The Electrolux company does a great job putting their focus on women doing the household chores. In one of their commercials, they illustrate stereotypical gender roles perfectly. It shows Kelly Ripa running around the house getting the chores done while cooking dinner with the â€Å"all powerful† Electrolux stove. Why doesn’t this advertisement sho w any men? They are assuming that women are the only ones that cook for their children and do household chores while men wait for the meal to be ready. In reality, a lot of men are also responsible for doing the chores around the house. Many television ads also compel us to have the latest and popular items in America. In â€Å"The Mighty Image† Cameron Johnson talks about the SUV craze in America and how everyone