History of U.S. in 400 Words Essay

I am very proud of my country because it was formed on the foundation of freedom and has continued to support freedom for all of its citizens as well as helping to spread freedom throughout the world. First, America was founded by common people looking for a better way of life, one in which they were able to practice their religion and participate in how their settlements were governed. Committed to their beliefs, America endured eight years of war to gain their freedom. There were many hardships along the way: disease, starvation, and suffering; but we hung in there and eventually beat the British, the most powerful nation at that time. Then, we did something shocking; we made it a democracy, the first in the world. People thought it was crazy, this American experiment, but we proved it could work. Unfortunately there was a problem brewing – slavery! It ended up causing a great civil war, the North pitted against the South. We got through it and in the end the nation was reunited and freedom for all prevailed. Women still had some problems, though, and after nearly one hundred years of protesting they finally received the same rights as men as they got the right to vote. Our ideals of freedom were then tested outside our boundaries. We got involved in World War II as we helped to purge the world of the atrocities that the Nazis inflicted. We helped in the Korean and Vietnam Wars in their struggle for freedom and equality. After a long Cold War, we were successful in our efforts to get the Soviet Union to end communism and tear down the Berlin Wall. We also got involved in the First Gulf War as we worked to get the Iraqis out of Kuwait and restabilize the country. Then, on September 11, 2001, terrorists struck the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and an airplane in route to Washington, D.C. and we again had to defend our freedom. We are continuing to help put an end to the senseless acts of terrorists along with teaching the people in Iraq and Afghanistan how to defend themselves against the Taliban. The United States of America is a world power, supporting the individual rights and freedom of people throughout the world. It stands for and supports liberty and justice for all, and that makes me incredibly proud.

Debate over the Strength of Central Government Essay

The period of 1783-1800 was shaped by the debate between those who supported a strong central government and those who wanted more power given to the states. This period dealt with issues surrounding the formations of factions that threatened to split the young nation, the inclusion of a Bill of Rights, and the constitutionality of a national bank. Factions divided the people into those who supported a strong central government and those who wanted more power given to the states. These two groups had differing viewpoints, which influenced decisions regarding the addition of a Bill of Rights and the formation of a national bank. The two major factions that almost disrupted the developing nation were formulated at the Constitutional Convention of 1787. At this convention, delegates representing all states expect Rhode Island formed a new type of government with the creation of the Constitution. In the ratification process America was divided in two, the federalists and anti-federalists. Federalists were in favor of a strong central government and hence supporting the new Constitution, while anti-federalists were in favor of giving the states a greater amount of power, thus opposing it. The opposition to the Constitution spreads from a mistrust of central government due to the grievances of English monarchy. The rights obtained by the central government took away states’ rights as seen in Sections VIII and X of the Constitution of the United States of American (Document 5). Most people who lived in cities, manufacturers, and northern merchants supported federalist views and most small farmers, southerners and frontiersmen sided with the anti-federalist views. Key federalists included Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, John Marshall, John Jay, and James Madison. In order to promote ratification Hamilton, Jay, and Madison published a series of Federalist Papers, (Document 8). On the anti-federalist side, important figures included Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Adams, Aaron Burr, Richard Henry Lee, and Patrick Henry. These men were in favor of the Article of Confederation, which greatly limited the powers of the central government and maximized the powers of state rights. One major flaw that the anti-federalist expressed concerning the Constitution was the lack of a Bill of Rights. A Bill of Rights would secure the rights of the people and prevent the central government from becoming too powerful. The federalists argued that the system of checks and balances would prevent tyranny. However, when many states ratified the Constitution they attached a list of amendments to be added in a Bill of Rights. James Madison compiled these amendments and presented twelve of them to Congress. Ten were passed and added to the Constitution resulting in the American Bill of Rights. One of the most significant amendments is the tenth amendment, which states â€Å"All powers not delegated to the federal government belong to the states or to the people,† (Document 6). This declared that whatever was not restricted or allowed in the Constitution was a right retained by the people or states. The most heated debate amongst federalists and anti-federalist was over the constitutionality of a national bank. Anti-federalists believed the central government did not have the authority to create a national bank, while the federalists believed it was stated in the elastic clause of the Constitution. The United States Constitution was written in a vague terminology by the Founding Fathers, which added to the contention amongst Americans. Secretary of Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, proposed a national bank to â€Å"wish the most proper and speedy measures may be taken, to discharge both foreign and domestic debt,† (Document 7). The anti-federalists, in particular Thomas Jefferson, who favored a strict interpretation of the Constitution, rejected this notion and claimed it was unconstitutional because it was not a power directly stated in the document. However, Hamilton argued that the â€Å"elastic clause† as seen in Article I Section VIII, the powers of congress (Document 5), allowed the central government to establish a bank because it was necessary and proper and constitutional, (Document 1). Hamilton, along with the other federalists, favored a loose interpretation of the Constitution. The debate of having a national bank was resolved by giving the national bank a twenty year charter to test it out. This debacle leads to further issues on the topic of government rights versus state rights, and almost leads to the destruction of the country. When the Constitution was in its ratification process the small states sided with federalists in wanting a stronger central government, while larger states sided with anti-federalists in wanting more state rights. This was seen in two important proposals to the Constitutional convention surrounding the executive branch. First, the New Jersey Plan or the small states plans, wanted one house that has equal representation, with one vote per state. This would make small states more powerful and have the same say in the government as the larger states did. Second, was the Virginia Plan or the large states plan (Document 4), was to have a bicameral legislative, with one house with representation based on population, and the other elected through that house. This gave more power to the states, the larger states gaining a clear advantage as well. These two plans clearly portrayed the different ideas of federalists and anti-federalist and demonstrated how vital a role states played throughout this period. This dispute was settled with the great compromise, proposed by Roger Sherman, making a bicameral legislature with the Senate with equal representation for each state and the House of Representatives based on population and direct election. The debate between those who supported a strong central government and those who wanted more state rights truly shaped the period between 1783 and 1800. It dealt with the creation of two factions that could have potentially destroyed the emerging nation and the debates over a Bill of Rights and a national bank. If it were not for the ideas, factions, and development that occurred during the making of the Constitution and the continued building of our nation after, the government of America would not have been as successful as it is today. The Idea that were fought over from 1783 to 1800 has shaped our country and allowed us to be the great nation that we are.

African American Studies paper Essay Example for Free (#2)

African American Studies paper Essay African (466) , Martin Luther King (60) company About StudyMoose Contact Careers Help Center Donate a Paper Legal Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy Complaints ? The civil rights movement was a mass protest movement against racial segregation and discrimination in the southern states that came to a national eminence during the mid 1950’s. This movement can be said to be a â€Å"long time coming† for African slaves and their descendants to resist racial oppression, especially after the United States abolished slavery. Although, slaves were emancipated during the civil war & were then granted basic civil rights through the passing of the 14th amendment and 15th amendment they still struggled and suffered trying to get â€Å"equality† for the next hundred years. Throughout the period of time in which African Americans fought for equality, desegregation and racism, the United States made massive changes. Beginning with the Jim Crow Laws, the countless court cases and the vast impact on the Civil Rights leaders during this time period of trying to gain â€Å"equality† there were two sides to this fight. One side was through the nonviolent protest while the other side was more of an active resistance. The modern period of the civil rights movement can ultimately be divided into several phases. Each act of a protest first started off small and ultimately became big. The Brown vs. Board of Education demonstrated that the process of taking legal action strategy of the NAACP could challenge the legal foundations of southern. This thought or strategy would only work if blacks came together instead of individually trying to conquer. Therefore during the 1950’s and 1960’s the NAACP sponsored legal suits and social movement seeking social changes accompanied legislative lobbying. The primary phase of the black protest began on Page 2 December 1, 1955 when a woman named Rosa Parks, of Montgomery, Alabama, refused to give up her seat to a white bus rider. In the result of not giving her seat up she was defying a southern custom that required blacks to give seats toward the front of the buses to whites. Therefore by not giving up her seat she was then arrested and put in jail. When she was jailed a black community boycott of the city’s buses began. The boycott lasted more than a year, demonstrating the unity and determination of black residents. The well-known Martin Luther King, Jr. who was most famous for his â€Å"I have a dream† speech was the most active leader of this boycott. Although King and Parks were apart of the NAACP the Montgomery movement led to the creation in 1957 of a new organization called the Southern Christian Leadership Conference with King as the president. On February 1, 1960 four freshmen at North Carolina A&T College began a wave of sit-ins designed to end segregation at southern diners. These protest resulted in the new organization called the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee. August 28th though was the climax of the civil rights movement. That was the day blacks did the March on Washington & Martin Luther King, Jr.gave his â€Å"I have a dream† speech. King with the help of many others helped bringing the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. After the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 the last major racial protest would be the Selma to Montgomery march. Soon after the march Congress passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965. By the late 1960’s there was a growth of a new organization with more of a radical approach, the organization was called the Black Panther Party. During the late half of the 1960’s there were a series of â€Å"riots†. Page 3 Supporters of black liberation saw civil rights reforms as an insufficient method because they did not address the problems faced by millions of poor blacks. Elijah Muhammad and Malcolm X influenced the Black Nationalism group. After the 1960’s civil rights movement blacks witnessed both group of leaders, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. , assassinated. The mark these two men left behind did not fade away though. Despite the civil right’s gains of the 1960’s racial discrimination remained a significant factor in America. Even after President Johnson declared a war on poverty and Dr. King initiated a Poor People’s Campaign in 1968, the distribution of the nation’s wealth and income moved toward greater inequality during the 70’s and 80’s. Some advantages of the Civil Right’s & Black Power movement was that ethnic minorities gained rights that should not have been denied to them on the basis of skin color. The common law did not provide satisfactory protection of basic human rights for the future of the community. The civil rights movement ensured that rights are protected and courts require a clear direction about what rights should be protected. The con about the civil rights movement was that the increase of litigation in the courts would give excessive power to the judiciary rights. Earlier in the essay I referenced the different movements but what I didn’t mention was that both groups took different strives to achieve their goals. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference took more of a non-violent approach to reach their goals according to the â€Å"Southern Christian Leadership Conference† website. While King and his group was more of a non-violent group, the Page 4. Black Nationalism and Malcolm X were more radical. Malcolm X had coined the phrase â€Å"by any means necessary† which meant he wanted to achieve equal rights at any length of sacrifice. Even though Malcolm X said, â€Å"by any means necessary† according to Dr. Stephanie L. McKinney he only used violence as a â€Å"self defense†. Martin Luther King Jr. on the other hand realized that nonviolent tactics was the way to go. Ultimately both leaders pursued the same goal and both achieved it. As you can see in the paragraphs above both Martin Luther King Jr.and Malcolm X had two different approaches to gain equality but I support Martin Luther King Jr. ways of gaining equality more than Malcolm X’s. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the few people who lived up to what he preached. Martin Luther King Jr. sold out to his cause, was passionate about his mission, and connected with the audience. Malcolm X’s radical movement was the reason why I couldn’t side with him. I respect Malcolm X but disagree with any view that encourages violence. King wanted change with his voice, which in my opinion is the strongest tool for someone, who doesn’t support violence. If you think about it physical punishment is dealt to one person and everyone else doesn’t necessarily feel the pain but words can be felt through everyone who’s listening. Just like many other movements and eras the Civil Rights & Black Power movement started, climaxed, then faded. Although, this era influenced many generations that came later and many people still benefit from the efforts of the Civil Rights leaders such as Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr. , & Malcolm X. Some former civil rights activists, such as John Lewis, Andrew Young, and Jesse Jackson, launched Page 5 careers in electoral politics. American civil rights legislation of the 1960s became the center for affirmative action programs that increased opportunities for many black students and workers as well as for women, disabled people, and other victims of discrimination. However, civil rights issues continued to stimulate protests, particularly when previous gains appeared to be threatened. Overall, the 20th-century struggle for civil rights produced an enduring transformation of the legal status of African Americans and other victims of discrimination. It also increased the responsibility of the government to enforce civil rights laws. APA Citations Page 54h. Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam. (n. d. ). Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam [ushistory. org]. Retrieved December 5, 2013, from http://www. ushistory. org/us/54h. asp From Black Revolution to â€Å"Radical Humanism†: Malcolm X between Biography and International History. (n. d. ). Home. Retrieved December 4, 2013, from http://www. humanityjournal. org/humanity-volume-3-issue-2/black-revolution-radical-humanism-malcolm-x-between-biography-and-internat. McKinney, S. (n. d. ). Malcolm X. About. com 20th Century History. Retrieved December 4, 2013, from http://history1900s. about. com/od/people/a/Malcolm-X. htm Nonviolent Resistance. (n. d. ). Nonviolent Resistance. Retrieved December 4, 2013, from http://mlk-kpp01. stanford. edu/index. php/encyclopedia/ Southern Christian Leadership Conference. (n. d. ). Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Retrieved December 5, 2013, from http://www. historylearningsite. co. uk/southern_christian_leadership_co. htm. African American Studies paper. (2016, Dec 21).

Premaritalsex Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Premaritalsex - Essay Example Although premarital sex in itself may not be evil per se, unprotected premarital sex especially among young people between the ages of 15 to 19 can lead to unwanted pregnancies and infection with sexually transmitted diseases including Acute Immune Diseases Syndrome (AIDS). Premarital sex can lead to a host of problems. According to the Guttmacher Institute (2010), around 46% of kids around the age of 15 to 19 in the United States have had sex at least once. Many of these young people had sex out of curiosity and peer pressure. In many schools around the country, kids see sex as a right of passage so those who want to belong to the â€Å"in† crowd must experience sexual awakening to be accepted (Finer LB et al., 2006). Kids who remain virgins especially during their senior years in high school are often ridiculed by their peers and called old fashion and â€Å"uncool† (Finer LB et al., 2006). This kind of peer pressure can lead some students to resort to some drastic measures such as having unprotected sex. As a result, about 10% of pregnant women in the United States are teenagers (Guttmacher Institute, 2010). As it is, a lot of young people drop out of school because of unwanted pregnancies. Premarital sex that ends in unwanted pregnancy is a very big issue especially among young people. Since many of pregnant teenagers are reluctant to tell their parents about their condition, many of them do not get proper prenatal care especially during the first trimester of their pregnancy (Hofferth SL et al., 2001). This situation can cause some health problems and complication both in the mother and the baby especially during the last term of the pregnancy (Banerjee, et. al. 2009). Babies born to teenager mothers who have not received proper prenatal care are more likely to suffer from low-birth weight compared to those babies whose mothers received proper pre-natal care (Banerjee, et. al. 2009). After giving birth, teenager

Dream School Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Dream School - Term Paper Example Therefore, activities and materials used in the school will be design to provide the preschool children with a wide range of experiences in all developmental stages. Consequently, these can facilitate their growth and give them numerous opportunities from which they can choose from to carry out preferred tasks. As such, these materials and methods in the school will reflect the philosophy of Piaget and incorporate the most appropriate materials of other educators in order to assist the learning process of children. Similarly important would be the children’s teacher, hence the presence of well qualified teaching staff members to positively contribute to the personal development and fulfillment of preschoolers as well as instill the values of care and love. The following sections will then look into the educational philosophy, curriculum, physical building and facilities, and the choice of teachers in the ideal school that aims to emphasize the developmental learning of prescho olers. Educational Philosophy The educational philosophy of the school would place an emphasis on interactions between adults and children as well as relationships in school and at home. The school will also incorporate developmentally appropriate practices that have been established by professional organizations that support early childhood education, such as the National Association for the Education of Young Children. As developmentally appropriate practice entails, teachers must be knowledgeable regarding the different stages of a child’s development as well as their implications. Such knowledge consequently becomes the principle from which they share information, construct the content of the curriculum, evaluate what has to be implemented, evaluate what the children have learned, as well as determine how their curriculum will be adapted to meet the individual needs, interests, and strengths of children in preschool age (Bredekamp and Rosegrant, 1992). In addition, teache rs should know the children they are teaching as well as their families to increase their awareness of the latter’s cultural and social settings. The school’s principles are centered on the recognition and responsiveness towards preschool children who are in the preoperational phase of development, as noted by Piaget. They recognize that objects do exist without touching them and can develop their own set of symbols, such as words and images, as representations of the real world. The school also recognizes that lessons will take place through assimilation, adaptation and accommodation. When children are introduced to new occurrences, they will try to understand these by associating them with the things that they have already known. Once they have obtained experience with such new phenomenon, their thoughts, feelings, and approaches may change to accommodate the attributes of this new phenomenon. Implications then point towards the need for children to be exposed to new experiences which can be associated with previous ones but, to some extent, should also bring about challenges for their way of thinking. Therefore, in order for this ideal school to maintain practices that are appropriate for children’s development, they must establish a secure, stimulating, and nurturing environment as well as develop a flexible curriculum, reflecting the themes and activities of teachers and children. These young

Conscientious Objection Response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Conscientious Objection Response - Essay Example Every health care provider has a unique personal philosophy. For some, this personal philosophy is more important than what their religion dictates while others given their religious dictations extreme importance and number one preference. A health care provider’s experience also plays a decisive role in his/her willingness or refusal to provide the patients with a certain kind of treatment. For example, let’s suppose a health care provider gave an individual euthanasia in a state where it was legal. Later, the health care provider might feel guilty because of any reason including religion’s condemnation of euthanasia, his/her moral values, culture, or just the health care provider’s outlook on life. Thus, he/she might refuse to give euthanasia to any other individual for the rest of his/her practicing career. Money has always served as a main motivational driver for people in different professions. Many health care providers accept the patients’ pr oposals to provide them with a medical treatment in private for money even if the treatment is illegal

Joan of Arc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Joan of Arc - Essay Example She participated in various war affairs for the separation of France from the powers of the English. She had a very persuasive personality as she was quite determined towards her aims and objectives and she was able to gather support of several individuals to fight for her cause (Twain XII). She was quite obviously an inspiring leader who led from the front and she participated in battles with great bravery and fearlessness. She did not depend on taking measures that were manipulative in nature; rather she was blunt and believed in action that was quite direct in nature. She faced life and death like a strong rock; she did not turn her back against her own army and instead fought to death when she was burned (Bunkers 89). Another great achievement of this Saint was the liberation of the region of Paris from the control of the English rule. During the battle she was badly injured and taken as captive by the Burgundies who were from the French race but were in support of the English rule. Later she was sold by this race of France in exchange of huge amount of money. She was regarded by her contemporaries as a heroine for her heroic activities during war and with her heroic nature she was able to persuade and lead others into attaining her objective of freeing France from the control of the English. For example during the war she was very seriously injured as an arrow slit through her neck, still she continue to be the in charge of the field and she kept fighting. Saint Joan of Arc has proven to be of utmost importance in current society than she was during her era. She was quite high in integrity and was very truthful which quite a missing element of current society is. This part of her personality was clearly highlighted by several literatures as they stated that Joan of the Arc was a person who always used to speak in a truthful manner even if the people liked it or not (Peterfy 159). Meeting

Coverage Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Coverage - Assignment Example Little did Laing was sent to look for her. Bud a young teen sneezes and did not have a hand kerchief. Louis asks him to go and wash her face. Terrorists bumped in the dinner taking people in the dinner hostage. Sydney detects things are not right once she detects guys with machine guns. They hide with Laing where she appears to be Laing’s savior in a number of occasions. Louis decided to go and look for his daughter where he encounters with thugs and enters into a fight. He ended up being surviving gun wounds thanks to Sydney who called for Taffy to call the policemen (Thorp, 2012). COMMENTS: The script is not only quite scary but it possesses a number of essential teachings. Human consciousness is always live and right. Sydney was suspecting something bad was cooking since the beginning of the script. It is also evident that everyone no matter an adult or a child has the potential of saving people. Were it not Sydney who made efforts of contacting the police most probably the condition would become

Eyewitness Memory and the Misinformation Effect Essay

Eyewitness Memory and the Misinformation Effect - Essay Example In comparison of both the events, the mugging event brought more correct responses than the shoplifting one. This is because the non-critical events which were being questioned later on were more diverse, well-spread and frequent in the shoplifting one; and hence the greater the probability for error. Whereas in the mugging event, there were less distractions within the same genre and sequence of the happenings for the viewer. The difference in performance was based on the settings and stimuli available. It is not significant as to how different the scores of people are in the two events, but actually the fact that there is a significant variation from the correct score because of misinformation and lapses in short-term memory. Whenever there would be previous information about a previously known object, then the same type of results would surface. Only in a totally new object would the circumstances actually turn out as different. This is because a totally new object would be viewed with full focus, and because there was no previous information to dilute the new concept. The essence lies not in distractions, but in wastage of learned stimuli as part of the memorizing process. For the same reason, learning is also referred to as a relatively permanent change in behaviour. The likelihood of reporting misinformation therefore shall always be there, as the human mind perceives due to varying abilities of attention and cognition - and this difference shall always prevail. The test group presented a lesser amount of 'wastage' in information, but nonetheless, it was still there. The reason is, that the greater the number of stimuli, the more the stress will be on the sensory processes; therefore, memorizing an event 'as it is' would become next to impossible. The controls though had lesser distractions, nonetheless, the fact that they did make mistakes due to their human limitations, makes this concept even more lucid. Also, there is the probability of the zone of 'transference' possibly originating in the testimony of the witness. This basically refers to the relationship the interviewer can have with the interviewee. This may be positive or negative. This can influence the testimony of the witness to sway in either direction, depending on the mood and relationship parameter he intends to adopts with the interviewer. Discussion The misinformation effect can be explained as a memory bias that happens when misinformation affects people's reports of their own memory. This implies, that a person who is experiencing the misinformation effect, is likely to 'pollute' and/or 'dilute' the actual event due to the information already present in the human beings' memory. Distinguishing and differentiating the memory slots, especially when the stimulus is being at a very high speed, then becomes a very difficult task. Loftus and colleagues elaborate this concept, by elucidating that there are two kinds of information which go into a person's memory of an intricate event. The first is the information obtained from perceiving the occurrence, and the second is the additional information supplied to us after the event has taken place. As time passes by, these events get interlinked and entwined with each other, thereby making it virtually impossible to separate the actual event from the previous memory of the individual. What is left in the end is one collective