Rochester Castle Stuff

Rochester Castle Stuff Rochester CastleAim: To see how castles developed through timeI think the motte and bailey castle must have been built first as it is wooden and stone and brick wouldn't have been used at that time for building castles. It would have been much quicker and much easier to build a motte and bailey than build a stone castle. It would have rotted and the wood could be burnt.The next building would be the square stone keep (source 1). It is a very simple square building. The keep is the main building in a castle. The walls are about 5 metres thick because, people didn't use guns as weapons-they used catapults. The walls could take the boulders hitting it for quite a while.The windows are small so, archers can't shoot into there. The windows get wider as they go in so, someone can defend the castle through the windows.Remains of a Norman motte and bailey castle at the...

Battle of Antietam in the American Civil War

Battle of Antietam in the American Civil War The Battle of Antietam was fought September 17, 1862, during the American Civil War (1861-1865). In the wake of his stunning victory at the Second Battle of Manassas in late August 1862, General Robert E. Lee began moving north into Maryland with the goal of obtaining supplies and cutting the rail links to Washington. This move was endorsed by Confederate President Jefferson Davis who believed that a victory on Northern soil would increase the likelihood of recognition from Britain and France. Crossing the Potomac, Lee was slowly pursued by Major General George B. McClellan who had recently been reinstated to overall command of Union forces in the area. Armies Commanders Union Major General George B. McClellan87,000 men Confederate General Robert E. Lee45,000 men Battle of Antietam - Advancing to Contact Lees campaign was soon compromised when Union forces found a copy of Special Order 191 which laid out his movements and showed that his army was split into several smaller contingents. Written on September 9, a copy of the order was found at the Best Farm south of Frederick, MD by Corporal Barton W. Mitchell of the 27th Indiana Volunteers.   Addressed to Major General D.H. Hill, the document was wrapped around three cigars and caught Mitchells eye as it lay in the grass. Quickly passed up the Union chain of command and recognized as authentic, it soon arrived at McClellans headquarters.   Assessing the information, the Union commander commented, Here is a paper with which, if I cannot whip Bobby Lee, I will be willing to go home.   Despite the time-sensitive nature of the intelligence contained in Special Order 191, McClellan displayed his characteristic slowness and hesitated before acting on this critical information. While Confederate troops under Major General Thomas Stonewall Jackson were capturing Harpers Ferry, McClellan pressed west and engaged Lees men in the passes through the mountains. In the resulting Battle of South Mountain on September 14, McClellans men attacked the out-numbered Confederate defenders at Foxs, Turners, and Cramptons Gaps.   Though the gaps were taken, fighting lasted through the day and bought time for Lee to order his army to reconcentrate at Sharpsburg. McClellans Plan Bringing his men together behind Antietam Creek, Lee was in a precarious position with the Potomac at his back and only Botelers Ford to the southwest at Shepherdstown as an escape route. On September 15, when the lead Union divisions were sighted, Lee only had 18,000 men at Sharpsburg. By that evening, much of the Union army had arrived. Though an immediate attack on September 16 likely would have overwhelmed the scrambling Lee, the ever-cautious McClellan, who believed Confederate forces to number around 100,000, did not begin probing the Confederate lines until late that afternoon. This delay allowed Lee to bring his army together, though some units were still en route. Based on the intelligence gathered on the 16th, McClellan decided to open the battle the next day by attacking from the north as this would allow his men to cross the creek at the undefended upper bridge. The assault was to be mounted by two corps with an additional two waiting in reserve. This attack would be supported by a diversionary attack by Major General Ambrose Burnsides IX Corps against the lower bridge south of Sharpsburg. Should the assaults proved successful, McClellan intended to attack with his reserves over the middle bridge against the Confederate center. Union intentions became clear on the evening of September 16, when Major General Joseph Hookers I Corps skirmished with Lees men in the East Woods north of town. As a result, Lee, who had placed Jacksons men on his left and Major General James Longstreets on the right, shifted troops to meet the anticipated threat (Map). The Fighting Begins in the North Around 5:30 AM on September 17, Hooker attacked down the Hagerstown Turnpike with the goal of capturing the Dunker Church, a small building on a plateau to the south. Encountering Jacksons men, brutal fighting began in the Miller Cornfield and the East Woods. A bloody stalemate ensued as the outnumbered Confederates held and mounted effective counterattacks. Adding Brigadier General Abner Doubledays division into the fight, Hookers troops began to push the enemy back. With Jacksons line near collapse, reinforcements arrived around 7:00 AM as Lee stripped his lines elsewhere of men. Counterattacking, they drove Hooker back and the Union troops were forced to cede the Cornfield and West Woods. Badly bloodied, Hooker called for aid from Major General Joseph K. Mansfields XII Corps. Advancing in columns of companies, XII Corps was hammered by Confederate artillery during their approach and Mansfield was mortally wounded by a sniper. With Brigadier General Alpheus Williams in command, XII Corps renewed the assault. While one division was halted by enemy fire, Brigadier General George S. Greenes men were able to break through and reach the Dunker Church (Map). While Greenes men came under heavy fire from the West Woods, Hooker was wounded as he tried to rally men to exploit the success. With no support arriving, Greene was forced to pull back. In an effort to force the situation above Sharpsburg, Major General Edwin V. Sumner was directed to contribute two divisions from his II Corps to the fight. Advancing with Major General John Sedgwicks division, Sumner lost contact with Brigadier General William Frenchs division before leading a rash attack into the West Woods. Quickly taken under fire on three sides, Sedgwicks men were forced to retreat (Map). Attacks in the Center By mid-day, fighting in the north quieted as Union forces held the East Woods and the Confederates the West Woods. Having lost Sumner, French spotted elements of Major General D.H. Hills division to the south. Though only numbering 2,500 men and tired from fighting earlier in the day, they were in a strong position along a sunken road. Around 9:30 AM, French began a series of three brigade-sized attacks on Hill. These failed in succession as Hills troops held. Sensing danger, Lee committed his final reserve division, led by Major General Richard H. Anderson, to the fight. A fourth Union assault saw the famed Irish Brigade storm forward with its green flags flying and Father William Corby shouting words of conditional absolution.   The stalemate was finally broken when elements of Brigadier General John C. Caldwells brigade succeeded in turning the Confederate right. Taking a knoll that overlooked the road, Union soldiers were able to fire down the Confederate lines and force the defenders to retreat. A brief Union pursuit was halted by Confederate counterattacks. As the scene quieted around 1:00 PM, a great gap had been opened in Lees lines. McClellan, believing that Lee had over 100,000 men, repeatedly refused to commit the over 25,000 men he had in reserve to exploiting the breakthrough despite the fact that Major General William Franklins VI Corps was in position. As a result, the opportunity was lost (Map). Blundering in the South In the south, Burnside, angered by command rearrangements, did not begin moving until around 10:30 AM. As a result, many of the Confederate troops that had originally been facing him were withdrawn to block the other Union attacks. Tasked with crossing the Antietam to support Hookers actions, Burnside was in position to cut off Lees retreat route to Botelers Ford. Ignoring the fact that the creek was fordable at several points, he focused on taking Rohrbachs Bridge while dispatching additional troops downstream to Snavelys Ford (Map) Defended by 400 men and two artillery batteries atop a bluff on the western shore, the bridge became Burnsides fixation as repeated attempts to storm it failed. Finally taken around 1:00 PM, the bridge became a bottleneck which slowed Burnside advance for two hours. The repeated delays permitted Lee to shift troops south to meet the threat. They were supported by the arrival of Major General A.P. Hills division from Harpers Ferry. Attacking Burnside, they shattered his flank. Though possessing greater numbers, Burnside lost his nerve and fell back to the bridge. By 5:30 PM, the fighting had ended. Aftermath of the Battle of Antietam The Battle of Antietam was the bloodiest single day in American military history. Union losses numbered 2,108 killed, 9,540 wounded, and 753 captured/missing while the Confederates suffered 1,546 killed, 7,752 wounded, and 1,018 captured/missing. The next day Lee prepared for another Union attack, but McClellan, still believing he was out-numbered did nothing. Eager to escape, Lee crossed the Potomac back into Virginia. A strategic victory, Antietam allowed President Abraham Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation  which freed slaves in Confederate territory. Remaining idle at Antietam until late October, despite requests from the War Department to pursue Lee, McClellan was removed command on November 5 and replaced by Burnside two days later. Selected Sources CWSAC Battle Summaries: AntietamAntietam on the Web

5 porter forces Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

5 porter forces - Essay Example A company offering goods at cheaper prices tends to attract more potential clients than one whose prices are exorbitant (O’Shaughnessy, 2006, p.12). Michels Patisserie as a large industry faces rivalry from other enterprises in Australia which leads to fluctuations in the eventual gains. Competitors who try to drive the industry out of business are major rivals, and this can be achieved through bad rumours and law suits. In the long run, the competition reduces the profits and at times if healthy, causes gain in the industry. However, the firm ensures that strategies to control rivalry are maintained and that it ensures the highest levels where competition is involved by offering the best services. Differentiation of goods is common in the food industry, and this is no different in a cake firm. Substitutes provide an easy outlet to consumers of goods when prices of those that they consume go up. A large cake industry faces low gains when the price of cake goes down, and the clients opt to consume bread instead. Threats of substitutes in the markets will lead to low profits due to high prices that the customers cannot afford. The firm has however dealt with such threats by ensuring that the costs of production are low and that customers can obtain quality and cheap products. Various advertisements have been implemented to create awareness that ensures consumption of cakes even when prices are up. The income of a consumer at any point in time determines what and how much is to be bought. The purchasing power of a person is subject to income. A company should set up products and goods where people are able to get and access them. The products to be offered and the prices set should meet the ability of people to purchase. As a large cake industry based in Australia, Michels Patisserie has to ensure that the goods produced meet such abilities. The firm has ensures that the profits obtained are those projected by availing products to many consumers through branching

You have been appointed as a Marketing Consultant. In this role you Assignment

You have been appointed as a Marketing Consultant. In this role you are required to prepare a three-year marketing plan for Bonobos in the U.K market - Assignment Example But according to Dunn there was a gap for the fashion companies which took inputs but created something which a consumer can never do on its own. Thus the company to fill this gap established community driven platform where the customers through social media, purchase behaviour and commentary would affect the offerings made by the company. Eventually the company’s goal evolved from merely solving men pant problem to solving men shopping problem. Bonobos.com also provides access to products which are mad locally but lacked an optimal distribution and promotions; these items were termed as ‘Stuff’ which included belts, shoes and accessories. Bonobos used social media sites to promote its products which proved to a success for the company. These communities enabled Bonobos to markets its products and sell them without investing any dollar in traditional form of promotional techniques. Bonobos used Twitter, Facebook and the company’s blog to promote and gather inputs from the customers. In the first year of its business the company earned net revenue of $1.6million selling almost 30,000 pairs of pants. By 2009, Bonobos introduced trousers at a low price and Dunn expected the company to finish between $3.5millions to $4.5millions (Kinsey, 2009). Internal Environment refers to the internal factors of a business which are generally controlled by the business itself. It refers to the environment that exists within the organisation. The internal environment includes objectives of the organisation, its managerial policies, different departments of the company, the employees and the management of the organisation, brand image as well as corporate image, relationship between labour and management, physical resources which includes infrastructure, vision of the top level management, research and development of the organisation, and the working conditions of the organisation. Human resource an important component of the internal environment is largely

Contemporary International Problems Essay Example for Free

Contemporary International Problems Essay The United States of America experienced various disputes and wars in its history. Some of these armed conflicts do not only take place within their boundaries because there are also some battles that they have to fight in another country’s territory. The reasons for engaging in such warfare may either directly or indirectly involve the U. S. However, one thing is sure, that in the country’s every participation there is a certain interest that its officials want to fulfill. This kind of situation is what exactly took place in the U. S. ntervention in the Vietnam War. The U. S. government wants to achieve a certain national interest that will work for their benefits. The Vietnam War started in 1954 when the Communist-led parties of the Vietnamese Nationalist and the Vietminh army defeated the French forces. France was forced to recognize North Vietnam as communist while leaving the Southern part of the country as non-communist. Nevertheless, the U. S. did not approve this situation especially the establishment of communist leadership in North Korea. President Dwight D.  Eisenhower ordered the establishment of political machinery in South Vietnam. This includes creating a government that replaced the French leadership as well as deploying military advisers that will train the South Vietnam army. The Central Intelligence Agency of the U. S. also employed psychological warfare in order to weaken North Vietnam. The United States government explicitly expressed its participation and commitment in the Vietnam War when they ordered continuous air bombing in North Vietnam by means of the Tonkin Golf Resolution. The war ended in January 1973 through a diplomatic agreement that resulted in the U. S. withdrawal from Vietnam in exchange for the release of U. S. prisoners (Rotter, 1999). The intervention of the U. S. in the Vietnam War is part of their national interest of establishing democracy in different countries and controls the spread of communism. During the Cold War two conflicting forces are involved namely: the Communist bloc and the Democratic bloc. The U. S. leads the Democratic group, which is why they are doing all the necessary means to combat communism. Their intervention in the Vietnam War is an effort to stop other Asian countries from following the principles of communism especially since Ho Chi Minh is the one leading the Northern part of the country (Rotter, 1999). The American government believes that communism is an enemy because it defies every value and principle that the U. S. upholds such as: free trade and democracy. In relation to this the operations of the U. S. against the Communist bloc is largely dependent upon their belief in the Domino Theory. The Domino Theory is similar to a set of dominoes wherein toppling one of it will result for the others to follow suit. In the same manner, Vietnam represents the first domino that toppled down. The U. S. deemed that if they will not intervene in the Vietnam War other countries in the Southeast Asian region would also adhere to communism (Rotter, 1999). Another reason for U. S. involvement in the Vietnam War is their goal of influencing other countries to follow the path of democracy and adhere to the values and principles that the U. S. stands for. By doing so, the U. S. ould be able to win their battle with the soviet bloc and at the same time establish their position as the world’s superpower. The U. S. government encouraged other countries to follow their ideals by giving military and economic aid to them. This is observable when they helped France in maintaining its Indochina colonies. The U. S. also applied the Domino Theory in acquiring more countries in their side. They think that by showing other countries the development of France, they would choose democracy over communism, as this would entail more benefits for them (Rotter, 1999). The U. S. intervention in the Vietnam War clearly shows that the country tend to intervene in others’ affairs in order to accomplish their national interests. The U. S. government used the resources that they have in order to pursue their objectives. They took advantage of the conflicts that is happening in the other parts of the world so that they could defeat the soviet bloc and control the spread of communism. In doing so, they were able to emerge as one of the most powerful countries in the world.

Atheism as a historical philosophy and its relevance in contemporary Am

Disbelief in the existence of God is an enduring, worldwide phenomenon that is quite possibly also one of the most misunderstood belief systems in the world. For many, the term â€Å"atheism† immediately spurs negative imagery inspired by years of indoctrination – churches proclaiming the sins of the infidels, and how questioning God’s infinite love will result in instant damnation. Atheists are perceived as dark, nihilistic, immoral, amoral, pessimistic, and even evil, because without God, clearly they are also without morality and goodness. But if this disbelief is so negative, why would nearly 1 billion people globally, and more than 16 percent of the American population identify themselves as â€Å"nonbelievers†? In fact, a survey published in January 2007 by the Pew Research Center for the People & The Press found that â€Å"20 percent of Americans between the ages of 18 and 25 say they have no religious affiliation or consider themselves atheists o r agnostics – nearly double those who said that in a similar survey 20 years ago† (Abel). Surely there is something to be gained in denying one of contemporary civilization’s most accepted and cherished beliefs in order to garner the respect of (and often participation from) some of the greatest minds in human history. Indeed, for most nonbelievers, it seems the justification for atheism far outweighs the justifications for theism, which they view as moot, obsolete, and inaccurate. THE PHILOSOPHY Put simply, atheism is the belief that there is no God or gods. In this sense, it is true that atheism is a â€Å"negative† philosophy in that it is the negation of theism (the word is derived from the Greek ‘a’ - without, ‘theos’ - God). However, as we shall see, this perception of atheism as a negative w... ...008 . Martin, Michael. Atheism : A Philosophical Justification. New York, MI: Temple UP, 1990. Martin, Michael, ed. The Cambridge Companion to Atheism. New York: Cambridge UP, 2006. Mills, David, and Dorion Sagan. Atheist Universe : The Thinking Person's Answer to Christian Fundamentalism. New York: Ulysses P, 2006 Nielsen, Kai. God, Scepticism and Modernity. Boston: Paul & Company Consortium, Incorporated, 1989. Odell v. Koppee, 5 Heisk. (Tenn) 91. Religulous. Dir. Larry Charles. Perf. Bill Maher. Film. 2008. Thrower, James. Western Atheism : A Short History. New York: Pyr Books, 1999. "17th Century - Investigating Atheism." Investigating Atheism. 2008. University of Cambridge. .

Mountain Men and The Path to the Pacific

Reading this book was like listening to tall tales told around the dancing flames of a faraway campfire. One can almost hear the Grizzly’s roar, the rushing river, the war cries of long forgotten warriors, and almost smell the mountain forests. Therein lies the key to the author’s approach to historical storytelling: in this book, as in his many other histories written for popular consumption on American western subjects, he vividly and impeccably writes gripping and detailed narratives about well researched colorful individuals on the frontiers of the nineteenth century. He successfully provides the context for these narratives with an easy to understand explanation of America’s western expansion, and seamlessly bundles the entirety into a stylishly written story. Utley focuses on the period between the Lewis and Clark Expedition in1804 and the end of the western expansion era in the 1850s. He chooses his subjects not only because they provided the critical first movement of America into it’s Far West, but because, he argues, their memoirs, maps, and knowledge of geography and the local Native Americans made future settlement possible. I found his thesis well proven. The author provides a brief historical context in each chapter and relates his subject’s adventures from the bottom up – often quoting vivid primary sources that exposes their contradictions — their courage and illiteracy, ambition and uncouthness, their hunger for adventure and appetite for violence, and their often inevitable tragic endings. Each chapter focuses on one or two colorful personalities, men with names like Crazy Bill Williams and Jeremiah Liver-Eating Johnson. The compelling personalities may not contribute to proving the author’s thesis, but they do make the book an enjoyable read. The author devotes more than just one chapter to his favorite, Jedediah Smith, a man as austere as his colleagues were abrasive, who carefully mapped and detailed his travels.   Smith perfectly embodies the author’s thesis, that the mountain men’s maps and journals were essential to the opening of the Far West. Utley believes that Smith was â€Å"point man in the contest for Oregon†[1], and did more to open the Far Western frontier than any other early pioneer did.   Utley notes that Smith was a man in sharp contrast to most other mountaineers, such as Jim Bridger, who were stereotypical mountain men, full of whiskey and gall and telling tall tales, as did Bridger, about petrified forests with â€Å"peetrified birds singing peetrified songs†.[2] Utley writes a revealing key passage about President Jefferson that delineates the book’s central approach to the subject of the Mountain Men. In 1802, Jefferson read a British trapper’s memoir about his travels in the NorthWest. Alexander Mackenzie's book inspired Jefferson to send a band of hearty men on a reconnaissance to scout the unknown Far West, â€Å"†¦to discover the continental passage, colonize the Pacific Coast and tap it’s fur resources, and establish commerce with the Orient.[3]   In Utley’s view, this was no mere reconnaissance, it was the first step in what was to be a century of nation building. Utley expands the scope of his book by elevating Lewis and Clark, who Jefferson delegated to lead this expedition into the new territories of the Louisiana Purchase, and those who later continued the Western exploration, as being more than explorers and trappers, they were expansionists who guided America to its westward boundary on the Pacific. By elevating the significance of his subjects, Utley elevates the overall importance of his book. Utley begins in 1804, with the Corps of Discovery’s expedition to survey the new lands. Frontiersmen and others familiar with the ways of the Native Americans joined Lewis and Clark’s expedition, such as John Colter, a riverboat pioneer, and George Drouillard, a hunter who was half Shawnee and fluent in Indian sign language. The Corps of Discovery mapped the new land, but they also reported a wilderness ripe for trapping and settlement. What the Lewis and Clark Expedition reported on their return enthralled the nation and fired the imaginations of Americans hungry for opportunity. The first to start the movement west were independent entrepreneurs hoping to enrich themselves by harvesting the abundant wildlife – the hunter-trappers. The book chronologically and geographically charts the progress of the mountaineers, always using the mountain men’s history of discovery, exploitation of resources, and mutual cooperation. Utley uses copious primary sources, including the detailed day-to-day diary of Jedediah Smith, who catalogued minutia, such as the changing beaver population, and high drama, such as having his scalp sewn back on to his head after a Grizzly clawed him. â€Å"If you have a needle and thread, git it out and sew up my wounds around my head,† he asked of a fellow trapper [4].   Utley quotes other primary sources, such as John Bradley, a naturalist who kept a detailed journal traveling with a trapping expedition to the Pacific led by John Jacob Astor. [5] Utley addresses what motivated these early pioneers of the Far West, quoting   Warren Angus Ferris, â€Å"Westward Ho! It is the sixteenth of the second month, A.D. 1830 and I have joined a trapping, trading, hunting expedition to the Rocky Mountains. Why, I scarcely know for the motives that induced me to this step were of a mixed complexion†¦Curiosity, a love of wild adventure, and perhaps also a hope of profit.† [6] Utley draws on primary sources to describe a run-in between Hugh Glass and a Grizzly with cubs: â€Å"He lay on his back, bleeding from gashes in his scalp, face, chest, back, shoulder, arm, hand, and thigh. With each gasp, blood bubbled from a puncture in his throat.† Glass’ companions, thinking him near death, left him and went ahead. But Glass was made of true mountain man grit. He rallied, and crawled back to civilization. Utley writes, â€Å"Berries and a torpid rattlesnake smashed with a stone provided his first nourishment. The Grand River supplied water. He dug edible roots with a sharp rock. Chance turned up a dead buffalo with marrow still rich in the bones. Later wolves brought down a buffalo calf that he succeeded in seizing. In a six-week demonstration of incredible strength, fortitude, luck, and determination, Glass crawled back to Fort Kiowa, nearly two hundred miles.† This story exemplifies Utley’s dramatic flair by using colorful characters and events in writing history designed to appeal to the mass audience. Utley addresses the social identity of the mountain men, profiling the diverse sampling of immigrants and culturally dysfunctional individuals willing to live a solitary existence, disconnected from family and community. He examines their alliances with Native tribes, occasionally even marrying into the tribe, and develops a theme that these alliances produced a significant contribution in maintaining peaceful relations, and obtaining future tribal cooperation in exploration and provisioning. Utley also recounts the annual trapper Frolics, when mountaineers gathered to sell their furs and skins to retail traders, replenish their weapons and supplies, swapped tall tales, and threw the frontier equivalent of a modern fraternity toga party. While Utley always presents colorful events and personalities, he always returns to his primary theme – that the detailed maps and knowledge that the mountain men recorded and shared with each other made it possible for others to later navigate the unknown and difficult mountain regions. That their information filled the vacuum of understanding about the new territories and directly prompted the great western expansion, revealing the best routes to cross rivers and mountain passes in summer and winter, as well as where there was relative safety and where danger was to found. In a later, secondary wave of exploration, Utley relates how one veteran mountain man, Kit Carson, led several military expeditions in the early and mid-1840s to the Far West to consolidate the government’s domain and control of the new territories. Commanded by John C. Fremont, who would become known thereafter as â€Å"The Pathfinder,† the expeditions continued and completed the Western exploration started by Lewis and Clark. Utley argues that these military expeditions promoted the great waves of emigration by wagon trains across the Sierra Nevada Mountains to Oregon and California. A note about Utley’s illustrations, mostly period artwork and primary source period maps. At first glance they seemed lifeless, but they ultimately provided something akin to a Rosetta Stone that helped this reader to comprehend the enormity what the mountain men faced and endured. The joy the author demonstrates through-out the book reveals his almost spiritual identification with his subjects and the terrain they pioneered. His enthusiasm and command of detail serves to fully engage the reader, which to me is the gift of a great history book. But as much as the book succeeds, its methodology raises questions about it’s limitations: the author is invested in his own formulaic pattern of popular storytelling, one wonders whether he is choosing his subjects for marketability over significance. The book is informative, engaging, and enjoyable, even inspiring, but its formulaic approach may remove the potential for revolutionary perspective or revealing interpretation. This may be an inevitable consequence of success for any historian, and I suppose one most historians would welcome, but it may limit the book’s scholarly potential. One additional criticism: in Utley’s view, the Mountain Men pursued commerce and produced national growth, but the narrative accepts their chauvinist behavior without judgment and accepts their cruelty virtually without comment, which many could interpret as a lack of balance. The ideal popular demographic target for this book are those who love American historical adventure: those who love John Ford’s films, or Ken Burn’s Civil War documentary, or books about Mountain Men. If one enjoyed the film about Jeremiah Johnson starring Robert Redford, this is a history book made for you. For scholars, it provides an engrossing and interesting read that doesn’t sacrifice its historical themes. For young students, it successfully presents those details that fire the imagination. In other words, its sweeping panorama deserves its sweeping audience. I enjoyed reading it, learned from it, and re [1] P.67 [2] p.173 [3] p.3 [4] p.56 [5] p.24 [6] p.149

Four Eras of Writing Essay

History has evolved over the last two centuries. In the introduction to Interpretations of American History edited by Francis G. Couvares, et al., he states that the transition of the way history was interpreted has only â€Å"linked the past more strongly to the present† (Couvares 1). Before, historians –mostly white male- used to report only about â€Å"male† topics but since then, different issues have transformed the way history used to be. Over the last 400 years, the four different stages that have reshaped the writing of American history have been the providential, the rationalist, the nationalist, and the professional. Late- nineteenth-century historians, usually called â€Å"historicists† or â€Å"positivists† believed that history was like science and with practice it could be solved. According to Couvares, Croce believed that Positivists were faulty in their assumptions because history was perceived differently every time it was written down since no one thinks exactly alike. With so many different views, historians are usually adding more and more information to each other’s perceptions. Couvares says that â€Å"history is historiography, the study of history and its changing interpretations† (Couvares 3). When interpreting history, historians were influenced by their personal circumstances, beliefs, and environment. During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, all through the Civil War, historians wrote a form of â€Å"providential history† (Couvares 4). Puritans – usually ministers, magistrates, and women- wished to â€Å"justify the ways of God to man, and vice-versa† (Couvares 4) in their history. They interpreted what was happening at the time as a sign of God wanting them to move forward which led them to believe that the Revolution was a win for â€Å"reformed† Christianity. With the European Enlightenment, came more of an intellectual and natural way of thinking. Couvares notes how the â€Å"rationalist historians†, greatly influenced by Newton and Locke, prospered along with the people who had been at the top of the colonies before. During this stage, â€Å"the progress of reason† (Couvares 5), as they called it, was their new belief. Most historians during this time were wealthy and with a high position in society, hence the style of their writing. Because of the way they thought of themselves, their history explained how the â€Å"enlightened† world was a success because of men like them. According to Couvares, Jefferson’s Notes on the State of Virginia very much sums up the thought of the rationalists where they were the ones who achi eved greatness, it wasn’t God driven. However, the rationalists were not that far off from the providential it’s because their story â€Å"still pointed upward† (Couvares 6). As the nineteenth century went on, historians started to see â€Å"America as the triumph of Anglo-Saxon people over inferior races† (Couvares 6). They thought that because America had overcome other â€Å"inferior† races that they were better. Couvares explains how Bancroft organized America’s history around three themes: â€Å"progress, liberty, and Anglo-Saxon destiny† (Couvares 6). This is where the third stage comes in. Their idea that the Teutonic people were supposed to spread â€Å"freedom across the globe† was the start to their sense of pride, love, and nationalism. Not only were men, but also female historians hooked on this idea. Helen Hunt Jackson wrote about white-Indian relations, which at the time was a big obstacle to jump; while at the same time anthropologists beginning to study these relationships. Around the 1870s, though, Bancroft seemed like the past and the future possibilities were just around the corner. As universities started being built and education was more common among the middle class, history was becoming a profession. Practiced by the people who had access to advanced education, white men, they started concerning themselves with â€Å"specialized training, research methodology, and educational credentials† (Couvares 7). Adams and Turner both shared the belief of applying Darwin’s method to history. Adams argued that history was like physics and that it could be deciphered the same way. Even though Adams couldn’t accomplish his goal, Turner did while at the same time seeming connected to the nationalists is sharing a little bit of their beliefs. Throughout the first half of the twentieth century, another type of professionals emerged. These Progressive historians, unlike the Adams, saw history as politics and not as science. They believed that â€Å"science was needed to produce usable facts, and art to persuade people to act on them† (Couvares 9) but it was political action what they wanted to accomplish with it; which could be why Progressives could be classified as reformers. Basically, their point was that the function of history â€Å"was to uncover the economic basis of political ideas†¦and educate the citizenry† (Couvares 9). In the end, with the Great Depression going on and the Second World War, the question that was raised was whether or not if the history had prepared them. Nobody could have foreseen what was going to happen, and eventually history continues to be written everyday and like Couvares pointd out, â€Å"history is an act of interpretation† (Couvares 1).

china speech Essay

china speech Essay china speech Essay â€Å"On The Ten Major Relationships† Speech given by Mao Tse-tung on April 25,1956, at the meeting of the Poltiical Bureau of Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. 1. The Ten Major Relationships is a list of the issues and concerns that have come about from instituting socialism in china. He boils down complex issues into a list of ten relationships dealing with mobilizing all positive forces, internal and external, to serve the cause of socialism and analyzing soviet policy. a. The document begins with Mao calling for China to focus on developing agriculture and light industries instead of focusing on the heavy industry like the Soviets. By doing this he says that there would be a fast increase in capital and will build a strong foundation as the people will have their needs met, which will allow for a more successful development of the heavy industry. b. Mao also says that China should focus on developing coastal industries as they will provide the most capital the fastest, which can be used to develop interior industries, which are much easier to defend if, attacked. c. In regards to defense Mao calls for a reduction of military and administrative expenditures and move the main focus to developing economic construction that will fund future defense programs. d. The government needs to be mindful of the relationship between the state and production. He says that as productivity rises then so should workers welfare, and should adjust agriculture exchange as needed, which will promote a stronger economy and state. He also mentions that the state should strengthen the communication between the central government and local authorities, and give local authorities more power and independence. The central authority should provide oversight and leadership and the local authorities should put practices into operation and push the idea of unity. e. Mao discusses the relationship between the Han and the minorities, by stating the Han while being the majority of the population were actually the minority when it came to land ownership, but the Han promoted the idea of racial division and their superiority. He emphasizes that it was all the minorities who made China’s history and that in order to reverse this thinking the cadres and masses must be educated in party policies. f. Mao address the issue between Party and non-party by stating that by having several parties within China promotes coexistence and mutual suppression and that unlike the Soviets the party has allowed the democrats to remain. He also notes that he doesn’t want the democratic parties to be removed but that they should be convinced of socialism. He also says that it is a public necessity that counter-revolutionist should be executed or imprisoned and re-educated through labor. However when it comes to counter-revolutionaries found in the party they should not be executed or arrested as they are needed to be informants and would make the party look bad domestically and internationally. g. Mao felt that people who made mistakes should not be barred from the revolution ad that they should be able to learn from their mistakes and be shown the correct path, as the

How to Find Your Birth Parent or Child

How to Find Your Birth Parent or Child It is estimated that 2% of the U.S. population, or about 6 million Americans, are adoptees. Including biological parents, adoptive parents, and siblings, this means that 1 in 8 Americans are directly touched by adoption. Surveys show that a large majority of these adoptees and birth parents have, at some point, actively searched for biological parents or children separated by adoption. They search for many different reasons, including medical knowledge, the desire to know more about the individuals life, or a major life event, such as the death of an adoptive parent or the birth of a child. The most common reason given, however, is genetic curiosity - a desire to find what a birth parent or child looks like, their talents, and their personality. Whatever your reasons for deciding to start an adoption search, it is important to realize that it will most likely be a difficult, emotional adventure, full of amazing highs and frustrating lows. Once youre ready to undertake an adoption search, however, these steps will help you get started on the journey. How to Begin an Adoption Search The first objective of an adoption search is to discover the names of the birth parents who gave you up for adoption, or the identity of the child you relinquished. What do you already know? Just like a genealogy search, an adoption search begins with yourself. Write down everything you know about your birth and adoption, from the name of the hospital in which you were born to the agency which handled your adoption.Approach your adoptive parents. The best place to turn next is your adoptive parents. They are the ones most likely to hold possible clues. Write down every bit of information they can provide, no matter how insignificant it may seem. If you feel comfortable, then you can also approach other relatives and family friends with your questions.Collect your information in one place. Gather together all available documents. Ask your adoptive parents or contact the appropriate government official for documents such as an amended birth certificate, petition for adoption, and the final decree of adoption.Medical historyHealth statusCause of and age at deathHeight, weight, eye, hair colorEthnic originsLevel of educationProfessional achievementR eligion Ask for your non-identifying information. Contact the Agency or the State that handled your adoption for your non-identifying information. This non-identifying information will be released to the adoptee, adoptive parents, or birth parents, and may include clues to help you in your adoption search. The amount of information varies depending upon the details that were recorded at the time of the birth and adoption. Each agency, governed by state law and agency policy, releases what is considered appropriate and non-identifying, and may include details on the adoptee, adoptive parents, and birth parents such as: on some occasions, this non-identifying information may also include the parents ages at time of birth, the age and sex of other children, hobbies, general geographical location, and even the reasons for the adoption.Sign up for adoption registries. Register in State and National Reunion Registries, also known as Mutual Consent Registries, which are maintained by the government or private individuals. These registries work by allowing each member of the adoption triad to register, hoping to be matched with someone else who might be searching for them. One of the best is the International Soundex Reunion Registry (ISRR). Keep your contact information updated and re-search registries on a regular basis. Join an adoption support group or mailing list. Beyond supplying much needed emotional support, adoption support groups can also provide you with information concerning current laws, new search techniques, and up-to-date information. Adoption search angels may also be available to assist with your adoption search.Hire a confidential intermediary. If youre very serious about your adoption search and have the financial resources (there is usually a substantial fee involved), consider petitioning for the services of a Confidential Intermediary (CI). Many states and provinces have instituted intermediary or search and consent systems to allow adoptees and birth parents the ability to contact each other through mutual consent. The CI is given access to the complete court and/or agency file and, using the information contained in it, attempts to locate the individuals. If and when contact is made by the intermediary, the person found is given the option of allowing or refusing contact by t he party searching. The CI then reports the results to the court; if the contact has been refused that ends the matter. If the person located agrees to contact, the court will authorize the CI to give the name and current address of the person sought to the adoptee or birth parent. Check with the state in which your adoption occurred as to the availability of a Confidential Intermediary System. Once youve identified the name and other identifying information on your birth parent or adoptee, your adoption search can be conducted in much the same way as any other search for living people.

HUMAN REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY QUESTION ASSIGNMENT - 2

HUMAN REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY QUESTION - Assignment Example Increased hypothalamus functions causes secretion of follicle stimulating hormone that mark the onset of puberty (Wilkosz et al., 6). FSH stimulates ovarian follicle to secrete oestrogen and adrenal gland to secrete androgens. Sex steroid causes secondary sexual characteristics of puberty. Sperms develop from spermatogonia mature into primary spermatocytes. Secondary spermatocytes form after first meiotic division of the primary spermatocytes. Secondary spermatocytes undergo second meiotic division to spermatids. Both divisions take place in the seminiferous tubules after which spermatids migrate to the sertoli cells (McLafferty et al., 38). Maturation of spermatids into spermatozoa involves leydig cells that produce GnRH, LH (ICSH), DHT, testosterone, ABP, and inhibin that regulate spermatogenesis. The epididymis stores mature sperms. Upon sufficient stimulation, spermatozoa move through vas deferens, ampulla, ejaculatory duct , urethra then outside the body. The tubular pathway contracts to propel the ejaculate. Semen consist of secretions form the prostate, seminal and seminal vesicles. The secretions neutralise urine PH and provide nutrition to