Slavery During the Antibellum Era Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Slavery During the Antibellum Era - Essay Example He highlighted the agenda of the South to spread slavery to the rest of the nation. The standard of living of the Negro slaves of the South in real terms was good, according to him. Their family life was free from tensions and the aged and infirm were properly taken care of. Women could look forward to the protective umbrella of their masters against the highhandedness of their husbands. He made an interesting observation about the conditions of labor in the North. â€Å"We do not know whether free laborers ever sleep. They are fools to do so; for, whilst they sleep, the wily and watchful capitalist is devising means to ensnare and exploit them. The free laborer must work or starve. He is more of a slave than the Negro, because he works longer and harder for less allowance.†(George Fitzhugh)This line of thinking was his original contribution to the issue of slavery. Abraham Lincoln possessed the inherent capability to gauge the public opinion, one of the greatest traits of a successful politician. He had the good measure of the issues that divided the North and the South and personally he was not an abolitionist. He advocated that the nation cannot remain half-free and half-slave, on a permanent basis. Supreme Court Ruling, 1857 in the Dred Scott v. Sanford case sealed the fate of the black race. It read thus. â€Å". . . [t]here are two clauses in the constitution which point directly and specifically to the negro race as a separate class of persons, and show clearly that they were not regarded as a portion of the people or citizens of the government then formed.† (Roger B. Taney)The struggle for abolition slavery turned more intense with the legal position clarified by the Court. The court opined that Negro race was a separate class of persons. Denied of legal protection for getting equal status the Negro leadership and society turned cynical and began to adopt violent alternatives to secure their rights. Fitzhugh argued,

Politics in Texas Essay Example for Free

Politics in Texas Essay The Texan republicans stand for the ideas of individualism. That entrepreneurship is the key to unlocking the powers of the economy, according to the Republican Party. The Democratic Party respects the notion of small business and entrepreneurship as it also strives to encourage jobs for hard-working laborers. In conjunction with this, the Democrats want businesses to be more flexible and technologically friendly, along with finding creative, environmentally-sound ways of promoting business. The Green Party also claims to support the power of the small business, but they have a more environmental approach that specifies several details in which companies should abide. In accordance with this, the Green Party wishes to limit free-trade in exchange with environmentally and labor friendly trade. They also specify a set wage that would allow an individual to afford a one-bedroom apartment on thirty-percent of their income. In opposition to a heavily regulated economy, the libertarians seem like the Republican Party, but to a more extreme. They are against most taxation, including income taxes since they define a wage or salary as a trade of money and service, not an equity. I believe this to be a proper point. How can people promote the economy when a chunk of their wages is taken by the government? The Libertarians are also opposed to the use of eminent domain which I agree with. It should not be up to the government to choose how someone’s property may or may not be used.

Marxist Framework of Poverty in the UK

Marxist Framework of Poverty in the UK Poverty is generally understood to mean a condition in which people are deprived in some way, such that they lack the basic requirements for sustaining well-being, and ultimately, life. These basic requirements are understood as such things as food, water, shelter (as may be understood, for example, in a developing country context) or access to education or political power (as might be understood, for example, in the context of a developed nation). Poverty is an absolute within itself, as people are termed to be in poverty, but poverty can also be understood in relative terms, when, for example, poverty of different resources is considered: poverty of education is obviously not as fundamental a level of poverty as poverty of food, for example, as, obviously, without food, a person would die, but a person can manage to live without education, even if this would mean a life of continuing poverty, through lack of opportunity. Poverty can be measured in many different ways, and indeed, there are many indicators of poverty, which are used to assess year-on-year changes in poverty. Obviously, as with definitions of poverty, measurements of poverty are relative, with different measures being used in developed vs. developing nations, for example, or between nations of the developed, or developing, world. In general, one overall measure of poverty which has gained ground in recent years is the income inequality scale, which shows that income inequality has, recently, worldwide, become less of a problem, with the world becoming more equitable in terms of income levels across the world’s nations. This does not belittle the problems of poverty, however, as poverty is still a major issue that the world has yet to deal with in a satisfactory manner. As with the definitions and measurement of poverty, the causes of poverty are many and varied, with environmental and geographical factors creating poverty in many developing countries, and with disease and lack of natural resources also causing poverty in these regions. Indeed, it is difficult to attribute one cause to poverty in any situation, especially poverty in developing countries. In developed nations, however, poverty is perhaps best understood as a product of society’s failure to act to avoid the situation, and, as such, policies are in place to prevent poverty in these situations[1]. It is a moot point, however, amongst politicians, social workers and philanthropists as to how far policies can actually prevent poverty, and, indeed, some people suggest that current policies do not go far enough to act to prevent poverty. The effects of poverty are, again, many and varied, with poverty leading, ultimately, to death, in many developing nations, and with poverty leading to lack of opportunity and social exclusion in developed nations. In developed nations, policies are in place to avoid such poverty, such as subsidised housing, education and health care[2], although these are not always effective, as we have seen, leading to undesirable effects, such as crime (Jones, 2001; Muncie, 2004). It is hypothesised, for example, that in extreme poverty situations, people turn to crime in order to provide basic necessities, and this has been supported by much original research on the subject (see Muncie, 2004). The next section of the paper will look at levels of poverty in the UK, and following this, the paper will then proceed to assess poverty in the UK from a Marxist viewpoint. Poverty in the UK is still at shockingly high levels, with the problem seeming, on the face of it, to be mainly caused by low pay levels; indeed, it is suggested by recent research that in low-income households, both members of the family need to work in order for the family to earn enough to cover basic expenses[3], and that, of these low income families, many are at a disadvantage in terms of receiving health care and the achievement of minimum educational standards. It seems, also, that this trend, rather than decreasing, is actually increasing, with the number of families claiming children’s tax credits increasing year-on-year and the proportion of workers classed as ‘low paid’ increasing year-on-year[4]. It is shocking, therefore, to see that much of the UK, and a large proportion of the children living in the UK, live in poverty. This is despite the fact that policies have been in place for many decades to try to curtail, and avoid altogether, the issue of poverty. As we have seen, however, these policies are often not effective, and can take years to come to fruition, by which time a new generation of infants have grown up in poverty, leading to what is known as ‘the poverty trap’. We have seen, therefore, how successive UK governments have attempted to deal with the issue of poverty: by creating policies to deal with each ‘strand’ of poverty individually, and not attacking the whole problem of poverty as a whole. This leads on to thinking about how Marxists understand poverty, which is essentially in a more holistic, if idealistic, manner. Marxists do not make any distinction between class, poverty and disadvantage; for Marxists, members of any class, they argue, can fall into poverty through unemployment, for example, and that, as such, ‘the poor’ can be best be viewed as part of a continuum from those in society who have a lot of material wealth to those who do not. This definition using the idea of a continuum, however, stands in direct contrast to the situation of class inequality which, obviously, Marxists attempt to fight against by their calls for equality in society, for all. Perhaps the issue of poverty can be best understood in terms of the dependency theory of Marxists: this theory suggest, essentially, that lifting the poor out of poverty is not enough, they need to be given tools to be able to sustain themselves out of poverty. True Marxists would add that this can never be achieved under a capitalist system, as this system is built to achieve successes at the expense of the failure of others; as such, poverty is a consequence of the capitalist system, and something which Marxists fight against, in their search for equality, or, rather, in terms of poverty, in their quest for a situation in which underdevelopment is not an option. Assessing poverty in terms of a purely socio-political approach as we have done, and then within the framework of Marxism as we have also attempted, provides two different frameworks with which to understand the issue of poverty. One framework aims to treat poverty as something that can be solved by implementing policies and by watching those policies take effect, the other attempts to understand poverty as a societal achievement, which can only be solved by changing the very foundations of society. Social workers are some of societies most valuable professionals, who, in concert with families, teachers, and the police can put children, and families, back on track before they reach an irreversible moment in which damage has been done which cannot be corrected. Children are valuable members of society, and it is the responsibility of all society to look after them: perhaps this is what Marx was implying when he talked of societal equality. Children deserve equality of opportunity, in terms of access to basic requirements, and, above these, to health care and education and information provision. Without these basic requirements, without basic care, children live in poverty. It is a travesty that in this day and age there are many children who live in poverty in the UK, but with the approach outlined here applied on a daily basis by social workers, it is hoped that poverty will soon be a thing of the past, at least in the UK. References Best, S. (2005) Understanding Social Divisions, London, Sage Cree, V. E. (2000) Sociology for Social Workers and Probation Officers, London, Routledge. Dominelli, L. (1997) Sociology for Social Work, London, MacMillan Glennerster, H. et al. (2004). One hundred years of poverty and policy. Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Iceland, J. (2003). Poverty in America. A Handbook of the University of California Press. Jones, S. (2001) Criminology, Trowbridge, Cromwell Press Layder, D. (2005) Understanding Social Theory, London, Sage Muncie, J. (2004) Youth and Crime, 2nd edition, London, Sage, Ritzer, G. (2000) Sociological Theory, London, McGraw-Hill 1 Footnotes [1] A recent book by Glennerster et al. (2004) entitled One hundred years of poverty and policy, provides a review of the effects and ramifications of policy on poverty in the UK. [2] Although the nation that sees itself as ‘the most developed’ on Earth, the United States, offers none of these poverty-reducing schemes, and indeed, poverty in the United States is on the increase, and reaches disturbingly high levels. See Iceland (2003) for further details. [3] See the report Monitoring Poverty and Social Exclusion in the UK, 2006 by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. [4] Again, according to the report Monitoring Poverty and Social Exclusion in the UK, 2006 by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

The Mind of a Computer :: Computers Technology Essays

The Mind of a Computer A new issue has come about since the building of computers. But the idea behind it is not such a new issue, for as long ago as Plato and Aristotle, the idea of a mind was pondered about. With the up-and-coming technology, the idea of artificial intelligence has exploded. It is one that many fiction writers have prospered on. But how far away are they from the truth? Take the story of The Bicentennial Man by Isaac Asimov, written in 1976, when most of the population didn’t know what a computer was capable of. The idea of the unknown scared us, a robot that appeared to be just like us, but it was also intriguing, as demonstrated by the story’s success. What was it that attracted the population to this story? The reasonable answer lies within the question this paper will attempt to answer. That is, Can a computer have a mind? The answer to this question is an obvious one, but we will examine it anyway, as it needs to be addressed because of all of the popular science-fict ion writings. A computer can have a mind, and as you read further into this, you will see that computers are made of the same things we are, they transfer information using the same techniques we do, they are complex enough, and they are aware. This is enough to give them the possibility to posses a mind. Starting with the first part of the definition of mind, one might conceive of a computer that can posses a mind. The Biologist might make an argument against me, stating that only living things can have mind, that it is only those things that are biological, consisting of organic compounds, that may have the potential to posses mind. But I say to the Biologist, what is it that makes up these organic compounds? What is it about these molecules that make them construct themselves into a biological being? The answer is a simple one to any Chemist, for he knows that organic molecules are made up of elements and these elements are indeed atoms. The Physicist will most definitely agree t hat these atoms are made up of protons, neutrons, and electrons. These protons, neutrons, and electrons are what make up every atom in the universe; the same three particles come together and form all the materials known to man. The Mind of a Computer :: Computers Technology Essays The Mind of a Computer A new issue has come about since the building of computers. But the idea behind it is not such a new issue, for as long ago as Plato and Aristotle, the idea of a mind was pondered about. With the up-and-coming technology, the idea of artificial intelligence has exploded. It is one that many fiction writers have prospered on. But how far away are they from the truth? Take the story of The Bicentennial Man by Isaac Asimov, written in 1976, when most of the population didn’t know what a computer was capable of. The idea of the unknown scared us, a robot that appeared to be just like us, but it was also intriguing, as demonstrated by the story’s success. What was it that attracted the population to this story? The reasonable answer lies within the question this paper will attempt to answer. That is, Can a computer have a mind? The answer to this question is an obvious one, but we will examine it anyway, as it needs to be addressed because of all of the popular science-fict ion writings. A computer can have a mind, and as you read further into this, you will see that computers are made of the same things we are, they transfer information using the same techniques we do, they are complex enough, and they are aware. This is enough to give them the possibility to posses a mind. Starting with the first part of the definition of mind, one might conceive of a computer that can posses a mind. The Biologist might make an argument against me, stating that only living things can have mind, that it is only those things that are biological, consisting of organic compounds, that may have the potential to posses mind. But I say to the Biologist, what is it that makes up these organic compounds? What is it about these molecules that make them construct themselves into a biological being? The answer is a simple one to any Chemist, for he knows that organic molecules are made up of elements and these elements are indeed atoms. The Physicist will most definitely agree t hat these atoms are made up of protons, neutrons, and electrons. These protons, neutrons, and electrons are what make up every atom in the universe; the same three particles come together and form all the materials known to man.

Monarchy Essay -- Canadian History, Politics

In Canada, the type of government it should have is a monarchy. Although, there are many benefits and disadvantages to a monarchy, there are many drawbacks to having a republic government. Canada is a theatre, in which every citizen played a significant role. Of this grand production, the monarchist is a playwright who tampers with the script to give Canada the benefits, while giving the nation it’s own independence. Monarchy is a form of government in a state, in which an individual has sovereign power. The ruler is known as the monarch, which refers to the head of state or ruler of a monarchy (Makarenko, 2007). The majority of monarchs can hold the position for their lifetime; however, their authority can be transmitted in two avenues, they either abdicate the throne or pass away, and in most cases, their families succeed them (Makarenko, 2007). There are two different types of monarchy: absolute and constitutional monarchy (Makarenko, 2007). Absolute monarchy is when the monarch has complete control, while constitutional monarchy is when the monarch is recognized known as the head of state, but with certain constraints (Makarenko, 2007). Republic is a form of government, in which the people and their elected representatives hold power (Makarenko, 2007). It is an alternative to the monarchy, which focuses on the â€Å"hereditary royal lineage† ((Makarenko, 2007). The people of state with the republic government play a significant role in many decisions (Makarenko, 2007). Some examples of this are participating in elections and reforming certain things (Makarenko, 2007). The form of government that Canada orchestrated is commonly known as a constitutional monarchy (Makarenko, 2007). This includes formal authority given to the ... ...me minister who is the controller. We see this in many examples, such as when the prime minister tells the representative when to dissolve parliament. Nevertheless, the Canadian government may seem dependent on monarchial approval, in reality the true authoritative power lies within the Parliament; the monarch is merely a figurehead. . Another reason why keeping the constitutional monarchy is because it preserves and honours the historical process of becoming the country we are today. As well, it makes sure that the elected head is not the head of state. Thus, keeping powers of government distributed equally. Keeping the monarchy system in Canada has many benefits to it. There are many disadvantages to the monarchy and a republic government. Thus, the Canadian government should remain a monarchy. If nothing is wrong it, then there is no real reason to change it.

Child Safety Essay

Safety is the condition of being protected against physical, social, emotional, financial or other types or consequences of failure, damage, harm or any other event which could be considered un-desirable. To me safety is the most important aspect of any environment because it affects a person mentally and for anyone to show his/her best performance it is necessary that their safety zone is intact. When we think about safety the first thing that comes to mind is protection, shelter, freedom etc. And, this starts from the moment a child is born till he/she is alive. All human beings want a secure and healthy environment which is utterly devoid of hazards and dangers. And, when we talk about children’s safety; it plays a vital role in their upbringing and development in ensuring they are enthusiastic, creative and confident because when they are provided with an environment that is relatively free from danger, risks and threats of harm then they feel relaxed, happy, free to explo re. It is very important to provide safety to the children because sometimes some events, incidents or actions affect children a lot, whereas we adults feel that it will not matter to the child. Talking about myself as a teacher, I would take all the necessary steps to ensure that my learning environment is unhindered. Firstly, I would plan the physical appearance with material and ideas that are age appropriate. This will allow me to attract and inspire my pupils in a positive direction. The class should have a warm environment and the color schemes used should be inviting. Indisputably there will be material and some resources like scissors, glue, sockets, play dough etc. that might be dangerous or harmful to the child, these items though needed in the class should be kept out of reach and when required used under the guidance of the teacher. The furniture and seating arrangement in the class should have smooth edges and preferably be circular in shape. There should be just enough furn iture in accordance with the strength of the class. This will allow safe and free movement for the children in the class space. Physical safety is not only confined to the classroom. When the child is in the school premises every event that takes place is the responsibility of the adult. When the child leaves the classroom, it is important that the adult accompanies him/her to whatever place the child has to go. Be it the play area, the swimming pool, the playground or even the toilet; they should all have proper safety features such as flooring which in case of a toilet should be dry so as to avoid slipping, age appropriate equipment and infrastructure all safely installed with irrelevant material kept out of reach of the children. Another aspect of safety is the social-emotional effect on a child. To foster an emotionally safe classroom it is important for the adult to discuss how each child in the class is as an individual and that everyone is different. The classroom environment can detract from a student’s ability to learn if he/she does not feel safe. A safe environment means that there is respect between the child and the adult and amongst the children themselves. Hence students feel accepted and free to voice their opinions. It is important to teach children class room rules at the beginning of the year and the adult to be consistent in enforcing them. But when talking about rules, they should be realistic and not rigid. If adults overwhelm children with rules for everything, there could then be countless power struggles with children. The adult should speak to the child individually if he/she suspects any problem because when children are corrected in front of their peers they may get demotivated and feel a sense of insecurity. This insecurity can also take place when a child is faced with an obstacle such as bullies. In this case the children have no way of defending themselves. It is very important that the adult makes sure all pupils are comfortable in their learning environment. Discussing with the children about peer press ure and bullying and how it has a negative effect in the classroom by revising child friendly moral stories is a reasonable way out. To develop the children to be socially interactive the adult needs to build bonds by providing opportunities of group play, interaction and discussions. The adult can also train the children to look after each other and the environment of their classroom. This can be in the form of a daily clean-up routine in regards to toys, blocks, art work etc. The classroom can be messy due to different activities of the children which could present a safety hazard to all the children depending on the cleanup. For example: â€Å"If the children have just finished their free play activity, it can be possible that while the children were exploring the different items in front of them some of the toys could have broken or cracked. In this event the children can hurt themselves or hurt each other.† Now, the introduction to a clean-up routine after every activity allows the children under the guidance of the adult to dispose of broken toys or equipment that may cause injury or choking, immediately. This will secure the classroom and prevent any unforeseen event concerning the activity. The child will feel a sense of ownership and accomplishment; it will also develop the ability to work with others in different situations and bring about the pride of teamwork to create a friendlier environment. I feel that, creating a safe learning environment for children is a daunting prospect because children not only need physical safety but also need to feel emotionally and intellectually protected. It is important that the adult should pay attention and be vigilant of the children’s activities. When adults plan lessons and activities for children they should not only keep the academics in mind but also the safety needs that pertain to the lesson. The teacher should explain the children the rules by her actions because children respond faster to what they see rather than what they are simply told. In the end it all comes down to child protection and hence it is important to take care of them to allow for the development of their ideas and enthusiasm to explore their imagination allowing them to grow.

Journal on Poems Essay

The poem portrays the definitions of sanity and madness. However, these definitions vary from the perspective of people and the surroundings as pointed out in the second line. In other words, the poem points out that for certain people, something normal is considered insane and vice versa. 2. The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost Basically, for me, the poem depicted a common experience in life wherein one makes a choice between two things and then wonders what could’ve happened had he or she took the other option. The situation shown in the poem reflects a reality that everyone faces in life which is making a choice and standing by that decision. However, as illustrated in the poem, despite the choices people make regarding, for example, careers and business ventures, there will also be times that one doubts whether he or she made the right decision or not. 3. Design by Robert Frost The poem basically illustrates that most of the time the world’s beauty can be appreciated through observing the natural things such as the spider and the moth. In addition, as the title suggests, life is basically a design. It is natural for a spider to eat the moth as it was designed to do so. However, since the spider killed the moth, the author also wonders why the â€Å"designer† allows such a thing to happen. In short, while the author acknowledges the beauty natural order of things, he also questions why horrible events, such as death, happen. 4. Mending Wall by Robert Frost Initially, the poem suggests that there are no need for walls between neighbors as this suggests division. However, at the end, although the speaker in the poem still did not favor the construction of a wall between him and his neighbor, he acknowledged the fact that walls are important as these set boundaries and limitations. Basically, the poem also illustrates that in real life, â€Å"walls† or boundaries, which are best exemplified by laws and rules, are necessary to maintain order. 5. Cross by Langston Hughes The poem clearly depicts the speaker’s confusion about his identity. As the title of the poem says, the speaker is a â€Å"cross† between a white man and a black woman and is confused about his true identity. He also wonders if he would share the same fate of his mother and father and yearns to know where he really belongs to. The poem also depicts two realities in life which are discrimination and racism. Basically, the poem suggests that if these two did not exist, the speaker would not have to long for acceptance and would not have to search for his identity.