...John Nix Kevin Thomas Harrel His 105 Section 28 8 December 2009 The Formation of the Confederacy: An Inevitable Occurrence When looking at the history of the United States it is necessary to look at our past in two separate halves: the first half being everything before the Civil War and the second half being everything after the Civil War. With this being said, it can be reasonably argued that the Civil War is one of the most critical events to every happen in our country’s rich history. The devastating war took over half a million American lives in just a little over four years. This tragic event in history, up until Vietnam, claimed more American lives than any other war (Rubin 11). In hindsight it is clear that this war should have been avoided at all cost but during the late 1800’s the tension was so high and hostile that the war was inevitable. Sectionalism had increased so much during that period that even citizens thought of their country divided into two halves, being the North and the South. Each section considered themselves as right and proper while the other as ridiculous and wrong. These tensions kept building until the thought of secession became not a question of if but rather a question of when. According to Cole C. Kingseed, author of The American Civil War, the seeds of the Civil War can be planted as early as the Constitutional Convention of 1787. By the time of the convention five states had already abolished slavery, which made the southern states...
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...the United states would eventually abolish slavery or continue to dominate the world in slavery. These two issues would come to be widely recognized as the reasons for the war. This paper focuses mainly on some major personalities that played important roles during the war. It highlights their achievments and setbacks and Osuala 2 also takes a look at how they were instrumental to different causes and in general, their influences on the war at large. Stay tuned. Introduction There were so many people who took part in the American Civil war of 1861-1865 which was between the Confederacy and the Union. By the end of the war,over 730,000 soldiers and sailors died in the conflict (Shi and Tindall 506). Some of the most influential names that are still in the conversation today are people like Abraham Lincoln: As the 16th president of the United states, he became commander in chief of the union army and during the civil war issued the...
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...self-sacrifice, the reader is able to realize how committed John Brown was to his cause of ending slavery. Born in May 9, 1800, John was a descendant from puritans as well as known revolutionary soldiers. After the loss of his mother at a very young age not only did he become awkward around women but also followed the footsteps of his father. At the age of 20...
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...that the soul will continue to live long after the body dies. The second stanza continues with the same belief in afterlife that is present in the first. Longfellow states this clearly when he writes, "And the grave is not its goal." Meaning that, life doesn't end for people simply because they die; there is always something more to be hopeful and optimistic for. Longfellow begins discussing how humans must live their lives in constant anticipation for the next day under the belief that it will be better than each day before it: "But to act that each to-morrow / Find us farther than to-day." In the subsequent stanza, Longfellow asserts that there is never an infinite amount of time to live, but art that is created during one's life can be preserved indefinitely and live on long after its creator dies. In the following stanzas, Longfellow likens living in the world to fighting on a huge field of battle. He believes that people should lead heroic and courageous lives and not sit idle and remain ineffectual while the world rapidly changes around them: "Be not like dumb, driven cattle! Be a hero in the strife!" His use of the word "strife" is especially interesting, since it clearly acknowledges that life is inherently difficult, is a constant struggle, and will never be easy. Longfellow then encourages everyone to have faith and trust the lord and not to rely on an unknown future to...
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...Immortalized in History: Defining a Hero Throughout eras, tales of accomplishment and triumph emerge. From Julius Caesar, to Abraham Lincoln, to Martin Luther King Jr, pioneers that take a stand for their ideals inspire generations that define them as heroic. One may ask,”What defines a hero?” Dictionary.com defines the word hero as: “a person who, in the opinion of others, has special achievements, abilities, or personal qualities and is regarded as a role model or ideal, or noted for courageous acts and nobility of character.” The great Bard Shakespeare created two of the most controversial heroes in literature in The Tragedy of Hamlet: Prince of Denmark, and The Tragedy of Macbeth. These are controversial due to their modus operandi, as...
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...Bernie My Hero It takes a special kind of courage to be a moral leader- to hold true to your convictions and not bend with popular opinion. A profile in political courage and integrity, Bernie Sanders is a patriot who has been fighting for economic and social justice all his life. A man who is not only willing but eager to take on Wall Street and the media elites. Moral leadership is rare, a few examples in history: Jesus, Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr. Bernie’s cause income inequality, will live on because it is propelled not by “special interests,” but by its moral rightness. Over the past fifty years, Bernie has had a distinguished career as a social justice activist, and an elected official. He has been a Mayor, Congressmen,...
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...most successful show business personalities. When Oprah Winfrey told her 49 million viewers, "It just stopped me cold from eating another burger!" about the Mad cow disease, she wouldn't know it would cost the beef industry $12 million. Texas cattlemen tried to sue Oprah for causing this such massive downfall, but she would. Oprah Winfrey was once a constantly abused thirteen year old girl. Now she is arguably the most famous African American woman and her talk show is highly regarded as the most talked about show in America. Her show has influenced many to change their lives and help others out. Abraham Lincoln once said, "I am a slow walker, but I never walk backwards." This quote of perseverance could describe her life. Oprah Winfrey's abusive childhood has driven her to make something out of herself and others. Oprah Gail Winfrey was born on January 29, 1954 in Kosciusko, Mississippi living with a poor Baptist family. Her parents, Vernon Winfrey and Vernita Lee were unmarried and still teenagers during the time she was born. She lived with her grandmother where she would learn how to read aloud and recite sermons by the young age of 3. At the age of 13 she would move to Milwaukee with...
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...the United States in the decades prior to the Civil War. A slave in America until the age of 20, wrote three of the most highly regarded autobiographies of the 19th century, yet he only began learning to read and write when he turned 12 years old. After an early life of hardship and pain, Douglass escaped to the North to began his soul changing and spiritual beliefs of all men and women should be created equal. The institution of slavery scarred him so deeply that he decided to dedicate his powers of speech and prose to fighting it. In this paper it will include discussions on Frederick Douglass's early life childhood, the struggles he overcame to became a successor his motives and morals, the impact he had on the civil war, his achievements, and the legacy that went on within his name. Frederick Douglass was born as Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey and was a slave from Talbot County, Maryland. His date of birth varied because slaves couldn't keep records, in result Frederick adopted February 14 as his birthday because his mother Harriet Bailey used to call him her "little valentine".(Douglass, (1885). When he was only an infant, he was separated from his mother, and she subsequently died when he was about seven years old. He then lived with his grandmother, Betty Bailey. His father remains unknown. Douglass had stated that his father was a white man, possibly his owner, Aaron Anthony, but later he stated that he did not know his father's identity (Douglass, (1885)...
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...place (such as an old building or an area of land) that is owned and protected by a national government because of its natural beauty or its importance to history or science. National monuments are often times seen as a symbol of a significant period of time that represents life, death, and everything in between. National monuments also inspire feelings of patriotism and strength; showing the beautiful and the once ugly history of the United States. The United States currently has 122 protected sites called national monuments. Each year, the history and beauty of these locations attracts millions of people nationwide. Each and every one of these monuments holds an important role: to tell...
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...history would be incomplete without including the histories of African Americans and American women. To pretend these stories and perspectives are not relevant is to pretend that all Americans are homogenous, and this is clearly not the case. African American and women’s histories must be taught in American classrooms because students have a right to learn the most accurate version of history possible. The trouble lies in how the objectivity of this history is determined. This is the central conflict which animates...
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...Unit IV: Continuing Sectionalism, Civil War, And Reconstruction. 1853 To 1877 1. Kansas-Nebraska Act, 1854 – A Bill introduced by Steven Douglas to organize the Nebraska territory. He hoped to build a transcontinental railroad making Chicago the terminus, but they could not do this until the Indians were cleared away and the land was in control. Nebraska would presumably become a free state due to the Missouri Compromise but to please the South Douglas argued that the territories should be left open to popular sovereignty. Douglas pushed for the bill and won, therefore the Missouri Compromise was repealed and the North was in an uproar. 2. Birth of the Republican Party- Made up of former Free Soilers, Conscience Whigs, and “Anti-Nebraska” Democrats. Presented themselves as the party of freedom though they were not abolitionist, but they believed that slavery be kept out of the territories. The Republican Party appealed too many to voters who not only disagreed with slavery but also wanted to keep slavery out of their states. 3. Stephan A. Douglas- Known as the “Little Giant,” he was the most prominent spokesman of the Young American movement. He held a series of state offices before being elected for the United States Senate at the age of 29. Douglas wanted to get on with the development of the nation; to build railroads, acquire new territory, and expand trade. This made him suggest and push for the Kansas-Nebraska Act. 4. Popular Sovereignty- Also known as...
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...ENGL 1301 April 29, 2014 American and Mexican Culture Thesis: It is very important to know how México’s and United States’ culture make their principles valued and how they have been influenced through time. ENGL 1301 April 29, 2014 American and Mexican Culture History through the years has changed the development of cultures around the world. Culture is the distinguishing aspects of a specific group of people, defined by everything within it. México and United States share some characteristics and the following are examples: arts, foods, holidays, and religions. It is very important to know how México’s and United States’ culture make their principles valued and how they have been influenced through time. México is a distinctive country that is differentiated by its porcelain, cotton fabrics clothes, and wool scarfs. Their traditional creations of art produced a sense of pride. Artistic legacy has played an important role in Mexican patrimony. “Current research on hybridity in the visual arts helps to tease out Euro-Christian and Mesoamerican forms and meanings in the ritual objects that nuns wore on their bodies” (Cordova 449). Traditional origins with colonial inspirations have continued to influence Mexico’s music. In the United States art involves the history of painting and visual drawings. “German painter Otto Dix reproduced the nightmare of World War I in works so disturbing they were banned from exhibition and destroyed by the Nazis” (Lifson 9). Artists painted...
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...o wn mind. Narrator: Before the war, Grant had been a nobody, a failure as a farmer and a businessman. As Commanding General, he was called an incompetent, a butcher. But he would win every campaign he ever fought. His plain, Midwestern w ays would captivate the American people. David W. Blight, Historian: There was something about that element of the American dream of that rags to riches story. He had experienced humiliation and he had understood failure. And I suspect a lot of Americans could see themselves in him. Donald Miller, Historian: Grant, not Lincoln was the most popular man in the nineteenth century. No question about it. Even in death Lincoln wasn't as popular as Ulysses Grant. Narrator: Twice a grateful nation elected the Civil War's greatest hero, President. But his years in the White House, marked by racial violence and scandal, would threaten to destroy all he had accomplished. Brooks D. Simpson, Historian: How could...
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...Hamlet: William Shakespeare biography: * William Shakespeare is the grand literary figure of the Western world. During England's Elizabethan period he wrote dozens of plays which continue to dominate World Theater 400 years later. Shakespeare handled high drama, romance and slapstick comedy with equal ease, and so famous are his words that his quotes, from "To be or not to be" to "Parting is such sweet sorrow," take up more than 70 pages in recent editions of Bartlett's Familiar Quotations. His works rival the King James Bible (also produced in the 1600s) as a source of oft-quoted English phrases. Shakespeare is known as "the Bard of Avon," in a nod to his birthplace, and many of his plays were originally performed in the famous Globe Theater in London. Among his best-known plays are Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and MacBeth. He is also known for his poetry, especially his sonnets. (Who2biographies) * William Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway in 1582. Their daughter Susannah was born in 1583, and the twins Judith and Hamnet were born in 1585. Hamnet died in 1596... William Shakespeare's precise birthdate is not known; he was baptized on 26 April 1564, and over time 23 April has become the accepted date of birth, in part because he also died on 23 April in 1616.( Who2biographies) * Shakespeare produced most of his known work between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were primarily comedies and histories, and these are regarded as some of the best work ever produced in these...
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...INTERPRETATIONS OF THE CIVIL WAR IN EARLY FILM One Film To Rule Them All In 1915, the blockbuster film, The Birth of a Nation swept the nation. In a pivotal scene, the attractive daughter of a former slave owner, whose cotton business had been ruined by the war, is stalked by a menacing looking black soldier, named Gus. He is shown with his shirt wide open and bare-chested. Flora, the stereotypical southern belle, notices the voyeur and is visibly shaken. Flora tries to hide from Gus, but Gus corners her and tells her that he wants her and that he is not married. Since the end of the Civil War, Flora has noticed several black soldiers in the area in the past few months harassing her family and other upstanding families. Gus forces Flora closer and tries to kiss her. In a panic, Flora slaps him and pushes him away. Flora flees into the woods. The ensuing pursuit shows Gus as a sex-crazed maniacal troll chasing down the seemingly innocent virginal fairy. Gus follows her absorbedly intent on raping her. Flora winds up on a cliff overlooking a series of jagged rocks. She stares at Gus and motions for him to leave her alone. In a silent ultimatum, she gesticulates that if he doesn’t leave then she’ll leap from the cliff to the rocks below. Gus is exposed as a beast, sweating and pulsating lustful desires. He moves closer to Flora to stop her from leaping. Unwilling to give herself to a black man and death being the only alternative, Flora jumps from the...
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