Reconstruction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Reconstruction - Essay Example The above mentioned scenario, as well as the events that followed in the attempted reconstruction of the American South by the Republican Party, were catalogued by several historians, with each historian instilling their own perspective into their recording of events. For the purposes of this paper an elucidation of the views of the views of four historians and their texts will be provided. These include: Reconstruction by Thomas Wilson, The Negro in Reconstruction by Carter Woodson, The Ordeal of Reconstruction by Thomas A. Bailey, and Reconstruction: Unfinished Revolution by Mary Beth Norton. Overview The views expressed by the different authors are to an extent the products of their particular time and prevalent historical school of thought and as such are reflective of it in terms of the language used. Each text is also characterized by the amount of words dedicated to each issue depending on the particular perspective of each author. Wilson is generally extremely critical of the Northern carpetbaggers and derisory of the competence of the â€Å"negroes† while being wholly sympathetic to the plight of the Southern White. Woodson on the other hand, is focused primarily on the role of the â€Å"Negroe† and in attempting to absolve him of the corruption and mismanagement that plagued the era. Bailey highlights the incompetence and illiteracy of the â€Å"negroes† while painting a bleak picture of the government and policies of time, keeping in line with the other authors. Norton, is perhaps the only author to portray reconstruction and the Northern immigrants in a positive light, while being highly critical of the role of the Southern White gentry. Carpet Baggers Thomas Wilson in his piece Reconstruction places the blame for the failure of reconstruction solely on the carpetbaggers or opportunistic Northern immigrants and dedicates the majority of the piece to the exploitative activities of the above. Wilson states: â€Å"These men, mere â€Å"carpet baggers† for the most part, who brought nothing with them, and had nothing to bring but a change of clothing and their wits, became the new masters of the blacks.† Wilson’s implication here is that all Northern immigrants were â€Å"carpet baggers†, individuals who had little wealth to offer the South and instead came to exploit its resources. There is no mention of Northerners who may have possibly arrived to assist in the improvement of the conditions of African Americans. Another inference that can be drawn from the above statement is that Wilson had beliefs that the â€Å"carpet baggers† were perpetuating the system of slavery, albeit indirectly by manipulating the â€Å"blacks. Carter Woodson while taking a critical view of the role of the â€Å"carpet baggers† also accepts that some of them did have principled intentions: Referring to the â€Å"carpet baggers† he states: â€Å"They were in many respects selfish men , but not always utterly lacking in principle.† However, he does acknowledge that much of wholesale corruption during the era was a result of the greed of the â€Å"carpet baggers†: â€Å"Being adventurers and interested in their own affairs, the carpet baggers became unusually corrupt in certain states.† Thomas Bailey is for the most part silent on the role of â€Å"carpet baggers† but he does state: â€Å"Graft and theft ran wild, especially in states like Louisiana and South Carolina,

Business environmental and public policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business environmental and public policy - Essay Example The wrath of industry lobbyists and right wing media was sidelining the politicians of practical nature and who are capable of dealing with the situation as it demands. The narrow margin for Gore in 2000 election is due to his practical ideas on issues like Global Warming. The people who were not at all concerned about the environmental problems and the persons who pander people rather than addressing to their real future needs were in the power. This was the cause of negligence of public safety issues like Global Warming and drawing back in curbing it. As a result the curbing of Global Warming was remained as untouchable. Moreover the campaigners who were against the curbing of Global Warming were publicizing the fact that recently the ice layers in Antarctica did rise in their thickness. Though it was said to be true the warming will be done and the sea level will rise after the extra thick ice was melt. The people who are saying that fact are taking into consideration the details of Antarctica this year. There may be an opposite evidence for their argument if they take the records of thickness of ice for over 10 years of time at the same period of the year. The controversy is that some responsible scientists and politicians like Al Gore were in support of the argument that Global warming is true and the curbing will result in no considerable devastation of economy. But the only politician talking about the controversial issues and the correct measures to be taken was defeated and the right wing media a product of energy-industry lobbyists was making the right thinking politicians a mockery of them in the view of public. They fostered a careful campaign that the curbing of Global Warming will decrease the GDP and thus destroy the economy and so the Americans should not accept to it. But the reality conflicts with that argument. The economy will not be devastated as it was publicized by the media. The growth of GDP may be affected by just 0.2% in a span of 20 years but not as devastating as it was publicized by right wing media. Moreover, the Global Warming is at alarming level that after some time it may become irreversible. By now it was felt by a Science Magazine that the curbing of Global Warming is like eradicating the Small pox from the earth. By this comparison every body can understand that at the stage reached by Global Warming just by negligence due to the lobbying of industry circles against cubing it. One can wonder why the politicians or Industrialists were against the curbing of norms. The reason may be that the norms for curbing the Global Warming will make Industrialists cut their profits and discard some new technology on which they have spent more and there were no substantial returns yet. This may leave them scared as they have to resort to older methods by facing loss in adopted new technology. The Machinery now used might find necessity to be replaced. When this happens generally the heavy industry that makes machines will flourish and there is a chance of curbing the fall in GDP growth which was predicted by the protesters of curbing methods of Global Warming. But it makes some leading industrialists to spend on new machinery and infrastructure, which is difficult to them in their terms of profit. The

Creative Spark Talk Analysis Essay Example for Free

Creative Spark Talk Analysis Essay What defines you as a person? Who do you say that you are? These are questions that are often hard to answer because we have yet to understand or realize who we are as a person. Many times those questions are answered with a job title or a characteristic like I am a mom, a lawyer, or a caring person. But what truly defines you? Within this paper, we are going to look at Debra Jarvis’ story about how she chose to claim her experience and not allow it to define her. Debra like many women around the world has heard the dreaded â€Å"C† word, cancer, and was gripped by fear. One of the first stages of creativity is searching for the challenges. â€Å"The essence of creativity is meeting challenges in an imaginative, original, and effective way.† (Ruggiero, 2012) In Debra’s situation she did not have to search for the challenges; the problems was evident. However, not all challenges are obvious challenges they will require critical thinking to discover. Sometimes the problems and issues are so small or subtle that they are not always noticeable. (Ruggiero, 2012) The challenge for Debra was not succumbing to pressure of identifying herself as a victim of cancer. The second stage of creativity; expressing the problem or issue, was one that was not hard for Debra. â€Å"The objective of this stage is to find the best expression of the problem or issue, the one that will yield the most helpful ideas.† Debra’s diagnosis of breast cancer was a shock to many. She was bombarded with all types of questions and statements like, â€Å"You’re a Chaplin, you should be immune to cancer†; or â€Å"Now you are really going to find out what is important†. These statements were the very catalyst that pushed Debra to embrace her concept of not allowing cancer to define her identity. â€Å"Feeling faith, finding your identity and strengths in the midst of chaos, brings one to the realization that the most important things are not things but relationships.† (Ted Talk, 2014) The third stage of creativity is investigating the problem or issue. The third stage is necessary to deal with the problem or issue effectively. â⠂¬Å"In some cases, this will mean merely searching your past experiences and observations for appropriate material and bringing it to bear on the current problem.† (Ruggiero, 2012) During the fourth stage, we begin to produce ideas. The objective is to generate enough ideas to decide what action to take or what  belief to embrace. (Ruggiero, 2012) Debra was able to choose the option to have a mastectomy and then put in a saline implant. Debra’s use of creativity allowed her to define what her experience meant, and that meaning can be quiet or introverted. What the experience means today can change years from now. Most people have a hard time adopting their imagination, not because they lack imagination, but because they fear the reaction their ideas will receive. Debra embraces her imagination by moving from victim to victor. She chose to not become trapped by the negative stigma of cancer but evolve and share with the world on how to overcome. Debra’s choice to process her feelings instead of feeding them allows her to satisfy the curiosity of daring to be different. Instead of walking in the annual cancer walks, buying the keychain, shirts, and other cancer survivor symbolic items she processes it uniquely. Debra expresses, â€Å"that with any resurrection you must die first.† (Ted Talk, 2014) The Ted talk made several points that allow me to look at personal traumas as victorious instead of being the victim. Debra’s story was an eye opener on how so many survivors within our society have embraced the trauma as their identity, instead of claiming the experience. Debra’s example of â€Å"the resurrection and one dying first and embracing the tomb as a place to do our deep inner work to allow ourselves healing† was a defining moment for me. We have to let the crucified self die so the truer story can evolve. The message of claiming your experience and not allowing it to claim or define you was the key message of her Ted talk. If there were no survivors, it would be an end to being trapped in our wombs. References Ruggiero, V. R. (2012). The Art of Thinking (10th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson. Ted Talk. (2014). Yes, I Survived Cancer but that doesnt define me. Retrieved from http://ted.com/talks/debra_jarvis_yes_i_survived_cancer_but_that _doesnt _define_me#t-253086

Motion Coherence and Luminance Effects

Motion Coherence and Luminance Effects Jamie Nourzad   Motion Coherence and Luminance Effects on Visual Evoked Potentials The electroencephalogram (EEG) as described by David Eagleman and Jonathan Downar (2016), is a device designed to measure and record brain wave patterns, and was originally designed for evaluating brain activity of epileptic and brain damaged patients (p. 312). The current study is a replication of Kubova, Kuba, Spekreijse, and Blakemores 1995 study utilizing the EEG to measure the effects of coherence and luminance on motion-onset visual evoked potentials (VEPs). The two independent variables looked at in this study were motion coherence (100% coherent and 1% coherent), and luminance (dim vs bright). The hypotheses were (a.) coherence should affect the amplitude of the N2 peak; specifically, that low coherence should result in a higher peak amplitude, and (b.) luminance (brightness) should affect the latency; specifically, that low luminance should delay the peak. Methods Participants The study participants were Kennesaw State University (KSU) student volunteers from three sections of PSYC 4410. Participants were offered course extra credit of 25 points to take part in the study. Student participants served as both subjects and research assistants. There was no selection criterion for the subjects. The participants serving as research assistants administered the electroencephalogram (EEG) on the subjects (n = 16) in Dr. Tim Martins lab at KSU, under direct supervision of Dr. Martin. Recording and Procedure VEPs were recorded with a 40-channel NuAmps amplifier with the filter set at 0.03 200 Hz, the sampling rate set at 500 Hz, and with linked earlobe reference. Participant subjects and research assistants met for scheduled sessions in Dr. Martins lab. Research assistants applied the EEG cap, gel, and electrodes to the subjects. Subjects were given instructions to look at computer generated stimuli: 400 trials (100 per condition) of 500 moving dots (each 0.02 ° of visual angle in size). Stimuli were presented in viewing aperture 5 ° across. Duration was 500 ms, inter-trial interval 500-2000 ms; randomly varied, using uniform distribution. The subjects were asked to perform small mechanical manipulations on the computer keyboard in response to the visual stimuli. The EEG data was processed by using a low pass filter at 45 Hz. The bad epochs were removed from the data, and all blink artifacts were removed with independent components analysis. Results Results successfully replicated earlier findings (Bach, M., Ullrich, D., 1997; Kubova et al., 1995) showing a clear effect of coherence for dim stimuli on amplitude, but there was no apparent effect of coherence for the bright stimuli. See Figure 1. Discussion Analysis of VEPs serves as a tool in detecting various abnormalities that may involve the visual pathways, such as epilepsy and other brain dysfunctions. Implications of the results of this study support previous research providing evidence that there are various neural mechanisms involved in motion-related VEPs that expand beyond the primary visual cortex (Bach, M., Ullrich, D., 1997; Braddick, O.J., OBrien, J.M.D., Wattam-Bell, J., Atkinson, J., Hartley, T., Turner, R., 2001; Kubova et al., 1995). The hypotheses that low coherence would result in a higher N2 peak amplitude was confirmed. Potential confounders to the study would be research assistant inexperience, as well as the inability to control for both internal and external noise, which could degrade the recordings (Jackson, A.F., Bolger, D.J., 2014). References Bach, M., Ullrich, D. (1997). Contrast dependency of motion-onset and pattern-reversal VEPs: Interaction of stimulus type, recording site, and response component. Vision Research, 37, 1845-1849. Braddick, O.J., OBrien, J.M.D., Wattam-Bell, J., Atkinson, J., Hartley, T., Turner, R. (2001). Brain areas sensitive to coherent visual motion. Perception, 30, 61-72. Eagleman, D., Downar, J. (2015). Brain and Behavior: A Cognitive Neuroscience Perspective. Oxford University Press. Jackson, A.F., Bolger, D.J. (2014). The neurophysiological bases of EEG and EEG measurement: A review for the rest of us. Psychophysiology, 51, 1061-1071. Kubova, Z., Kuba, M., Spekreijse, H., Blakemore, C. (1995). Contrast dependence of motion-onset and patter-reversal evoked potentials. Vision Research, 35, 197-205. Figure 1. Coherence for dim and bright stimulus on amplitude.      

Lyrical Violence :: essays research papers

Lyrical Violence Music is a prominent force in adolescent lives; according to the American Medical Association, American adolescents spend a total of four and a half hours a day listening to music and watching music videos. Parents are increasingly weary of suggestive, violent, lyrical content in popular music. A University of California study recently showed that 48% of Americans, including the younger generation, say that violence in popular music should be regulated. In Paducah, the affect of violent lyrical content in popular music has been an ongoing debate since the Heath High School shooting. Another case of a school shooting has shook up a small town in Arkansas called Jonesboro. One of the teen murderers admitted to law enforcement officers that the rap music he listened to might have contributed to his state of mind before the murders, if not his overall decision to gun down his classmates. Mitchell Johnson, the student, said, â€Å"It puts you in a certain state of mind.† This is not only relevant to the music/violence debate but it is a crucial element in understanding what is going on with the modern youth. Clearly, it can not be stated that the sole contributing factor in the student’s decision to commit murder was rap music; but it was a contributing factor. I b elieve that there is a painful and direct correlation between violence in popular music and violence in youth. I do not believe that government regulation, or censorship, is going to fix this problem. For those who debate the adverse effect of violent music on a person’s mind-state, I offer this example. In the early days of jazz, African-Americans would listen to, and play, the music as a release from the racial climate in which they lived. The music, if only for a while, removed their problems. This being the case, how can we deny that music, even without lyrics, has an overwhelming impact on our mind-state. Popular music affects everyone. Some people find that they can’t get a song out of their head after hearing it on the way to work. Other individuals discover that they get sentimental if they hear a song which they danced to at their prom. At funerals, people are brought to tears at the first note of Amazing Grace. While there are almost always other reasons behind the emotion, it is the music that triggers that particular mind state.

The Challenging Issue of the Separation of Church and State :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

The Challenging Issue of the Separation of Church and State When the first amendment was written it said â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting and establishment or religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚   This was written because America didn’t want a mandatory religious system like that of England.   American people didn’t want freedom from religion they simply wanted freedom of religion.   Even the men who wrote the constitution believed that God could do much more than man, therefore they used the Bible to help form the government. Our constitution has been amended and changed driven by the effects of modern controversies. The founding fathers did not intend to create a Christian nation.   The Christian cross and American flag were displayed in public places with hardly any voice of dissent.   Jefferson felt that he did not have the constitutional authority to lead the people in act of prayer. Under the strong influence of Virginia, southern states decided to rewrite their constitution and disestablish all Churches.   The constitution was then rewritten with God’s name removed. The issue whether or not church and state should be separate didn’t evolve until the 19th century, and today it is hot topic among both separationists and accommodationists alike.   Separationists are the people who push separation of church Separationists feel that neither state nor the federal government can set up churches / aid religion; there should be absolutely no governmental funding of religious activity/displays, any praying in public school / teaching of evolution.   On the opposing side, accommodationists oppose separation between church and state, interpreting the first amendment exactly as it is stated.   No where in the first amendment does it say â€Å"separation of church and state . Accommodationists support government funding of religious schools / organization, they support government organized (non denominational) prayers, and the funding of religious displays. Religions place in schools has always been scrutinized.   In 1954 ‘under God’ was placed in the pledge of allegiance.   Since then, regulations have severely changed.   Prayer in schools has been deemed unconstitutional. Instead, schools allow a moment of silence as long as no religious intent is applied.   Prayer is allowed in schools as long as students initiate and control the religious meetings. In Doe vs. Santa Fe, during a school football game over the school PA system, a prayer was announced.   The school claimed prayer â€Å"promotes good sportsmanship and student safety, and to establish the appropriate environment for the competition.

American Writers Essay

List of American Novels for Research Project English 11H Historical/War Red Badge of Courage, Stephen Crane Killer Angels, Michael Shaara A Farewell to Arms, Ernest Hemingway The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier My Brother Sam is Dead, JL Collier African-American Beloved, Toni Morrison (mature themes) I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou Native Son, James Baldwin The Color Purple, Alice Walker (mature themes) Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston Malcom X (autobiography- lengthy) A Lesson Before Dying, Ernest Gaines. The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, Ernest Gaines Go Tell it on the Mountain, James Baldwin Black Boy, Richard Wright (memoir) Dystopian/Futuristic/Science Fiction Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card Slaughterhouse 5, Kurt Vonnegut Catch-22, Joseph Heller The Giver, Lois Lowry Martian Chronicles, Ray Bradbury Realism/Naturalism/Regionalism The Call of the Wild, Jack London White Fang, Jack London O’Pioneers, Willa Cather My Antonia, Willa Cather Maggie, Girl of the Streets, Stephen Crane The Jungle, Upton Sinclair Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain Miscellaneous Modern/Contemporary novels The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd. The Natural, Bernard Malamud (baseball; Jewish myth) One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Ken Kesey (set in a mental asylum) House on Mango Street, Sandy Cisneros Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan (Chinese-American culture) The Help, Kathryn Stockett (set in 1960s; about African-American maids in the South) Shoeless Joe, WP Kinsella (baseball) Franny and Zooey, by JD Salinger (from 1950’s; If you have an interest in world philosophy or eastern religion, you’d probably like this. ) The Outsiders, S. E. Hinton The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath (mature themes) Research Novel Lottery Preparation. Native American Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, Sherman Alexie Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian, Sherman Alexie Ceremony, Leslie Marmon Silko Quest/Journey On the Road, Jack Kerouac The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway The Road, Cormac McCarthy Dark Romanticism The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne (set in Puritan New England; challenging) ark Roma nticis m he Scarlet Letter For our project, you will read one of the books on this list and (later) research the reasons this has become a significant member of the American literary canon. (What literary elements make it unique or powerful? What impact has this work had on our history or way of thinking? ) During our next class, we will conduct a lottery so that each student has a different title. To help insure that you end up with a title that you will enjoy, please spend 20-30 minutes choosing 4 titles from the list that you will be pleased to read and research. You ARE NOT allowed to read any book that you have previously read. I strongly suggest you do some Internet searches on various titles to examine what those books are all about, and to determine if their content might appeal to you. You also need to make sure ahead of time that your choices are okay with your parents. Remember, we will draw names and choose titles, so it’s highly likely you won’t get your first choice. You may, in fact, want to come up with more than four choices! Four top choices: 1_________________________________________________________________________ 2_________________________________________________________________________ 3_________________________________________________________________________ 4_________________________________________________________________________ Please see side two for list of titles—————————————————————————–?