Abstract This paper applies the model of relative deprivation to the Civil Rights movement and includes excerpts from and analysis of the primary work "An Easy Burden" by Andrew Young. This model contends that the reason people desire change has less to do with an actual dissatisfaction with their situation, and more to do with how well their circumstances rate against the circumstances of others in society.
From the Paper "An Easy Burden's author Andrew Young, who experienced the dynamics of the movement first hand, declares: ?Racism, war, and poverty were heavy burdens, to challenge injustice was an easy burden" (Young, 1992). This was true in the 1960s, but there was a vast chunk of American history in which racial discrimination was simply accepted. By connecting relative deprivation theory to Young's statement, we can see that it was not until the black community was able to face the reality of its injustices by comparing itself with the image of America being portrayed in the ever-expanding media, that its members were truly inspired to incite change."
Tags: andrew, burden, easy, young, dissatisfaction, society
A look at the reconstruction of family composition in Europe during the early modern period of the 17th and 18th centuries by historians such as P. Laslett.
Abstract The paper examines the reconstruction of family composition in 17th and 18th centuries by historian, P. Laslett in his book "The World We Have Lost". It explores why some theories such as the late age of first marriage that was apparently unique to pre-modern Europe, have not been challenged, while others, such as the notion of a stable nuclear pattern, have been disputed at length.
From the Paper "Because early modern Europe was principally a rural and class-based society, the family structure during this era was highly reliant upon on social rank. When there was land and money at stake, marriage within the same social class was paramount. The poor were also limited to marrying within their social class, but had a larger pool of potential mates from which to choose. This was a time in history in which two-generation households, rather than three-generation households, were customary. The oldest members of the household traditionally bestowed any holdings they had to the next generation upon retirement, and remained in close proximity to the family. The close support that existed between relatives living in separate but neighboring homes makes it difficult to distinguish whether the independent nuclear family was the basic family unit during this time, or whether it was actually the extended family (Laslett, 1984)."
Abstract This paper discusses the rise and fall of nation's seventh largest company, Enron International. It describes Enron's bankruptcy and one of the worst stories of deception, greed and fraud in the history of Corporate America. The paper also examines how the largest energy trader of the United States managed to keep its negative debt position off the books with the help of its auditing firm, Arthur Andersen.
From the Paper "Enron was formed when two energy companies, Houston Natural Gas and InterNorth, decided to merge their operations in 1985. The company achieved tremendous success, as energy trading firm and it was the first firm of its kind where energy was traded as any other commodity. In the short span of 15 years, the company managed to gain rise to heights of success as it turned from a regulated natural gas company into world's largest energy trader. With 21,000 employees and operations in more than 30 countries, the company it seemed was doing extremely well and this was further supported by the evidence presented by its auditors."
Abstract This paper reviews Christopher R. Browning's "Ordinary Men," and its analysis of Nazi soldiers that murdered innocent civilians in the holocaust. The paper shows the methods used by the soldiers to rationalize their actions even though many of them were morally opposed to what they were ordered to do.
From the paper:
"It is understandably commonplace to refer to Hitler as a monster, as inhuman. It is also, by extension, equally commonplace to refer to the Nazis who obeyed him as monsters as well. Yet before the implementation of the madness that was the "Final Solution" in Germany and Eastern Europe, these Nazi soldiers were human beings like ourselves, individuals who lived in a world only a half-century or so before ours. They made ethical decisions on a day-to-day basis. They were ordinary men, according to Christopher R. Browning, who committed acts of extraordinary cruelty. The thesis of his book, appropriately titled 'Ordinary Men,' provides a less comforting view of the foot soldiers of the Holocaust than is tempting to take. But it is ultimately more ethically illuminating?these men were not monsters, Browning suggests, they were ordinary men who provide an example for us all how low we can sink if we are not vigilant in resisting the evil that exists around us."
Abstract The general thesis of this paper is that Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois had similar goals of raising the status of African-Americans during the period of Reconstruction after the Civil War. Although their goals were similar, their differing methods resulted in wide variety of results. The author includes numerous examples.
From the Paper "During the decades of Reconstruction following the Civil War, African Americans struggled to be assimilated into the new American society. To do this African Americans required social and economic equality. Two great Negro leaders that emerged for this cause were Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois. With these two strong-headed men, another problem arose. They both sharply disagreed upon the strategies needed to gain these equalities. Washington preferred a gradual, submissive, and economically based plan. On the other hand, Du Bois relied upon a more agitating and politically aggressive plan. Although both men worked towards a similar goal for the common good of African Americans, the philosophies of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois both helped and hindered their cause."
Abstract A research essay on terrorism at its most terrifying. In a concise but thorough fashion, this paper explores: the destruction brought about by the bomb, the terrorists behind the bombing and key factors leading up to it, the aftermath of the bombing and what the U.S. is doing to prevent such future disasters.
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Tags: ben, city, crime, disaster, essay, laden, new, osama, prevention, research, terrorist, us, worldwide, york
Abstract This paper examines the latest economic data in the United States to examine whether the current situation can be called a recession and discusses what steps should be taken to prevent a recession.
From the Paper "As with basically every other nation in the world, the United States has had it's share of recessions, the latest of which, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research, began in March of 2001 (Irons). This came after an expansion that lasted exactly 10 years, making it the longest expansion recorded by the NBER (Hall). Many questions can be posed concerning our current recession. For example, what exactly is a recession, what are its indicators, how has this one been affected by the events of September 11, and what can boost our current economy and prevent recessions in the future?"
Abstract This paper compares and contrasts the views of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X and their approach to the civil rights struggle. Their means, philosophies and principles are looked at as well.
From the Paper "The 1950's and 1960's were periods of major disjunction and turmoil between races in the United States, especially in the South. The civil rights battle was one that was fought on many different fronts with many different means and methods. Two of the more prominent leaders of the civil rights struggle were Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Although the leaders had the same end results in mind, their means, philosophies, and principles differed. Their main doctrinal differences fixate on their willingness to employ violence to achieve their end goals. While Dr. King employs a passive resistance or civilly disobedient approach, Malcolm X articulated his view of the "ballot or the bullet". In this paper I intend to compare and contrast Dr. King and Malcolm X's views in regard to the justification of violence in achieving civil rights success to those of John Rawls."
Abstract This paper examines the historical background of the conflict in the Middle East between Palestine and Israel, and notes that while this conflict is promoted in the media as being a relatively "new" phenomenon that it is actually another stage in an ongoing conflict between these two peoples. Factors that are addressed as contributing to this conflict are those of religion and politics. There is a strong slant towards the Palestinians being unjustly vilified in the media. There is a brief mention of Osama bin Laden and his involvement in the conflict.
From the Paper "The recent hostilities between the Palestinian and the Israeli people is a negative note in what had seemed to be progress in ending the ongoing conflict between these separate people. Prior to the events of violence that were started once more in the spring of last year, the Palestinian and the Israeli people were apparently working towards a position of peace in the Middle East. However, this was not to be. The existing social tensions between the Palestinian and the Israeli people was too deeply rooted within their histories and cultures to provide a simple solution, which the negotiations that were prevalent at the time were attempting to achieve. "
Tags: accord, arab, arafat, bin, jerusalem, jew, laden, muslim, nations, osama, oslo, united
Abstract This paper takes a look at a slave uprising as documented in Stephen Oat's book Fires of Jubilee: Nat Turner's Fierce Rebellion. It analyzes the main character of the book, Nat Turner and how his seemingly small scale revolution set the wheels in motion for the eventual abolishment of slavery.
From the paper:
"Stephen Oates, in his book Fires of Jubilee: Nat Turner's Fierce Rebellion, crafts a compelling story. The story of this slave rebellion is indeed so compelling a one that it would be hard to imagine a telling of it that was not fascinating. But in the end Oates, despite his credentials, does a disservice both to Turner and to the larger forces at work in the decades before the Civil War. In order to assess Oates's treatment of Turner, it would be useful to examine what is generally known and agreed to about Turner. He was born on a plantation in Southampton County, Virginia, in 1800 and was from a very early age a popular religious leader among his fellow slaves. In part due no doubt to whatever had motivated him to become interested in preaching and in part because he was so popular with other slaves who came to listen to him talk about God, Turner became convinced that he had been chosen by God to lead his people to freedom."
Abstract The topic of this essay is a book on the Vietnam War which specifically deals with American involvement in the war. It provides a history of the events of Vietnam beginning from the end of World War II, continuing through to the Vietnam War itself. The Indochina War and the second Indochina War are also covered in detail. This is followed up by a discussion about the impact of the Vietnam War up to the present time.
From the Paper "The book attempts to offer a full and unbiased view of the history of the Vietnam War. This includes discussing the environment that led to American involvement in the war. The political aims and the contribution that politics made are also covered in detail. As well as this the social and economic environment that led to the war are also discussed in detail.
The book has an American viewpoint but does not argue that the decisions made by America were right. Instead it provides enough information that the decisions made can be understood. It is not an argument for America, but does allow the reader to understand how the decisions were made. It attempts to describe all the parties involve and put all the decisions and actions in context."
From the Paper "This study will provide a critical review of Where the Domino Fell: America and Vietnam, 1945 to 1990, by James S. Olson and Randy Roberts.
The main idea of the book is the argument that the entanglement of the United States in Vietnam was due to one major foreign policy attitude and one major domestic policy attitude. With respect to foreign policy, the involvement of the United States in Vietnam after World War II was rooted in the Cold War thinking of the American leaders. To the leaders of both the United States and the Soviet Union, Vietnam and other Third World nations were a battlefield on which the superpowers would wage various sorts of war to win the minds and the hearts of the people. To the American leaders, Vietnam as one of the pieces of the global puzzle after World War II was a nation where the Cold.."
Abstract Johnson and Wilentz's book, "The Kingdom of Matthias: A Story of Sex and Salvation in 19th Century America", gives a detailed account of a unique 19th century American episode of religious revivalism, during which time a simple carpenter, Robert Matthews, claimed to be the prophet Matthias. This paper analyzes the core theme of the book and describes how this period, known as the Second Great Awakening, impacted the lives of the men and women of American society during that time.
From the Paper "Taking advantage of people's religious inclination and their search for prophecy, Matthias succeeded in getting many New York businessmen to join his "kingdom" which he established on one of their estates in Sing Sing. Utilizing the vulnerability of people, the fanatical ravings of Matthias captivated many intelligent people. His kingdom was based on the concept of prosperity, optimism, tolerance and freedom. He advocated claims of abundant food for all, naked bathing, wife swapping and complete obedience. He propagated the concept of the inferiority of women and damned wives who worked."
Abstract A discussion of the book "Founding Brothers" by Joseph J. Ellis in which the American Revolution is seen through the points of view of six different prominent figures (Jefferson, Washington, Adams, Madison, Hamilton and Franklin). The paper analyzes each chapter (which looks at a different event from the eyes of different personality) in turn.
From the Paper "The fifth chapter and the sixth chapter take a look at the entwined lives of Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. This book shows Jefferson as a scheming politician who believed in the theory that the ends justify the means. Therefore he wore a mask at all the times. He was a two faced man who on the face of John Adams professed deep friendship, but on the back he had no qualms in giving a stab. This chapter is a rude awakening to the fans of Thomas Jefferson as Ellis shows him to be a man more involved in showing off a character which will be revered for ages but at the same time being involved in backstabbing of the unassuming, and therefore inadequate, Adams."
Abstract The paper introduces the book, "America's Longest War: United States and Vietnam 1950-1975", by George C. Herring. Specifically, it discusses three topics from Chapter 6 and then explains each according to what the author writes. It also looks at how the Vietnam War is being compared increasingly to the current war with Iraq and how, as this chapter clearly shows, there are many reasons for the comparison. It shows how President Johnson began fighting an uphill battle as public opinion about the war began to swing against it, just as President Bush is facing growing opposition to the war with Iraq.
From the Paper ""The President's Decisions." President Johnson, partly on advice from such advisers as Clifford, Westmoreland, and Bunker, decided in late 1967 that new forces should not be sent to South Vietnam, and the country should be more prepared to fight on its own. The author writes, "Johnson's advisers agreed that from a long-range standpoint the key to achieving American objectives was south Vietnam's ability to stand on its own" (Herring 239). By early 1968, the President had informed South Vietnam that we would continue to send assistance and equipment, but "limited manpower." During this time, President Johnson also agreed, heavily leaning on the advice of Dean Rusk, that bombing in Vietnam should be cut back, and peace talks should open again with the North Vietnamese. It seems that many of the President's decisions were based on guidance from his closest advisors, and somewhat on public opinion."
