Abstract The paper talks about the history of the electoral college and the negative impact it has had on Presidential elections. The paper shows how the Electoral College originally performed indirect election with the electors from each state based on the states; representation in Congress; and how this was changed with the 12th Amendment. The paper shows several election results as an example. It questions whether the US truly needs this system and discusses key points on methods to change the electoral college.
From the Paper "The Electoral College was formed during the Constitutional Convention back in 1787. Article 2, Section 1 states: "Each state was allocated a number of electors equal to the number of its U.S. Senators plus the number of its U.S. Representatives (Federal Election Commission 1). At the convention most delegates believed that the people of the United States were not;matured; enough to directly elect the President. Since the delegates didn;t truly trust the people they proposed three different methods of an Electoral College."
Abstract This essay compares the works of Herodotus and Thucydides, and the way in which Herodotus influenced Thucydides' own views on the writing of history. It examines differences in their language, the importance attributed to the supernatural, their views on historical causation and their use of sources.
From the Paper "Herodotus? Histories earned him the title of "The Father of History", the first person ever to investigate historical causation without paying too much homage to divine influence. Roughly twenty-five years later, Thucydides? The Peloponnesian War continued Herodotus? history, taking up from the moment Histories ends."
Abstract A paper which shows that, by calling it propaganda in the form of patriotism, the American government has been successful in influencing its people on many matters, both politically and socially, with the use of media. The paper uses America's change in its isolationist policy during WWI as an example. It also shows how the movie industry was used to influence the public.
From the Paper "But the films were even more effective. It wasn?t necessarily that movies like "America's Answer" ? a documentary in 1918 about the sending of the first 500,000 American troops to France ? were great art. The were professionally made, certainly, but their power to persuade Americans in the importance of U.S. engagement in Europe relied not on artistry per se but on each film's possessing a simple, clear message. The force of this repeated, focused message (a hallmark of effective propaganda in all media) combined with the immediacy of film won over many Americans who ? had they simply been reading about the war in the newspaper ? might well have remained convinced that isolationism was the best policy."
Tags: communist, World, War, I, Woodrow, Wilson, Committee, Public, Information, Our, Bridge, of, Ships, Mary, Pickford, Charlie, Chaplin
Abstract The paper examines the life of Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator who was the last of the Ptolemaic rulers of Egypt. While today she is known almost entirely as that queen who committed suicide by allowing herself to be stung by an asp and for her great beauty, such a description does her little justice. The paper shows that she was far more than the 'femme fatale' into which she has been transmuted over the centuries by popular culture and misogyny but rather a proud and ambitious queen whose political failure in the end was in part due to her over-ambitiousness but also due in even greater measure to overwhelming historical forces.
From the Paper "Cleopatra was born into an age in which women had few powers other than the ones that they could gain through men. Her use of her body to attract men was simply a rational strategy on her part. Moreover, she (like other monarchs) was not simply interested in physical pleasure: She also was intent on giving birth to heirs that would help cement relations between Egypt and Rome and that would ensure her dynastic succession."
This paper explores the character and actions of Anne Hutchinson and links her exile from the Puritan community to the fact that she was an influential woman.
Abstract This paper explores the character and actions of Anne Hutchinson and links her exile from the Puritan community to the fact that she was an influential woman.
From the Paper "In the 1630?s, many people who called themselves Puritans began fleeing England. These people, like many others, were trying to escape the Protestant Reformation. They sought a safe place to freely peruse their beliefs, which they thought to be the only true path to salvation. Puritans formed their religious beliefs with the idea to purify the Church of England; an establishment they thought was far too similar to Catholicism. American Puritans saw it as their holy mission to show the world the true path to God. An important aspect of Puritanism was the fact that the whole community must enter into a Covent of Grace with God. As a result there was a huge pressure to conform thus individuality was harshly discouraged. This key idea was what got Anne Hutchinson in a lot of trouble. She first began as a highly respected woman, and in only a year became a feared heretic, sentenced to exile. Women were not typically feared in general, but a powerful women was a force to be reckoned with. Thus, Anne Hutchinson was a threat to not only the Massachusetts Bay colony, but also to the entire Puritanical community because she was an influential woman."
Abstract This paper examines a few art forms and details the influence of religion and the Bible on them. Dante and Chaucer's literature is mentioned, and examined for its use of deity and religion. Many Italian artists are mentioned regarding the way they used the Church as a showroom for their talent.
From the Paper "Around 500 AD, western civilization began to emerge from the period generally known as "The Dark Ages", the time when invading hordes of Vandals, Huns, and Visigoths overran Europe and brought an end to the Roman Empire. For the next centuries, the newly emerging Christian Church would dominate Europe, administrating Justice, instigating Holy Crusades against the east, establishing Universities and generally dictated the destiny of music, art and literature. From the Crusades and other sources the Europeans came in contact with the Arab culture, which has preserved the works of Greek authors, whose writings did not survived in the Europe. Philosophy, science and mathematics from the Hellenistic period were assimilated into the tenets of the Christian faith and the prevailing philosophy of Scholasticism. St. Thomas Aquinas to the Christian doctrine adopted Aristotle, who was long considered to be a heretic. Christian values dominated the scholarship and literature, especially the Medieval Latin literature, the influence of Christian faith was also dominated in the German literature and Middle English literature ."
Abstract This paper begins with a summary of the Cuban Missile Crisis. The basic plot and the main characters detailed in the book are then identified and the decision-making process is analyzed. A background of the author and origins of the book are provided. A critical analysis of the book follows.
From the Paper "Thirteen Days: A Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis published in 1969, is Robert Kennedy's account of the major symbol (the Cuban missile crisis) of cold war confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union. In the year 1962, after the Bay of Pigs Invasion, the USSR increased its support of Fidel Castro's Cuban regime. In the summer of the same year, Nikita Khrushchev, who was heading the Soviet Union, secretly decided to install ballistic missiles in Cuba. In October, the U.S. reconnaissance flights revealed the clandestine construction of missile launching sites,
["U-2 had just finished a photographic mission" (Kennedy: 1971, 19)]
Which led to President Kennedy publicly denouncing the Soviet actions. He imposed a naval blockade on Cuba and declared that any missile launched from Cuba would warrant a full-scale retaliatory attack by the United States against the Soviet Union. On October 24, Russian ships carrying missiles to Cuba turned back. On October 28 Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles and dismantle the missile sites. Consequently, the United States ended its blockade on November 20, and by the end of the year the missiles and bombers were altogether removed from Cuba."
Abstract This paper begins by looking at European economic status after World War II. The United States plan of economic and military aid to Europe (The Marshall Plan) is discussed. The economy is examined 10 years later and again today, as the writer presents his position of how things might have been if not for the economic aid it received.
From the Paper "Europe's economy was seriously disrupted during World War II. Apart from the direct and widespread destruction of brick and mortar, the sustained war effort (during which almost every sector of the economy was focused on the war) had created basic distortions in its economy. The United States quickly realized the importance of helping Europe to recover from the war. This was considered essential to counter the growing influence of the Communist Soviet Union and the effect of an economically weak Europe on USA's own economy. The United States government led by President Truman thus implemented a major plan of economic and military aid to Europe that is known as the Marshall Plan (named after the then Secretary of State, George C. Marshall) and a policy of containing communism that came to be known as the Truman Doctrine. In this paper we will try to visualize what Europe would have looked like (a) ten years after the end of World War II and (b) today, if these programs had not gone into effect."
Abstract This paper introduces and discusses the meaning of Vera Brittain's "Testament of Youth." The paper questions what this book revealed about English society, middle class values, feminism and the impact of the First World War. It draws on her experiences as a nurse in the war, and her brother's as a soldier.
From the Paper "Vera Brittain wrote "Testament of Youth" about her experiences in the First World War. She served as a nurse in Europe during the war, and saw the horrors of war first hand. Her brother, fianc?, and many friends were all killed during the war. "Brittain was born in England in 1893 and she had to struggle against Victorianism to achieve her goal of an education. She eventually went on to attend Somerville College in Oxford and pursued a career as a writer and poet" (Caviness)."
Tags: society, feminism, novel, nurse, soldier, britain, middle, class
Abstract This paper explores the ancient history of the region and how the borders of the country of Sudan evolved. The country's current socio-political and economic sitution is analyzed. It looks at the ruling regime in Sudan and how it came to power and then examines how this regime effects the country's weak economy. The social and religious concerns are also examined from a human rights point of view.
From the Paper "Man has lived in the Sudan for at least nine million years and the valley of the Nile that wanders more than 4,000 miles from the lakes of Central Africa to the Mediterranean may be the cradle of civilization rather than the Euphrates. Almost four centuries before Christ the Ox-driven water wheel which still plays a vital role in the country's economy, was introduced to the
Sudan. At the same time came camels, brought with them by the Persians when Cambyses invaded Egypt in 525 BC. It is Africa's largest country with a wide diversity of ethnic and religious groups. Originally populated by peoples of African origin, it was gradually taken over by Arab traders from Egypt. They gave the country its name, Sudan, and brought in the - today - dominant religion, Islam. Later Sudan was part of the British Empire, administered by Egypt under the "Condominium" agreement until 1955."
Tags: africa, NIF, SPLM, islam, arab, trade, resource, agriculture, oil, UN, human, rights
Abstract This papers covers the ills of contemporary European society during the Renaissance and then compares this way of life to how the Utopians lived in Sir Thomas More's imaginary culture in his book, "Utopia". The paper also discusses how the Utopians escaped such problems and shows how the book provides an insight into this major period of turmoil in Europe.
From the Paper "Utopia, by Sir Thomas More describes the society and culture of an imaginary island on which all negative aspects in society have been abolished. More presents his views about an ideal society through a dialogue between two characters, Raphael Hythloday and More himself. Hythloday is a fictional character who describes his recent expedition to the island of Utopia. Throughout the work, Hythloday describes the laws, economy, religion and everyday life that exist on Utopia to a skeptical and patronizing More."
Abstract The book is about the generation of Americans who fought World War II, maintained society at home during World War II, overcame the Great Depression and rebuilt the nation of America. It is designed to pay tribute to and make people aware of just what this generation of men and women did for America and how they contributed to the society we have today. This paper describes the battles of the generation via first-person accounts, the battles fought in the war itself and those who fought at home. It also examines how the generation is represented by a cross-section of stories.
From the Paper "The nature of the book in the form of personal accounts is one reason the book can be questioned for its accuracy. While the book does use many accounts, the question must be asked, how many accounts did the author have to select from. With his purpose being to show what Americans of this generation did, it is natural that he is going to choose the stories of either those that became famous in some way or those that have heroic stories to tell. While the book proposes to be a cross-section of stories, this cross-section does not really represent the generation as a whole, instead it represents those that did the most."
Tags: society, world, war, II, great, depression, battle
Abstract This paper discusses the theory of government as presented in the Declaration. The paper outlines the various grievances the American people had against the British King - political, economic, military coercion and the King's indifference to pleas. The paper also provides the response of the British government to these grievances. The writer concludes the essay by describing the Declaration as a persuasive case for independence and by claiming its evident success.
From the Paper "The author of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson was greatly influenced by the political thoughts of the 17th century English philosopher John Locke and other thinkers of the European Age of Enlightenment. The theory of government presented in the Declaration is largely based on the political philosophy of Natural Rights that maintains that each individual enters a society with certain basic rights that no government can deny. The Declaration terms these Natural Rights as unalienable rights given to them by God, including the right of ?Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.? "
Tags: thomas, jefferson, john, locke, british, king, revolution, civil, government
A discussion of whether the attack at Pearl Harbor was due to the failure of the United States intelligence community to give sufficient correct information to government.
Abstract This paper examines the events surrounding the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 in order to evaluate if the lack of forewarning was directly due to a failure on the side United States intelligence community to give sufficient, correct information to government as well as to the military decision-makers. It analyzes the different theories that have emerged and examines proof existing from official, public and private sources in an attempt to determine who was to blame.
From the Paper "Moreover, the processes of security, information assessment and diffusion, and intelligence management along with production were sternly flawed where the security affair restricted key information to some decision-makers, who for the most part, were not skilled as intelligence analysts. Thus, this corrupted the information assessment process as well as turned the intelligence community mainly into a collection agency. There was none within the government who had blame for conducting all source study, preparing a synchronized product, and make certain appropriate diffusion of information to the appropriate associations."
Tags: Japan, revisionist, historians, conspiracy, theories, world, war, II, hawaii
Abstract This paper analyzes the philosophers Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau and discusses their opinions on the French Revolution. The paper looks at each stage of the revolution and provides an outline of various topics concerning enlightenment. The connection between the age of enlightenment and the French Revolution is also explored in this paper.
From the Paper "The Age of Enlightenment was a period in time culminating during the 18th century when the trends of thought changed in Europe. The French Revolution was a series of events at the turn of the 19th century in France that changed all aspects of French life. The sequential alignment of these eras in history is hardly coincidence; in fact, there is much of a cause-effect relationship. In this paper we will explore this connection. Vitally involved in this progression of thought and action are the philosophes, intellectual men that drove the advent of scientific inquiry Three major philosophes were Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean Jacques Rousseau. Among many others, their ideas were molded and manifested into political, social, and economic institutions across Europe, climaxing in historical landmarks like the French Revolution. This paper will explore the connections between these Enlightenment leaders and the French Revolution."
Tags: european, france, history, politics, individual, community, society, economics
