Abstract
This paper explains that the New Jersey civil union act upholds the directions of the Supreme Court of New Jersey in Lewis v. Harris, 188 N.J. 415 by providing all the benefits and responsibilities of marriage to same-sex couples through civil unions and by establishing the New Jersey Civil Union Review Commission. Next, the author presents the criterion by which two people can establish a civil union under this act. The paper stresses the author's positive support of this legislation because he feels that this law gives this group of individuals the benefits they deserve and insure equality under the laws for all New Jersey citizens.

From the Paper
"Family relationships are such an important part of our society today that promoting the family unit can only be positive. Those couples that are same sex have for many years been under the scrutiny of some many people and things that it made it very hard for them to establish a family unit and live their lives in peace. The right to be able to do this is so important especially to those couples that wish to start families. Not having to deal with the hassles and problems that come along with being a member of a same sex partnership is one less burden that these people have to endure. "

Tags:license, property ownership, recognition equalities persecutions

Abstract
This essay addresses the question of whether civil unions should be allowed for same-sex couples. The essay answers the question through the reasoning of "natural law," a theory based on reality rather than the laws of man and discusses Aristotle's view of natural law. The paper explores the current status of same sex unions in America and includes a map that shows "Same Sex Marriage Laws by State." The essay finds that since civil unions abide with natural law, civil unions should be allowed for same-sex couples. Further, it argues the benefits individuals receive from civil unions outweighs the arguments against same-sex unions.

From the Paper
"Allowing gays to be bound to one another or not allowing them to be bound to one another is a social issue that is definitely one of the most relevant of any social issue with people today. Despite those who seem strongly opposed to civil unions 52 percent of voters who were polled by CBS indicated that they would actually consider voting for a presidential candidate who they liked even if he did not share their specific views on civil unions (Poll, 2004). This has become increasingly important during this critical election year. Those who are opposed to civil unions are less willing to vote in this way than those who believe in civil unions, which seems that it would be expected (Poll, 2004).

Tags:civil union, natural law, human law, gay rights

Abstract
This paper discusses how although gay unions have been a reality for centuries, the American debate regarding gay marriage is a modern invention and how there are several factors that play into the likelihood that civil unions between gay couples are far more likely to be accepted nationally, then gay marriage. The paper examines how although the majority of Americans are against gay marriage, a majority of Americans do actually favor gay civil unions and this number is increasing. Given the fact that there is no specific constitutional right to marry, it is unlikely that a federal law allowing gay marriage will occur. However, with increasing public support, civil unions may become an option for many states. This paper contains figures.

Outline:
Abstract
Introduction
Historical Background on the Gay Marriage Debate
Public Opinion of Gay Marriage
Public Opinion of Civil Unions
The Constitutional Right to Privacy and Gay Marriage
Conclusion

From the Paper
"Although gay unions have been a reality for centuries, the American debate regarding gay marriage is a modern invention. There are several factors that play into the likelihood that civil unions between gay couples are far more likely to be accepted nationally, then gay marriage. The majority of Americans are against gay marriage. This has been a steady figure for several years and does not appear to be changing in the near future. An aging American population adds to this unlikelihood. Interestingly thought, a majority of Americans do favor gay civil unions and this number is increasing. Given the fact that there is no specific constitutional right to marry, it is unlikely that a federal law allowing gay marriage will occur. However, with increasing public support, civil unions may become an option for many states."

Tags:homosexual, lesbian, church

Abstract
In this article, the writer discusses that both sides fought hard in the Civil War and claims that the Union victory was far from being a foregone conclusion. The writer notes that both the North and South boasted military prowess but for different reasons. The writer looks at the two sides of the North and the South and examines their various successes and failures throughout the war. The writer concludes that the turning point of the war at the Battle of Gettysburg proved that in spite of its initially tenuous leadership personnel, Union army generals like Ulysses S. Grant had what it took to capitalize on the North's many advantages to ensure victory.

From the Paper
"The South, however, failed to solidify a victory for several key reasons. First, the South could have ushered support from Europe. As a major trading partner to both England and France, the Confederacy might have been able to use economic incentives to persuade British and French political and financial, if not military assistance. Although slavery had been abolished in Europe, the War of Secession was originally not framed as a battle for emancipation so European diplomatic support would not have suggested a conflict of interest. However, the South did not capitalize fully on its ability to woo the Continent."
"Another major reason for the South's eventual defeat was the very culture it wished to preserve: the plantation economy. The agricultural-based economy might have endeared the South to Europe, to which it traded a sufficient supply of cotton. However, agriculture failed to provide the Confederacy with the industrial strength it needed to win."

Tags:Union, triumph, Lincoln, military

Abstract
This paper examines how the Civil War still has a lingering effect on today's American society. The paper explains that this terrible conflict has impacted American politics, culture, economics and social values in many ways, but the political effects of the Union victory over the rebelling Confederacy have been perhaps the most important, for had the South won the Civil War, the existence of two rival countries at the center of the North American continent would have greatly altered future political, economic, cultural, and social developments. The paper looks at how, because of the Civil War, the federal government and federal bureaucracy became much more powerful, and the American president's war powers were significantly expanded. The paper then points out that progress against racial prejudice and discrimination began to be made, but nearly a century passed before racial segregation was ended and racial equality was accepted by most of the American people. The paper also discusses how the Civil War led to loyalty to America instead of loyalty to one's state, great industrial expansion, the creation of a national media, growing world trade, the development of active and powerful labor unions, and the establishment of an economic foundation that made the United States a global economic superpower within a hundred years. In conclusion, the paper shows that in terms of cultural changes, the Civil War led to a growing cultural sophistication across the United States in the form of increased public interest in literature, poetry, the theater, and art.

From the Paper
"Fite (1983) notes that in terms of domestic politics, the expansion of federal authority required to win the Civil War created a huge and powerful central government in Washington D.C. and established a lasting precedent of centralized federal government power. Before the war broke out in 1861, the federal government was relatively weak, and the states retained significant political power. But during the war years, the Lincoln administration and the United States Congress were compelled to expand their powers in order to save the Union, and these powers resulted in an enlarged federal bureaucracy which, once established, was reluctant to give up the broad range of powers it had acquired during the war."

Tags:freedom, cultural, social, union, Lincoln, adminsitration

Abstract
This paper considers the reasons that both the Union and Confederate soldiers fought the Civil War. It also analyzes which line of reasoning is most persuasive. The author concludes that the Union's decision to preserve the federal power is the more compelling reason.

From the Paper
"In the course of American history no conflict threatened the very foundation of the country in the same way that the Civil War did. This bloody tumultuous battle pitted brother against brother and lead to over a half million casualties. There were many complex ..."

Tags:civil war, union, confederacy, states' rights

Abstract
During the Civil War, railroads, which previously satisfied the demand for cheap industrial and agricultural movement, became increasingly helpful in mass transportation of troops and goods. The paper shows how railroads shaped the outcome of the Civil War and subsequently decided the fate of the nation by unifying the states after the war.

Paper Outline:
I. Introduction
II. Intended usage for the railroads during construction
A. Industrial revolution and the beginnings of the railroads
B. Northern reasons for building the railroad: race between companies to connect most cities
C. Southern reasons for building the railroad: movement of cotton D. Rising demand for cheap, mass movement of troops and goods III. How railroads aided the war effort
A. Helped divide country into different economical groups by geographical placement
B. Physical attack: ram into enemy positions, trains, etc.
C. Movement of troops to battle sites
D. Communication service when telegraph lines were cut
IV. Aftermath of railroad involvement in the war
A. Railroad contributions to the science of war- mass transportation B. Abolish slavery- constitutional amendment, states united
C. Preservation of the Union- Physically bound union together
D. Deterred foreign countries from attacking the US
V. Conclusion

From the Paper
"After filling the demand for efficient land travel in the different sections of the US, the railroads hit their peak usage and importance during the Civil War. Before and during the war, railroads drew the economic lines of the war. By 1861, America had grown apart both politically and economically (Industrial). The South used rails for movement of cotton, while the North concentrated on industrial advances. The railroads helped the different businesses excel, furthering sectionalism by dividing the country into its profiting businesses. The railroads divided the nation into regions of political unity and economic ties (Ward 134). The Southern people were leaning more towards democratic ideals, while the North believed in more republican politics. The South was angry because they believed that the North was oppressing them. The South did not like the importation and exportation taxes of the North because they benefited little from the money. The South also believed that the Northern states were unconstitutionally treating the South by taking away the states' rights to have slavery."

Tags:John, Stevens, Union, Lincoln

Abstract
This paper explores the different factors that lead to the Civil War between the North and the South in the U.S. It shows through the context of the Industrial Revolution, slavery, and State and Federal rights how a war was brought about.

From the paper:

"Before the Civil War, many Americans perceived their participation in the American nation to be a loose, amorphous connection to a larger entity. They saw themselves as citizens of a state, rather than a nation, Virginians or Georgians rather than Americans. The Civil War confirmed the United States' solidity as a Union, as a specific, united, conglomeration of states. Yet the Civil War did not "come out of nowhere." The period preceding the declaration of war on April 12, 1861 with the firing of Southern troops on Fort Sumpter was an equally tumultuous one."

Tags:Union, Confederacy, Industrial Revolution, U.S., slavery

Abstract
This paper focuses on the issues that ran concurrently with slavery, although the issue of slavery dominated the middle part of the 19th century in America in its causes of secession and the U.S. Civil War. The writer looks at the legislation that affected the southern states, like the: Nullification Crisis that affected South Carolina in 1832, the Declaration of Causes by the seceding states and the widespread division that affected America in the late 1850's, the 1850 Compromise and the Kansas-Nebraska Bill that caused great turmoil between the northern and southern states. This paper also looks at why the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860, caused such consternation that the southern states finally felt compelled to secede.

From the Paper
"The election of Abraham Lincoln as president and the Republican Party coming to power was almost a sure thing before the splits in the Democratic Party. The splits just made it an almost certainty, and again it was over the issue of slavery, only this time instead of fighting against each other it was in fighting. This meant that secession was a sure thing, which would have pleased so many of the vocal southern firebrands. It is hard to see how some of the southern states thought that they could survive without being in the Union, as one state is far bigger and prosperous when it is in a group rather than as an individual. But the southern states had had to put up with so much provocation and pressure from the northern states and often an anti slavery president government that this was the final straw for them. Why should they have kept putting up with all this hassle and troubles during the mid 19th century over slavery, which was a way of life for them. Some southerners knew that slavery would eventually die out in the future, put when they are pushed so hard and so much about the issue of slavery, their attitudes are going to harden and they would eventually dig their heels in."

Tags:abraham, civil, lincoln, rebels, secession, southern, states, union, us, war

Abstract
This paper examines the claim that John Brown was one of the most important figures leading up to the Civil War. It examines Brown's childhood and upbringing. The writer looks at various events leading up to the Civil War and assesses whether Brown's influence was as meaningful as believed. The writer concludes that the statement is not entirely true because although Brown did add a great deal to the south's decision to secede from the union, his involvement in the massacre in Kansas and the raid on Harper's Ferry were only two of the many incidents leading to Civil War.

From the Paper
"John Brown was one of the most passionate abolitionists in United States history. He opposed slavery so strenuously that he took force into his own hands. There are some that have said he was the start of the stampede that would eventually lead to war between the North and South. John Brown did become a rallying cry for the North and brought fear to the South because of what occurred at Harper's Ferry. There are others however that believes he was only one of several contributors to the start of the Civil War."

Tags:kansas, massacre, harper, ferry, union, secede