Abstract The paper relates that the DredScott case emerged during the fight between Northern and Southern states on the subject of slavery in the 1856 presidential elections. The paper describes the case and shows how in each court, including the Supreme Court, the ruling favored the owners. The paper discusses how unfortunately for DredScott, he could never become a free man. But, the paper explains, that his efforts did not go in vain as his case accelerated the debate on slavery and he became a symbol of struggle for freedom for the black people in the U.S.
From the Paper "Scott was born to slave parents and lived with his owners in St. Louis, Missouri. He was later sold to Dr. John Emerson around 1833 and since Emerson was a military officer, he would travel all over the country frequently. During his time with the new owner, Scott lived for long period of time in various cities such as Fort Armstrong, Illinois, Fort Snelling, Wisconsin Territory, Fort Jessup, Louisiana, and St. Louis. While some states had legalized slavery, Illinois was a free state and if Scott could prove his resident status, he could win his freedom. Scott decided to fight to become a free man and from 1846 till a decade later, his struggle continued and even reached the highest court of law in the United States."
Abstract This paper begins by describing DredScott's quest for freedom and the potential impact of the case rulings. The paper shows why Scott believed he should be free and this belief eventually led to a lawsuit against Scott's new owner, John F.A. Sanford. The case was finally brought up in the Supreme Court. The paper shows how the decision of Chief Justice Taney determined the case's outcome - and the fate of the United States.
From the Paper "Dred Scott was a Virginian slave born at the turn of the 19th century, who felt that he had a right to freedom for having lived in free territories for an extended period of time. He, in the debate about whether or not he deserved his freedom, would be the cause of many troubles before the Civil War in the United States. His case and press for liberty were extremely complex, and the Supreme Court's response was rather typical of its era. Nevertheless, the decision was immensely important as it sealed the fate of the Civil War, angering northerners and pleasing southerners, and consequently further dividing the country. In this case Chief Justice Roger Taney delivered several rulings made on what were considered to be facts regarding equality."
Abstract The paper discusses DredScott, one of the most significant figures of African- American history. The paper relates that Scott's first trial began in 1847, after which he continued to fight for his freedom and continued until nine months before his death. The paper states that this is significant not only in terms of African-American history, but also in terms of its influence on the country as a whole and continues to be influential in the country even today.
From the Paper "In terms of the war being fought in Iraq, the country is similarly deprived of its critical thinking skills. Grave injustices in the war-torn country are ignored or accepted as necessary sacrifices in the name of "preserving" the American way of life. Historical events such as the Dred Scott case should serve as historical lessons in critical thinking and in preventing history from repeating itself. However, Americans appear to be unable to learn from history or to prevent their emotions from overriding their reason. This lack of critical thinking is what keeps arrogant and unconstitutional leaders such as Judge Taney and current leaders such as John Ashcroft in position to infest the United States with unconstitutional rulings."
Abstract This paper examines the facts of the DredScott vs. Sanford decision, including an in-depth review of the facts of the case and a legal analysis of the majority opinion. The paper also discusses the dissenting opinions in the case and takes the position that Chief Justice Taney, in writing the decision, was justified in ruling in the way he did.
From the Paper "Certainly one of the most controversial and well-known Supreme Court decisions in the history of the United States is the case of Dred Scott v. Sanford. Historians and legal scholars have debated this decision for over a century and many have taken an increasingly negative view of Chief Justice Roger Taney. Some view the decision as one of the major causes of the War Between the States. This paper examines the history of Dred Scott's case and provides an analysis of both the majority and the minority opinions in the case. After an in-depth analysis of the case as well as its historical context, we are left with the conclusion that Chief Justice Taney's majority opinion in Dred Scott v. Sanford is merely a reflection of the way in which he interprets the Constitution and is not the legal and moral outrage that historians and modern jurists claim it to be."
Tags: civil, compromise, court, lincoln, missouri, sanford, supreme, taney, war
Abstract This paper looks at two different aspects of the evolution of African-American Social/Ethical thought: the DredScott decision and reaction to it, and the work of Sojourner Truth on antislavery and women's rights issues.
From the Paper "The Dred Scott case was one which had a major impact on bringing the nation nearer to war. Mullane Dred Scott was a slave owned by army surgeon Dr John Emerson and accompanied him when he left his Missouri home to spend several years in Illinois and the Louisiana Purchase Territory, now Minnesota. Illinois at the time was a free state under the Northwest Ordinance as was the Louisiana Purchase Territory, but according to the terms of the Missouri Compromise, Missouri was a slave state..."
Abstract The paper explains two landmark decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court: the DredScott v. Sandford, and Plessy v. Ferguson decisions. The paper examines how these decisions institutionalized racism by giving the white majority the power to marginalize and discriminate against Black Americans.
From the Paper "Today's judicial atmosphere has never been more charged. As the Supreme Court ages and the Senate debates the use of filibusters to stall judicial nominees, it is important to understand the power that Supreme Court Justices wield in their lifetime appointments. There are perhaps no better examples of the Supreme Court's ability to make pernicious decisions than their landmark decisions to institutionalize racism in the Dred Scott vs Sanford and the Plessy vs Ferguson decisions."
Abstract The paper explores how the Mexican-American War, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the DredScott decision, the Lincoln Douglas Debates and the Freeport Doctrine all influenced the coming of the American Civil War. The paper also discusses the military campaign in the Western theater of the war from January through June of 1862 and provides a brief outline of the generalship of Robert E. Lee and George B. McClellan.
Outline:
The Relationship Between the Mexican-American War and the Coming of the American Civil War
The Relationship Between the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the Coming of the American Civil War
The Relationship Between the DredScott Decision, the Lincoln Douglas Debates, the Freeport Doctrine, and the Coming of the American Civil War
The Military Campaign in the Western theater of the War from January through June of 1862
Generalship of Robert E. Lee and George B. McClellan
From the Paper "The Civil War represented one of the most important parts in the history of the United States. It was the essence of the American struggle for democracy as well as for the national identity and unity that would eventually emerge after its end. The premises of the war revolved around the issue of the Texan territory. Thus, the early connections were established "at the invitation of a Mexican government that had just won its independence from Spain. However, by 1830, Mexico was alarmed at the influx of a population alien in language and culture, suspect in political allegiance, and committed to slavery in defiance of Mexico's recent abolition of the institution" (McPherson, 2001) Therefore, what started as a limited relationship came to be seen as a possible threat."
Tags: Mexican-American, War, Kansas-Nebraska, Act, Dred, Scott, Lincoln, Douglas, Debates, Freeport, Doctrine, McClellan, Lee
Abstract This paper discusses U.S. history from 1855, when the U.S appeared to be the strongest it had ever been, to the outbreak of the Civil War, when Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860. The author points out the "Bleeding at Kansas", DredScott case, Slavery and the citizenship of "free slaves". The paper describes the election of 1860 and the secession of the Southern states.
From the Paper "By the time the elections of 1860 came around, the entire nation knew how vital this election would be to the tone of relations between the North and the South. Citizens were not sure whether the election could calm the fights, and resolve what had been happening in the past five years, or if the election would cause an all-out war between the North and the South. Stephen Douglas apparently warned that such actions might occur, while Abraham Lincoln and John Breckinridge "downplayed any such dire consequence, insisting, and believing, that the other side was bluffing" ."
Abstract The paper begins with a short history of F. Scott Fitzgerald. The paper explains that Fitzgerald used himself, his wife and others in his close circle on whom to fashion his characters. Fitzgerald sometimes based characters on the country, the United States, as a symbol of moral decay in society. The paper has reviews of each of the following books: "This Side of Paradise", "The Great Gatsby" and "Tender is the Night".
From the Paper "Of all American writers, F. Scott Fitzgerald is considered by many critics and scholars to be unparalleled in the elegance and grace of his fiction. He wrote with a lyrical economy that elevates his work from pure storytelling to poetic beauty.
"This Side of Paradise"
Fitzgerald's first novel was groundbreaking in its candid portrayal of the behavior and thoughts of young people. One contemporary reviewer noted, "No one else has given us so real and intimate a study of college life, of the relationship at that age between boys and girls ... of the things young men in college think about and do." It tells the story of Amory Blaine's passage through adolescence and youth toward maturity. It explores his relationships with women with frankness that shocked the post-Victorian parental generation. His love interest, the beautiful Rosalind, tells him, "There used to be two kinds of kisses. First when girls were kissed and deserted; second when they were engaged. Now there's a third kind, where the man is kissed and deserted." This was a new facet in the sexual tension of the times, an early indication of the sexual revolution that was to come."
Tags: f, scott, fitzgerald, great, gatsby, this, side, of, paradise, tender, is, the, night, Zelda, Sayre, jazz, age
An examination of three documents from the Antebellum era (1820 to the beginning of the Civil War in 1865), which present the social, as well as legal, perspective that slavery was beneficial.
Abstract This paper summarizes three documents, which explain the social and political feelings of this era. It shows that the first is an article by a prominent doctor, Dr. Samuel Cartwright, entitled, "Diseases and Peculiarities of the Negro Race". It was his purpose to validate the ownership of slaves as a means of providing shelter and industry to a race handicapped to such a degree that it could not prosper on its own. It then explains that the second document is the opinion of Justice Taney in the "DredScott v. Sanford" case of 1857. Here, it is legally determined that blacks of the pre-Civil War era do not have the rights of an American citizen. Finally, it discusses the third document, which is a speech presented to the United States Senate on March 4, 1858, by James Henry Hammond, wherein he argues that the black race is a slave race through natural law. All of these documents were written in the belief that slavery was a legitimate social institution based on the inferiority of the black race.
From the Paper "The Southern plantation system was socially and economically dependent on slave labor to continue. The chattel slave was owned and had absolutely no rights, including the right to life, that was not controlled by the owner. The plantation owners did not consider slave labor to be 'free' inasmuch as the care and upkeep of the slaves was their responsibility.
In the 1840's a physician, Samuel Cartwright, created a psychiatric diagnosis called "drapetomania? that was specific to slaves - most notably found among freed slaves. The disorder was characterized by "a partial insensibility of the skin, and so great a hebetude of the intellectual faculties, as to be like a person half asleep, that is with difficulty aroused and kept awake. It differs from every other species of mental disease, as it is accompanied with physical signs or lesions of the body discoverable to the medical observer, which are always present and sufficient to account for the symptoms" (Internet source). The diagnosis is, of course, specific to the times. It was a way that the institute of slavery could be rationalized - by 'blaming the victim' - for the natural reactions to an unnatural situation."
Abstract In this article, the writer explains that the O.M. Scott leveraged buyout case was an example of 1980s creative financing, in which a large corporation in deep debt was able to not only be bought out by a company it then took over, but gained momentum and credit credibility. The writer further explains that O.M. Scott manufactures, markets and sells lawn care and garden products; and provides garden maintenance services. The writer points out that O.M. Scott & Sons was sold and became a closely held company following the war, when, in 1971, it was bought out by ITT. O.M. Scott & Sons remained within the conglomerate until 1986. In this article, the writer looks at related problems and discusses possible alternative courses of action.
Outline:
Introduction
Background of Company
History
Analysis of Case
Major Problems
Alternative Course of Action
Analysis of Alternatives
Conclusion
From the Paper "At the end of fiscal 1961, Scott and its subsidiaries had $16.2 million of long-term debt outstanding, $12 million in renewable five-year subordinated notes of the parent company held by four insurance companies and a trustee, and $4.2 million in publicly held bonds owed by Scotts Chemical Plant, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary."
"The governing loan indenture limited the company's maximum outstanding debt to an amount not greater than three times the company's "equity working capital" as of the preceding March 31. The note indenture restricted outstanding subordinated notes to only 60% of maximum allowed debt. The agreement also required that Scott be free of bank debt for 60 consecutive days each year and that the company earn before taxes one and a half times its fixed financial charges, including interest on funded and unfunded debt, amortization of debt discount, and rentals on leased properties."
Abstract This paper examines how F. Scott Fitzgerald experienced many different hardships, romances, and personal achievements. Most characters in the "The Great Gatsby" had some link to his past, which makes each character more dynamic. It explains how F. Scott Fitzgerald called upon all his personal knowledge and past experiences to write "The Great Gatsby".
From the Paper "In The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald used many of his own life experiences including his own yearnings and lost hopes (A&E Biography). Throughout Fitzgerald's life he met people in Great Neck, Long Island that would later become the characters in his elaborate novel that combine both truths and false pretenses that he lived. Mellow said that every scrap of experience, his own or borrowed from others; every insight, earned or overheard, was considered usable knowledge for his fictional pursuits (220). For instance, Mellow stated that nearly all of Gatsby's shady connections with bootlegging, sport scandals, and stock swindles were related to unnamed but clearly identifiable Great Neck residents(220). In the character Jay Gatsby similarities can be seen between Gatsby and Fitzgerald."
A look at how media coverage of the Scott Peterson case has less to do with the legal facts and issues and more to do with the drama and sensation of the case.
Abstract This paper describes the media coverage of the Scott Peterson case. The case involves the murder of Scott Peterson's pregnant wife and unborn son, and this paper focuses on CNN's coverage, in particular, of the crime and how that coverage has become more like a narrative crime drama than a real look at the legal and ethical issues of the case.
From the Paper "Instead, even CNN has resorted to creating a narrative crime drama of the Peterson case. For instance, in recounting the reactions of different members of Laci Peterson's family, the media outlet quoted one family member that; ?Scott Peterson had seemed the perfect gentleman to his mother-in-law.? So, the article continues, "she [the mother-in-law] said she grew worried when he began behaving strangely the moment" he first reported his wife, Laci, had vanished. Thus, with dramatic foreshadowing after the fact, it is reported uncritically, long after Scott Peterson has been accused that Laci's mother had concerns about accused son-in-law ?and worries only grew after daughter's disappearance,? the article continues. (June 8, 2004) "
Abstract This paper examines the various similarities that exist between Jay Gatsby and Scott F. Fitzgerald, which are their enchantment with the fantasy of the Jazz Age due to their similar childhoods, their drive for the love of a woman, Jay's Daisy and Scott's Zelda and their submission to the illusion of their dreams. Finally, the paper compares how both men have lavish and expensive lifestyles, in order to please their women and others around them, hence submitting to the illusion of their dreams.
From the Paper "Jay Gatsby and F. Scott Fitzgerald similarly become enchanted with the fantasy of the Jazz Age due to their similar childhoods, their drive for the love of a woman, and their submission to the illusion of their dreams. Both men are raised in rural areas and enlist in the army after leaving school. When they meet the women they love, they both alter their lives and make a success to prove their worth. Over several years, both Gatsby and Fitzgerald change their lifestyles and throw lavish parties to impress the women they love."
Tags: buchanan, corruption, daisy, dream, jazz, money, power
This paper reviews the life and work of F. Scott Fitzgerald, focusing especially on the plots and characters in his novel "The Great Gatsby" and his short story "Winter Dreams".
Abstract This paper relates that F. Scott Fitzgerald (Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald) was an Irish-American Jazz Age novelist and short story writer, who is regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the twentieth century. The author points out that Fitzgerald's protagonists are often reflections of the author and his wife Zelda -- heroes who are handsome, confident and predestined that blaze brilliantly before exploding and heroines who are beautiful, tempting and manipulative. The paper compares the couples from the two writings, Jay and Daisy of "The Great Gatsby" and Dexter and Judy of "Winter Dreams", who want greatness but end in misery.
From the Paper "Both of these women were described as insensitive, unfaithful women, because both being involved in unsatisfactory marriages, they were having an affair with the male character, Jay Gatsby, respectively Dexter Green. Also Daisy was especially cruel when it came to significant issues. She ran over a woman and killed her, yet afterwards she simply went home and ate dinner, as nothing happened. She cared more about the heat than the person she murdered. Judy was heartless too when it came to the men who adored her."
