Why the North won the American Civil War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Why the North won the American Civil War - Essay Example To be objective, it is very important to take into account not only military events, but the "roots of success" resulted in victory of the North. The analysis of the first set of reasons includes political, economic, social and industrial sphere and conditions which had a great influence on both parties1. 1. Manpower and resources. The strength of the North was that it remained the core of the nation. In contrast, the Southern states, separated form the Union, were perceived as the mutinous party. The conservative North, embodied social and political customs and tradition, represented a strong power and reliability for many American citizens. This psychological perception of the differences between the South and North strengthened the positions of the North as the custodian of peace and constancy. The social priorities were supported by economic development of the North which always plays a major role considered as the main indicator of future success or failure of a country. The main advantage of the North, which undoubtedly supported its victory, was the fact that the North had occupied a stronger position in the economic and political spheres of life. The North had started to dominate after the Constitution was adopted by all of the States in 1789, uniting the States into one nation. In a century, the North was considered as the political center of the nation and nobody doubted its superiority over the Southern part. . Of cause, there were some differences between the States which had been worked out through compromises, but it could not undermine the authority of the North. The main advantage of the North was its developing industry, which supported the rapid economic growth of this region, and manufacturing of ammunition so important for the North troops during the war. In contrast to agrarian South the level of the North economic development was higher and more stable. And when during the war time the south needed financing, "almost 60 per cent was derived from the issue of paper money, about 30 per cent from the sale of bonds, and less than 5 per cent from taxation (the remaining 5 percent from miscellaneous sources.) In contrast, the income of North in "13 per cent was raised by paper money, 62 per cent by bonds, and 21 per centby taxes (and 4 per cent by other means)"2 This financial data depicts the main advantage of the North, relied much more upon taxation and borrowing and less upon government notes as South did. It is a well known fact that industry is not influenced greatly by external environmental changes as the agriculture (droughts, bad harvest), and in this very case the positions of North were stronger, and resulted in accumulation of huge resources which South was not able to obtain. As industry in the North expanded it looked towards southern markets, rich with cash from the lucrative agricultural business, to buy the North's manufactured goods. However, it was often cheaper for the South to purchase the goods abroad. 2 1Richard N. Current, The History of Wisconsin Volume II. The Civil War Era, 1848- 1873. (Madison: The State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1976), 3. 2Gabor S. Boritt, ed. Why the Civil War Came

Criminal Justice Issues in the US Today Assignment

Criminal Justice Issues in the US Today - Assignment Example This is attributed to mandatory sentencing laws that were enacted in the 80s; the post- Rockefeller drug laws where minor offenses are punished with major imprisonment. These laws limited the available options to a judge in determining the final ruling. Originally these laws had been put in place in effort to implement the zero tolerance policy against use of drug. It is a well known fact that drugs use especially among youths and teenagers has been a major issue in the country. Particularly, the rise in the abuse of methamphetamine is thought to be the major contributing factor towards the rise in the incarceration rate. It is the most destructive and addictive drug which is being blamed for the recent rise in suicides, family violence and criminal acts (Howard, 2007). If these statistics and findings are anything to go by, building more prisons and increasing sentences is not the solution to reducing crime, drug use and the alarming rate of incarceration. Legislators need to think along solutions like rehabilitation and deterrence. Rise in crime has mostly been as a result of drug use. That means that putting up measures that will see to it that drug use has been significantly reduced will lead to reduction in criminal acts by a remarkable margin.

Gender Differences in Crime

Gender Differences in Crime Criminal patterns by women and by men have both similarities and differences. Women and men are more prone to committing minor substance abuse and property crimes, rather than serious ones like murder or robbery. The main gender disparity in criminal activity is that men commit offenses at a higher rate than women do, except for prostitution (Heidensohn). Gender difference is more distinct in serious crimes, while it is least discernible in petty ones, which is a phenomenon called gender gap in offending (Rennison, 2009, p. 172). Particularly, it has been evidenced that 19% of criminal act perpetrators are women, yet they are also more likely victims of crime: as of late 2009, two women are slain every week by a former or current partner, and 44% of violent crimes against females are domestic (White, 2010). Meanwhile, women have been imprisoned for offenses like possession of stolen property, theft and drug charges. Other characteristics of female offenders include, (i) 15% have been confined to a psychiatric hospital, (ii) 40% have been drug-dependent since the year prior to their imprisonment, (iii) 20% have been in rehabilitation (White, 2010). A new focus of criminology is the study of criminal careers and although research on this topic has been limited to violent offenses, it has been established that (i) women perpetrate violent crimes to a much lesser degree than males; (ii) the criminal careers of violent women start and reach its peak a bit earlier than men; and (iii) to thoroughly comprehend the gender gap in crime, variables such as age and gender must be taken into account (Rennison, 2009). According to Callie Marie Rennison, race has always played an essential role in violent offending (175). She pointed out that minorities make up a large population of offenders. For instance, Rennison cites data from the U.S. Department of Justice gleaned from arrest reports and victimization surveys attesting that Blacks are disproportionately found among violent offenders (Rennison, 2007, p. 175). She also lamented the fact that studies on gender gap have largely omitted gender and age, and joins the call for moving beyond simple comparisons of offending by gender (Rennison, 2007, p. 175). Evidence attests that there is a substantial overlapping in the social perspective of criminal acts perpetrated by men and women (Hall, 2009, p. 5). To note, it has been proven that female and male offenders both usually have low socio-economic standing, come from minority groups, unemployed or under-employed, and poorly-educated (Hall, 2007). In light of these social implications on gender disparity in crime, there have been questions on whether biological factors could be stronger determinants in crime as compared to social factors. Here is a look at the differing theories on crime and gender disparity. Traditional theories about gender disparity in crime are, Anomie, Labeling and Personality Theory. Anomie postulates that females commit crimes at a lower rate than males because they are less subjected to cultural pressures to achieve success materially (Hall, 2007). In Labeling, parental acceptance of violence, neighborhood and home violence all increase the odds that a male will be involved in crime and violence (Ramoutar and Farrington, 2005.) Males who have had episodes of severe punishments at home for misdemeanors were less likely to commit property crimes or violent offenses. Meanwhile, men who were labeled negatively by people in his environment, and men who had poor self-esteems, were twice as likely to participate in violent and property crimes (Ramoutar and Farrington, 2005, p. 563) On the other hand, women who perceived that they were negatively labeled tended to participate in violent crimes, but females who have been at the receiving end of violence were more likely to be involved in both petty and violent crimes (Ramoutar and Farrington, 2005.) In contrast with their male counterparts, being subjected to severe punishments at home due to misdemeanors, increased females tendency to commit violent crimes. The most dominant personality dimensions that are associated with crime are self-centered orientation, low empathy, venturesomeness and impulsivity (Ramoutar and Farrington, 2005, p. 558). Male offenders were characterized by enjoyment of intense and new endeavors, as well as by risk taking all descriptive of venturesomeness. They also had low rates of empathy. In female offenders, venturesomeness and impulsivity were reasons for criminal behavior; and, self-centeredness increased female offending by 100%. Female offenders were not characterized by low empathy and low empathy (Ramoutar and Farrington, 2005). Biological Perspective The biological perspective on gender differences in crime rate points out that genetics determines the criminal behavior of a person. Neurochemicals trigger the behavioral tendencies and patterns in the human brain. One of these neurochemicals, monoamine oxidase (MOA), is linked to antisocial behavior: low levels of monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) cause disinhibition, which, in turn, can result in aggression and impulsivity (Jones 2005). MOA has intertwining functions with other neurochemicals that have already been associated with criminal and antisocial behavior, like dopamine, serotonin, epinephrine and norepinephrine. Dopamine, epinephrine and norepinephrine are also closely linked with the personality factor of psychosis (Jones 2005). On the other hand, serotonin affects brain development, and low levels of serotonin plays a significant role in triggering bipolar disorder, anxiety and depression. Moreover, serotonin is closely linked with aggression, which can be a trigger for criminal behavior. Dopamine is one of the neurotransmitters of the brain that provides feelings of pleasure, and thus, motivates people to do certain acts. A study conducted by Katherine Morley and Dwayne Hall in 2003 showed that there is an association between violent offenders and the dopaminergic pathway (Morley and Hall, 2003). Basing on these information, it could also be plausible that genetics plays a role in criminal behavior. Hence, supporters of the biological theory in criminal behavior assert that crime rates may be curbed by monitoring offspring and immediate family of known criminals, so that they may be tested for MAO (Morley and Hall, 2003). On the other hand, critics point out that this is not easy to accomplish because of m oral implications youngsters could be classified as potential criminals even if they have not committed any offense yet. Also, there is the ever present fear that governments may start using drugs to wage battle against crime, instead of addressing relevant social problems. It is important to recall that gender disparity in crime high level of male offending in comparison with females is absolutely accepted by criminologists. It is also important to note that gender disparity varies according to time, geographic area, race and age of the perpetrators. If gender disparity is indeed caused by genes, then the former will not vary as it does according to time, geographic area, race and age of the perpetrators. Thus, the biological theory is rather inadequate to explain gender differences in crime rate. New Female Criminal Freda Adler, a criminal professor at Rutgers University, published a book in 1975, entitled Sisters in crime: The rise of the new female criminal (Adler, 1975). The profile of the new female criminal, as explained by Adler, was considered as the most powerful and influential expert on female criminality more than three decades ago. According to Adler, the feminist movement may be credited with promoting positive changes in womens lives, i.e., social position, employment, marriage and family (Hamilton, 2010). She noted that women used to have the same hopes and ambitions as men, but they have not been able to attain these because of oppression towards their gender. Womens liberation changed all these, as females began to be empowered to pursue their dreams and ambitions and achieve them. However, Adler explained that womens lib had a darker side (Hamilton, 2010). Just as they were being productive, they were also pressing into crime (Hamilton, 2010). Women began to compete with men, even in the criminal world, wherein they were attempting to carve their own niches. And just as women became stevedores, soldiers, lawyers and doctors; they also became terrorists, embezzlers, forgers and burglars (Hamilton, 2010). Adler theorized that with womens liberation, a new breed of women offenders had come on the scene. She noted that the feminist movement created structural opportunities which women took advantage of by adopting the same characteristics as men: risk-taking, aggression and assertiveness. These, she said, were also the same qualities that enabled men to commit crimes. Adler has since, authored three more books on the topic, but modern times has seen critics bringing down her theories. For one, Adlers theories are weak in the sense that there are no supporting research evidencing that females who lived liberated lives committed more crimes than their more traditional peers. In addition to this, while it has been proven that most women offenders come from the lower socio-economic ladder, these same women rejected feminist ideals as distinctly middle-class. Moreover, feminists themselves shot down her theories, stating that these undermined the good intentions of womens rights (Hamilton, 2 010). Thus, it may be said that the new female criminal is more of a myth than reality. Which Theory is Correct? There are certain things to consider before determining which theory about gender  differences in crime is correct. Women have been engendered by moral principles which inculcate nurturing values in them, which restrain them from committing injurious deeds to others. Hence, females were less apt to commit crimes than the male counterparts, because of their nurturing and dependent nature (Cole and Smith, 2007, p. 57). Moreover, the criminal environment demands violence and physical power, which may account for lesser frequency and seriousness of crimes committed by women. Male have enhanced physical prowess and strength needed to commit graver crimes (JRank, 2010). In addition to this, women who wanted quick money but had no other means of getting it had opportunities to go into prostitution rather than commit crimes (JRank, 2010). Taking into consideration all these information, majority of studies concede that traditional theories are not given the deserving credit for explaining the patterns in criminal activity as it pertains to gender differences. Most of these theories are backed by hard evidence, and have outlasted the numerous modern theories that have sprung up and just as quickly, debunked by one study or the other. Majority of theorists agree that traditional perspectives are inadequate in explaining gender disparity in serious crimes, but a painstaking study of available data from research and experiments reveal that there is simply not much information in this area. Thus, the trend towards studying gender equality/inequality in criminal behavior must be continued, taking into consideration both traditional and biological perspectives, towards learning more about serious crimes. In doing this, the greater goal of curbing crime rates through significant research may be achieved.

Shakespeares Macbeth as Tragic Hero :: Macbeth essays

Macbeth as Tragic Hero of Shakespeare's Macbeth      Ã‚  Ã‚   Is Macbeth the tragic hero of the play "Macbeth?" This question may seem to be redundant; however, not all of Shakespeare's Tragedies are named after their tragic heroes. For example, Julius Caesar is not the tragic hero of "Julius Caesar." A tragic hero must conform to a set of characteristics which evolved all the way from ancient to medieval times. Macbeth conforms to these characteristics and is the tragic hero of "Macbeth."      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The death of an ordinary person in Medieval times was not considered tragic. This idea was based on the notion of "fall". If a peasant died, his death meant very little because he had not far to fall. In other words, a peasant did not have much of a life to lose. However, if a king or noble were to die, his death would be a very long fall, since to the Medieval mind, he had a great deal to lose.   Macbeth is a very important person. He is a cousin to the king of Scotland. He is the highest ranking noble, the thane of Cawdor and Glamis, and a general of the Scottish army. He also becomes the king of Scotland later in the play. Despite his status, he has a character defect.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A tragic hero must have a character flaw.   This character flaw causes him to make an error in judgment, "a mistaken act," which leads to his downfall. Because Macbeth is ambitious, he wants to become king. In order to take over the throne, he kills Duncan, and thus commits his terrible crime, and eventually is punished.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The tragic hero must deserve his fate. He must not simply make a mistake, like stepping off a curb in front of a moving vehicle. He must commit some terrible crime for which he is punished. People of the Elizabethan Period were well aware of the problems created when kings are murdered. The Fifteenth Century was a period of almost constant ruinous civil war in England. The dire consequences of this act are a constant theme in Shakespeare's plays. According to the medieval Theory of Divine Right, God appoints the king, thus Macbeth committed a religious crime when he kills the king.

Disabled by Wilfred Owen Essay

When you hear ‘death’ you think of pain and suffering. The poem Disabled by Wilfred Owen shows that he regrets some major decisions he made in his very short life; such as going to war. Throughout the poem he states how much he regret going to war. He used lots of terms to describe his pain and suffering in the war and also after coming home from the war. How he is against all wars. He informs young men on how the war really is. Another source I looked at was the movie Gallipoli. The protagonist was so eager to go to war. He was so excited thinking it was going to be fun and above all he was out into the light horse category. He was constantly saying that he wanted to get home and share his experiences with his family, only little did he know that is was the last time he was going to see them. Good afternoon fellow students and Ms Dadd/Fegatilli. We have all been studying war stories for a week or two. The 2 forms of writing we have been studying are Disabled by Wilfred Owen and some of us have been studying the movie Gallipoli. The protagonist in â€Å"Disabled† speaks about how he misses all of the wonderful memories that he had only last year, before he lied his way to go to war underage to show off, only to lose limbs and become an old man who is only about 19 and has aged as though until he looks and feels elderly. He has lived in an institute for most of his life after he came back from the war. This teaches us that you must cherish what you have and not to show of how good you can be. You never know when you suddenly lose important things to you because of the decisions you have made before. Wilfred Owen uses repetition throughout the poem to try and bring these messages of regret across, such as â€Å"Now he will never feel again† and â€Å"Now, he is old; his back will never brace;† to emphasis what he will never have again and how much he has lost. Wilfred Owen sets the mood to match the theme. The theme of this poem is a look at what has become of a man who made wrong choices in life then to later regret it. In Disabled, he has used emotive language and powerful words to emphasize the theme. The second source I looked at was the movies Gallipoli. The protagonist is so keen of the idea to go to war, that he doesn’t think of how it will affect others and how it will affect himself. So he signs the form; which proudly states his is over 21. The film Gallipoli shows that men back in those days didn’t take it seriously. They thought it was all fun and games right until they were in the trenches about to shoot people or possibly even go over when they were commanded to. So as you can see, not many people made it out alive. They thought it was going to be all fun and games but they were very mistaken. So throughout this speech I have mentioned the effects that both protagonists have to deal with. Death brings pain and suffering but in this case it was the war. Thank you for listening to my speech.

Methods of Communication Essay

Nonverbal Communication Methods Nonverbal communication consists of sharing a message in any form that does not involve words. It is present in our everyday life, and any intake of information, whether it be through sight, sound, touch, smell or taste, is considered a valid form of communication. Learning about nonverbal communication can prove to be beneficial in all aspects of your life, including relationships and public speaking as well as psychological and emotional health. Paralanguage Even when we speak, there are some elements of nonverbal communication present called paralanguage. According to Bently University, paralanguage refers to the vocal aspects of communication, such as speaking style, intonation and voice. A clear example is how something you say can change how others perceive it if you change your intonation without changing your words. Haptic Communication Haptic communication refers to the relay of information through touch, according to Saint Mary’s College Notre Dame. By using haptic communication, you can comfort a friend with a hug and a pat on the back, or hurt an enemy by physically harming him. Haptic communication tends to be more common in children before they learn to speak. It also plays a big role in sexuality and intimacy and when given without permission can be considered a form of harassment. It is recommended that you always have consent from the receiver when communication through touch. Body Language Body language is an intricate form of nonverbal communication that happens on  a daily basis and can sometimes relay more than words can. The University of Northern Iowa defines body language as having an impact on what is being portrayed not only from the type of movements but also the proximity of those movements to the receiver. For example, leaning forward in a moderate form can communicate friendly feelings, while doing so in an exaggerated form communicates hostile feelings. Body language can show your self-confidence and state of mind and is visible not only by those with whom you interact but also by onlookers around you. Communication Through Art, Music and Dance Communicating in a nonverbal way through art, music and dance is a personal form of expression that can greatly influence others’ emotions, ideas and moods. This type of communication can sometimes generate movement around it if others feel empathetic to what is being communicated. It can also invite them to join in, such as dancing in a gathering or playing instruments with friends.