Influence Of Christianity In South Korean Politics Essay

Influence Of Christianity In South Korean Politics Essay Introduction South Korea as a country has a large number of Christian denominations unlike Japan or China where the dominant religion is Buddhism, Confucianism, or other traditional religions. The roles that the Christians played in Korea extends to social, economic and political field. This paper concerns with how Christian as a religion had an unprecedented influence in the political spheres in South Korea politics. South Korea apparently has more than 60,000 churches and is considered the most Christianized non western country.* Christianity was said to have entered Korea in the 18th and 19th century through China by the Roman Catholics. However it was met with a harsh treatment meted out towards these foreigners and even persecuted the converts. However, despite the persecutions the number of converts later increased more than before and for these missionaries they found a fertile land for the Christian as a religion to grow manifold and till today it remains so. The opening of the port in Korea led to the inflow of merchants who along with the trade came the influence of western ideologies, cultures and many others. It also lessened the oppressions against these Christians which created, in part, a condition that enabled the Christians to have more of a receptive welcome. Not only did they bring doctors, medicines from outside but also schools which would in the later stages play an important role for the Koreans in every aspect of their life-be it in economic, social, education, political and the likes. The political influence that came from outside of Korea further intensified for other foreigners to have a say in the political matters. And of course the degradation of the social order created a breeding ground for the rise of voices that were subdued before with the aid of foreign influence. The disadvantaged lots were more perceptive of these new changes and they knew that they were able to have a say in an otherwise country which was ma terially and ideologically held by the ruling classes-the Yangban class. It gave the lower discontented sections of the society freedom from the bondage of the Confucian social order. Education by the Christians and its introduction to democracy One of the major contributions that the Christian missionaries brought along in Korea was education and through this tool people were made to realize the importance of equality through education and the opposition of the elites. Education in olden days was available only to the rich and the elites of the Korean society with the usage of the Chinese scripts. With the mission to make the Koreans learn how to read bible the missionaries took efforts in making the hangul script available to all the common people. Through education the notions of human rights, liberty, equality, democracy and other western concepts came into force. It was involved in the propagation of activities such as the founding of politically independent newspapers which would serve an important means to either support the government or to criticize the wrongdoings of the government. Even the missionaries helped form unions for the workers for fair treatment and the rights of the workers. In education it provided the individuals with a cause for national independence with the protection of American missionaries. The large Christian presence in Pyongando province in part accounts for its prominence in the Independence movement during the early phases of Japanese rule. The Koreans had to undergo a lot of hardships during the Japanese rule and their economic and social was in a mess. . The independence club founded by the Christian missionaries was active in the remedying of corruption and compromised political order; this club had many Christians as its leaders. Although it was known that Catholics came first to Korea it was the Protestants that had a large growing number of converts who introduced the concepts of ideas concerned with national independence and other new liberal thoughts. In a way one can say that the role played by these missionaries were more of political than that of spirituality. One must however note that some of the Protestant Christian church lead ers at the later stage declared that any those Christians who were involved in activities other than spirituality should be banned from the churches as the church was supposed to be a place of worship and not a place for talks regarding issues that are related to labor, peace or international affairs. Christianity and Politics Even before the appearance of the two super powers in Korea, the political activity was very active even in North Korea. The church leaders were active in the participation of political activities that offered them quite a huge opportunity. The Soviet Union viewed Christian Church suspiciously because it wanted to establish a friendly relationship with Korea but the fact that Cho Mansik the then leader of CPKI (this CPKI was sponsored by church leaders) was a Christian and has a Christian background of his organization it was going to be a problematic situation for the Soviet Union as they viewed Christianity as something that was sympathetic towards the United States. The Soviets knew that the United States had introduced Protestantism to late Choson Korea and promoted it until the outbreak of the Pacific War in 1941. In addition to that there were factors such as the growing influence of Christian leaders like Syngman Rhee and Yo Unhyong in the south as well. In this factor too, it became a necessary for the Soviets to not ignore the influence that Christianity as a religion was having over both North as well as South Korea. Syngman Rhee, the first president of South Korea was himself active in both the Independence club and the Youth Mens Christian Association (YMCA) and was educated in a school founded and run by U.S. Methodist missionaries. During the time of the Japanese rule the March First Independence movement of 1919 where the Christian churches played an important role posed a direct threat to the Japanese rule. Not only did it provided shelter to the intellectuals following their suppression by the Japanese but it also exercised an appeal to the people of Pyongando province who were very alienated from the mainstream of political or social life. During the early years of liberation the Christians had more support from the masses and had more potential in terms of political activities because of better education, experience in politics and administration which wasnt so for the other groups like the businessman, bureaucrats and policemen who were known to have collaborated with the Japanese durin g the colonial era. After the liberation of Korea from Japan and the outbreak of the civil war between the North Koreans and the South Koreans there was a huge displacement of the people from the north to the south because of the anti drive towards Christianity in north with its ideologies based on communism and these north Koreans had been the stronghold of Korean Christianity who formed the core of the church in the south. In fact Pyongyang was once the center of Christianity on the peninsula known as the Jerusalem of the East. These North Koreans supported Rhees efforts to establish an anti communist ideology. In his speech before a conference of Presbyterian churches he said that the most urgent problem that the South Koreans faced was that of the Soviet trained Red army which aspired to wipe out Christianity. He appealed to the church members for support of his government and to fight against communism. Rhees drive toward anti communism helped minimize the opposition to his government by the churches as they shared the similar ideologies.perhaps this explains a cordial relation between the government and the church during that time. During the reign of Park Chung Hee, the establishment of the Yushin system was criticized on the grounds that the system was corrupted and it violated human rights which involved kidnapping and torturing. In opposition to the government few incidents broke out in October which was to later have a major influence on other movements as such. The arrests of the church leader Rev. Pak Hyong gyu, Rev. Kwon Ho Gyong on 6th July 1973 on the charge of leading a rebellion against the government led many Christians to provide as many as 400 anti-Yushin leaflets causing the government to distort the actual incident through the usage of torture. Overtime the incident became very big that international body of church came in August 1st 1973 to investigate the matter. The government, due to pressures both from outside and inside the country, finally yielded to the demands and released the prisoners. This incident shows the crucial bitter battle between the Christian organizations and Park regime and the incident further promoted the churches dedication towards democracy and human rights. The opposition movement was indeed hugely responsible for the demand of the establishment of democratic institutions and that of the political and civil rights. Catholic politician Kim Dae Jung raised his voice against Park Chung Hee for intimidating the South Koreans through the Yushin system and he became famous for his campaingn against President Park and his strength at withstanding periods of imprisonment, exile, attempts to assassinate him and even death sentence. In 1997 Kim Dae Jung was elected and he was the first catholic to be elected as a president in South Korea. Even though he lost to his opponent the country would still have a catholic as its president for the opposition was also a catholic Lee Hoi Chang who lost to Kim Dae Jung by only 2 points. Kim Dae Jungs predecessor, Kim Young Sam was also a Christian, a Presbyterian leader who was elected as the president of South Korea in 1993 indicating the vitality of Christianity in South Korea. A liberation theory called minjung shinhak literally meaning the theology of people became a towering symbol of the rally of democracy, equality, social justice and human rights. Christian churches championed the causes for the people of Korea in political, economic and in social spheres. It was a strong supporter of democracy and campaigned against the authoritative, oppressive and military rule of the Korean government. Besides the university students the church as an organization forms the biggest group to oppose and criticize the government openly. It was also to be seen that most of the prisoners who were prisoned for engaging in anti government activities were church leaders, priests, students and journalists. Conclusion As we have seen Education was a very important instrument that the Christian Missionaries used to educate and produce intellectuals that would later participate in the political spheres. They would then probably have reflected those ideologies that they have imbibed during their education years in their political decisions as well. Some of the known Universities in South Korea that have Christianity as their background are Yonsei University and EWHA University among others. The alumni of these universities have enjoyed various social as well as political privileges. They have served in national cabinet and South Korea had the first female prime minister in Han Myeong Suk (also an alumnus of EWHA). The conception of freedom and basic rights as universal is central to Christian doctrine and perhaps its one of the many reasons as to why the Koreans after years and years of suppression found something in Christianity that they could finally be free from the subjugation and rule from foreign powers. Christianity has been used as a political tool by countries not just in Korea but also in other countries and is a powerful one that can be used for the betterment of society or for worse. In the case of South Korea it played a major role in the wake of liberalization from Japanese colonial rule and also in terms of monetary reliefs after the civil war where both the countries plummeted in poverty. The crossing of the South Korean priest and political activist Han Sang Ryol recently into North Korea from Beijing to Pyongyang who was of the view that Lees government was responsible for anti-reunification and upon which he was arrested for the violation of national security law is still a continuing evidence that Christian as a religion is still a tool that is being used for political purposes. With time one might even hope that Christianity serve a common ground for resolving problems between the two countries. However, it is of an importance to see that Christianity when used as a means for political reasons when actually it should be more of helping someone grow in faith it becomes a mere tool for other politicians to use for political gains and eventually peoples trust in the government would fail (which happened often in South Korea) and keep distance away from religion altogether as it has become something impure and a religion for the elites when it in fact started as an instrument to help the down casted lot. We all know how media especially the newspaper can harm or gain favor for the government in power and this knowledge is used to the maxim by the government to either financially support or threaten the opposing forces and in this case it was mainly directed towards these Christian organizations. South Korea as a country with a large number of Christians can spell trouble for the government if they go against some principles which would lead to mass protests and if there had been any casualties that government would face dire consequences; thus it became a necessity for the government to not take up policies or engage in activities that would anger these organizations and would even go to the extent of buttering them. In all one cannot ignore the major influence Christianity had in Korea-both North Korea (because the paper deals with only Christian influence in South Korea context much has not been written for North Korea) as well as South Korea in almost all aspects. Although one criticizes the motive behind the conversion from their tradition to Christianity stating reasons like easy access to monetary, position and other worldly gains (it is certainly true to some extent in that if the Christian missionaries have not made their appearance the history as we know of Korea might totally have been a different one) there have been some genuine reasons like the spread of equality, democracy, human rights and the likes. Despite the many accusations made against the Christianity as an organization in catering to the needs of other motivated politicians one cannot but help to remind that minus the Christians in economics, social, and even political spheres South Korea might not have been able to achieve such success in a matter of a short time which might be boisterous to say at one point but because the contributions it had made towards the development of South Korea had been enormous one cannot dismiss its role that easily. It is thus impossible to paint the whole of South Korea without a Christian element in it and the roles it had played significantly in other aspects besides the role of spiritualism.

How far was Henrys foreign policy merely defensive in the years between 1487 and 1509?

Henry worked hard to establish, consolidate and recover many foreign relations within his reign. This was mostly defensive due to pretenders threatening Henry’s throne which meant a lot of Henry’s foreign relations were defensive. However, Henry did also establish policies to help other factors during his reign. One way in which Henry did establish relations out of defence was to rid of short term pretenders and threats to his throne. An example of this would be the Treaty of Etaples which was made in 1492 with France.This treaty outlined neither country would support imposters which resulted in France having to stop supporting and give up Perkin Warbeck who was at the time pretending to be Richard, Duke of York. The treaty was a defensive manoeuvre to ensure the pretender was stopped to reduce the threat to Henry’s throne and this helped Henry a lot as France did not particularly like Henry at the time so the Treaty meant they would no longer support Warbeck whi ch helped Henry protect his security well. However, some of Henry’s actions could have been seen as an attack rather than defence.The treaty of Etaples also meant Henry demanded money resulting in France had to pay an annual pension of 50,000 crowns (?5,000). The money was given due to Henry reasserting an ancient claim to French lands and besieging Boulogne which was quite assertive and was this part of the treaty was more of an attack towards France. This is why it is debatable whether Henry was more defensive or attacking in foreign policy as the Treaty of Etaples did both as it forced France to give up pretenders, protecting Henry, but also demanding money, an attack of France.However, it is clear that indeed, henry did use the treaty to attack France but overall used it as a defence. Another reason Henry instated foreign policy completely as a defence was to secure his dynasty through marriages and treaties and make peace for his and others future rule. The Treaty of Ayt on, made in 1497, established Anglo-Scottish harmony which matured into a formal peace Treaty in 1502 and the long term strength was symbolised with the marriage of Princess Margaret, Henry’s daughter, and James IV in 1503.This was entirely to put a stop to the on-going conflict on the Scottish border and ensure a lasting truce and alliance with Scotland for his dynasty and future security. Yet on the other hand, Henry also established foreign policies and agreements to help improve England’s trade. Due to Margaret of Burgundy showing continuous support for Warbeck, Henry issued an embargo on English trade with Burgundy that lasted until 1496.Henry then later dealt with this with the Intercursus Magnus also known as the Great Settlement in 1846 as both Henry and Philip had suffered from the commercial restrictions and needed each other’s trade again. This cannot be seen as defensive as relations did not improve massively as Philip continued to harbour Yorkists m eaning this agreement was purely made to improve trade and English profits and did not benefit Henry in securing his throne nor dynasty. This clearly means Henrys foreign policy was not entirely defensive but was placed to improve trade as well.In conclusion, Henry worked hard to establish foreign policies for different reasons. It is clear that Henry’s main priority was as defence but also that it was not the total reason and foreign policy was not used completely for defence as Henry did make some agreements to assist trade and as a form of attack on countries to instate and show power. However, it is fair to say Henry’s foreign policy was defensive to help secure his throne but mostly to provide and protect his dynasty.

All About Informative Essay Topics for High School

All About Informative Essay Topics for High School Informative Essay Topics for High School Ideas Your essay might incorporate the factors for teen pregnancy and talk about the recent rates of teen pregnancy and potential solutions. It's true that you could simply quit eating. For instance, students might write about the advantages of a vegan diet. Just keep in mind that while you're supposed to present the topic objectively, you still ought to use a sophisticated style. You ought to use an informal style if you would like to concentrate on love or life. Select a favourite sport and appear at how it developed. As an example, assume that you're into a sport like skateboarding. Women ought to be fined each time they scream. School tests aren't effective. Every American should learn how to speak Spanish. He should learn to speak English. To choose which subject you're likely to discuss, it's vital to see the complete collection of good persuasive speech topics from the sp ecial area of study. On the opposite side, acquiring a list of good persuasive essay topics is insufficient. You ought to begin by presenting the topic with a couple sentences. Research-based topics require students to assemble information till they write. Deciding upon a great subject for your essay is among the most crucial areas of the approach. Once you get your completed essay, be sure to tell all your friends what a fantastic service it is and what's the perfect place to acquire cheap essays. At length, if you are supposed to write and essay but have very little knowledge or interest in the topic, don't forget there are lots of custom essay writers which will gladly do the task for you. If you are a newcomer to writing informative essays or simply struggle when it has to do with thinking of informative essay topics, then there's a great chance you might be looking for some help. Test essay questions will be contingent on the topic, obviously. Normally, you need to always ready the structure of the essay before you start writing. It's inherent for each and every student to possess the skills essential to compose an outstanding informative essay. You should know what you will write about to devise a very good research system. The Appeal of Informative Essay Topics for High School The usage of good informational essay topics can have an impact on how good a grade you get. After introducing your topic sentence, it's time to stick to the CCE format to craft the most crucial portion of the essay. As soon as you decided on this issue, it's time to sit down and spend a few hours or more based on the assignment's volume on the informative essay outline. Your subject of choice dictates the amount of your body section. The Battle Over Informative Essay Topics for High School and How to Win It An argumentative paper is part of the persuasion. The reader ough t to take the author's side by the close of the reading. Other people point to media and societal pressures. You may, for instance, discuss advertising or parental influence. Informative Essay Topics for High School - Dead or Alive? Allow the professional academic writers help to your informative paper! While the net has a tremendous collection of advantages, it has some downsides too. Research and write down the significance of each term you want to use. If you're a college student, you can see your college library for more info. America lags behind many nations in education. Informational Writing Prompts to assist Students Learn About the World Around Us A journal isn't merely a safe location for a student to reflect on her or his ideas and feelingsit may also be a highly effective tool that permits the student to find out more about what's going on in the world around us. People are now overly dependent upon technology. Things You Should Know About Informative Essay Topics for High School Choosing our service, you will understand that studying can be simple if you gain from the aid of competent experts. Whether you're a student in high school or college, there's a 100% chance you will have to compose some type of informative essay during your educational decades. A seasoned professional will make an error-free assignment right away and can help you boost your grades. Many students think that it is a waste of time.

Essay about Life of a Slave in the Caribbean - 1450 Words

Life of a Slave in the Caribbean The experience of Caribbean slavery is vital in understanding the contemporary social structure of the region. It was the introduction of an estimated four million Africans to the Caribbean which made these islands melting pots of culture and society. Since Africans had such a tremendous impact on the region, it is important that we recognize the nature of slavery and how it transformed their lives. Although most agree that the institution was dehumanizing, the social relations of slavery help to explain the development of the Caribbean’s identity. In order to understand slavery it is imperative to recognize that it’s introduction to the Caribbean was driven by colonizers need for economic expansion†¦show more content†¦As a result of the distinctions among field and domestic slaves a social hierarchy developed on the majority of plantations. As sugar and other agriculture became more important to the economies of the Caribbean islands the colonies evolved from settlement colonies to exploitation colonies. The consequences of the exploitation colonies was that Africans outnumbered the European ruling class. As a result, for upper-class whites, race rather than class and nationality became a consoling, fraternal bond ( Knight 150). Because race became so important to the colonizers, by the eighteenth century, skin color became a socially defining factor on plantations. Ultimately color became the ticket to social mobility and this created divisions among slaves on the plantation. The majority of the plantations throughout the Caribbean were similar in structure because all the colonizers wanted to maximize profits. Still there were lots of distinctions amongst the islands. In Puerto Rico for example, the Spanish established strict slave codes which gave slaves more rights than in many other colonies. 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The Use of Social Networking Sites Free Essays

By Ogechi Ebere By Ogechi Ebere Their Advantages, Abuses and Dangers. Their Advantages, Abuses and Dangers. The Use of Social Networking Sites The Use of Social Networking Sites Introduction: Human beings by and large are social. We will write a custom essay sample on The Use of Social Networking Sites or any similar topic only for you Order Now They feel an inherent need to connect and expand their connections. There is a deep rooted need among humans to share. In the past, due to geographical distances and economic concerns, connections between people were limited. A social network is made up of individuals that are connected to one another by a particular type of interdependency. It could be ideas, values, trade, anything. Social networks operate on many levels. Initially social networking happened at family functions where all relative and friends would conglomerate under one roof. Social networking has always been prevalent; it is just that in these times the face of social networking has changed. Where earlier the process was long drawn, involving a chain movement where in one person led to another through a web of social contacts, today the process is highly specialized. I’ll introduce to you the  most must-know advantages and disadvantages, dangers of social media so you’ll be aware of how to use it in the safest and most valuable possible ways! Advantages of Social Networking Sites: 1) Low Cost Communication (essentially free) If you go on to social networking sites such as Facebook, Bebo or MySpace, you can send messages back and forth to multiple friends at once, absolutely free from charge (apart from the cost of actually running the internet, and computer etc. ). 2) Making New Friends You are given the opportunity to make new friends via such sites, whether that be ‘suggested friends’ (a friend of a friend) or online relations that can be formed due to a shared interest or hobby. 3) The Ability to Upload Videos and Images Most Social Networking platforms have the capability to allow you to upload particular media. So a wide selected audience can view your pictures and videos. Saving you having to send images and videoes directly to each person you want to see them, instead they can simply pop over to your account profile and view them. 4) The Ease of Setting Up Events Facebook allows you to create events, which is an online organised meeting to do something (in the real world) with a set time and place, so via Facebook you can offer invites to the event and make announcements etc. Again saving time, as you aren’t having to go around communicating to everyone individually. 5) Sharing Knowledge Social networking sites give you the capability to share information with ease, and by doing this Julia Porter states that people are able to â€Å"increase both their learning and their flexibility in ways that would not be possible within a self-contained hierarchical organisation† – this particular statement was is in regards to passing information around scientists, however it can also be applied to other organisations also. ) Finding Old Friends Social networking is a great tool to reunite with friends, with social networking sites such as â€Å"Friends Reunited†. Where a simple sign-up and filling in a few details – you have just allowed yourself to be found by old friends. 7) Tools for Teaching As students are using a wide range of social networking sites already, teachers have taken advantage of this. Teachers have started to bri ng up online academic discussions (through threads and chat rooms) – for their students to participate in. Social network platforms also provide teachers with the ability to help students out with homework and communicate with parents. 8) Pursuing Jobs and Work Experience Twitter in particular is a great tool for this, tweeting that you are interested in a particular job or internship could be a great step to actually securing one. As your followers may not actually have a opportunity for you, but they may know people who do – so you don’t only tap into your network, you tap into the network of the people who are following you (i. e the friend of the friend’s network). Disadvantages of Social Networking Sites: 1) The Invasion Of Privacy It has been addressed on many occasions in the news and in the press, that we are giving away too much ‘personal information’ about ourselves, and that this is leading us to becoming vulnerable to the likes of identity theft etc. 2) Reducing Worker Productivity There has been evidence to suggest social networking sites are harming businesses. Their employees are wasting time right throughout the day by participating in social networking sites rather than actually working. It has been stated that Facebook alone is accountable to wasting more than ? 130 million a day in the UK. 3) How Much Do Social Networking Sites Know? Perhaps social networking sites have learnt a bit too much information for comfort, Facebook knows via their program ‘Facebook Beacon’   that analyses our natural online behaviour – how long we are on the internet for, how often we visit certain websites etc. They monitor your activity even when you aren’t actually even logged in to Facebook! 4) Potential to Cause Harm There has been many reported cases, where fake accounts have been made, that lead to horrific tragedies. Such as in October 2006 a fake MySpace account was created that was given the name of Josh Evans that was closely linked to the suicide of Megan Meier. 5) The Case of Cyber-Bullying As many young teenagers are using social networking sites as a form of communication, this just provides  bullies with another opportunity to traumatise  their victims. With few limitations from social networking sites to what people can actually post, bullies have the ability to publish offensive images and comments. ) â€Å"Trolling† These are rather common occurrences where individuals will post within a social network, to either annoy or spark a reaction through a post or general comment – these people are often referred to as Trolls. Not really bullying, more being a nuisance on the social network. 7) Causing a Lack of Personal Communication There is a concern over people becomin g so reliant upon the convenience of social networking sites that they aren’t actually using ‘real-life’ verbal skills and they losing out on social intimacy with other people. ) Psychological Issues Studies have been conducted where the results suggest that people are becoming addicted to social networking sites – e. g. a case of fourteen year old spending over eight hours day on Facebook etc. . There is also evidence to suggest that these sites can cause a person to feel ‘lonely’. The Dangers Of Social Networking Sites: There are many inherent dangers of social networking sites because of the way the websites work. One of the biggest dangers is fraud, sometimes having to do with identity theft. Because these sites are based on friends and the passing along of bits of personal information, thieves realized the potential instantly. There are endless  social networking scams  that crooks can try to pull off with this medium and we have only seen the â€Å"tip of the iceberg† so far. The newest mainstream social network is twitter. It’s based on people following others and getting to read their tweets of 140 characters or less. This is one of the dangers of social networking sites because many people want as many followers as possible and they aren’t shy about what they say in their tweets. This highlights the  trouble with Twitter  and many other social networking sites. Many people’s goals on these sites is to have as many friends as possible and they just don’t think before they message or add friends. Unfortunately, this sets them up to be victimized by one scam or the next. The biggest social network in the world is facebook. Started in 2004 by a Harvard student, this site has had a meteoric rise. Facebook has become a huge software platform that houses every application imaginable and millions of games and groups and users. This brings us to another one of the dangers of social networking sites. With the goal of becoming bigger than big, can these sites really protect the average users while on their site? Yes, this should be up to the individual user, but certain things cannot be controlled by the user and when the site has 200 million users (100 million log in everyday! ), how much resource can be used for protecting clients of the site? With so many people logged in everyday that contribute personal information constantly, the crooks have followed and committed  Ã¢â‚¬ Facebook identity theft†Ã‚  to get what they need. There are truly endless scams they have tried and will try to pull off on the social networks. Teen Social Networking By The Numbers: * 51  Percentage of teens who check their sites more than once a day. * 22  Percentage who check their sites more than 10 times a day. * 39  Percentage who have posted something they later regretted. * 37  Percentage who have used the sites to make fun of other students. * 25  Percentage who have created a profile with a false identity. * 24  Percentage who have hacked into someone else’s social networking account. * 13  Percentage who have posted nude or seminude pictures or videos of themselves or others online. acebook identity theft like any other online identity theft, can be extremely dangerous for teenagers. With their brain still developing, it is very easy to take advantage of them by pretending to be someone else (usually a crush). There have been many cases like this and it devastates the teen when the criminal reveals that it was a hoax. Many teens have fallen into deep depression or even lost their life, an enor mous tragedy and one of the biggest dangers of social networking sites. Be Careful! Be Careful! There are thousands and thousands of  facebook impostors  out there looking to make an easy buck or harass people they know. How to cite The Use of Social Networking Sites, Essay examples

Amistad Essay Example For Students

Amistad Essay LAmistadThe Amistad, ironically a ship that means friendship, was the setting of one of the most historical slave revolts led by black Africans in 1839. This revolt gained considerable attention from the American population, the media and well as other international interests. It was the black insurrection on board the Amistad that ignited the underlying issues of politics, slavery, sectionalism, religion, trade rights, and anti-British sentiment that already plagued the nation at the time of the Amistad incident. The controversy drew the entire world into the conflict over human and property rights, an issue that divided our nation and would eventually catapult it into war over the relationship of race and slavery to liberty. Treaties and Laws in the 1800s sought to further slavery regulation by making it legal, but prohibiting the further importation of slaves.Great Britain banned slavery in its own colonies, and pursued the suppression of trade. The United States passed the Slave Importation Act of 1807, which declared further importation of slaves into the United States illegal.Yet these Laws proved to be unenforceable due to Presidential denial of power to halt trades in the United States, as well as the rising cotton production in the South and the demand for Cuban sugar and Brazilian coffee, both expanding the market for slave labor. Thus the 1817 treaty with Great Britain that also outlawed foreign slave trade especially hurt the Spanish colony of Cuba.In spite of the ban, slave-traders continued to smuggle in slaves for several decades and tried to pass them off as legal. Slaves were constantly kidnapped from their homeland and taken most on route to Cuba, where slave labor was in most frequent demand. In 1839, the two men, Jose Ruiz and Pedro Montes chartered the Amistad to transport the 49 slaves to plantations in Cuba. One of the slaves on board the ship, Joseph Cinque, was given the impression that he and the other prisoners were being taken somewh ere to be turned into dried meat and eaten. Deciding he had nothing to lose by trying to get free, Cinque led others on board in a rebellion against the ship, killing the ships captain and the cook. Two other crewmembers either died during the revolt or jumped off the ship to try to reach shore. Only one slave died during the uprising. The slaves on board, with Cinque in charge, ordered Ruiz and Montes to sail to Africa. In hope of being rescued, the two men instead pursued a different course, that which would lead them down Atlantic Ocean, where they would eventually reach the United States, along the coast of Long Island. As Cinque and some others left the ship, members of the U.S.S. Washington came on board. The Africans were charged with murder and mutiny, and they were transported to New Haven, Conn. to await trial. The rebellion on board the ship immediately caught the attention of abolitionists Lewis Tappan, Joshua Leavitt, Simeon Jocelyn. Together they rallied for public sup port and established themselves as the Amistad Committee , a precursor to the American Missionary Association. They conducted a nationwide appeal for funds to provide for the legal defense. They saw the Amistad blacks as noble savages, who though untutored in education or religion, realized the value of freedom. While genuinely and sincerely committed to fighting for the blacks release, abolitionists perceived as well the value of the Africans as dramatic symbols in the battle against slavery.Right away the abolitionists searched for a translator who could break the language barrier and allow the captives to tell their side of the story in court. They found a linguistics professor from Yale University knew the Mende language. The abolitionists sought to also save the blacks by sending theology students to visit them in jail to teach them English and Christianity.The abolitionist dedication to the cause increased with the firm opposition to the Africans by the Van Buren administratio n and leading Southern spokesmen. The Van Buren Administration could not afford to alienate his Southern supporters in his upcoming 1840 election and thus did have reason to heed Southern views on the Amistad question. A public dispute over slavery would divide his Democratic Party. Moreover, both the Secretary of State and Attorney General were not only Southerners but slaveholders as well. The administration in fact, had but recently proven its sensitivity on the fugitive slave issue. Van Buren disregarded both American law and the Constitution in an attempt to quiet the issue by complying with Spanish demands. By having a ship ready to deliver the Africans back to Spanish authorities, Van Buren interfered in the judicial process and violated the blacks rights as human beings.Spain shared both the Van Buren fear of slave revolt and his fear of abolitionist gain through events like the Amistad rebellion. The Spanish government had made demands upon the United States concerning the Amistad. Angel Calderon de La Barca, a Spanish minister, cited four articles of the Pinckneys Treaty, which had been reaffirmend by the Adams-Onis Treaty of 1819. They claimed that the US had no right to try the captives, and that they should be immediately returned to Cuba so they can stand trial for murder and piracy, the Africans were being described in a contradiction of property and pirates. Ruiz and Montes claimed that the Africans had been slaves in Cuba prior to the time of purchase and were therefore Ruiz and Montes legal property. Along with support from the Abolitionists, Great Britain, given its recent disagreements with the American government over the right of search, did not show sympathy to American or Spanish concerns, especially in the Amistad incident. The Glasgow Emancipation Society and other groups passed resolutions in support of the Amistad Africans. A year before the Amistad Africans landed in the United States, U.S. Minister to Great Britain demanded that t he British refrain from forcing liberty upon such American slaves, as might enter British ports, prohibited slaves from landing in her colonies, and guard such slaves that landed until they would be claimed. Spain, in Van Burens view, took a more reasonable view than Britain toward slavery and the slave trade. This is why Van Buren felt it was more important to maintain good relations with Spain. Pans Labyrinth Character Notes, Captain Vidal. EssayThe Amistad case illustrates the extent of divisiveness felt over slavery issue. A number of northern newspapers felt the cases drama would provoke wide debate on the institution of slavery. The case indicated the divisions already apparent within the United States. It showed the ideas of differences between north and south regions firmly established and the tensions between them to be increasing rather than decreasing, eventually leading to war over this prevalent issue of slavery. Another influence in the surrounding the Amistad period was the aftermath of the Second Great Awakenings and the rising of the evangelicals. Many scholars have pointed out some of the more radical consequences of this evangelical position with respect to moral reform. Their opposition to slavery was based primarily on the belief that it was inherently selfish and that selfishness was a card. Another negative association about slavery, viewed by evangel icals, was its association with great wealth.In the following November, the Africans, a translator, and some missionaries (both black and white) left for Africa aboard the ship the Gentleman. The arrival of those Amistad Africans who had successfully rebelled against slavery two years earlier, had ignited a sectional debate of significance within the United States. The immediate support of the blacks by leading abolitionists, when contrasted to the immediate denial by the federal government of the Africans right to be free, indicated how firmly different forces in the nation were committed to the slavery issue. General public response to the case revealed the importance of party allegiance, the divisiveness of slavery, the limited place of the black man, and the extreme aversion to the abolitionists and Great Britain shared by Americans at the close of the Van Buren administration. These prevalent and resistant differences would remain firmly settled in the United States, and would gradually tear the nation apart until there comes a call of war to finally settle sectional differences.

Oil And Gas Essays - Pricing, Commodity Markets, Petroleum Politics

Oil And Gas The economy is affected by many factors that determine if it is strong or weak. These factors have to do with buyers consuming goods and services and at what rate they do this. Do the goods and services that are consumed by people created wealth, jobs and a better overall economy for a country. Throughout history some economies have evolved faster and stronger than others. Policies that the government places on industry, technology and the environment can all affect the prosperity of an economy. Of the factors that affect economic growth the industry of Oil and gas is one that holds a stronghold in the world's and America's economy today. When evaluating the economic growth factor of economy and specifically oil and gas on must consider the following questions: ? What relationship does the factor have with the whole economy? ? How does this factor affect economic growth ? Is the factor a cause or effect of economic growth? ? what would the economy be like if there were significant problems with this factor? ? What relation does a central bank have to this factor? I will answer each of these questions in respect to how economy is affected by oil and gas. The economy in the United States today is greatly affected by oil and gas. When there are large reserves and an increase of active drills in respect to oil, the economy seems to receive a boost. This is because prices for such things like gas and oil fall and people are able to consume more gas at a lower price. There is more supply and prices fall, therefore people save money on gas and can consume other items in the economy. People working in these industries have more job openings and more jobs filled, therefore creating a lower unemployment rate and a higher national per capita income. The need for substitutes are not there so, consumers will consume oil and gas at a growing rate. Since, people use oil and gas for so many different things like heating there homes, driving their cars, and a variety of other sources, the overall GNP for the consumer will rise. Economic growth is affected through significant fluctuations in inflation of oil and gas. If you look throughout history when there have been fluctuations in gas and oil prices you have vast fluctuations in the economy of our country. The instability of this factor has cause government regulation to come into play in times of crisis. For example during the mid-seventies we had the oil and gas shortage due to the Middle East cutting off supply to Importers of their oil. By doing this, they caused a shortage in a lot of countries creating rising oil prices and high demand. Consumers could not rely on the oil prices to be stable, therefore they consumed less of other products due to the inflation of gas prices and more of their dollar began to be spent on gas. Americans particularly started to come up with more efficient means of using and consuming gas over the past 25 years. Oil and gas is a resource that can be used up if not conserved properly. That is why OPEC was formed, as well as organizations such as NAFTA to help regulate trade of these commodities and bring organization to a disorganized status. In addition, governments like the United States impose taxes on gas to regulated the prices in order to ward off against supplies of oil affecting the nations economy. This only works to an extent, in the early to mid-eighties one state's economy lived and died by the supply of oil. That state was Texas. When Texas's oil rigs began to dry up, their economy went into a recession. Their reliance on the oil supply as their main revenue producer caused a lot of people to lose their jobs and demand and consumption for other products fell as well. This caused a spiraling effect which caused people from all industries to lose their jobs. Texas's economy suffered and so did parts of the American economy with High inflation and high debt which caused the economy to suffer. Increased regulation and diversification of a country's resources can stop this from being the case. Countries representing OPEC all live and die by the constant production of oil. While this factor is used to stimulate their countries economic growth, it should be used to stimulate the building of a country's infrastructure. Oil-rich countries should use the positive affect oil has had