Constitution Paper Essay

The weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation were pointed out by the Constitution. The Articles of Confederation were tweaked in May 1786. This introduced a set of fresh regulations for the central government. Thedeclaration of Independence was approved by the Congress on July 4, 1776. The Constitution paid attention to the irregularities in the Declaration of Independence and replaced all direct mentions of slavery. The Great Compromise drew an end to the disagreements among the states and set congressional representation upon population on an equal basis. The Bill of Rights was introduced by James Madison to the first United States Congress on August 21 1789 and was used by the House of Representatives. John Dickinson proposed an outline to the Articles of Confederation in 1776. The first establishment of a formal government in the colonies was introduced in this. The Articles of Confederation was accepted by thirteen states on March 1 1781. The document of unification introduce d a semblance of control to the central government. The Articles of Confederation helped address a feeble government system and pointed out a number of failures. Nonetheless The Articles of Confederation offered very little success as a government tool. The U.S. Constitution was put in writing in 1787. The new U.S. Constitution attempted to address the unsuccessful failures of the Articles of Confederation. For example, the Congress had no authority to charge taxes on the states. The system relied on donations from the states. The notion of federal taxation was opposed by the states. This caused an overpowering rise in currency because Congress did not have proper funding.Another defect of Congress was that it failed be in command of the foreign commerce. As a result, merchants and consumers had to pay high prices. Though Congress did possess the power to pass regulations and laws they were not allowed The thirteen American colonies of Great Britain revolted and declared independence for good reason. The actions of the British governm ent the king deprived Americans of numerous rights that were guaranteed to all other British citizens. In fact, many of these rights were guaranteed as early as 1215 since the American colonists were British citizens they had good reason to expect those rights to be recognized. They werent and in 1776 the American colonies declared independence and became the United States of America. When Americans wrote the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, they made sure to fix the problems.  These are some of the ways they fix the problems The king exercised absolute power. The power of British kings had been limited since 1215 almost 400 years before the first American colony was settled. The US Constitution divides power among three branches of government, and there are checks and balances to make sure that no single branch gets too powerful. Colonials were taxed without their consent. British citizens were represented in Parliament American colonists were not represented in Parliament, even though they were British citizens The US Constitution gives Congress the power to tax US citizens, and US citizens are represented in Congress by representatives they elect. July 16, 1987 began with a light breeze a cloudless sky and a spirit of celebration. On that day two hundred senators and representatives boarded a special train for a journey to Philadelphia to celebrate a sing ular congressional anniversary. Exactly two hundred years earlier the framers of the U.S. Constitution, meeting at Independence Hall, had reached a supremely important agreement. Their so called Great Compromise Connecticut Compromise in honor of its architects Connecticut delegates Roger Sherman and Oliver Ellsworth provided a dual system of congressional representation. In the House of Representatives each state would be assigned a number of seats in proportion to its population. In the Senate all states would have the same number of seats. Today we take this arrangement for granted in the wilting hot summer of 1787 it was a new idea. In the weeks before July 16 1787 the framers had made several important decisions about the Senates structure. They turned aside a proposal to have the House of Representatives elect senators from lists submitted by the individual state legislatures and agreed that those legislatures should elect their own senators. By July 16 the convention had already set the minimum age for senators at thirty and the term length at six years as opposed to twenty-five for House members with two year terms. James Madison explained that these distinctions based on the nature of the senatorial trust, which requires greater extent of information and stability of character would allow the Senate to proceed with more coolness with more system and with more wisdom than the popular electedbranch The issue of representation however threatened to destroy the seven week old convention. Delegates from the large states believed that because their states contributed proportionally more to the nations financial and defensive  resources they should enjoy proportionally greater representation in the Senate as well as in the House. Small-state delegates demanded, with comparable intensity, that all states be equally represented in both houses. When Sherman proposed the compromise, Benjamin Franklin agreed that each state should have an equal vote in the Senate in all mattersexcept those involving money. Over the Fourth of July holiday delegates worked out a compromise plan that sidetracked Franklins proposal. On July 16 the convention adopted the Great Compromise by a heart stopping margin of one vote. As the 1987 celebrants duly noted without that vote there would likely have been no Constitution. I think the bill of rights would be the perfect discussion what is the bill of rights The original Constitution as proposed in 1787 in Philadelphia and as ratified by the sta tes, contained very few individual rights guarantees as the framers were primarily focused on establishing the machinery for an effective federal government. A proposal by delegate Charles Pinckney to include several rights guarantees including liberty of the press and a ban on quartering soldiers in private homes was submitted to the Committee on Detail on August 20 1787 but the Committee did not adopt any of Pinckney recommendations. The matter came up before the Convention on September 12 1787 and following a brief debate proposals to include a Bill or Rights in the Constitution were rejected. As adopted, the Constitution included only a few specific rights guarantees protection against states impairing the obligation of contracts provisions that prohibit both the federal and state governments from enforcingex post facto lawslaws that allow punishment for an action that was not criminal at the time it was undertaken and provisions barringbills of attainderlegislative determinations of guilt and punishment Art. I Sections 9 and 10. The framers and notably James Madison its principal architect believed that the Constitution protected lib erty primarily through its division of powers that made it difficult for an oppressive majorities to form and capture power to be used against minorities. Delegates also probably feared that a debate over liberty guarantees might prolong or even threaten the fiercely-debated compromises that had been made over the long hot summer of 1787. In the ratification debate Ant Federalists opposed to the Constitution complained that the new system threatened liberties and suggested that if the delegates had truly cared about protecting individual rights they would have included  provisions that accomplished that. With ratification in serious doubt Federalists announced a willingness to take up the matter of series of amendments to be called the Bill of Rights soon after ratification and the First Congress comes into session. The concession wasundoubtedlynecessary to secure the Constitutions hard fought ratification. Thomas Jefferson, who did not attend the Constitutional Convention,in a December 1787 letter to Madisoncalled the omission of a Bill of Rights a major mistake A bill of rights is what the people are entitled to against every government on earth. James Madison was skeptical of the value of a listing of rights, calling it a parchment barrier. Madisons preference at the Convention to safeguard liberties was by giving Congress an unlimited veto over state laws and creating a joint executive judicial council of revision that could veto federal laws. Despite his skepticism, by the fall of 1788 Madison believed that a declaration of rights should be added to the Constitution. Its value, in Madisons view, was in part educational, in part as a vehicle that might be used to rally people against a future oppressive government and finally in an argumentborrowed from Thomas Jefferson Madison argued that a declaration of rights would help install the judiciary as guardian ofindividual rights against the other branches.

Twilight 19. GOODBYES

19. GOODBYES Charlie was waiting up for me. All the house lights were on. My mind was blank as I tried to think of a way to make him let me go. This wasn't going to be pleasant. Edward pulled up slowly, staying well back from my truck. All three of them were acutely alert, ramrod straight in their seats, listening to every sound of the wood, looking through every shadow, catching every scent, searching for something out of place. The engine cut off, and I sat, motionless, as they continued to listen. â€Å"He's not here,† Edward said tensely. â€Å"Let's go.† Emmett reached over to help me get out of the harness. â€Å"Don't worry, Bella,† he said in a low but cheerful voice, â€Å"we'll take care of things here quickly.† I felt moisture filling up my eyes as I looked at Emmett. I barely knew him, and yet, somehow, not knowing when I would see him again after tonight was anguishing. I knew this was just a faint taste of the goodbyes I would have to survive in the next hour, and the thought made the tears begin to spill. â€Å"Alice, Emmett.† Edward's voice was a command. They slithered soundlessly into the darkness, instantly disappearing. Edward opened my door and took my hand, then drew me into the protecting enclosure of his arm. He walked me swiftly toward the house, eyes always roving through the night. â€Å"Fifteen minutes,† he warned under his breath. â€Å"I can do this.† I sniffled. My tears had given me an inspiration. I stopped on the porch and took hold of his face in my hands. I looked fiercely into his eyes. â€Å"I love you,† I said in a low, intense voice. â€Å"I will always love you, no matter what happens now.† â€Å"Nothing is going to happen to you, Bella,† he said just as fiercely. â€Å"Just follow the plan, okay? Keep Charlie safe for me. He's not going to like me very much after this, and I want to have the chance to apologize later.† â€Å"Get inside, Bella. We have to hurry.† His voice was urgent. â€Å"One more thing,† I whispered passionately. â€Å"Don't listen to another word I say tonight!† He was leaning in, and so all I had to do was stretch up on my toes to kiss his surprised, frozen lips with as much force as I was capable of. Then I turned and kicked the door open. â€Å"Go away, Edward!† I yelled at him, running inside and slamming the door shut in his still-shocked face. â€Å"Bella?† Charlie had been hovering in the living room, and he was already on his feet. â€Å"Leave me alone!† I screamed at him through my tears, which were flowing relentlessly now. I ran up the stairs to my room, throwing the door shut and locking it. I ran to my bed, flinging myself on the floor to retrieve my duffel bag. I reached swiftly between the mattress and box spring to grab the knotted old sock that contained my secret cash hoard. Charlie was pounding on my door. â€Å"Bella, are you okay? What's going on?† His voice was frightened. â€Å"I'm going borne,† I shouted, my voice breaking in the perfect spot. â€Å"Did he hurt you?† His tone edged toward anger. â€Å"No!† I shrieked a few octaves higher. I turned to my dresser, and Edward was already there, silently yanking out armfuls of random clothes, which he proceeded to throw to me. â€Å"Did he break up with you?† Charlie was perplexed. â€Å"No!† I yelled, slightly more breathless as I shoved everything into the bag. Edward threw another drawer's contents at me. The bag was pretty much full now. â€Å"What happened, Bella?† Charlie shouted through the door, pounding again. â€Å"I broke up with him!† I shouted back, jerking on the zipper of my bag. Edward's capable hands pushed mine away and zipped it smoothly. He put the strap carefully over my arm. â€Å"I'll be in the truck – go!† he whispered, and pushed me toward the door. He vanished out the window. I unlocked the door and pushed past Charlie roughly, struggling with my heavy bag as I ran down the stairs. â€Å"What happened?† he yelled. He was right behind me. â€Å"I thought you liked him.† He caught my elbow in the kitchen. Though he was still bewildered, his grip was firm. He spun me around to look at him, and I could see in his face that he had no intention of letting me leave. I could think of only one way to escape, and it involved hurting him so much that I hated myself for even considering it. But I had no time, and I had to keep him safe. I glared up at my father, fresh tears in my eyes for what I was about to do. â€Å"I do like him – that's the problem. I can't do this anymore! I can't put down any more roots here! I don't want to end up trapped in this stupid, boring town like Mom! I'm not going to make the same dumb mistake she did. I hate it – I can't stay here another minute!† His hand dropped from my arm like I'd electrocuted him. I turned away from his shocked, wounded face and headed for the door. â€Å"Bells, you can't leave now. It's nighttime,† he whispered behind me. I didn't turn around. â€Å"I'll sleep in the truck if I get tired.† â€Å"Just wait another week,† he pled, still shell-shocked. â€Å"Ren? ¦e will be back by then.† This completely derailed me. â€Å"What?† Charlie continued eagerly, almost babbling with relief as I hesitated. â€Å"She called while you were out. Things aren't going so well in Florida, and if Phil doesn't get signed by the end of the week, they're going back to Arizona. The assistant coach of the Sidewinders said they might have a spot for another shortstop.† I shook my head, trying to reassemble my now-confused thoughts. Every passing second put Charlie in more danger. â€Å"I have a key,† I muttered, turning the knob. He was too close, one hand extended toward me, his face dazed. I couldn't lose any more time arguing with him. I was going to have to hurt him further. â€Å"Just let me go, Charlie.† I repeated my mother's last words as she'd walked out this same door so many years ago. I said them as angrily as I could manage, and I threw the door open. â€Å"It didn't work out, okay? I really, really hate Forks!† My cruel words did their job – Charlie stayed frozen on the doorstep, stunned, while I ran into the night. I was hideously frightened of the empty yard. I ran wildly for the truck, visualizing a dark shadow behind me. I threw my bag in the bed and wrenched the door open. The key was waiting in the ignition. â€Å"I'll call you tomorrow!† I yelled, wishing more than anything that I could explain everything to him right then, knowing I would never be able to. I gunned the engine and peeled out. Edward reached for my hand. â€Å"Pull over,† he said as the house, and Charlie, disappeared behind us. â€Å"I can drive,† I said through the tears pouring down my cheeks. His long hands unexpectedly gripped my waist, and his foot pushed mine off the gas pedal. He pulled me across his lap, wrenching my hands free of the wheel, and suddenly he was in the driver's seat. The truck didn't swerve an inch. â€Å"You wouldn't be able to find the house,† he explained. Lights flared suddenly behind us. I stared out the back window, eyes wide with horror. â€Å"It's just Alice,† he reassured me. He took my hand again. My mind was filled with the image of Charlie in the doorway. â€Å"The tracker?† â€Å"He heard the end of your performance,† Edward said grimly. â€Å"Charlie?† I asked in dread. â€Å"The tracker followed us. He's running behind us now.† My body went cold. â€Å"Can we outrun him?† â€Å"No.† But he sped up as he spoke. The truck's engine whined in protest. My plan suddenly didn't feel so brilliant anymore. I was staring back at Alice's headlights when the truck shuddered and a dark shadow sprung up outside the window. My bloodcurdling scream lasted a fraction of a second before Edward's hand clamped down on my mouth. â€Å"It's Emmett!† He released my mouth, and wound his arm around my waist. â€Å"It's okay, Bella,† he promised. â€Å"You're going to be safe.† We raced through the quiet town toward the north highway. â€Å"I didn't realize you were still so bored with small-town life,† he said conversationally, and I knew he was trying to distract me. â€Å"It seemed like you were adjusting fairly well – especially recently. Maybe I was just flattering myself that I was making life more interesting for you.† â€Å"I wasn't being nice,† I confessed, ignoring his attempt at diversion, looking down at my knees. â€Å"That was the same thing my mom said when she left him. You could say I was hitting below the belt.† â€Å"Don't worry. He'll forgive you.† He smiled a little, though it didn't touch his eyes. I stared at him desperately, and he saw the naked panic in my eyes. â€Å"Bella, it's going to be all right.† â€Å"But it won't be all right when I'm not with you,† I whispered. â€Å"We'll be together again in a few days,† he said, tightening his arm around me. â€Å"Don't forget that this was your idea.† â€Å"It was the best idea – of course it was mine.† His answering smile was bleak and disappeared immediately. â€Å"Why did this happen?† I asked, my voice catching. â€Å"Why me?† He stared blackly at the road ahead. â€Å"It's my fault – I was a fool to expose you like that.† The rage in his voice was directed internally. â€Å"That's not what I meant,† I insisted. â€Å"I was there, big deal. It didn't bother the other two. Why did this James decide to kill met There're people all over the place, why me?† He hesitated, thinking before he answered. â€Å"I got a good look at his mind tonight,† he began in a low voice. â€Å"I'm not sure if there's anything I could have done to avoid this, once he saw you. It is partially your fault.† His voice was wry. â€Å"If you didn't smell so appallingly luscious, he might not have bothered. But when I defended you†¦ well, that made it a lot worse. He's not used to being thwarted, no matter how insignificant the object. He thinks of himself as a hunter and nothing else. His existence is consumed with tracking, and a challenge is all he asks of life. Suddenly we've presented him with a beautiful challenge – a large clan of strong fighters all bent on protecting the one vulnerable element. You wouldn't believe how euphoric he is now. It's his favorite game, and we've just made it his most exciting game ever.† His tone was full of disgust. He paused a moment. â€Å"But if I had stood by, he would have killed you right then,† he said with hopeless frustration. â€Å"I thought†¦ I didn't smell the same to the others†¦ as I do to you,† I said hesitantly. â€Å"You don't. But that doesn't mean that you aren't still a temptation to every one of them. If you had appealed to the tracker – or any of them – the same way you appeal to me, it would have meant a fight right there.† I shuddered. â€Å"I don't think I have any choice but to kill him now,† he muttered. â€Å"Carlisle won't like it.† I could hear the tires cross the bridge, though I couldn't see the river in the dark. I knew we were getting close. I had to ask him now. â€Å"How can you kill a vampire?† He glanced at me with unreadable eyes and his voice was suddenly harsh. â€Å"The only way to be sure is to tear him to shreds, and then burn the pieces.† â€Å"And the other two will fight with him?† â€Å"The woman will. I'm not sure about Laurent. They don't have a very strong bond – he's only with them for convenience. He was embarrassed by James in the meadow†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"But James and the woman – they'll try to kill you?† I asked, my voice raw. â€Å"Bella, don't you dare waste time worrying about me. Your only concern is keeping yourself safe and – please, please – trying not to be reckless.† â€Å"Is he still following?† â€Å"Yes. He won't attack the house, though. Not tonight.† He turned off onto the invisible drive, with Alice following behind. We drove right up to the house. The lights inside were bright, but they did little to alleviate the blackness of the encroaching forest. Emmett had my door open before the truck was stopped; he pulled me out of the seat, tucked me like a football into his vast chest, and ran me through the door. We burst into the large white room, Edward and Alice at our sides. All of them were there; they were already on their feet at the sound of our approach. Laurent stood in their midst. I could hear low growls rumble deep in Emmett's throat as he set me down next to Edward. â€Å"He's tracking us,† Edward announced, glaring balefully at Laurent. Laurent's face was unhappy. â€Å"I was afraid of that.† Alice danced to Jasper's side and whispered in his ear; her lips quivered with the speed of her silent speech. They flew up the stairs together. Rosalie watched them, and then moved quickly to Emmett's side. Her beautiful eyes were intense and – when they flickered unwillingly to my face – furious. â€Å"What will he do?† Carlisle asked Laurent in chilling tones. â€Å"I'm sorry,† he answered. â€Å"I was afraid, when your boy there defended her, that it would set him off.† â€Å"Can you stop him?† Laurent shook his head. â€Å"Nothing stops James when he gets started.† â€Å"We'll stop him,† Emmett promised. There was no doubt what he meant. â€Å"You can't bring him down. I've never seen anything like him in my three hundred years. He's absolutely lethal. That's why I joined his coven.† His coven, I thought, of course. The show of leadership in the clearing was merely that, a show. Laurent was shaking his head. He glanced at me, perplexed, and back to Carlisle. â€Å"Are you sure it's worth it?† Edward's enraged roar filled the room; Laurent cringed back. Carlisle looked gravely at Laurent. â€Å"I'm afraid you're going to have to make a choice.† Laurent understood. He deliberated for a moment. His eyes took in every face, and finally swept the bright room. â€Å"I'm intrigued by the life you've created here. But I won't get in the middle of this. I bear none of you any enmity, but I won't go up against James. I think I will head north – to that clan in Denali.† He hesitated. â€Å"Don't underestimate James. He's got a brilliant mind and unparalleled senses. He's every bit as comfortable in the human world as you seem to be, and he won't come at you head on†¦ I'm sorry for what's been unleashed here. Truly sorry.† He bowed his head, but I saw him flicker another puzzled look at me. â€Å"Go in peace,† was Carlisle's formal answer. Laurent took another long look around himself, and then he hurried out the door. The silence lasted less than a second. â€Å"How close?† Carlisle looked to Edward. Esme was already moving; her hand touched an inconspicuous keypad on the wall, and with a groan, huge metal shutters began sealing up the glass wall. I gaped. â€Å"About three miles out past the river; he's circling around to meet up with the female.† â€Å"What's the plan?† â€Å"We'll lead him off, and then Jasper and Alice will run her south.† â€Å"And then?† Edward's tone was deadly. â€Å"As soon as Bella is clear, we hunt him.† â€Å"I guess there's no other choice,† Carlisle agreed, his face grim. Edward turned to Rosalie. â€Å"Get her upstairs and trade clothes,† Edward commanded. She stared back at him with livid disbelief. â€Å"Why should I?† she hissed. â€Å"What is she to me? Except a menace – a danger you've chosen to inflict on all of us.† I flinched back from the venom in her voice. â€Å"Rose†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Emmett murmured, putting one hand on her shoulder. She shook it off. But I was watching Edward carefully, knowing his temper, worried about his reaction. He surprised me. He looked away from Rosalie as if she hadn't spoken, as if she didn't exist. â€Å"Esme?† he asked calmly. â€Å"Of course,† Esme murmured. Esme was at my side in half a heartbeat, swinging me up easily into her arms, and dashing up the stairs before I could gasp in shock. â€Å"What are we doing?† I asked breathlessly as she set me down in a dark room somewhere off the second-story hall. â€Å"Trying to confuse the smell. It won't work for long, but it might help get you out.† I could hear her clothes falling to the floor. â€Å"I don't think I'll fit†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I hesitated, but her hands were abruptly pulling my shirt over my head. I quickly stripped my jeans off myself. She handed me something, it felt like a shirt. I struggled to get my arms through the right holes. As soon as I was done she handed me her slacks. I yanked them on, but I couldn't get my feet out; they were too long. She deftly rolled the hems a few times so I could stand. Somehow she was already in my clothes. She pulled me back to the stairs, where Alice stood, a small leather bag in one hand. They each grabbed one of my elbows and half-carried me as they flew down the stairs. It appeared that everything had been settled downstairs in our absence. Edward and Emmett were ready to leave, Emmett carrying a heavy-looking backpack over his shoulder. Carlisle was handing something small to Esme. He turned and handed Alice the same thing – it was a tiny silver cell phone. â€Å"Esme and Rosalie will be taking your truck, Bella,† he told me as he passed. I nodded, glancing warily at Rosalie. She was glowering at Carlisle with a resentful expression. â€Å"Alice, Jasper – take the Mercedes. You'll need the dark tint in the south.† They nodded as well. â€Å"We're taking the Jeep.† I was surprised to see that Carlisle intended to go with Edward. I realized suddenly, with a stab of fear, that they made up the hunting party. â€Å"Alice,† Carlisle asked, â€Å"will they take the bait?† Everyone watched Alice as she closed her eyes and became incredibly still. Finally her eyes opened. â€Å"He'll track you. The woman will follow the truck. We should be able to leave after that.† Her voice was certain. â€Å"Let's go.† Carlisle began to walk toward the kitchen. But Edward was at my side at once. He caught me up in his iron grip, crushing me to him. He seemed unaware of his watching family as he pulled my face to his, lifting my feet off the floor. For the shortest second, his lips were icy and hard against mine. Then it was over. He set me down, still holding my face, his glorious eyes burning into mine. His eyes went blank, curiously dead, as he turned away. And they were gone. We stood there, the others looking away from me as the tears streaked noiselessly down my face. The silent moment dragged on, and then Esme's phone vibrated in her hand. It flashed to her ear. â€Å"Now,† she said. Rosalie stalked out the front door without another glance in my direction, but Esme touched my cheek as she passed. â€Å"Be safe.† Her whisper lingered behind them as they slipped out the door. I heard my truck start thunderously, and then fade away. Jasper and Alice waited. Alice's phone seemed to be at her ear before it buzzed. â€Å"Edward says the woman is on Esme's trail. I'll get the car.† She vanished into the shadows the way Edward had gone. Jasper and I looked at each other. He stood across the length of the entryway from me†¦ being careful. â€Å"You're wrong, you know,† he said quietly. â€Å"What?† I gasped. â€Å"I can feel what you're feeling now – and you are worth it.† â€Å"I'm not,† I mumbled. â€Å"If anything happens to them, it will be for nothing.† â€Å"You're wrong,† he repeated, smiling kindly at me. I heard nothing, but then Alice stepped through the front door and came toward me with her arms held out. â€Å"May I?† she asked. â€Å"You're the first one to ask permission.† I smiled wryly. She lifted me in her slender arms as easily as Emmett had, shielding me protectively, and then we flew out the door, leaving the lights bright behind us.

Maxfield Parrish essays

Maxfield Parrish essays Maxfield Parrish, born Frederick Parrish, was one of the greatest illustrators of his time, ranking among top artists Van Gogh and Paul Czanne. From his day of birth July 25th 1870 in Philadelphia, to the day he died in 1966 at the age of 95 in Cornish, Parrish lived a full wealthy life without many disappointments or sorrows in what was called the Golden Age of Illustration. Parrishs works will be forever remembered as enchanting realistic paintings of fantasy and romance that hung in the homes of 1 out of 4 Americans in the 1920s. Many factors contribute to this artists success. One of the most important factors was his use of Dynamic Symmetry, a design theory based on geometric harmony and the formula a/b=(a+b)/a known as the Golden Section. In order to achieve this composition, Parrish would arrange cutouts of costumed models on to a canvas board, or sometimes project the photos onto a wall. His father, Stephan Parrish, also played a significant role in his success. Being the first artist in the family, Stephan taught his son many of the basic fundamentals of art, such as drawing and etching. This and other artists of the time got Maxfield interested in the laborious processes of painting with egg tempera, varnish and applying single coatings of color, one layer at a time. Much of Parrishs work was inspired by his role model at the time, Lord Leighton. Maxfield began his career as an architect but because of the many restraints on the creative mind and his inability to endure the Beaux-Arts training, he dropped out. After encouragement from his father and some duration at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Arts, Parrish completed his first painting. This began his practice of using one-word titles of great imagery. His first was entitled Moonrise. After followed many more including Hilltop, Stars, Enchantment, Dreaming, Contentment, Morning and by far his most famous piece, ...

Red Guard Essays

Red Guard Essays Red Guard Paper Red Guard Paper It had been argued that one of the many aims of Maos Cultural Revolution had been that of the cleaning up of the economic, political, ideological, and organisational impurities of the rural peasants and basic-level cadres. 1 The initial intention of the Social Education Movement was to restore collectivisation which was damaged by the disasters after the Great Leap. However, it was soon revealed that corruption among the grass-roots rural cadres was rampant, resulting in the shift of focus from one of collectivisation to that of the village leadership. 2 Mao had released a resolution titled, Early Ten Points3 which essentially subjected the Party to criticisms from non-Party mechanisms. The target of this program was at elementary and middle high school children (i. e. aged 12-14). It was most active from 1933 till 1966 and would later form the majority of the membership of the Red Guards. Such a movement which essentially comprised of the indoctrination of Maos ideas to young people especially those in the rural countryside areas allowed the Party to plant trusted students into the Chinese villages as spies to report on the various activities in the rural villages. This form of indoctrination manifested the idea of class struggles amongst the students in the rural areas and been so successful that the students formed the organisation called the Red Guards with Maos authorisation and had declared themselves as Maos little generals4, indicating that their sole loyalty to Mao. The Red Guards, most of whom were the teenage children from the countryside, would be carrying out the numerous purges in all levels of the Party and government throughout China. It could be seen from the early beginnings of the Social Education Movement that Mao had been trying to nurture an organisation which would assist him in his future political purges. The activation of the Red Guards in the second half of August 1966 marked a watershed in the course of the Cultural Revolution in the countryside as well as in the cities. The Red Guards made their first public appearance with a rally of a million in Beijings Tiananmen Square in August 18, 1966. Battalions of youth, enlisting in the Cultural Revolution, marched by singing, Sailing the Seas Depends on the Helmsman. Mao Zedong had given his approval during his review of the students and put on a Red Guard armband, emblazoned with the three characters Hong Wei Bing. 5 Mao signified his support of the Red Guards by being with them for the whole period that they were at the square. Maos support of the Red Guards meant a lot to the students. As mentioned previously, the personality of Mao had been so strong that any gifts from Mao himself would be worshipped and revered. A former Red Guard, An Xi Jiang, had admitted after the revolution that people worshipped him as a god6. Hence the fact that their Chairman was at the Tiananmen Square with the youths, encouraging and wearing the Red Guard armband had significant impact on the youths. Maos encouragement of their enthusiasm and critical questioning in a way gave the Red Guards some form of unlimited power to carry on the revolution within the revolution7. Had Mao not given his sanction to the Red Guards, the latter might not had gone to such extreme measures in the ideological cleansing of the so-called intellectuals to remove the bourgeois influences. Indeed, Mao encouraged the students to turn against their teachers, university professors. Most of these people were usually holding a position of authority and hence it would be reasonable to argue that the students were in effect a tool of Mao for his ideological purges of his opponents. Mao encouraged Red Guards to attack all traditional values and bourgeois items and to test party officials by publicly criticizing them. The officially sanctioned freedom of action of Maos migratory little generals gave them the virtual license to destroy the four olds. The Red Guards, most of whom were from the poor and lower-middle peasants families, set up their own Red Guard detachment, attacking the former landlords and rich peasants living on the commune. In this way, the students could be used as a tool to help Mao test the members loyalty to him. Mao believed that this measure would be beneficial both for the young people and for the party cadres that they attacked. Religion and superstition was also targeted by the students. The Red Guards went round smashing up the ancestral tablets, incense burners, religious icons, old books, old wall cloths, superstitious objects and the like in the countryside. Although the peasants eventually gave in the actions of the Red Guards, they did so out of fear of the repercussions of being labelled as counter-revolutionaries, rather than genuine enthusiasm. Mao had added in a personal letter: It is right to rebel against reactionaries. I offer you my warm support. Hence it could be inferred that the youth was being used by Mao as the tool against his opponents and in the class struggles between capitalism and socialism. One can conclude from this that the Cultural Revolution was indeed largely Maos initiative with the Red Guards being used as a force to get the rest of the country involved. One of the plausible explanations for the students obsessive following of Maos ideas had been the social indoctrination in the earlier period through the use of visual arts such as posters which had definitely appealed to the students. Closely related to this was the brain-washing campaign that Mao had implemented on the students. The result of such activities would probably be that of a senseless following of Maos ideas. The fact that Mao was worshipped till such an extent inevitably had to be accredited to his indoctrination and brain-washing campaigns. As former Red Guard, An Xi Jiang admitted, Thinking back, I think maybe we were brainwashed8. One can thus see the extent of the brain-washing campaign which Mao had instigated during his term as Chairman in the Communist Party.

Teach for America - Profile on the Teach for America Program

Teach for America - Profile on the Teach for America Program What is Teach for America: Part of Americorps, Teach for America is a national program for new and recent college graduates where they commit to teach for two years in a low-income school teaching disadvantaged students. The mission of the organization according to their website is to build the movement to eliminate educational inequity by enlisting our nations most promising future leaders in the effort. Since its inception in 1990, 17,000 individuals have participated in this rewarding program. Benefits of Participation: First and foremost, participating in Teach for America is a service organization where new teachers can truly make a difference right from the start. Over the course of the two years of involvement, teachers recive five weeks of intensive pre-service training and then ongoing professional development for the course of the program. Participants receive the pay and benefits of a typical teacher for the region where they are working. The program also provides teachers with loan forbearance along with $4,725 at the end of each year of service. They also provide transitional grants and loans ranging from $1000 to $6000. A Little Bit of History: Wendy Kopp presented the idea for Teach for America as an undergraduate at Princeton University. At the age of 21, she raised $2.5 million dollars and began recruiting teachers. The first year of service was in 1990 with 500 teachers. Today over 2.5 million students have been affected by this program. How to Get Involved: According to their website, Teach for America seeks a diverse group of promising future leaders who have the leadership skills to change the prospects of students.... Those recruited do not have to have any prior teaching experience. The competition is stiff. In 2007, only 2,900 were accepted out of 18,000 applicants. Applicants must apply online, participate in a 30 minute phone interview, and if invited attend a full-day face-to-face interview. The application is long and requires a lot of thought. It is suggested that applicants spend some time preparing for the application process before submitting. Issues and Concerns: While Teach for America is in many ways an excellent program, there are some concerns of which teachers should be aware. While according to studies including a recent one by the Urban Institute, teachers who work with Teach for America are in fact more effective than their traditional counterparts. On the other hand in terms of the experience for teachers, some new TFA teachers feel unprepared to be thrown into such a challenging teaching environment. It is important for any potential participant to fully investigate the Teach for America program and if possible speak with those who have actually participated in it.

Human Rights in the European Union Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Human Rights in the European Union - Essay Example If human rights are not respected, there will be no peace or development, and there would be peace and stability in countries that respect human rights. Modern constitutions have a responsibility of protecting human rights. In most constitutional arrangements, the task of protecting human rights is given to the judiciary and it involves the evaluation of actions of the government. Human rights protection may be restricted to the reviewing of laws by the judiciary. Nonetheless, independently, human rights set essential boundaries where democratic administrations must work. The European Union pursues this convention. The Union deems itself to be developed on the basis of democracy, freedom, equality, respect for human worthiness, law, and appreciation of human rights. Therefore, the European Union gives a basis for Human rights. The foundation of Human rights in the European legal order includes: distilling general principles protecting fundamental rights from the common constitutional traditions of the Member States by the European court; the  bill of rights was facilitated by another bill of rights: the European Convention on Human Rights. This  bill of rights was later complemented by an inner  bill of rights, written distinctively for the European Union: the Charter of Fundamental Rights.   Understanding the development of European amalgamation as a progression of mounting critical role of human rights in the legal order of Europe is particularly alluring: human rights as being extremely crucial for the union. It has been said a lot of times: human rights were not included in the initial Treaties. They have been considered as indispensable since the late 1960s till now. The acceptance of human rights as a pivotal part of any society that wants to develop has appeared to have gained momentum in the recent times. An outstanding evidence of this is the European Councils’ resolution at a summit in Cologne (Andreangeli, 111). It stated that a human rights charter should be made for the Union because it is its basis for being legitimate. This paper will look at how  Human Rights are focal to the legal order of the European Union. The treaties made by the European Union in the 1950s were concerned with people as a whole rather than individuals. During that time, the main objective of the Union was to create a foundation for the coming together of European people who were for a long period divided by disagreements and war through earlier incorporation of their economy. On the other hand, two fundamental rights preserved in Europe, and conference for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and Universal Declaration of Human Rights were included in the treaties and gave elements that were central to the process of integration. These included: ban on discrimination based on sex or nationality and freedom of movement by the self-employed or ant worker. The treaty requirements acted as the foundation for vital case-l aw and legislation in areas of equality, employment opportunities and the encouragement of equality in gender in all walks of life. In addition, the European took a tremendous move in combining democratic ideas and human rights into its policies that were external with implementation of the Treaty on the European Union in November 1993. The implementation of the Treaty of Amsterdam in May 1999 is a sign of another noteworthy step towards adding human rights into the legal order

Individualism and Community Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Individualism and Community - Dissertation Example The period before 1900 was characterized by an element of self-reliance. This probably because of the people involved in writing that time; the majority of the writers during this period were men. As a result of this, it is evident that most writings of the period were influenced by gender. For instance, Emerson asserts that his writing is all about himself and not what he has heard about other men (1873). In relation to his assertion, it is apparent that egotism of men influenced their ideas in writing. To emphasize the point of self-reliance, Emerson expounds on how the words of one of the painters of that period made him realize the essence of believing in oneself thought and what is in one’s heart (Emerson 1163). In relation to his assertion, one can deduce that self-reliance was a virtue of the majority of the men in the period before 1900. Decision-making was not influenced by outside forces; men believed in themselves in making decisions. The art of that period also enc ourages people to abide by their â€Å"spontaneous impression with good-humored inflexibility† (Emerson 1163). In relation to individualism, men emphasized on trusting oneself and the environment in which one resided. For instance, Emerson claims that great men worked through their hands, and as a result of this, he advocates the independence of solitude. Majority of the misunderstandings in the society were as a result of men’s individualism in making decisions. According to the writing by Emerson (1168), men trusted their emotion.