The Confederate State Essay Example for Free

The Confederate State Essay If our founding fathers were here today, they would perhaps weep for the country they bled for. The history of the American people is a history of certain individuals giving up what they had for what they believed in – struggle for independence, justice, equality, freedom and personal responsibility. It is the tale of the common man’s determination to take charge of his life and to build a nation where their children will live in a free nation (Finkelman, 1996). It was to be a nation where justice prevails, where the everyman can live and move freely without being beleaguered or harassed by his fellow man. Considering the principles on which this nation was founded and the current state of things, one cannot be blind to the disparity that exist. We the people of America have deviated from the principles that â€Å"ought† to govern this nation. We have lost sight of the important things that should guide our daily lives and have been carried away by the irrelevancies. The question here is how have we deviated from these principles? The draftsmen of the American constitution saw a nation where the principles of justice, domestic peace, individual liberty and freedom prevail (Bernstein, 1987). This is expressly written in the preamble of the constitution and this constitution was written to guide the running of the nation. In this essay, I would be making a comparison of what ought to be the case in our country as against the present situation of things in America. As mentioned above, one of the major principles on which this country was founded upon is the principle of individual liberty. I will define liberty as the â€Å"state of affairs, within important limits, in which law-abiding citizens can live according to their own choices rather than those of someone else† (Yates, 2001). Although this does not mean that people are free to do just anything which might result to anarchy but the state where people are free from external restrains to do what they want to do in as much as they are not tampering with the rights of their fellow man. However, the America we know today is a country where people are indirectly restrained to do certain things. Hiding under the guise of the greater good, some fundamental human rights are being infringed. I fail to see fairness in the fact that an individual can not choose to spend the money earned from his hard work without the government poking its nose into it. This, to me, is a deviation from the principle of individual freedom. Furthermore, the people of America now sleep with an eye closed. It is not a new thing for people to be harassed or told wear national ID cards. Citizens of this nation are being subjected to massive searches of their private property by federal agents all in the name of feeling secure (Yates, 2001). This violates the principle of freedom which is core to the establishment of the nation called America. In addition to this, all men and women alike should be treated alike if we are to fulfill the principle of equality. It is sorry to note that it was not until early this year that it was enforced that women can collect the same wage for doing the same job that a man does. Apart from this, the idea that some people are entitled to medical care than others is against the principle of equality. With these problems encroaching on us and aggravating every day, we the people must make a move to fulfill the hopes and aspirations of our founding fathers. We must go back to the drawing board and seek to redress our priorities – creating a nation where justice prevails and where people are not afraid to move freely. A nation that is one and is indivisible under God. Reference: †¢ Yates, S. (2001). Exploring America’s Founding Principles: The Need Has Never Been Greater. Retrieved from http://www. lewrockwell. com/yates/yates41. html on April 16, 2009 †¢ Bernstein, B. (1987). Are We to Be a Nation? The Making of the Constitution. Harvard University Press. †¢ Finkelman, P. (1996) Slavery and the Founders: Race and Slavery in the Age of Jefferson (M. E. Sharpe, 1996)

Larry Ellisons Contributions to Computer Technology Essay -- Technolo

Abstract Larry Ellison is among the top names in the computer industry. He has been fiercely competitive with Bill Gates over the years. That competitive nature may very well be the driving force behind some of his contributions to the world of computer technology. Childhood and Education It is important to understand the background and education of Larry Ellison in order to understand what drives and motivates him in his adult life. Ellison was not a child of privilege. He did not grow up with parents who were scientists or pushed him to excel. According Wikipedia, Larry Ellison was born to a 19 year old unwed Jewish mother who felt compelled to give him up to her aunt and uncle to raise him. He grew up in a two bedroom apartment in a Jewish community in South Shore Chicago. Academy of Achievement website states in the biography about Ellison, he left the University of Illinois during second year final exams when his adoptive mother died. Later that fall he enrolled in the University of Chicago but dropped out after the first semester. Academy of Achievement goes on to say, â€Å"His adoptive father was now convinced that Larry would never make anything of himself, but the seemingly aimless young man had already learned the rudiments of computer programming in Chic ago.† CEO of Software Development Labs According to Academy of Achievement, Ellison moved to California where he worked with a few different companies. One of those companies was Amdahl Corporation where Ellison was able to participate in building the first IBM-compatible mainframe system. Ellison and two other co-workers pursued founding a new company named Software Development Labs. Ellison functioned as CEO of this newly founded company. It was at this company h... ...n Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved August 15, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Larry_Ellison&oldid=379100685. "Larry Ellison Biography -- Academy of Achievement." Academy of Achievement Main Menu. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Aug. 2010. http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/ell0bio-1. "What are relational databases?†. (March 23, 2001). HowStuffWorks.com. Retrieved August 15, 2010. http://computer.howstuffworks.com/question599.htm. "Larry Ellison 1944 - Biography - Early life, Software development laboratories, Relational databases, Building oracle, Maturity, The internet revolution, Downturn." Reference For Business - Encyclopedia of Small Business, Business Biographies, Business Plans, and Encyclopedia of American Industries. N.p., n.d. Retrieved August 16, 2010. http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/biography/A-E/Ellison-Larry-1944.html.

Life on the Color Line Essay

A- Gregory Howard Williams wrote the book. Before you read the book you have no idea who he is. Once you read the book you find out that he is mulatto and was raised in a community that was extremely prejudice against blacks. The authors’ point of view is his own story. P-The book takes place in Virginia at the beginning of the book from 1943-1952, and then in Muncie, Indiana from 1952-1969. The source was produced in 1995. The meaning of the source doesn’t really change at all, but now that it is after the problems of racial segregation and discrimination, we are able to read it and look back on the problems of our society and make sure it doesn’t happen again. P- Other than what I learned from the book, I actually knew a lot. I knew that in the 1940’s-50’s there was a major problem with racial discrimination. I knew that the way whites treated blacks was terrible and unjust. I also knew that blacks looked toward whites as horrible people and that it was taboo to interracially date/marry. This helped me better understand why the whites were treating Greg the way that they were and why the blacks had a hard time accepting him into their community. A- The audience is for teenagers and adults. It’s pretty graphic so it is intended to be taken seriously and with an open mind. It is it is more so towards teenagers and people with hard lives to show that they aren’t the only ones going through something difficult, because he went through some really complicated times and is now leading a successful, happy life. R-This book was produced in order to show what life was like for the mulatto race and how difficult it was for them. It is an inspirational book to tell people that they can go through anything if they keep their eyes on a goal and work towards it, no matter how hard it gets. T-The theme of the book was trials and success. It tells of his early child hood having to be both white and black in a community that was extremely prejudiced. It shows how he finds his way by keeping with the black influence and embracing it as his own lifestyle. It shows the difficulties he had with bullies and ignorant people and how he used academics as a way to stay out of trouble. It shows how he has to live with an alcoholic father and how he takes care of him even though he would probably be better off not worrying about him. It shows how he went through an extremely difficult childhood and was able to graduate college with a doctorate in law. S-This book is significant because it gives us a deeper look into how messed up our society was during the late 1900’s. It gives us a better understanding into the life that we aren’t familiar with because we usually just look at the black or white side of the story. Life on the Color Line makes us realize that it was just as hard for mulattos in that time as it was for blacks.

Early Voting States in America List and Definition

Early voting allows voters to cast their ballots in person before Election Day. The practice is legal in about two-thirds of the United States. Voters in most states that allow early voting do not need to provide a reason to exercise their right to vote. Reasons for Early Voting Early voting makes it more convenient for Americans who may not be able to make it to their polling places on Tuesday that is Election Day to cast ballots. The practice is also designed to increase voter participation and reduce problems such as overcrowding at polling places on Election Day. Criticism of Early Voting Some political analysts and pundits do not like the idea of early voting because it allows voters to cast their votes before they have all the necessary information about the candidates running for office. There is also evidence that turnout is slightly lower in states that allow early voting. Barry C. Burden and Kenneth R. Mayer, professors of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, wrote in The New York Times in 2010 that early voting dilutes the intensity of Election Day. When a large share of votes is cast well in advance of the first Tuesday in November, campaigns begin to scale back their late efforts. The parties run fewer ads and shift workers to more competitive states. Get-out-the-vote efforts in particular become much less efficient when so many people have already voted. When Election Day is merely the end of a long voting period, it lacks the sort of civic stimulation that used to be provided by local news media coverage and discussion around the water cooler. Fewer co-workers will be sporting I voted stickers on their lapels on Election Day. Studies have shown that these informal interactions have a strong effect on turnout, as they generate social pressure. With significant early voting, Election Day can become a kind of afterthought, simply the last day of a drawn-out slog. How Early Voting Works Voters who choose to cast their ballots before Election Day in one of the more than 30Â  states that allow early voting can do so as far as a month and a half in advance of the November election, according to data compiled by the Early Voting Information Center at Portland, Oregon-based Reed College. Voters in South Dakota and Idaho, for example, were permitted to vote in Election 2012 beginning on Sept. 21 that year. Early voting in most states ends several days before Election Day. Early voting often takes place at county elections offices but is also permitted in some states at schools and libraries. States That Allow Early Voting In the United States, 36Â  states and the District of Columbia allow early voting, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The states that allow early voting are: AlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMinnesotaMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew JerseyNew MexicoNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming States That Dont Allow Early Voting The following 18 states do not allow any form of early voting, according to the NCSL: AlabamaConnecticutDelawareMichiganMississippiMissouriNew HampshireNew YorkOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaVirginiaWashington