Hypertext as a Medium for Writing Essay -- Exploratory Papers

Hypertext as a Medium for Writing This paper will compare and analyze theoretical ideas found in Hamlet on the Holodeck by Janet H. Murry focusing on Chapter 10 â€Å"Hamlet on the Holodeck† as it relates to hypertext as a specific medium for writing, and Writing Space by Jay David Bolter focusing on Chapter 7 â€Å"Interactive Fiction† and chapter 8 â€Å"Critical Theory in a New Writing Space† and their emphasis on digital poetry and the increased role of the reader in the reading process. The information taken from these two works will then be compared to the interactive hypertext webpage entitled â€Å"Heading South† by Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) English graduate student, Cheryl Ball. In relation to hypertext, the role of the reader seems to be more interactive than that of a typical offline reading. A large amount of evidence supporting the assumption that the reader plays an increased â€Å"interactive† role in interactive or hypertext material is found in both Hamlet on the Holodeck and Writing Space. These examples show how Cheryl Ball’s poetry is easy to follow and how readers are able to play an interactive part in observing her material. As background information relating to digital poetry and the readers’ role, Janez Strevhovec, Ph.D., Assistant Professor at Academy of Visual Arts, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia states, â€Å"Today digital poetry provides us with new, provocative, and challenging, to sensitivity even testing forms of experiencing. It is a medium that can only be understood on the basis of analysis of the present world of the new media, and new perception forms, which originate in the interface culture† (Streh ovec 4). Strehovec’s description of digital poetry simply addresses that it is presented in a new-aged... ...-established outcomes or only a few to choose from. I believe using hypertext as a medium for writing can only increase the importance placed on the reading, not lesson it. The information from Bolter, Murray, and what I have gained from evaluating Ball’s web site has helped me to become better aware of different aspects of hypertext, and what I will and will not use when creating my own webpage. Works Cited Bolter, Jay David. Writing Space: Computers, Hypertext, and the Remediation of Print. Maywah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2001. Murray, Janet H. Hamlet on the Holodeck: The Future of Narrative in Cyberspace. Cambridge: The MIT Press, 2001. Strehovec, Janez. â€Å"Text as a Loop/On the Digital Poetry.† The University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, 2003. [Retrieved from the World Wide Web 15 March 2004]. http://hypertext.rmit.edu.au/dac/papers/Strehovec.pdf

Ray Bradburys Fahrenheit 451 Essay -- essays research papers fc

Literary Criticism of Fahrenheit 451 Don’t worry, be happy, or at least that’s what everyone in Ray Bradbury’s book Fahrenheit 451 thought. No matter what was going on around them, war, crime, or death, they were always happy†¦ Or were they? Ray Bradbury wrote books about censorship in society forming around being censored totally or partially from books and television. In Fahrenheit 451 the main character, Montag, is a fireman whose job it is to burn books to keep the public from reading then and coming up with their own thoughts and ideas and not the ideas that the government puts in their heads. Wile he is burning books one day he opens one to read it and becomes obsessed with reading books. He turns on his fire chief and burns him, and goes to live with people who also read books and memorize them so that they can be reprinted then society is ready for them again. Three people that show that they are happy on the outside but are not truly happy are Montag, Mildred and Mrs. Phelps.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the story, Montag, who is a fireman for the city thinks he is happy until he meets a neighbor girl named Clarisse. Clarisse is considered an oddball in the society of Fahrenheit 451 because she is â€Å"antisocial† in their world which actually means that she is social by today’s standards. She talks to people about things instead of the people of 451 who talk about meaningless things that have no substance. Peter Sesario says that’s she is considered to be this way because, â€Å"She was a sensitive, observant person who questioned society and was consequently eliminated by the government (3).†One day as Montag and Clarisse are walking down the street Clarisse says to Montag, â€Å"Are you Happy?†(10). Montag is speechless and before he could come up with and answer Clarisse is gone. As he enters his house he talks to himself, â€Å"Of course I’m happy. What does she think? I’m not?†(10) When he is saying this he looks up to the ceiling where he has Hidden books which are things that actually make him happy instead of the things around him which he thinks makes him happy. She also notices that when Montag laughs it is a fake laugh and that he doesn’t really mean it when he laughs. Also when he smiles it is not a real smile which further goes to show that he isn’t happy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another character that seems like she is happy but really is n... ...racter other than Montag who sees for herself that she is not actually happy. Three of the main characters in this story who you may think are happy in the beginning of the book but you figure out how unhappy they really are by reading into the book are Montag, Mildred, and Mrs. Phelps. Montag is one of the few people in the book who actually realizes that he is not happy towards the end of the novel. Mildred never realizes what happiness really is and ends up leaving Montag because of her inability to grasp what happiness is really about. Mrs. Phelps, who finally realizes that she is not happy, gets mad at Montag when he shows her that she is not happy and does not appreciate the good that he has done in her life by showing her that she is a very heartless person. Even though the people in Fahrenheit 451 live by the saying, don’t worry be happy, no one in the 451 world is actually happy at all. Works Cited Eller, E. Edward. â€Å"Fahrenheit 451.† 1998. Exploring Novels. Ed. Ray Bradbury. Detroit: Gale, 2004. 3-4 Sisario, Peter. â€Å"Fahrenheit 451.† 1970. English Journal. Ray Bradbury. Literature Resource Center, 2004. 4 Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Ballantine Books, 1953

What Makes an Effective Leader

The sum of those qualities of Intellect, human understanding, and moral character that allow a person to Inspire and control a group of people successfully. Leadership can generally entail a lot of different aspects, however the most influential leaders I have had in my life had been people that inspire me to be better than I am. I feel as though the majority of people today have a misconstrued definition of leadership because they usually associate leading with commands and authority. While those traits do have a lot to do with leading, they should be receded by traits such as dependability, Integrity, and loyalty.If you look at the most successful leaders throughout history, you rarely find people that were followed because they were given a position of authority. You look at people like Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. , and Abe Lincoln not because people had to follow them, but because people wanted to follow them. They were people with outstanding character. One of my most memorab le moments at boot camp was when one of my Drill Instructors got on to one of the squad leaders for calling another recruit derogatory names. Our Drill Instructor told us that people will never follow you because they have have to.They will follow you because they want to, and that is what leadership means to me. The most effective form of leadership to me is not asserting dominance, but rather leading by example. I follow the man conducts himself in the manner that I wish I could. When I see someone who does everything they are supposed to, do it in the most ethical and effective manner, and go above and beyond I usually always look up to them. I as a Marine feel that It Is my Job to be the best. I don't expect people to espect me just because I am a Marine, I expect people to respect me because I conduct myself in such a manner that I earn their respect.That to me is leading by example. Nobody should have to explain to me the correct way to conduct myself as a human being or Marin e, because those things dont require any exceptional intelligence, they require a dedication to doing what you know Is the right thing to do. It can be even the smallest things such as having a fresh haircut and a clean shave. How can you respect or want to follow a Marine that can't handle the everyday things? I do my best to lead by example is every fashion that I can. I try to be the best at everything I do.In summation leadership is not dependent upon if people do what you say, rather it is dependent upon if people want to do what you say. The best way to have people want to follow you is to lead by example. In order to set the example you have to be dedicated and motivated In everything that you do. That Is leadership and leading by example to me. What Makes an Effective Leader By tuckCman Leadership: The sum of those qualities of intellect, human understanding, and oral character that allow a person to inspire and control a group of people preceded by traits such as dependabil ity, integrity, and loyalty.If you look at the most to them. I as a Marine feel that it is my Job to be the best. I don't expect people to respect me Just because I am a Marine, I expect people to respect me because I human being or Marine, because those things don't require any exceptional intelligence, they require a dedication to doing what you know is the right thing to do. dedicated and motivated in everything that you do.

Knowledge based World

What is the relationship among money, labor, costs, profitability, and knowledge in the modern democratic-capitalistic society? Basically, money, costs and profitability are intertwined because these are numerical unit values in order to run a business. Money can be in the form of profit margins or investments. Costs are the actual assets needed to proceed with a decided business strategy while profitability is the realized difference of capital and accumulated sales. On the other hand, labor and knowledge are primary factors to realize the business strategy by the company. Labor resources provide the actual concept of productivity while knowledge is a tool to outline the business techniques. Both labor and knowledge predict the actual money values the business can use or receive. 2. Why should managers be concerned about developing a reward system? The reward system can promote a greater sense of productivity because it can directly affect the motivation principles of each employee (Answers, 2008). The personnel of a company will eventually have the attitude of designating quality work philosophy if they know that benefits are available for them if they will be able to satisfy the business quality goal. 3. What is the connection between labor costs in the United States and outsourcing? Labors costs are the amount of investments the company can disseminate regularly in order to maintain a pool of workers in the production segment of the business. Labor costs in foreign lands are cheaper compared to the domestic labor market of the US. Therefore, the rate of outsourcing work outside of the country is inversely proportional to labor costs in foreign markets (lower foreign labor cost-higher outsourcing rate). In another perspective, outsourcing rates are directly proportional to labor costs in the US (higher domestic labor cost-higher outsourcing rate). 4. What changes are occurring in the workforce relative to the kinds of work employees are performing? Depending on the kind of business, changes in the business’ workforce activities are mainly predicted by the performance of the company. If the company is losing its market grip, it has to cut down the number of employees and train the remaining laborers to become multi-task workers, therefore increasing their work loads. Moreover, if the company intends to produce a new product line-up for expansion, then some employees may be tasked to do a new set of work loads to produce the new offerings. 5. How would labor relations executive be influenced by the change from a manufacturing to a service economy? The main aspect of change can only be realized in the way the executive/s will train the attitudes of the laborers. Basically, the service sector is more demanding because it tends to interact directly with the needs of the clients. Of course, the manufacturing sector has its own standards of quality but engaging in a service economy can be more challenging since customer feedback and person-to-person business approaches are delegated. 6. In what way does Title VII of the civil rights act 1964 affect the compensation system of an organization? Does this act really work? The Civil Rights Law of 1964 provides the structure for companies to create their compensation systems (US EEOC, 1997). Because of this law, businesses provide the necessary equal opportunities allotment in terms of submitting fair and justified wage rates. Sometimes, there are instances when this act does not work especially when the company incurs losses in long term operations. There were cases when business owners were sued due to benefits reduction and discrimination of employees in terms of age and racial affiliation 7. Describe an orderly and systematic procedure for developing a job analysis program. For job analysis, an effective procedure is to start the study from the bottom segment of the company operation up to the last ruling individual. First, there is a need to survey the labor force whether they are satisfied with their job status. Second, the company operations should be calibrated regularly to see whether the company projections are met. Lastly, the administration should have a thorough consultation with the business owners in relaying the overall status of the work force. This systematic procedure can cover all the possible dilemmas by using efficient utilization of information among the workers and the management. 8. Some experts in the field have expressed the opinion that job descriptions are unnecessary and a waste of time. Describe your opinion of the value of job descriptions and present reasons to support your opinion. A job description is important because it readily specifies the qualities that a company is looking for a potential laborer according to a list of specified tasks (McNamara, 1997). These criterions enable the business to save time instead of filtering out candidates from a large pool of generic talents. For example, a job description in terms of educational attainment and experience will let the hiring company save training resources since the candidate can readily accommodate specific tasks say for example machine operation, business metrics and computational analysis of data. 9. Are job evaluations a type of internal equity? On a personal perspective, job evaluations truly reflect the internal stability of a company. Because of this principle, laborers will have the chance to prove their worth in the organizational function while at the same time; the management will be able to identify who of its labor elements is productive enough for the company’s mission statement. References Answers. 2008. Employee Reward and Recognition Systems. Answers Corporation. Retrieved February 6, 2008 from http://www.answers.com/topic/employee-reward-and-recognition-systems?cat=biz-fin. McNamara, C. 1997. Employee Job Descriptions. Free Management Library. Retrieved February 6, 2008 from http://www.managementhelp.org/staffing/specify/job_desc/job_desc.htm. U.S. EEOC. 1997. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Retrieved February 6, 2008 from http://www.eeoc.gov/policy/vii.html. Â  

Motivation and the Brain †Eating Healthy Essay

Eating right is essential for positive motivation and clear thinking. The brain, specifically the hypothalamus, along with the cerebral hemisphere works closely with physiological stimulation. This includes all five of our senses, specifically speaking, taste. Explaining the brain function associated with eating, I will discuss the influence of extrinsic and intrinsic factors, which will include heredity and involving the environment. In addition I will discuss the motivation need to succeed in eating healthy. The main function of the hypothalamus is homeostasis, or maintaining the body’s state in which it works. Factors such as blood pressure, body temperature, fluid and electrolyte balance, and body weight are held to a precise value called the set-point. The Hypothalamus organizes and controls many complex emotions, feelings and moods, as well as all motivational states including hunger, appetite and food intake, and everything to do with the concept of pleasure including satisfaction, comfort and creative activities (Incredible Horizons, 2009). It appears that almost everything the Hypothalamus does is related in some way to weight management and controlled weight loss. When the Hypothalamus is not working properly, food becomes more important, but increasingly more unfulfilling. We end up never feeling satisfied with the foods which we have eaten, gradually eating more and more to try to compensate for whatever is lacking. From a metabolism point of view, the Hypothalamus not only governs the motivation to eat, but most importantly how eating is to be experienced, if it is satisfying or not, and how deep the satisfaction occurs. This gives an idea just how important a healthy hypothalamic function really is (Incredible Horizons, 2009). Understanding how the hypothalamus works and keeping it healthy could be an extrinsic motivational factor to eat healthy. Being educated on how food affects the brain but also the body as a whole would be an example of extrinsic motivation. However, it is how we learn to eat, hereditarily speaking that gives us the tools to start out eating healthy from a young age or not. Lifelong food preference tends to start to develop while a baby is still in the mother’s womb. The strongest pattern for future food preferences is formed during the age of 9 to 19 months of age (Vera, 2009). At this time, everything connected with food intake leaves a strong imprint on the child’s brain. Also, the baby is tasting everything with his or her mouth; toys, shoes, body parts, etc. Concurrently, the child is memorizing the experiences of his mother and fathers eating habits; what they are eating, what they are feeding the baby, their emotional reaction to the baby’s consumption of these foods all while the unsuspecting parents believe that the child does not comprehend much of what is going on. The reality is the child is forming food habits for a lifetime. Whatever the first tastes, textures, smells an sights of food are, that child will crave them for the rest of his or her life, especially in moments of distress. Because of this, it would appear that comfort food is not too far from the truth. This was often a time in a child’s life when their mom or dad focused much love and caring on them and purely through association finds its way into our adult lives when we feel emotionally distressed or needing comfort. Human behavior patterns forming in childhood are crucially important for parents to pay close attention to the eating habits they are helping their children form (Vera, 2009). Promoting healthy eating habits with special care introducing fresh fruits and vegetables to their children as much as possible; in addition, parents must keep this promotion up otherwise children will fall prey to the society’s image of food which is unhealthy; another extrinsic example. In today’s society negative eating habits are advertised in every corner. According to Not Alone website, the top ten lists of popular food most people eat on a regular basis may not appear too alarming: a burger meal, Pizza, Spaghetti, or even a hot dog meal. However, after reviewing the nutritional analysis it should be alarming! For example, a burger meal contains 1300 calories, 34 grams of protein, 189 grams of carbohydrates and 44 grams of fat. This is equivalent to 38 teaspoons of sugar and a half of a stick of butter (McKeith, Ph. D. , 2005). The normal daily calorie intake should be 2,550 for men and 1,940 for women (McKeith, Ph. D. , 2005). Unfortunately the typically daily intake for both men and women are on average 3, 877 calories. Knowing these statistics should lead a person to use internal motivation to recognize the severity of the issue and begin to eat healthy. To conclude, eating right is essential for positive motivation and clear thinking. We have learned the hypothalamus, along with the cerebral hemisphere works closely with physiological stimulation including taste. I’ve explained the brain function associated with eating, discussed the influence of extrinsic and intrinsic factors including heredity and the environment. Lastly, I discussed the motivation need to succeed in eating healthy. References Breck, K. B. (2011). A practical guide to a happy life. Retrieved from http://www. kristenguide. com/Health/Weight_Loss/ways_to_stay_motivated. asp Incredible Horizons. (2009). Hypothalmus Function. Retrieved from http://www. incrediblehorizons. com/balance-Hypo%20function. htm McKeith, Ph. D. , G. (2005). 10 Foods People Eat On a Regular Basis. You Are What You Eat: The Plan that Will Change Your Life. Not Alone. Retrieved from http://www. enotalone. com/article/25017. html NowLoss. (2011). Getting Motivated. Retrieved from http://www. nowloss. com/how-to- get-motivation-to-lose-weight. htm The Life Co. (2009). A new recipe for life!. Retrieved from http://www. thelifeco. com/cok-okunanlar. aspx? id=478 Vera, Dr. (2009). Hereditary Eating Habits. Quantum Evolution. Retrieved from http://www. quantumevolution. comau/hereditary_eating_habits. htm.

How do I know anything?

The Film The Matrix was a Box Office hit due to the idea it presented to the audience. Even though Descartes' Meditations inspired the film, the idea of living in a computer simulated environment was an interesting, original concept that had been created recently. It opened up a question, how do I know anything? It is possible that we may be living in a computer-simulated environment, or in a big dream of some sort. We are unable to prove any of this at the moment, which could then possibly lead to scepticism about this theory. The only real argument to support the theory is to use the fact that our government keeps information confidential from the public, for a number of reasons. This demonstrates that there are things that we do not know; therefore, we should not totally doubt what we do not know, and that we may be living in a simulated environment. There is also the problem of perception. It is easy for us to perceive something to be different to what it really is. Magicians use optical illusions to fool us. If we are living in a simulated environment, then how can we break ourselves away from the perception that we are in, to separate ourselves from the simulation, and find out what the other reality is like? The closest technology has come to simulating environments is virtual reality. The environment is simulated, allowing humans to interact, although they may be elsewhere. The graphics within virtual reality are still basic, and this is one of the reasons why we are able to recognise virtual reality as being different to reality. Another reason is that virtual reality does not cause you to feel pain. Whether Virtual Reality is comparable to the neural-simulated environment in The Matrix, VR is the closest thing we have to relate to the theory. However, VR could be as real as reality if it had realistic models of physics (e.g. feather and coin fall at the same rate in a vacuum), better graphics, and the ability to stimulate the body into experiencing physical feelings of pain, heat and cold, etc. Another problem with doing this is having a computer powerful enough to process all this information via calculations. IBM have developed a supercomputer that can calculate the force of nuclear explosions. Does a computer exist powerful enough to simulate the reality we live in exactly? If it does, then the theory proposed by the film could be right. Another concern brought up by the film was about A.I. (Artificial Intelligence). In the film, A.I. developments created intelligent, living computers. Machines are physically better than man in many ways. They do not excrete, need tea breaks at work, sleep, be lazy, require wages, things that humans do. They are more efficient than humans. However, Humans have consciences, imaginations, and the ability to think. Computers do not have this. If computers did have this, they may be worth more than human life. Once recognising their status and power, it is possible that they may consider the human race to be inefficient, and may then start to eliminate humanity, like in The Matrix and The Terminator. This is something we have to be wary about when we decide to improve A.I., whether it be in industrial machines, home appliances, or computer games. If AI started to have a mind of its own, would anyone be willing to corrupt it, and turn it against others? It could be something terrorists would do to disrupt the activities of Governments around the globe? It may not be possible for machines to be a living, independent-thinking species. Computers work by calculations. Let us take an example. Home appliance in the future; greets person as they get in the door. A sensor will detect that the door is opening. It activates another smart sensor to identify that person. It is the house-owner. It greets with ‘hello'. The house-owner says ‘hello' back. The appliance uses a sensor to detect the reply, and assesses it not only for vocal identification, but to determine what mood the person is in. It will then choose a speech passage suited to the mood of the person. E.g. the person has a cold, so the computer tells the person that they are making a warm glass of Lemon and Honey for them, and ordering for a prescription of medicine to the doctor. Another sensor in the house will scan the person and send the details of the cold to the doctor, allowing the doctor to prescribe the right medication. The person will say ‘thanks', and the appliance will say ‘your welcome'. All this could happen just by entering the door and saying hello. The computer can display signs of compassion, but will not actually feel them. This will be a major mountain to conquer in the development of Artificial Intelligent Life. Commercially, Artificial Intelligence is still under development, and will take some time before it can resemble anything human. Overall, Technology will get better, and maybe we will discover if the simulated neural environment theory is right.

American history

Grant. Discuss the objectives of each. Which plan was better for the Union and why?Before a comparison can be made of the policies of Andrew Johnson (President of the United States 1865-1869) and Ulysses S. Grant (President of the United States 1869-1877), the whole theory of Reconstruction has to be understood. The Civil War or sometimes referred to as the War Between the States happened between 1861 through 1865. It was the result of a long time brewing issue of slavery in the Southern States. Abolitionists of slavery and advocates of every human’s right to personal freedom were a strong political voice within the northern part of the Union while most of the southern states accepted slavery as a personal right. The North was more of an industrial area with many of its citizens being of a more conservative religious nature. The North did have a firm agricultural aspect as well but these farms where family owned with hired labor to work them. Indentured servants from the original colonial days no longer existed but within the fertile crop lands of the southern states, plantations of great size were prospering in the growth of cotton and sugar cane. With slave labor, the owners of these plantations amassed great wealth in comparison to their farmer counterparts in the north. Under pressure from these political groups, the federal government began to make efforts towards emancipation of the slaves and in protest, most of the southern states ceded to form a separate country of the Confederate States of America. A rift had formed within the country and war began. After four years of a long and bloody dispute, the war finally ended in 1865 with the surrender of the Confederates. The Confederate government was abolished and the whole country formed once again as the United States of America under the presidency of Abraham Lincoln. Reconstruction began under Lincoln but due to his assignation, he did not live to follow his reconstruction plans. Andrew Johnson, Lincoln’s vice president during Lincoln’s second term, automatically became the new president after Lincoln’s death. Mr. Johnson attempted to continue on with Lincoln’s policies concerning reconstruction. Lincoln had attempted to practice that though the southern states should be placed under military rule, it would be eventually be to return those states to their own governmental rule. If one tenth of the state population were willing to swear to an oath of loyalty to the Union, then that state was more likely to be removed from military government rule. In natural reaction, the once rebellious southern states objected to the state of being dictated to by the federal government in how their state should be run. The whole process was met with constant strife and disgruntlement from every side of politics. No satisfactory medium ground could be found. Most of the blame for this conflict was laid at the feet of Andrew Johnson, who as President was held the most responsible. This and other factors led to Andrew Johnson’s impeachment, including Johnson’s placement of Lorenzo Thomas as Secretary of the Department of War after having removed Edwin M. Stanton. This was all done without the approval or consent of the Senate. Johnson was charged with a high misdemeanor and his privileges of Office were removed as President. Ulysses S. Grant, a powerful figure in politics due to his favorable war credentials, had maintained a neutral attitude about Johnson’s Reconstruction policies during Johnson’s term. He was quoted as being in favor of Johnson’s policies as a continuance of Lincoln’s Reconstruction ideas. After his election as President, Grant took a stronger outlook on the Reconstruction issues. He absolved all military personnel of any charges of misconduct while in place as military government officials within the southern states. He gave them amnesty against any prosecution of acts while acting in capacity of military government. Grant took a dim view on the protests of the southern states’ complaints of military occupation and unfair treatment by the officials of that military occupation. The object was to form a one solid union once again at any price and to quell any possible uprising within the occupied states. While harsh and often unfair, Grant’s stern practices did succeed in ceasing any other attempts of the southern states to cede and order and unity was once again in place. Question Two: What impact did the frontier have on American behavior, attitudes, and institutions? Is the â€Å"frontier thesis† of Fredrick Jackson Turner still viable on today’s historians? With the opening of the western frontier, a whole new range of prospects was brought to the economy of the United States as well of the people who before populated the eastern part of the country and newly arrived immigrants seeking a better life in a different place. The gradual move west happened over a long period of time as the unexplored wilderness contained many dangers and unknown possibilities, both good and bad. It was a long slow process that happened over the first and middle part of the 19th century but by the last decade had arrived; most of it had been settled and civilized. Great new prospects had been introduced into America’s economy. The raw wealth in the forms of gold, silver or other mineral mining, oil, lumber and livestock ranching as well as other agricultural crops, gave the United States almost an unlimited source of products, increasing the country’s independence to provide for itself without so much dependency on foreign sources. The West had known such a boon of prosperity and economic growth that when the turn of the century arrived, there was an over abundance of these products and far less a demand for them than in the days when the West’s contributions to the country had been more in demand. Towns that had grown up overnight had faded away and new modernization of trains and freight shipping had eliminated many key jobs that so many people had known such as the end of the stage coach line and also the Pony Express. The East continued to prosper and develop new conveniences such as the telephone, the telegraph, electricity, automobiles, and the whole country was swept up in a whirlwind of inventive revolution. The Great Unknown just no longer existed as the whole vastness of the country was united by modern technology and sweeping change. It became the age of the machine and the end of the horse and buggy day. Fredrick Jackson Turner’s â€Å"frontier thesis† has broadened the whole concept that the generalized progression of people to move into unknown territory and settle it, leads to advances in all aspects of living from the industries of business to the growth and decline of economy. Foresight is better than hindsight could be said but it is only in hindsight that such historians as Fredrick Jackson Turner can project forecasts for today’s politicians. It could perhaps stop a forward movement such as that period went from prosperity to the Great Depression of the 1930’s. Fredrick J. Turner’s thesis also expounded on the value of deepening and strengthening relationships with neighboring and foreign nations as a broadened frontier. Question Three: Discuss the political, social and economic significance of the year 1876 in American History. This year brought a time of great strife for the United States. It had only been a little over a decade since the end of the Civil War and that poor economic growth in the southern part of the nation had ever lasting effects on the country as a whole. People were still moving west and many of the south were moving north to the cities in hopes of finding work and decent living conditions. This caused an overcrowding in these cities, affecting the normal citizenry as well as the newcomers, both American and still arriving immigrants. It was the end term of Ulysses S. Grant’s terms as President. The year was economically depressed which caused homelessness and unemployment for many Americans. These aspects were in direct contradiction of the people in the less populated western areas who knew a far better income and life. The year also suffered from a series of disasters from former years that has caused a great financial strain on the nation’s economy such as the Great Fire of Chicago in 1871 that had virtually left thousands homeless. There had been earthquakes and floods. Relief agencies were set up to bring relief to many of the indigent of those times but not all the money donated to at least thirty charities found its way to the intended purpose. There was rampant political misconduct. The year of 1876 is also known as the year of the tramp. Men who traveled from place to place working odd jobs or just simply squatting in places in groups causing disgruntlement and fear among the established citizens. The tramps were the by-products of the increasing number of homeless people. It became an even stronger distinction of class from the poor to the rich. More people were in poverty in comparison to the numbers who either wealthy or had a sufficient income to live a decent life. Homelessness breeds hopelessness and crime. Hobos were tramps that rode the railroads from place to place. The introduction of the railroad into American transportation was only increased by its use during the Civil War by transporting soldiers and equipment from place to place. Many of the hobos were ex-soldiers who had only gained a poorer way of life by fighting for their country instead of reaping rewards for their service by having a more evenly distributed prosperity. Such social and economic variances can only lead to a more volatile type of politics. During Grant’s term, the Democrat party had remained extremely weakened by the Civil War where the controlling party had remained Republican for a number of years. By 1876, the Democratic Party had finally begun to return to some power but there remained the strife that most of America’s politicians were Republican and more conservative and class aware. The rich grew richer and the poor grew poorer. Question Four: Compare the role of the political machines and the social reformers in dealing with the new urban environment of the late 19th Century. Which group was more successful and why? As it has been stated so many times, the 19th Century was a time of phenomenal change that far surpassed its preceding centuries. In those short one hundred years, there happened such a mass of innovative invention, mass population movement and radical social change than had ever been seen before. Accepted standards were challenged, religious statues questioned and political change that must incur with these actions. The questions of race, gender and creed became predominately evident in the American population that was more far spread than ever before and the country had amassed great growth in its size. Military force became a predominant figure in American politics since its said effective use after the Civil War. The federal government used its military forces as police basically after that period. Along with governing and maintaining the southern states during the years of the Reconstruction period, the American government now employed its Army to keep peace and jurisdiction among the remaining bands of Native American tribes in the west. Federal marshals held precedence over the local town and state marshals so the once wild frontier became more lawful and peaceful. At the end of Grant’s term in 1877, Rutherford Hayes became the President of the United States. He was also Republican and the highest seat in the country would remain in the control of the Republican Party until the election of Grover Cleveland in 1885. He was a Democrat and was set to bring about radical political change. He became the President of the common man but he also made strong enemies among certain powerful politicians in the Republican controlled Senate. Cleveland discovered a large monetary amount in the national treasury that had its basis in former Civil War tariffs and was termed as â€Å"pork barrel legislation†. He lowered the tariffs and vetoed laws that would have kept the tariffs and other such practices in force. He earned a high popularity among the agricultural groups and the less wealthy average American man on his income. His one term as President greatly aided the common man but his opponents in the political arena caused his loss to Benjamin Harrison in 1889. He re-ran in the following term and was re-elected President in 1893. His popularity was strong among the people of the spreading urban society of the United States. The time of the separation of Church and State had arrived. Women’s Suffrage had arisen on the horizon and would create a huge reform in American life and politics. The female citizens of the country had begun to demand their rights as individuals, especially the right to vote. What had been predominately a man’s world would soon be toppled over as American women brought their weight to bear upon every aspect of daily life. Along with Women’s Suffrage, came the feminine viewpoint of social reform to include religion more into politics and also led towards the prohibition of liquor. Perhaps a bit more predominant within the larger cities, the Suffrage movement caused more change within the expanded realm of the American population living. The political machines had a more direct bearing on the urban environment that the social reformers simply because the politics had a stronger foothold among the male population and it would take time for the new social reform to take effect. Question Five: Discuss the differences between the Populists and the Progressives as third parties in American politics. Include an analysis of their party platform, candidates and supporters. Both the Populist and La Follette Progressive parties were right wing. They were short lived political parties that did not survive the transitional growth of American politics. When George Washington was elected as President of the United States, there were no party affiliations. At the beginning, there was the Federalist Party and the Whig party and Anti-Federalist Party. The Federalist Party survived longer than either other party but within time several parties by other names would come into formation and as well disappear because their party platforms were too narrow and one sided to survive. The Populist Party would eventually move into becoming the Democratic Party with the election of Andrew Jackson as President. It began as the Democratic Republican Party, which because of its basic populist mandate, eventually became what we know today as the Democratic Party. The original Populist Party maintained too much of a radical, one-sided view. It had come down to an issue between the agricultural groups and the unionists. Due to falling land prices, crop prices, and heavy taxes, the western farmers felt themselves unrepresented in government. The unionists meanwhile were better organized and compact groups that differed greatly from the farming community. It was industrial against agricultural. Each newly formed party had its own interest in mind and chose candidates in accordance with those interests. There was no common benefit among the population as whole within these right wing parties. The Populist Party leaned closer to the farmers and sought to have a candidate elected that would represent them in Washington and relieve their growing pile of grievances. It connected eventually with the Greenback party but eventually took the form of the Democratic Party under the presidency of Andrew Jackson. The La Follette Progressive Party differed in its industrial pursuit as the Populist was agricultural. The Labor party turned to nominating candidates that would further their cause. The unionists cared little about the declining income plight of the farmers and by its very organized nature; the Labor party was eventually absorbed into what is now the Republican Party. Since each political party must differ in order to achieve a decent balance in politics, it is to the best advantage of election process to have two such agendas. There has been within the course of American history the emergence of third parties, even in today’s society with the Independent ticket. Though history has proved that very seldom is a candidate of a third party ever been elected to actually hold a political office. Works Cited/Reference Page: 1.   Andrew Johnson, A Study In Courage by Lloyd Paul Striker, Macmillan, 1929 2. Ulysses S. Grant: Politician by William B. Hesseltine, Dodd, Mead, 1935 3. Halford Mackinder and the ‘Geographical Pivot of History’: A Centennial Retrospective, Journal article by Klaus Dodds, James D. Sidaway; the Geographical Journal, Vol. 174, 2004 4. Down and Out, on the Road, the Homeless In American History by Kevin L. Kusmer, Oxford University Press, 2002 5.Political Mischief: Smear, Sabotage, and Reform In U.S. Elections by Bruce L. Felknor; Praeger Publications, 1992 American History American History American History American History American History American history Grant. Discuss the objectives of each. Which plan was better for the Union and why?Before a comparison can be made of the policies of Andrew Johnson (President of the United States 1865-1869) and Ulysses S. Grant (President of the United States 1869-1877), the whole theory of Reconstruction has to be understood. The Civil War or sometimes referred to as the War Between the States happened between 1861 through 1865. It was the result of a long time brewing issue of slavery in the Southern States. Abolitionists of slavery and advocates of every human’s right to personal freedom were a strong political voice within the northern part of the Union while most of the southern states accepted slavery as a personal right. The North was more of an industrial area with many of its citizens being of a more conservative religious nature. The North did have a firm agricultural aspect as well but these farms where family owned with hired labor to work them. Indentured servants from the original colonial days no longer existed but within the fertile crop lands of the southern states, plantations of great size were prospering in the growth of cotton and sugar cane. With slave labor, the owners of these plantations amassed great wealth in comparison to their farmer counterparts in the north. Under pressure from these political groups, the federal government began to make efforts towards emancipation of the slaves and in protest, most of the southern states ceded to form a separate country of the Confederate States of America. A rift had formed within the country and war began. After four years of a long and bloody dispute, the war finally ended in 1865 with the surrender of the Confederates. The Confederate government was abolished and the whole country formed once again as the United States of America under the presidency of Abraham Lincoln. Reconstruction began under Lincoln but due to his assignation, he did not live to follow his reconstruction plans. Andrew Johnson, Lincoln’s vice president during Lincoln’s second term, automatically became the new president after Lincoln’s death. Mr. Johnson attempted to continue on with Lincoln’s policies concerning reconstruction. Lincoln had attempted to practice that though the southern states should be placed under military rule, it would be eventually be to return those states to their own governmental rule. If one tenth of the state population were willing to swear to an oath of loyalty to the Union, then that state was more likely to be removed from military government rule. In natural reaction, the once rebellious southern states objected to the state of being dictated to by the federal government in how their state should be run. The whole process was met with constant strife and disgruntlement from every side of politics. No satisfactory medium ground could be found. Most of the blame for this conflict was laid at the feet of Andrew Johnson, who as President was held the most responsible. This and other factors led to Andrew Johnson’s impeachment, including Johnson’s placement of Lorenzo Thomas as Secretary of the Department of War after having removed Edwin M. Stanton. This was all done without the approval or consent of the Senate. Johnson was charged with a high misdemeanor and his privileges of Office were removed as President. Ulysses S. Grant, a powerful figure in politics due to his favorable war credentials, had maintained a neutral attitude about Johnson’s Reconstruction policies during Johnson’s term. He was quoted as being in favor of Johnson’s policies as a continuance of Lincoln’s Reconstruction ideas. After his election as President, Grant took a stronger outlook on the Reconstruction issues. He absolved all military personnel of any charges of misconduct while in place as military government officials within the southern states. He gave them amnesty against any prosecution of acts while acting in capacity of military government. Grant took a dim view on the protests of the southern states’ complaints of military occupation and unfair treatment by the officials of that military occupation. The object was to form a one solid union once again at any price and to quell any possible uprising within the occupied states. While harsh and often unfair, Grant’s stern practices did succeed in ceasing any other attempts of the southern states to cede and order and unity was once again in place. Question Two: What impact did the frontier have on American behavior, attitudes, and institutions? Is the â€Å"frontier thesis† of Fredrick Jackson Turner still viable on today’s historians? With the opening of the western frontier, a whole new range of prospects was brought to the economy of the United States as well of the people who before populated the eastern part of the country and newly arrived immigrants seeking a better life in a different place. The gradual move west happened over a long period of time as the unexplored wilderness contained many dangers and unknown possibilities, both good and bad. It was a long slow process that happened over the first and middle part of the 19th century but by the last decade had arrived; most of it had been settled and civilized. Great new prospects had been introduced into America’s economy. The raw wealth in the forms of gold, silver or other mineral mining, oil, lumber and livestock ranching as well as other agricultural crops, gave the United States almost an unlimited source of products, increasing the country’s independence to provide for itself without so much dependency on foreign sources. The West had known such a boon of prosperity and economic growth that when the turn of the century arrived, there was an over abundance of these products and far less a demand for them than in the days when the West’s contributions to the country had been more in demand. Towns that had grown up overnight had faded away and new modernization of trains and freight shipping had eliminated many key jobs that so many people had known such as the end of the stage coach line and also the Pony Express. The East continued to prosper and develop new conveniences such as the telephone, the telegraph, electricity, automobiles, and the whole country was swept up in a whirlwind of inventive revolution. The Great Unknown just no longer existed as the whole vastness of the country was united by modern technology and sweeping change. It became the age of the machine and the end of the horse and buggy day. Fredrick Jackson Turner’s â€Å"frontier thesis† has broadened the whole concept that the generalized progression of people to move into unknown territory and settle it, leads to advances in all aspects of living from the industries of business to the growth and decline of economy. Foresight is better than hindsight could be said but it is only in hindsight that such historians as Fredrick Jackson Turner can project forecasts for today’s politicians. It could perhaps stop a forward movement such as that period went from prosperity to the Great Depression of the 1930’s. Fredrick J. Turner’s thesis also expounded on the value of deepening and strengthening relationships with neighboring and foreign nations as a broadened frontier. Question Three: Discuss the political, social and economic significance of the year 1876 in American History. This year brought a time of great strife for the United States. It had only been a little over a decade since the end of the Civil War and that poor economic growth in the southern part of the nation had ever lasting effects on the country as a whole. People were still moving west and many of the south were moving north to the cities in hopes of finding work and decent living conditions. This caused an overcrowding in these cities, affecting the normal citizenry as well as the newcomers, both American and still arriving immigrants. It was the end term of Ulysses S. Grant’s terms as President. The year was economically depressed which caused homelessness and unemployment for many Americans. These aspects were in direct contradiction of the people in the less populated western areas who knew a far better income and life. The year also suffered from a series of disasters from former years that has caused a great financial strain on the nation’s economy such as the Great Fire of Chicago in 1871 that had virtually left thousands homeless. There had been earthquakes and floods. Relief agencies were set up to bring relief to many of the indigent of those times but not all the money donated to at least thirty charities found its way to the intended purpose. There was rampant political misconduct. The year of 1876 is also known as the year of the tramp. Men who traveled from place to place working odd jobs or just simply squatting in places in groups causing disgruntlement and fear among the established citizens. The tramps were the by-products of the increasing number of homeless people. It became an even stronger distinction of class from the poor to the rich. More people were in poverty in comparison to the numbers who either wealthy or had a sufficient income to live a decent life. Homelessness breeds hopelessness and crime. Hobos were tramps that rode the railroads from place to place. The introduction of the railroad into American transportation was only increased by its use during the Civil War by transporting soldiers and equipment from place to place. Many of the hobos were ex-soldiers who had only gained a poorer way of life by fighting for their country instead of reaping rewards for their service by having a more evenly distributed prosperity. Such social and economic variances can only lead to a more volatile type of politics. During Grant’s term, the Democrat party had remained extremely weakened by the Civil War where the controlling party had remained Republican for a number of years. By 1876, the Democratic Party had finally begun to return to some power but there remained the strife that most of America’s politicians were Republican and more conservative and class aware. The rich grew richer and the poor grew poorer. Question Four: Compare the role of the political machines and the social reformers in dealing with the new urban environment of the late 19th Century. Which group was more successful and why? As it has been stated so many times, the 19th Century was a time of phenomenal change that far surpassed its preceding centuries. In those short one hundred years, there happened such a mass of innovative invention, mass population movement and radical social change than had ever been seen before. Accepted standards were challenged, religious statues questioned and political change that must incur with these actions. The questions of race, gender and creed became predominately evident in the American population that was more far spread than ever before and the country had amassed great growth in its size. Military force became a predominant figure in American politics since its said effective use after the Civil War. The federal government used its military forces as police basically after that period. Along with governing and maintaining the southern states during the years of the Reconstruction period, the American government now employed its Army to keep peace and jurisdiction among the remaining bands of Native American tribes in the west. Federal marshals held precedence over the local town and state marshals so the once wild frontier became more lawful and peaceful. At the end of Grant’s term in 1877, Rutherford Hayes became the President of the United States. He was also Republican and the highest seat in the country would remain in the control of the Republican Party until the election of Grover Cleveland in 1885. He was a Democrat and was set to bring about radical political change. He became the President of the common man but he also made strong enemies among certain powerful politicians in the Republican controlled Senate. Cleveland discovered a large monetary amount in the national treasury that had its basis in former Civil War tariffs and was termed as â€Å"pork barrel legislation†. He lowered the tariffs and vetoed laws that would have kept the tariffs and other such practices in force. He earned a high popularity among the agricultural groups and the less wealthy average American man on his income. His one term as President greatly aided the common man but his opponents in the political arena caused his loss to Benjamin Harrison in 1889. He re-ran in the following term and was re-elected President in 1893. His popularity was strong among the people of the spreading urban society of the United States. The time of the separation of Church and State had arrived. Women’s Suffrage had arisen on the horizon and would create a huge reform in American life and politics. The female citizens of the country had begun to demand their rights as individuals, especially the right to vote. What had been predominately a man’s world would soon be toppled over as American women brought their weight to bear upon every aspect of daily life. Along with Women’s Suffrage, came the feminine viewpoint of social reform to include religion more into politics and also led towards the prohibition of liquor. Perhaps a bit more predominant within the larger cities, the Suffrage movement caused more change within the expanded realm of the American population living. The political machines had a more direct bearing on the urban environment that the social reformers simply because the politics had a stronger foothold among the male population and it would take time for the new social reform to take effect. Question Five: Discuss the differences between the Populists and the Progressives as third parties in American politics. Include an analysis of their party platform, candidates and supporters. Both the Populist and La Follette Progressive parties were right wing. They were short lived political parties that did not survive the transitional growth of American politics. When George Washington was elected as President of the United States, there were no party affiliations. At the beginning, there was the Federalist Party and the Whig party and Anti-Federalist Party. The Federalist Party survived longer than either other party but within time several parties by other names would come into formation and as well disappear because their party platforms were too narrow and one sided to survive. The Populist Party would eventually move into becoming the Democratic Party with the election of Andrew Jackson as President. It began as the Democratic Republican Party, which because of its basic populist mandate, eventually became what we know today as the Democratic Party. The original Populist Party maintained too much of a radical, one-sided view. It had come down to an issue between the agricultural groups and the unionists. Due to falling land prices, crop prices, and heavy taxes, the western farmers felt themselves unrepresented in government. The unionists meanwhile were better organized and compact groups that differed greatly from the farming community. It was industrial against agricultural. Each newly formed party had its own interest in mind and chose candidates in accordance with those interests. There was no common benefit among the population as whole within these right wing parties. The Populist Party leaned closer to the farmers and sought to have a candidate elected that would represent them in Washington and relieve their growing pile of grievances. It connected eventually with the Greenback party but eventually took the form of the Democratic Party under the presidency of Andrew Jackson. The La Follette Progressive Party differed in its industrial pursuit as the Populist was agricultural. The Labor party turned to nominating candidates that would further their cause. The unionists cared little about the declining income plight of the farmers and by its very organized nature; the Labor party was eventually absorbed into what is now the Republican Party. Since each political party must differ in order to achieve a decent balance in politics, it is to the best advantage of election process to have two such agendas. There has been within the course of American history the emergence of third parties, even in today’s society with the Independent ticket. Though history has proved that very seldom is a candidate of a third party ever been elected to actually hold a political office. Works Cited/Reference Page: 1.   Andrew Johnson, A Study In Courage by Lloyd Paul Striker, Macmillan, 1929 2. Ulysses S. Grant: Politician by William B. Hesseltine, Dodd, Mead, 1935 3. Halford Mackinder and the ‘Geographical Pivot of History’: A Centennial Retrospective, Journal article by Klaus Dodds, James D. Sidaway; the Geographical Journal, Vol. 174, 2004 4. Down and Out, on the Road, the Homeless In American History by Kevin L. Kusmer, Oxford University Press, 2002 5.Political Mischief: Smear, Sabotage, and Reform In U.S. Elections by Bruce L. Felknor; Praeger Publications, 1992 American History American History American History American history American History American History American history