Month: October 2019
Characteristic of the Ku Klux Klan
The Ku Klux Klan began in 1865 in the South after the Civil war and were a group of people who were disgruntled by the abolition of slavery. The Ku Klux Klan wore robes with white hoods, burnt crosses and used different intimidation tactics in pursuit of their ideal of white supremacy. During the Civil Rights Movement, the Ku Klux Klan re-emerged as an active group opposing the advancement of integration from the 1950's to1960's. The members of this white extremist group were fanatics, that wanted to gain a political stronghold in the South. The group resisted social change, using different tactics to limit the Civil Rights Movement. The Klan believed in racial extremism and were actively violent against the black Americans. Terrorism arises when a group of people attack civilians to terrorise people to achieve a political goal. The Ku Klux Klan is regarded as a terrorist organisation, practicing extreme violence against African-Americans where murder, destruction of property, bombings and assault are committed. However, the Ku Klan believed that they were a freedom fighter organisation, fighting a revolution to achieve a political goal, with the mission to preserve the supremacy of the white race and to stop integration with African-Americans.
The Ku Klux Klan ('KKK) used fear, violence and intimidation tactics in their mission to ensure white supremacy. The Klansman, known as the ''white knights'', terrorised people, and this included the killing of black Americans and Civil Rights Activists and destroying property. In 1955 a 14-year-old black boy Emmett Till was murdered for alleged flirting with a White woman. In Alabama, a memorial was erected as testimony of forty people that were murdered by members of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1960's. This testimony highlights the violent nature of the KKK, forming the basis of terrorist organisation. Furthermore, in the most famous murders committed by the KKK, were those of Schwerner, Goodman and Chaney, who were civil rights workers busy registering black voters in Mississippi. The Klan hunted them down and shot and buried them in pre-prepared graves. The local policeman refused to prosecute the perpetrators and the FBI had to be sent to investigate. They finally found the bodies with the help of informant and charged 18 men for these crimes, some of whom were policeman. This reinforces the argument that the Klan where a terrorist organisation as through these murders, the top law enforcement in America had to get involved. What's more, in 1965 the murder of Civil rights activist, Viola Liuzzo, shocked America when she and a black American, Leroy Morton were shot, after they had attended a rally of Martin Luther King Jr and were driving in a car together. The KKK murderers were arrested and sentenced to ten years in prison. This murdering of innocent civilians falls within the definition of a terrorist organisation. In addition to murders, the Ku Klux Klan burnt down property as a form of intimidation, particularly churches, houses and buses. In Florida, several African-Americans were driven from their homes throughout the area when their houses were burnt down, this came to be known as the Groveland reign of terror. The National Guard had to be sent to restore order in Florida. This act of destroying innocent people's property by the KKK falls within the ambit of a terrorist group. The Ku Klux Klan was used by the Birmingham police commissioner, Bull Conner in 1961 to attack the 'Freedom Riders'', a group of white and black civil rights activists who purposely rode on buses through the South to protest against segregated bus stations. The Klan attacked the Freedom Riders and burnt their buses as they travelled through Alabama. This clearly shows the terroristic characteristics of the KKK. Churches in particular were regarded as easy targets. In 1964, the Mount Zion Church was burnt down in Longdale, when the KKK were searching for the civil rights activist Schwerner and when he was not found, burnt down the historic wooden church. The burning down of sacred and peaceful places of worship, can only be described as a violent act of terrorisms. Therefore, through the murders and destruction of property, the KKK can be characterised as a terrorist organisation.
The Ku Klux Klan threatened American citizens, particularly African-American through bombings and assault. The KKK particularly made use of bombs. One of the first bombings was the home of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Florida executive Director, Harry Moore on Christmas eve when both him and his wife were killed. This bombing threatened the peaceful American lifestyle and triggered many protests. Secondly, in 1956 during the Montgomery bus boycotts, the KKK threw dynamite into Martin Luther Kings house while his wife and baby were inside. This can clearly be seen as an act of terrorism. Thirdly, in 1963, dynamite was planted under the steps of a Church in Birmingham and four young girls were killed, and twenty members of the congregation were injured. This church, known as the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church was a place where civil rights leaders used to meet. This bombing and active violence clearly can be regarded as the destruction of a peaceful environment in America, brought upon by the KKK. Fourthly, during 1964, the KKK fired bombed approximately 20 black churches in Mississippi. Between January 1956 and June 1963, 138 bombings were reported in the South. The sheer magnitude of bombings in one state and some of them in one year, is outweighing evidence that the KKK were a terrorist organisation. In addition, the KKK members committed a tremendous amount of assaults. During the ''Florida terror'' (called this due to the extensive number of bombings), the KKK declared war on the NAACP, the catholic church and the Federal Council of Churches. There were a multitude of cross burnings and floggings all the way from Florida to Miami. This period stresses the violent and terrorist nature of the KKK. Furthermore, after the Supreme Court judgement, Brown vs Board of Education, the KKK members in the rural areas of Alabama, decided to resort to violence to undermine the school integration. Many law enforcement officers were members of the KKK and therefor the members did not fear prosecution, consequently many people were violently assaulted by mobs during this period. In Little Rock the army had to be sent to protect black students from assaults when they tried to attend schools regarded as for whites only. In 1961, adding onto the burning of the busses, the KKK assaulted the ''Freedom Riders'', beating them with clubs. When they finally arrived in Birmingham and exited the bus, they were beaten with metal pipes, baseball bats and chains. The police refused to interfere with these attacks. By assaulting innocent civilians, it clearly shows that the KKK acted with terrorist intentions. Therefore, with the extreme amount of cases of bombings and assaults, the KKK can be regarded as a terrorist organisation.
However, the Ku Klux Klan regarded themselves as a freedom fighter organisation fighting for the true values of America. The Klan members believed that American citizens can be whatever person they want to be and therefore have the right to exercise violence, if they have a difference of opinion with the ruling party and were protecting their white heritage. The exercising of violence doesn't disqualify them as freedom fighters, as many other organisations that have been regarded as freedom fighters, like the ANC during Apartheid, have used violence to achieve their goals. Some of these Southerners, saw it as their civic duty to protest against laws, which they will felt was placing their way of life at risk. Furthermore, the founders of the Ku Klux Klan rode in secret with their faces covered, to instil fear in society and in their view to rightfully stop the Reconstruction policies. The KKK felt that government was in place for white people and not Africans, who could not be considered as citizens of the USA. This argument, although backward in thinking, can support the claim that the KKK were a Freedom Fighter group as their intent was a ''revolutionary struggle'' against the government in order to better themselves in society. Due to the civil war, the Southerner's lives were destroyed and they therefore felt they needed protection and that their jobs and livelihood needed to be safeguarded. Thus, they felt the laws being put in place were threatening their livelihood. This can be viewed as a form of protest against the state in order to achieve a ''political goal'', which is the definition of what organisation is. The Klan's resurgence in the 1960's, again arose due to the fears that their lifestyles and white heritage were being threatened and therefore they acted in violence as a form of resistance. All of these arguments considered, it is thus not incorrect to view the Klan can as freedom fighters if the definition of a freedom fighter is taken into consideration.
Despite the above, the Ku Klux Klan's motives behind their violent intent, was not well supported by most citizens and they cannot be viewed as a Freedom Fighter Organisation and it is clear to see that the Ku Klux Klan used intimidation, murder, destruction of property and assault for purposes of terrorism. All the three periods where the Ku Klux Klan was resurrected were in times of social upheaval when the white population felt threatened and though they allegedly were protecting their white heritage, their tactics injured individuals of all races and also intimidated entire groups of people damaging the entire society. The examples listed above, which shows all the intimidation tactics used by the Ku Klux, are criminal and spread their hateful racist nature. The Ku Klux Klan is without a doubt a terrorist organisation and further has a history of terrorising American citizens through murder, bombings and intimidation to further their pollical ideals of segregation of white supremacy, which does not make them freedom fighters even if it fits the description to an extent. In conclusion the members of the Ku Klux Klan cannot justify their argument that they were fighting for the freedom of white people, as it is clear that they were a hate organisation practicing a reign of terror to stop change from occurring.
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Historiography of the Purchase of Louisiana
Historiography of the purchase of Louisiana
The purchase of the Louisiana is one of the mega land deals in the history of the United States of America. The purchase of this land was a great achievement of Thomas Jefferson's presidency in the year 1803. Purchasing the land reflected a great accomplishment in his reign of the presidency. However, the purchase was accompanied by a great dilemma for President Thomas Jefferson. This is because the advantages of purchasing Louisianan were as great as the disadvantages. The purchase would enable him to achieve his dream of possessing the port of New Orleans but on the other side, there were equal disadvantages.
The purchase would make a great contribution to American history because it could be most controversial and largest land purchase. During this time, United States of America was putting efforts to try to solidify their national identity. Two groups had caused the division in national identity. One of the subjects was westwards expansion that causes this national identity division. Therefore, the purchase of the land was backed by the southern states while the northern states opposed the purchase. Consequently, the purchase of the land raised many issues in the United States of America. Making such a decision was not easy and would cause many changes in the country.
Many books and article have been written concerning this greatest land deal in the United States of America. The history has been given in different dimensions depending on what the different authors think about the purchase. The reason why President Thomas Jefferson purchased the land is not clear and, therefore, people give different opinions about what might have convinced him to buy the land depending on the observed outcomes. On the other side, people have a different view on the impacts that the purchase brought to the United States of America. Some give more disadvantages while others view the advantages as being greater than the disadvantages. The differences in the arguments have raised many debates on the purchase history. People have given different analysis of the matter depending on their perspective. Each person is convinced that his or her argument is correct and, therefore, stands for it. Consequently, the history of this great land deal has evolved over time as people express their different thoughts about the whole purchase. Historians have a different approach to the issue as well as different study methods. Their interests and interpretations have changed from time to time and, therefore, different techniques and approaches have been experienced in the history of this great land purchase. Below is an analysis of different author's interpretation of the history and the changes that have taken time. The essay examines four different authors and the changes that have occurred.
Cardinal lemonades Goodwin is one of the authors who wrote about the history of the purchase of Louisianan. His approach gives the history of the acquisition and covers the period in which the United States of America was under expansion. He is a great contributor to the background history of the Louisiana Purchase. His history starts from 1803 when the land was purchased and ends fifty years later after the Gadsden Purchase. In the past fifteen years, individual students and historical societies have done great deals to promote the history of Mississippi communities. A lot has been done in an effort of justifying settlement of people from the united states to Mississippi. The work of Goodwin is the start of the whole study about the purchase of the land. It acts as the base of the whole history where most historians have developed their arguments. The writer has freely used many secondary works especially monographic while dealing with Trans-Mississippi. However, he has not been able to resist his investigations from being utilized by historians.
Goodwin has gone through different sources which have revealed more information. His investigations linked with this topic on the purchase of Louisiana have tried to account for the settlement of people from the united states to Mississippi. Therefore, his volumes have more truth on the reasons why people from the united states settled in Mississippi. Some of his information has been published in different articles and magazines. This information has been used in different institutions to study about the purchase of Louisiana. In addition, it has formed a great part of the purchase history that is widely accepted by people in the world. Goodwin focus is on the way ownership of Louisiana exchange hands.
The history traces its origin form the time the United States feared that France would dominate Mississippi. Therefore, the history goes around there until now Thomas the president of the United States decided to purchase the land. It does not speak much about the effects that the purchase brought to the country but the way the exchange took place. He explains how Louisiana has been exchanging ownership from the time it was under Spain colonialists. Napoleon purchased this land in 1800 from the Spain colonialists and used slaves to make the land more productive. He was unable to maintain the production after the slaves stood stern to fight for their freedom. It was after the slaves refused to give up their freedom that Napoleon found it necessary to sell the land to the Americans. The purchase of this land brought a great change in the history of the united states of America. The land was approximately half the United States. It had good climatic conditions and minerals that contributed the greater part of the United States wealth. The fact that the land was productive is predicted to be the reason why Thomas purchased the land.
From Goodwin, the history of Louisiana has evolved, and other authors have come with deeper analyses. Different authors give their perspectives on the history of purchase depending on the current benefits that the United States gets from the land. Researchers have come with more information about the purchase and the effects that were experienced in the United States because of the purchase. Peter J. Kastor came up with more sophisticated investigations about the purchase of the Louisiana. Like in most historical works, Peter has addressed topics about the purchase which most people probably did not have any information about. His interpretation relates the history of purchase to more complex issues that most people know nothing about.
His approach does not concentrate much on the purchase but on the impacts brought by the purchases. His historical approach takes the reader into more detailed content about the purchase to topics that have not been well addressed by other authors. The author sometimes tends to address more complicated issues about the purchase which most of the people tend not to understand. This approach contributes a lot to the history of the purchase and adds more details about the purchase. His arguments are at a greater extent confusing and most of the time reveals a fresh content about the purchase of the Louisianan. His history offers a new perspective to things that seem familiar but opens a way for more critical historical questions which are not addressed in his book.
Peter Kastor who has been a great assistant professor of American cultural studies and history gives a different argument. Through his book on the purchase of Louisiana reflects a lot of intellectual maturity because of the approach that he takes in addressing the issue. The approach brings a timely discussion about the meaning of nation-building, citizenship and state making. This approach evaluates the abilities that Thomas has on real estates. His arguments rotate on the knowledge that Jefferson applied in making America a great nation through the purchase of Louisianan. He connects the achieving to nation building where he view the purchase as the greatest step that Americans have ever taken to build their nation.
Peter concentrates much on the contributions that the purchase brought to the United States of America. The purchase may seem simple but from his perspective, it brought territories and great wealth to the United States of America. The land also brought the first country's population distribution where people found more place to reside. It created space for people to reside and therefore giving a relief to overcrowded areas in the United States. African Americans, Native Americans, and Francophone got a place to reside after the land was purchased. It also gave a chance for the country to acquire more citizens for maximum u utilization of resources.
Peter Kastor continues with his argument that the purchase of this land proved to be the basis of the United States nationhood. The greatest and most important task can be useful to a generation policy maker. It acted as the transformation of the United States nation by increasing its size as well as the population. The purchased land also gave the administrators experiences on how to govern large distance territory. The country had to develop stronger governing strategies due to the increase in both land and population. Therefore, Peter's argument gives the history of the Louisianan another approach. He uses different techniques to explain the act of President Thomas Jefferson of purchasing land from France. His approach gives the fruits of benefit that America is reaping from the decision made by Thomas in 1802. It is from that decision that America has a history of the size it has today.
John Kukla is also a great history writer and joins several written works about the purchase of Louisianan. He takes his reader back to explore the duplicity, diplomatic intrigues, and blinders that encouraged Napoleon to sell Louisiana to the president of the United States of America. Napoleon sold the land for paltry 25 million dollars in 1803. His history starts from the American Revolution to the settlement of the Americans on Mississippi. From the French revolution to the slave revolt that was successful in the hint. Kukla traces the international reason that rendered the United States owner of Louisianan. From his argument, it was not predicted that America would become the owner of the land.
At first, the French colony extended from Canada all the way to Mississippi and the United States did not have a right to navigate through Mississippi. Spain had given up the land to the French colonial power. On the other hand, the United States had an interest in the port of New Orleans and therefore had to sign a treaty to be allowed to navigate the area. After Spain secretly ceded Louisianan to Napoleon, officials from the United States started showing more concern about Mississippi. The Americans were much concerned about how Napoleon could possibly be in control of such a productive land.
No other book could give a better view of the purchase of Louisiana history other than Kukla's book. The book had a different approach to the historical event and differed from other authors. He offers a beautiful, splendid narrative that focuses on the complex origin of the purchase. Kukla employs letters, contemporary documents, memories and a portfolio of other sources to create a compelling and full reason for the purchase of the Louisiana land. He uses a lot of creativity to link up events that turned a struggle for the right to navigate the Mississippi to actual ownership of the land by the United States of America. He aligns events from hinterlands to courts of France Spain and England to congress hall.
His technique gives a different taste of the story and a different historical dimension. The book takes the globe in understanding the failure of Napoleon to maintain the land and the need for money. kukla favors no one in his tale but gives the historical event as it happened. He brings to life a group of characters from Napoleon, Thomas Jefferson, John Jay, and Carlos III from Spain and other beautiful figures. The only thing that the book lacks is a grand theme that matches the grand subject in it. He gives the flow of event in his own unique approach to show that the purchase is actually one of the most important events in the history of America.
From his approach, Kukla explains why Napoleon found it necessary to sell the land to the American. At first, he had taken the advantages of the Haiti slaves who made the land more productive. His dreams were killed after the slaves resisted giving up their freedom. From his perspective the land was useless without the Haiti slaves. Therefore, he was afraid that he could lose the land to the Americans or Britain. It is at this point that he decided to sell the land to the Americans to be able to fund his war. He, therefore, offered to sell the land to prevent losing it to the Americans. Kukla gives a very interesting narrative on the way the whole negotiation happened. His description of the New Orleans fire in 1786 is an addition to his story. On the same, Kulka tries to account for the mission of Spanish Diego Gardoquis to the united states of America. The narrative of Kukla explains lots of details about the purchase of Louisianan. In his patient narrative is where all the information about the purchase anniversary will properly be served.
Reginald Horseman gives the history of the Mississippi Valley as a rapidly growing area from time Louisiana was purchased by the United States of America. He explains the history in the broader context of national policy different from other historians. One of his main themes is the winning of the west by the United States. He addresses the issue of aggressive settlement that took place after the settlement of people from the United States to the land. The history of the purchase of the Louisiana land by the United States of America has experienced a lot of changes. authors have a different approach in giving the history.
Authors have different techniques of giving out their opinions about the history of the Louisiana Purchase. History has developed from the original cause of the purchase. There are those who give the history based on the reasons why Napoleon found it necessary to sell his land to the United States of America. Others base their arguments on the process of selling, that are the events that followed after Napoleon agreed to sell the land. There were many procedures which involved great negotiation in courts. Napoleon sold the land because of fear that he could lose the land to Britain or the Americans. This reason for many historians is vague and does not justify the selling of such a big land. Different authors view Napoleon as a failure because he thought that the land was worthless without slaves. They argue that it could be more sensible if he could utilize the land for the benefit of his country.
The purchase of Louisiana has contributed a lot to change the history of America and the world in general. The event is considered as the greatest land deal in the world and therefore has a big part in world history. The purchase at first created a great dilemma to President Thomas who was not sure whether or not to buy the land. However, historians use his brave character to illustrate his knowledge of real estate. The land that he was getting was almost half of America. Buying the land could be costly but he never watched the future. Making a decision to buy that land was the greatest step that President Thomas Jefferson made in expanding the United States territorial boundaries. Different authors allude from this event to illustrate national building and citizenship. Buying the land lead to an increase in both populations as resources in the United States. Therefore, from the history, it's clear that buying land is one of the best things one can do for future development. The history of that land has been changing over time and authors are getting it necessary to concentrate on the changes that the purchase brought to the country.
In conclusion, Louisiana Purchase is the greatest land deal that has ever happened in the world. The purchase has taken a great part in American history as well as the world history. The purchase has also been the base of American development and a contributor to the courtier's wealth. The history of the purchase has been addressed by different authors using different approaches and techniques. Therefore, its history has been evolving over time. The history of the purchase has been given in different ways due to rising issues that seem to be linked to history. The difference in author perspectives leads to a different presentation of the history. The facts and sources are same but different perspectives from the author bring that change in the history of Louisiana Purchase.
Bibliography
- Cogliano, Frank. "Peter J. Kastor, The Nation's Crucible: The Louisiana Purchase and the Creation of America (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2004,? 25.00). Pp. 310. ISBN 0-300-101119-8.-." Journal of American Studies 39, no. 3 (2005): 562-563.
- Goodwin, Cardinal. "The Trans-Mississippi West." A History of its Acquisition and Settlement (1803-1853). New York (1922).
- Horsman, Reginald. The frontier in the formative years, 1783-1815. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1970.
- Onuf, Peter S. "Jon Kukla. A Wilderness So Immense: The Louisiana Purchase and the Destiny of America. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 2003. Pp. x, 430. $30.00." (2004): 519-520.
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Historiography of the Purchase of Louisiana. (2019, Oct 31).
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A History of the Louisiana Purchase
Imagine hundreds of miles of empty land, ready to be put to use, with thousands of people racing to claim it. That was what the louisiana purchase was like in 1803. The louisiana purchase was a crucial time in history. Some important parts of the louisiana purchase are, the land, the problems they faced, and the important people.
The Land
The louisiana purchase land was eight hundred twenty-seven thousand sq miles of land or fifteen states. It had completely doubled the size of the U.S. and was so important! It happened in 1803, and costed fifteen million U.S. dollars, which is equivalent to 1.2 trillion dollars in today's money. It was a major part in making the united states what it is today. Also, the united states got control of the port of new orleans and the mississippi river, which were both used by farmers to ship crops. One bad thing about the louisiana purchase is that the united states invaded numerus indian tribes. The indians must have been furious, because united states invaded their land without permission and they later had to leave for no reason.
The Problems They Faced
Although the louisiana purchase seemed to be a flawless plan their was a few problems. The purchase made goods go down the mississippi river into the sea. This costed people lots of money. In addition, the louisiana purchase almost didn't happen at all! Thomas Jefferson was worried about how the Constitution did not allow the executive branch to attain land through treaty. This was the biggest problem to Jefferson, as he was a strict constitutionalist. Also, Thomas Jefferson bought the land not knowing how much was in it. They had not researched deep enough to find the borders of the land . So they could not know if they actually got what they wanted.
Then they were told that the borders were to the mississippi river. But they did not know where the river was so they still did not know.
The Important People
There were a lot of people who helped out during the louisiana purchase, including Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence and third U.S. president. Jefferson had dreamed of expanding the united states, and turned out, he got to. Two other people were, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. After the louisiana purchase was complete Thomas Jefferson asked them to take a journey around the louisiana purchase land and map it out, and they did. Lewis and Clark were polite on their journey and traded with the indians in need. This was one case of politeness on their journey A woman brought her child with an abscess in the lower part of the back, and offered as much corn as she could carry for some medicine we administered to it of course very cheerfully this was a journal entry written by meriwether Lewis. Also, according to Author Anita Yasuda, the Senate made the law to let Thomas Jefferson buy Louisiana, it wasn't on the Constitution to let a president buy land but they made it happen that Thomas Jefferson could buy Louisiana. Napoleon, ruler of France, Sold Louisiana to America, they had Louisiana before America did, France only had Louisiana for two years before Thomas Jefferson purchased it.
In conclusion, the louisiana purchase was very important, and it took a lot of help to make it happen. I think it's safe to say how astonishing the louisiana purchase was. What do you think about the louisiana purchase and how it affected the United States now.
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Pros and Cons of the Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase constituted many advantages and disadvantages for President Thomas Jefferson and for the country. Some of the moral dilemmas included were, whether to purchase Louisiana and turning on what the constitution says. Jefferson believed in strict constructionism meaning he found ways to incorporate ideas for certain instances into the constitution's laws that weren't initially written in there. So, while he is having a hard time figuring out whether he should purchase Louisiana, he is also worried about what people may think of him if he disobeys the constitution.
Benefits and Drawbacks of the Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase posed many advantages for the country. Jefferson's decision to buy Louisiana expanded the U.S. massively. By any measure, it was one of the most colossal land transactions in history, involving an area larger than today's France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany, Holland, Switzerland, and the British Isles combined (Harriss). If Jefferson would not have made the purchase, the U.S. lands would not be the same. Another advantage of the situation was the underground features. The new land flourished in gold, silver, and many other ores that people would eventually mine and use as currency (Harriss).
This meant that more people would immigrate to the United States, increasing the population. With the population increasing, the U.S. needed more housing and jobs available. People began to build up cities and towns until there was more than enough room for everyone. The expansion also led to more agriculture and farming, benefitting the people (paying jobs) and the country (Harriss). As people worked in farming, money was made, and the country eventually achieved wealthiness. This contributed to the building of roads and new businesses. The U.S. continued to grow beneficially because of Jefferson's decision. Although there were many influencing aspects of purchasing Louisiana, there were also some downfalls.
Since the purchase expanded the U.S. so greatly, they came across problems that affected how the country grew. Thomas Jefferson was a huge public figure and was viewed as a positive influence to many people, but there were some that did not agree with his ways. He was known for being the one to make sure what he wants to do is done in a constitutional manner. When people accused Jefferson as being unconstitutional because of his strict constructionism, he made sure to prove them wrong. Jefferson had always stated his strong belief that the federal government's powers should be interpreted strictly. Article IV of the Constitution said new states could be added, but made no provision for taking on foreign territories, Jefferson argued that a constitutional amendment was needed. (Jefferson and the Louisiana Purchase). Jefferson struggled to convince the government that there were no rules against buying foreign lands.
He eventually decided to try to justify the situation. 'He wrote in 1803, The General Government has no powers but such as the Constitution gives it. it has not given it the power of holding foreign territory, and still less of incorporating it into the Union. An amendment of the Constitution seems necessary for this.' (Jefferson and the Louisiana Purchase). All of this to say, Jefferson did not have a strong bond with his people, and this negatively affected the way the U.S. grew. Along with Jefferson being frowned upon for his doings, there were other disadvantages to the Louisiana Purchase. Before the purchase, France had just taken control of Louisiana.
After the U.S. took over Louisiana, Jefferson found out this information and instantly felt differently about the situation. French-controlled Louisiana would become a point of eternal friction with us, he wrote in April 1802 and would force us to marry ourselves to the British fleet and nation. (Greenspan). This instance created some tension between the two countries. Another complication was that of people of the U.S. having an opinion about buying Louisiana. Fisher Ames wrote, 'We are to give money of which we have too little for the land of which we already have too much.' (Greenspan). The U.S. had already claimed a lot of land and people began to think that it was too much. Jefferson did not think much about this and still bought it.
Was Thomas Jefferson a bad president?
Was Thomas Jefferson a bad president? In my opinion, no, he was not a bad president. Jefferson may have used strict constructionism during his presidency (although some did not like it), but it truly exploited the United States' future decisions and doings. While Jefferson was president, he accomplished many things. While president, Jefferson's principles were tested in many ways. But Jefferson stood firm in ending the importation of slaves and maintaining his view of the separation of church and state. In the end, Jefferson completed two full and eventful terms as president. He also paved the way for James Madison and James Monroe, his political progs, to succeed him in the presidency. (Thomas Jefferson Establishing a Federal Republic). As the article says, he did not back down on his beliefs. He stayed loyal to the country and made it possible for others to become president as well. Jefferson will always be remembered for his intelligent decisions. He led his country to great places and is thanked for doing so.
In the end, I think that purchasing Louisiana had its ups and downs but each one benefited the United States. For better or for worse, I believe that the U.S. would not be where it is today without the Louisiana Purchase. Though we may have had some complications, this decision impacted the country in many ways and could not have been done without Thomas Jefferson. At the beginning, he was not fully trusted but people warmed up to his strict ways and realized that he knew what he was doing. Thomas Jefferson had some moral dilemmas along the way, but they challenged him to be the best president that he could be. He stood strong on his beliefs and never backed down which allowed people of the country to count on him for loyalty.
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Was the Louisiana Purchase Constitutional or Not?
This paper will be about whether or not the Louisiana purchase was constitutional. The purchase would be permissible and implied under the Constitution treaty-making provisions. It would be argued by many that Jefferson stretched the Constitution to justify the purchase. Many people will argue if the westward expansion will cause more slavery and whose political and economic priorities were bound to conflict with those of the merchants and bankers of the north.
The French have been expanding their land in America since 1862 when Ren?©-Robert Cavelier lead his crew to the Gulf of Mexico and called it Louisiana. In 1722 New Orleans becomes the capital of France's 'New World' empire but 40 years they give part of the west to England and New Orleans and part of the east to the Spanish. The treaty of San Lorenzo which allowed Americans to traverse the Mississippi River and use New Orleans harbor duty-free was written in 1795. In 1803 France offers to sell Louisana to the United States and on December 20th France hands over Louisiana to the United States. Louisiana is not recognized as a state until 1821.
The Louisiana purchase was constitutional because it was enacted as a treaty. The Constitution specifically grants the president the power to negotiate treaties. Though the Constitution does not specifically authorize the executive branch (or any other branch of the government) to purchase land from other nations. Many people had faith in Thomas Jefferson's decisions involving the French because he spent a long time in France working on diplomacy and relationships with the French people.
Thomas Jefferson is a man that lived by the constitution word by word. When the word got out that he was going through with the Lousiana purchase, it caused a lot of controversies. Many people deemed that the purchase was unconstitutional and call Thomas Jefferson out for being hypocritical. Instead, Jefferson contemplated a constitutional amendment as the best way to close the deal with France. The General Government has no powers but such as the Constitution gives it, he wrote. It has not given it a power of holding foreign territory, and still less of incorporating it into the Union. An amendment of the Constitution seems essential for this. His cabinet disagreed, specify James Madison, about the need for a constitutional amendment. With that being said, Thomas Jefferson already had a draft for the amendment and was frustrated with James Madison. Jefferson rationalized his decision for the treaty to be sent to Congress without an amendment by saying that he is buying it for the good of the people. Any deal with France would be lawful and implied under the Constitution's treaty-making prerequisites.
Many southern farmers saw the Louisiana Purchase as a huge chance to expand farms and increase their profits. Some wanted the land so bad that they wanted the government wage war to be able to secure free use of the soon to be Mississippi. Democratic republicans thought that Napoleon might change his mind given his reputation and choose another nation to take the land or may not even sell it at all. Some of the democratic republicans did not even want an amendment either because they knew that it would take too long it get it approved. They used the 11th amendment to prove their points stating that from March 4, 1794. It was not ratified until January 23, 1795 (over 11 months). Some were even xenophobes saying that the Louisiana Purchase would make the United States safer by getting rid the French, Spanish, and English. Specifically the French because of Napoleon's expansionist tendencies.
On the other hand, the Federalists had their opinions on why they believed the Louisiana purchase was unconstitutional. They argue that the constitution had no provision to allow the executive branch to purchase land from foreign countries. They also called Thomas Jefferson a hypocrite saying that he was against loose construction and that he had the option of creating an amendment but did not because he knew it would take too long. The Federalists did not want to add on to the growing national debt and was worried that the Louisiana Purchase would sink the United States economy. They were also scared that there would be states carved from the purchase that would ultimately benefit Jeffersonians and would grant Republicans enormous power over Congress. This meant that the south would be able to swing enough votes to be able to do as they please. And there would be more slave states from the purchase too. Some Federalists thought that the expansion to the frontier would somehow decivilize the United States as a whole and other nations would look down on us. For some reason, they argued that the French and Spanish people that live in the soon to be United States territory have not consented to be fused into the United States. Even though they do not have a problem pushing the Native Americans around and incorporating them into the United States. The people that live in Louisiana would so far from the capital of the nation that it seemed that it would be near impossible to control and meet the needs of the soon to be enacted citizens. Federalists thought that this would eventually lead to the separation of the territory and cause a sort of civil war. A major concern was that everyone knew that Napoleon could not maintain control over Louisiana and he is afraid that England will take it over, which leads us to 'over' pay. This is because the cost of Napoleon's war made it necessary for him to offer Louisiana at an compelling price of $15 million dollars or approximately $.04 an acre.
Many of the arguments made against Thomas Jefferson was primarily economic self-interest, not any legitimate concern over constitutionality. But, they wanted it to be posted as such to appeal to the majority and not the minority. The Louisiana purchase opened up a lot of free lands. That means that the newly acquired land is open for anyone to claim their stake. This really made parts of the north upset because they were hoping to sell these lands to farmers, who might go west. So much so that some New York and New England Federalists began discussing their region's secession from a union that was becoming too large and too different from the one they had helped form barely fifteen years earlier. But at the same time, there were some legitimate worries that with the Purchase comes New Orleans. That means that a lot of the crops that will be made in the southwest and parts of the west do not need the ports in New England anymore to be able to ship their goods.
Federalists criticized the expense, arguing that the island of New Orleans and Spanish West Florida was more valuable and could have been purchased for much less. But they also argued that expansion west of the Mississippi would bring the creation of many hostile nations in North America. Hamilton prompted Jefferson to negotiate a new treaty with Spain to exchange the whole of Louisiana west of the Mississippi for East and West Florida rather Louisiana.
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9/11 Catastrophe in USA
The event of 9/11 is a point in American history where we can point to as a change in America's stance on international, national, and individual security. The basic definition of security is the state of being free from danger or threat. As a nation, this concept was put into question with the attack on American cities and citizens. Because of this attack, internationally we have the war on terror, and nationally the creation of Homeland Security. With these efforts to feel secure from dangers and threats, security needs to have backing from an economic source and work in harmony to achieve the goals set forth to solve the issue of security.
The war on terror is a global campaign started by the United States after 9/11 to draw attention to terrorism and combat the actors of terrorist attacks. The war on terror can be international cooperation between nations to solve terrorism or a campaign that promotes islamophobia and encourages violence against these groups. With international cooperation, you see that the countries willing to work together were already allies or share similar ideologies. The theory of liberalism suggest that countries will work together because they have a common goal and that cooperation is more likely to deter violence and war. If countries that are working together already have an allies you are not deterring violence or war you are only gathering allies to fight your enemy. The theory of realism suggest that countries work in an anarchic system and that there will always be conflict between nations. Western nations see the ideals of Islam as a threat to their cultural and beliefs. This issue of islamophobia intensifies the realist concept because the west has this exaggerate fear of Islamic states and Muslim people that is carried out in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflict. Internationally the war on terror was an American campaign meant to not only protect security physically by engaging in military conflict overseas, but culturally by wanting to protect western cultural norms especially American culture.
Economically the war on terror would be an example of a soft and hard power. With the use of its large economy America was able to buy advanced military weaponry and fund military operations overseas to fight terrorism. Because, of the advantage of economic wealth compared to terrorist organizations lack of wealth, America was able to dismantle and decrease the size of terrorist organizations. The United States would also implement executive orders and economic sanctions, while also getting rid of some sanctions. to deter the funding of these organization the Bush administration issued an executive order that would freeze the assets of named terrorist, terrorist groups, and fundraising organization. By enforcing this executive order it cuts the terrorist group off from outside help and in turn weakens their ability to conduct terrorist attacks. With sanction the United States was willing to get rid of some or all of the economic sanctions that it put on countries to persuade them to join the war on terror. By doing this the United States used sanction as a carrot and sticks method. Should a country accept the offer they would be opening themselves up to the opportunity to engage in trade and boost their own economy.
The Department of Homeland Security a cabinet under the Executive Branch was created after 9/11 to protect the American boarder, prevent domestic terrorism (terrorism committed on American soil), cyber security, disaster prevention and management, and lastly immigration and customs. Each of these issues were seen as a threat to American security. In terms of security, securing one's boarder should be one of the main focuses of a nation because free boarders allow anyone or nation to challenge not only your authority but your right as a sovereign nation. Should a nation challenge your sovereignty having a physical boarder allows front line protection. Securing the boarder is a priority of America because it boarders Canada in the north and Mexico in the south. Should Mexico or Canada decide to attack the United States the first places to come under attack would be the bordering states like New Mexico, Texas, and California. Another problem that America face domestically is immigration. America is one of the countries that has a high demand for immigration status and permits citizenship here. Immigrants are a big security risk because you can never truly know what their intentions are in your country; they may be here to start a new life away from persecution by their government or they may wish to harm American citizens. When you allow immigrants to live in your country you are taking the risk of putting your own people in danger to save another person who is not a citizen. Domestic terrorism is also a threat to American security because terrorism endanger the lives of civilians and are most often done to make a political statement. If the lives of citizens are in danger than not only is it a security issue it is an issue of power.
On the side of economics Homeland Security would be seen as a hard power that enforces the soft sanctions and mandates that congress and the president passes. Homeland Security has many programs that are meant to disrupt the finances of terrorist like Cornerstone, National Bulk Cash Smuggling Center, Mass-Market Fraud, Project STAMP, and SEARCH Initiative. The purpose of Cornerstone is to detect and close weaknesses within the U.S. financial, trade, and transportation section. If the United States closes these weaknesses it makes it harder for terrorist groups to receive money that would fund their terrorist activities, and receive weapons that are smuggled across borders. By doing this Homeland Security also has the opportunity to target key player in criminal organizations that fund these groups and provide them with products like drugs, weapons, and humans. If Homeland Security get rid of these criminal organizations it is basically killing the problem at it source because terrorist groups can't function without an economical backing, just as the United States would not be able to function without its economic backing.
To conclude the war on terror and the creation of Homeland Security is a result of terrorist Preserved threat to physical and cultural security. To combat the threat of terrorist America would create an overseas military campaign that targeted countries that had rich hotspots for terrorist activity. Through the use of asymmetric warfare America had the advantage of advanced technological weaponry, economical wealth, and backing from the international community. With advanced weapons like drones, fighter jets, and automatic guns America could target and eradicate terrorist groups and cells with efficiency and less time than combing the desserts by foot. With the economic advantage America doesn't have to rely on funding from an outside source and doesn't have the threat of their assets being frozen. Having backing from the international community would give America allies in their war on terror and allow them to operate in countries like Afghanistan and Iraq without actually declaring war on these states. The creation of Homeland Security would provide America would domestic security. This agency is tasked with protecting the boarders of America, the flow of immigration, and the securing of economical transaction. By securing the boarders of land, air and sea America is protecting it right to sovereignty from anyone person or group. Managing the flow of immigration is also important because it allow you to control who comes into your county and protect your citizens from threats that may wish to harm them. Protecting economical transaction is also important because you are cutting off the hand that feed terrorist and leaving them to starve and eventually die. Overall the war on terror and Homeland security are example of security and economics working in harm to solve a problem which is terrorism.
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How 9/11 Bombing Afeected on my Life
Many people believe that the past is the past and we have no connection to history. However, many historical events affect our lives daily whether we realize it or not. History can also help us determine who we are based on our ancestors and their experiences. The 9/11 bombing is an event that has personally affected my life.
On September 11, 2001, around 9 A.M. Eastern time, was the beginning of 4 airplane crashes planned by al Qaeda. Two of the planes took down the World Trade Centers. Another plane was sent to the Pentagon, and one was prevented from attacking by brave passengers. This was the first aerial attack in 60 years. Around 3,000 Americans died and many were injured.
While this chaos was going on my mother was in labor with me. You can imagine the thoughts running through her head as she was giving birth to her first child in San Antonio, Texas on a base that was on lock down. My grandfather and uncle almost got locked out because of this. However, she pushed through and I was born a little less than 12 hours after the bombings first started.
When I was younger I did not know the significance of my birthday day, to me it was just the day I was born. However, as I grew older, and we began to go over the bombing in school and I began to realize its significance. I was not the only one who noticed that I was born on a tragic day.
The first time I can remember being ridiculed for this part of me I could not control is when I was in the fourth grade and was told that I was cursed because of the day I was born on. From that day on I noticed the look on people's faces and the way they react to the knowledge of when I was born. It's almost as if I am given pity or expected not to be excited because of this.
Even worse was when the terrorist baby or terrorist jokes began as people grew older and understood the event even more. I began to feel shame and when my birthday came around I would just keep my head down and hide. As I've grown older I've learned to ignore people's looks, reactions, and jokes.
While that has greatly impacted my life more than anybody can imagine the 9/11 bombing has also affected me in other ways. As I have gotten older I've faced times when I have to fly on a plane to places. It seems simple, but not when you have aviophobia, or the fear of flying. This fear is triggered not only when I get on a plane but also when I think about getting on a plane, or even when I see pictures of planes. I get very anxious and question every little thing that happens, whether it is normal or not, and fear starts to overtake my mind. The 9/11 bombing has intensified my fear because you never know when that could happen to you, and it only happened 17 years ago.
The 9/11 bombing has greatly affected my personal life. Growing up it has affected my emotional connection to my birthday negatively. It has also increased my fear of flying which causes me great distress. I never thought that history could affect my life now. However, it is obvious that no matter who you are, how it affects you or in what aspect of your life it affects, history will affect you. Just like the September 11, 2001 bombing has affected me.
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Work of Fire Services after 9/11
Even though 9/11 occurred almost two decades ago, the tragedy that occurred on that day still affects American citizens today. One particular way that lives have changed since 9/11, is through the changes that occurred in the fire service since that fateful day. As some of the first responders who were on the scene that day, it makes sense that these lives experienced some of the most traumatic effects. Many of them lost their lives trying to save others, and those who did not die now suffer serious health consequences as a result. As such, it only makes sense that the fire service would have experienced a great deal of change since September 11, 2001. This paper will explain many of the changes that have occurred, including Federal guidelines, as well as preparation and strategies, tools and equipment, and overall building construction.
As soon as 9/11 occurred, the United States of America realized that it needed to make some drastic changes in order to prevent such a large-scale catastrophe from occurring ever again. In doing so, the Department of Homeland Security came up with two relevant Presidential Directives, numbers 5 and 8. Presidential Directive 5 created a comprehensive system for managing national incidents, specifically disasters such as terrorist attacks or natural disasters (Department of Homeland Security, Directive 5 1). By establishing this comprehensive system, all facets of the government are now able to work together in times of crisis in order to better serve people and save lives. This directive also discusses how state and federal governments should work together during these situations (Department of Homeland Security, Directive 5 2), as previously, miscommunications would occur and leave people scrambling to find a solution that works for everyone. To add to this, in 2011, the Department of Homeland Security released the Presidential Policy Directive 8. While it has the same goals as Directive 5, it also incited change in various groups associated with disaster preparedness by having these groups create goals and strategies for these catastrophic events so the country as a whole could be more prepared in these events (Department of Homeland Security, Presidential Policy Directive par. 1). Furthermore, these Presidential Directives spurred additional changes that the fire service adopted from the National Incident Management System (NIMS; Christen). NIMS, as a result, allowed various groups of fire service agencies and other federal agencies to come together in times of crises, including large wildfires (Neamy par. 5). The Presidential Directives also helped to create the Fire Command, which allows multiple groups of firefighters to come together for daily, smaller-scale incidents (Brunacini par. 8).
While governmental regulations helped incite change within the fire service, it is also important to note some of the changes that were made on smaller levels, including basic preparedness and strategies that firefighters use in time of crisis. Overall, the strategies that resulted from 9/11 adhere to the Five Ps – Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance, which means Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance (Freeman par. 2). By sticking to this strategy, firefighters are better able to tackle large-scale fires and other disasters, which they do by going through a mental checklist of items that need to be addressed during a crisis, as well as by using textbook materials to better understand all of the conditions present during a fire (Freeman par. 5). Furthermore, post-9/11, fire service workers began to consider intelligence as a strategy to combat large-scale events, by considering experts in the field and the suggestions they had for making improvements in the future (Weeks 15). By having a more comprehensive understanding fire safety, fire service workers were better able to account for various circumstances and therefore, less likely to be surprised during crises (Weeks 18). Another strategy that the fire service has enacted since 9/11 is the way they consider civilians. For instance, first responders tend to use their radio frequencies less often now, because someone might be listening and take advantage of the large influx of first responders on the scene to create more damage, at that location or another one (Mantell par. 11). Additionally, they have learned to read individuals as an attempt to discover whether suspicious-looking people are just odd or if they truly pose a threat to others (Mantell par. 12). Finally, fire service workers have employed drills and other types of practice to ensure that they will be fully prepared in the event that a crisis does occur, and in some instances, civilians are even encouraged to participate in these drills to ensure that they, too, are adequately prepared for large-scale disasters in the future (Rohmer 81).
Another drastic change that has occurred since 9/11 in regards to the fire service stems from the innovations they have made to the tools and equipment that they use on the job, as well overall staffing. Because FDNY suffered such great losses during 9/11, they depended on various donations from members of the country and beyond to help them rebuild their fleet to assist in future disasters (Vaccaro par. 3). However, these changes spread beyond New York, as other fire services made changes to their equipment as well. These changes were a result from the Department of Homeland Security increasing funding to fire services, which stemmed from their Presidential Directives to better assist the country in preparing for future disasters (Vaccaro par. 9). Additional funding was secured from FEMA's Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG), which allows for fire services all across the United States to purchase the gear they need to succeed during crisis situations (FEMA, Assistance par. 1). Since 9/11, AFG has assisted various firefighting groups to buy equipment, gear, vehicles, as well as pay for additional necessary training that allows them to better do their jobs (FEMA, Assistance par. 1). Another program that provided necessary resources for fire service workers was the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grants (SAFER), which provides financial assistance for fire departments to hire and train firefighters within their communities (FEMA, Staffing par. 1). This allows for these departments to have the numbers they need to better serve their communities and save more lives in the process (FEMA, Staffing par. 1). Finally, great improvements have been made in terms of the radio and wireless communications that fire service workers employ while on the job (Vaccaro par. 11). Even though this does not allow for all fire departments to communicate with one another, the technology of these devices alone have improved a great deal since 9/11, and fire service workers hope that additional improvements will be made in the future to better solve their communication needs (Vaccaro par. 11).
Finally, it is important to consider the changes that have been made in terms of building codes and construction since 9/11. Before 9/11 occurred, building codes were meant to reduce property damage and save lives during natural disasters, including floods, tornados and hurricanes, as well as fires and floods (Building Safety Codes par. 2). However, because 9/11 was a drastically different type of disaster, the building codes were not prepared to have the positive impacts that they were intended for, and as a result, many lives were lost as a result of these unforeseen circumstances (Building Safety Codes par. 2). After 9/11, the International Code Council met and created a list of necessary characteristics that buildings must possess in the future, in order to prevent such large-scale disasters that occurred during 9/11. Some of these changes include having elevators in buildings that are taller than 120 feet, which allows for firefighters to get to higher levels without having to carry their heavy equipment up flights of stairs (Building Safety Codes par. 6). Also, multiple stairways are required for buildings taller than 420 feet, or instead of that, the building can have an elevator that allows for people to evacuate during emergencies without waiting for first responders (Building Safety Codes par. 6). Furthermore, buildings need to be more fire-resistant in order to prevent impacts or explosions as a result of the fire, and elevators and stairways must be impact-resistant as well (Building Safety Codes par. 6). Additionally, stairways must be self-lighting in the case of primary and secondary lighting failures, and exits need to be adequately marked in these situations (Building Safety Codes par. 6). Finally, there must be radio systems in place within buildings, in order for first responders to be able to communicate with people inside the building (Building Safety Codes par. 6).
In conclusion, the fire service has experienced a great deal of change since 9/11 occurred. These changes include various federal regulations, including two Presidential Directives from the Department of Homeland Security, which then impacted fire services in terms of NIMS and Fire Command to better assist with disaster preparedness. Additional changes include strategies and preparations that fire services utilize, such as implementing drills and other forms of practice to prepare for disasters, as well as having a better understanding of the roles that civilians play in these situations. Furthermore, the fire service has implemented changes have improved their technology and staffing needs since 9/11, most of which have been funded by federal grants. Finally, building construction and codes have changed post-9/11, which has allowed for greater instances of fire prevention and safety. Overall, because of 9/11, many changes were made to better improve the lives of fire service workers and the communities they serve, so as to prevent another terrible event such as 9/11 from happening again.
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American Muslims Influence and Media Portrayal Post
America is one of the most racially and religiously diverse countries in the world. People with different ethnical and religious backgrounds have lived in America for centuries. It's unclear when the first Muslims arrived in the United States, but their influence on the American Culture isn't going to be un-noticed. As communities migrate from one place to another, they take their culture, values, and traditions with them. These same norms can be applied to the migration of Muslims from the Middle-East to the United States such as slaves coming from Africa, Arabs coming to the United States and settling here. They all brought their tradition with them. Times had been tough on the community as their faith had been questioned over numerous periods of time, whether it was for the slaves coming from Africa to keep the religion alive, or after the attacks of 9/11 on the World Trade Center. The major event that changed the lifestyles, judgement, and portrayal of Muslims in America was attacks on Twin Towers of World Trade Centre on Sept 11, 2001.
Even though these attacks were carried out by few extreme minded individuals who were linked to terrorist group al-Qaeda, but the storm of hate, prejudice was experienced by the whole Muslim community that lived here in the United States. Muslim in the U.S. were Americans the day before attacks but all of a sudden they became terrorists, anti-Americans the day after the attacks. Muslim Americans have since thrived and silenced all the stereotypes against them, and the belligerence act of Islamophobia. Americans are suspicious of Islamic beliefs and motives which creates widespread hostility towards their faith. Facing discrimination throughout the country and despite heightened anxiety around their place in U.S. culture, their experiences largely mirror those of other religious groups. Even current President of United States Donald Trump has sign Executive Order 13769 also known as the Muslim Travel ban, which shamefully attempts to ban migrants and refugees from seven Muslim countries. Trump's Travel Ban aims to keep Muslims out of America but it would be impossible to take the America out of Muslims.
Mainstream media has one of the largest impacts on today's world and how societies can perceive people as the other. The media has been used to invoke hatred towards Muslims in America. Portrayal of Muslims in America has been negative mainly because of two things one being their faith but also people who come from the Middle East. The media has focused on presenting Muslims in a centric manner by associating the word terrorist with Muslims; while the historic context and perspectives that played behind the attacks are not mentioned in the influence on the individual's decision to perform such an act. Media start to debate if Islam justifies violence to achieve something. And because of the negativity spread by the media, American Muslims' citizenship, patriotism, and devotion to this country are constantly questioned. Political cartoons depicting a Muslim person's outfit was aimed to trigger suspicion and enforces a negative perception of Muslim people. When discussing the fear mongering ways of the media on the public, one cannot leave Hollywood behind. Hollywood may have invoked more islamophobia and xenophobia in individuals than President Trump may have done. Hollywood has made Americans associate Islam with terrorism through inaccurate representation. Television showtime Sleeper Cell came with a tagline "Friends. Neighbors. Husbands. Terrorists," and Homeland, where the mere act of a man praying toward Mecca signaled foreboding events. If there are few good Muslims shown in the shows, it doesn't come without a twist. In shows, Sayid on Lost or twins *Nimah and Raina of Quantico are defined by a connection to Saddam's Republican Guard or terror groups. Muslim representation in movies, TV shows, and even news is that Muslims in American art and media are represented as being violent, terrorist, and intolerant.
Despite such negative representation, religious profiling, and constant questioning of their faith and loyalty, American Muslims have achieved a lot in educating Americans about Islam, and how it promotes peace among communities, and how few evil minds use religion to carry out their heinous acts. Comedians like Chris Rock, Paul Mooney, Russell Peters, Margaret Cho, and Dave Chappelle are a few examples of intellectuals who challenge the stereotypes and common-sense beliefs held about their respective ethnic groups. The use of comedy to highlight injustices experienced by the Muslim community is common among all of the recent Arab and Muslim American comics. Muslim comedians believe that distrust and fear such as one poll found out that 39% of Americans admit to having feelings of prejudice against Muslims living in the US and they may support an initiative to have Muslims carry around special ID cards, concerns like Muslims in America are sympathetic to groups like al-Qaeda, etc. can be combated through comedy (Amarasingam). As Dean Obeidallah speaks of 9/11 events, he says that those events changed the way he was viewed in the country. Another comedian, Maz Jobrani, Iranian-born comedian and actor, also takes a dig at how Muslims are portrayed in the media. He notes, every time they show us on T.V, they always show the crazy guy burning the flag going like Death to America, and its always that. Media doesn't show any other role of Muslims besides being violent, anti-American. They depict Muslims and Islamic countries as hotbeds of fanaticism, full of Muslim men who enslave their wives, movies such as Not Without My Daughter serve to warn American women about the dangers of inter-racial marriage, which is totally mis-representation of the Islamic religion. Its true that in every religion there are people who are willing to connect and relate with other religions, and also there are people who take the religion very extremely by manipulating and using the religion according to their own belief/ mind set. Actions from such people do no reflect the belief system of entire religion.
There are lot of American Muslims who achieved fame in American art and Culture such as Hasan Minhaj, Aziz Ansari are few of the outspoken American Muslims taking representation of Muslims in America to positive and friendly level. In a New York Times op-ed, Why Trump Makes Me Scared for My Family, Aziz wrote that people in American culture associate Muslim less with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or the kid who left the boy band One Direction than with a scary terrorist character from 'Homeland' or some monster from the news. He also adds that the most constructive way to approach the problem is to show Muslim people being normal on TV.
Even women artists have also came forward to shatter the stereotypes about Muslims not only in the United States, but also rest of the world. One of the famous artists Shahzia Sikander, had solo show at Brent Sikkema Gallery in New York in 2003. Shahzia in her work named Utopia, in the post 9/11 context tries to think about the world in different ways, including taking on icons like American flag and inflecting it with her own meaning. Utopia, help better situate the cultural divide and argue for seeing cultural reading not as mutually exclusive but necessary for seeing any work of art. In such images, times like 9/11 are being created in the ways various histories are being retold through art. Larita Dixon, in her painting of Hijabis describe that, in this work, she wanted to show the fun side of Muslims, her aim is to show people that Muslims are just like everyone else. Another artist Kelly Izdihar Crosby, in her painting of Tapestry of Sisterhood, states that she is touched by the diversity of Islamic global community and that's the reason she created a montage of Muslim women wearing turbans, hijabs, wraps and no hijab. The reason behind the painting was that she wanted to show the beauty and diversity of Muslim women in terms of how they outwardly reflect their faith. The mainstream image of Muslim women is one dimensions, and this piece offers the viewer an alternative to that monolithic stereotype towards Muslim woman. Female Muslim comedians such as Tissa Hami had to deal with issues surrounding the hijab. She often starts off wearing the hijab and half way through her act she removes it, to illustrate that she is same women regardless of what she wears on her head. This act has much bigger impact which makes a point on larger context. She wants to prove that no all veiled Muslim women are silent or oppressed or terrorist. A veiled woman isn't someone to fear from, because no matter she wears hijab or not, she is the same person.
At the end, one way or the other, American media must change how they portray Muslim Americans. Muslim Americans have same rights and freedoms as every other citizen of this country does, regardless of their ethnicity, religion and race. Acts carried out by few individuals does not reflect the ideology of the whole community or religion. In order to reduce violence, stereotypes, and prejudice among communities, media needs to portray every individual, community as same, rather than picking on one religion to expand the hate crime against the religion.
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China’s Historic Transformation from a Dynasty to Communism
China as a regional power in Asia carried the reputation as The Middle Kingdom as its name literally translates. This reflects the historical position of power China held in the region. This enabled the nation to greatly influence the political affairs of other countries in the region. This status of power of power that China had in the days of its Glory as The Middle Kingdom is is particularly synonymous with that Ancients Rome's influence on the European continent. The Chinese were able to reinforce their dominance by establishing themselves as culturally, ethnically, and religiously superior to their neighbors. This tactic was, in fact, customary for every major civilization of the past as well as those of present. This ideology was perpetuated by every sitting emperor of The Middle Kingdom and remained central to the Chinese identity and perception of the changing world around them. This attitude would eventually lead to their ensuing calamity and subsequent downfall but not before they've enjoyed great success trading with the West.
Early into the 18th century, The Middle Kingdom prospered tremendously in their trade relations with Europe leading into rapidly growing economies in both sides. This success came during the Qing dynasty. In the terms of the trade, the Chinese government mandated silver as the only material of value to be traded for commodities with the western powers. This would go on for years until the British silver reserves were almost deplenished. This particular trade deficit would have the British East India company restrategize its trading terms with China with the introduction of opium - otherwise Heroin - for silver into the Chinese economy. This was essentially done to reverse the transference of precious metals back to the British reserves. The opium trade would official kick off in the year 1719 with about 200 chests and a 200 percent increase later in the year 1838, essentially amounting to 40000 chests. Each chest of opium would account for 63kg of the addictive substance. This would prove to be catastrophic for the Chinese economy as thousands of hours would be lost in productivity thereby severely inhibiting economic success and industrial output. The populace would be hooked on the drug and China was now running out of silver itself.
Later in the year 1839, the sitting emperor, Daoguang, would have had enough the madness going on in his country. He imposed an import ban on the British opium which also resulted in the destruction of tons of the drug. This act would infuriate the British Kingdom that would later take up arms. Little did Daoguang know that his action would cause a political uproar against his government.
The British Kingdom responded aggressively with its Navy that was sent to China to demand compensation for the loss of trade and economic deprivation. This conflict would escalate to what is now commonly regarded as the opium wars. The Chinese Navy was no match for the British counterpart and they lost the war. The Chinese would later cede the island of Hong Kong to the British and in an interesting twist, post first opium war, the import of opium increased by more than 350 percent from the initial 200 chests to an astonishing 70000 chests. Perspectively, this number can be equated to the total heroin traded between the start of the millennium and 2010. The humiliation served by the British Navy to their Chinese counterpart was brought about by only 44 battle-ready ships. This perceived vulnerability of the Chinese army would leave them under potential threats. It did in fact, lead to the second opium war which let the French and Americans gain several additional trading ports which gave them unrestricted access to The Middle Kingdom. This would also result in the annexation of the Northeastern regions of China by their far eastern neighbors, Russia, as today's Vladivostok and Sakhalin Island. With opium also came Christianity.
Smaller European nations would also attempt to subjugate China by carving up a coalition in Asia. This placed China on the limelight as they became a thing of ridicule. The aggression of the small European nations would later force the Qing dynasty to cede the port City of Macau for an indefinite amount of time to the Portuguese.
Following these events, China would suffer what is known as the Yellow River Flood that ended up claiming the life of an estimated 1 million people with over 2 million more without shelter and basic amenities. A pandemic and famine ensued throughout The Middle Kingdom shortly after that escalated and cause a particularly historic social unrest which resulted in the more aggression from the Korean Peninsula. During this period, China would experience a severe form of social unrest. Later in the years 1894 and 1895, the ruling Qing dynasty would lose influence over the Korean Peninsula and subsequently Taiwan. This period would be followed by the First Sino-Japanese War where the Japanese troops of about 240t,000 would deal a great blow to the 630,000 strong Chinese military. A historic defeat, this would lead to The Middle Kingdom ceding both Taiwan and the Korean peninsula in Perpetuity. Later in the year 1899, the Chinese civilians from the boxer rebellion would take up arms to bring the spread western religious identity and China's enslavement to an end. The former ultimately became analogous to foreign presence. The rebellion rallied around the now emboldened Empress Cixi in Beijing to support her will to retake the kingdom. The boxer militia became united in their course under the rule of the Empress and she seized the opportunity and ultimately declared war on the countries that threatened the sovereignty of The Middle Kingdom and the dynasty. These countries include Germany, Japan, France, Russia, United States, Italy, Austria, and the United Kingdom. The Empress's plan, however, failed and the western coalition quickly brought the kingdom's imperial army to its heels.
The result was particularly dramatic and some of the biggest cities of Beijing and Tianjin continued to remain occupied for what seemed like forever. The coalition wreaked havoc on these cities and against the local dwellers. The atrocities committed was beyond overwhelming for ruling dynasty. It seemed the realm was coming to an ultimate downfall. Later in the year 1912, the last imperial dynasty would be overthrown in a revolution wherein the emperor was made to abdicate his throne and The Middle Kingdom would begin the process of transformation to a democratic system of governance. Sun Yat-Sen would assume the position as the first democratically elected president of the Republic. However, this progress would be short-lived given that after about 30 years, there'd be an uprising from the regional warlords that'd connive against the central government. Sun who let the ruling Kuomintang party, would come up with the initiative of unifying the revolutionary groups which included the communist party as one coalition as they shared the same principles. Sun presidential tenure would come to an end in 1925 and shortly after, the formed alliance of the communist party and the Kuomintang came crumbling down and this development would result in a civil war. Russia and China would take advantage of this situation and violate the Chinese sovereignty by launching an attack in the Manchuria regions while the Chinese government sought to settle its internal conflict. This was all in the 1930s and in the same period, China would be plagued with an episode of severe flooding that left over 4 million people dead.
Mao who was the leader of the communist party at the time was faced with the challenge of consolidating power and bringing the entire internal and external conflict to a halt while threatened with extinction by the opposition, The Kuomintang. This presented a challenge as Mao Zedong and his forces were further driven east while the country remained mostly unattended to. Fast forward later in the year 1937, Japan that was on an expansionist agenda at the time would invade the rest of China that was under the control of the The Kuomintang and vulnerable due to the ongoing conflicts the Chinese government was involved in. The Japanese forces dealt a severe blow on The Kuomintang killing 300,000 Chinese forces and citizenry. This famously became known as the Nanking massacre which markedly changed the relations between the government of China and Tokyo. Later in the year 1940, China's luck would would turn for the better when Mao Zedong would find a new footing in challenging the status quo by using the economic disparity amongst the Chinese citizenry to his advantage. He had the poor peasants from the eastern region to take on military ranks and formulate an actual army that was capable of standing up to western aggression. Mao was able to achieve his goal of sending the The Kuomintang's leader and his loyals off the Chinese Mainland to the Island of Taiwan. They were also able to challenge the Japanese aggression and had them packing in no time as well. The Kuomintang vacated the Mainland of China with over two million people who continued to maintain the identity of China while Mao Zedong declared the Mainland of China as The People's Republic of China.
Under Mao's government, a lot of reforms were introduced but the one that particularly struck a cord was the Great Leap Forward. This policy was essentially established to revitalise the Chinese economy with industrialization at the forefront of this effort in rural areas. The government put an end to subsistence farming and seized all the farmland and had millions of people relocated from the agriculture industry to work in China's growing heavy machinery industry. The agricultural industry output would fall as a result and The Communist Party representative were forced to overstate the actual output of the agriculture sector. This would lead to a five year long famine. The famine was severe and spread like wildfire claiming the lives of an estimated 23 to 55 million people. This brought Mao's Great Leap Forward initiative to an abrupt halt which subsequently and steadily led to an economic decline that lasted for over two decades. These series of unfortunate events made people question Mao Zedong's leadership capabilities. This would lead to his temporary marginalization from the Chinese ruling elite who later requested him stepping down from his position as the overseer of The People's Republic of China. He, however, continued to enjoy significance as the symbol and face of the Republic. He essentially took a break while The Communist party general secretary, Deng Xiaoping took control over the governance of the nation and sought to roll back some of the failures of Mao's Great Leap initiative.
Later in the year 1966, Mao Zedong would launch a comeback against his political party with a quest to rid the party of his rivals and was able to accomplish this be introducing revolution in perpetuity. This way, he was able to launch a cultural revolution by galvanizing citizens of a lower socioeconomic status, including students, soldiers, mobilizing the lot of them to do bidding for restoring his position as the chairperson of The Communist Party and subsequently regaining control of the People's Republic of China. This movement became known as the Red Guards and they were brutal in their quest as they rounded up millions of targeted citizens rounding them up to reeducation camps in remote areas of China. The people rounded up included teachers, intellectuals and anyone that stood against the cultural revolution.
Mao Zedong later consolidated power in all of China for a second time till his death in 1976. Mao's legacy would continue to outlive him for most of the 20th century despite efforts by his successors to undo some of his work. The Communist Party's image essentially revolved around the era of opium wars; a period that was referred to as the century of Humiliation. This period of humiliation was essentially in the shaping the of China's geopolitics and perception of their immediate neighbors and the international community as a whole. It was also such that a total of 21 historic documentations were officiated during the China's opium saga as the Unfair treaties. This dark history has thereby caused most of the lawmakers in Beijing to have a distrust of the western civilization outside of it geopolitic space and has nurtured the idea of emulating the west - it's main adversary - in order to be able to counter their plans if there were to ever be an attack on their sovereignty again.
China's. however, focused on it's geoeconomics objective which it believes will help it grow its sphere of influence and make new allies as opposed to taking an aggressive military stance like its counterparts in the west do. This is, however, unlikely to remain the status quo as China has taken a rather emboldened approach with what is a supposedly newfound expansionist mindset as they continue to lay territorial claims around Asia threatening their original geoeconomics objective. These latest steps taken by Beijing under the current Xi Jinping have been perceived by potential allies as an aggressive posture and has been condemned by the international community as a violation of international laws.
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Communism and Marxist Theory
"To begin, Communism or the Marxist theory was founded Karl Marx, a German philosopher who turned turned to journalism after being turned down for teaching jobs due to his political views. Marx's investigations as a journalist led him to believe that there was systemic injustice and corruption in Germany where he lived. Leaving Germany a few years later, Marx met an old friend named Friedrich Engles in Paris, where they would soon collaborate and write the book: Manifesto of the Communist Party(1848). Marx and Engles felt that the poverty, disease, and early death that plagued the working class was a result of Capitalism, and that the only way of solving it was to replace Capitalism all together. As an alternative, they wanted the means of production, things like factories, railroads, and mines, to be owned by the government and used to benefit everyone, not just the owners. After Marx died in 1883, Engles become the main representative of the Marxist theory.
Engles simplified Marxism is several areas, more or less transferring it, making it more rigid and determinant than Marx had intended it to be. After Engles died in 1895, supporters of the Marxist theory split in to two groups, revolutionists and revolutionary. Revolutionists favored Marxism before Marx's passing, which had a more peaceful and gradual approach to the transition in to socialism. On the other hand, the revolutionaries would produce the front men of the Russian Revolution of 1917 and later define what we know as Communism today. Edward Bernstein, a revolutionist who became the foremen of the new Marxian theory, revised the theory in two main areas. Bernstein added an ethical element, where felt that humans should be treated with worth. He didn't like that individuals were being used as human working machines by capitalists as well as being thought as expendable for war purposes by Communists.
Bernstein also felt that trade-unions and working class political parties would provide opportunities for growth in societies, which was added in later down the line. On the other side, Bernstein's biggest critic was Vladimir Lenin. Lenin, was head of the Russian Social-Democratic Workers' Party took control over the Russian government in October 1917. Lenin made two radical changes to the Marxian theory, one of which being that instead of having a working class lead the party, Lenin wanted an elite party the was made up of extremist working-class people similar to hisself. Lenin wanted his party be secretive, tightly organized, and disciplined. The second change he made was that communism would be uprise in capitalist societies, because of a labor force that was used to trade-unions. Instead, communism would rise in failing countries like Russia at the time when Lenin took over the USSR. These beliefs show in what communism is today.
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Chinese Communism
After the death of Stalin, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union realized they had to prevent the rise of another dictator like him in the future. Yet the reforms and procedures put in place b the CPSU to avoid a new Stalin actually had the effect of stopping any dramatic change in leadership or reform within the leadership of the CPSU.
As the stagnation of the Brezhnev era increased, it became harder for one Soviet leader to make any important difference in the policies of the CPSU, much less become a dictator. The only thing the oligarchs in the CPSU were interested in was staying in power.
In March of 1985, nobody could really forsee the major changes that would soon shake the world and end the cold war. The selections of Yuri Andropov and Konstantin Chernenko as successors to Brezhnev pointed out how out of touch the CPSU was with the rest of Soviet society. Yet then something remarkable occurred with a young and relatively unknown party member named Mikhail Gorbachev was chosen as the new General Secretary and everything in the Soviet Union turned upside down.
At first, it was difficult to see if Gorbachev was going to be any different in his rule than his predecessors. He wasnts going to be another Peter the Greater this was as formidable challenges of his administration had yet to come. First, Gorbachev had no road map in which to follow for his reform as no leader had sought to attempt the type of reform he was about to undertake. Second, Gorby faced a Politburo, Central Committee and nomenklatura that were in no mood for drastic changes as they saw any reformer as a direct challenge of their leadership positions. Lastly, Gorby must have realized that any major reform effort could threaten the entire system as any quick reforms may lead to a lost of control of the process.
The terror and repression of Stalin era and the suffocation of Brezhnev's term had created a populace that was totally alienated from the party and state. To solve this problem, the mass need to be reengergised as such Gorbachev made some changes to the top party and state posts. At first, his job of restructuring was made easy due to many of the top positions of the state and party being occupied by old men who were hangovers from the Brezhnev era. These changes where not only for the benefit of the populace but was a way for Gorbachev to keep control of the leaders in the party's upper echelons thus consolidating his position of power. Not only did he cause a shake up in party leadership but he even went so far as amending Article 6 of the USSR which brought about the end of parallel hierarchies. With this the CPSU lost it's power over the main branch of the Executive which brought about a multiparty system which deviates from centralism within for which communism in grounded in.
Gorbachev's political reform emphasized rule of law rather than a true democratic system. Contraty to what many state his glasnot reform did not allow for a complete democratisation as he was of the belief that the CPSU would remain the dominate force in directing state affairs with Marxist-Leninist thought as the guiding principle. Yet it can be noted that although glasnost was not true democracy it almost immediately went out of control. This could be seen were more and more persons within the soviet union began to openly question the system upon the passage on his glasnost policies.
During the glasnost period, nationalist movements among the country's began to challenge the existent of the Soviet State. This was so as early Russian communist preached class identity over ethnic identity, however, now under Gorbachev, his behavior forced persons to call themselves, Lithuanians first or Armenians first rather than Soviets. As anti-Russian sentiment built up throughout the Soviet Union, the call for independence increased. The nationalities question would prove to be the breaking point for Gorby as it was a problem he could not solve. The backwardness of the republics hurted Gorbachev because a lot of the rural peasants in the rural republics actively resisted any call for reform or change. Meanwhile, those republics that were modernizing began to see that they wouldnt need the Russia.
The distrust of Gorbachev by the left and right was intensified due to his economic policy. In contrast to China, Gorby was unable to successfully juggle economic and political reform at the same time. Let it be noted China did not juggle both as it did not even attempt it and as such it can be noted to be a factor in why the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) still exist will the CPSU does not. Along with his reshuffling of party positions, Gorbachev began to criticize the stagnate Soviet bureaucratic state that was created during the Brezhnev era. Gorby had inherited a mess from Brezhnev. Heavy industry was the most efficient part of the Soviet economy, but even there, production was very low. The consumer sector was only worst off as it accounted for less than 15% of the Soviet's Gross National Production. The source of this failure on Brezhnev part was due to the centrally planned economy. Economic decisions were being made by people at the top who didnt know anything about economics on the grassroots level.
Corruption was rampant by the time Gorbachev took office. This corruption emanating from the party's power elites was the conducting of trade in the black market. With this many of the people became to distrust the Party and the bureaucracy. At first, Gorbachev tried to make minor changes to economic policy like with his anti alcohol programs however he soon saw that these minor changes were not enough. By 1987, Gorbachev and his followers were calling for nothing less than a full restructuring of the dying Soviet economy. Borrowing from Lenin's New Economic Policy, he created his New Market Mechanism (NEM), under which restrictions on farms and factories were eased which allowed them to sell more of their products for profit.
The goal of Gorby's economic reform (Perestroika) was to break the grip of the state and party bureaucracies on the Soviet economy by loosening the command style economy and allowing farmers or factory managers to start making profits on their products. This was intended to undermine the black market and improved the dreadful state of the Russian Consumer Economy. Like the opposition to glasnost, Gorbachev faced resistance from the nomenalature and the military who where the one to be mostly affected by his reforms. Instead of well thought out reforms, Gorbachev's agenda involved trying to bridge the gap between socialist policies and capitalism, the results of which where disastrous. These poisonous policies led to a substantial drop in GDP by 1990 which made many people losing their entire income.
Whatever he did Gorbachev tried to prove that he was still a dedicated communist as be was of the belief that he could reform the system without transforming it. He like Khrushchev 30 years earlier, though that the cancer infecting the Soviet Union could be removed without destroying the Party. As like Khrushchev, Gorbachev would pay for that mistake the same way Khrushchev did but even worst; this can be seen where he was not only removed from power but is today noted the as the reason for the callaspe of his party. To many pro communist Gorby is considered a sellout who brought about the destruction of the USSR which they see as a result of him being bewitched by western capitalist states.
While the western capitalist states had to rethink their views on Russia in the pass few decades; it is important to note that one of the biggest and well armed nations happens also to be Communist China. Jiang Zemin and the CCP were in an almost opposite situation than what Gorby found himself in by the 1990s. Gorbachev tried to implement reform on all fronts which fall into three realms: economic, social and political. His economic reforms and the rise of the nationalist movement in the republics spiralled out of control leading to the fall of the USSR led by Mother Russia. China had learned from the lesson of the soviets and concentrated their reforms on the economy only. To get rich is Glorious! was the mantra of Deng Xiaoping and the CCP during the 80s but this was on the condition that nobody should challenge the power and authority of the CCP.
The CCP with the help from the Soviet Union, emerged in the early 1920's as one of the forces in China attempting to save its nations from civil war, backwardness and foreign domination. Its not surprising that a lot of young people would look towards Marxism as a way to save their country. Marx's analysis of people being oppressed and Lenin's emphasis on imperialism, appealed to young Chinese intellectuals even though both Lenin and Marx represented more a western philosophical teaching. Ironically, the defeat of the CCP in the Shanghai Massacre created the conditions for the rise of the most influential leader in China's 20th Century. The political, military, economic and backwardness of China was as beneficial to Mao Zedong rise.
Although Mao would later have problems with the USSR, which could be seen as he wasnt on speaking terms with Khrushchev or Bresznchev; he initially had to depend on them for help in consolidating his power after taking over China in 1949. Upon solidifying power, Mao crushed the opposition to communist rule and nationalised the Chinese economy. Mao did not hide his brutality as he stated that political power grows out of a barrel of a gun. Thousands of people were either killed or sent to re-indoctrination camps. No unions, parties or organisations were allowed to exist outside the CCP. Through his decision of nationalising China's industry and collectivizing the farms, Mao was able to breathe some life back into China's economy. China's first fews years saw massive aid coming out of Russia which in-turn brought about a tremendous economic growth.
In the early 1960's, following the failure of his Great Leap Forward (GLF), Moa took a less active role in Party affairs, leaving the major economic decisions up to Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping. Both these men called for economic moderation and placed more emphasis on the bureaucracy and the market system when dealing with economic matters. As such it can be noted that that their guidance, the CCP moved from radicalism to moderation. By the mid 1960's, Moa reinserted himself into the economic affairs of the state. He noted that China and the CCP was once again deviating from the socialist path and was heading down the road to capitalism. In 1966, Mao launched a new campaign designed to reenergize the revolution and destroy any uptake in in the capitalism movement. Like the GLF, the Cultural revolution was a campaign based upon mass mobilization yet this campaign goes beyond the GLF as it was more violent and emphasized political purity rather than an economic development.
By 1969, the CR was getting out of control; this was as Maoist and anti-Maoists began to take their war from speech to the streets. These radical actions cause many persons to leave the CCP and caused economic activities to come to a stand still. The last phase of the CR also represented the end of Mao radical political reign. Yet it must be noted that although many of Mao's Wartime Policies, Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution were brutal and more political oriented, they did lay the ground work for a strong Chinese political apparatus and a Country ready for an economy revolution.
Upon the death of Mao, the Gang of Four were arrested and sentenced to long prison times which in turn led to the end of the blood stricken Cultural Revolution. During this time of transition, the Leaders of China called Deng Xiaping out of exile to lead the country to economic prosperity. Although economic development was always a goal of the People Republic of China, this time under Deng, it would be implemented without the idealogical constraints of Maoism. Deng was initially faced a dilemma whether to de-emphasise Maoism quickly, as Khrushchev did with Stalin or wait out the transitional period.
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Over 200 Members of the Department of State are Communists
In his speech delivered on February 9, 1950 in Wheeling, West Virginia, Senator Joseph McCarthy declared that over 200 members of the Department of State are communists and claimed that he had a list with each of their names. His speech elevated McCarthy to national prominence, as well as triggered a nationwide paranoia about traitorous communists in the U.S. government.
How does he define communist nations and what are the threats they pose?
In his speech, Joseph McCarthy defines communist nations as those nations that want to dismantle the Christian democracy and substitute it with communistic atheism (Digital History, n.d.). McCarthy declares that Americans will be engulfed by communist forces from within the nation citing our threat lies from the enemies within. He further warns that the U.S. borders will therefore be weakened, leaving the nation vulnerable to be easily uprooted and overtaken by communist nations (Digital History, n.d.). In order to support his claim of how fast communism has grown in such a short period of time, McCarthy states the 400% increase of people in the domination of Soviet Russia (Digital History, n.d.). The goal of including these facts was to attest that the odds are no longer in the favor of the U.S. and that the threat of communism takeover is imminent. In his speech, McCarthy warns that the people of the world will see mass murder, the destruction of defenseless and innocent people, and all of the crime and lack of morals which go with war (Digital History, n.d.).
Were his charges accurate?
I do not believe that the McCarthy's charges that communists have infiltrated the U.S. government are accurate. His accusations that more than 200 members of the Department of State are communists were a scare tactic that created a temporary controversy that was short-lived. McCarthy's reputation was discredited when the inconsistencies of how many communists he declared were in the Department of State changed from 57 to 81 and even 10 at one point (History, n.d.). Unfortunately, his strategy was successful at initiating a nationwide hysteria and paranoia that became known as the second Red Scare (History, n.d.).
Replace the word communism in his speech with Islam. Are there similarities between what McCarthy said about communism and what has been said about Islam, particularly shortly after the attacks of 9/11?
When replacing the word communism with Islam in McCarthy's speech, there is clear evidence of similarities. After the tragedy of 9/11, there was nationwide state of hysteria and paranoia in the U.S., just as there was when McCarthy instilled the fear of communists present among the members of the U.S. Department of State. There was a presence of heightened suspicion and fear of Muslims or anyone who looked Arab, referring to their skin color or clothing. The term Islamophobia has been coined as early as the 1990s but was strongly present among Americans following 9/11 (Samari, 2016). Samari (2016) reports that over 60% of Americans reported unfavorable attitudes towards Muslims after 9/11. Unfortunately, after the attack on 9/11, associating Muslims with terrorists has become prevalent in American society. This association with terrorists has led to countless incidents of assaults on Muslims or anyone who appeared to be Muslim, as well as raids on mosques and other hate crimes that began immediately after 9/11 and are still occurring today (Clay, 2017).
Do you believe it is valid to draw comparisons between anti-communist rhetoric and anti-Islam rhetoric?
I do not believe that it is valid to draw comparisons between anti-communist rhetoric and anti-Islam rhetoric. I do believe that the anti-Islam rhetoric that is present today is far worse than the anti-communist rhetoric in the past. Anti-Muslim and Islamophobia attacks have been present in many elections around the country. There have been multiple campaigns across the U.S. where candidates, primarily Republicans, have engaged in anti-Islam campaign attacks. These campaign attacks take it as far as calling for Muslims to be denied basic rights or deny Islam as a religion. Our current president, Donald Trump, has publicly warned of the dangers of radical Islamic terrorism, and has slammed Obama and other Democrats for not acknowledging the threat and taking appropriate action (Hilal, 2017). From Muslim bans to countless wars in the Middle East, there is a new era of undisguised Islamophobia, as well as extreme and violent rhetoric about and towards Muslims, present in today's American politics and society (Hilal, 2017).
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An Author of the Declaration of Independence
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About Thomas Jefferson Actions
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Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), which is widely known as Planned Parenthood is one of the most well known and controversial health care providers throughout the nation. Planned Parenthood is a non-profit organization that provides healthcare and family planning services. Young adults are able to confidently gain information on subjects such as sex education from the organization which holds the record of the nation's leading sexual and reproductive health care provider and advocate. The most controversial practice Planned Parenthood is known for is giving young women the option of abortion. The organization receives funding from the government in order to aid in the practice the services in which they provide. Although some groups believe that funding this organization is morally wrong due to abortions. Critics against Planned Parenthood claim the government should defund this organization because of the certain services they provide for people.
In 1916, a woman named Margaret Sanger was a nurse and a daughter to a mother of eleven children which caused her mother's health to become fragile over time, additionally endured seven miscarriages as well as dying at age fifty due to tuberculosis.Sanger's mother's history with reproducing as well as working in the field of nursing at the time enlightened her. She set journey to Europe to study birth control strategies while America deemed the education on birth control illegal (Planned). On October 16, 1916, Sanger and her sister Ethel Byrne as well as activist Fania Mindell united together in order to create the nations first birth control clinic which opened its doors in Brownsville, Brooklyn.
Thousands of women raced to line up in order to receive birth control education as well as advice. Almost a week later, authorities had descended upon the clinic and charged the three women with crimes which were related to sharing information on birth control. Sanger had refused to pay the charges because she deemed the charges as immoral and resulted in spending a month in jail where she had ended up educating her fellow prisoners on birth control at the time. Even though the clinic itself was terminated Sanger's dream remained well and alive. She traveled throughout the country and educated women on birth control in addition to sharing her vision for women. This was the start of the revolution for Planned Parenthood.
In 1923, Sanger had established the Birth Control Clinical Research Bureau in Manhattan to provide women with birth control as well as to deduct research on the statistics about birth control itself. During the year, she had also established the American Birth Control League which was an enlightened organization that investigated the impact revolving around statistics on reproduction and how America was affected by it. Eventually, the two organizations combined to officially revive Planned Parenthood. In 1936 a court ruling was held for Sanger's organization as well as reconstructing the law of illegally distributing birth control into making the distribution and education of birth control legal in New York and Vermont. These rights were prolonged for an extended thirty years for the rights to become legal all throughout America. This was the most historic step for birth control in history.
Since Planned Parenthood was had gotten high demands for birth control, it only made sense to perfect the pill as much as possible. In 1956, the very first human experimentation on specifically the birth control pill was tested in Puerto Rico. This experiment was crucial to the development of the pill. However, the women who were being tested on were not given consent which is today considered morally dis-satisfying as well as illegal. These women experienced increased hormone levels twenty times compared to today's pill's levels. None of the women testified against the experiments and the research continued to redefine and near perfect the pill in order for it to complete what if was originally meant for. Today, the pill is the number one method used by women, Seventy-two percent of women who practice contraception currently use non permanent methods”primarily hormonal methods (i.e., the pill, patch, implant, injectable and vaginal ring), IUDs and condoms. The rest rely on female (22%) or male (7%) sterilization (Contraceptive). Planned Parenthood was also the first to give women the choice of abortion which soon led to legal disputes.
The freedom women were starting to have for their bodies with having abortions and birth control readily available for them eventually led to outraged pro life activists and conservatives who back lashed at women for having these practices. Extreme fundamentalists held campaigns of patient intimidation as well as conducting acts of violence which involved murder against abortion providers. Health centers were also under attack from bombings and arsons. Political views soon swept the nation in the late seventies. In 1992, the Supreme Court created the constitutional right to allow states to uphold their own regulations on abortion.
This made it difficult for women to receive abortions when desired and created queue times which were held for days. Yet, throughout these difficult times Planned Parenthood remained stood as indestructible and kept their loyalty as well as commitment to their patients in order to continue to change the perspectives on abortion and birth control, Throughout the 1990s, Planned Parenthood and other reproductive health experts successfully advocated for FDA approval of new, effective methods of birth control ” including the birth control shot, the ring, the patch, and the implant. In 1999, the FDA approved Plan B emergency contraception, and Planned Parenthood began work to make emergency contraception widely available at its health centers and educate the public about emergency contraception, also known as the morning-after pill. In 1996, Planned Parenthood launched their official website which made expert medical and sexual health information easily accessible for everyone. Today, 76 million people reach Planned Parenthood online every year (Planned).
Today, Planned Parenthood has stabilized a positive reputation regarding the past as well as current controversies against them by providing quality care for its patients and several other services they additionally offer. Planned Parenthood has also included male sex education as well as ?birth control' methods for men. For female clients Planned Parenthood offers eleven different birth control methods such as STI/HIV testing and gynecological care for clients who are interested in such. Additionally, for male clients they offer screening for testicular cancer, testing as well as treatment for sexually transmitted infections, and HIV testing. Planned Parenthood has became completely transparent by providing statistics, information, donations, volunteering, and much more on their official website for not only their patients, yet is open to the public as well.
In my opinion, political figures have distorted the image of Planned Parenthood. Over time, people were beginning to believe that Planned Parenthood is primarily for abortions due to such pro life political figures spreading false information when in fact, abortions are only three percent of all the services they provide. In Planned Parenthood's 2016 Affiliate Medical Services Data 47% of their services was for STI testing as well as treatment. Following right after with 28% was contraceptives (Evans).
Planned Parenthood's marketing is held with campaigns to create awareness for people to know what they have available to them, Planned
Parenthood is the nation's leading provider and advocate of high-quality, affordable health care for women, men, and young people, as well as the U.S.'s largest provider of sex education. On campuses and online, in schools and community settings, in health centers, and in the media, Planned Parenthood is a visible and reliable source of expert reproductive and sexual health care, education, and information. We do this work because we're passionate about helping people lead healthier lives (Planned). Since the organization is nonprofit they focus on spreading awareness across the nation and providing services to those in need.
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Should Vaccines be Mandatory?
No US federal vaccination laws exist, but all 50 states have laws requiring children attending public school to be vaccinated against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (generally in a DTaP vaccine); polio (an IPV vaccine); measles and rubella (generally in an MMR vaccine); and varicella (chickenpox). All 50 states allow medical exemptions, 47 states allow religious exemptions, and 17 states allow philosophical (or personal belief) exemptions. This federal law should be more open to personal beliefs in more states.
Vaccines are usually used to prevent illness and disease, but there are several harmful chemicals in them that can show serious side effects, which is why vaccines should not be mandatory. There are many risks and side effects when looking into vaccines; Many of them have long last effects that never go away. According to the CDC, all vaccines carry a risk of a life-threatening allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) in about one per million children. Long-term seizures, coma, lowered consciousness, and permanent brain damage may be associated with the DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis) and MMR vaccines, though the CDC notes the rarity of the reaction makes it difficult to determine causation. The CDC reports that pneumonia can be caused by the chickenpox vaccine, and a "small possibility" exists that the flu vaccine could be associated with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a disorder in which the person's immune system attacks parts of the peripheral nervous system, in about one or two per million people vaccinated.
The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) says that vaccines may be linked to learning disabilities, asthma, autism, diabetes, chronic inflammation, and other disabilities. One of the main ingredients that people worry about is thimerosal, an organic mercury compound found in trace amounts in one flu vaccine for children and other vaccines for adults, has a proposed link to autism. Aluminum is used in some vaccines and excess aluminum in human bodies can cause neurological harm. Formaldehyde, also found in some vaccines, is a carcinogen, and exposure can cause side effects such as cardiac impairment, central nervous system depression, "changes in higher cognitive functions," coma, convulsions, and death. There are so many more ingredients in vaccines that cause so many more problems.
All of these vaccines cause so many different problems that could affect someone's way of living. It is a scary thought that one vaccine could leave someone with life impairments that will never go away, which is why I believe so many parents started opting out of vaccines. The thought of giving a child a problem that could potentially harm it is terrifying. Vaccines work by prodding the immune system to produce antibodies against viruses and bacteria, thus priming the body against these pathogens before they enter it. Some antibodies, however, can react against not only the intended pathogen proteins but also against human proteins ” a phenomenon called cross-reactivity. A 2015 study published in Science Translational Medicine discovered that antibodies elicited by the Pandemrix influenza vaccine cross-reacted with a human brain protein ” hypocretin receptor 2. Another reason vaccines shouldn't be used is that most diseases that vaccines target are relatively harmless in many cases, thus making vaccines unnecessary. According to Shayan T. Vyas, MD, chickenpox is often just a rash with blisters and can be treated with acetaminophen, cool compresses, and calamine lotion.
The measles is normally a rash accompanied by a fever and runny nose and can be treated with rest and fluids. Rubella is often just a virus with a rash and low fever and can be treated with acetaminophen. Rotavirus can normally be treated with hydration and probiotics. If you can help treat an illness without putting harmful chemicals into a child, why wouldn't you? If harmed by a vaccine, the option of suing the manufacturer is not allowed. The National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act (NCVIA) was signed into law in 1986 by President Ronald Raegan as part of a larger health bill. This act declares that no person can sue any vaccine manufacturer. Instead, they have The Office of Special Masters of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, also known as Vaccine Court, where you can file a case in return for compensation.
Between 1989 and July 1, 2014, 3,645 compensation awards have been made by the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) (amounting to over $2.7 billion in awards and $113.2 million to cover legal costs) and 9,786 claims have been dismissed (amounting to $62.8 million paid to 4,925 dismissed claimants to cover legal costs). In 2014, the court received 542 claims and compensated 365 people for a total of $202 million. Settlements ranged from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Many were for the flu shot and Guillain-Barre syndrome. According to HeinOnline, A.J. was born May 15, 1994, a healthy baby boy. Between May 1994 and December 1995, A.J. was administered standard childhood vaccines In May 2001, seven years from his first administered vaccine, A.J. was diagnosed with disintegrative autism resulting from mercury toxicity. (pp 91) This is a recurring trend that has not stopped. Healthy babies are born, then get vaccinated and are never the same afterward. These are the things that no one is talking about when discussing vaccines and the side effects of getting them.
Medical decisions for children should be left to the parents or caregivers. Barbara Low Fisher, Co-founder of National Vaccine Information Center, stated, "If the State can tag, track down and force citizens against their will to be injected with biological products of known and unknown toxicity today, there will be no limit on which individual freedoms the State can take away in the name of the greater good tomorrow." The government should not be able to intervene in personal medical choices that have the potential to govern the rest of our lives, especially with such high risks. Vaccines are unnatural, and natural immunity is more effective than vaccination.
Even pro-vaccine organizations state that natural vaccination causes better immunity. Mayo Clinic states that natural infection "often provides more complete immunity than a series of vaccinations." Kurt Perkins, DC, a chiropractor and wellness expert, stated, "A vaccine violates all laws of natural immune defenses by taking a potential pathogen along with all the TOXIC ingredients (aluminum, formaldehyde, adjuvants, etc.) directly into your blood system. This process would never occur in building natural immunity. That last sentence is kind of an oxymoron. Immunity is a natural thing. Vaccines are an artificial thing." Natural immunity is much stronger than whatever they inject into your body. Without all the injections, your body would have found a natural way to fight illnesses off, making your immune system stronger than the injection would have.
After discussing all the risks of vaccinations, I believe more research should be done over them before making them mandatory for anyone for any reason. The risks range from high to low, and they are still risks that no one should have to take when thinking about safety for themselves or others, especially if one of the risks is a fatality. If a person believes that their child should not require vaccinations, who is to tell them otherwise? It should be their decision on if they want their children vaccinated and going to public schools or not.
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Autism and Vaccines
Autism and Vaccines
Vaccines save lives; fear endangers them. It's a simple message parents need to keep hearing Jeffrey Kluger, vaccines have always been wrongly accused of being threatening for human health, however vaccination opposition is as old as vaccination itself, one of the biggest accusations is that vaccines are the main cause of Autism, a complex mental and developmental disorder that is characterized by difficulties in social environments, verbal and nonverbal communication, and occasional problems with behavior, the growth of this mental condition has increased enormously the last 14 years, however, no, vaccines do not cause autism because they're designed to be easily handled by the human immune system, autism is also a birth defect not something that manifest later in life , and a gigantic number studies have denied any type of relation between these two.
It has been a very clashing discussion the argument of whether vaccines have been designed to heal and aid the human body, and even when the answer seems obvious many people argue that the elements and chemicals that are used to create this medications have made vaccines more damaging than they are helpful, although this rumor has been widely spread and had poisoned the mind of many people, this theory is completely false A Baby's immune system can easily handle the vaccines recommended for infant and toddlers (evidence shows vaccines) This words were written by The immunization action coalition, a nonprofit organization that is completely devoted on educating the people on the benefits and the importance of vaccines. They have investigated the human immune system and its answer to vaccines which gives them the criteria to expose the falsehood of these allegations. Some people worry that receiving too many vaccines early in life can overwhelm a baby's immune system and that this somehow can lead to autism. This doesn't fit with what we know about the remarkable capacity of the immune system (evidence shows vaccines) since the moment a baby is born their body has to confront with dangerous microorganism's displayed like bacteria,viruses, and fungi. And inside of these organisms there are far many more antigens which are the bad type of organisms for the human body than in all of the recommended childhood vaccines combined, this is irrefutable proof that vaccines contain no potential danger for the human body.
Autism is usually manifested when the child is 18-24 months old which had led many people to believe that vaccines are the cause for this behavioral change since most of them are given within this range age, however, the majority of these people are desperate parents who don't fully understand the situation and need something to blame it on, anyhow this accusations couldn't be further from the truth developmental specialist, however, can identify early signs of autism in children when they are much younger(evidence shows vaccines) there is a great deal of doctors that have dedicated their lives to the understanding of autism and they have been able to detect this disorder in children way before they start getting their shots. Researchers have used functional MRI [magnetic resonance imaging] scans to study the connection in areas of the brain that control language, social, and emotional processes, suggesting that these abnormalities contribute to the development of autism(evidence shows vaccines) autism is a very convoluted mental condition and the results for these researches are only clues that will contribute to a further investigation on it and highlight that the cause of autism is far more complicated than just pointing at something as harmless as vaccines.
The supposed link between vaccines and autism has caught the attention of many scientist and doctors that also want to investigate, research, and finally share an opinion on the subject, while the big majority of these people support the use of vaccines there are also groups that are fully committed to defame the properties of vaccines, a great example of one of these groups is the one led by the britain Dr. Andrew Wakefield, the head of a 12 member group that had published many anti-vaccine articles and researches, however, as the Doctor John Calfee states a series of studies (summarized in Offit's two books) had failed to replicate Wakefield's results and in fact had ruled out any connection between autism and any vaccine, including the MMR vaccine (Calfee, John E.) and as it was expected these studies have been proven to be baseless, apart from these false accusations research has also been done in the other side of the argument, and it is much stronger evidence, there is a institution that helps provide guidance to congress in scientific issues called the institute of medicine. consensus report strongly stated that the evidence did not show a link between vaccines and autism(evidence shows vaccines) This statement was done after The Institute Of Medicine reviewed and studied about 1,200 studies on the matter, even when this number studies seems enormous there are more companies, clinics and institutions that have analyzed the issue like the RAND company that in 2011 published an article on the anti-vaccine movement denying any relationship between Autism and vaccines, or even the Federal Court that after examining 939 articles on the concern concluded as stated that the evidence was overwhelmingly contrary to the idea that autism is triggered by vaccines, and there is not bigger proof on a scientific issue that the opinion of hundreds of scholars, scientifics, and doctors combined on the same side of the argument.
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Controversy of Vaccines and Autism
- Briefly describe the origin of the vaccines/autism controversy
- Where does the evidence stand today?
- What factors do you think drive the persistence of this controversy?
- What are the risks of vaccine non-compliance to individuals? To the broader public?
- How can one highlight the importance of vaccines and address patient concerns while honestly acknowledging both the limitations and risks of vaccination?
Briefly describe the origin of the vaccines/autism controversy
The origins of vaccines date all the back to the 17th century, when Buddhist monks would drink snake venom to build immunity to snake bites. Also, in 17th century china they practiced vaccination against small pox but smearing cowpox on torn skin to confer immunity against small pox. In the west, Edawrd Jenner inoculated a thirteen-year-old boy with vaccinia virus, which demonstrated how vaccinations work to build immunity against small pox. According to the Indian Journal of Psychiatry In 1998, Andrew Wakefield published a case series in the lancet, which suggested that the MMR vaccine may predispose to behavioral regression and pervasive developmental disorder in children. (The logic that the MMR vaccine may trigger autism was questioned because a temporal link between the two is almost predestined: both events, by design (MMR vaccine) or definition (autism), occur in early childhood) (Indian Journal of Psychiatry).
Where does the evidence stand today?
The evidence today stands that the Lancet has completely retracted Wakefield's work in 2010, according to the Indian Journal of Psychiatry. The sample size that Wakefield used was a relatively small sample size of 12 children and his work was uncontrolled in design. Wakefield was later found guilty for deliberate fraud since he picked and chose the data that was most suitable for their cause (Indian Journal of Psychiatry). Wakefield was also found guilty for ethical violations since he had conducted invasive investigations on children without the necessary ethical clearness (Indian Journal of Psychiatry). And lastly he had been found guilty for scientific misrepresentation for claiming that his sampling was consecutive when it was selective (Indian Journal of Psychiatry).
What factors do you think drive the persistence of this controversy?
I think that there are a few factors that drive the persistence of this controversy, one is social media plays a big part. I see so many people advocating against vaccinations since they still believe vaccines are more harmful than good. My very own sister who I love greatly is one of those people. She has a 7-year-old daughter who is vaccinated but I think she blames the vaccines on all my nieces issues. My aunt who has been a pharmacist for many years is also anti-vaccine. I think the second major thing that drives this controversy is the internet. I know for my sister all she does is read articles on the internet all day long. Now she has a degree in culinary arts with no medical background, so the articles she's reading she is going to believe basically out of ignorance. Many people don't know basic physiology and basic biology, so they are more likely to be skewed by what they read on the internet and believe that It is true because they read it on the internet.
What are the risks of vaccine non-compliance to individuals? To the broader public?
Some of the risk factors that are associated with vaccine non-compliant individuals is the increased risk of developing infectious diseases that once where nearly eradicated, diseases that are potentially fatal to adolescence, and the risk of spreading the disease to more vulnerable individuals. Some diseases that once were nearly eradicated are starting to reemerge due to vaccine non-compliance. In the case for pertussis, this is a bacterial infection that is on the rise among infants and teenagers. It spread through moisture droplets in the air and it is said that caregivers and parents are able to carry the bacteria that is affecting the children. If an infant has pertussis and the parent or caregiver is attending to the child, the parent or caregiver can be helping the bacteria spread from one child to another. This puts the boarder public at risk because if a parent or caregiver came into contact with the pertussis bacteria, they are able to transmit it to other children just by contact. If that parent or caregiver passed the bacteria to the child and that child touched their nose or mouth, they just inoculated the bacteria to themselves.
How can one highlight the importance of vaccines and address patient concerns while honestly acknowledging both the limitations and risks of vaccination?
One can highlight the importance of vaccines through education. Properly educating parents on the risks of vaccine non-compliance is essential to the health and well-being of their child. Taking in consideration for the parents' concerns about vaccinations, one can still educate the parents about their concerns while addressing the importance of vaccines. And being honest with parents on the possible risks of the vaccinations is also important. I think that addressing the negative stigma that is attached to vaccines is key for the parent's decision on whether or not to vaccinate their child. Parents deserve to know the truth about vaccines and not what their neighbor or what Facebook has said.
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A Case of Earthquake in my Life
During the earthquake, I will be in 2nd period and the period is 20 mins from being over, and i'll be doing my homework early and Mr. Crowell tells us to get under our desks and that an earthquake will be striking in a few minutes max. So we do and don't you know it did and everyone started screaming and crying. After the first quake I stay still and wait for further instructions, then Mr. Crowell starts yelling at us to get out of the building. We all start to get up and were all looking around the building and it is very dusty due to the ceiling crumbling, some are crying, some are scared, and some are covering their ears. I'm covering my mouth and eyes because the dust hurts my eyes. Once Mr. Crowell starts leaving we all run behind him,clinging close to him trying not to loose him through the thick dust. I try to find my friends by yelling for them, but through all the screaming no one can hear me. Once we exit the building I hear screaming all around me not from just the kids but mostly everyone I look at the fence and cars have crashed and the ambulance is showing up with the rest of the forces. The teachers are telling everyone to calm down and everyone is going to be fine.
My family and I have agreed to stay at school until I can call them or they pick me up. So I stay at school and then I see my dad's work truck pull into the school parking lot. He gets out and we hug for a few seconds and when I look into the truck I see my Brother, Sister, and my Step-Mom. I quickly get into the back and buckle and my dad gets out of the lot and starts driving really fast. He says there should be a tsunami coming in thirty minutes or so, so we need to get as far East as possible. This is the best plan because my parents never told me to go anywhere so staying would be the best idea because it is the first place I know they would check, and my dad's truck is a four wheel drive so we could go off the road to get somewhere fast.
We pass my apartment and it's completely destroyed. My dad says he put our earthquake preparedness kit in the truck, he said it should contain enough supplies to last us a week and a half.
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African-American Cruelty
African-American cruelty goes back from the 1900s until the late 1960s. The opportunity to gain freedom was not easy and took many years. The African-Americans have been mistreated by white-Americans their whole lives and fought every way possible to gain respect from whites but it has been a real bumpy bus ride. It has taken the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Rosa Parks, Jim Crow Laws, Little Rock Nine, Woolworth's Lunch Counter, March on Washington, Bloody Sunday, World War II and Civil Rights, and etc... just to accomplish a common goal: for the African-Americans to have equal rights and be treated like the children of God. All of these obstacles took many sacrifices but it was worth it. During the Affluent Society, civil rights began to become a real issue because of African-Americans who realized that the separate but equal doctrine was not being effective. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) were the ones who focused on the separate but equal doctrine in the 1940s. They started by suing segregated colleges and universities, that is how African-Americans gained the right to enter into some colleges. During this time, Elementary and Middle Schools still remain segregated.
The difference between an African-Americans school vs. white-Americans is horrendous. African-Americans didn't have desks, paper, pencils, books, and etc. Education was very limited because of segregation, once African-American males reached a certain age they would go to work in the fields but you wouldn't see any white males work in the fields after a certain age. As I discussed in my last paper, the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka had changed the separation. This case was brought to the supreme courts attention because Oliver Brown's daughter, Linda Brown, was denied access to Topeka's all white elementary school that was closer than the colored school which was miles away. This was one of many cases brought to the supreme court. In September of 1957, there was a group named Little Rock Nine who wanted to test the Brown v. Board of Education landmark. This group consisted of nine African-Americans students who had enrolled in all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. This was their way of saying we can go to school together and not hurt each other with words or physically, but that was an understatement. On September 4, 1957, the first day of classes at Central High, Governor Orval Faubus called in the Arkansas National Guard to block the black students' entry into the high school. Later that month, President Dwight D. Eisenhower sent in federal troops to escort the Little Rock Nine into the school, the students nor the governor were accepting of those nine students("Little Rock Nine", 2018).
The kids who participated in this act were: Minnijean Brown, Elizabeth Eckford, Ernest Green, Thelma Mothershed, Melba Patillo, Gloria Ray, Terrence Roberts, Jefferson Thomas, and Carlotta Walls, these kids were brave and determined that this would act would ("Little Rock Nine", 2018). These nine kids had to take classes or should I say counseling sessions to be prepared for the intense situations that they would go through in the school. They were taught how to respond to negative situations. On September 2, 1957, Governor Orval Faubus announced that he would call in the Arkansas National Guard to prevent the African-American students' entry to Central High, claiming this action was for the students' own protection. In a televised address, Faubus insisted that violence and bloodshed might break out if black students were allowed to enter the school. The Mother's League held a sunrise service at the school on September 3 as a protest against integration. But that afternoon, federal judge Richard Davies issued a ruling that desegregation would continue as planned the next day, not only did people try to stop this movement but the Governor came up with an excuse to kick the nine kids out of the school in public to protect his true opinion about desegregation. Even though the nine students had a good experience the first day, the rest of the year was full of harassments and thousands of white protestors outside of the school daily. The group has been widely recognized for their significant role in the civil rights movement. In 1999, President Clinton awarded each member of the group the Congressional Gold Medal. The nine also all received personal invitations to attend the inauguration of President Barack Obama in 2009 these nine kids truly made a difference and were given an award for their acts ("Little Rock Nine", 2018). Rosa Parks was a leader of the NAACP and she knew what she was doing on the Montgomery bus. The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a civil-rights protest during which African-Americans refused to ride city buses in Montgomery, Alabama, to protest segregated seating. The boycott took place from December 5, 1955, to December 20, 1956, and is regarded as the first large-scale U.S. demonstration against segregation. Four days before the boycott began, Rosa Parks, an African-American woman, was arrested and fined for refusing to yield her bus seat to a white man, Rosa Parks was not tired from work or anything, she knew that she was going to get in trouble with the white-Americans but did it anyway ("Montgomery Bus Boycott", 2018). Most of the people that rode the bus were African-Americans and since they protested that caused issues in the bus company. If African-Americans stopped taking the bus then that would mean no business for the Montgomery bus company. Rosa Parks was fined for her actions (that was not her first rodeo) but that didn't stop her from her determination to end segregation. She continued her acts, other African-Americans continued her acts also. There is no point in having whites in the front and blacks in the back, it's ridiculous and unnecessary. But on June 5, 1956, a Montgomery federal court ruled that any law requiring racially segregated seating on buses violated the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. That amendment, adopted in 1868 following the U.S. Civil War, guarantees all citizens”regardless of race”equal rights and equal protection under state and federal laws, the 14th amendment was violated many times in the past ("Montgomery Bus Boycott", 2018). White-Americans didn't take it seriously nor followed the law. But African-Americans have to follow the law and if they don't they get lynched? No. But Rosa Parks, while shying from the spotlight throughout her life, remained an esteemed figure in the history of American civil rights activism. In 1999, the U.S. Congress awarded her its highest honor, the Congressional Gold Medal, Rosa Parks will never be forgotten ("Montgomery Bus Boycott", 2018).
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Paul Krugman is a Nobel Prize
Paul Krugman is a Nobel Prize winning economist whose name is among those reaching the peaks of macroeconomics and beyond through his work on international trade among other topics. He is a professor of economics at City University of New York and a columnist for The New York Times. The Prize he received was due to his work in explaining the patterns of international trade and the geographic distribution of economies scale and of consumer preferences for diverse goods and services. Krugman's influence on international trade has helped garner a better understanding of free trade, urbanization and how worldwide trade is dominated by countries of similar conditions and products.
The trade theory was based on, as of the mid-1970s, on the notion of comparative advantage. Up until then, David Ricardo's theory from the 19th century and Heckscher-Ohlin theory from the 1920s held more weight due to the assumption of trade being conducted either in terms of technology or factor endowments. Comparative advantage is the ability to produce a good at a lower opportunity cost than a competitor can. Ricardo's theory stated that countries can specialize on the production of goods it produces efficiently and buy the goods it produces less efficiently from other countries, even if this means buying goods from other countries it could efficiently produce itself. The Heckscher-Ohlin theory summed down to a capital abundant country exporting relatively capital-intensive goods and importing labor-intensive goods while assuming that both countries hold identical technology.
The left side shows that the best place for coconuts is the trading with the best place for wool. Both of their items has to do a lot with the climate due to their geographic location. On the other hand, the right side shows that countries can be similar in abilities but they tend to pick a good that requires large scale production and focus on it so that different countries can come to them for that particular good. For example, Germany luxury cars trading with America for their aircrafts.
The new trade began to emerge in the 1970s and was developed by Paul Krugman. This theory focuses on increasing returns to scale and network effects. Before this theory, the only reason trade was seen as a benefit was due to comparative advantage which means countries traded only what they were good at. These theories provided good explanations of the trade patterns in the first half of the 20th century. But as many researchers began to observe, comparative advantage seemed less relevant in the modern world. Today, most trade takes place between countries with similar technologies and similar factor proportions; quite similar goods are often both exported and imported by the same country.
Paul Krugman developed that trade is due to increasing returns to scale, not the differences between the countries. He established a technology that indicates that it is cheaper to operate at large scale when extra units of a good are produced. When countries focus on the production of large quantities of specific products, it reduces production costs allowing for them to reap greater economies of scale. As a result, even if there are not differences in endowments, including culture and institutions, international trade is still beneficial. This is a form specialization which also helps to gain other network benefits while attaining a gain in economies of scale.
The rate of scale is an increase in production which is related to the increase in factors of production. This is a relationship between input and output. There is a certain amount of input where the output remains constant so the best place for companies plugging in these inputs is to do it with the least amount of input generating the most output which in this case is at the number 3 for the scale of inputs.
The new trade theory could also be said to show a role of government through their support in the growth of vital industries and in the promotion of new industries.
There are many Asian economies who had protection and support from their governments which provides sustenance to this element of the new trade theory. For example, the support of the Japan's government in the car industry. This evidence backs up the belief that a few years of support through tariff protection and domestic subsidies could be the encouragement needed in capital-intensive industries. There is also a downfall to government support because it could create a tendency for powerful businesses to rely on state support which could encourage inefficiency.
The infant industry is another argument that justifies tariffs on imports to aid in the development of diverse industries. If a country could establish economies of scale through infrastructure then they can develop a comparative advantage and to do so they would place tariffs on countries where their industries have a dormant comparative advantage.
While many developing countries have comparative advantage in minerals and agriculture, the long term production could be disadvantageous due to low-income elasticity of demand and unstable prices. The up and downs of supply and demand could be overcome if a developing country were to diversify the economy which could be done through a provision of a domestic market in lieu of a lack of capital markets through tariffs that will be reduced once the industries become more efficient.
Urbanization, which has played a big part through specialization in the new trade theory, can be seen as a consequence of economic growth. It can also be seen as an extension of a process driven by technological and institutional changes in different countries. For example, specialization in the Silicon Valley surrounding the industry of IT expanded when Hewlett and Packard began the computer business. This is an outcome of network benefit which resulted in new firms popping up around older IT firms. The network effects can also be called the bandwagon effect where there is no intention to create value for others but it occurs anyway.
The new trade theory also becomes an explanatory factor in the growth of globalization meaning that poor, underdeveloped countries that lag behind the economies of scale cannot hope to ever cultivate certain industries in their countries. There is not because of comparative advantage but due to the large economies of scale already owned by established firms.
The increase in variety is a result of globalization. For example, there is heavy branding in the British and Italian labels so they hold a position in monopolistic competition even when they do not have a particular comparative advantage in producing clothes.
The firms who have been a part of a certain industry for a long time have a certain advantage as opposed to new firms who cannot compete against these mature firms. The limited competition that global industries with great economies of scale face lead to a form of monopolistic competition. The element is very important in the new trade theory and it proposes that firms in their specialized industry are not just competing on simple price but also on branding and quality to out qualify the other and increase their demand.
The number of firms in a competitive monopolistic industry and prices charged by them are affected by the size of market. The increase of the market size is credited to the opening up of a country to free trade. CC: AC= F/Q + c = n x F/S + c & PP: P = c + 1/ (b x n).
A type of imperfect rivalry, meaning monopolistic competition, is where many producers sell different products that are different from each another. There will be no single firm that controls the market and some firms will be larger than others. Aside from the automotive, pharmaceuticals and aerospace industries, another example is the fast food industry. On every corner of America, where there is a McDonalds, there will be a Burger King or Wendy's or literally any other place that can serve food just as fast.
The fast food restaurants will have something in their items that distinguishes them and that is a part of the new trade theory. The U.S. is big on imports more than exports which means there is a trade deficit. However, the investment of other countries is done in dollar so that makes America's currency strong. The benefits of international trade outweigh the disadvantages that come with it.
Paul Krugman influenced international trade through his analysis on trade patterns and location of economic activity. He revolutionized international trade by allowing other countries to take a step forward in strengthening their own economies through the commerce and trade. It has allowed underdeveloped countries to flourish and grow.
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Paul Krugman is a Nobel Prize. (2019, Oct 31).
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Identity and Female Power in the Handmaids Tale
Television has played an integral role in globalizing the world and shaping the thoughts, ideas and perspectives of the people in it. Many argue that television generalizes women in a sexualized and objectified way, portraying them as subordinate humans that are dependent on men, all while being sexualized and stereotyped to unrealistic standards of character and body type. Television often objectifies women as mindless and incompetent in comparison to men in television. While television has developed and created more roles where women are seen as powerful and impactful, there are still times where women are characterized in a stereotypical manner. The TV series The Handmaid's Tale is a unique case because it creates a world where women appear to be victims to the dystopic world they live in, while at the same time holding a great deal of power over men and the society. It is a story about the ways in which women are oppressed in a society run by men for their own benefit, and about howcertain womentake advantage of the situation to ally themselves with male power for personal gain (Schwartz, 2017).
Now, imagine a world where all women have no rights, and are, in a sense, slaves to the high-powered men in charge of the government. A society where a woman's place is cemented in whether or not she can bear a child. Women who can have a child become surrogates for the wealthy and powerful families who can't. The Handmaid's Tale is a Hulu original television series based off of the 1985 best-selling novel of the same name by Margaret Atwood. The dystopian science fiction series creates an alternate reality set in the future where women are stripped of their rights and turned into servants of society. Men are superior to women, and the regime kills gay people, abortionists, and anyone who protests their version of what society should look like. Due to the new laws created by the Sons of Jacob, women are supposed to stand by the side of their husbands. Set in a dystopic society referred to as the Gilead Regime, the show is centered around main character Offred. Offred, formerly known as June, is separated from her husband and daughter, and later becomes a handmaiden to the very powerful Commander Waterford and his wife Serena Joy. She is now subjected to life as a handmaiden because she is one of the few fertile women left in society.
Each month, Offred partakes in a monthly ceremony where The Commander rapes her while his wife watches on, in an attempt to get her pregnant. Offred becomes the centerpiece in the rebellion against the regime, taking on the powerful men who rule in Gilead. Offred is a symbol of female power as she fights against the world that's been created for her. Through all she experiences, Offred never loses sight of her past, holding onto her old identity which helps shape her into the powerful female character she becomes. The Handmaid's Tale is a vivid expression of female power and identity and how it can contribute to the shape and construct of society.
Throughout the show, the audience sees Offred trying to maintain her old identity while keeping up her with her new identity and new life. Before she was Offred, she was June Osbourne. June was a mother, a wife, and an employed woman who had an independent life and created a merit of her own in society. In season one episode three, in the episode titled Late, all of the women in June's office are fired, and later in the day June is informed that she no longer has access to her bank account because it is now controlled by her husband. As the women are all leaving their office having just been fired, they see guards with guns at the door and lining the streets. This signified the beginning of the uprising and the start of the new regime. Throughout the series, the show rewinds to times in June's life between her being fired and becoming Offred. Offred doesn't want to forget her old life, as she had a husband and a child. Now, in her new role as handmaid, she must bear the child of the powerful Commander Waterford. The Gilead regime creates an identity for the handmaids, taking away who they once were and creating them into someone different. Offred tries to hold on to her memories of who she once was, including her husband and child, but her memories fade as the regime pushes her further and further away from her past identity. The handmaid's lack of connection with others in the outside world creates another part of their lacking identity, because the only people they really spend a lot of time with are the families they are assigned to be a part of. Offred's lack of satisfying social interaction impedes her development of her sense of self in the regime. Offred also fails to maintain her identityto structure a sense of self, to connect with others, and to actbecause in Gilead even apparent forms of resistance or attempts to create, maintain or grasp an identity frequently turn into complicity with the regime. (Stillman & Johnson, pg. 75) Handmaids are forced to not have an identity besides the one created for them because the only identity that matters is the one created by the regime. Any attempt to connect with who they once were or try to develop an identity outside the lines, is seen as a resistance to the regime and a rebellion against it. Within this vortex of fear and vulnerability, this contrast of blank time and intense interactions with powerful, inscrutable individuals, the Handmaid ultimately fails to maintain her identity. (Stillman & Johnson, 1994, p. 74) Offred is able to use her old identity to help shape her new identity. She takes aspects from her past life to help her develop into her new role as a handmaid. While holding onto pieces of the past, she must fully become Offred in order to stay alive.
When June is captured while trying to flee to Canada, she becomes a handmaid and is given her new name; Offred. Offred is the name she is given by the family she is assigned to. It means Of-Fred, Fred being the name of Commander Waterford. Each handmaid is given a name like this, others including Ofglen and Ofwarren. Their new names signify who they belong to, meaning Offred belongs to Fred, and Ofglen belongs to Glen, and so on. This parallels to slavery in the 1800's, where slaves were given names that turned them into property. Many aspects of Offred's life are clear parallels to the enslavement of African Americans. She required a special pass or permission to leave the house, she was forbidden from reading or learning, and she is repeatedly raped by her Commander in order to conceive a child for him. Offred endures domestic slavery and forced sex?”?hardships that are strikingly similar to those experienced by non-white women in much higher numbers throughout history, and in various parts of the world still today (Cottle, 2017). Her identity in the show is based around what she is or isn't allowed to do. In the series, the audience sees transitions between Offred's old life and her new life. Each episode of the show gives new information about who Offred used to be, and the audience is able to see how it shaped her into who she is now. This helps the audience continue to develop her identity as a character, and shows more of the theme of identity in the show. 'These shifting reminiscences offer glimpses of a life, though not ideal, still tilled with energy. creativity. humaneness and a sense of selfhood, a life that sharply contrasts with the alienation. slavery, and suffering under totalitarianism" (Feuer, pg. 86) While the audience is seeing more and more of Offred's past life and learning more about her old identity, Offred is drifting further away from her old life and getting deeper into her new one. Offred 's rebuilding of a self all but obliterated by the pain of her experience and the necessity of forgetting in order to survive. She must create. or recreate, herself after having been "erased" as a person (Feuer, pg. 90). Offred's transition into being a handmaid is more of a struggle for her because she had a life before becoming a handmaid. Future handmaids and members of the society will have an easier time transitioning into the roles they are set to be a part of, as they will not have any life outside of what the regime teaches them. By using parts of her past self as June in her development of her identity as Offred, she blends her two senses of self which lead to her growth and development as a powerful female character and a powerful female in within the Gilead regime.
The Handmaid's Tale is a strong representation of female power, feminism and sexuality. Offred is able to use her power as a woman and her sexuality to her advantage in her relationship with The Commander. Offred knows that she is a desirable woman. She knows and sees that The Commander is interested in a relationship with her outside of her being the family's handmaid. Offred was put into the handmaid role in the new society because she is able to have children. She knows that in the family dynamic, she holds a lot of power because she could potentially carry the child of The Commander that his wife, Serena Joy, so desperately wants. Offred is portrayed as a victim, but also someone who holds a great deal of power in her situation. The Commander frequently invites her into his study to play Scrabble, something he can't do with his wife. The Commander is interested in Offred's mind and her ability to play and compete with him in Scrabble. In Offred's past life, she was a well-educated woman, so this part of her new life comes from what she was able to learn in the old society before it became the new society. Her power in this situation stems from her mind and she uses it to get gifts and favors from The Commander in exchange for her time with him. Offred later on has a private intimate relationship with The Commander, which breaks all of the laws put into place about handmaids and their relationships with their Commanders. Offred and The Commander are never supposed to be alone together, and they are only supposed to be intimate during the ceremony each month while the wives watch on. Offred knows that she is breaking the law, but she sees The Commander enjoys her company and uses it to her advantage to get information from him as well as special treatment, while showing how she uses her power as a female over a man.
Commander Waterford is an example of a man who feels powerless to a woman's power. The Commander repeatedly rapes Offred in the monthly conception ceremony, and uses Offred's daughter, who she thought was gone, as a bargaining chip in order to get what he wants. In spite of the multiple rapes and the lies that Waterford and the other men in Gilead use to maintain control over women, the most powerful weapon they have is turning the women against each other. When Commander Waterford finds out about the music box his wife gave to Offred as a gift, he realizes that Serena Joy and Offred are starting to form a relationship. In season two episode eight, in the episode titled Women's Work, the Commander beats Serena Joy in a show of dominance that also serves to humiliate her in front of Offred, who he forces to watch. He beats her because she went behind his back and did a favor for Offred. Commander Waterford feels threatened by the two women's developing friendship because he doesn't want them to become close. The Commander fears that if Serena Joy and Offred become close, they will continue to go around him and do things to disobey him. Commander Waterford also fears their friendship because before Gilead, Serena Joy was an author who wrote a book titled A Woman's Place. In a series of flashbacks, Serena Joy and Commander Waterford are shown as having a large role in the creation of Gilead. Serena Joy was once an impassioned woman with conservative views on woman's rights, which she details in her book, saying that a woman's duty in the world was to bear children and stand by their husband's side. Once Serena Joy realizes that her future child won't be protected under the new laws, she decides to fight back against the regime to try and get women the right to read the Bible, which she loses a finger for advocating for. This scene, which occurs in season two, episode thirteen titled The Word, Serena Joy finally transforms into a powerful character after being suppressed by her husband and society.
While not obvious, the use of female sexuality is also prominent in The Handmaid's Tale. Women are forced to dress very modestly, adorning long dresses with sleeves, meant to take any sexual appeal they have away from them. Women also must cover their heads in order to appear as invisible as possible. In Gilead, they get rid of anything that remotely represents anything sexual, including pornography and revealing clothing. The regime executes gays and lesbians, unless the women are fertile and can be used as handmaids. In Gilead, they also execute abortion doctors because Gilead's rule is based on the Bible which outlines the woman's place as a child bearer. Sexuality is meant to be concealed, but Offred is able to use hers when she is alone with Commander Waterford, as it gives her a small feeling of power over him. She also recognizes and acknowledges her enjoyment of her own small exercises of power, however ignoble: her slight power not only over the Commander, because he wants something from her, but over his wife, whom they are deceiving. She comes to understand that the Commander craves some unspoken forgiveness for the conditions of her life and that to bestow or to withhold forgiveness is a power as well as a temptation (Neuman, 863). This small power grab gives Offred the feeling of being in control in sexual situations with the Commander, as well as an unspoken feeling of power over Serena Joy, because she is the one who is sleeping with her husband and she is the object of the Commander's affection.
The Handmaid's Tale, in later episodes, brings into light the power of confidence and self-actualization. Gaining her confidence from her small acts of rebellion, Offred realizes that she must stand up for herself, for what she believes in, and for what she feels is right. Offred begins to support the secret female rights movement called Mayday, and starts searching for ways to escape Gilead with her daughter. Soon after, when all handmaids are ordered to stone Janine, formerly Ofwarren, to death, Offred refuses to do so despite what the consequences may be, which inspires the other handmaids not to stone Janine. These acts demonstrate that sensing the need of time, Offred turns out to be a brave female who knows how to get what is hers. On the other hand, Offred is not the only female character in the show that demonstrates power and strives to break the chains that Gilead has placed on them. In season one episode seven, titled The Other Side, through a series of flashbacks to June's attempted escape and after her capture, the audience sees many details the life of June's husband, Luke. In this episode, the audience is introduced to Zoe, who is an ex-Army doctor who is fleeing Gilead and helping others do so as well. Her brave personality is the opposite of what the Gilead regime would want her to be. Such portrayals of Offred and other strong women show that women have the power to fight back and speak for what they believe in.
The Handmaid's Tale creates a far-off, futuristic society where women are stripped of their rights and turned into child bearers. While the concept is dystopian, the themes of identity, sexuality, and female power are still visible, even in a society where women aren't meant to have any of them. The show supports female empowerment and the strive for equality among genders, and how women in Gilead fight back against oppression and objectification by their government. The women become of themselves, coming into their own as women instead of a property of another. At surface level, The Handmaid's Tale appears to be a sexist, anti-feminist television show. Upon analysis, the many instances of female power, identity, and sexuality show that the series wants women to fight back when put into situations where they're not meant to. The show later turns into a rebellion against the dystopian society, with the women and other characters trying to take down the society that has taken away who they once were. While the future of the fictional society is not yet revealed, the development of the themes continues throughout the show, pushing the boundaries of identity, sexuality, and power in dystopic, disturbing ways, making The Handmaid's Tale an anti-feminist, feminist work of art.
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Identity And Female Power In The Handmaids Tale. (2019, Oct 31).
Retrieved November 4, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2019/10/page/2/
