History Western Civ Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

History Western Civ - Essay Example News of such atrocities by the Muslims angered the Christian peoples of Europe so that nobles and commoners alike were summoned over for the mission of recovering the Holy Land from Islam. Numerous knights joined the crusades because the popes promised them forgiveness of their sins as a reward for fighting for Christ. In short, Christians considered crusades as holy wars against the enemies of God. However, not all the crusaders had such pure and noble motives for many of them had selfish intents as well. To the landless, the crusades were an opportunity to acquire lands in Asia whereas to the adventurous, the crusades offered excitement. For the greedy, the crusades meant the possibility of rich loot from the East while the ambitious ones chased after glory and monarchical recognition. The Muslims, perceiving their own advantage of defending Islam to be the chief benefit that would eventually influence Islamic nations, regarded wars against European crusaders as jihads or ‘holy wars’, believing that these were means to fight for their god ‘Allah’ against the unbelievers. Crusades were also launched to address the growing suppression in pilgrimages of Christians. Being a pilgrim is an aspect of Christian life which greatly affects the religious as well as the socio-political grounds of living as a Christian at the period Europe was experiencing the height of political turmoil in several respects among its nations. European Christians to this day have adhered to the faith that pilgrimages, like the essence of penance, is able to purify or atone one of all the present iniquities once a passionate journey to Jerusalem is successfully carried out. In the absence of pilgrimage, it would be difficult for Christians to claim authority and possession of a certain region thus, crusade was necessitated to intervene and cease oppression and persecution of Christians by Muslims who took extensive

The Native American Essay Example for Free

The Native American Essay Native Americans are an indigenous people throughout the world, simply misunderstood and ill-treated for centuries (Scheafer, 2012). History tells us, Native Americans were subject to land theft, controlled by others, and resistance to governance. This discrimination goes back to Christopher Columbus. He and his followers showed true hatred toward the Indian Nation. Europeans moved to extermination or genocide trying to distinguish this culture of people. The United States joined in that mission as time moved forward. Indian land would be taken, the people would be made to conform to the law of the white man causing them to build a defense mechanism of avenging their losses. During the nineteenth century the white man government made policy to give fairness to the tribes. This may have worked if it did not interfere with the needs of the non-Indian people. The American government of the white man used the politics and social differences to interfere in the business of the Native American to govern the Indian culture and beliefs. It has taken centuries for the Native American to trust the policy makers because of broken treaties of the past. Native Americans today, live on Indian reservations in 33 states across the country. Just as in the beginning the American Indian is forced to live their lives in a way determined and controlled by the federal government. The Indian Removal Act developed by Andrew Jackson, was intended to remove Indians from their land to make way for cotton crops and other ways of prosperity. The Termination Act of 1953, like many policies the government had control of, was written to benefit the Native American people. Through this act, many social services were available to the American Indian. These services were a direct obligation to be fulfilled by the treaties, not just a special favor. The Termination Act was developed to gradually do away with these services, when the act passed, all services were cut off immediately. The Indian people worked collectively by creating a tribal or reservation government action to politically protest unfair legislation. The Native Americans fought this legislation by forming civil rights groups to take the issues to the Supreme Court in order to be treated fairly and just. The first national organization was organized in 1944 called the NCAI, National Congress of American Indians (Schaefer, 2012). This National organization is one of the most respected civil rights groups in our nation today. NAGPR Act of 1990, Native American Graves and Protection Act was developed to provide protection to the Native American gravesites and cultural issues. The American Indian worked to lobby the government to find a way to protect their sacred ceremonial ground, ancestral gravesites and artifacts. The government enacted this law in 1990. The American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978 was written to give the American Indian the right to believe, express, and exercise the traditions of their tribal spirituality. Peyote is part of the religious rituals used by the Indian Nation. From the 1920s through the 1980s Peyote was a prohibited hallucinogenic outlawed by the government. People were prosecuted for the use of peyote. In 1994 Native Americans won the right to possess, transport and use peyote for religious reasons by amending the American Indian Religious Freedom Act. It is hard to believe that despite the work of the past and present generations of the Naive Americans, they still struggle with economic development, employment levels, quality healthcare, and equal education. The needs of others seem to stand in the way of what is right and fair. References University of Phoenix. (2012). Racial and Ethnic Groups, Thirteenth Edition. Retrieved from University of Phoenix, ETH125 website. (n. d. ). Retrieved from https://cr. nps. gov/local-law/fhpl.

Free Essays - Amazing Grace :: Amazing Grace Essays

Within the next few pages here I intend to address two issues. First I will try to give a personal review of what I saw this book to hold, and second I will try explain the revelence which this book has to the field of Public Administration.   First try to picture children in a slum where the squalor in their homes is just as bad as that which is in the streets. Where prostitution is rampant, thievery a common place and murder and death a daily occurrence. Crack-cocaine and heroin are sold in corner markets, and the dead eyes of men and women wandering about aimlessly in the streets of Mott Haven are all to common., Their bodies riddled with disease, disease which seems to control the neighborhood. This is Mott Haven, in New York City's South Bronx, the outback of this American nation's poorest congressional district, also the setting of Jonathan Kozol's disturbing representation of poverty in this country.   The stories, which are captured Amazing Grace, are told in the simplest terms. They are told by children who have seen their parents die of AIDS and other disease, by mothers who complain about teenagers bagging dope and loading guns on fire escapes, by clergy who teach the poor to fight injustice and by police who are afraid to answer 911 calls.   Kozol seems to be disparage about the situation of the poor in American today, especially when more and more the poor are blamed for being poor. Kozol’s portrait of life   in Mott Haven is gentle and passionate.   Even though rats may chew through apartment walls in the homes of Mott Haven, the children still say their prayers at night. What seems to bother Kozol is that many people do not even want to look at this picture of America, but in Amazing Grace he dares us to recognize it does exist. Kozol spent a year wandering through Mott Haven and its neighboring communities; visiting churches, schools, hospitals, parks, and homes. Talking with parents and kids, social   workers, religious leaders, and principals and teachers; struggling to try to understand how these children and parents cope with poverty and violence. Kozol trys to determine how their fellow citizens can tolerate, even demand policies that guarantee misery and death for those living a few subway stops north of glitzy midtown Manhattan. Perhaps nothing can halt the tides of social policy where citizens of this nation are allowed to live in such conditions. If on the other hand anything can, it may be Kozol's forecasting visions and the openness and humanity of the remarkable people whose

Islamic Leadership

Leadership An Islamic Perspective In the introductory chapter the book establishes what you should know by the time you finish the book. These points include: understand the nature and process of leadership from an Islamic perspective, describe the characteristics of effective leaders in general, and of Islamic leaders in particular, analyze your styles as a leader and follower, learn how you can mobilize, organize, and develop your followers Islamically, learn how you, as a leader, can build commitment by acting as a coach mentor, learn how to delegate effectively, and finally understand the steps that will enable you to become a more effective leader. The book defines leadership as the ability to persuade others to seek defined objectives enthusiastically. Within an organization a good leader is needed but so is good management. There are different positions of power when in an organization. The first one is legitimate power, which refers directly to someone’s position in an organization. Reward power is the second type of power, this power refers to having the authority to hand out promotions or pay raises. The third type of power is called coercive power, which uses force to get employees to work. The final type of power is information power, this type of power deals with having and giving information to others so that they can do their work. According to the text there are certain characteristics of an effective leader. The book ranks them from 1 to 8. These characteristics include: honesty, competent, forward-looking, inspiring, intelligent, fair minded, straightforward, and imaginative. These characteristics were determined by a study done by two leadership researchers named Kouzes and Posner. They surveyed 2,615 of the most successful leaders in the United States in order to figure out and rank the characteristics. The book also discusses how leaders must mobilize, developed, and organize their followers. The reason mobilization needs to be done is due to the fact that leaders cannot and should not be expected to accomplish everything on their own. The people are the target of the message and are also the ones that will be spreading the word. Mobilizing followers includes being able to reach out to everybody. The message of Islam is one that is not elitist so in essence the ides that only a few people are capable of energizing a group is not correct. It also states that the reticent person may become the best person. This statement basically means not the prejudge people and to always give them a chance because they just may prove what you believe wrong. The third statement about mobilizing says to accept the verbal commitment of others to Islam at face value. This means to always accept a pledge someone makes. Another point the book makes is to welcome even sinners and try it improve them. In order to develop followers a leader must be able to adjust their leadership style due to the fact that the followers have different types of styles. There are four different types of leadership styles that a leader can turn to. These leadership styles include: directive, coaching, supportive, and delegating. The style the leader should pick depends on the maturity of the people being led. With immature members the leader may want to use a directive style. This is because it involves clear and explicit guidelines. A coaching style may then be implemented as the members begin to learn their task. This style is characterized by two-way communication and an increased amount of supportive behavior. Once the members have gained more self-confidence in doing their tasks the leader may use a supportive style. This style consists of shared decision-making and two-way communication. Finally, in a situation where the members are mature and self-confident the leader should use a delegating style. In this style the leader allows the members to decide how, when, and where to carry out their tasks. The next and final step is to organize your followers. When trying to do this, leaders should use six steps. These steps include: 1. Clearly articulate the vision and mission of your organization, 2. Develop a statement of your organization’s philosophy regarding volunteer services, 3. Develop volunteer positions, 4. Do not go overboard by creating a multitude of tasks, 5. Reward both process and outcome, and 6. Develop a nurturing Islamic organizational climate. The book also discusses how leaders should be able to delegate tasks. When a leader is reluctant to delegate there are usually two reasons for it. The first reason depends on the organization’s culture. The second reason has to do with the leader’s personality, usually dealing with a Type A personality. There are delegation guidelines that are outlined in the book. these guidelines include: selecting the delegate with the appropriate skill level, expertise and background, select a delegate with whom you have a reciprocal trusting relationship, delegate both the pleasant and the unpleasant, the easy and the challenging, delegate ahead, delegate in chunks, delegate precisely, delegate don’t abdicate, and finally give credit. According to the text, there is one golden rule when it comes it delegation, which is â€Å"the more power you give way the more power you have. †

Art Of The Late Ninegteenth Century Essay

Speaking about the late nineteenth century art, it is necessary to say that the transition from one century to another is always marked by the feeling of disillusionment as far as conventional themes and methods are concerned. There is an emptiness which prompts artists to search new forms, new means of expression. It is not always easy, however, which leads them to aspiration to escape from the usual reality to exotic countries and ways of life. The cultural phenomenon of fin de ciecle (end of the century) naturally manifested itself in visual arts and lead to emergence of impressionism and post-impressionism. Partially, impressionism appearance was caused by the fastening of life tempo and industrial revolution. As a result, impressionists aimed to depict the ever-changing reality; they wanted to catch the moment of the life flow, which is never the same. Impressionist painters inherited the romantic naturalist philosophy but chose different devices to reveal nature.   The term â€Å"postimpressionism† was coined by the English artist and critic Roger Fry (1866-1934) in 1910 as a name for the various movements that grew out of Impressionism, but moved away from its naturalist tendencies. In the current paper I intend to analyze some of postimpressionists’ paintings to trace the influence of traditional art and innovation. One of the most prominent painters on the brink of the centuries was Paul Gauguin. When we speak of fascination with primitive and exotic art, we primarily mean this artist’s attempt to move in this direction. Like most postimpressionists he started as impressionism and was devoted to traditional objective rendering of nature with the help of new coloring and light and shadow effects. In the course of time, when he was already a famous painter he realized inherent limitations impressionism had in itself and chose another direction. He did it not only in the figurative sense but he physically moved to Tahiti to investigate new opportunities for art progress. Let’s look closely at some of his canvasses of Tahitian period to discover what novelty they bear and how they correlate with impressionist tradition, on the one hand, and primitive art forms on the other hand. One of the most illustrative pictures of the series is called Femmes de Tahiti [Sur la plage] (Tahitian Women [On the Beach]) The name itself suggests that the conventional subject matter of impressionism – conveying fleeting states of nature – is put aside.   The painter made people his objects and applied revolutionary technique to depict them. The fist thing the eye catches is the unusual exotic coloring for the sky, the sea and the sand, which has nothing in common with the palette applied for European landscapes. The colors are rich and warm; it seems they soaked exotic sunlight. At the same time we see that the artist doesn’t aim at showing every subtle hue (if we speak of color) or every subtle bend of human body (if we speak of shape). On the contrary, he wants to make the impression of ultimate simplicity of color and form, which follows the tradition of primitive art. Despite of this primitivism, the women in the painting feel exceptionally real and palpable, not in terms of photographic similarity and anatomic precision but in terms of emotion conveyed. Natural rich colors of Pacific islands and simplicity of form make them a part of surrounding nature. As a result they feel real in a sense that they are devoid of any artificial glossiness, which civilization imposes. Another famous painting of Gauguin, which was considered to be scandalous and indecent by many of his contemporaries, is called Spirit of the Dead Watching. It depicts a nude young girl lying and mystical world surrounding her. This painting inherits the tradition of primitive art not only in terms of form but also in discovering the mythology of Tahitians. In this case Gauguin managed to do a unique thing – with the help of simple, rough, down-to-earth colors and forms he depicted an ephemeral world of spirits Edgar Degas is another famous postimpressionist of the late nineteenth century. Unlike Gauguin, he was not much into exotic themes. He inherited much from impressionist tradition, and was greatly influenced by the naturalist philosophy of romanticism. Still, if we look at his landscape paintings, it becomes plain that the emphasis is quite different, as well as the role of nature. For example, the canvass Aux courses en province (At the Races in the Country) is a perfect illustration to this dual influence. The painting is no way an ode to nature, as it was the case with impressionists and romanticists. It is rather the point, where the two worlds – rural and urban – intersect. The contrast between the picturesque scenery and the people who came to the country to enjoy themselves is really huge. This contrast is not manifested through color but through some specific details, which make the impression that the people are outsiders for the nature. Thus, a sun parasol a woman wears, her husband’s top hat, the cart among the field, and especially the horses’ eyes covered with blinders – all these details disclose the painters’ idea that people no longer belong to the nature. Degas is said to be the one who was greatly influenced by the revolutionary invention of the late nineteenth century – photography. Thus, his painting Absinthe is illustrative of the new perspective and spacing photography opened to artists. The canvass reminds of the technology of painting black and white photos, which was applied at this period of time. To sum up, the late nineteenth century was marked by the trend of transformation, transition from Romantic to Postimpressionist art and way of thinking. The painters of these periods were exposed to dual influence- on the one hand, they inherited the technique and tradition of impressionist art and naturalist philosophy, on the other hand the felt like the old principles and themes were exhausted, that’s why they resorted to new sources of inspiration like primitive exotic art and photography. Bibliography    Broude, Norma. Impressionism: A Feminist Reading: the Gendering of Art, Science, and Nature in the Nineteenth Century. Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press, 1997. â€Å"Impressionism , in Painting.† The Columbia Encyclopedia . 6th ed. 2004. Rewald, John. Post-Impressionism: From Van Gogh to Gauguin. New York: Museum of Modern Art, 1956.   

Civil War Turning Points Essays - American Civil War, Free Essays

Civil War Turning Points Essays - American Civil War, Free Essays Civil War Turning Points CIVIL WAR (A discussion of the turning points and major events) In this paper I shall discuss four points concerning the civil war in detail. The first issue addressed will be Professor McPhersons arguments in the text Ordeal by Fire and whether Antietam and Emancipation, Gettysburg, Vicksburg, and Chattanooga, represent the three critical turning points in the Civil War. Second, I will rank the three points from greatest to least in terms of their importance on the Civil War. Third, I will add a fourth event I feel was significant to the turning of the war. Antietam and Emancipation The Union and Confederate Armies met at Antietam Creek near Sharpsburg, Maryland, on September 17, 1862, in the bloodiest single day of the war: more than 4,000 died on both sides and 18,000 were wounded. McClellan failed to break Lee's lines or press the attack, and Lee was able to retreat across the Potomac with his army intact. The professor suggests that this may have been the major turning point in the Civil War. I would have to agree, had the confederates been successful in this battle it is quite possible the European nation would have become involved in the war. The European nations had a special interest in the war from a financial point, since Most of the European nation and the south where dependent on the trade of cotton. Mediation would have been a most plausible interceding by Great Britain or France. The Confederates where hoping for financial or military support, but I do not think that Great Britain was willing to come back to North America and fight another war. Lee had suffered his first defeat, this would not have been so important if it where not for the numbers of casualties the South suffered in this battle. Had they been able to fall back with minimal losses, they may have been able to regroup into a more offensive position and continue the quest to Washington. McClellan, being the eternal idiot, failed to literally win the war on this day. By his choosing to hold back three quarters of his men he was unable to give a decisive defeat to Lees army and prolonged the war to see more bloody days. Had McClellan attacked with his entire army, it is quit possible he may have driven Lees army back to Richmond and ended the war. However, the fact that he was able to fight the rebels to a draw, kept the European nation from becoming involved with the war. The Souths only real hope in this war was the movement into Union territory in an effort to gain realistic consideration from the European nations. Lees inability to take Antietam may have been the actual defeat of the Confederate army. President Lincoln needed a strong showing by the Union troops to shift the focus of the war to a cause higher than man himself. Lincoln was a calculating individual. He knew that with the casualties being suffered in this war, therefore, the American people would not let it continue for the sake of land and principal. This battle enabled him to issue the proclamation, which abolished slavery. While this proclamation did not free slaves in any of the Confederate States, it did create a new hope to the war. Once again the American people where fighting for freedom, something they understood and valued above all else. While the proclamation in it legality was inconsequential in its affect on the Confederate states, it carried great power in the Union. The people needed a will to fight, they had previously been given a reason. The professor alludes to this same point by quoting, A poor document, but a mighty act . Emancipation may have very well been another reason why the European natio ns stayed out of the war. Great Britain, being an anti-slavery country, in all likelihood felt it prudent to wait and see if it could resume normal relation with an anti-slavery country. Should the Confederacy prevail, they would deal with the two parties as independent nations. The emancipation had another unique aspect. It created over 100,000 new troops in the Union army, granted many of them never saw battle, but

3 More Misplaced Modifiers

3 More Misplaced Modifiers 3 More Misplaced Modifiers 3 More Misplaced Modifiers By Mark Nichol Additional information must be placed carefully in a sentence to ensure that it is associated with the correct part of the sentence. Here are three sentences with misplaced modifiers, plus discussions and revisions. 1. â€Å"John Smith was the school’s first Lombardi Award winner in 1979, given to college football’s best lineman.† This sentence implies that John Smith was the first of two or more teammates to win the Lombardi Award in 1979, and that 1979 was given to college football’s best lineman. However, the award is given to only one student-athlete each year, and â€Å"given to college football’s best lineman† modifies â€Å"Lombardi Award,† not 1979 (and not winner, so â€Å"in 1979† cannot be shifted to the end of the sentence without further modification of the sentence). This revision correctly places the modifying phrase and alters the verb phrase to allow â€Å"in 1979† to follow the parenthetical description of the award: â€Å"John Smith won USC’s first Lombardi Award, given to college football’s best lineman, in 1979.† 2. â€Å"The superintendent spoke about a Nazi-themed assignment given to students at a news conference.† According to this statement, the students were given the assignment at a news conference. To clarify that the assignment was discussed, not assigned, at the conference, the reference to the conference should begin the sentence: â€Å"At a news conference, the superintendent spoke about a Nazi-themed assignment given to students.† 3. â€Å"Hydrogen and oxygen do not need an enzyme to create water because of their perfect valence electron pairing.† The part of the sentence starting with because modifies the rest of the sentence. But the location of the modifying phrase sets up the possibility that the discussion will have a â€Å"not because [this], but because [that]† structure. For a clear reading of the sentence, start with the modifying phrase: â€Å"Because of their perfect valence electron pairing, hydrogen and oxygen do not need an enzyme to create water.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Yours faithfully or Yours sincerely?Five Spelling Rules for "Silent Final E"Rite, Write, Right, Wright