The American Civil War Essays (1577 words) -

The American Civil War The American Civil War The Civil War was a brutal war between the North and South of America over the issue of slavery, which was spurred on by the secession of the southern states from the Union of a America. At the time slavery was one of the main issues in America that caused a disagreement between the north and south and these disagreements about humanity and slaves added to the tension that would finally lead to the out break of war. Slavery was almost totally abolished in the northern states after 1787 when the Constitution was drafted at the Philadelphia Convention and slavery was looked upon as the peculiar institution of the southern states, by the north. The southern states looked upon slavery as a way of life and were in no way prepared to give up what they felt was there property and a very important part of their cotton and farming production. Another implication that caused great tension between the north and south over the issue of slavery was that even though their were anti-slavery supporters in the south; some of the abolitionists of the north would write notices and say that all southerners were evil and cruel slave owners, who would treat their slaves badly. This angered the southerners who felt that the northerners were just being hypocrites and didnt know what they were talking about, which turned pro anti-slavery southerners into stronger supporters of the south. It was thought by some anti-slavery groups in America that slavery would die out because America had in 1808 stopped the participation in the international slave trade, which meant no supplies of new slaves would be coming in. But this theory proved wrong because slavery in the south began to expand due to the great demand of raw cotton from cotton mills of the Industrial revolution from overseas places like Britain. Also the cotton-based expansion of slavery came due to the invention of the cotton gin, by Eli Whitney in 1793, which cleaned the cotton plant and refined it on a mass scale. The south started more tension over slavery when they decided they had to expand their territory westwards and gain more states because other wise they would be out voted in congress and slavery would be abolished completely, also they needed new land to replace all the over used farming land in the other southern states. The Abolitionists were another factor that came into the tension point of slavery. People such as William Lloyd Garrison who published the newspaper, The Liberator, which attacked southern slave owners. Making them and the slave traders out to be criminals. He and followers of his such as Wendell Phillips used these accusations against the southerners based on the fact that they said that slavery was a sin in the Christian religion and was in general, immoral. Another abolitionist that fought hard for the abolishment of slavery was Fredrick Douglass, an ex-slave who escaped from slavery and urged other black people to do so. Douglass became the station-master and conductor of the Underground Railroad in Rochester, New York which helped fugitive slaves escape to the north since the southerners had congress pass the Fugitive Slaves Act in 1850. This act meant that all American citizens had to help recapture fugitive slaves and that all Negroes were assumed slaves unless they could prov e they were free. Douglass also established the abolitionist newspaper North Star, which he edited until 1860. Books such as Harriet Beecher Stowes novel, Uncle Toms Cabin, which was published 1852 helped to strengthen the anti-slavery feeling in the North. Finally as one historian described the figure, that was the single most important factor on bringing on the war, was the most extreme abolitionist, John Brown. Brown believed that he was an agent of God and dedicated his life to the abolishment of slavery and believed the way to achieve it was by using force. He was a member of the radicals, who tried to abolish slavery by defying the law and not a member of the gradualists who tried to abolish slavery through legal means. Brown and his sons went to Kansas to fight against the pro-slavery terrorists there and finally his

The Tragic Love Story of Cybele and Attis

The Tragic Love Story of Cybele and Attis Cybele and Attis is the story of the Phrygian great mother goddess Cybeles tragic love for the mortal Attis. It is also a story of self-mutilation and regeneration. When Cybele- one of Zeus would-be lovers- rejected him, Zeus wouldnt take no for an answer. While his victim slept, the great philanderer spilled his seed on her. ( In due course, Cybele gave birth to Agdistis, a hermaphroditic demon so strong and wild that the other gods feared him. In their terror, they cut off his male sexual organ. From its blood sprang an almond tree. This castration/birth connection is also seen in one version of the story of the birth of Aphrodite. Attis Is Born to Nana The river Sangarius had a daughter named Nana who ate the fruit of this almond tree. When, as a result of her snack, Nana delivered a boy child 9 months later, Nana exposed the child. This was an ancient method of dealing with unwanted children that usually led to death, but did not in the case of such important figures as Romulus and Remus, Paris, and Oedipus. Infant death was not to be his fate, however. Instead, reared by the proverbial area shepherds, the boy soon became healthy and handsome- so handsome his grandmother Cybele fell in love with him. The First Violets The boy, whose name was Attis, was unaware of the love Cybele bore him. In time, Attis saw the king of Pessinus beautiful daughter, fell in love, and wished to marry her. The goddess Cybele became insanely jealous and drove Attis mad as revenge. Running crazy through the mountains, Attis stopped at the foot of a pine tree. There Attis castrated and killed himself. From Attis blood sprang the first violets. The tree took care of Attis spirit. Attis flesh would have decayed had not Zeus stepped in to assist Cybele in his resurrection. The Ritual of Attis Since then, a yearly ritual has been performed to purify the body of the dead Attis. The priests- referred to as Galli or Galilee- are emasculated in emulation of Attis. A pine tree is chopped down, covered with violets and carried to the shrine of Cybele on Mt. Dindymus. There Attis is mourned for 3 days. Then, when Cybele brings him back to life, there is a wild and joyful celebration.

Implementing a Sustainability Plan at St. Jude Medical Essay

Implementing a Sustainability Plan at St. Jude Medical - Essay Example When organizations understand what sustainability is, they begin to wonder if they have been doing enough. Martin (2011) describes sustainability as a process through which social, economic, and ecological imperatives are reconciled. A sustainability plan must be composed of the following five components: a sustainability framework, rationale, vision, key impacts, and action plan. Developing a sustainability plan is not an easy task because they are several barriers that make it difficult to develop. Uncertainty in the future is one of the common barriers. Another barrier is the inability of the organization to define sustainability. Most organizations define sustainability in terms of compliance to environmental regulation. Overcoming these barriers requires the organization to develop a clear vision of where it is heading, to develop a culture of sustainability, and to create collaborative relationships. St. Jude Medical This proposal will look at implementing a sustainability plan at St. Jude Medical. St. ... The stakeholders of St. Jude Medical include individuals who affect and are affected by its business. Stakeholders’ feedback is important as the organization seeks to focus and expand on its sustainability reporting and initiatives. Stakeholders of St. Jude Medical include the surrounding community, customers, employees, environment, investors, patients, regulators, and suppliers. Each stakeholder is important to the organization and in its quest to become sustainable so St. Jude Medical has a primary area of focus to each stakeholder (St. Jude Medical, 2012). The primary area of focus for the community is volunteerism and charitable giving. Concerning customers, the primary areas of focus include product quality and safety, appropriateness and ethics of relationship with physicians, product innovation, and professional training. The area of focus among the employees is health and safety, inclusion, competitive benefits and compensation, and personal development. Carbon dioxid e, waste management, water usage, recycling, and energy use are the primary areas of focus concerning the environment. St. Jude Medical influences the environment and makes use of natural resources in manufacturing, offices, and distribution. Product innovation, security of personal information, product safety, and quality are the main areas of focus for the patients. For the regulators and suppliers, the main areas of focus include product safety and quality, public policy, privacy, and ethical business practices (St. Jude Medical, 2012). Literature Review Sustainability Sustainability is described as a process through which social, economic, and ecological imperatives are reconciled (Martin, 2011). Sustainability is not a destination, but a journey. Just like