Child Life During the American Revolution Essay Example for Free

Child Life During the American Revolution Essay During the American Revolution, children were not a big involvement in it, but, they were still active during it. Well, during this time, there was not really a good schools system for children. Boys were usually out working a job or going to school. They did most of the money work out of all the children. Also, while the boys were working, the girls were at home learning proper etiquette from their mother or a house slave. Girls were taught to be very lady-like during all hours. It was very rare to see a girls go to school getting a proper education. Lastly, some of the older boys were out fighting in the Revolutionary War. Boys would do war work at a young age back then. One thing that boys did during the American Revolution is go to school and get jobs. Their type of school system during the American Revolution was not like our school system today. In the late 1700s weren’t as structured, settled, and complicated. At the schools the boys went to they learn mostly about Christianity and how to read and write. Boys went to grammar school and college. There was a public school that was free for education and then there was a private school that you have to pay. People in the Middle Class and Upper Class were usually the only class of people that attended school. Back then, school wasn’t mandatory. If a boy wasn’t in school he would usually be working. It was usually a low paying job because money was limited during the American Revolution. There are very few jobs that a boy (not a man) can get during the American Revolution. One of the only jobs a boy could get is a place in the war. As in, they’d be participating in the Revolutionary War. One thing that girls did during the American Revolution is staying at home learning proper etiquette. They’d usually learn this from their mother. If they were in a household where slaves were treated respectably and knew how to read and write, (for example, how Miss Mary Finch treated Isabel and her family in the book Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson) then sometimes an elderly house slave would teach her while her mom is gone. Sometimes when a family doesn’t own a slave they stay home and clean, usually. It was very rare for a girl to have a proper education in this period of time. Girls were not allowed in in grammar school or college, but most girls still knew how to read and write. I a girl waned to have an education whatsoever she would have to attend a homeschooled education. Homeschooled girls were not educated at the same level the boys that went to school were. The girls were taught religion too, but, hey were only taught simple math and simple English. They weren’t really taught anything complicated. Lastly, a common job that a boy would get during the American Revolution is going into the Revolutionary War. Though most of the men fighting in the war were from the ages 8 to 50 or 60, there were boys that were 12 at the youngest. The actually had a pretty important job in the war. Most of the 12, 13, and 14 year olds were â€Å"drummer boys†. The drummer boys made â€Å"field music† for the soldiers. The drums were an important means of conveying orders to the soldiers on the battlefield. Some children were â€Å"powder monkeys†. â€Å"Powder moneys† are the people whose job was to run and carry powder charges from the lower ship below the waterline to the gun crews shooting the cannons during the battles. The older kids (about 15 or 16) went out to sea as midshipmen. A midshipman is a navel cadet. As you can see, children weren’t handed that many opportunities during this period of time. There weren’t children out playing with their friends, going to the movies, etc. They were very limited to what they could do. Boys could, really, only go to school or get a job. Girls just stayed home and rarely go a proper education. Also, boys could join he war. The child life during the American Revolution was very limited.

never say never :: essays research papers

"Ok, so let me see if I've got this straight." I was on the phone with my friend Bob. I've known Bob for years. He's a former Navy guy who now does electrician work at Disneyworld. He's seriously bright, but doesn't know squat about computers. And he was trying, once again, to figure out what the heck I was doing with my life. "You're starting another Notes publication?" He stretched out the word "another" so it seemed that he was entirely incredulous of my actions. "Well, yeah," I responded with some enthusiasm. "But this one's on both Notes and Domino." "I think I understand Notes. It's this kinda email, database, group-think thing from IBM, right?" I hadn't heard it described exactly like that, but he was certainly in the ballpark. "But what the heck is Domino? Didn't Kim Basinger play Domino in Never Say Never Again? You're writing about a Bond girl?" I shook my head. Of course, he couldn't see that through the phone. "Uh, no Bob. We're not doing a journal on James Bond, as cool as that might seem. We're doing a journal on Lotus Domino, a very cool server technology, and on Notes. They work together." "So you're not writing about Claudine Auger, who plays Domino Derval in Thunderball. And you're not writing about Kim Basinger, who pretty much remakes the character as Domino Petachi in Never Say Never Again," Bob was spouting Bond flick facts with a scary degree of finesse. "You're just doing another techy journal on this Lotus Domino thing?" "Yep." "But haven't you done this before?" Bob was right. We had done this before. In fact, we'd created no less than four Lotus journals, and a book. Back in 1993, I wrote a book called Lotus Notes 3 Revealed! It was the second book ever on Notes and was quite popular. Based on the success of the book, we did our first journal, Workspace for Lotus Notes. Since we were new to the whole journal publishing business, we partnered with The Cobb Group division of Ziff Davis. Ziff, as you probably know, is the largest independent publisher of computer magazines, and Cobb is their division that produces journals and newsletters. The other part of the "we" in this, by the way, is Managing Editor and Vice President of Publishing, Denise Amrich. While I've been responsible for the overall direction and technical vision of the publications (the editor-in-chief), Denise has been responsible for making it all happen.

Human Rights Problem

On May 21, 1999, a local road construction company, Dumez Limited, attacked a group of peaceful protesters with clubs, daggers, axes, machetes, and other dangerous weapons. Tension began to arise when on April 26, 1999 the company began destroying newly planted crops of local farmers in the Ogoni kingdom of Gokana. They did so without paying adequate compensation for the crops or carrying out an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the road project, as required by international environmental standards. On May 8, 1998, a Human Rights Defender, Olisa Agbakoba, was arrested at Murtala International Airport in Lagos. The arresting officers were members of the Security Force, an agency of the Nigerian government. No reason for his arrest was given. This arrest was preceded by an earlier encounter in March 1998 where he was attacked and arrested by members of the Nigerian Police when he tried to speak at a pro-democracy rally in Yaba, Lagos. On January 8th and March 23rd of 1998, Batom Mitee and Barileresi Mitee who are brothers of Ledum Mitee, President of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), were arrested. No charges were ever given for their arrests. Batum Mitee was kept detained for several weeks without having access to his lawyers, his family, or a doctor. On January 18, 1998 he was brought before a judge who declared that the case was not within his competence because of its political character. Mitee was later transferred to a military hospital because of the beatings and ill treatment inflicted by the military. These incidents of brutality and harassment are just a few examples of the abuse by members of the police, security forces, and Nigerian government and how it remains to be a persistent human rights problem. There are numerous underlying factors that contribute to the problem of human rights in Nigeria. One the major factors is that of religion. Religious differences often correspond to regional and ethnic differences. For example, the northern region is overwhelmingly Muslim, as are the large Hausa and Fulani ethnic groups of that area. Many southern ethnic groups are predominantly Christian. About half the country†s population practice Islam and about 40% practice Christianity. Approximately 10% practice exclusively traditional indigenous religions or no religion at all. Many persons practice both elements of Christianity or Islam and elements of an indigenous traditional religion. Consequently, it is difficult to distinguish religious discrimination from ethnic and regional discrimination, which is pervasive. Although the government has never outlawed proselytizing, it continues to discourage and criticize it publicly because it believes that it stimulates religious tensions. Both Christian and Muslim organizations allege that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Immigration Department restricted the entry into the country of certain religious practitioners, particularly persons suspected of intending to proselytize. Consequently, Nigeria†s constitution prohibits state and local governments from adopting an official religion. Though Nigerian law prohibits religious discrimination, it is common for government officials to discriminate against persons who practice a religion different from their own, notably in hiring or awarding contracts. There have been documented reports of harassment of Christian missions by local government officials in predominantly Islamic regions. In April and again in August 1998, the local council of Lafia, in Nasarawa State, reportedly ordered the closure of a Protestant Christian mission church in connection with a dispute about the mission†s title to the land. In March 1998, State Security Service officers detained and interrogated the mission†s pastor. The mission sought to convert members of the generally Islamic Kambari ethnic group. The lack of concern for the environment and the people that it affects has also been a major concern in the struggle for human rights. Since 1958, oil companies such as Shell have exploited oil wealth in the region of the Ogoni people. As a consequence, they have suffered extreme economic deprivation and the environmental devastation of their land. Since Shell began drilling in Nigeria†s Niger Delta, it has spilled oil on farmland and in water sources, bulldozed across farms and flared gas just meters from Ogoni villages. The people of Ogoniland suffer extreme health problems from the air and water pollution. The Nigerian military has played a significant role in the continued persecution of the Ogoni. When the Ogoni began to demand environmental justice, villages were attacked, villagers were killed and their leader was executed by the judgment of a military court. Shell has even admitted to paying the military, which brutally silences voices crying for justice from the government of Nigeria and Shell, along with other multinational oil corporations. Shell is only one of many multinational oil corporations operating in Nigeria. Mobil, Chevron, and Texaco are also found in Nigeria, operating as partners of the Nigerian government, as required by Nigerian law. â€Å"Shell is certainly not the only Oil Corporation that abuses its money, power, and feeling of superiority over the people of Nigeria. † The country†s population of about 120 million is ethnically diverse, comprising more than 250 ethnic groups, many of which speak distinct primary languages and are concentrated geographically. There is no majority ethnic group. The three largest ethnic groups are the Hausa-Fulani of the north, Yoruba of the southwest, and Igbos of the southeast, who together make up about two-thirds of the population. The fourth largest group, the Ijaw, has a population of approximately 12 million. â€Å"Societal discrimination on the basis of ethnicity is widely practiced by members of all ethnic groups and is evident in private sector hiring patterns, de facto ethnic segregation of urban neighborhoods and a continuing paucity of marriage across major ethnic and regional lines. There is a long history of tension among diverse ethnic groups. Although the country†s successive constitutions all have prohibited ethnic discrimination by the State, northerners and particularly Hausas have long been predominant in the national government, including the military officer corps. Tradition continued to impose considerable pressure on individual government officials to favor their own ethnic groups and ethnic favoritism persisted. Resentment of northern domination of the Government aggravated by the suspension of federal decentralization under the Abacha regime and resentment of Igbo success in private commerce, have contributed to ethnic and regional tensions. Possibly the most controversial issue within Nigeria is that of the political structure of the government. Since Nigeria received its independence from Britain, in 1960, there has been conflict in regards to the military and authoritarian system of government that existed. The citizens of Nigeria have longed for a democratic system of government that included themselves as active proponents. Nigeria became a Republic in 1963 and Nnamdi Azikiwe was made the President of the Federal Republic. In January of 1966, some Igbo army officials staged a coup d†etat to overthrow the government, who were primarily Hausa, because they objected to the population census. They felt it over estimated that number of people in the northern region thereby giving them a larger representation in the federal parliament. They succeeded in killing many of the senior officers but Azikiwe was not harmed. As a result of the attempted coup, the government promised a progressive program, a return to civilian rule determined by elections, and vowed to stamp out corruption and violence. Though idealistic in theory, these promises were never realized. Instead, it became the common practice of the government to consider democracy, but continue to practice authoritarian rule. Nigeria would bear witness to numerous coup attempts over the next three decades, most involving the transition to democracy. It wasn†t until the death of Sani Abacha, possibly the most famous President of Nigeria, in June 1998 that civilian rule would be realized. A new transition program was established that would lead the country back to democracy by Abdulsalam Abubakar, the man chosen to replace Abacha. After a series of elections, Olusegun Obasanjo was declared the new and current, democratically elected president on May 29, 1999. At the end of May 1999, Nigeria completed its transition from authoritarian rule to a formal democracy. A number of Nigerian groups have managed to create strong institutional structures, with narrowly defined mandates and internal staff structures as well as program plans. While there are still growing pains within many of these groups, this type of planning process has resulted in â€Å"the Nigerian human rights community†s being far ahead of its anglophone neighbors in putting human rights institutions into place. † The Center for Advanced Social Sciences (CASS) was formed in 1992 and is based in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. CASS is a think tank concerned with improving management and public policy in Africa. It has a Board of Trustees and is governed by an international Board of Directors. The Civil Liberties Organization (CLO), established in 1987, is one of Nigeria†s largest human rights organizations. The CLO is a non-governmental organization set up for the defense and expansion of human rights and civil liberties. It investigates human rights abuses and campaigns through litigation, publications, and communications with the government on behalf of people whose rights have been abused. Another human rights advocate is the Constitutional Rights Project (CRP) that was set up in 1990. Their aims are to ensure that Nigerian legislation conforms to international standards, monitor institutions whose activity impact on the rights of citizens, and to provide legal assistance to victims of human rights abuses. The cry for human rights reform in Nigeria hasn†t fallen on deaf ears from those of the international community. On November 12, 1998 the 53rd session of the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) met to discuss the situation of human rights in Nigeria. The General Assembly reaffirmed that Nigeria is a party to the International Covenant on Human Rights and thereby making it a Member State. All Member States have an obligation to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms. The Nigerian government was â€Å"strongly encouraged† that the establishment and strengthening of national structures and institutions in the field of human rights are of the utmost importance for the promotion and protection of human rights in Nigeria. The sanctions imposed on Nigerian government by the European Union, the Commonwealth and the government of the United States of America were to be lifted in light of the progress made towards the restoration of democratic government and respect for human rights. The Nigerian government in its transition to democracy was applauded for its establishment of the Independent National Electoral Commission and the issuance of a detailed timetable for the election process. Overall, the UN General Assembly was satisfied with the progress of the Nigerian government in its transition to democracy. Nigeria has seen some very turbulent times in its history as it relates to democracy and human rights. Democracy consolidation, which appears to be the most immediate challenge for the human rights movement in post transition Nigeria, will require forward thinking and cohesive action on the part of the human rights community. It has been clearly demonstrated that in Africa relatively free and fair elections observed by international monitor and elaborate â€Å"handing over ceremonies† will not necessarily bring about genuine democracy and a human rights culture. Civil society organizations will have to work gradually to expand the democratic space and rebuild the institutions of civil society. The long years of military dictatorship have decimated these institutions and virtually erased the rule of law according to AFRONET Reports. Though politicians glibly vocalize democratic jargon, it is still evident that democratic values and attitudes are not yet commonplace in the political class. Also, among ordinary Nigerians, popular mentalities need to change; the people have become accustomed to not expecting anything but the worst from their leaders in terms of political leadership, economic management and respect for civil liberties and human dignity. The average Nigerian has been driven by economic hardship to adopt a survivalist mode of life in which he or she is preoccupied with access to the bare necessities of life and does not demand or expect accountability or respect for human rights from their leaders. The Nigerian government, though its history is not favorable, is making sincere efforts to overwrite its history. But unless the human rights community and the people they represent adopt a more positive attitude towards its government, change can not be realized.

Mattie Silver by Ethan Frome - 764 Words

â€Å"Magic Mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?† the Evil Queen inquiries (1). In the novella Ethan Frome, Mattie Silver (Snow White) surpasses the beauty of every living organism in Starkfield. Zenobia Frome correlates herself with the Evil Queen. Furthermore, Zeena, a hypochondriac in the eyes of Ethan Frome, is used as a foil for Mattie Silver. In the dark and gloomy tale of Ethan Frome, the story emerges as an inverted fairytale. The â€Å"fairy maiden† anthropomorphizes into a greater evil than the Evil Queen, herself. Snow White was known for her pale skin, red lips, and her beautiful voice. Alike Snow White, Edith Wharton sedulously attaches red and light with Mattie Silver, symbolizing her with a red scarf. Ethan Frome and Zeena are associated with dark and grim colors blending in with their haggard surroundings. Ethan is in awe when he sees Mattie, his silver lining. Zeena envies Mattie indirectly in the story and goes out of her way to make he r seem like a horrendous person. Moreover, Zeena emerges as the powerful Evil Queen in Ethan Frome that successfully wins. Thus, in Ethan Frome, Edith Wharton taints the classic fairytale to become a disastrous tragedy of two lovers. Undoubtedly, Wharton exemplifies Zeena’s rigid and haggard physical appearance to portray the â€Å"Evil Queen† in Ethan Frome. Edith paints the picture of a â€Å"sallow-complexioned and old at thirty-five† Zeena Frome, accentuating her â€Å"high protruding cheekbones, lashless lids over piercingShow MoreRelatedIsolation Between Ethan Frome And Mattie Silver1502 Words   |  7 Pagesdeveloping relationships between the characters, whether friendly or hostile. An obvious relationship that is formed is the one between Ethan Frome and Mattie Silver. Mattie was brought in by Zenobia, or Zeena, Frome as an assistant around their house. Ethan, being isolated from most other people that would bring him happiness, quickly begins to fal l in love with Mattie. This is made clear early on, stating, The girl was more than the bright serviceable creature he had thought her. She had an eye toRead MoreThe Character Of Mattie Silver1743 Words   |  7 PagesThe Character of Mattie Silver Edith Wharton is very popular for giving much importance to woman characters in her novels. She started writing before the World War II and the status of women was not the same as it is today. Women were only supposed to cook, clean and do chores around the house. In Wharton’s novel Ethan Frome, the character of Mattie Silver is not portrayed as any other woman of that time. She was different. Born in 1862, Edith Wharton Newbold Jones was brought up within the gracefulRead Moreethan frome motif essay975 Words   |  4 Pages English 11 AT set 1 B/D Ethan Frome Essay Edith Wharton’s Ethan Frome: Connections to Motifs Motifs are interesting literary devices, treasured by many authors, to make up or help support the plotline of each story written. In the novella Ethan Frome, by Edith Wharton, she uses the motif of parallelism of the setting of Starkfield, Massachusetts, and other characters such as Ethan Frome and Mattie Silver, to help describe the way that Starkfield and other factors entangle each characterRead More Essay on Whartons Ethan Frome: Ethan Frome as Fairy Tale750 Words   |  3 PagesEthan Frome as Fairy Tale    Edith Whartons Ethan Frome is vividly real to its readers, its issues continually relevant to society, but through its structure and moral lessons, it is intended to be read as a fairy tale. Elizabeth Ammons discusses this fairy tale in her article Ethan Frome as a Fairy Tale, explaining that the novel is a vision of the narrators. As evidenced by the introductory chapter, the narrator truly has few clues as to the real story of Ethan Frome, and theseRead MoreEdith Wharton Shows Love Can be Stupid in Ethan Frome Essay721 Words   |  3 Pageslove is the strongest force in the Universe, but by god, â€Å"Ethan Frome† by Edith Wharton shows it can also be the stupidest. â€Å"Ethan Frome† a Fictional Romantic (and somewhat ironic) novel follows a man named Ethan Frome in his cold, melancholic life in Starkfield, Massachussetts during the late 19th century. Frome is unhappy, married, and desperate. That is until he meets Mattie Silver; his hope for a better life. Breaking down â€Å"Ethan Frome† the reader can realize that this is far more than a loveRead MoreComparison of Jim from Huckleberry Finn or Ethan Frome1540 Words   |  6 Pages How can you compare Jims situation from Huck FInn to Ethan Fromes situation. How are the two characters alike and how are they different. Base your answers on information regarding their genre. Which character has more of a chance of making it and why? Jim from The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn and Ethan Frome from Ethan Frome share many incidents in a indistinguishable occurrence. They also share many qualities that allow each of these two characters to have divergent and duplicate qualitiesRead More Essay on Whartons Ethan Frome: Development of the Novel and Characters937 Words   |  4 Pages The Development of   the Novel and Characters nbsp;   In the novel Ethan Frome, by Edith Wharton, the character of Ethan Frome plays an important role in the development of the rest of the book. He has several character traits which distinguish him from the other main characters. Also, there are many factors which play against him throughout the novel.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The physical appearance of Ethan Frome played a significant part in creating his character. He was a tall, thin man. HeRead More The Wicked Witch and Snow White Essay815 Words   |  4 PagesThe Wicked Witch and Snow White Edith Wharton presents two memorable characters in her novel, Ethan Frome. The reader is presented with Mattie Silver who is young, and good-natured, and Zeena Frome, who is a bitter hypochondriac seven years her husband’s senior. Upon a first inspection, Zeena Frome and Mattie Silver of Edith Wharton’s Ethan Frome seem to be extreme opposites in every respect, but upon closer scrutiny, one finds though they are indeed different in character, though they eventuallyRead MoreEthan Frome Analysis794 Words   |  4 PagesEthan Frome Essay Throughout the tragic yet romantic novella, â€Å"Ethan Frome†, written by Edith Wharton, the protagonist, Ethan Frome, experiences frequent loss of hope in his life. The story follows his daily struggles and how those defeats in human nature impact him, as well as others, later on. Furthermore, the author reveals how his decisions lead to irreversible mistakes, which shows the irony in his situations. Ethan feeling hopeless and defeated is majorly expressed in the story. For exampleRead MoreIrony in Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton Essay examples1035 Words   |  5 Pagestragic novella, Ethan Frome, presents a crippled and lonely man – Ethan Frome – who is trapped in a loveless marriage with a hypochondriacal wife, Zenobia â€Å"Zeena† Frome. Set during a harsh, â€Å"sluggish† winter in Starkfield, Massachusetts, Ethan and his sickly wife live in a dilapidated and â€Å"unusually forlorn and stunted† New-England farmhouse (Wharton 18). Due to Zeena’s numerous complications, they employ her cousin to help around the house, a vivacious young girl – Mattie Silver. With Mattie’s presence