Causes of Civil War Essay Example for Free

Causes of Civil War Essay You hear the word civil in such terms as civil rights, civilian, civilization and civil liberty. All are related to the concept of a common citizen and a member of society. So, a civil war is a war between citizens representing different groups or sections of the same country. That is how the Civil War in the United States between 1850-1860 started. The distinction of ideas about slavery between the South and the North was pretty much the main cause of the war. However if we look at the details carefully, the economic forces in the South combined with the cotton plantations and the reactions to abolitionism in the South were the main factors that caused the Civil War. Economics was an important cause of the Civil War. Economic reasons affected and still affect almost everyone around the world. The economy, simply money gives people a lot of power, which causes a lot of problems between people, and makes everything more complicated. That’s pretty much why it was a big deal with the starting of the Civil War. It started around early 1800s with the harvesting of cotton in the South (Holland, â€Å"The North-South Divide†). Harvesting of cotton required the labor of many people with the invention of cotton gin. So, the way of making a lot of money out of cotton was to find enough laborers to work with. That’s how slavery became essential for the South’s economic future because it was a great source of laborers. In this way slave and cotton plantation owners were making a lot of money and expanding their plantations and of course the number of slaves they owned, which made slavery expand in the South pretty quickly. Also, people who owned slaves and the cotton plantations were mostly the men of social and political power, and of course they didn’t want to lose their power. They were getting richer and richer every day with the expanding plantations with the invention of the cotton gin. For example, Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee were some of the most powerful slave owners of that time. Davis had a great political career, and Lee was an important commander and general in the army. They and the other slave owners got their power from slavery and didn’t want to lose that power. While slavery kept expanding in the South, the North didn’t like that. The North was against the expansion of slavery, an opposition captured by Free Soil Ideology. Their main purpose was opposing the expansion of slavery into the western territories, because they saw it as a corrupt economic system. This made the South see the Free Soil movement as a threat of making slavery totally disappear. The South was threatened because they thought this ideology in the North would keep expanding and finally free all the slaves they owned, and ruining the Southern economy (Brinkley). While this happened in the South, the idea of abolitionism kept spreading through the North. Another cause of divisions between the North and the South was the abolitionist movement. The South saw this movement as a threat from the North, and becoming suspicious of them. John Brown was clearly the most significant radical abolitionist at that time. He fought slavery for years but his most significant action took place at Harper Ferry, Virginia. Brown seized federal arsenal, and he hoped the slaves would come to Harpers Ferry and march through the South, fighting slavery. This way he scared the South, because a slave rebellion had always been the region’s main fear, and therefore the South formed militias. Most Southerners were convinced Brown had done what a lot of Northerners wanted to do, which threatened them (John Brown Farm, North Elba, New York New York History Net†). In other wards, Brown’s raid at Harpers Ferry 1859 fed fear of slave uprising. Southerners basically thought the Republican Party supported John Brown’s Raid and what he had done (Holland, â€Å"Abolitionism†). This was a big issue for them, because the sixteenth president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, was elected the next year and he was a member of the Republican Party. The South thought that being a member of the Republican Party meant being an abolitionist. This worried them, because abolitionists wanted to make slavery disappear, and they thought that’s exactly what the new president of the whole country, Lincoln wanted to do. So, the South saw the election of Abraham Lincoln as a threat. On the other hand, Abraham Lincoln was not an abolitionist, and he didn’t think what John Brown did was good and ethical. He didn’t want to make the South be against him. He was just supporting the Free Soil Ideology. So Lincoln just didn’t want slavery to expand. However the South didn’t see this distinction. Even before Lincoln was inaugurated, Southern states began to secede from the Union (â€Å"Abraham Lincoln†). So that was pretty much how the conflict first started, and caused the Civil War to begin. The Civil War ended in 1865 and slavery was finally abolished. Slavery had been the main reason for its start, because of the economic divisions it sparked along with abolitionism. The harvesting of cotton was a big source of money at that time, especially after the invention of the cotton gin and needed a great source of slaves as laborers. The abolitionist movement added more to this conflict with the misunderstandings about Lincoln’s political views in the South. At the end, the price for the war was pretty high. Lincoln, a visionary president, was assassinated, and it was the bloodiest and the saddest war in American history. It has a valuable part in American history and worth remembering a clear example of what’s right and what’s wrong.

George bush Essay -- essays research papers

I. INTRODUCTION Bush, George Herbert Walker (1924- ), 41st president of the United States (1989-1993), president at the end of the Cold War between the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Bush also organized an unprecedented global alliance against Iraq during the Persian Gulf War of 1991, but he was less successful in dealing with U.S. domestic problems and was defeated after one term by Bill Clinton in the 1992 election. II. EARLY LIFE Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, but grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut. His parents came from wealthy Midwestern families. His father, Prescott Bush, a partner in a leading Wall Street law firm, was a Republican U.S. senator from Connecticut between 1952 and 1963. Senator Bush was a moderate Republican and a supporter of President Dwight David Eisenhower. Senator Bush strongly opposed the party's far right wing, represented in the 1950s by U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin, who led a campaign against Communist subversion in the United States. Bush's mother, Dorothy Walker, the daughter of a Missouri industrialist, encouraged her children to play sports and learn humility and manners. Bush graduated from Phillips Academy at Andover, Massachusetts, in 1942, and joined the United States Navy to fight in World War II. He became a pilot, flying bombing missions against Japan. On one mission his plane was shot down over the Pacific Ocean. Two crewmen died, but Bush survived unharmed and was rescued by a passing submarine within a few hours. Bush returned to the United States in late 1944. Two weeks later, in early 1945, he married Barbara Pierce, a Greenwich woman whose father was a magazine publisher. The couple had six children: sons George, John, Neil, and Marvin, and daughters Robin and Dorothy. Robin died of leukemia at the age of three. Bush entered Yale University in 1945. He majored in economics, became captain of the varsity baseball team, and graduated as a member of Phi Beta Kappa in 1948. He moved his young family to west Texas where, helped by his father's business connections, he went into the oil business, working as an equipment clerk. In 1953 Bush cofounded the Zapata Petroleum Corporation, which drilled for oil in the Permian basin in Texas and elsewhere in the West. The next year, he became president of the Zapata Offshore Company, which specialized in offshore... ...te. The Massachusetts governor proved to be a poor campaigner with a weak grasp for what moved voters. By contrast, Bush skillfully reached out to economic and social conservatives, as well as suburban independents and environmentalists. He criticized Dukakis for his refusal to support the saying of the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States in schools, accused him of supporting temporary releases called furloughs for violent criminals in overcrowded prisons, and pointed to what Bush argued was Dukakis's poor record in cleaning up polluted Boston harbor. While promising not to impose new taxes, to cut the capital gains tax, and to continue the Reagan defense program, Bush also vowed to oppose gun control and to try to overturn the 1973 ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States that affirmed a woman's right to an abortion. Bush won the election easily, attracting 53 percent of the vote and carrying 40 states and 426 electoral votes. He won the entire South, most of the West and made deep inroads in the industrial Midwest. The election left one obstacle for Bush: the Democrats retained solid majorities in both the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.

Hyflux Essay

In order to maximize the use the use of this natural resource, the Singapore government goes to extent where they recycle and purify the water they capture. These â€Å"policies have developed an expertise in water management that has spawned a host of profitable companies† (Chowdhury, Singapore’s All Wet- TIME, 2009) and one of the major companies in this industry is Hyflux. Hyflux is a Singaporean homegrown water treatment company that†purifies waste-, salt- and rainwater† (Chowdhury, Singapore’s All Wet- TIME, 2009). Hyflux provides a wide-ranging set of integrated services in water and renewable resources, from research and development, membrane manufacturing, process engineering, engineering, procurement and construction to operations and maintenance. Hyflux provides water desalination and filtration solution for its customers and is a global leader in membrane technology and applications for renewable resources and water solution. The company takes pride in its award winning membranes which is one of the company’s main core products. Company Vision To be the leading company the world seeks for innovative and effective environmental solutions. Company Mission To provide efficient and cost-effective solutions to meet our clients’ needs through innovation and technological advancement. Company Values: Boldness – Dare to dream, dare to do and dare to excel Entrepreneurship – Nurture the entrepreneurial spirit, embrace challenge and master change Satisfaction – Exceed internal and external customer satisfaction, take pride in work and deliver excellence Testimony – Be the face behind the brand, excel in business conduct and embrace best practices in corporate governanceHyflux has 2,000 staff worldwide (Hyflux Ltd.NA) including â€Å"200 multidisciplinary membrane specialists, researchers and scientists† (Hyflux Ltd. , NA) in the company’s networks of innovative centers and plants. Employees are widely diverse not only in terms of the countries they are from but also in their previous working background, cultures and experiences. The diverse workforce of Hyflux contributed greatl y to the success of the company through high productivity, creative thinking and effective and efficient decision making. Hyflux started business and is established in Singapore in the year 1989 and since then it has grew and built 1,000 plants in more than 400 countries worldwide. Appendix 1. 1 highlights some of the countries in which Hyflux operates in. In the countries they have plants and operate in, they provide different types of services and products. For example, in Dubai, they provide services in the sewage treatment industry and providing Kristal Membrane products while in Thailand, the company operates in both wastewater reclamation industry and chemical industry providing Kristal and FerroCep membranes. The fame and reputation of Hyflux grew bigger in Singapore and in the year 2001, it became the first water treatment company in Singapore to be listed in the Singapore Stock Exchange. The current financial standing of the company, a table is shown below comparing last year’s final year reports and this year’s reports Source: Hyflux Year end news release 2010 and 2009 (Hyflux Ltd. , 2010), (Hyflux Ltd. , 2009) The company has been increasing in revenue in the year 2010 due to the major projects that are ongoing like their major plant in located in China that has been in halt for the past year due to the economic downturn. In addition the company also earns high revenue from the public and industrial sectors. Source: Hyflux Year end news release 2010 and 2009 (Hyflux Ltd. , 2009), (Hyflux Ltd. , 2010) ————————————————- External and Internal Analysis The SWOT analysis will be used in this report to understand the company’s internal strength and weaknesses and also its external opportunities and threats. Strength One of the root strengths that Hyflux has is their CEO, Ms Olivia Lum who started the business and its operation in the year 1989. Ms Olivia Lum set strategic directions and made effective and efficient decisions for the company which enabled them to grow a small sized company hiring only 3 staff with the capital of S$20,000 to one being of the â€Å"world’s fastest-growing technology driven water solutions company† (Hyflux Ltd. , NA). As a chief executive officer, they â€Å"develop and define the organization’s purpose, objectives, strategies, and long term plans† (Lussier, 2009). Ms Lum has accumulated several skills and knowledge in the hydro-chemical, chemistry, health and entrepreneurship which enable her to make effective and efficient strategic moves which leads to the company’s growth and success. Secondly, Hyflux hires 2,000 staff worldwide, in which a staff of â€Å"200 multidisciplinary membrane specialists, researchers and scientists â€Å"(Hyflux Ltd. , NA) in their innovative centers in Singapore. Employees are great assets to any company and add more value when they are skilled, motivated and diverse. Even if Hyflux has all the advance technologies and machines, it would be of no use (or unproductive) without a human working behind it. Hyflux employs â€Å"passionate, talented and ambitious people who are constantly willing to push the boundaries of the possible. † (Hyflux Ltd. , NA). Employees who take the initiative and are driven are likely to add value to the company and its production compared to an employee who is being â€Å"forced† to do their job. According to authors John Ivancevich and Lee Soo Hoon â€Å"In most organizations in Asia, effectiveness is measured by the balance of such complementary characteristics as reaching goals, employing the skills and abilities of employees efficiently and ensuring the influx and retention of well-trained and motivated employees. † (Ivancevich & Hoon, 2002). In addition, having a diverse workforce who are specialized to do their task contributes greatly on the company’s productivity through the creative ideas given from employees who are from different backgrounds and society. Moreover, Hyflux owns award winning water-machinery and advance technology which increases their popularity and the quality of their reputation. This encourages more customers to partner and/or purchase from Hyflux and also encourages more investors to invest in the company. Weaknesses High cost on employees has accumulated a significant increase in the operational cost of the company. in order to motivate employees, Hyfluxhas to train and financially reward their employees. However, the company is focused on employees too therefore they are not looking at it as a cost but as an investment instead. Moreover, the company is experiencing high cost in the operations itself and the fluctuation of exchange rates contributes to this problem notably and that includes high loan rates from banks as well. Opportunities In Singapore, water treatment facilities are encouraged by the government to supply the country with more of the natural resource and â€Å"The first of the water agreements with Malaysia, which expires in 2011, is not likely to be renewed† (Chowdhury, 2009) therefore the government is supporting the growth and operations of Hyflux. As a matter of fact, the company has PUB, Singapore’s national water agency, as a customer and has built 4 major water desalination plants under the management of PUB. PUB has become one the largest clients of Hyflux which reflects the company’s good and sustainable relationship with the government. In most countries that Hyflux go into, the government has always looked upon them with favor and a good relationship is formulated. For example, building the â€Å"world’s largest membrane-based seawater desalination project in Magtaa, Algeria.(Hyflux Ltd. , 2009). This is supported by the local government and allowed them to be financially supported by national banks in Algeria. Threats As mentioned on the latest news release by Hyflux, one of its threats is the unpredictable change in the currency markets (Hyflux Ltd. , 2010). An instability in the currency (especially in those wherein the company operates) could accumulate losses for the company. In some parts of the world, the supply, for example, could be more costly than expected in the budget due to unstable exchange rates. In addition, operational cost of the Hyflux Group as a whole can also be unpredictable because of fluctuations in the currency. One month’s operational budget and cost can be lower and the following month, expenses could just shoot up. Another threat affecting the global operation of the company is the â€Å"persistent high unemployment rate† (Hyflux Ltd. , 2010) in key markets in the US and EU. If this goes on, the economy of those markets will definitely be affected mainly on the interest rates. As more people are unemployed, GDP decreases, leading to a decrease in the prices of goods and services. This in return will affect the exchange rates and investors will be encouraged to invest in Hyflux, however in a smaller amount but then will be paid higher dividends and returns if the economy picks up. ————————————————- Object of concern for the company One of the main objectives and strategies of Ms Olivia Lum is to be able to achieve growth in the company by expanding and reaching to all its key markets globally. But in contrast, it is also a challenge for the CEO to sustain its rapid growth† (Smith, 2004).

The Events Of Penn State Altoona s Intramural Basketball...

The event I went to was one of Penn State Altoona s intramural basketball games. I chose this event because I wanted to observe the similarities and differences between intramural sporting events and extramural sporting events. At extramural sporting events, the players in the competition are usually extremely invested in the sport that they are playing and the competition itself because of the fact that the players have to be good to make the team. Players are also more invested in extramural sports because they are competing against a team from a different institution. At intramural sporting events there are no requirements to be on a team which means a person who has never played that sport before can be on a team. Since the basketball game was intramural I was curious about what the dynamic would be like between the players so I closely observed how the players interacted with one another. I was not sure whether or not these intramural players would be as invested as professiona l players and I assumed they wouldn t but once I went to the game and found out, I was taken aback with my discovery. Since I was curious about the history of Penn State Altoona s intramural basketball league, I interviewed some players in order to find out how long the program has been around, if there are any rituals involved in the game, and if there are any rivalries. While there, I also payed close attention to how much sportsmanship these intramural players had to see how seriously they