Reforms in the Gilded Age

In America, gilded age refers to the period between the years 1860 and 1900. Mark Twain and Charles Warner coined the term to refer to the years after the civil war (Twain Warner). Twain and Warner were concerned with the widespread corruption and greed in America during the late 19th century.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Reforms in the Gilded Age specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More During this period, North America’s economy grew drastically attracting numerous immigrants from Europe and Asia. With increased immigration, America achieved an unmatched growth in infrastructure (Twain Warner). Across the country, railroads, telephone lines and factories were constructed creating numerous opportunities. As a result, consumers were able to access cheaper goods and services. Similarly, improved infrastructure and increased markets offered entrepreneurs with numerous opportunities. With an increased economy, A merican society subdivided into the following social classes: lower class, middle class and upper class. The Upper class and the middle class celebrated the growth of the American economy, while the lower class lamented over it (Walker 145). As a result, American aristocrats were faced with numerous challenges from the poor workers who struggled with abject poverty. In the South, African Americans were denied the chance to exercise their civil rights. I noted that the American politics, at the period, were remarkable despite of the widespread corruption in the political arena. Reformers adopted several approaches to end social injustices, demand for better labor rights, and denounce corrupt politicians. After analyzing the American history, I identified that it was during this period that the first labor unions in America were organized. I noted that the period was characterized by low wages, hostile working environments and long working hours. Equally, entrepreneurs worsened the la bor situations by subdividing the unskilled workforce. Similarly, I recognized that with the mass usage of machines, skilled and unskilled laborers ended up with limited occupational mobility. Through the labor unions, workers collectively campaigned for better labor rights (Trachtenberg Eric Foner). In this regard, I believe that the current labor rights, enjoyed by American laborers, could not have been achieved without the efforts of the gilded age laborers. All through the unrests, I noted that the middle class were greatly affected by the unrest, and in turn intervened between the workers and the entrepreneurs. Following the unrest, entrepreneurs worked tirelessly to suppress the labor unions. To repress the employees, employers sorted to intimidations. It was not until the early 20th century that the labor rights were fully acknowledged by the factory owners (Shrock 123). Though the unions’ goals took longer to be achieved, I believe that the current American labor rig hts are as a result of continuous efforts by the activists since the gilded age. In my opinion, the approach taken by the employees through strikes and unrests was effective in ensuring that their goals were met.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More To emphasize the need for social change in the gilded age, I noted that the middle class and the lower class worked collectively to achieve the needed civil reforms. In the year 1881, an angered citizen assassinated President James Garfield (Schlesinger 45). The assassin had earlier missed an employment opportunity he felt he deserved. As a result, the killer assassinated the president blaming his government for his misfortunes. Following the death of President James Garfield, calls for reforms in the patronage system were initiated. Consequently, in the year 1883, Pendleton act was passed into law. Through this act, fair methods were introduced to enhance the selection of job seekers. With these incidences, I realized that the gilded politicians were not only unfair but also and unjust. Although I disagree with the killing of President James Garfield, I do feel that the approaches taken by the civil reformists were warranted for the fulfillment of their goals. In my studies, I realized that most of the gilded Age reformists were from the middle class. These reformists opposed the Social Darwinism theory asserted by the gilded age elites. Instead, they were actively involved in slums up gradation and poverty reduction programs within their communities. Through this, the lower class adopted the values of the middle class, and in turn took progressive steps towards ending poverty (Morgan 125). In my view, the gilded age middle class philanthropic acts should be a challenge to us to advocate for all efforts aimed at reducing poverty levels and unemployment rates within our societies. In my opinion, not all the approaches used by the reformists were effective. During the period, reformers blamed alcohol consumption for most the social problems in their societies (Morgan 78). As a result, several regions in America banned alcohol consumption within their jurisdictions. I noted that American women supported this temperance in huge numbers. By analyzing this approach, I identified that most of its proponents had their own vested interests. In my opinion, the proponents were only after damaging the catholic immigrants’ image.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Reforms in the Gilded Age specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More During the period, most drunkards were catholic immigrants. Through the studies, one cannot clearly comprehend the connection between the gilded age social problems and alcohol consumption. For this reason, I believe that the social reformists never achieved their goals through banning alcohol consumption in America. In the year 1887, the congress was pushed to pass the Interstate Commerce Act. The law regulated the railroad companies. In the year 1890, it was realized that the law was ineffective. Another ineffective law was the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. This act was signed into law in the year 1890 with the aim of illegalizing trusts in America (Johnson Harvey 95). In my view, these approaches were only effective in their theoretical forms and not in their practical forms. As such, the authorities found it hard to implement them. To sum up, we should all accept that the gilded age reformists’ approaches shaped and helped America attain its global economic dominance. During the gilded age, America witnessed industrious entrepreneurs who helped industrialize America (Horgan 34). While we acknowledge the deplorable conditions the gilded age Americans workforce underwent through, we should not fail to acknowledge the efforts played by their entrepreneurs. It is through these entrepreneursâ€⠄¢ efforts that we enjoy better goods, better services, reduced unemployment rates and improved lifestyles. In my opinion, we should acknowledge that the current reforms our country enjoys were initiated by the gilded age reformers. Towards the end of the gilded age, Americans began to recognize the need to elect morally upright leaders into public offices (Foner John 67). In this regard, we should recognize and acknowledge the efforts played by the gilded age reformists in ensuring that America attains just and fair political system. In general, most of the approaches taken by reformers to the problems of an industrial society were effective in meeting their goals. Bibliography Foner, Eric, and John A. Garraty. The Reader’s companion to American history. Boston: Houghton-Mifflin, 1991. Print. Horgan, Paul. Conquistadors in North American history. New York: Farrar, Straus, 1963. Print.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Johnson, Thomas Herbert, and Harvey Wish. The Oxford companion to Am history. New York: Oxford University Press, 1966. Print. Morgan, H. Wayne. The gilded age, a reappraisal.. Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press, 1963. Print. Morgan, H. Wayne. The gilded age. Rev. and enl. ed. Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 1970. Print. Schlesinger, Arthur M.. The cycles of American history. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1986. Print. Shrock, Joel. The Gilded Age. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2004. Print. Trachtenberg, Alan, and Eric Foner. The incorporation of America: culture and society in the gilded age. New York: Hill and Wang, 1982. Print. Twain, Mark, and Charles Dudley Warner. The gilded age. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996. Print. Walker, Robert Harris. The poet and the gilded age; social themes in late 19th century American verse. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1963. Print. This essay on Reforms in the Gilded Age was written and submitted by user Danna Y. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Habits and Traits of Cockroaches, the Order Blattodea

Habits and Traits of Cockroaches, the Order Blattodea The order Blattodea includes the cockroaches, insects unfairly reviled the world over. Though some are pests, most cockroach species fill important ecological roles as scavengers that clean up organic waste. The order name comes from blatta, which is Latin for cockroach. Description Cockroaches are ancient insects. Theyve remained almost unchanged for over 200 million years. Roaches run fast on legs adapted for speed, and with 5-segmented tarsi. Cockroaches can also accelerate and turn quickly. Most are nocturnal and spend their days resting deep within tight-fitting cracks or crevices. Roaches have flat, oval bodies, and with a few exceptions are winged. When viewed dorsally, their heads are concealed behind a large pronotum. They have long, slender antennae, and segmented cerci. Cockroaches use chewing mouthparts to scavenge on organic materials. Members of the order Blattodea undergo incomplete or simple metamorphosis, with three stages of development: egg, nymph, and adult. Females encase their eggs in a capsule called an ootheca. Depending on the species, she may place the ootheca in a crevice or other protected place, or carry it with her. Some female cockroaches carry the ootheca internally. Habitat and Distribution Most of the 4,000 species of cockroaches inhabit moist, tropical environments. As a group, however, cockroaches have a wide distribution, from desert to arctic environments. Major Families in the Order Blattidae: Oriental and American cockroachesBlattellidae: German and wood cockroachesPolyphagidae: desert cockroachesBlaberidae: giant cockroaches Cockroaches of Interest The Madeira cockroach (Rhyparobia maderae) can stridulate, an unusual skill for a roach. It also gives off an offensive odor when threatened.The tiny Attaphila fungicola cockroach inhabits an ecological niche – the nests of leaf-cutting ants.Madagascar hissing cockroaches (Grophadorhina portentosa) force air through their spiracles to produce a hissing sound. Theyre a popular pet insect.The giant cave cockroach, Blaberus giganteus, feeds on bat guano among other things.

Innovation Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Innovation Management - Essay Example Not just the adjustment in the earth is making organization receive new patterns, for example, it increases spending to have the capacity to meet the aggressive basic, yet these patterns additionally add to an increment in the instability. From a systemic point of view, the outcomes of these activities can be opened up past desires by the interrelatedness of the components prompting the conclusions that the very results of organizational activities are progressively eccentric. This clear mystery of innovation is normally a common marker of complex systems at work. For this situation, the utilization of innovation to improve the possibilities of survival of the firm, by endeavoring to control its surroundings, winds up compounding advance nature rendering it more turbulent. This expanded vulnerability prompts multilevel flimsiness with direct outcomes: both new dangers and new open doors for organizations. Expanding the turbulence in a situation does not mean actuating a change in all measurements consistently in the meantime. These adjustments in the earth can be seen as instabilities for a few organizations and consequently make dangers. Then again, these progressions can likewise be "arranged" to bring open doors for the organizations that made them. Turbulence might frequently be close to genuine rivalry from organizations in full control of the commercial center. This is what is known as the test of the hypothesis to see how organizations change and change themselves while in the meantime changing and changing their surroundings.

Business Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Business Law - Essay Example The problem in this question relates to offer, unilateral offer, invitation to treat, acceptance, rejection of offer and past consideration. These would be discussed in line with the facts and determination of conclusion of the issues would be made in accordance with that. The important aspect in respect of the question is that of the differentiation between an offer and invitation to treat. This has been drawn by the courts. Invitation to treat is an expression of willingness of one party to go into into negotiations with another party anticipating that a contract would be concluded at the end of such negotiations. Items on shop display and their prices are treated as an invitation to treat (Fisher v Bell). Advertisements are generally treated as invitation to treat (Harris v. Nickerson ). There are certain exceptions to this the reasoning based on intention and certainty. (Carlill v Carbolic Smoke Ball Co, a case on unilateral offer.)1. An offer on the other hand has been defined a s an unequivocal willingness by a party known as the offeror to enter into a contract on stated terms and provided that such terms would be accepted by the person to whom the offer is made (offeree) a contract would come into existence. Acceptance has been defined as the unconditional acquiesce to the terms that were laid down by the offeror. The important aspects of acceptance are that it should be unconditional and must be communicated to the. ( Holwell Securities v. Hughes2) . A number of exceptions have developed in respect of communication, one of them being the postal rule, whereby acceptance takes place as soon as a letter is posted. As far as instantaneous means of communication is concerned it can be said that the postal rule in Adams v. Lindsell3 of acceptance is not applicable and thus actual communication of acceptance needs to be done (Mondial Shipping and Chartering BV v. Astarte Shipping Ltd4). As far as silence constituting to be acceptance is concerned, the courts h ave been consistent in their approach that silence would not constitute as acceptance and acceptance needs to be communicated or can occur by way of conduct. (Felthouse v. Bendley)5 . The advertisement that was placed cannot be classified as a unilateral offer as the facts do not show the requisite certainty and unconditional offer, thus it is evident that the advertisement is an invitation to treat. The discussion with Rose was merely an invitation to treat as there was hope of a contract being concluded and at no point can it be seen that an offer been made, so there can be no acceptance. In line with the discussion with Mary, the offer of Rose was made and communicated to Mary, however, the problem lies in the fact that even though there Mary responded and accepted the offer, it was never communicated to Rose and so in line with authorities on instantaneous communication it can be concluded that acceptance did not take place and so no action can be brought about by Rose. As far a s Matthew is concerned, the problem lies in the fact that it was conditional on the fact that Matthew would receive payment and therefore a conditional offer, or in other words it was not a conclusive offer which could be accepted. Applying the approach of courts in respect of silence and that it would not constitute to be acceptance; the actions of John cannot in any way create a binding contract. Furthermore, there has been no actions or conduct which show acceptance, on the contrary Mary destroyed the cheque which shows her intention of not being bound. The next issue is in respect of consideration, which is that it must generally be given after promise so as to make it enforceable. Thus a promise made after alleged consideration is complete is unenforceable (Re Mcardle)6. Thus past consideration is generally held not to be good consideration. However, the courts in Pao On v. Lau Yiu Long whereby Lord Scarman laid down the three condition which were to be satisfied if the excepti ons were to be relied upon, the first being that the act which was done

Whistle Blowing Essay Example for Free

Whistle Blowing Essay The challenger disaster that took place in January 28 has led to the explosion of the shuttle itself and the death of all the crew members including the chosen teacher. A real disaster that occurred due to some wrong decisions and overriding some important information from professional employees within the company is considered a real catastrophe. Applying pressure on senior management team of the company that has developed the rocket in order to change their opinion about launching can be considered to be another catastrophe. All these misjudgment actions from the NASA team and the Morton Thiokol team have lead to the challenger real crisis. Whistle blowing A whistle blower is a person who reveals some wrong actions done by his employer or the company he works for in an investigation or to some authority and in some cases to public and press. This is mainly the case of Boisjoly who reveled during the commission investigation all the information he had regarding the problems that they discovered within the shuttle and the way the NASA reacted towards the problem and the way Morton Thiokol ignored the problem and refused to scrub the launch and went with the launch that caused the explosion of the challenger and the death of the seven crew members. Whistle blowers are heroes in the eyes of some people and they are betrayers in the eyes of other. From here rises the conflict of whistle blowers. Looking at the whole idea of whistle blowing we can easily say that this act has its harms and its benefits. Concerning benefits this would be the end of the any wrongdoing by any employer, management team or employees and this means consequences of wrong acts would be eliminated. As for the weakness or the harm of such practice it would cause terminations for the employee who performed the whistle blowing act, the work environment if he continued would be hard because the employer and the fellow employees will always think of him as the betrayer who took the secrets of the company publicly. Conclusion Challenger exploded 73 seconds after its launch and this means that the problem was massive and it needed to be addressed. People watching the launch and families who lost beloved ones needed to know what really happened and who was responsible for their great loss. Children who were watching their teacher joining the crew needed to know what the reason that this person died was. From all what preceded the truth should have appeared and the company should not treated Boisjoly a whistle blower because he showed the world what really happened and didn’t take into consideration the image of the company in the eyes of people and government. Failing to produce quality products and putting lives on the edge is not something that can be ignored and from here we can easily say that whistle blowers are heroes and not betrayers. Question 1:Do you regard Boisjoly as a disloyal employee or a heroic whistle blower? Why? Boisjoly in my opinion is not a disloyal employee. Although I agree to the saying that secrets of work should not be announced to anybody outside the company but is mainly when there is something regarding progress and success key elements and not wrongdoings that causes problems. In the case of challenger, seven people died from the explosion. The company was aware of the problem and they decided to ignore it and go on with the launch of the challenger. Boisjoly reported the problem and tried to convince the Morton Thiokol to scrub the launch but NASA had their way to convince the management to ignore everything and launch challenger. This led to the crisis. Families of the crew who died on challenger had the right to know what happened and this is what Boisjoly did and this is not betrayal but showing the truth behind a crisis. What he did also will definitely help the company make sure not ignore problems and solve them first in order not to reach this situation again. Question 2: Did Morton Thiokol treat Boisjoly fairly? Why or why not?  Explain We can easily say that the company was not fair in the way they treated Boisjoly after what happened and they have blamed him for the situation the company was facing. The environment they made him work within where he was looked at as a betrayal who took the secrets of the company out to the public and press was hard for him. They did not feel that what they did caused a disaster and they need to take responsibility for their actions. They only felt betrayed by Boisjoly and this is unfair by all means. They have treated him in a way that led to his resignation at the end because the work environment was no longer acceptable for him. Question 3: what if anything, ought Morton Thiokol managers have done differently? Explain Looking at the problem and the disaster that occurred due to some wrongdoing from the management team of Morton Thiokol we can say that they should have considered their engineers report, they should have scrub the launch of the challenger and not accept the pressure that NASA performed on the management team to ignore the report and go on with launching. If they have done so they would have been able to overcome the disaster, solve the problem and launch challenger on latter date. The management team failed to take the right decision.

Global Warming Essay: The Kyoto Protocol :: Global Warming

Introduction From man’s basic understanding of existence, he acknowledges that his presence is but a fraction in time in relation to the longevity of the Earth’s existence. This attests to the time period in which the Earth functions. Man’s calculations of year to year changes in the Earth’s atmosphere are meager at best in determining the cycle for such an entity. Man’s oldest data dating back from ice core samples from Antarctica can not trace back further than a minute percent of the history of the billions of years that the Earth has existed. (Relatively) recently, Earth has endured "naturally occurring" Ice Ages, meteorological disasters, and the evolution of man and his technology. So the question is raised, is mankind bold in thinking that anything it does collectively will scar the Earth beyond repair? Man might change the Earth’s surface, man might obliterate his own existence, but man will not change the propensity for nature to allow the continuation of life. Debate on Global Warming So, what is man doing for mankind? There is a general concensus that one of the greatest dangers man is imposing upon himself is that of a global change in the atmosphere, causing the average temperature on Earth to increase. Before any discussion can begin on how to go about fixing the problem of global warming, it is improtant to point out that the problem is more basic than otherwise understood. The problem is not global waring, it is how to deal with the possible existance of global warming. First, let us consider the assumed temperature change. What real facts are we using to conclude that a global temperature increase is happening? Second, consider the possible reasons for a temperature change. Is man the only possibility? Third, assuming the chance for man to be the cause in a real global temperature average increase, is this a situation that we should try and label a problem? Is change always bad? The amount of data that is accessible and relavant to this this debate can be interpreted in a variety of different ways†¦ Go on and surf the World Wide Web. You may find convincing arguments on both sides, but that is just it, they are arguments. Models have been constructed, theories have made predictions, and more. What do we know? We know that the evidence is inconclusive and more research should be done. Explorations on the corrolation between fluctuations in solar activity and Earth’s temperature changes should be furthur endeavored, expirimentation with simulated Earthly atmospheres should be enhanced, and U.

Impact of Market Revolution on American Workers

It is a matter of fact that American workers were strongly influenced by the market revolution in America. Market revolution took place before the Civil War and this time is considered to be uprising for America. For example, market revolution caused improvements and enhancements in transportation system, and development of new technologies. Furthermore, due to market revolution agricultural products significantly increased and the number of textile factories grew up. The life of American society was changed as market revolution caused political, economic and technological changes. Nevertheless, not all the changes are positive. For example, American workers became less independent and more structured, but more women were provided with opportunities to earn wages meaning that gender roles were changes. Speaking in detail, American workers were provided with new farming equipment and advancements. Furthermore, new staple crops were introduced. In transportation sphere new methods appeared: steamboats, railroads and canals. American workers were allowed in such a way to move faster from place to place. American workers obtained new employment opportunities due to establishment of new textile factories. With time machines made the work easier and faster. As it is mentioned above, market revolution created new job opportunities for women. For example, women became more economically independent and they were the first workers at the textile factories. Moreover, their payments were descent. It was hard for them to struggle for descent payments and it was market revolution that helped them to achieve the desired outcome. Summing up the market revolution greatly affected the life and work of American people. They were provided with new employment opportunities, expanded suffrage, new technologies and equipments, etc. Market revolution showed people that life should and must be changed for better. References Rise and Impact of Market Economy. Retrieved September 5, 2007, from http://balrog.sdsu.edu/~putman/410a/marketpres%2010am.htm