Ulysses S. Grant Essay -- essays research papers

Ulysses S. Grant   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  American General and 18th President of the United States of America, Ulysses S. Grant, was a master war strategist who won the first major Union victories during the Civil War; however, political leadership proved to be far different from military leadership for Grant. While in office from 1869-1877 Grant scarcely attempted to control events, made injudicious appointments to public office, and had official corruption taint his administration, although Grant himself was never said to be actually have been involved in this corruption.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  'The military life had no charms for me,'; Grant said later. After graduating from the Untied States military academy Grant was commissioned as Brevet 2nd Lieutenant, assigned to the 4th U.S. Infantry, and sent to Jefferson Barracks near St. Louis, MO. While stationed at Jefferson Barracks Grant met his future wife, Julia Dent, who was the sister of one of Grant's West Point classmates. This romance was temporarily interrupted however, when orders were given that sent Grant's regiment to the Southwest frontier in May of 1844.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When the south seceded from the Union Grant had no troubles making up his mind to fight for the Union cause. Grant organized the first group of Union volunteers in Galena and accompanied the men to Springfield. Grant longed for active duty and, on May 24, 1861, offered his services to the U.S. government, suggesting th... Ulysses S. Grant Essay -- essays research papers Ulysses S. Grant   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  American General and 18th President of the United States of America, Ulysses S. Grant, was a master war strategist who won the first major Union victories during the Civil War; however, political leadership proved to be far different from military leadership for Grant. While in office from 1869-1877 Grant scarcely attempted to control events, made injudicious appointments to public office, and had official corruption taint his administration, although Grant himself was never said to be actually have been involved in this corruption.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  'The military life had no charms for me,'; Grant said later. After graduating from the Untied States military academy Grant was commissioned as Brevet 2nd Lieutenant, assigned to the 4th U.S. Infantry, and sent to Jefferson Barracks near St. Louis, MO. While stationed at Jefferson Barracks Grant met his future wife, Julia Dent, who was the sister of one of Grant's West Point classmates. This romance was temporarily interrupted however, when orders were given that sent Grant's regiment to the Southwest frontier in May of 1844.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When the south seceded from the Union Grant had no troubles making up his mind to fight for the Union cause. Grant organized the first group of Union volunteers in Galena and accompanied the men to Springfield. Grant longed for active duty and, on May 24, 1861, offered his services to the U.S. government, suggesting th...

The First of Its Kind

The First of Its Kind I still remember being in an eighth grade U. S. History class back in my Junior high years. One distinct memory of that course, perhaps the most memorable of all the projects we had, came in the first month of the school year, in the curriculum's first unit: the founding of the United States as its own nation. As the textbook timeline approached 1787 we prepared ourselves for a daunting task: memorize and recite the Preamble.We as students would wait anxiously as, one by ne, each of our peers would step up to the front of the classroom and begin to recite from memory. Few people could recite the Preamble smoothly, but for those who stumbled, we all seemed to remember perfectly the first and last chunks: â€Å"We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union†¦ † and â€Å"†¦ do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. To us back in eighth grade, that missing middle section was Just a group of words to be more-or-less forgotten the next day. To our forefathers, however, that middle section was vital in reating the basis for the supreme law of the United States. Much like my peers and I in the eighth grade, our forefathers who assembled 226 years ago were faced with a daunting task for the state that they were in. At this point in our history, America was a newborn in the world, only eleven years of age.Now left without the common cause that the Revolutionary War provided for the prior two decades, the former colonies struggled to find any sense of unity, and the world watched like adults watching an infant not their own attempt to stand upright on two feet without any assistance. Or perhaps a better metaphor would be an infant attempting to stand on his hands; Americans not only had to erect a lasting government system, but create one unlike any other. But the United States was by no means hopeless.Our founding fathers had already put forth one attempt with the Articl es of Confederation, which ultimately resulted in a loose confederation of thirteen independent states. The Articles did provide a Congress, but the provision was a handicapped version created without any real command over the states. And this was purposely so – instead of taking a radical leap of faith into a new republic, he Articles laid a steppingstone towards the Constitution so as not to provoke the states, fresh from a revolution.This steppingstone of compromise is what I believe to be the basis of the thought process behind the Constitution. Soon after the Articles of Confederation were adopted, a convention was summoned to meet in Philadelphia to revise the Articles in response to the recent problems, such as portrayed in Shays' Rebellion. When the fifty-five delegates assembled, however, it became clear that the Articles had to be scrapped for a new Constitution. To effectively describe in one ord the discussion that happened behind the closed doors of the Pennsylva nia State House during that long summer of 1787: compromise.The delegates, most of whom had Just recently rebelled against their mother country, wouldn't be shaken very easily in their ideas and proposals for how the government should conduct, and compromise became a necessity. So much so that one of the biggest achievements of the Constitutional Convention was called the â€Å"Great Compromise†, creating a middle ground to please botn the large and small states, whose ideas ot representation harply contrasted.Many other compromises defined the convention: the Electoral College was a compromise between direct and indirect presidential election, and the Three-fifths Compromise effectively represented the nation's view of slavery (and prevented an eventual collapse of the convention due to debate over the humanity of slavery). By September 17, 1787, the first draft of the Constitution was finalized, signed, and sent out to be ratified by the states. A major problem that echoed the notion of compromise soon arose as the first draft was sent out to the states.American people began to side with either Federalists or Antifederalists, who lobbied against each other over whether this Constitution was worthy of ratification. The greatest weapon that the Antifederalists held was the lack of a bill of rights stating the rights and freedoms that an American citizen were to have. And thus another compromise was hammered out by the drafters of the Constitution: a promise to amend the Constitution to include what we now call our Bill of Rights. With this, many of the states ratified the Constitution and allowed its adoption by June 21, 1788.And o, save a handful of amendments to occur later in history, the United States now had a formidable government created by a Constitution actually worthy of the new republic. In it, our forefathers structured a straightforward explanation of the three branches of our government, the powers granted and denied to each department, an d the difference in powers granted to the states and the powers reserved to the federal government. The strict structure of the Constitution reveals a second facet of its drafters' thought process (the first being compromise): the formation of a lasting egime.Compared to the history of some other countries, the U. S. has enjoyed some fair consistency in its government in the aspect that our Constitution withstands without any complete overthrow of the government. This is established in that middle section of the Preamble; six main purposes of the Constitution were clearly stated: â€Å"in order to form a more perfect union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity'.The longevity of the Constitution that had to be part of its drafters' intent can be easily seen in ways that live past our forefathers. Along with our Declaration of Independence, the Co nstitution has been a source of inspiration for many events in history – both our history as a nation and events in world history. Countless events in the U. S. have been inspired by the words written in those documents: abolitionist movements and the Civil War; the Declaration of Sentiments and the women's rights movements; other numerous civil rights movements; court cases such as Marbury v.Madison; controversy over acts of Congress such as the Alien and Sedition Laws. Words quoted from the Declaration of Independence and Constitution have greatly influenced pop culture, especially through music, and the notions of equality, natural rights, and Justified government have inspired events throughout the world, notably the French Revolution and the Spanish American War. The idea of a written constitution, which the U. S. Constitution started, and the ideas of government structure and natural rights have inspired constitutions of other countries.To conclude, the history of the d rafting of the Constitution and the history of its impact on the world greatly reflect the thought process that our forefathers utilized in writing it. Two aspects ot the Constitution denne the purpose witn which its drafters based its words upon: the basis of compromise and the structure with which the Constitution would last for the past 226 years. Our forefathers might not have anticipated that the Constitution last for over two centuries, but they most certainly wrote it with the intent of a strong foundation for the nation we are proud to call our home – the United States of America.

China And The Underground Churches - 1083 Words

Sarah Barnard Why the Church? November 2014 Research Paper: Catholicism in China and the Underground Churches For quite some time now the Chinese government has controlled its society in a multitude of ways, including through religion. Catholicism specifically, is a religion that speaks to many people in China, however, they have not been able to fully support and practice their chosen faith due to the governmental restraints that have been applied. While Christianity may be the fastest growing religion in the nation, only about half of the believers recognize the Vatican, and therefore the Pope, as well. Some may say that as the years pass, the Chinese government may be becoming more lenient towards those who observe Catholicism, but this is not always the case and can be seen through recent developments regarding this particular Asian country. In the mid-1900s, the Communist party started to take control over main-land China in ways that the country was not expecting, and in no time at all, the world’s largest nation became atheist. China cut all connections with the Vatican af ter the Communists claimed power, and countless people were imprisoned, abused, and killed for practicing their faith. The citizens no longer had charge over anything (including their religion), and whatever the government said, they had to abide by or risk being tortured for disobeying the rules. When it was announced that the Chinese would no longer recognize the Vatican or the Pope,Show MoreRelatedFreedom of Religion1320 Words   |  5 PagesFreedom of religion is attacked more and more every day. In America religious freedom has not been threatened near as much as in China. America’s freedom of religion has not been taken away, yet, but in China and North Korea the people of the countries do not have the freedom of religion that they should be given. Americans freedom of religion has been protected by the First Amendment for hundreds of years. There are two clauses in the First Amendment that protect Americans religious freedom.Read MoreChina s Sudden Growth And Rise Of A Economic Superpower1290 Words   |  6 Pagesaffected the worldwide economy, the worldwide environment, and its own private industry in ways that may have longstanding effects for the future. Prior to the nineteenth century China had the world’s largest and most advanced economy, but missed its industrial and cultural revolution and began to decay (Cao, 2003). China began its rise to a new economic superpower in 1948, in the wake of World War II. It had just emerged as its own independent country after the US forced Japan to surrender and cancelRead MoreEssay on Unreached People Group Project4555 Words   |  19 Pages 1000 BC – Three kingdoms were founded during this century, which were Koguryo in 37 BC, the Paekche in 18 BC, and the Silla in 57 BC. Koguryo kingdom was the first Korean kingdom to adopt Buddhism. 676 AD – Silla unifies the whole country. China attempted to conquer Korea, but was unsuccessful. It was during this time that Korea was unified and Buddhism became a main part of the country. 926 AD – Koryo takes over and they are the source for the country’s English name â€Å"Korea.† Buddhism thrivedRead MoreDo that Protestantism and Chinese Go Well Together806 Words   |  3 PagesProtestant Christianity in China now has some distinctly Chinese elements within it. The Bible is a great example of this. In the Gospel of John the first verse talks about the word of God. The Chinese translation for word is â€Å"Dao†, Dao being the same Dao of Daosim. This word is distinctly Chinese. Chinese Society and Christian Society are also similar. Confucianism also plays a large role in Chinese Protestantism. Confucianism was a school of thought in ancient China. It helped people liveRead MoreSon by Yiyun Li1141 Words   |  5 Pagesrevolutionary socialist. Han is implying that his mother is living in a fantasy dream and not in the â€Å"real† world. The government has blocked such sites as Han usually visits. The two different churches is a underground church and the state licensed church. The underground church is standing agains the communist party and so does Han. Han brings a text that he has printed about how his mothers church is using people to earn money and stands by the communist party. ConfuciusRead MoreSon by Yiyun Li1131 Words   |  5 Pagesrevolutionary socialist. Han is implying that his mother is living in a fantasy dream and not in the â€Å"real† world. The government has blocked such sites as Han usually visits. The two different churches is a underground church and the state licensed church. The underground church is standing agains the communist party and so does Han. Han brings a text that he has printed about how his mothers church is using people to earn money and stands by the communist party. Read MoreBook Report : Escaping North Korea1673 Words   |  7 PagesBook Review: Escaping North Korea In writing Escaping North Korea Mike Kim brought to light the struggles North Koreans face in North Korea, then escaping, and seeking asylum. Kim, before working on the China-Korea boarder, had his own financial planning business but one trip to China changed his world drastically. After hearing the stories of North Korean refugees, Kim found his calling to help these refugees escape a tyrant leadership and create a new life for themselves. Kim in writing EscapingRead MoreThe Persecution Of The Church1700 Words   |  7 Pagesbeing persecuted by the hundreds daily in China, Somalia and Iran. There are many reasons why Christians are persecuted. Believers are often oppressed due to the three reasons: (1) antagonism towards nontraditional religious groups, (2) governmental yearn for unmitigated control, and (3) lack of human prerogative. One of the countries where Christians are currently persecuted the most is China. China is a sovereign state in east Asia. Major persecution in China did not start until the late seventeenthRead MoreMusic in Our Everyday Lives1330 Words   |  6 Pagesmusicians Our first reliable music records came from the Romans. Americans musical history is very short when compared to Japan, India, Africa, and China. Music wasnt written down and recorded until around roughly 590-604 A.D. when the earliest musicians began to make records and notes, the first songs appear as biblical music, most likely used in churches and holy practices (Krasilovsky/Schemel 391). Music varies greatly around the world; mostly because of the diverse culture of the areas musicRead MoreCommunism And The Cultural Revolution1818 Words   |  8 Pagesself-directed attempts to join organizations independent from the Communist Party, such as churches. As an ideologically totalitarian system, Communism aims to form all citizens’ opinions and values around a single doctrine; consequently, any opposing ideologies, such as Christianity, are not allowed. In 1966, Communist leader Mao Zedong launched the Cultural Revolution, which was an attempt to create a purely Communist China by eliminating the â€Å"Four Olds,† which were old customs, old culture, old habits