What makes an American, ‘American’? The answer to this question will vary greatly depending on the respondent’s beliefs and cultural background. As the United States continues to grow and evolve in areas such as race, ethnicity and culture, the image of America changes as well. In an article entitled ‘Nation or Notion’ by Patrick J. Buchanan, he argues that Americans need a common identity based upon ancestry and culture to survive as a country. On the other hand, an article entitled ‘What Does It Mean to Be an “American”?’ by Michael Walzer argues that America does not need a common identity.…
Reading Log #1 A Psychologist’s View: Rogerian Argument First off, I had never thought of a professor of psychologist being so knowledgeable about the problems of communication. However, after Rogers explains his background on the subject it makes perfect sense. The next thing that really impressed me in his essay was the examples he used.…
Over the course of our country’s history there have been several characters that revolutionized modern day America. These characters are now only publicized in museums with little to no intellect on how important they are to our country. Although their history is taught in schools and history lectures about their success, one can think, what made these founders so special? The personality of these founders aided in their decisions on what was important to make America better. In the intensely written work Revolutionary Characters: What Made the Founders Different, Gordon S. Wood analyzes eight founding fathers such as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, George Madison, John Adams, Thomas Paine and Aaron Burr.…
1. The contract that we lost was with ourselves. America couldn 't uphold its own contract. American people are suppose to be the good guys and going out of the way to help people to ensure a better life for all. But within the last war, George Packer had realized that America has changed and things are not the way they once were.…
Callarman’s argument is the most accurate view of Into The Wild and Chris McCandless’s decision. Chris made an ignorant decision based on his current feelings and how his parents treated him. You can’t succeed in the future with your actions at this point and time, but you sure can throw out your future with your current actions. And that is exactly what Chris did, he went from graduating from Emory University, to moving into the Alaskan wilderness and dying. He had the foundation of his life set, ready to take on the next step of his life, but he believed that the wild would hold something valuable for him to find.…
Lindsay G. Robertson's Conquest by Law: How the Discovery of America Dispossessed Indigenous Peoples of Their Lands centers on the landmark 1823 Supreme Court case Johnson vs. M'Intosh. Robertson's research provides previously undiscovered knowledge of the circumstances surrounding the case, placing the case in a new context. Robertson tells the story of a costly mistake, one made by the American judicial system but paid for by indigenous people who to this day suffer from the effects of American settlement. As reviewer Christopher Tomlin writes, "Robertson's narrative is far less concerned with parsing its legal doctrine, than with the historical circumstances of the case itself." Robertson begins his story in the middle of the 18th century,…
I am going to begin this paper by stating that I do, in fact, side with Motley. However, because I want to be an attorney, and I enjoy debate, I feel I must explain how exactly I came to this conclusion, as it was not an easy one. Originally, I was torn between Motley and Anderson. I agreed with both of them in that a sender and receiver is necessary to facilitate communication, thus eliminating Clevenger; however, I struggled with the differentiation they drew in regards to intentionality.…
This is the Supreme Court opinion on the case of United States v. Fields. Abel Fields, a resident of California, is being tried for violating the Stolen Valor Act which was signed into law in 2006. I will be reviewing this cases and cases like it to better determine a decision. In 2011, Abel Fields attended a city meeting about public safety.…
Some may dream to have high school English classes write about their work, but for Leonard Pitts Jr. it is a reality. After recently reading three of Pitts’s articles it has been made apparent that he is a great writer in more than one way. Pitts uses many effective strategies in his articles: “Don’t lower the bar on education standards”, “Torture might work, but that’s not the issue”, and “The poor of Flint were left under the cover of darkness”. In “Don’t lower the bar on education standards”, Pitts analyzes the problems with schools lowering the bar for minorities.…
Is it possible for one man’s proclamation to change an entire country’s beliefs? Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, from Texas, became the President of the United States after the assassination of J.F.K. He was originally a Texas Senator and the Senate Majority Leader, and opposed Civil Rights movements from day one, because of the people he represented. Before he was senator, he was a humble teacher in Cotulla, Texas at a small Mexican-American school. After L.B.G’s oppositions, what caused him to sign the Civil Rights Act of 1964? President L.B.J signed the bill with three reasons, he loved and remembered his students in Cotulla, he had a change of heart and principles, and he didn’t care about what the South thought of him.…
If Buchanan took the time to look at the history of America, he would realize that African Americans was stolen from Africa and sold in America. The first people in America where the French and Dutch than the English follow them. The Native Americans and Pilgrims were here during the start of America. “We are no longer a biracial society; we are now a multi-racial society” (Buchanan,7). Buchanan believes that America only had two races, but when you look at our history, we have always been multi-racial.…
On March 4, 1857 James Buchanan was sworn in as the 15th president of the United States of America, after defeating Republican candidate John C. Fremont. He served as President during the run up to the Civil War. In his inability to stop the southern states drive towards secession many historians consider his presidency a failure. Unfortunately with this title attached to his name all of his achievements and attributes to this country were disregarded and overlooked.…
The Worst American President (1857-1861) The US has had many presidents since its independence. Several presidents have been ranked highly for their exemplary leadership qualities and for the work they did to make America the great nation it is today. Nevertheless, there are those presidents who are said to have exhibited poor leadership qualities and consequently led to very regrettable situations in America. One such president who has been lowly ranked is James Buchanan who served as the fifteenth president of the United States, in the period 1857-1861 (Quist & Birkner, 2013).…
For scientists who are waiting for an alternative to existing genome editing tools, Crispr-cas9 is the solution which is comparatively easy and effective in using. Crisper allows the researcher to edit, target, excise and stitch genes of their choice between two end cuts. Crispr has the potential to make such advances which researchers used to dream about. It worked so well, scientists began to issue ethical statements for its use particularly about the power of Crispr to change germline in humans which presents a hotly debatable issue. Genome editing in human germline could have unpredictable effects on future generations.…
Essay #2: Disability or Enhancement? In this essay, I will argue that Gauvin’s parents were not morally justified in their decision to permanently make their son born and remain deaf because by doing so the parents are treating the child as a lesser equal and are inflicting psychological harm. The role of parents is to ensure the wellbeing, safety, and support of their child in hopes that they can become stable, independent, and functional individuals in the near future. However, choosing a sperm donor with a history of deafness or any other disabilities is morally unjust because it is specifically taking a trait and implanting it upon a child causing them a life of hardships that they have to endure.…