In the first half of 2016, the United States alone has had over 136 mass shootings (by definition, an incident in which four or more people are wounded or killed), and is growing rapidly. (Gun Violence Archive) This topic in particular has been one of heavy discussion in the past few years, due to a wide range of interests. Is it because of the current implementation on firearm laws in the United States, or something much more sinister? In today’s world, the moment that a mass shooting erupts…
first-graders and six adults were murdered in cold blood at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Connecticut. If anyone can walk into an elementary school and murder innocent children then gun laws should definitely be stricter. The result of the massacre led to angry citizens and protesters all around. In January of 2013, a couple thousand people made their way to Connecticut’s statehouse for a public hearing. According to Barbara Mantel’s article, “Gun Control” people who advocated for…
When some natives tried to find comfort in the Ghost Dance, this scared troops and caused them to attack their reservation. They massacred men, women, and children on the reservation and received awards for doing so. This was called the Wounded Knee massacre. “Indians” had the least amount of freedoms in America at the time, because their ancestors were here long before the white men, yet they weren 't guaranteed citizenship, land, or the right to practice their…
August 1st, 2016 marked the first day the campus carry (S.B. 11) was put into effect in Texas. The law states, “Relating to the carrying of concealed handguns on the campuses of and certain other institutions of higher learning”. Meaning that a licensed weapon holder twenty one years or older is able to legally carry a weapon on public university grounds in the state of Texas. Senate bill 11 has had many proponents for and against it. Specifically, many students and faculty members have cited…
This fact is supported by the article “The My Lai Massacre.” In the piece, it is constantly brought up that “it is unclear what was ordered” (Kelman, Hamilton). Although in the film, Lt. Kendrick commands Santiago to be given a Code Red, the confounding element in the situation is that there were two orders…
search and destroy -- and you've got it.” This quote, spoken by one of the superior United States officer, is what started the My Lai Massacre. The My Lai Massacre was a time of terrible violent outbreak in the Vietnam War in 1968. It was a time of great pain, and showed the United States a lot about the soldiers. Nothing would ever be the same after the My Lai Massacre. On March 16 of 1968, a group of soldiers charged the My Lai Hamlet believing it to be a sight of the Viet Cong. These…
The National Guard was responsible for the Kent State shootings. On May 4, 1970, the National Guard made an enormous mistake. Every year on May 4th, some witnesses recall the horrifying events that happened at Kent State University so many years ago. They recall the tragic deaths that occurred on that day. What started out as an innocent riot turned into four cases of a bloody manslaughter. The National Guard was ordered to go to Kent State to stop the riots, but to their dismay, their…
During the My Lai Massacre, two members of a helicopter crew, Hugh Thompson and Larry Colburn, were attributed with lowering the death toll at the massacre by intervening after flying over the massacre (Salomon). A note from a meeting between chief of staff, Bob Haldeman and Richard Nixon directed Haldeman to use “Dirty tricks” (Salomon) and “discredit one witness”…
historical Vietnam, through the usage of created people, interviews, and the real My Lai massacre. The My Lai massacre is represented as a pivotal point in the novel, where John Wade’s character is explained a good bit more, as his inner demons are exposed, and the drastic loss of his senate bid is explained. The “Evidence” chapters in the novel are Tim O’Brien’s way of giving details about both the massacre and the setting in Vietnam, without embellishing “The Nature of…” chapters to include…
Essay Question #2 Huckleberry Finn’s Jim, a runaway slave and protagonist, was a revolutionary character when the book was released in 1885. Although the Civil War ended and slavery ended 20 years prior to the release of Huckleberry Finn, racism was still an issue during this time period. Blacks were still not formally accepted as equals to Whites. With that being said, a black character as one of the protagonists, a focal point in the book, and a hero was, at the time, questionable and…