American Presidents Who Owned Slaves

American Presidents Who Owned Slaves American presidents have a complicated history with slavery. Four of the first five presidents owned slaves while serving as president. Of the next five presidents, two owned slaves while president and two had owned slaves earlier in life. As late as 1850 an American president was the owner of a large number of slaves while serving in office. This is a look at the presidents who owned slaves. But first, its easy to dispense with the two early presidents who did not own slaves, an illustrious father and son from Massachusetts: The Early Exceptions John Adams:  The second president did not approve of slavery and never owned slaves. He and his wife Abigail were offended when the federal government moved to the new city of Washington and slaves were constructing  public buildings, including their new residence, the Executive Mansion (which we now call the White House). John Quincy Adams:  The son of the second president was a lifelong opponent of slavery. Following his single term as president in the 1820s he served in the House of Representatives, where he was often a vocal advocate for the end of slavery. For years Adams battled against the gag rule, which prevented any discussion of slavery on the floor of the House of Representatives. The Early Virginians Four of the first five presidents were products of a Virginia society in which slavery was a part of everyday life and a major component of the economy. So while Washington, Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe were all considered patriots who valued liberty, they all took slavery for granted. George Washington: The first president owned slaves for most of his life, beginning at the age of 11 when he inherited ten enslaved farm workers upon the death of his father. During his adult life at Mount Vernon, Washington relied on a varied workforce of enslaved people. In 1774, the number of slaves at Mount Vernon stood at 119. In 1786, after the Revolutionary War, but before Washingtons two terms as president, there were more than 200 slaves on the plantation, including a number of children. In 1799, following Washingtons tenure as president, there were 317 slaves living and working at Mount Vernon. The changes in slave population are partly due to Washingtons wife, Martha, inheriting slaves. But there are also reports that Washington purchased slaves during that period. For most of Washingtons eight years in office the federal government was based in  Philadelphia. To skirt a Pennsylvania law that would grant a slave freedom if he or she lived within the state for six months, Washington shuttled slaves back and forth to Mount Vernon. When Washington died his slaves were freed according to a provision in his will. However, that did not end slavery at Mount Vernon. His wife owned a number of slaves, which she did not free for another two years. And when Washingtons nephew, Bushrod Washington, inherited Mount Vernon, a new population of slaves lived and worked on the plantation. Thomas Jefferson: It has been calculated  that Jefferson owned more than 600 slaves over the course of his life. At his estate, Monticello, there would have usually been an enslaved population of about 100 people. The estate was kept running by slave gardeners, coopers, nail makers, and even cooks who had been trained to prepare French cuisine prized by Jefferson. It was widely rumored that Jefferson  had a longtime affair with Sally Hemings, a slave who was the half-sister of Jeffersons late wife. James Madison:  The fourth president was born to a slave-owning family in Virginia. He owned slaves throughout his life. One of his slaves, Paul Jennings, lived in the White House as one of Madisons servants while a teenager. Jennings holds an interesting distinction:  a small book he published decades later is considered the first memoir of life in the White House. And, of course, it could also be considered a slave narrative. In A Colored Mans Reminiscences of James Madison, published in 1865, Jennings described Madison in complimentary terms. Jennings provided details about the episode in which objects from the White House, including the famous portrait of George Washington that hangs in the East Room, were taken from the mansion before the British burned it in August 1814. According to Jennings, the works of securing valuables was mostly done by the slaves, not by Dolley Madison. James Monroe:  Growing up on a Virginia tobacco farm, James Monroe would have been surrounded by slaves who worked the land. He inherited a slave named Ralph from his father, and as an adult, at his own farm, Highland, he owned about 30 slaves. Monroe thought colonization, the resettlement of slaves outside the United States, would be the eventual solution to the issue of slavery. He believed in the mission of  the American Colonization Society, which was formed just before Monroe took office. The capitol of Liberia, which was founded by American slaves who settled in Africa, was named Monrovia in honor of Monroe. The Jacksonian Era Andrew Jackson:  During the four years John Quincy Adams lived in the White House, there were no slaves living on the property. That changed when Andrew Jackson, from Tennessee, took office in March 1829.   Jackson harbored  no qualms about slavery. His business pursuits in the 1790s and early 1800s included slave trading, a point later raised by opponents during his political campaigns of the 1820s. Jackson first bought a slave in 1788, while a young lawyer and land speculator. He continued trading slaves, and a considerable part of his fortune would have been his ownership of human property. When he bought his plantation, The Hermitage, in 1804, he brought nine slaves with him. By the time he became president, the slave population, through purchase and reproduction, had grown to about 100. Taking up residence in the Executive Mansion (as the White House was known at the time), Jackson brought household slaves from The Hermitage, his estate in Tennessee.   After his two terms in office, Jackson returned to The Hermitage, where he continued to own a large population of slaves. At the time of his death Jackson owned approximately 150 slaves. Martin Van Buren:  As a New Yorker, Van Buren seems an unlikely slave owner. And, he eventually ran on the ticket of the Free-Soil Party, a political party of the late 1840s opposed to the spread of slavery. Yet slavery had been legal in New York when Van Buren was growing up, and his father owned a small number of slaves. As an adult, Van Buren owned one slave, who escaped. Van Buren seems to have made no effort to locate him. When he was finally discovered after ten years and Van Buren was notified, he allowed him to remain free. William Henry Harrison:  Though he campaigned in 1840 as a frontier character who lived in a log cabin, William Henry Harrison was born at Berkeley Plantation in Virginia. His ancestral home had been worked by slaves for generations, and Harrison would have grown up in considerable luxury which was supported by slave labor. He inherited slaves from his father, but owing to his particular circumstances, he did not own slaves for most of his life. As a young son of the family, he  would not inherit the familys land. So Harrison had to find a career, and eventually settled on the military. As military governor of Indiana, Harrison sought to make slavery legal in the territory, but that was opposed by the Jefferson administration. William Henry Harrisons slave-owning was decades behind him by the time he was elected president. And as he died in the White House a month after moving in, he had no impact on the issue of slavery during his very brief term in office. John Tyler:  The man who became president upon Harrisons death was a Virginian who had grown up in a society accustomed to slavery, and who owned slaves while president. Tyler was representative of the paradox, or hypocrisy, of someone who claimed that slavery was evil while actively perpetuating it. During his time as president he owned about 70 slaves who worked on his estate in Virginia. Tylers one term in office was rocky and ended in 1845. Fifteen years later, he participated in efforts to avoid the Civil War by reaching some sort of compromise which would have allowed slavery to continue. After the war began he was elected to the legislature of the Confederate States of America, but he died before he took his seat. Tyler has an unique distinction in American history: As he was actively involved in the rebellion of the slave states when he died, he is the only American president whose death was not observed with official mourning in the nations capital. James K. Polk:  The man whose 1844 nomination as a dark horse candidate surprised even himself was a slave owner from Tennessee. On his estate, Polk owned about 25 slaves. He was seen as being tolerant of slavery, yet not fanatical about the issue (unlike politicians of the day such as South Carolinas John C. Calhoun). That helped Polk secure the Democratic nomination at a time when discord over slavery was beginning to have a major impact on American politics. Polk did not live long after leaving office, and he still owned slaves at the time of his death. His slaves were to be freed when his wife died, though events, specifically the Civil War and the Thirteenth Amendment, interceded to free them long before his wifes death decades later. Zachary Taylor:  The last president to own slaves while in office was a career soldier who had become a national hero in the Mexican War. Zachary Taylor also was a wealthy landowner and he possessed about 150 slaves. As the issue of slavery was beginning to split the nation, he found himself straddling the position of owning a large number of slaves while also seeming to lean against the spread of slavery. The Compromise of 1850, which essentially delayed the Civil War for a decade, was worked out on Capitol Hill while Taylor was president. But he died in office in July 1850, and the legislation really took effect during the term of his successor, Millard Fillmore (a New Yorker who had never owned slaves). After Fillmore, the next president was Franklin Pierce, who had grown up in New England and had no history of slave ownership. Following Pierce, James Buchanan, a Pennsylvanian, is believed to have purchased slaves whom he set free and employed as servants. Abraham Lincolns successor, Andrew Johnson, had owned slaves during his earlier life in Tennessee. But, of course, slavery became officially illegal during his term of office with the ratification of the 13th Amendment. The president who followed Johnson, Ulysses S. Grant, had, of course, been a hero of the Civil War. And Grants advancing armies had freed a vast number of slaves during the final years of the war. Yet Grant, in the 1850s, had owned a slave. In the late 1850s, Grant lived with his family at White Haven, a Missouri farm which belonged to his wifes family, the Dents. The family had owned slaves who worked on the farm, and in the 1850s about 18 slaves were living on the farm. After leaving the Army, Grant managed the farm.  And he acquired one slave, William Jones, from his father in law (there are conflicting accounts about how that came to happen). In 1859 Grant freed Jones.

Individual and International Response to Disasters Essay

Individual and International Response to Disasters - Essay Example The response towards major humanitarian disasters such as the deadly tsunami that struck Asia in December 2004 leaving approximately 200,000 people dead, scores of hundreds missing and property worth millions of dollars in damages has, no doubt, been massive (UN/ISDR par 4). From donations to volunteer services outpouring from all corners of the world, the responses with respect to the 21st century humanitarian crises without a sense of denial, have been commendable but not sufficient. Yet, the role of the media, an integral component of communication parameters, appears to be less than equal to the task of coercing the entire process with the right buttons; evidence points to synergies directed in the aftermath rather than in the preventive mechanisms. By definition, a disaster [according to the United Nations] refers to a sudden, adverse, disruptive event to the normal functioning of the society with intolerably widespread losses beyond the ability of the affected using the availab le resources (UN DHA/IDNDR 27). Whether man made or natural, disasters are catastrophic, instantaneous, indiscriminate in character, and more so, occur without warning thereby making adjustments efforts difficult. To be sure, man has known disasters for ages. Human suffering induced by floods and/or famines are but tales that have defied generational with deleterious damages that enjoins precious life in a long list of loses. Though helpful, the technological improvements have more than detached man from nature and made the modern era disaster occurrences even more frequent and perilous with partly irreparable consequences. Individual and international agencies/organizations respond to disasters as a show of care gesture and/or to assist in situations where facilities and resources are genuinely inadequate in addressing the humanitarian needs of the affected populations. The assistance normally ranges from immediate to long-term efforts designed to save lives of those in danger and subsequently lessen or alleviate altogether any form of suffering (â€Å"23 Principles of Humanitarian Donorship† par 3). It is worth mentioning that no single actor can successfully meet the facets of a relief/recovery without help. Indeed from the survivors’ needs spanning from health risks [nutrition and emergency shelters, for instance], to livelihood reconstructions, international disaster responses would be verily incomplete without the combinative effort from various specialized actors beginning with the affected government entities, intergovernmental organizations [the UN agencies, to be precise], nongovernmental organizations [both the domestic and the international], the Red Cross, and more importantly the support of the affected civilian populations. Nonetheless, while these actors respond uniquely in some way to humanitarian disasters, not all stretch their efforts to the ultimate objective, thus making disasters rightly multi-phased emergencies where actor s only make contributions towards a desired end. Coordinated collaboration among actors is thus vital in combining specific knowledge, skills, experiences as well as technologies. While it is almost certain that these resources will ultimately meet towards the course discussed herein, quite a number of factors [argued below] determine their supply. Factors that Influence Individual and International Response to Disasters Extreme events such as the 9/11 attacks, the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, and the more recent Hurricane Sandy in the United States did produce catastrophic impacts with long-term disruption of socio-economic systems. With the exception

Psychiatric Hospitals in Ireland Research Paper

Psychiatric Hospitals in Ireland - Research Paper Example The call for uniformity of care for psychiatric illnesses has been fostered by several legislations across countries, and the current trend is to foster care increasingly in the community in collaboration with the family [2]. Despite that, there are certain conditions where there is a need to detain the patient in the mental health hospitals with forceful and involuntary admission, where coercion plays an important role. Admission against the will of the patient is an ethically unsound area of practice; and therefore law directs the process. Within the legal framework, the mental health professionals thus exercise their power to detain or incarcerate the patients with an adequate indication permitted by law. The problems or debates arise when there is observed diversity in psychiatric practice, and the heterogeneity of sociocultural environment and differences in professional attitudes towards mentally ill people, all may influence a decision regarding involuntary admission [3]. This has been contributed to by lack of reliable markers of psychiatric diagnoses and management plan for them. The admission to a psychiatric healthcare facility in Ireland may be involuntary, although till now, the vast majority of such admissions are voluntary. Involuntary admission means the patient does not freely agree for the treatment or admission to an inpatient psychiatric unit. The other part of such admission may be that even though the patient agrees for a voluntary admission, there may be detention of these patients into the units in that they are not completely free to leave psychiatric care on their free will. Thus this leads to a detention beyond volition, and detailed rules, regulations, and laws guide such principles. The Irish mental health policies regarding involuntary admission or detention are governed by the Irish Mental Health Act of 2001 and have been in full implementation since November 2006 and all psychiatric facilities including public and private are under its regulations. According to this act, the psychiatric hospitals and units need to be registered as appr oved psychiatric centres, and those hospitals and inpatient units which were providing care to people with psychiatric illnesses at the time of implementation of this law will be considered approved by November 2009. The mental health act 2001 sets out the criteria for involuntary admission to these approved centres for persons suffering from mental disorders. This act also creates provision for independent review of the involuntary admissions of such persons [4]. In a short summary, this act recommends involuntary admissions and detention in an approved psychiatric centre due to psychiatric disorder. The main scenarios or conditions that may cause involuntary admission are personality disorder, social deviance, drug addiction, and intoxication. Although psychiatric patients have their own rights, this act implies that involuntary admission is for the patients' own interests in care and treatment through appropriate examination findings of the psychiatrists, where all information will be revealed to the patients, and in case of incoherence, the tribunal may review such decisions where sometimes the court of law may interfere if appeals are made. These principles are also

Hedda Gabler Manipulation

Hedda Gabler Manipulation August Strindbergs Miss Julie and Henrik Ibsens Hedda Gabler, bring out the same themes but with completely different motives. The dominating theme of manipulation is brought out by the characterization and the speech and dialogue of the important characters. Along with the underlying motive of power, in the former its observed for class revenge while in the latter for perverse pleasure out of sheer boredom. The speech, dialogue and stage directions perceived through the course of these plays reiterate this theme of manipulation. Ambition, power, and the thirst to avenge his fate, leads Jean to tamper with Miss Julie. But a mere valet, he dreams of luxuries beyond his reach. With dreams of climb up, climb up to the top, and look around over the bright landscape where the sun is shining  [1]  , he fulfils his ambition by making Julie his first branch  [2]  . He ensnares Julie in the trap of flattery, lust, guilt, dominance, hatred and obedience by his actions, therefore taking advantage of her confused state of mind especially at a time where she dreamed of climbing down the pillar. Miss Julie, influenced by her childhood, her personality, and her broken engagement makes her an easy prey to Jeans scheming. Her vulnerability becomes greater by the absence of her father, the fact that she in that time of the month, the aphrodisiacs present in the form of dancing, flowers and supported by the festive atmosphere of Midsummers night. Jean takes advantage of her by his carefully planned flattery, exaggerated politeness and hesitation, manners and charm which makes her lower her defences to an inferior person. Her submission to his tactics is suggested by [MISS JULIE exists rapidly stage right. JEAN quickly after her]  [3]   Hedda Gabler on the other hand opens on a note of decline, not only as portrayed by the autumn foliage  [4]  but also by her matrimony with Jorgen Tesman. She faces disaster by becoming Hedda Tesman, as her spare time leads her into a state of constant boredom that transforms everyone present around her into her puppets for her sadistic pleasure derived from demeaning them. This can be observed when she says something happened with Miss Tesman this morning. She put her hat down there on the chair And I pretended I thought it was the servants.  [5]   Heddas sense of manipulation is also expressed by her desire for power. Like Jean, she desires control of the people around her by faking friendship and lending a sympathetic ear to them. Her motives are observed with Thea Elvsted where Mrs. Elvsted confesses in her my husband had no idea I was coming. when she is lured into it by Heddas persuasion and charm. This is further reiterated by Lovborgs confession in Act 2 when he says I used to make [confessions] telling you things about myself that no one else knew.  [6]  These confessions bring her closer to her desire and make her even more wretched. She also portrays the ability to hide her emotions rather well, thus strengthening her facade. Jean continues to lure Julie with a heart rendering tale of his childhood, when he used to secretly admire her and had also decided to die when he couldnt have her but his cruel fate saved him. He goes to the extent of kissing her feet on her demand though his bold advances are halted by her despite her leading him on. In this sado-masochistic relationship of lust, a constant swing of power is seen and the differentiation between the master and servant becomes very vague and is only observed by the reference to money. Jean here changes colours like chameleon and becomes harsh and dominating from when he tells her Fall down to me, and Ill lift you up again.  [7]   Ejlert Lovborg always has had to make a choice between courage and cowardice, drinking and not drinking, scholarly fame and disrespect. He even compares Hedda and Thea by their effect on him Hedda persuaded him away while Thea motivated and inspired him. This distinction can be supported by their outward appearances too. Hedda looked well bred with an even complexion and steel gray eyes with thin light brown hair, while contrasting to her stood Thea with a slight slender figure, large light blue eyes and fair hair, exceptionally thick. Despite Heddas manipulative nature, her fear of scandals prevents her from doing what she wished. She however fulfils her ambition of controlling someone by manipulating Lovborg, leading him back to alcohol and making him break Theas trust. Jeans character portrays it all: from humbleness and obedience to domination and wrath and back to his position as the valet, when it dawns upon him that she is penniless. Despite his wrath, when he says Have you ever seen a girl of my class offer herself like that? Ive only seen the like among animals and prostitutes  [8]  , Julie holds her ground and spills out her intimate secrets. She puts light on her childhood, on her mother and her ideas of the role reversals on the basis of gender and the tragedy faced by the family by the case of arson, thus indirectly characterising herself. Jean continues to dominate her and exhibits his wrath by the cold blooded annexation of her siskin and becomes a valet again at the arrival of the count. Gone is his domination and arrogance, leaving behind a suppressed and punctured servant obeying his masters command. Hedda, married to Tesman and interested in Lovborg, she dominates them both for personal pleasure. Like a faithful companion, Tesman feels I think its so jolly waiting on you, Hedda.  [9]  In contrast to this, Lovborg defies Hedda on her offer of punch. This appeals to Hedda more than being waited upon. Lovborgs drunk and outcast nature makes Hedda feel connected to a world denied to her because of her class and gender. She thus takes a perverse pleasure in luring him back to the path he walked on before becoming reformed. She subtly starts taking charge of his life by doubting his intention of living a clean life. She does so from the point of view of Judge Brack when she says, The contemptuous smile of his when you were afraid to go in there with them  [10]  . She then unravels Theas doubt in his character to remain free of the dirty path, breaking his confidence as a reformed man and thus taking him back to his old life. Hedda uses her control over Lovborgs life and lures towards his death. She sees Lovborg as her romantic hero who shall face a death with an element of beauty in this.  [11]  She lays out the path for him by manipulating him. She initially brings out Theas distrust, leading him to the bottle again and then gaining a grip on him by getting hold of his manuscript. She then leads him into callously treating Thea by persuading the topic of the lost manuscript despite his wishes. Swayed by this, his lie to Thea about the manuscript and confession in Hedda puts her at an upper hand. Having burnt his manuscript, she subtly leads him to her dream of a beautiful death by handing him a pistol, she was sure would be used. Tesman on the other hand adores Hedda so much that he rejoices at the loss of the manuscript mistaking her intentions for it. Hes presented as a puppet in her hands, present there to hold up her name in society without any passion or desire. In contrast to this, the constant role reversal which takes places between the two main characters in Miss Julie bring out their personalities by the way they communicate. This brings out the differing shades of their characters. Miss Julies aspiration of descend is complemented by Jeans ascend. The distinction between the master and the servant is seen by a very fine line here which is constantly put under pressure. This distinction can only be made on the basis of their class. Their actions reveal their class differences. For instance Julie prefers beer while Jean the finest wine, and Julie leads Jean out. This ambiguity of the power remains till the end, as on one hand Jean does obey the counts orders but on the other hand Julie obeys him and leaves with a blade. In Hedda Gabler, Theas courage to stand up to what she believed in, her deep passion and love for Lovborg and her control over him, is seen as a source of constant irritation to Hedda and is brought out her jealousy and is reinforced by her statement: That girl with the tiresome hair, that she was always showing off.  [12]  Theas feminity along with the fact that she had taken away the one thing that Hedda loved the most Lovborg, causes Hedda to manipulate them both. Underlying motives of power, through perverse pleasure and out of ambition leads to the decline of the characters portrayed in both these books as has been observed by their speech and dialogue and stage directions.

Great Romantic Expectations :: Great Expectations Essays

  In Great Expectations Pip is devastated to find out that the convict he helped years ago on the marshes is the benefactor of his riches in life.   His distress is exemplified by the fact that he deserted his loyal friend Joe for the life that the convict Magwitch has given him.   His greatest grief, however, came from the fact that he believed he could never win the love of Estella, learning that she had married Bentley Drummel.   Pip remained in a depression over his situation until he discovered the truth of Estella’s parentage.   The strange coincidence of these findings cause Pip to change his attitude toward his further expectation and resume his belief that he still might have a chance with Estella.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Clearly the story is well underway before any indication is made to the truth about Estella being an adopted child of Miss Havisham.   After this is established through the revelation of Herbert telling Pip this story, Pip gradually starts to pick up clues of his own from different sources.   He notices the similarities of Molly, Jagger’s housekeeper, and questions Wemmick about her resemblance to Estella.   Then Pip continues his pursuit by questioning Miss Havisham about Estella’s background.   Disclosures by Magwitch start to mesh the story together in Pip’s mind as he puts his entire finding together in a neat little package.   That package is the picture of the true parents of Estella.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Most interesting as the clues unfold are the connections between Estella, Magwitch, and Miss Havisham to the lawyer Mr. Jaggers. For each one of them he has provided a service or has been in their employ.   In addition to their connection to Jaggers they were all connected to the convict Compeyson through his victimization of them each in a different way.   Pip sees all of these connections gradually through his pursuit of the facts.   Through his endeavors he is strangely affected by the true realization of the truth of Estella’s parents.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Pip continues to question and observe the actions of those connected to his query to corroborate his guesses.   He does not truly understand his intent on proving the identity of Estella’s parents.   Just before Pip comes to the conclusion that Molly may be the mother of Estella his depression is spoken of by referral his mood to stop reading newspapers since he heard the news of Estella marrying Drummle.   Then Pip looks at Molly and decides that she is the woman who surely gave birth to Estella.

Jesus Christ †Essay Essay

Most of us know about Jesus Christ and his life. Therefore, I will briefly cover Jesus in this paper. As for Muhammad, I will attempt to shed some light on the subject of this â€Å"Messenger of God†. Perhaps a better understanding of this Islamic icon can be obtained and understood through this comparative essay. Both of these religious figures caused a renewal of faith and belief in the one and only God, or Allah as the Muslims know Him by. Jesus Christ Jesus Christ, son of God, was born to Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem, Israel. He was baptized by John the Baptist. When Jesus was baptized God called out from Heaven and declared â€Å"This is my beloved son†. This signified that Jesus was the Messiah. Jesus had twelve companions oh his choosing. These were his disciples, also known as the apostles. They went with Jesus in his travels. In these travels, Jesus taught the masses about God through parables and sermons. Jesus performed many miracles to prove that he was the son of God. He used his holy powers to overcome nature, disease and even death itself. He made believers out of many people that had witnessed the miracles. These miracles, along with his teachings, caused many to glorify God and believe that Jesus was truly the Messiah. The Messiah was foretold to be the savior of the world and the King of the Jews. Sadly, the Jewish leaders did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah. The Jews had Jesus arrested. He was nearly released by the Roman Governor Pilate but the Jews threatened to riot. Pilate gave in and sentenced Jesus to be crucified. Delivering on the promise that he had made to his disciples, Jesus came back to life after he had died on the cross. As it is told in the Bible, He was sealed up in a guarded tomb. An angel came and scared the heck out of the guards and fled the scene. The disciples later went to the tomb to discover it empty. Jesus had died on the cross for the sins of humanity and had risen from the dead, thus again proving that he was the true Messiah. The Prophet Muhammad was born in 569A.D. in Makkah, also known as Mecca, Saudi Arabia. He was raised by his grandfather, Abdul Muttalib. This was because Muhammad’s father had died before he was born. Upon his grandfather’s death, he was brought up by his uncle Abu Talib. The Makkans claim to be descended from Abraham by Ismail. (Pickthall, M.) Therefore, it could be said that [Islam](http://www.associatedcontent.com/topic/6753/islam.html) is similar to Christianity in the fact that both are Abrahamic religions. Muhammad journeyed with his uncle with a group of merchants that traded is Syria. Muhammad eventually became the merchant for the wealthy widow Khadijah. Although she was fifteen years older that Muhammad the two came to be married for twenty-six years. His marriage put him in good standing with the Makkahan people of notoriety. This, along with his excellent conducts in business and society, earned him the surname Al-Amin which meant â€Å"trustworthy†. (Pickthall, M.) Muhammad was a non-conformist to the popular religion of his time. The House of Allah, known as the Kabah, was said to be built by Abraham for the worship of Allah only. Kabah had come to be a place of worship to other idols as well. Muhammad and others like him were known as Hunafa. They desired to know the true religion of Abraham and did not agree with the current worship of many idols. (Pickthall, M.) The Hunafa sought the truth through inner reflection or meditation. Muhammad’s place of [meditation](http://www.associatedcontent.com/topic/4047/meditation.html) was known as Hira, a cave located in the Mountain of Light, near Makkah. This is where the angel Jibril, known as Gabrial to Christians, revealed to Muhammad his destiny. The angel appeared to Muhammad and stated â€Å"O Muhammad! Thou art Allah’s messenger, and I am Jibril†. (Pickthall, M.) At first, Muhammad was quite disturbed by this event. He came to terms with his purpose and began to preach. In the beginning of his ministry he only preached to his family and friends. This was mainly due to the people of Makkah believing that Muhammad had gone crazy. (Pickthall, M.) After a few years the prophet Muhammad was commanded by Allah to begin to preach to the public in order to convert the pagan Arabs to Islamic beliefs. Muhammad and his converts were met with much opposition by the Quraysh. They wanted to continue to idolize their pagan gods. The majority of Muhammad’s converts were powerless in defense against the Quraysh. The persecution was horrible. Muhammad urged all of his converts that were able to escape Makkah and go to the Christian country of Abyssinia which is now Ethiopia. (Pickthall, M.)

The Existence Of Religion Of Puritanism - 1770 Words

From the the very beginning of human civilization, there has been a constant that will always be present, no matter what happens with anything going on in the world. This constant is death, as death has been a part of humanity forever, and will always continue to be, no matter what may be occurring in the world at that moment. A second constant in the human realm of consciousness is very closely linked to death-in fact, it could be argued that the presence of death led to the creation of this constant. The second constant is the existence of religion, or systems of belief, in all of their incredibly varying shapes and forms. Many different forms of religions and belief systems exist, and across the board it can be found that they all share numerous qualities, which shall be elaborated in detail later on. North America in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries was home to the religion of Puritanism. Many writers of the period were Puritan and produced large quantities of religious poetry. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Puritan poetry was primarily written with the purpose of converting people to Puritanism, and used death as the primary device in motivating people to convert. Before addressing the primary topic of Puritan poetry and its primary purpose of converting people to Puritanism, it is prevalent to address some factors that may lead people to have a desire to find religion. In this case, fear of death is relevant factor in causing people to findShow MoreRelated Puritanism in The Scarlet Letter, Bartleby, and Daisy Miller1375 Words   |  6 Pagessociety would experience benefits if a conversion to Puritanism was made or drown in its waters. Because Puritanism conformed to such austere guidelines and beliefs that almost completely obliterated the individuals role in the social unit and because the foundation of the religion is to essentially kill freedom and liberty in order to create a social purity that is virtually impossible for humans to achieve, I believe that Puritanism would only add to the degradation of society today. TheRead MoreThe Impact Of Prejudice In The Crucible821 Words   |  4 PagesRacism or racial prejudice is the act of negatively judging someone based on their race, gender, religion, etc. This is and has been an ongoing issue that seems as if it will stay in the world for the rest of the world’s existence. If you are prejudice, it makes it difficult to see another side of anything. In an article called, The Impact of Prejudice on a Society, written by Lucie Couillard, she mentions how people can be viewed by prejudice people as a â€Å"color† or a â€Å"character†; these certain individualsRead MoreColonial Period Focused Around God and Church Essay521 Words   |  3 Pagesuniform life to live. Many looked to religion and focused their writing to center around God while others believe in Rationalism and the arts of â€Å"Science, Ethics, and Government†. American literature seemed to have three staple points that defined the times: God and religion (Puritanism), creation stories, and finally Rationalism. The biggest focus in colonial American culture centered around God and the church. People devoted their writing and lives to a religion that was formed around the new testamentRead MoreNathaniel Hawthornes Literature During Early America1560 Words   |  7 Pagesculture in early America, commonly focusing on the shortcomings and hypocrisies that became apparent during the numerous witch hunts. Many of his works are allegorical, using the Puritan setting to portray his own ideas about ancestry, history, and religion. While The Scarlet Letter and House of the Seven Gables are among Hawthornes most known works, he produced a large sum of work, including many famous short stories. The most important of these, Young Goodman Brown, is noted for its vivid depictionRead MoreEssay about The Puritans1156 Words   |  5 Pagesand the Church of England. For the Puritans, God was to be the motivation of all their actions (Kizer, Kay). They believed in piousness, righteousness, and hard work . (Campbell, Douglas). One of the Puritans’ greatest impacts was on church, or religion. They taught religious exclusiveness and spiritual unity which still remain today and can be seen throughout the various denominations of Christianity, such as exclusiveness with the Seventh Day Adventists or Jehova Witnesses. The Puritans heldRead MoreEssay Role of Religion in Early American Literature619 Words   |  3 PagesRole of Religion in Early American Literature American Literature, especially of the early settler and colonial period is marked by a deep sense of religion and a stress upon writing about matters related to religion. The development of early American literature thus can be seen to be a reflection of the religious ideals followed by the early settlers and colonists and it became a means of promoting a moral and ethical way of life. Early American literature is filled with an obvious expressionRead More Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown - The Puritans and Love Essay1121 Words   |  5 Pagesnecessity, that is, they saw physical love (between a man and a woman, or sexuality and all it carries with it) as such. The emotional turmoil affecting Goodman Brown clearly expresses this. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The problem we find in this story, and in puritanism, is that it presents contrasting views of love. Attachment to earthly possessions, to other people in fact, is discouraged, because everything physical leads to temptation and damnation, and ultimately hell, while the road to salvation of the individualRead MoreReligion in America, 1492-17902224 Words   |  9 PagesReligion in the New World exploded into the land with the colonization of thousands of immigrants. It played an important role in the development of thought in the West. Religion was one of the first concepts to spark the desires of people from other countries to emigrate to the new lands. While many religions blossomed on the American shores of the Atlantic, a basic structure held for most of them, being predominantly derived from Puritanism. Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement, showedRead MoreAnalysis Of Nathaniel Hawthorne s Young Goodman Brown 1474 Words   |  6 Pages The works of Nathaniel Hawthorne deal with dark themes and are considered to be the first works of gothic romanticism. While these stories do deal with strong dark elements, these works are also heavily inspired by Puritanism and the Puritan colony at Plymouth. To begin with, the short story â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† has strong themes of faith. The story is about a man by the name of Brown and his wife Faith. Brown walks into the forest against Faith’s wishes and meets an old man and the two walk deeperRead MoreYoung Goodman Brown: The Evils of Puritanism Essay1728 Words   |  7 PagesPuritanism dominated 17th century history and literature. Nathaniel Hawthorne born in 1804 was an American writer who sought to resolve his conflicts with Puritanism through his writing. Hawthorne wrote several stories showing the world the horrors of the Puritan faith and the isolation of individuals who failed to uphold the faith. For Hawthorne, Young Goodman Brown illustrates the difference between Puritan teaching and practicing and reflects his own guilt about the mistreatment of men at the