Teenage Pregnancy Is A Vicious Cycle - 1556 Words

Skylynn Cavalli Brussin English 101 29 June, 2015 Baby Proofing Our Youth According to the Arizona Department of Health Services 8,715 teenagers 19 years old or less were impregnated in 2013. 2,385 of these pregnancies were contributed by teens ranging in ages 15 through 17 years old, in which 1,985 resulted in live births. Meaning, only 400 out of 2,385 of our little sisters, daughters, nieces, and even best friends weren’t able to successfully bring a child into our world. Teen pregnancy is a growing occurrence in the U.S., through educating and making sure the public has what it needs to prevent teen parenthood we can improve the state of Arizona, as well as do our part for the country. Teen pregnancy is a vicious cycle that negatively impacts both the economy and society around it. Impregnated teens often must resort to dropping out of school to care for their child; out of the total number of high school dropouts, a third report parenthood as their reason (Tara Culp-Ressler). By the time the teen mothers are 22, only 50% of them have received a high school diploma, and an even lower percentage has completed a 2-4 year college program (youth.gov). As a result there is a drop in education rates amongst the Arizona public. This hinders the jobs available to state residents and ultimately hurts the economy, affecting the majority of the population. As a result, more people ultimately contribute toward a society unprepared for future careers setting our state and countryShow MoreRelatedThe Issue Of Sex Education1613 Words   |  7 Pageswhy students in the United States need a more comprehensive sex education class in their curriculums in school for the following reasons: higher rates of pregnancy in teenagers, higher rates of contracting sexually transmitted dise ases, and the negative aspects of the aftermath of teenage childbirth. My first area of discussion is teenage pregnancy due to inadequate sex education programs in school. We can safely assume there aren’t any human beings ages 12 to 17 in this world who are ready, mentallyRead MoreEssay on Teen Pregnancy1404 Words   |  6 PagesTeen Pregnancy Children from homes run by teenage mothers have to face almost insurmountable obstacles in life. The incidents of depression and mental health problems, the lack of father figures, and the high rate of poverty often connected to children in homes run by teenage mothers put them at serious disadvantages when compared to children raised in nuclear families. Many people believe that the implementation of sex education in schools and the addition of more federal aid for single parentsRead More The Effects of Teen Pregnancy on Children Essay1147 Words   |  5 Pagesmany obstacles for children of teenage mothers to face. These children have serious disadvantages in contrast to those children who come from nuclear families. Often they lack a father figure, have a high poverty rate, and there are incidents of depression and mental health problems. Many people are blaming the sex education programs in schools and the additional federal aid being offered to single parents as major causes for the country’s high rate of teen pregnancies (Carole). Although, the realRead MoreThe Effects of Teen Pregnancy on Children1555 Words   |  7 PagesChildren from homes run by teenage mothers have to face almost insurmountable obstacles in life. The incidents of depression and mental health problems, the lack of father figures, and the high rate of poverty often connected to children in homes run by teenage mothers put them at serious disadvantages when compared to children raised in nuclear families. Many people believe that the implementation of sex education in schools and the addition of more federal aid for single parents are major causesRead MoreCan Single-Parent Households Influence Adolescents To Become Abusers?1099 Words   |  5 Pagesare expected to experience domestic violence in their lives. Rather than having the balance of a two-parent home, single-parented adolescents are constantly exposed to stressors and ultimately become abusers themselves. This le ads to a vicious and continuous cycle that could lead to the destruction of generations thereafter. The trend of single-parent households are drastically increasing every year. The United States Census Bureau reported in 2013 that about 27.8 percent of children lived in aRead MoreCauses Of Teen Pregnancy978 Words   |  4 PagesSome reasons of Teen pregnancy are absent parenting, lack of knowledge, substance abuse, living in poverty and peer pressure. The number of teens between the ages of 14-19 has substantially decreased over the last few years. While it may be declining, we still need to look at the causes. While examining the causes of teen pregnancy, we can find new methods of preventing teen pregnancy. If there are different methods identified for preventing teen pregnancy than the number of teens can go down moreRead MoreDoes Household Structure Cause a Child to Become a Violent Individual?1629 Words   |  7 Pagesand are expected to experience domestic violence in their lives. Rather than having the balance of a two-parent home, single-parented children are constantly exposed to stress and ultimately become abusers themselves. This leads to a vicious and continuous cycle that could lead to the destruction of generations thereafter. The trend of single-parent households are drastically increasing every year. One out of every two children will live with a single-parent at some time before they reach theRead MoreChild Marriage Is A Violation Of Basic Human Rights Essay1513 Words   |  7 Pageshuman rights to education, health, freedom and safety. On the other hand, child marriage exposes girls to infectious diseases, sexually transmitted diseases, high incidence of maternal mortality and morbidity, low life expectancy, inter-generational cycle of violence and all forms of discrimination. To be specific, first, being neither physically nor psychologically prepared for becoming wives, they will suffer from considerable physical pain and disabilities during continuous forced sexual intercoursesRead MoreSeveral Cases of Violence Against Children1030 Words   |  5 Pagesuncertain about their roles, and may be frustrated by the constant demands of caretaking. They also contend that babies born in the U.S. to teenage mothers are at risk for long-term problems in many major areas of life, including school failure, poverty, and physical or mental illness. In accordance with social learning theory, I believe that many young teenage girls have these babies because it has become a trend. I remember at one time being pregnant and an unwed mother was looked upon as shamefulRead MorePrevention versus Treatment of Chronic Illnesses and Childhood Mental Illness665 Words   |  3 Pagesactually measure a rate of return on health/mental health). He writes: Early interventions can improve cognitive as well as socio-emotional skills. They promote schooling, reduce crime, foster workforce productivity, and reduce teenage pregnancy. And they have much greater economic and social impact than the later interventions that are the focus of conventional public policy debate... (p. 15) Where several of our Community Mental Health Agencies have received prevention and early intervention

Changes That The Cold War Have Brought - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 9 Words: 2659 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2019/04/04 Category History Essay Level High school Topics: Cold War Essay War Essay Did you like this example? Beginning after World War II in 1947 and ending with the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, The Cold War was a war over true freedom and power. While the Soviet Union spread their communist ideas around, the United Sates fought on the side of capitalism. Give Me Liberty states Among other things, the Cold War was an ideological struggle, a battle, in a popular phrase of the 1950s, for the hearts and minds of people throughout the world. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Changes That The Cold War Have Brought" essay for you Create order The Cold War was a major defining moment for the world but mostly the United States. Following the war, America became the superpower it intended to be. Yes, the United States did win the Cold War because the war and its link to freedom changed the way America looked at freedom. This redefinition of freedom caused a rise in the fight for human rights, the civil rights movement and new revolutions that reshaped America to be what it is today. The Cold War did not end in a fair fight but in the ending of the Soviet Union due to their financial inabilities. The United States was and still are against communism and ultimately the war was one of communism vs capitalism. America became a superpower over the other countries in the world, but the war woke up something in the American Society. During the Cold War, America was split between communists and capitalists. This split put emphasis on the freedom of speech and freedom of idea. During the 1950s, freedom became an inescapable theme of academic research, popular journalism, mass culture, and official pronouncements. (Foner). Both parties in the war claimed to be fighting for freedom and social justices. President Truman created the Truman Doctrine, persuaded democrats and republicans to support his policy, making it known that the United States was the leader of the free-world, and as the leader it is its job to support freedom-loving people. He believed communists were a threat to that. The Anticommunists Crusade began in America showing its divide. Anticommunist movies like The Red Menace and I Married a Communist were made, and movie writers were urged to eliminate the bad parts of American history to persuade America and other countries against communism. Capitalists questioning of Americans loyalty only made Americans speak out more. What do men know of loyalty who make a mockery of the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights? (Commager). With the Anticommunist Crusade happening, people were being threatened with losing their jobs and sent to prison for promoting communism or being believed to be spies through. President Truman launched a loyalty review system, requiring government employees to prove their patriotism. More people lost their jobs than those sent to prison, but most felt this was an act against the founding fathers. The House of Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) also managed to send what became to be called the Hollywood Ten and 200 others to jail for promoting communism in movies. The aftermath of World War II and the Four Freedoms raised the issue of human rights. Individuals were for the first time, being held accountable for violating human, many being Nazi officials. Violators were placed on trial and even sentenced to prison; some execution. In 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, drafted by Eleanor Roosevelt and her committee, was approved by the Un General Assembly. This doctrine was written to speak out for the rights that everyone deserved. These rights included freedom of speech, religious toleration, protection against arbitrary government, adequate standard of living and access to housing, education, and medical care. Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights stated All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and right. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. Some may have felt this doctrine was an empty rhetoric but its principle that how a natio n treats its own citizens should be subject to outside evaluation became the bases of freedom. Blacks and other minorities were speaking out against the inequalities of man prior to the Civil War, but the increased talk of freedom and the rise in the fight for human rights during and after the war birthed a new voice. Prior to the approval of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the NAACP spoke out and filed a petition to the United Nations seeking an investigation into the racism within the United States, a clear violation of human rights. The United Nations did not follow through, but this petition was only the beginning. For decades blacks were the last to benefit from any of the progressive changes in America; if they benefitted at all. From slavery to segregation, blacks faced many facial discriminations. Blacks were given lower wage employment than unskilled workers, subpar access to education, and forced to live in packed ghettos that lacked many necessities for survival. Yet despite the apparent extra effort being made by the poorest districts, they are unable ev en to begin to make the richest districts in terms of the production of revenue. (Marshall). The Golden Age began after the ending of World War II and marked a time of economic expansion, stable prices, low unemployment rates, and a rise in the standard of living. Even southern living progressed from its years of being behind the North. With the Golden Age came higher incomes that brought the ability to afford better living which in turn began the creation of suburban neighborhoods, neighborhoods blacks were not allowed in. Suburbs like the Levittown Suburbs created by William and Alfred Levitt, refused to allow non-whites entry. Urban renewal programs that tore down poor neighborhoods to build retail centers, white-only middle-class housing and universities, displaced tons of residents. While the whites in those areas moved to the suburbs or into white-only housing complexes, blacks were forced to move to other already crowded ghettos or create new ones. Employment discrimination and exclusion from educational opportunities left blacks and other non-whites in unskilled jobs , unable to advance to a better standard of living. Following the end of World War II and throughout the Cold War, there was a civil rights upsurge. The NAACP and civil rights coalitions involving labor, religious groups and back organizations fought for big changes for the black communities all over the country, especially the South. Twenty percent of blacks in the South were registered to vote by 1952. There was also reported to be no lynchings that took place that year in the entire United States. In 1947, the Brooklyn Dodgers challenged the long-standing exclusion of blacks in major league baseball by adding Jackie Robison, who would decades later become a hall of famer, to their team. The success of Jackie Robinson lead to other teams adding black players and the soon demise of the Negro League. That same year, President Truman appointed a Commission on Civil Rights to issue To Secure These Rights, a publishing of the racial inequalities in America. This publishing called out the federal government and demanded they assume the responsibility of ending segregation and ensuring equal treatment in housing, employment, education and the criminal justice system. President Truman also made a great change for blacks when, in July of 1948, he issued an executive order to desegregate the United States Military, making it the largest institution in America to promote racial integration actively. Prominent black leaders like W.E.B Du Bois spoke out against the Civil War but many others and organizations like the NAACP felt that it was in the best interest of blacks to go along and speak out against communism. With the Truman administration actively behind civil rights, blacks were seeing a time of hope and prosperity but laws banning discrimination remained unenforced towards the end of Trumans presidency. The 1952 elections showed blacks how quickly their issues could become nonexistent when the democrats nominated a candidate who could c are less about civil rights. But this was not the end. The rise of what became known as the affluent society, changed American life with new opportunities for whites living in the expanding suburbs. Blacks were again left out, living in declining rural areas of the South and urban ghettos of the North. This prosperity for whites and the continued discrimination for blacks would become the inspiration for the civil rights movement that in turn redefined American freedom. Extreme acts of segregation in America birthed a voice in blacks like Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks and iconic moments in history like the Montgomery Bus Boycotts, that has changed the history of blacks all over and is continuing to change. With segregated public buildings, water fountains and buses, the urban ghettos they were forced to live in, low wages, and subpar schools and educations their children were receiving, blacks were becoming more and more agitated with the land of the free. The NAACP stood behind cases like Brown v. Board of Education, where black parents challenged the unfair school policies. The separate but equal doctrine adopted in Plessy v. Ferguson, 163 U.S. 537, has no place in the field of public education. (Brown v. Board of Education). Cases like this one paved the way for the desegregation of schools in America and are the reason why every child can receive the same education as any other child today. On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, a black woman in Montgomery, Alabama, one of the most racist cities in America, made history when she refused to give up her seat after a long day of work, to a white person. During these times, it was the law for blacks to enter the bus via the back door, sit in the back and give their seats to white riders if there were none left. On this day, Rosa Parks started a 381-day movement. For those 381 days, blacks refused to use public transportation, facing loads of harassment and violence. In November of 1956, the Supreme Court ruled segregation in public transportation unconstitutional, ending the boycott and the segregation of buses. Blacks in the South began to stand up and speak out against segregation more and more. Nonviolent protests following the lead of leaders like Dr. King and his Southern Christian Leadership Conference, began to pop up all over, demanding change. Young activists in Raleigh, North Carolina formed the Student Nonviolent Coord inating Committee (SNCC) in 1960. Black and even some white college students started sit-ins in segregated dinners and in 1961, the Freedom Rides was launched, and integrated groups of college students traveled through the deep south forming sit-ins, protesting the segregation. They were harassed by angry mobs with no police protection. The civil rights movement brought a strength and the young and old who were tired and ready for a change. On August 28, 1963, weeks before the Birmingham church bombing that killed innocent black girls, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. lead the March on Washington and gave his famous I have a Dream speech. Because of these brave induvial, those who followed them and the organizing of protests, the lives of blacks and other minorities drastically changed for the better. The Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964, prohibiting discrimination in employment, institutions like hospitals and schools and privately-owned public places like restaurants, hotels and theaters. Dr. King launched a voting ri ghts campaign in 1965 that lead to the passing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the 24th Amendment which outlawed poll tax and gave blacks a fair chance at voting. The ending of World War II and the starting of the Cold War also woke up a voice in white Americans all over. Not only were whites facing losing their jobs and even Hollywood fame for even being accused of being disloyal, they were becoming fed up with the government and the way everyone was being treated. The 1950s birthed a new form of thinking for whites in America. A group of thinkers started the task of making changes to conservatism and reclaiming the idea of freedom from liberals. They strongly opposed the idea of a strong national government. We as young conservatives, believe: That foremost among the transcendent values the individuals use of his God-given free will whence derives his right to be free from the restrictions of arbitrary force; (The Sharon Statement, Young Americans for Freedom). Freedom to them, meant individual autonomy, limited government, and unregulated capitalism. Insisting that toleration of difference was not offering any substitute in the search of ab solute truth, believed the Free World needed to arm itself morally and intellectually. Writers and socialist started speaking out in their work, concerned with what America really viewed as freedom. An insert by Life magazine suggested that American freedom could be in more danger from the nonuse of it than the threat of communism. The 1950s saw of time where white youth were known as rebels without a cause. All around white teens were forming gangs and wearing leather jackets, dancing to rock n roll and sexual music. People like the poet group, the Beats rejected the materialism of the suburbs and celebrated impulsive action, pleasure through drugs and sexual experimentation. This was only the beginning. By the 1960s, young white Americans were standing up against the government and many were standing with blacks during the civil rights movement. Many did not understand the rise of protesting white college students that began to appear. This sparked what came to be called, the New Left. The New Left was inspired by the civil rights movement, especially the sit-ins. Young whites felt it was their duty to stand up for what was right and fight for true freedom in the world. They mostly stood up against poverty and the war. Books like The Other America and The Death and Life of Great American Cities showed the sid e of America they didnt glorify and criticized urban renewal and the destruction of neighborhoods to build highways. Groups like Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) formed in the 60s as a voice for the people. Although feminism seemed to disappear after the baby boom, women once again arose and spoke out. The reawakening of the feminist movement began with the publication of Betty Friedans 1963 The Feminine Mystique. Her book emphasized that women are more than being wives and mothers and the world needed to get with the program. Women started waking up again and fighting for their rights. In 1963, the Equal Pay Act was passed, ending sex discrimination between men and women who work the same jobs. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 also prohibited discrimination based on sex. The National Organization for Women (NOW) was formed in 1966, demanding equal opportunities for women in all walks of life. Young women were starting to embrace the civil rights movement and ideologies of organizations like the SDS and SNCC. By 1967, conscious groups were being formed by women all over that focused on their dissatisfaction with the state of women in America. By appealing to conscience and standing on the m oral nature of human existence, nonviolence nurtures the atmosphere in which reconciliation and justice become actual possibilities. (Committee). Protests like the one at the 1968 Miss America beauty pageant, gave a new voice for what has come to be known as new feminism. The Cold War may have been a war of capitalism vs. communism, but it also brought about a change in the world that we see today. America saw a major change that would only continue to make it a superpower. Although it ended because of the financial inabilities of the Soviet Union, the United States still won the Cold War because it faced a change that birthed a new meaning to freedom. This new meaning of freedom sparked a voice in Americans that changed human rights, created the civil rights movement, and woke up a voice in young white men and women that soon changed the meaning of equality for all. Human rights played a prominent role in world affairs after the Cold War and continues to play such role today.

Effects of Stress on Grades Free Essays

Students at universities worldwide oftentimes find stress to be a part of everyday life. Stress is defined as the way one responds to the changes and demands of life either emotionally, physically, or mentally. Stress is registered in one’s â€Å"fight or flight† response. We will write a custom essay sample on Effects of Stress on Grades or any similar topic only for you Order Now When an exciting or dangerous event occurs changes take place in the body to prepare the person to deal with the stressful situation. After the stressful situation has subsided the body returns to a normal state. The constant stress of being a college student does not allow the body to return to a normal state so a student may never be able to fully relax. This can lead to stress overload (Bower, 2010). Many factors can affect a student’s academic performance and grades. The National College Health Assessment of 2004 shows that the most significant impediment to effective listening, retaining information, and studying is stress. Stress is noted to be the number one cause of poor academic functioning in a student above other problems like depression, illness, eating disorders, death of a family member, and even sexual assault. The study reviewed 47,202 college students and 32. 4% listed stress as the number one barrier to schoolwork (Temple, 2006). Many college students have multiple stressors. Most are taking multiple classes, working full-time jobs, have family members to take care of, are working long hours at unpaid internship sites, or any combination of these. Many college students must deal with the stress of just leaving home and no longer benefiting from familial support. Relationship problems may begin to develop between the student and the friends, families, or significant others that have been left at home. This overload of responsibility and worry can lead to a lack of sleep and improper nutrition, which can cause difficulty in school (Bower, 2010). Proper nutrition may become a problem for a student because he or she may be unable to grocery shop on a regular basis. Other problems with nutrition occur because a student who is living in a dormitory may be unable to cook proper meals and unable to store large quantities of food. Some students new to living without parents may not have the knowledge to cook a decent meal. Others simply do not have the time to eat properly. Without proper nutrition the brain does not function properly and the student may have difficulty concentrating on schoolwork (Womble, 2002). Maintaining employment while attending college can also be a source of stress. This stress may come from working long hours that can make the student too tired to focus on his or her studies or working long hours may lead to attendance problems at school. Mentally focusing on both work life and school life can be exhausting for a student and can lead to increased amounts of stress. The number of hours a student spends at work can be directly related to that student’s grade point average (GPA) because the more time a student spends at work, the less time that student can spend studying (Womble, 2002). Sleep, or lack of, is the most important factor on a student’s GPA. Many college students do not sleep enough during the week to properly rest the body and mind. Lack of sleep has been shown to increase anxiety and stress. Simple sleep patterns like waking earlier during the weekdays than on the weekends have also been shown to affect the GPA of a student (Womble, 2002). Not all college students complain of experiencing stress, many do. Although some stress is good for a person and may be energizing or motivating, it is important for a person to recognize and be able to manage bad stress before it spirals out of control and has a negative effect. Coping mechanisms are important for anyone but may prove to be more so for a college student. Coping mechanisms include sleeping enough, spending time doing fun activities, relaxing, and practicing time management. Developing ones communication, writing, and test taking skills is important to reduce stress. Engaging in physical activity, reading a book that is not school related, or getting a massage are ways to reduce stress and relax. Daily use of a planner to track assignment due dates and upcoming project deadlines is useful for staying on track with studies (Bower, 2010). Coping mechanisms come from within, from something called personality hardiness. The idea of personality hardiness first came to be with regard to protecting business executives from the health effects of stress. This concept involves having a sense of control and commitment. Commitment means that a person can view the world as a meaningful place and he or she seeks to be involved in the world rather than withdrawn from it. Control shows that a person believes he or she can influence events that take place in his or her world. Personality hardiness means that a person may not feel threatened by changes to his or her environment. Theoretically, a student with personality hardiness should be able to adapt to the changes that come with enrollment in school, taking multiple classes, maintaining employment, and family obligations without stress overload. The result should mean that a student takes on the new challenges with less stress and instead turns the stressful events into opportunities for growth and personal development (Hystad, Eid, Laberg, Johnsen, Bartone, 2009). Two studies have been performed by Lifton and colleagues. These studies assessed the personality hardiness of individuals throughout the college years. These studies had newly arriving college students complete hardiness measures and found a positive interrelationship between persistence and the student’s graduation date four years later. The hardiness scores among those who did not complete four years of college were lower than those who did not drop out. The scores on the hardiness exams were not directly related to scores on entrance exams or high academic ability. Personality hardiness is not based on a person’s academic ability but rather a person’s attitude or the manner in which he or she approaches life’s challenges (Hystad et al. , 2009). Though the information contained in the numerous studies that have been done regarding stress and the college student’s ability to achieve a decent GPA is helpful to understanding stress and how it affects different people there are always exceptions to every rule. Although it is true that every person handles stressful situations in his or her own unique way there are many resources available to help a college student achieve passing grades regardless of the stress factor. At the same time, there are many choices a college student makes that adds to the amount of stress he or she carries in everyday life. Many times when a college student is sleep deprived it is that he or she has made the choice to be sleep deprived. Staying up all night partying is common among college students as going off to college may be the first time the student has had the opportunity to do so and many consider it to be a bonding experience or a way to make friends in a new place. Grabbing a less than stellar meal from the nearest fast food joint or having a pizza delivered is oftentimes a choice that a student makes rather than a necessity. Eating a meal like this is easier than shopping for a meal, cooking a meal, and cleaning up after a meal. Eating on the run may also be what â€Å"all of the other kids are doing† and again it is a way to fit in. Whereas it is true that some students must maintain employment while attending school this may not have to be the stressor that it often is. Time management skills can come in handy when trying to juggle work and school. Taking time to relax is one of the most important and effective ways of reducing stress. This can; however, oftentimes be misconstrued and taken out of context. One of the worst, and most common, pastimes college students use to relax is drinking alcoholic beverages. Binge drinking can be very detrimental to schoolwork as this can do away with a person’s judgment skills, time management skills, and a person’s healthy well-being. Research shows that binge drinking affects approximately 50% of college students (Stunn, n. d. ). Binge drinking can lead to missing classes because the student may be to hung-over to attend or if the student does manage to attend the mind and body may not be functioning at full capacity and may lead to an inability to concentrate and retain information. When this kind of drinking is done night after night it can lead to many absences or missed assignments, which can compound a student’s stress level by having to make up the work or complete the work in a shorter time with little to no instruction This information would be recommended to others in the class because as students stress will be an important factor during not only college years but also in future years as well. It is important that as an individual a person has coping mechanisms to deal with stress to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Research done on the topic of how stress can negatively affect a student’s GPA is important in learning how to better deal with the stressors in one’s life to overcome barriers and achieve the goals he or she has set. Enrolling in college is a big step in which nobody intentionally sets up to fail. Whereas there are many changes that a college student must adapt to there are an equal number of services both on campus and off that will help a student overcome the barriers to effective learning and to become a better student despite the changes in life. Learning ways to manage time, learning to make choices that will facilitate not only a healthy relationship with peers but also a healthy lifestyle, and learning to cope with the sometimes daily changes in life is part of growing up and moving into the adult world. How to cite Effects of Stress on Grades, Essay examples

Effect on America free essay sample

The first klan had lead up to the effects of the 1920s. The KKK had a tumultious start, and it had a major effect on America in the 1920s. The first klan began in Tennessee, by six Confederate Army Officers, in the winter of 1865. Ku klux Klan rose about four million and spread from the South into the Midwest region and Northern states and even into Canada. The name of the Ku Klux Klan is â€Å"derived from the Grrek word kyklos, meaning circle† (Wikimedia Foundation). ‘Klan was added for the purpose of alliteration† (â€Å"Ku Klux Klan†). The infamous burning-cross icon became a symbol of the KKK in the 1920’s, which was one of many tactics used for intimidation. Perhaps the most distinguishing characteristic of Klan members were the white robes they wore along with cone shaped hats that covered their faces. These costumes accomplished their goal of making them look more outlandish and terrifying, and for the intimidation of their victims (Smith). We will write a custom essay sample on Effect on America or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The Klan was pretty selective in accepting members, only WASPs (White Anglo-Saxon Protestants) could become members. These members possessed the ideology of white supremacy to all other races and ethnic divisions, similar to the concept of Neo-Nazism, however they claim to have based their beliefs on Christian values and nativism. It is often thought that the KKK only hated African-Americans, but many other groups acquired hatred from the Klan, such as Jews, Catholics , homosexuals and various immigrant groups. Anti-Defamination League). Even though the stock started to gain their stocks and shares didnt stop the Great Depression from happening (Kelly). Many people wonder why any group of people would posses such a hatred Dubbs 3 for certain groups of people. While there is no legitimate justification, one factor contributing to their hate was the rapid economic progression in the North, and the stagnant economy of the South. This may have been what angered the white southerners so much that they put blame onto the black population, along with leftover racial disputes from the times of slavery (Trueman). People of today also wonder how society could permit such destruction of life, and also support it. Back then, the Klan had many sources of income including membership fees, funds acquired from various events and sales of Klan propaganda, as well as free will donations. â€Å"This income made the Klan’s many forms of media and strategy possible, such as mass mailings, pamphlets and public events and protests. They also did community service projects such as ‘adopt a highway’ programs to make themselves look good in the eyes of their communities† (Anti-Defamanation League). The members of the Ku Klux Klan did everything in their power to prevent the black community from exercising their newly acquired rights, which was often done during massive events. During a typical KKK event, they dressed in robes symbolizing their rank, then went on nighttime raids, during which they would whip and murder blacks and any of their supporters (â€Å"Ku Klux Klan†). These events, unfortunately, were extremely effective. This lack of a political presence is what allowed the Klan to exist for such a long period of time. KKK existed from the initial founding until around 1870, â€Å"when congress passed the KKK act which allowed authorities to end such activities by force and penalize anyone who affiliated with terrorist organizations†.