In the early 1900’s particularly in the 1920’s between the World Wars, African American literature, art, music, dance, and social commentary began to flourish in Harlem, a section of New York City. This African-American cultural movement became known as “The New Negro Movement” and later as the Harlem Renaissance. More than a literary movement, the Harlem Renaissance exalted the unique culture of African-Americans and redefined African-American expression. African-Americans were encouraged to celebrate their heritage.
The main factors contributing to the development of the Harlem Renaissance were African-American urban migration, trends toward experimentation throughout the country, and the rise of radical African American intellectuals. The Harlem Renaissance transformed African American identity and history, but it also transformed American culture in general. Never before had so many Americans read the thoughts of African-Americans and embraced the African American community’s productions, expressions, and style. During the Harlem Renaissance African American literature, art, and music dealt with Black life from a Black perspective and began to flourish.
In the 1920’s, literature blossomed and became a key factor in the Harlem Renaissance. For African Americans, writing was an escape. Authors wrote to escape the trials and tribulations of life, such as poverty and discrimination. During this time the literature that flourished included poetry, prose, novels, and essays. The most important writers of the Renaissance were Zora Neale Hurston, Nella Larsen, Langston Hughes, Jessie Fauset, Countee Cullen, Claude McKay, James Weldon Johnson, and Arna Bontemps. Dance, theater, and music were obscured by the literature and art of the time, and performing arts flourished during the Harlem Renaissance. The music of this period was predominantly jazz. Jazz music stemmed from Negro spirituals sung in previous centuries, and was played on the theory that an infinite amount of melodies can fit the chord progression of any composition. The most famous musicians of this time were Louis Daniel Armstrong, Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington, Luis Russell, and Fletcher Hamilton Henderson, Jr.
The Harlem Renaissance was a flowering of African American social thought that was expressed through the visual arts, as well as through music (Louis Armstrong, Eubie Blake, Fats Waller and Billie Holiday), literature (Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and W.E.B. DuBois),theater (Paul Robeson) and dance (Josephine Baker). Centered in the Harlem district of New York City, the New Negro Movement (as it was called at the time) had a profound influence across the United States and even around the world.
The Harlem Renaissance was very important. It had a profound impact on African American culture and most important of all it served to stimulate much Negro writing and the New Negro philosophy laid the basis fro many Negro works which came after wards. During this time period there was an idea that the New Negro was self-assertive, and this encouraged new Negro writers to express themselves in ways once thought too radical. The major contribution that the writers of this Renaissance was their role as image builders. They also encouraged racial pride and served as examples for promising young black writers.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cold War was the indirect confrontation between Russia and the United States of America which lasted from 1947 to the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 11, 1989. During this time, both nations attempted to overpower each other by absorbing other countries into their spheres of influence. O achieve this they used whatever methods they had available in order to accomplish their goals. The end always justified the means. Espionage, propaganda, and continuous threat of war were commonplace. The whole world lived in fear of full-out nuclear war in which there would be no winners, only losers.
The closest the world ever came to a nuclear holocaust was the Cuban Missile Crisis, which lasted for thirteen days, from October 16 thru October 28, 1962. The crisis began after a United States spy plane photographed the construction of missiles in Cuba on October 15 1962. On the next day, President John F. Kennedy, of the United States organized the EX-COMM, a group of his twelve most important advisors to deal with the crisis. After seven days of discussion, Kennedy decided to order a naval blockade of Cuba to prevent the arrival of additional weapons and, on October 22nd, informed the American public of the situation. He immediately said that a missile attack from Cuba to the United States would be considered as an attack from the Soviet Union and demanded that all the missiles be removed from the island by the Soviets.
The nuclear missiles were placed in Cuba by the Soviets for two reasons. One reason was that Fidel Castro, who was governing Cuba after the socialist revolution triumphed in 1959, and who had undergone a failed attack at the Bay of Pigs in 1961, wanted to protect the island from another invasion which he was sure would com from the United States. On the other had, Russia was behind the United States in the arms race and, while the United States had missiles capable of attacking the Soviet Union, Russian missiles could only reach Europe and having missiles based in Cuba, about a hundred miles from the continental United States, meant an improved capacity to respond in case of an American attack on Soviet interests.
After intense negotiations between the United States and the Soviet Union, represented by President John F. Kennedy and Prime Minister Nikita Khrushchev respectively, the world was saved from destruction when both countries reached an agreement on October 28th, 1962. This agreement resulted in the removal of all Russian missiles from Cuba in exchange for an American compromise not to attack island and the removal of U.S. missiles from Turkey, a country next to Soviet Union borders.
The Cuban Missile Crisis led to the establishment of a direct communications link between the governments of the United States and Russia called the “Hot Line”. This line, which was built undersea, had the purpose of facilitating direct communications between the two Cold War superpowers so that future crises could be solved more effectively.
The closest the world ever came to a nuclear holocaust was the Cuban Missile Crisis, which lasted for thirteen days, from October 16 thru October 28, 1962. The crisis began after a United States spy plane photographed the construction of missiles in Cuba on October 15 1962. On the next day, President John F. Kennedy, of the United States organized the EX-COMM, a group of his twelve most important advisors to deal with the crisis. After seven days of discussion, Kennedy decided to order a naval blockade of Cuba to prevent the arrival of additional weapons and, on October 22nd, informed the American public of the situation. He immediately said that a missile attack from Cuba to the United States would be considered as an attack from the Soviet Union and demanded that all the missiles be removed from the island by the Soviets.
The nuclear missiles were placed in Cuba by the Soviets for two reasons. One reason was that Fidel Castro, who was governing Cuba after the socialist revolution triumphed in 1959, and who had undergone a failed attack at the Bay of Pigs in 1961, wanted to protect the island from another invasion which he was sure would com from the United States. On the other had, Russia was behind the United States in the arms race and, while the United States had missiles capable of attacking the Soviet Union, Russian missiles could only reach Europe and having missiles based in Cuba, about a hundred miles from the continental United States, meant an improved capacity to respond in case of an American attack on Soviet interests.
After intense negotiations between the United States and the Soviet Union, represented by President John F. Kennedy and Prime Minister Nikita Khrushchev respectively, the world was saved from destruction when both countries reached an agreement on October 28th, 1962. This agreement resulted in the removal of all Russian missiles from Cuba in exchange for an American compromise not to attack island and the removal of U.S. missiles from Turkey, a country next to Soviet Union borders.
The Cuban Missile Crisis led to the establishment of a direct communications link between the governments of the United States and Russia called the “Hot Line”. This line, which was built undersea, had the purpose of facilitating direct communications between the two Cold War superpowers so that future crises could be solved more effectively.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Watergate Scandal
In June of 1972 in Washington, D.C. a burglary occurred, which ended up holding worldwide importance. On this date five people broke into the Democratic National Headquarters to adjust bugging equipment they had installed during a May break-in and to photograph the Democrats’ documents. These men were members of the “Plumbers”, a secret unit created and maintained by the White House with the expressed purpose of fixing leaks in the administration. Among others they were also former FBI agents and former CIA agents. The group was strongly Republican. The place they broke into was The Watergate Hotel. After the police came, give men were arrested for breaking into the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee. These men had broken into the same place three weeks earlier as well.
These Plumbers made a number of mistakes and the cause for one of them was the need to break into the office for a second time. Another mistake they made was that the telephone number of E. Howard Hunt, who had previously worked for the White House, appeared in McCord’s, one of the burglars, notebook. While Hunt worked at the White House, McCord was employed as Chief of Security at the Committee to re-elect the President. This suggested that there was a link between the burglars and someone close to the President.
At court, burglar McCord identified himself as retired from the CIA. The district attorney’s office at Washington D.C. began an investigation concerning the links between McCord and the CIA and determined that McCord had received payment from CRP. Bob Woodward began an investigation and what they published was known only to the FBI and other governmental investigators. Woodward had an inside source, who was later codenamed “Deep Throat” and no one knew who he or she was. He informed them that White House Officials had hired fifty agents to make the Democrats loose the 1972 election.
It was discovered that the president of the United States during that time, Richard Milhous Nixon, was involved in everything. Nixon was going to be impeached so he resigned and vice president Jerald Ford took the title of president of the United States.
The Watergate Scandal showed the citizens of the United Sates and of the rest of the world, that, in the American democracy, no one, not even the president of the United States is above the law. Thai is why president Nixon chose to resign before he was impeached and many of his advisors, who were involved in the illegal political tactics and espionage that took place ended up serving jail sentences. Also, as a result of the scandal, the relationship between public officials, the media and the public was altered forever in the sense that media, instead of being just informative, became an investigative resource watching over the activities of elected and appointed government officials in order to inform the citizenship. Other positive consequences of the Watergate Scandal were new laws to regulate political campaign funding, amendments to the Freedom of Information Act that allowed citizens to have more information as to what was going on in government, and laws requiring government officials to reveal the sources of their finances.
These Plumbers made a number of mistakes and the cause for one of them was the need to break into the office for a second time. Another mistake they made was that the telephone number of E. Howard Hunt, who had previously worked for the White House, appeared in McCord’s, one of the burglars, notebook. While Hunt worked at the White House, McCord was employed as Chief of Security at the Committee to re-elect the President. This suggested that there was a link between the burglars and someone close to the President.
At court, burglar McCord identified himself as retired from the CIA. The district attorney’s office at Washington D.C. began an investigation concerning the links between McCord and the CIA and determined that McCord had received payment from CRP. Bob Woodward began an investigation and what they published was known only to the FBI and other governmental investigators. Woodward had an inside source, who was later codenamed “Deep Throat” and no one knew who he or she was. He informed them that White House Officials had hired fifty agents to make the Democrats loose the 1972 election.
It was discovered that the president of the United States during that time, Richard Milhous Nixon, was involved in everything. Nixon was going to be impeached so he resigned and vice president Jerald Ford took the title of president of the United States.
The Watergate Scandal showed the citizens of the United Sates and of the rest of the world, that, in the American democracy, no one, not even the president of the United States is above the law. Thai is why president Nixon chose to resign before he was impeached and many of his advisors, who were involved in the illegal political tactics and espionage that took place ended up serving jail sentences. Also, as a result of the scandal, the relationship between public officials, the media and the public was altered forever in the sense that media, instead of being just informative, became an investigative resource watching over the activities of elected and appointed government officials in order to inform the citizenship. Other positive consequences of the Watergate Scandal were new laws to regulate political campaign funding, amendments to the Freedom of Information Act that allowed citizens to have more information as to what was going on in government, and laws requiring government officials to reveal the sources of their finances.
First Man to Walk on the Moon
After World War II ended, a new super power emerged in the world. This super power was the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, better known as the Soviet Union. As a result, the United States of America found itself in an undeclared conflict with Russia during which, each of these countries, tried to expand their political, ideological, and economic spheres of influence among the rest of the countries of the world. This conflict is what came to be known as the Cold War, which lasted from 1947 to the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 11, 1989.
As part of their efforts for world dominance, both the United States of America and the Soviet Union developed programs aimed at conquering outer space. This so called “Space Race” lasted from 1957 to 1975. It started when Russia launched a satellite called Sputnik 1 on October 4th, 1957, continued through the American moon landing with Apollo 11 on July 20, 1969, and ended with the joint United States and Russian Apollo-Soyuz mission of 1975.
The “Space Race” was important both for its military applications, and the psychological effect on the morale of the citizens of both countries. This is why, when the United States was loosing the race to Russia during the late fifties and very early sixties, in his speech to Congress on May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy promised that the United States would put a man on the moon before the decade was over.
On July 16, 1969, the Apollo 11 mission was launched from the Kennedy Space Center. This mission was manned by three astronauts, from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), called: Neil Alden Armstrong, Commander; Major General Michael Collins, command module pilot; and Colonel Edwin E. Aldrin Jr. (Buzz Aldrin), lunar module pilot. The Lunar Module “Eagle” landed on the surface of the Moon, at the Sea of Tranquility on July 20th, 1969. On the next day, July 21st, 1969, American astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon and spoke the historic worlds: “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”. The Apollo 11 crew returned to Earth eight days after it’s launch, on July 24, 1969.
Neil Armstrong’s walk on the Moon was the climactic event of the “Space Race”. It demonstrated the capacity of mankind to achieve whichever goal it sets out to reach when it is united behind a common purpose.
There are no limits to mankind’s creativity and inventiveness. Its resourcefulness can solve any problem it may face, specially when all of its components work together in order to solve it. This is the lesson learned from the “Space Race”, which later turned into a cooperative effort between countries of the world, mainly between two previous enemies, the United States of America and Russia, to conquer Space, as evidenced by the ongoing development of the International Space Station. Man’s first walk on the Moon was truly a giant leap in mankind’s evolution towards lasting peace.
As part of their efforts for world dominance, both the United States of America and the Soviet Union developed programs aimed at conquering outer space. This so called “Space Race” lasted from 1957 to 1975. It started when Russia launched a satellite called Sputnik 1 on October 4th, 1957, continued through the American moon landing with Apollo 11 on July 20, 1969, and ended with the joint United States and Russian Apollo-Soyuz mission of 1975.
The “Space Race” was important both for its military applications, and the psychological effect on the morale of the citizens of both countries. This is why, when the United States was loosing the race to Russia during the late fifties and very early sixties, in his speech to Congress on May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy promised that the United States would put a man on the moon before the decade was over.
On July 16, 1969, the Apollo 11 mission was launched from the Kennedy Space Center. This mission was manned by three astronauts, from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), called: Neil Alden Armstrong, Commander; Major General Michael Collins, command module pilot; and Colonel Edwin E. Aldrin Jr. (Buzz Aldrin), lunar module pilot. The Lunar Module “Eagle” landed on the surface of the Moon, at the Sea of Tranquility on July 20th, 1969. On the next day, July 21st, 1969, American astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon and spoke the historic worlds: “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”. The Apollo 11 crew returned to Earth eight days after it’s launch, on July 24, 1969.
Neil Armstrong’s walk on the Moon was the climactic event of the “Space Race”. It demonstrated the capacity of mankind to achieve whichever goal it sets out to reach when it is united behind a common purpose.
There are no limits to mankind’s creativity and inventiveness. Its resourcefulness can solve any problem it may face, specially when all of its components work together in order to solve it. This is the lesson learned from the “Space Race”, which later turned into a cooperative effort between countries of the world, mainly between two previous enemies, the United States of America and Russia, to conquer Space, as evidenced by the ongoing development of the International Space Station. Man’s first walk on the Moon was truly a giant leap in mankind’s evolution towards lasting peace.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Holocaust
The Nazis believed that they were descendants of the Aryan race, a master race of Northern European origin which had ruled the world ten thousand years ago, and whose members were described as tall with blond, red, or light brown hair, and blue, grey, or green eyes. They believed that all other races were inferior, which is why they were convinced of their right to rule the world. Since all other races were inferior, the Nazis developed a program of “racial hygiene” to eliminate “defective” human beings from their society in an effort to cleanse it.
The purpose of the “racial hygiene” program was the removal of the sick, the disabled, the mentally retarded, the insane, homosexuals, gypsies, Jews, and other ethnicities from German society. Members of other groups such as Jehovah’s Witnesses, Communists and political dissidents, trade unionists, Freemasons, and some Catholic and Protestant clergy, were also persecuted and killed. These discriminatory policies culminated in the Holocaust.
The Holocaust is the name given to the persecution and genocide of the Jews and other minority groups of Europe and North Africa, which began in 1938 and continued for the duration of World War II, by Nazi Germany. The Jews of Europe were the main victims of the Holocaust. It is estimated that as many as six million of them were cruelly exterminated by a systematic effort of the Nazi government led by Adolf Hitler and with the help of collaborators like Josef Mengele, a Nazi physician who used the Jews as guinea pigs in his cruel medical experiments without any consideration for the suffering of these human beings. As part of this systematic effort, Jews were put in camps where those considered undesirable on ethnic or political grounds were grouped and made to work as slaves or simply killed after being made to suffer. These camps were known as “concentration camps”. Some of the most renowned of these torturing camps were Dachau, Belzec, Sobibor, Treblinka, and Auschwitz-Birkenau.
The historical relevance or importance of the Holocaust is that it united Jews to join in a movement to obtain a country of their own, in which they could live without the fear of persecution and be free to practice their customs, their language, and their religion. It also made other countries of the world aware of the need for a Jewish state. This effort of Jews and gentiles resulted in the creation of the Jewish State of Israel in 1947, when the United Kingdom allowed the United Nations to divide Palestine into Jewish and Arab portions, believing that this would bring peace to the region.
The division of Palestine by the United Nations solved the problem of a Jewish homeland, but created a new problem between Arabs and non-Arabs, specially Jews, due to the resentment of the Palestinian people, who felt that a part of their own country had been stolen from them. This problem still persists today, and is at the root of the conflict between Arabs and the rest of the world.
The purpose of the “racial hygiene” program was the removal of the sick, the disabled, the mentally retarded, the insane, homosexuals, gypsies, Jews, and other ethnicities from German society. Members of other groups such as Jehovah’s Witnesses, Communists and political dissidents, trade unionists, Freemasons, and some Catholic and Protestant clergy, were also persecuted and killed. These discriminatory policies culminated in the Holocaust.
The Holocaust is the name given to the persecution and genocide of the Jews and other minority groups of Europe and North Africa, which began in 1938 and continued for the duration of World War II, by Nazi Germany. The Jews of Europe were the main victims of the Holocaust. It is estimated that as many as six million of them were cruelly exterminated by a systematic effort of the Nazi government led by Adolf Hitler and with the help of collaborators like Josef Mengele, a Nazi physician who used the Jews as guinea pigs in his cruel medical experiments without any consideration for the suffering of these human beings. As part of this systematic effort, Jews were put in camps where those considered undesirable on ethnic or political grounds were grouped and made to work as slaves or simply killed after being made to suffer. These camps were known as “concentration camps”. Some of the most renowned of these torturing camps were Dachau, Belzec, Sobibor, Treblinka, and Auschwitz-Birkenau.
The historical relevance or importance of the Holocaust is that it united Jews to join in a movement to obtain a country of their own, in which they could live without the fear of persecution and be free to practice their customs, their language, and their religion. It also made other countries of the world aware of the need for a Jewish state. This effort of Jews and gentiles resulted in the creation of the Jewish State of Israel in 1947, when the United Kingdom allowed the United Nations to divide Palestine into Jewish and Arab portions, believing that this would bring peace to the region.
The division of Palestine by the United Nations solved the problem of a Jewish homeland, but created a new problem between Arabs and non-Arabs, specially Jews, due to the resentment of the Palestinian people, who felt that a part of their own country had been stolen from them. This problem still persists today, and is at the root of the conflict between Arabs and the rest of the world.
Contribution that I think I will bring to the University of South Florida
Once admitted into the University of South Florida, some people will bring their high IQ’s others will bring their 4.0 GPA transcripts and their high Scholastic Aptitude Test scores, while still others will bring their encyclopedic knowledge of academic matters. I am sure that they will all be very successful in their academic endeavors. Probably, they will all excel in their chosen careers. Even though they all possess laudable attributes, I personally feel that their contribution to university life falls short of what it could potentially be. That is why I plan on bringing with me something completely different when I embark on my educational journey at University of South Florida.
I will bring to the University of South Florida a dream seeded deep within my heart. It is a dream nurtured by a strong desire to acquire an education that is not only scientific but well-rounded and encompassing all facets of human relations. Education is not an isolated phenomenon occurring behind classroom walls or in library cubicles. Education is a dynamic process that involves the development of academic skills honed by the interaction with society as a whole. This results in a better understanding of the world around us that allows us to become more tolerant and accepting of differences among human beings. Education is also a privilege, and those who are awarded this privilege have the moral obligation of using this gift to improve the society that gave them the opportunity to develop their skills to the utmost. Knowledge by itself serves no purpose unless it is geared at serving the community that afforded us the opportunity of a higher education.
I know that, in order to achieve my dream, I will need appropriate tools to make the task easier, so I am also bringing to the University of South Florida my study discipline, my tenacity, my relentless effort and a spirit of community service unsurpassed by anyone. I am bringing a conviction and a particular vision of what higher education should be, I believe that education is impossible if you are trapped in an ivory tower without direct contact with the surrounding reality. Only through integration of knowledge and praxis can true education be achieved. The cohesive agent that keeps together the magnificent puzzle of higher education is one’s desire to learn and to serve, and this I have a lot of.
We all become better persons through education. I want to be capable of communicating with others by using knowledge as a facilitator and not as an obstacle. I also want to thank those granting me the privilege of reaching my educational goal by promoting a mutually rewarding relationship between the University and its neighbors. Cultural, sports, and other social activities that stimulate participation of students and non-students alike can help establish a healthy interaction between all sectors of society. Frontiers that previously dispersed and alienated members of a community can thus be abolished for the benefit of all those involved in this enriching process of integration through interaction that constitutes a learning experience and culminates in the acquisition of knowledge useful to the advancement of humanity.
I will bring to the University of South Florida a dream of a better world.
I will bring to the University of South Florida a dream seeded deep within my heart. It is a dream nurtured by a strong desire to acquire an education that is not only scientific but well-rounded and encompassing all facets of human relations. Education is not an isolated phenomenon occurring behind classroom walls or in library cubicles. Education is a dynamic process that involves the development of academic skills honed by the interaction with society as a whole. This results in a better understanding of the world around us that allows us to become more tolerant and accepting of differences among human beings. Education is also a privilege, and those who are awarded this privilege have the moral obligation of using this gift to improve the society that gave them the opportunity to develop their skills to the utmost. Knowledge by itself serves no purpose unless it is geared at serving the community that afforded us the opportunity of a higher education.
I know that, in order to achieve my dream, I will need appropriate tools to make the task easier, so I am also bringing to the University of South Florida my study discipline, my tenacity, my relentless effort and a spirit of community service unsurpassed by anyone. I am bringing a conviction and a particular vision of what higher education should be, I believe that education is impossible if you are trapped in an ivory tower without direct contact with the surrounding reality. Only through integration of knowledge and praxis can true education be achieved. The cohesive agent that keeps together the magnificent puzzle of higher education is one’s desire to learn and to serve, and this I have a lot of.
We all become better persons through education. I want to be capable of communicating with others by using knowledge as a facilitator and not as an obstacle. I also want to thank those granting me the privilege of reaching my educational goal by promoting a mutually rewarding relationship between the University and its neighbors. Cultural, sports, and other social activities that stimulate participation of students and non-students alike can help establish a healthy interaction between all sectors of society. Frontiers that previously dispersed and alienated members of a community can thus be abolished for the benefit of all those involved in this enriching process of integration through interaction that constitutes a learning experience and culminates in the acquisition of knowledge useful to the advancement of humanity.
I will bring to the University of South Florida a dream of a better world.
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