Aleander Hamilton Essay -- Biography Biographies

alexander hamilton Alexander Hamilton is among a group of men extolled as the founders of America. These framers, as they are best known, tend to be grouped, by modern Americans, into a single, homogeneous aggregate of people, with identical beliefs, political tactics, and goals. This generalization is far from reality, however. This is demonstrated in Forrest McDonald’s book, Alexander Hamilton: A Biography. Perhaps the most interesting part of the life of Alexander Hamilton was its first half. During this time, Hamilton formed many of the beliefs and practices that would guide the rest of his life and our nation, first, as the Secretary of the Treasury, and, later, as President of the United States of America. Hamilton’s early life can be divided into three main sections: his childhood, his education, and his public service. Hamilton was the son of a respectable French woman, Rachel Faucett, and a Scottish nobleman, James Hamilton. Alexander’s parents separated when he was two. His mother took custody of himself and his brother. Living in a single parent home, truly a rarity in the 18th century, young Hamilton was forced to labor tirelessly as a child to help support the family. It was this hard work, however, that gave Hamilton the work ethic that he would later so frequently employ. His mother died nine years later. Hamilton, thus, continued his pattern of self-reliance. Most revealingly, the boy longed for fame. This lust, a direct result of his ro...

Spiritual Belief: A World Split Apart

Rico Spears Ms. Lisle 9/26/12 Academic Writing and Research Spiritual Belief In this analysis paper I will talk about incorporating God throughout everyday life, whether it be through materialistic things or one’s own self perception of how it is to live and pattern after Godly ways . In â€Å"A World Split Apart,† Alexander Solzhenitsyn infers that there is a higher power than man; a lack of spirituality can harm ones afterlife. Through a higher power all things are possible he says, â€Å"If, as claimed by humanism, man were born only to be happy, he would not be born to die.Since his body is doomed to death, his task on earth evidently must be more spiritual: not a total engrossment in everyday life, not the search for the best ways to obtain material goods and then their carefree consumption. † Whereas in â€Å"A Voice from Russia’s Past,† by Jack Fruchtman Jr. he simply argues that Solzhenitsyn is speaking from Slavophiles point of view, which stands as a group of Russian philologists and nationalists interested in the origins of the Russian language.Fruchtman also stated that Solzhenitsyn echoed this theme at Harvard when he noted that the philosophical foundation of the West has historically rested on a â€Å"rationalistic humanism,† by which he meant â€Å"the proclaimed and enforced autonomy of man from any higher force above him. (Fruchtman 44)† My last and final source will come from â€Å"Presenting Humanism† by Jende Huang. Huang speaks from a humanist view and states that our society has been so socialized to accept the idea that believing in God is something that is â€Å"good,† and even for a religious liberal, there may exist, an unconscious desire to hold onto that.The realization that you don't need a god to live your life is a difficult one and one that cannot be easily acknowledged. Solzhenitsyn and Huang share some of the same spiritual beliefs when referring to man. Huang stat es that man was created to be â€Å"God like† and to pattern ways after God. Speaking from a humanist point of view Huang says, â€Å"ideally, humanist are continually open to new ideas and new information, nd refuse to be shackled by beliefs that remain outside the realm of testability,† (Huang 1-3); he proves this by stating humanism is analogous to science in the sense that both are concerned not only with the body of knowledge and the evidence that supports it, but with efficient means and methods used to gain knowledge. Is it right that man’s life and society’s activities are ruled by material expansion above all? Solzhenitsyn asks this question in reference to government. Laws are put in place to abide by but there is always a loop hole in any law system.Laws are to protect the rights of others or for humans as one body to abide by. Through all the materialistic abuse of power used by some government officials, Solzhenitsyn tends to acknowledge that even in the era that he is in, man is still the head. Life after death, as he talks about spirituality, should be better than your life on earth. Even Huang states that if you accept the bible as truth, you’re agreeing that God would spread his message to pre-agricultural nomads who couldn’t even imagine the evaluation of human society over the subsequent thousands of years.Understanding that you don’t need God to live your everyday life, Huang says, humans still do things to show representation that he is a factor in life such as: going to church and taking communion; â€Å" Do this as often as you remember me† 1st Corinthians 11:25 (NKJ). Man is not perfect but by following the bible he can reach salvation and become cleansed through baptism and understanding that each day you can become more â€Å"God like. James Reston who wrote â€Å"A Russian at Harvard† states that Solzhenitsyn is right in many cases but contradicts the demeanor of his mes sage a lot. Solzhenitsyn entitles his address â€Å"A World Split Apart† why so Reston questions the diverse message in each passage to say it sounds like a â€Å"mind split apart† (Reston pg. 37). Reston says that Solzhenitsyn was right to complain about that â€Å"hastiness and superficiality are the psychic disease of the Twentieth Century† (Reston pg. 38); in reference to the war period and the lack of spiritual belief. After the suffering of decades of violence and oppression, the human soul longs for things higher, warmer and purer than those offered by today’s mass living habits, introduced by the revolting invasion of publicity, by TV stupor and by intolerable music†,(Solzhenitsyn pg. 14) Solzhenitsyn writes this statement proving all points to the lacking of â€Å"spiritual being† stated by him. Ending his speech, Solzhenitsyn speaks about a higher power. In Philippians 4:13 it says, â€Å"I can do all things through Christ (God) wh ich strengthen me† (NKJ). Solzhenitsyn asks â€Å"Is it true that man is above everything? Is there no superior spirit above him?Is it right that man’s life and society’s activities should be ruled by material expansion above all? Is it permissible to promote such expansion to the detriment of our integral spiritual life? †(Solzhenitsyn pg. 21) What is life or even afterlife? In contrast with that similar understanding Fruchtman attacks by still having Solzhenitsyn, in a Slavophile voice he states that Solzhenitsyn and the Slavophiles believe that this decline and everything accompanying it was deeply rooted in Western history, a history of man, where man has lost his spiritual tie to the infinite, the eternal, and the timeless( Fruchtman pg. 45).The Slavophile Ivan Kiereevsky wrote, â€Å" it is painful to see what a subtle, but inevitable and just-sent madness now drives the Western man. He feels his darkness and like a moth, he flies into the fire, whi ch he takes to be the sun. He cries like a frog and barks like a dog, when he hears the word of God. †(Fruchtman pg. 45) Man, in short, is no longer human, and the decline of the West is upon us. Fruchtman attests his point later on in his response when he references how Solzhenitsyn says it is a society which is doomed because of its rejection of spirituality and its concomitant worship of reason and material things.Because the West had a tremendous fall in spirituality, Solzhenitsyn began to question, in order to get out the state that the West is in, who does man look up? During the time of the speech men were dominant in the sense of being superior to women, but if â€Å"lost† in sense of spirituality and begin to believe that modern ways and material things are more important than being God like. Is it actually true that man is everything and neither that nor anyone is superior to him? â€Å"We turned our backs upon the Spirit,† Mr. Solzhenitsyn proclaimed, â€Å"and embraced all that is material with excessive and unwarranted zeal,† (Pg. 4). Fruchtman stated, for the Slavophiles, the West was decadent primarily because it had adopted the worship of rationality, matter and form. Moreover, it relied too much on legalistic systems of thought and action. This particular statement reflects Solzhenitsyn outlook on one’s self; Solzhenitsyn supports this statement when he stated that only by the voluntary nurturing in ourselves of freely accepted and serene self-restraint can mankind rise above a world stream of materialism. (pg. 20-21) Solzhenitsyn infers that no one on earth has any way left but upward climbing to the next anthropological stage (Pg. 1). Anthropological is the study of humanity, social action between humans and cultural as well as religious preferences. Fruchtman goes on to say for both Mr. Solzhenitsyn and the Slavophiles, men spiritual capacities have become subverted by the overpowering influences of reason and legality. Solzhenitsyn, Fruchtman, and Huang share similar beliefs when referring to man and higher powers above man. To pattern after God means to be â€Å"God like† as Huang states while Fruchtman counters Solzhenitsyn by saying he is speaking from a Slavophiles point of view.The West, as Solzhenitsyn portrays it is one who now has a lack of spiritual belief. The West, they argued, had emphasized rationality, compulsion and above all legalistic institutions and material wellbeing. Each of these qualities was in conflict with man’s inherent, goodness and virtue, Fruchtman writes. This statement proves his thought on how Solzhenitsyn is continually speaking and analyzing from his own humanistic view. As Solzhenitsyn states, â€Å"It will demand from us a spiritual blaze† (pg. 21). He infers to the west as whole and not singling any particular individual out; to act as one mind body and soul, but in government form.Laws are set in place to help us not hinder as a result he entitles this particular section â€Å"Before the Turn†. Still the question lies is there no superior spirit above man? If so how can we be more like him, how can we incorporate that higher power in our everyday life and in our law and judicial systems? How can take eyes off the moral standards of man and out them on the mindset for man to pattern after â€Å"God like† ways?

Anne Moodys Coming of Age in the Mississippi - 1268 Words

At the start of the book a naà ¯ve, young and innocent African American girl lived life almost oblivious to the socially constructed issue of race. She did not see the difference of skin color and believed it was perfectly normal to socialize with whites. As far as she was concerned raced did not exist. This view was quickly altered and changed as the little girl named Essie-Mae Moody grew up fast in a society dominated by racial boundaries involving whites, blacks and a hierarchy of people who had parts of both. Essie’s first encounter with race which initiated her first change, from being oblivious to being confused, occurred early in life. When she was young, she was friends with and often played with white children. This all changed†¦show more content†¦This was the worst of my fears.†8 This fear was also given life because she was not aware of what criteria or actions could cause an African American to be killed. She came to the conclusion that being black was enough.9 â€Å"I was fifteen years old when I began to hate people. I hated the white men who murdered Emmitt Till and I hated all the other whites who were responsible for countless murders†¦and those I vaguely remembered from childhood.†10 The section of the book that this quote comes from shows an attitude toward race that Essie-Mae retains for a significant amount of time. Her feelings were characterized by anger. As the story progresses it comes to be known that Essie does not solely blame the whites. She considered the black community just as guilty for allowing the atrocities to occur. At this point in time Essie-Mae showed that she did not blame just one side of the racial spectrum; she blamed everyone for their part in contributing to the problem.11 Her anger eventually transformed into hatred as more atrocities occurred that involved the killings of African Americans. The major event that caused Essie-Mae Moody to hate was the murder of Samuel O’Quinn. This murder was the straw that broke the camel’s back in relation to Essie’s shift to saying she hated whites. His death reminded her of all the other killings she had buried away inside of her that were waiting to explode. She was even more angry that she wanted to take direct action against what wasShow MoreRelated Anne Moodys Coming of Age in Mississippi Essay1127 Words   |  5 PagesAnne Moodys Coming of Age in Mississippi Coming of Age in Mississippi is the amazing story of Anne Moodys unbreakable spirit and character throughout the first twenty-three years of her life. Time and time again she speaks of unthinkable odds and conditions and how she manages to keep excelling in her aspirations, yet she ends the book with a tone of hesitation, fear, and skepticism. While she continually fought the tide of society and her elders, suddenly in the end she is speaking asRead MoreAnne Moodys Autobiography Coming of Age in Mississippi Essay1210 Words   |  5 PagesI couldnt believe it, but it was the Klan blacklist, with my picture on it. I guess I must have sat there for about an hour holding it, says Moody in her autobiography Coming of Age in Mississippi. In Moodys response to the blacklist, one pervasive theme from her memoir becomes evident: though she participated in many of the same activist movements as her peers, Moody is separated from them by several things, chief among them being her ability to see the events of the 1960s through a wide, uncoloredRead MoreAnne Moody s Coming Of Age1189 Words   |  5 PagesAnne Moody is the author of Coming of Age in Mississippi which was originally published in 1968. Anne Moody is a famous African American Mississippi author who was born in Wilkinson County, Mississippi on September 15, 1940. She was the eldest of nine children born to Fred and Elnire Moody. While growing up in Mississippi, Moody attended a segregated school where she was an outstanding scholar. Moody cleaned houses in order to keep food on the table and clothes on her family members’ backs. In 1961Read MoreAnne Moody s Coming Of Age881 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"Moody, Anne. Coming of Age in Mississippi. New York: Dial, 1968. Print.† Anne Moody was a determined, educated, and an inspiring civil rights activist who was born in Gloster, Mississippi. Born on September 15th, 1940-passed away February 5th, 2015 Anne Moody dedicated her life to making the Un ited States a better place for not only African American’s, but pleaded for equality amongst all races as well. Awarded best book of the year in 1969 by the National Library Association, Anne Moody writesRead MoreComing Of Age Throughout Mississippi By Anne Moody1206 Words   |  5 PagesAnne Moody’s, â€Å"Coming of Age in Mississippi† is an autobiography of hers that depicts the time of injustice, racial discrimination, oppression and the hardships African Americans dealt with during this time of inequality and how it led to Civil Rights Movement. Anne Moody’s overall life experience since her young age of 4, till her age of 24 of the movement, greatly shows the struggles of the time with uses on her emotional experiences and her analyzing skills of her time which did not fail to catchRead MoreEssay about The Expansion of the Great Black Migration1253 Words   |  6 Pages Anne Moody: Coming of Age during the Great Black Migration Reviewing the life of a young girl to a woman in Wilkerson County, Mississippi, Coming of Age in Mississippi is an Autobiography written by the civil rights activist Anne Moody. Raised in the 1940s, Anne Moody experienced a point in time where Black codes and Jim Crow laws hindered the expansion of black rights in Southern parts of the United States. Seen to most as an eye opening autobiography, Coming of Age in Mississippi is AnneRead MoreHistory Essay Review756 Words   |  4 PagesTHE UNITED STATES: 1865 TO THE PRESENT Writing Assignments / Midterm Exams and Book Discussion Section Required Texts: * Anne Moody, Coming of Age in Mississippi (Random House, 1992). ISBN: 9780440314882 Anne Moody was born on September 15, 1940, in Wilkinson County, Mississippi. Coming ofAge in Mississippi is an autobiographical book about life in Mississippi, the struggle of African Americans in the state and in the South, the life of a black child and woman in the South, and the roleRead MoreAnne Moody s Coming Of Age Essay1088 Words   |  5 PagesAnne Moody, a black activist in the twentieth century, wrote an autobiography, Coming of Age in Mississippi, which illustrated how life was like growing up poor and black in the rural south. She wrote in details of her life living in the racist society and what it meant to be black in the South twentieth century. Readers were able to understand her personal thoughts as well as her memories of the fight growing up in the south and her involvement in the Civil Rights Movement. Moody grew up with aRead MoreAnne Moody s Coming Of Age During Mississippi And Non Violent Vs. Violent Protest For Civil Rights1640 Words   |  7 PagesSamuel Co nner Professor M. Du Bois HIST1025-002 October 30, 2015 Dreamers Instead of Leaders: Anne Moody’s Coming of Age in Mississippi and Non-Violent vs. Violent Protest for Civil Rights The American Civil Rights Movement in the late 1950s and 1960s generated massive international following and controversy, which made the movement one of the most important in U.S. history. The movement’s legacy can still be felt today, with the positive aspects, such as voting rights to African Americans and wideRead MoreComing of Age in Mississippi vs. The Jungle Paper1039 Words   |  5 PagesComing of Age in Mississippi vs. The Jungle Paper There is an argument that states that Anne Moodys tale in Coming of Age in Mississippi is a more optimistic tale then that of Jurgis Rutkis in The Jungle and vice versa. This is not the case. When you take the time to analyze both story, you come to find that both have the same pessimistic core. The only difference is the character Jurgis was optimist throughout most of the beginning despite his circumstances yet in the end he loses all hope