The Strategic Importance of the Battle of Fort Donelson Research Paper

The Strategic Importance of the Battle of Fort Donelson - Research Paper Example John Thayer became the leader of the Nebraska regiment. The regiment spent time in Missouri with General John Fremont in preparation for the war. The regiment marched directly through St. Louis where it was reported that several people thronged by the road to witness their hero. In December, the troops were under a constabulary duty to defend their state. The State had experienced some defeats earlier in August and this had caused many fears to the State. To defend them, the State waged a tactical guerilla war and bushwalking to counter their enemies. Major General Sterling Price had managed to confide all the southern in Missouri State with the aid of union forces (Cooling 2003). This force joined another union under the control of Major Brig and Gen. John Pope who struggled to restore peace and order in the northern part. As a trial, the Nebraska participated in a skirmish at Shawnee mound on the Black River. The union managed to capture other hundreds of confederates and the warmo ngers were appreciated for their efforts. By this time, the troupe now was ready for the campaign in 1862. In January 1862, Gen. Ulysses Grant commanded a garrison at Kentucky and convinced the commander of Missouri Gen. Henry Halleck that they were to break the western defense force in order to conquer that State. In this regard, first Donelson, which was near River Tennessee were the weakest and most attractive link between Mississippi and Cumberland Gap. Grant won the support from Andrew Foote and the two launched a strong army, which were determined to win this confederate and bring it under their control. Grant had fears that his troop had few men and thus he had to strengthen his army before he made any move (Palagruto 2010). He used two methods to reinforce his troops as he first stripped his department and eliminated any regiment that could arise as opponent to his mission and secondly, Hallenick made orders that could forward the zealous and untested the Nebraska in order t o test the strength of Nebraska. The Nebraskans boarded a train to St. Louis while the regiment group opted for a steamer train to transport them to join Grant’s troop. Several groups started to arrive at fort Henry and Grant immediately ordered these boats to move further to Cumberland where they could carry out their operations. This was meant to reinforce grant’s operations in fort Donelson. The heavy February rains in the area dismantled transportation along the rivers and at the same time Grant’s troop were facing opposition from stubborn defenders at fort Donelson. The port was not easily conquered as it had several creeks, heavy woods, ravines, and the current floods. The Tennessean fighters were out to defend their land and they managed to guard their guard (Palagruto, 2010). The confederates understood that Tennessee, Mississippi, and Cumberland River were the vital targets by the rebel forces. Thus, they could not allow them to access this area for it linked the North and the South. In addition, the rivers were a major means of transport between the two states that is the South and the North. The Southerners struggled all their best to defend these rivers as the North could easily attack them. The confederate prepared well by constructing Fort Henry along River Tennessee and fort Donelson along river Cumberland to act as protection against their enemies. The two ports

Canadarm :: essays research papers

Canadarm Although Canada has been involved with the space race since the beginning, nothing has made our national pride glow like watching the space shuttles and seeing the big letters CANADA written across the Canadarm. The Canadarm was fist launched into space on November 13, 1981 as part of Columbia. During that mission, the Canadarm successfully flexed its muscles and secured its position in the future of space travel. It was developed by Spar Aerospace with the National Research Council and modelled after the human arm. Otherwise known as a Remote Manipulator System, it could lift 30 tonnes in space while being monitored and operated from the indoor shuttle flight deck. The Canadarm is about to introduce its new and improved sibling. Back in 1987, when documents were signed between countries to work towards a permanently manned Space Station, Canada agreed to provide a Mobile Servicing System (MSS). The MSS will be an integral part of the Space Station from the beginning, it will be used in the assembly, maintenance and servicing of the Station. In return, Canadians will be able to have full use of the Station and will assist with its management. Canadian Astronaut Julie Payette will be operating the new arm on its first mission and explains how in the following excerpt from a NASA Preflight Interview: "This arm flies like an airplane, it's a six-dimension arm where you can rotate the tip of the arm, so you can translate that tip along the cargo bay of the shuttle and up the stack of the International Space Station. It is an absolute joy to fly. Right after the space walk is complete is when I am timelined in the flight to go on the controls of the Canadarm, as we call it in Canada, or the remote manipulator system. I will use the camera, which is mounted at the end of the tip of the arm, to survey all the targets that are placed on the Space Station, the space vision target. I survey them to see if they're in good shape, any problems with them, if they've been scratched, and if there are bubbles in the material. The reason why the people from the space vision system program require that very thorough survey of every single target on the Space Station is that each target will be used on the next flight to manipulate and dock pieces of equipment together.

Cultural relativism Essay

The issue of universalism of human rights vs. cultural relativism has been a focal point of heated debate for the last several decades. As globalization is bringing nations together, cultural differences and peculiarities become increasingly more salient. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nation in 1948, lists several categories of rights that the peoples of the world have agreed to accept and recognize. These rights include the right to life, liberty and security of person; the right to be free from slavery and servitude; the right not to be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or arbitrary arrest, detention or exile; the right to marriage with the free and full consent of the parties; the right to own property; the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religionm; and the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favorable conditions of work (United Nations, 1948). These rights are universally recognized because they protect the dignity of an individual and the basic social institutions which are present in virtually every culture. However, their universality is still contested, as â€Å"human rights as laid out in the international covenants ignore the traditions, the religions, and the socio-cultural patterns of what used to be called the Third World† (Tharoor, 1998, para. 1). For example, in some African societies, â€Å"group rights have always taken precedence over individual rights, and political decisions have been made through group consensus, not through individual assertions of rights† (Tharoor, 1998, para. 4). There are many instances when traditional practices conflict with universal human rights. For example, female genital mutilation, practiced by some African and Asian people for cultural and communal reasons, translates into irreversible lifelong health risks for females (UNICEF, 2008). The debate whether human rights are universal is perennial. It is important to recognize, however, that an effective framework for the protection of human rights can be developed only using a bottom-up approach, giving the broad support of a society where human rights are promoted. References Tharoor, Shashi. (1998). Are Human Rights Universal? World Policy Journal, 16(4). Retieved June 11, 2009, from http://www. worldpolicy. org/journal/tharoor. html UNICEF. (2008). Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting. Retrieved June 11, 2009, from http://www. unicef. org/protection/index_genitalmutilation. html United Nations. (1948). The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Retrieved June 11, 2009, from http://www. un. org/en/documents/udhr

Understanding the Progressive Era

It can be difficult for students to understand the relevance of the period we call The Progressive Era because society before this period was very different from the society and the conditions we know today. We often assume that certain things have always been around, like laws about child labor and fire safety standards. If you are researching this era for a project or research paper, you should begin by thinking about the way things were before government and society changed in America. Before the events of the Progressive Era occurred (1890-1920), American society was much different. The federal government had less of an impact on the lives of the citizen than we know today.  For example, there are laws that regulate the quality of food that is sold to American citizens, the wage that is paid to workers, and the work conditions that are endured by American workers. Before the Progressive Era food, living conditions, and employment was different. Children were employed in factoriesWages were low and unregulated (with no wage minimums)Factories were crammed and unsafeNo standards existed for food safetyNo safety net existed for citizens who couldnt find employmentHousing conditions were unregulatedThe environment was not protected by federal regulations The Progressive Movement refers to social and political movements that emerged in response to rapid industrialization from which caused societal ills.  As cities and factories emerged and grew, quality of life declined for many American citizens. Many people worked to change the unjust conditions that existed as a result of the industrial growth that took place during the late 19th century. These early progressives thought that education and government intervention could ease poverty and social injustice. Key People and Events of the Progressive Era In 1886, the American Federation of Labor is founded by Samuel Gompers. This was one of many unions that emerged toward the end of the nineteenth century in response to unfair labor practices like long hours, child labor, and dangerous working conditions. Photojournalist Jacob Riis exposes deplorable living conditions in the slums of New York in his book How the Other Half Lives: Studies Among the Tenements of New York.   Conservation of natural resources becomes a matter of public concern, as the Sierra Club was founded in 1892 by John Muir. Womens Suffrage gains steam when Carrie Chapman Catt becomes president of the National American Womens Suffrage Association.   Theodore Roosevelt becomes president in 1901 after the death of McKinley. Roosevelt was an advocate for trust busting, or the breaking up of powerful monopolies that crushed competitors and controlled prices and wages. The American Socialist Party was established in 1901.   Coal miners strike in Pennsylvania in 1902 to protest their terrible working conditions. In 1906, Upton Sinclair publishes The Jungle, which portrayed the deplorable conditions inside the meatpacking industry in Chicago. This led to the establishment of food and drug regulations. In 1911, a fire broke out at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company, which occupied the eighth, ninth, and tenth floors of a building in New York. Most of the employees were young women aged sixteen to twenty-three, and many on the ninth floor perished because exits and fire escapes were locked and blocked by the company officials. The company was acquitted of any wrongdoing, but the outrage and sympathy from this event prompted legislation concerning  unsafe working conditions. President Woodrow Wilson signs the Keating-Owens Act in 1916, which made it illegal to ship goods across state lines if they were produced by child labor. In 1920, Congress passed the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. Research Topics for The Progressive Era   What was life like for children who worked in factories? How was this different from the work of children who lived on farms?How did views on immigration and race change during the Progressive Era? Did the legislation of this era effect all people, or were certain populations most affected?How do you suppose the trust busting legislation affected business owners? Consider exploring the events of the Progressive Era from the point of view of wealthy industrialists.How did living conditions change for people who moved from the country to the cities during this time period? How were people better off or worse off during the shift from country living to city living?Who were the major figures in the Womens Suffrage movement? How was life impacted for these women who came forward?Explore and compare life in a mill village and life in a coal camp.Why did the concern for environmental issues and natural resource preservation emerge at the same time as concern and awareness for social issues like poverty? How are these topics related?Writers and photojournalists were key figures in Progressive Era reforms. How does their role compare to changes that have taken place due to the emergence of social media?How has the power of the federal government changed since the Progressive Era? How have the powers of individual states changed? What about the power of the individual?How would you compare the changes in society during the Progressive Era to changes in society during and after the Civil War?What is meant by the term progressive? Were the changes that took place during this time period actually progressive? What does the term progressive mean in the current political climate?The Seventeenth Amendment, which allowed for the direct election of US Senators, was ratified in 1913 during the period known as the Progressive Era. How does this reflect the sentiments of this period?There were many setbacks to the Progressive Era movements and campaigns. Who and what created these setbacks, and what were the interests of the parties involved?Prohibition, the constitutional ban on the production and transportation of alcoholic beverages, also took place during the Progressive Era. How and why was alcohol the subject of concern during this period? What was the impact of Prohibition, good and bad, on society?What was the role of the Supreme Court during the Progressive Era?   Further Reading for The Progressive Era Prohibition and Progressive Reform The Fight for Womens Suffrage Muckrakers