Abolishing the death tax!!!
When some one dies they usually have a will, in that legal document is the division of his land and capital. Even though people are taxed throughout their lives, the government wants to reinstate the death tax. The death tax will take 55% of the assets that a person who dies has. Even though the death tax only is less than 1% of the governments’ revenue, it’s a slap to the face of America; it takes the money out of the economy and puts it into the overinflated government. The death tax destroys small and family owned businesses because every time it’s passed down a generation, over half of the land, buildings, and money are taken by the government. Nowadays people can't afford to pass on their business, so they sell out, letting long-time employees go. Not because they want to, but because they have to. And the echo reverberates through an entire community. A few examples are “The Death Tax has caused the loss of over 236,000 jobs last year alone because small business owners struggled to pay the tax just to stay in business.” And also “The Death Tax will directly force American Farmers to sell off property that has been in their family for generations, just so they can pay.“
That is why this should be created into an amendment and added to the constitution.
1/15/2009
1/12/2009
chem metric system
Americans for a Metric Revolution
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2324499886
The people behind “Americans for metric Revolution” believe that adopting the metric system would align the united states with “the rest of the civilized world.”
The metric system is basically common units of length, all divisibly by ten and the powers of ten. The basic terms for these units of measurement were created using the earth. The Earth was selected as the first measuring stick. The meter was defined to be one ten-millionth of the distance from the Equator to the North Pole. The liter was to be the volume of one cubic decimeter, the kilogram was to be the weight of a liter of pure water, and the gram to be the mass of one cubic centimeter of pure water On top of these common units, prefixes were designed to help with easy calculation. The prefixes indicate powers of ten, so that metric units are always divided into tens, hundreds, thousands, etc. The original prefixes included milli- for 1/1,000, centi- for 1/100, deci- for 1/10, deka- for 10, hecto- for 100, and kilo- for 1,000.
So far the congress has done nothing about this that I can figure out, this group needs at least 100,000 signatures to even consider making their dream a reality. And so far they have around 5,000
All but 3 countries have adopted the metric system: Liberia, Myanmar(Burma), and, of course, the United States of America.
The difference between SI and the metric system is that SI is based off the human body, how far you can walk while smoking a cigar, grain, and various other objects.
The seven main units’ for SI are
the meter for distance, M
the kilogram for mass, Kg
the second for time, S
the ampere for electric current, Am
the Kelvin for temperature, K
the mole for amount of substance, Mol
the candela for intensity of light. Cand
deci (d) 1/10
centi (c) 1/100
milli (m) 1/1000
micro (ยต) 1/1000000
nano (n) 1/1000000000
deka (da) 10
Hecto (h) 100
Kilo (k) 1000
Mega (M) 1000000
Giga (G) 1000000000
I think the metric system would be good for America because it be nice to be able to switch from one set of units to another, that kind of thing is really helpful when me and my dad are building houses.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2324499886
The people behind “Americans for metric Revolution” believe that adopting the metric system would align the united states with “the rest of the civilized world.”
The metric system is basically common units of length, all divisibly by ten and the powers of ten. The basic terms for these units of measurement were created using the earth. The Earth was selected as the first measuring stick. The meter was defined to be one ten-millionth of the distance from the Equator to the North Pole. The liter was to be the volume of one cubic decimeter, the kilogram was to be the weight of a liter of pure water, and the gram to be the mass of one cubic centimeter of pure water On top of these common units, prefixes were designed to help with easy calculation. The prefixes indicate powers of ten, so that metric units are always divided into tens, hundreds, thousands, etc. The original prefixes included milli- for 1/1,000, centi- for 1/100, deci- for 1/10, deka- for 10, hecto- for 100, and kilo- for 1,000.
So far the congress has done nothing about this that I can figure out, this group needs at least 100,000 signatures to even consider making their dream a reality. And so far they have around 5,000
All but 3 countries have adopted the metric system: Liberia, Myanmar(Burma), and, of course, the United States of America.
The difference between SI and the metric system is that SI is based off the human body, how far you can walk while smoking a cigar, grain, and various other objects.
The seven main units’ for SI are
the meter for distance, M
the kilogram for mass, Kg
the second for time, S
the ampere for electric current, Am
the Kelvin for temperature, K
the mole for amount of substance, Mol
the candela for intensity of light. Cand
deci (d) 1/10
centi (c) 1/100
milli (m) 1/1000
micro (ยต) 1/1000000
nano (n) 1/1000000000
deka (da) 10
Hecto (h) 100
Kilo (k) 1000
Mega (M) 1000000
Giga (G) 1000000000
I think the metric system would be good for America because it be nice to be able to switch from one set of units to another, that kind of thing is really helpful when me and my dad are building houses.
1/08/2009
acid rain
Acid Rain
http://www.epa.gov/acidrain/what/index.html
Acid Rain is mainly caused by Sulfur Dioxide and Nitrogen Oxide particulates/gasses mixing with water vapors and oxygen above our heads. The result of this solution is a mild sulfuric acid and mild nitric acid.
Where these emissions come from are mainly Electric power generation plants that rely on combustion of fossil fuels, i.e. coal, to produce electricity. Emissions = smoke/gasses from power plants
Acid rain can also become acid fog, snow, mist. This evidentially affects the ecosystem that is reliant on the water.ie trees, fish, ECT.
http://www.epa.gov/acidrain/what/index.html
Acid Rain is mainly caused by Sulfur Dioxide and Nitrogen Oxide particulates/gasses mixing with water vapors and oxygen above our heads. The result of this solution is a mild sulfuric acid and mild nitric acid.
Where these emissions come from are mainly Electric power generation plants that rely on combustion of fossil fuels, i.e. coal, to produce electricity. Emissions = smoke/gasses from power plants
Acid rain can also become acid fog, snow, mist. This evidentially affects the ecosystem that is reliant on the water.ie trees, fish, ECT.
12/11/2008
Portfolio: essay #1
Aus†in Gibbs
During the colonization of the eastern coast of America, Native Americans were killing the colonists because they were “intruding” on their land. Accordingly they tried to scare off the settlers using brutal and inhumane methods, the Indians would capture settlements and “before they would deprive [the settlers] of their lives, would take great deal of time to deprive them first their skins, and if life had not, though the anguish of pain, forsaken their tormented bodies, [the Indians] with there teeth, tear the nails off of [their fingers and their] toes.”(Document #5)The Natives were causing much heartache for the meager farmers and frontiersmen. I believe that Native Americans were the major cause for Nathaniel Bacon’s Rebellion. The impacts that Native Americans had on the English settlers were the high taxes that the Government subjected the people to so they could built better forts; the Indians killed 60% of the settlers; and the Indians killed Bacon’s dear friend that ignited Bacons hatred for the Natives.
On one fateful day, ”The trouble began in July 1675 with a raid by the Doeg Indians on the plantation of Thomas Mathews, located in the Northern Neck section of Virginia near the Potomac River. Several of the Doegs were killed in the raid, which began in a dispute over the nonpayment of some items Mathews had apparently obtained from the tribe. The situation became critical when, in a retaliatory strike by the colonists, they attacked the wrong Indians, the Susquehanaugs, which caused large scale Indian raids to begin.”(http://answers.yahoo.com/question /index?qid=20070920144315AA1GThS) I concede that the Indians were trying to send a message to the colonists telling them to stay off of their land, though I still insist that the colonists had a right to be there so they attacked back. The reason why the Natives attacked the Mathews plantation was because of an argument over some un-paid for pigs. The Indians killed Mathew’s servant because Mathews supposedly didn’t pay for some pigs he bought from the Indians. One of the servants was Bacon’s dear friend, he didn’t do anything wrong to deserve to die. This really enraged bacon. When Nathaniel Bacon when to the governor to ask permission to fight the natives he found out that “our present Governor monopolized a trade with the Indians and granted licenses to others to trade with them for which he had every 3rd skin, which trading with the Indians proved has so fatal to these parts of the world, […] [this trading] has also brought them [the Indians] generally to use of Fire Arms with such dexterity [.]” (Document #12) this meant that the Governor is protecting the Indians for his personal gain, the Indians also acquired fire arms and were becoming quite skilled with them. Bacon also states that “it has proved fatal” to trade with the Indians because the Indians would often ambush traders and steal what ever they had on them. “the murders and depradations they have committed here are horrible and continual, laying a great part of the country desolate, and forcing the inhabitants to fly from their dwelling to their ruin[.]” (Document #12) The Indians were killing the settlers and forcing them to run away from their homes into poverty because they needed to make a living with the land that they had. In The Journal of Southwestern History the author observes that “Governor Berkeley’s policy of Vacillation encourages the Indians to terrorize the Frontier.” The fact that Indians were killing the poor settlers and the governor was not doing anything about it and was endorsing it was, I feel, the biggest catalyst for Bacons Rebellion.
Because the Indians were constantly attacking the frontiersmen and colonists, the king took over the government and started taxing the colonists so that they could pay for Indian proof forts. As said in Document #10, “We [the poor colonists] having a long time lain under great oppressions, and every year being more and more oppressed with great taxes, and still do load us greater and unnecessary burdens; it was enacted by the Governor and assembly for the building of our forts back in the woods upon several great man’s Lands, under pretense of security for against the Indians [.]” the colonists were being taxed so that the government could build useless forts because not only was the land that they used was wasted but the Indians were smart enough not to attack them. In the William and Mary Quarterly it states that the “Lives and fortunes of ye poor inhabitants [were] wretchedly sacrificed.” As I argued before the Indians were forcing the colonists to make a choice; flee their homes and forfeit their wealth, or try to fight them but ultimately die.
Another reason I know that the Natives caused Bacons Rebellion is the fact that the Natives were laying siege to the English settlements. In the history book it states “a deadly sequence of battles killed more than a thousand colonists […] the Indians destroyed thirteen English settlements and partially burned another half dozen.” That’s what the Indians were doing when they “in a very short time had, in a most inhumane manner, murthered no less then sixty innocent people [.]” (Document #5) the Susuehannah Indians were going on a killing spree for no apparent reason. The Indians killed off about 60% of the settlers and immigrants, it would be a lie to say that the settlers did not fight back but the government didn’t want them to. The Government wanted to “keep the peace” but I argue that they were too ignorant and to egotistical to care. Bacon saw what the Indians were doing and he had the courage to attempt to fix it.
In retrospect and futurespect, I firmly believe that the Native Americans caused Bacons Rebellion because they were killing the settlers that were infringing on their land. The colonists had to occupy the Natives land because English colonies were soon overpopulated by natural increase and the overwhelming number of immigrants coming to America. These people needed land to survive, so they claimed land that was outside the treaty boundaries. At first the Indians were ok with the meager settlers’ houses popping up here and there and sometimes traded with them. But the Indians grew wary of the encroaching settlers. I strongly believe that the behavior of the Indians was the main contributing factor in the Bacon’s Rebellion. The Indians killed Bacons friend which ignited Bacon’s hatred for the Natives, they instigated the need for the populist to be taxed even more which caused the colonists to rally to bacons cause, and they killed 60% of the English colonists which rallied even more support to Bacons cause. Thus starting the rebellion.
Bacon’s rebellion can be related to any anything if an organized group has a cause against unjustness’s of a bigger commerce. Bacons rebellion can be associated to my life in the way that the Union Workers are striking against the Boeing Company. The workers, such as my dad, are refusing to work for Boeing because,
- - - - “The Company is systematically trying to replace us [the machinists] with much cheaper venders [workers from different companies] who want to do our job. Where they have tried to do our job in the factory they have made many costly and time consuming mistakes. This results in rework where we actually tear the airplane apart to fix it and put it back together, which usually results in other damage. Retiree medical, pension, and other takeaways at a time when Boeing is making record profits is a real slap in the face of our members who made it all possible.”
My dad and other workers are like the poor colonists being attacked by the Indians, the Indians represent the other venders taking the jobs and doing them half assed, and the Boeing Company is the Government and they are allowing this to happen. So my dad and his coworkers are “rebelling” against the “Government” and the “Indians”. My dad and many others are fighting because they know it’s the right thing to do, standing up against the “Man” because what the company is doing is wrong and affecting them in a major way.
During the colonization of the eastern coast of America, Native Americans were killing the colonists because they were “intruding” on their land. Accordingly they tried to scare off the settlers using brutal and inhumane methods, the Indians would capture settlements and “before they would deprive [the settlers] of their lives, would take great deal of time to deprive them first their skins, and if life had not, though the anguish of pain, forsaken their tormented bodies, [the Indians] with there teeth, tear the nails off of [their fingers and their] toes.”(Document #5)The Natives were causing much heartache for the meager farmers and frontiersmen. I believe that Native Americans were the major cause for Nathaniel Bacon’s Rebellion. The impacts that Native Americans had on the English settlers were the high taxes that the Government subjected the people to so they could built better forts; the Indians killed 60% of the settlers; and the Indians killed Bacon’s dear friend that ignited Bacons hatred for the Natives.
On one fateful day, ”The trouble began in July 1675 with a raid by the Doeg Indians on the plantation of Thomas Mathews, located in the Northern Neck section of Virginia near the Potomac River. Several of the Doegs were killed in the raid, which began in a dispute over the nonpayment of some items Mathews had apparently obtained from the tribe. The situation became critical when, in a retaliatory strike by the colonists, they attacked the wrong Indians, the Susquehanaugs, which caused large scale Indian raids to begin.”(http://answers.yahoo.com/question /index?qid=20070920144315AA1GThS) I concede that the Indians were trying to send a message to the colonists telling them to stay off of their land, though I still insist that the colonists had a right to be there so they attacked back. The reason why the Natives attacked the Mathews plantation was because of an argument over some un-paid for pigs. The Indians killed Mathew’s servant because Mathews supposedly didn’t pay for some pigs he bought from the Indians. One of the servants was Bacon’s dear friend, he didn’t do anything wrong to deserve to die. This really enraged bacon. When Nathaniel Bacon when to the governor to ask permission to fight the natives he found out that “our present Governor monopolized a trade with the Indians and granted licenses to others to trade with them for which he had every 3rd skin, which trading with the Indians proved has so fatal to these parts of the world, […] [this trading] has also brought them [the Indians] generally to use of Fire Arms with such dexterity [.]” (Document #12) this meant that the Governor is protecting the Indians for his personal gain, the Indians also acquired fire arms and were becoming quite skilled with them. Bacon also states that “it has proved fatal” to trade with the Indians because the Indians would often ambush traders and steal what ever they had on them. “the murders and depradations they have committed here are horrible and continual, laying a great part of the country desolate, and forcing the inhabitants to fly from their dwelling to their ruin[.]” (Document #12) The Indians were killing the settlers and forcing them to run away from their homes into poverty because they needed to make a living with the land that they had. In The Journal of Southwestern History the author observes that “Governor Berkeley’s policy of Vacillation encourages the Indians to terrorize the Frontier.” The fact that Indians were killing the poor settlers and the governor was not doing anything about it and was endorsing it was, I feel, the biggest catalyst for Bacons Rebellion.
Because the Indians were constantly attacking the frontiersmen and colonists, the king took over the government and started taxing the colonists so that they could pay for Indian proof forts. As said in Document #10, “We [the poor colonists] having a long time lain under great oppressions, and every year being more and more oppressed with great taxes, and still do load us greater and unnecessary burdens; it was enacted by the Governor and assembly for the building of our forts back in the woods upon several great man’s Lands, under pretense of security for against the Indians [.]” the colonists were being taxed so that the government could build useless forts because not only was the land that they used was wasted but the Indians were smart enough not to attack them. In the William and Mary Quarterly it states that the “Lives and fortunes of ye poor inhabitants [were] wretchedly sacrificed.” As I argued before the Indians were forcing the colonists to make a choice; flee their homes and forfeit their wealth, or try to fight them but ultimately die.
Another reason I know that the Natives caused Bacons Rebellion is the fact that the Natives were laying siege to the English settlements. In the history book it states “a deadly sequence of battles killed more than a thousand colonists […] the Indians destroyed thirteen English settlements and partially burned another half dozen.” That’s what the Indians were doing when they “in a very short time had, in a most inhumane manner, murthered no less then sixty innocent people [.]” (Document #5) the Susuehannah Indians were going on a killing spree for no apparent reason. The Indians killed off about 60% of the settlers and immigrants, it would be a lie to say that the settlers did not fight back but the government didn’t want them to. The Government wanted to “keep the peace” but I argue that they were too ignorant and to egotistical to care. Bacon saw what the Indians were doing and he had the courage to attempt to fix it.
In retrospect and futurespect, I firmly believe that the Native Americans caused Bacons Rebellion because they were killing the settlers that were infringing on their land. The colonists had to occupy the Natives land because English colonies were soon overpopulated by natural increase and the overwhelming number of immigrants coming to America. These people needed land to survive, so they claimed land that was outside the treaty boundaries. At first the Indians were ok with the meager settlers’ houses popping up here and there and sometimes traded with them. But the Indians grew wary of the encroaching settlers. I strongly believe that the behavior of the Indians was the main contributing factor in the Bacon’s Rebellion. The Indians killed Bacons friend which ignited Bacon’s hatred for the Natives, they instigated the need for the populist to be taxed even more which caused the colonists to rally to bacons cause, and they killed 60% of the English colonists which rallied even more support to Bacons cause. Thus starting the rebellion.
Bacon’s rebellion can be related to any anything if an organized group has a cause against unjustness’s of a bigger commerce. Bacons rebellion can be associated to my life in the way that the Union Workers are striking against the Boeing Company. The workers, such as my dad, are refusing to work for Boeing because,
- - - - “The Company is systematically trying to replace us [the machinists] with much cheaper venders [workers from different companies] who want to do our job. Where they have tried to do our job in the factory they have made many costly and time consuming mistakes. This results in rework where we actually tear the airplane apart to fix it and put it back together, which usually results in other damage. Retiree medical, pension, and other takeaways at a time when Boeing is making record profits is a real slap in the face of our members who made it all possible.”
My dad and other workers are like the poor colonists being attacked by the Indians, the Indians represent the other venders taking the jobs and doing them half assed, and the Boeing Company is the Government and they are allowing this to happen. So my dad and his coworkers are “rebelling” against the “Government” and the “Indians”. My dad and many others are fighting because they know it’s the right thing to do, standing up against the “Man” because what the company is doing is wrong and affecting them in a major way.
Portfolio: essay #2
A journal entry by a disgruntled loyalists in North Carolina
As a member of the loyalist cause in North Carolina, I have witnessed countless malevolent acts and mayhem at the hands of the Patriots. The Patriots have done this to us loyal colonists because we remain steadfast in our faith to our Majestic Sovereign Lord, the King of England. The reason for their actions is irrational, nay they are absurd. The Patriots believe that withdrawing from the empire and the King’s influence will be good because the Patriots believe the king to be an irrational tyrant. By exaggerating most rumors, the patriots claim that it’s the king’s fault for all the taxes and economic disarray that some of the colonies are facing. It is not the king’s fault for the circumstances surrounding the civil strife and the ill content of the rebelling patriots. We need the King’s support in these colonies. In North Carolina, we need the king's political support, military protection,and economic firmness. with out these North Carolina will fall into turmoil and pandemonium.
I have witnessed violence in North Carolina erupt in the form of a civil war between colonists that are either loyalists or patriots. “In the years just before the outbreaks of the rebellion in the American colonies, violence and civil strife were peculiar characteristics of a bitter political struggle, in North Carolina this struggle was particularly venomous for, it had been said, the colony contained a greater number of loyalists in proportion to its population than any other”(Rankin & Babits.4). North Carolina is a hot spot for civil conflict and political debate because of the high ratio of loyalists to patriots in this colony. The patriots usually outnumber the loyalists three to one, but in North Carolina the odds are pretty much even, or outnumber the patriots. Conflict has spread throughout the colonies in just a few weeks from the rebelling patriots refusing to abide to our King’s sovereign power.Imagine what the colonies will be like when the Patriots force the people to secede from the protection of our gracious King! The Patriots’ argument for dissolving the ties we have with our mother country, Britain, is their claim that the king is a tyrannical force out to bend the will of his subjects thousands of miles away. It is clear that they have become a more terrifying and cruel ruler then the king ever was, thus making them hypocrites.
The patriots and Continental Congress are hypocrites; they have accused the King of being a tyrant when they have become a tyrannical force more spiteful then the King. They have traded a Monarchical tyranny for a democratic tyranny. The Continental Congress declared their independence from the king who protected us from the French and the Indians. They have betrayed his compassion and grace with ill-fitting contempt for him and his loyal subjects still among the colonies. This is why I am a loyalist; the King has protected us and has given our colony economic stability, which we repay his kindness with loyalty and reverence. In the declaration of rights of North Carolina, the Continental Congress writes,
“1st That there are certain natural rights of which men, when they form a social compact, cannot deprive or divest their posterity, among which are the enjoyment of life, and liberty, with the means of acquiring, possessing, and protecting property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety.
9th That no freeman ought to be taken, imprisoned, or disseized of his freehold, liberties, privileges or franchises, or outlawed or exiled, or in any manner destroyed or deprived of his life, liberty, or property but by the law of the land.
13th. That excessive bail ought not to be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted”. (Thorpe 1.)
How can they write these “rights” for all men, and then break them by treating us loyalists like rabid dogs, beating and killing us. We have the right to pursue life and liberty, with the means of acquiring, possessing, protecting property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety. How can we do so when they will not allow the king to protect us and when the men of congress let patriots tar and feather my loyalist’s brethren, burning our houses, destroying our land, hanged, abused, using cruel and unusual punishments, and all other atrocious deeds to us loyalists.
The torments caused by this civil war and lack of protection are so atrocious that many loyalists are lucky to escape and move away, “If they escaped [the loyalists] at all they had cause to rejoice. Letters soon followed them telling of insults and threats to the friends that remained. Their private coaches burned or pulled in pieces, loads of the rich importers goods were attacked and destroyed or stolen, and his effigy hung up in a conspicuous place in sight of his house, during the day, to be burned or ignominiously treated at night. One his riding horse, with saddle and bridle tarred and an image on its back, driven though town with an infamous figure pinned on the figures breast. Others were frightened by finding incendiary letters which intimidated tortures for all loyalists” (Van Tyne, Van H. Tyne, & Claude H Van Tyne. 3). I believe that these deeds do not go unheard by the Continental Congress but go unpunished; If the Congress cannot control its Patriotic subjects, how can we expect them to run these colonies as a unified whole. It takes a king, solid, righteous, and powerful to effectively run things. Look at all the chaos that has manifested itself in the short while that the patriots are rebelling. I believe that in order for Northern America to be truly successful, we need the economic support of our steadfast King and the loyalist people.
As a loyalist, I believe that economic stability is essential for prosperity of the colonies. The patriots say “ in North-America, we are of opinion, that a non-importation, non-consumption, and non-exportation agreement, faithfully adhered to, will prove the most speedy, effectual, and peaceable measure: And, therefore, we do, for ourselves, and the inhabitants of the several colonies, whom we represent, firmly agree and associate, under the sacred ties of virtue, honor and love of our country,[...] We will neither import nor purchase, any slave imported after the first day of December next; after which time, we will wholly discontinue the slave trade, and will neither be concerned in it ourselves, nor will we hire our vessels, nor sell our commodities or manufactures to those who are concerned in it.”(Chauncey 1) The Continental Congress wants to stop exporting, importing, and buying/selling slaves. I, for one, think these actions are foolish and childish. For the patriots to make the colonies stop exporting, importing, and buying slaves, means that the people have no income to buy food, clothing, and supplies. The people would not be able to sell their goods to buy basic necessities, they would not be able to keep their economy afloat, and the southern states would fail from the lack of labor.
Once again, I say as a proud loyalist that the king knows what’s best for this new land and its inhabitants. His experience and power have led this mass of people in the right direction for a long time. We need not recede from the empire, but harmonize with the king. He provides political support, protection, and economic stability to a divided land that needs it. He has ruled his empire without fail and we should trust him to lead us as well. LONG LIVE THE KING!!!!
CITED WORKS
Ford, Chauncey. "Journals of the Continental Congress." The Avalon Project. 1905. 19 Nov 2008.
Babits,Lawrence. Rankin, Hugh F. "The North Carolina Continentals." ISBN 0807856622(2005) 3-15. 17 Nov 2008.
Thorpe, Francis. "Constitution of North Carolina." The Avalon Project. 1906. 19 Nov 2008.
Van Tyne, H. van Tyne, Claude H van Tyne. "The loyalists in the American Revolution." (1975-1989) 45-46. 17 Nov 2008.
As a member of the loyalist cause in North Carolina, I have witnessed countless malevolent acts and mayhem at the hands of the Patriots. The Patriots have done this to us loyal colonists because we remain steadfast in our faith to our Majestic Sovereign Lord, the King of England. The reason for their actions is irrational, nay they are absurd. The Patriots believe that withdrawing from the empire and the King’s influence will be good because the Patriots believe the king to be an irrational tyrant. By exaggerating most rumors, the patriots claim that it’s the king’s fault for all the taxes and economic disarray that some of the colonies are facing. It is not the king’s fault for the circumstances surrounding the civil strife and the ill content of the rebelling patriots. We need the King’s support in these colonies. In North Carolina, we need the king's political support, military protection,and economic firmness. with out these North Carolina will fall into turmoil and pandemonium.
I have witnessed violence in North Carolina erupt in the form of a civil war between colonists that are either loyalists or patriots. “In the years just before the outbreaks of the rebellion in the American colonies, violence and civil strife were peculiar characteristics of a bitter political struggle, in North Carolina this struggle was particularly venomous for, it had been said, the colony contained a greater number of loyalists in proportion to its population than any other”(Rankin & Babits.4). North Carolina is a hot spot for civil conflict and political debate because of the high ratio of loyalists to patriots in this colony. The patriots usually outnumber the loyalists three to one, but in North Carolina the odds are pretty much even, or outnumber the patriots. Conflict has spread throughout the colonies in just a few weeks from the rebelling patriots refusing to abide to our King’s sovereign power.Imagine what the colonies will be like when the Patriots force the people to secede from the protection of our gracious King! The Patriots’ argument for dissolving the ties we have with our mother country, Britain, is their claim that the king is a tyrannical force out to bend the will of his subjects thousands of miles away. It is clear that they have become a more terrifying and cruel ruler then the king ever was, thus making them hypocrites.
The patriots and Continental Congress are hypocrites; they have accused the King of being a tyrant when they have become a tyrannical force more spiteful then the King. They have traded a Monarchical tyranny for a democratic tyranny. The Continental Congress declared their independence from the king who protected us from the French and the Indians. They have betrayed his compassion and grace with ill-fitting contempt for him and his loyal subjects still among the colonies. This is why I am a loyalist; the King has protected us and has given our colony economic stability, which we repay his kindness with loyalty and reverence. In the declaration of rights of North Carolina, the Continental Congress writes,
“1st That there are certain natural rights of which men, when they form a social compact, cannot deprive or divest their posterity, among which are the enjoyment of life, and liberty, with the means of acquiring, possessing, and protecting property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety.
9th That no freeman ought to be taken, imprisoned, or disseized of his freehold, liberties, privileges or franchises, or outlawed or exiled, or in any manner destroyed or deprived of his life, liberty, or property but by the law of the land.
13th. That excessive bail ought not to be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted”. (Thorpe 1.)
How can they write these “rights” for all men, and then break them by treating us loyalists like rabid dogs, beating and killing us. We have the right to pursue life and liberty, with the means of acquiring, possessing, protecting property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety. How can we do so when they will not allow the king to protect us and when the men of congress let patriots tar and feather my loyalist’s brethren, burning our houses, destroying our land, hanged, abused, using cruel and unusual punishments, and all other atrocious deeds to us loyalists.
The torments caused by this civil war and lack of protection are so atrocious that many loyalists are lucky to escape and move away, “If they escaped [the loyalists] at all they had cause to rejoice. Letters soon followed them telling of insults and threats to the friends that remained. Their private coaches burned or pulled in pieces, loads of the rich importers goods were attacked and destroyed or stolen, and his effigy hung up in a conspicuous place in sight of his house, during the day, to be burned or ignominiously treated at night. One his riding horse, with saddle and bridle tarred and an image on its back, driven though town with an infamous figure pinned on the figures breast. Others were frightened by finding incendiary letters which intimidated tortures for all loyalists” (Van Tyne, Van H. Tyne, & Claude H Van Tyne. 3). I believe that these deeds do not go unheard by the Continental Congress but go unpunished; If the Congress cannot control its Patriotic subjects, how can we expect them to run these colonies as a unified whole. It takes a king, solid, righteous, and powerful to effectively run things. Look at all the chaos that has manifested itself in the short while that the patriots are rebelling. I believe that in order for Northern America to be truly successful, we need the economic support of our steadfast King and the loyalist people.
As a loyalist, I believe that economic stability is essential for prosperity of the colonies. The patriots say “ in North-America, we are of opinion, that a non-importation, non-consumption, and non-exportation agreement, faithfully adhered to, will prove the most speedy, effectual, and peaceable measure: And, therefore, we do, for ourselves, and the inhabitants of the several colonies, whom we represent, firmly agree and associate, under the sacred ties of virtue, honor and love of our country,[...] We will neither import nor purchase, any slave imported after the first day of December next; after which time, we will wholly discontinue the slave trade, and will neither be concerned in it ourselves, nor will we hire our vessels, nor sell our commodities or manufactures to those who are concerned in it.”(Chauncey 1) The Continental Congress wants to stop exporting, importing, and buying/selling slaves. I, for one, think these actions are foolish and childish. For the patriots to make the colonies stop exporting, importing, and buying slaves, means that the people have no income to buy food, clothing, and supplies. The people would not be able to sell their goods to buy basic necessities, they would not be able to keep their economy afloat, and the southern states would fail from the lack of labor.
Once again, I say as a proud loyalist that the king knows what’s best for this new land and its inhabitants. His experience and power have led this mass of people in the right direction for a long time. We need not recede from the empire, but harmonize with the king. He provides political support, protection, and economic stability to a divided land that needs it. He has ruled his empire without fail and we should trust him to lead us as well. LONG LIVE THE KING!!!!
CITED WORKS
Ford, Chauncey. "Journals of the Continental Congress." The Avalon Project. 1905. 19 Nov 2008.
Babits,Lawrence. Rankin, Hugh F. "The North Carolina Continentals." ISBN 0807856622(2005) 3-15. 17 Nov 2008.
Thorpe, Francis. "Constitution of North Carolina." The Avalon Project. 1906. 19 Nov 2008.
Van Tyne, H. van Tyne, Claude H van Tyne. "The loyalists in the American Revolution." (1975-1989) 45-46. 17 Nov 2008.
Portfolio: final exam Frame 1
Portfolio: Final exam
Frame 1
Good Old Days Where Wit Won the Grade and not Technology.
What has become of our society in the way that 20% of the population is “functionally illiterate?” How has this happened to the U.S. when we are going through the biggest technological prosperity of our time, and being literate is needed to be able to do the simplest tasks of day-to-day life? Geoffrey Meredith states in his article “The Demise of Writing” that, “one-fifth of the population is functionally illiterate. A small percentage of these are older people with little formal education. A much larger percentage are youths--- high-school and even college graduates, who despite their degrees, cant fill out a simple employment form.” What Meredith is saying is it is not that they can’t read it’s that they can’t form a cohesive sentence or write about something without a spelling and grammar checker.
In essence what Meredith is claiming is that only 80% of the population can write a structured paper using correct grammar and format, even during this time of technological prosperity. Meredith states that, “Even in the United states, at a time when technological “progress” makes reading a survival skill, one fifth of the population is functionally illiterate.” It’s hard to comprehend that 20% of our American peers are functionally illiterate, and yet Meredith’s studies claim that, “larger percentage are youths--- high-school and even college graduates, who despite their degrees, cant fill out a simple employment form. And this is functional illiteracy. The percentage who can fill out the employment form but not understand Tom Wolfe (let alone Shakespeare) is vastly larger. ” He is saying that even though the populace who can fill out the employment forms, most of them cant understand the meaning of Shakespeare or Tom Wolfe. This is because the lack of thinking power used to write a paper now days have become an easy task mostly done by our computer. Our technology has many good uses but it has made us lazy and incompetent in the ways of writing. Technology is a two edged sword that has helped us but also hindered us. This is because we rely on the spell checker and the grammar checker to fix out mistakes instead of actually thinking about our paper.
How might we address and fix this problem is to start writing our essays by hand again, like in the good old days where wit won the grade and not technology. Like I said before, our technology has helped us greatly but it has come as a cost, our functional literacy. I believe this is true because we have relied too heavily on the spell and grammar checker throughout the coarse of five too ten years, and that is why some college students and high school students are functionally illiterate. I strongly agree with Meredith when he says, “this is why the most resent version of Microsoft’s Word program includes not just spelling checkers but subroutines that suggest and correct syntax, grammar, and even paragraph structure. And clearly these are needed.” All I can say to that is, Amen brother! I personally am a big fan of the spell checkers but I can see where it has hindered me in the long term.
Meredith classifies being “functionally illiterate” as not being able to write a paper or fill out an employment form using basic grammar and good sentence structure, as odd as this sounds, I have seen this problem in my house. My dad, who is 49, has to constantly use spell checker and can’t structure a sentence without making it choppy and I is almost impossible to follow his ideas. I sometimes have trouble with my spelling too, and I believe this to be a problem because the spell checker doesn’t help me to learn how to spell, I just click the button and mission accomplished, my paper is done and I haven’t learned all that much.
Ran out of time =\
Frame 1
Good Old Days Where Wit Won the Grade and not Technology.
What has become of our society in the way that 20% of the population is “functionally illiterate?” How has this happened to the U.S. when we are going through the biggest technological prosperity of our time, and being literate is needed to be able to do the simplest tasks of day-to-day life? Geoffrey Meredith states in his article “The Demise of Writing” that, “one-fifth of the population is functionally illiterate. A small percentage of these are older people with little formal education. A much larger percentage are youths--- high-school and even college graduates, who despite their degrees, cant fill out a simple employment form.” What Meredith is saying is it is not that they can’t read it’s that they can’t form a cohesive sentence or write about something without a spelling and grammar checker.
In essence what Meredith is claiming is that only 80% of the population can write a structured paper using correct grammar and format, even during this time of technological prosperity. Meredith states that, “Even in the United states, at a time when technological “progress” makes reading a survival skill, one fifth of the population is functionally illiterate.” It’s hard to comprehend that 20% of our American peers are functionally illiterate, and yet Meredith’s studies claim that, “larger percentage are youths--- high-school and even college graduates, who despite their degrees, cant fill out a simple employment form. And this is functional illiteracy. The percentage who can fill out the employment form but not understand Tom Wolfe (let alone Shakespeare) is vastly larger. ” He is saying that even though the populace who can fill out the employment forms, most of them cant understand the meaning of Shakespeare or Tom Wolfe. This is because the lack of thinking power used to write a paper now days have become an easy task mostly done by our computer. Our technology has many good uses but it has made us lazy and incompetent in the ways of writing. Technology is a two edged sword that has helped us but also hindered us. This is because we rely on the spell checker and the grammar checker to fix out mistakes instead of actually thinking about our paper.
How might we address and fix this problem is to start writing our essays by hand again, like in the good old days where wit won the grade and not technology. Like I said before, our technology has helped us greatly but it has come as a cost, our functional literacy. I believe this is true because we have relied too heavily on the spell and grammar checker throughout the coarse of five too ten years, and that is why some college students and high school students are functionally illiterate. I strongly agree with Meredith when he says, “this is why the most resent version of Microsoft’s Word program includes not just spelling checkers but subroutines that suggest and correct syntax, grammar, and even paragraph structure. And clearly these are needed.” All I can say to that is, Amen brother! I personally am a big fan of the spell checkers but I can see where it has hindered me in the long term.
Meredith classifies being “functionally illiterate” as not being able to write a paper or fill out an employment form using basic grammar and good sentence structure, as odd as this sounds, I have seen this problem in my house. My dad, who is 49, has to constantly use spell checker and can’t structure a sentence without making it choppy and I is almost impossible to follow his ideas. I sometimes have trouble with my spelling too, and I believe this to be a problem because the spell checker doesn’t help me to learn how to spell, I just click the button and mission accomplished, my paper is done and I haven’t learned all that much.
Ran out of time =\
Reflective letter for portfolio
In my portfolio, I have chosen to put in my Olive Branch Petition Text Analysis, and my second essay. The reason I chose to use these writings in my portfolio is that they show my growth in the areas I needed, such as my critical thinking, proof reading and summary and analysis skills. These are my weaknesses in writing but I have improved greatly over the duration of the class, my strengths now that I have completed my class are; I can write and edit papers as easily as I can read them: which is a big turn around for me, and I can read over a paper and determine how I could reword the material effectively to make it flow better.
When I look back on my high school writing classes, they were run of the mill very bleak classes that didn’t help me whatsoever. They never challenged the way I write and I usually pulled essays together at the last minute with bogus information.
The reason I like History and Writing 101 is because the classes challenge the way I think and process data. I actually have to think about what I’m reading and writing instead of repeating what a book said, then forgetting it after the assignment is over. The material we have covered in the classes will probably stick with me till I become senile or I die. This is because I have had to think critically on them during the in-class discussions and the writing assignments that I have completed. The fact that our teachers actually read our work instead of looking for a five paragraph format has really taught me how to write and what to look for in my writing while editing. Completing this twelve week course has educated me more than a traditional 1 year class. Yes it was hard and stressful half of the time, but it was not unwarranted. Everything Ben and Craig have us do had a purpose to help us become better writers and have a more in depth understanding of history. That is why I have chosen these 3 items to go in my portfolio, I believe that they show my best work in the sense that I have matured and grown wiser in my writing skill.
My first essay was a bit of a disaster, all my weaknesses were very predominant and I was unhappy with the outcome of my paper. I decided not to rewrite it because it would have only made a 2 point difference. I was disappointed in myself because I knew I didn’t try hard enough and I could have done better. That is why I praise myself on my second essay because I leaned a lot about how to write, like what works and what doesn’t. after my first eaay i walked away with a blow to my pride but a growth in my charachter
The second essay I wrote required me to write from the perspective of a Loyalist during the late 1700’s in the state of North Carolina. I had to write a persuasive essay explaining why I was a loyalist and why “the reader” should be too. This paper is by far the best writing I have ever completed (after I had rewritten it). The reason I had to rewrite it was because I forgot to proof-read it and it had some words missing, but besides that I put my heart but mostly my mind into reading primary documents and piecing together a well rounded argument for my cause. “The Patriots have done this to us loyal colonists because we remain steadfast in our faith to our Majestic Sovereign Lord, the King of England. The reason for their actions is irrational, nay they are absurd. The Patriots believe that withdrawing from the empire and the King’s influence will be good because the Patriots believe the king to be an irrational tyrant. By exaggerating most rumors, the patriots claim that it’s the king’s fault for all the taxes and economic disarray that some of the colonies are facing.” This quote from my paper shows my standpoint and some of my argument.
Overall, Coming to PSEC and taking Ben and Craig’s class has shown me that I’m not a bad writer, I just didn’t know how to write. I had no idea how much work and mind power it takes to write a good piece of literature. I used to hate reading quotes and writing things that were assigned to me, but now that I have learned so much I like challenging my mind, analyzing and thinking about why people write this and that. It’s really embarrassing to look back at my past work and then to look at my present work. I can see a major turnaround for me; I can tell how much I have learned during the past twelve weeks, because I could never write about anything this in depth with out serious work and now I can do it without trouble for most my assignments. I believe that this is my greatest achievement.
When I look back on my high school writing classes, they were run of the mill very bleak classes that didn’t help me whatsoever. They never challenged the way I write and I usually pulled essays together at the last minute with bogus information.
The reason I like History and Writing 101 is because the classes challenge the way I think and process data. I actually have to think about what I’m reading and writing instead of repeating what a book said, then forgetting it after the assignment is over. The material we have covered in the classes will probably stick with me till I become senile or I die. This is because I have had to think critically on them during the in-class discussions and the writing assignments that I have completed. The fact that our teachers actually read our work instead of looking for a five paragraph format has really taught me how to write and what to look for in my writing while editing. Completing this twelve week course has educated me more than a traditional 1 year class. Yes it was hard and stressful half of the time, but it was not unwarranted. Everything Ben and Craig have us do had a purpose to help us become better writers and have a more in depth understanding of history. That is why I have chosen these 3 items to go in my portfolio, I believe that they show my best work in the sense that I have matured and grown wiser in my writing skill.
My first essay was a bit of a disaster, all my weaknesses were very predominant and I was unhappy with the outcome of my paper. I decided not to rewrite it because it would have only made a 2 point difference. I was disappointed in myself because I knew I didn’t try hard enough and I could have done better. That is why I praise myself on my second essay because I leaned a lot about how to write, like what works and what doesn’t. after my first eaay i walked away with a blow to my pride but a growth in my charachter
The second essay I wrote required me to write from the perspective of a Loyalist during the late 1700’s in the state of North Carolina. I had to write a persuasive essay explaining why I was a loyalist and why “the reader” should be too. This paper is by far the best writing I have ever completed (after I had rewritten it). The reason I had to rewrite it was because I forgot to proof-read it and it had some words missing, but besides that I put my heart but mostly my mind into reading primary documents and piecing together a well rounded argument for my cause. “The Patriots have done this to us loyal colonists because we remain steadfast in our faith to our Majestic Sovereign Lord, the King of England. The reason for their actions is irrational, nay they are absurd. The Patriots believe that withdrawing from the empire and the King’s influence will be good because the Patriots believe the king to be an irrational tyrant. By exaggerating most rumors, the patriots claim that it’s the king’s fault for all the taxes and economic disarray that some of the colonies are facing.” This quote from my paper shows my standpoint and some of my argument.
Overall, Coming to PSEC and taking Ben and Craig’s class has shown me that I’m not a bad writer, I just didn’t know how to write. I had no idea how much work and mind power it takes to write a good piece of literature. I used to hate reading quotes and writing things that were assigned to me, but now that I have learned so much I like challenging my mind, analyzing and thinking about why people write this and that. It’s really embarrassing to look back at my past work and then to look at my present work. I can see a major turnaround for me; I can tell how much I have learned during the past twelve weeks, because I could never write about anything this in depth with out serious work and now I can do it without trouble for most my assignments. I believe that this is my greatest achievement.
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