... - immigrants were mostly from Western Europe: Great Britain, Ireland, and Germany. Most were of Protestant faith and immigrated while America was in its early stages of growth. (Mr. Buck Class notes) Famine in Ireland, along with civil unrest and limited economic opportunity in much of Europe helped fuel immigration in the mid 1800s. Steamship companies and railroads looking for workers recruited ... questioning and detentions while officers decided whether to admit or reject an immigrant. Angel Island consisted of filthy, ramshackle buildings, in which Chinese immigrants were confined l...

• Word Count: 1922
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... note. According to one source, 40% of people who commit suicide leave a suicide note. Some notes include a motive for the suicide, and other notes give no real answers. Some suicide notes express the emotions that are being felt proceeding the suicide. Below are examples of various suicide notes posted on the web. 61 year old male You cops will want to know why I did ... Joe A. the greatest devotion -- the kind that "passeth all understanding." 3a) And my life. Anita R. To my father, Vincent M., the sum of one dollar ($1). (Suicide Notes) Suicide notes are a narrative explanation of dea...

• Word Count: 2041
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... other Sicilians, engaged in organized crime. At this time the most common form of extortion was the practice of handing out Black Hand notes, which had started in the 1700's. These notes, handed to wealthy citizens, were polite requests for an amount of money in return for protection. Of course, the only people ... that these victims need protection against were the same criminals who handed them these notes. If the victims did not comply with these requests, they and their family could usually expect violence, kidnapping, bombings, and murder to be used against ... other competitive b...

• Word Count: 1576
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... success, the motivation for acquiring their fortune was their love for a woman who represented wealth. In his article, "BOOK AND AUTHOR: Biography of F. Scott Fitzgerald", Michael Adams notes that Fitzgerald was not only motivated to succeed, but Zelda's was only attracted to him because of that motivation. He ... from a solid aristocratic family who can promise her a wealthy lifestyle. From that moment on, Gatsby dedicates himself to winning Daisy back. Davis further notes, "The new money makes Gatsby into an equal of Daisy's and allows him to finally pursue her" (Davis). Gatsby's atta...

• Word Count: 1551
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography

... for misdemeanors 99%-plus plead guilty. About the same number in federal systems, 91% of felonies" (http://els41.law.emory.edu/sites/crimpro/notes/ch17notes.html). The fact that so many cases are being resolved through plea bargains shows how heavily the court system relies on plea bargains. ... for a quick fix" (http://www.bronxda.net/fighting_crime/plea_bargaining.html). A good analogy to describing the quick fix used in the book Judges and Sentencing is that "Plea agreements operate like a pressure valve that allows a criminal justice system to function relatively efficiently and justl...

• Word Count: 1900
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... of all charges. Jefferson returned home to Monticello in 1781, and buried himself in writing about Virginia. The pages of text turned into a manuscript later known as the Notes of Virginia. This book went into great detail about the beauty of external nature as in its clarification of moral, political, and social issues, was read by scientist of two continents for years ... Europe to arrange commercial agreements. He traveled throughout Europe and every place he went, he was not only an American diplomat, but also a student of the useful sciences. He took notes on making wine, cheese, p...

• Word Count: 2061
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... ("By the Numbers"). There is refutation for the arguments of those who favor capital punishment. How do capital punishment supporters respond to these arguments? Phelps notes, "People these days want revenge..." (Prejean 105). Van den Haag notes "Justice requires punishing the guilty - as many of the guilty as possible...and sparing the innocent - as many of the innocent as possible, even if ... murderers more so than life imprisonment. Professor Issac Ehrlich released a study on capital punishment. Professor Ehrlich's study of deterrence is minutely detailed in William J. Bowers' book ...

• Word Count: 1377
• Approx Pages: 6

... There is a pretty good chance that a certain number of these people will have income problems for a long time. Another writer, Bertha Davis, in her book Poverty in America brings up an argument between two parties pointing out that " many liberals, those on the political left, assert that the nation's economic system ... or the right mix of jobs, so that all able-bodied who want to work can find jobs (23). Similarly, in Carole Seymour-Jones" book Homelessness there is a picture of homeless Russian woman and at the bottom of the picture there is a note saying how "political an economic c...

• Word Count: 1495
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... automobile manufacturers that folded some time after the invention of the automobile. Moore also points out the stereotyping created by "stupid white men." He notes that the worst events created by humanity were done by white men, while children are raised to fear "black people." Moore sees African Americans ... to improve the country, but without accepting other opinions, problems in America will become worse. Stupid White Men also showed some sociological concepts. The book touched on stereotypes and race. Moore discussed the common stereotypes of African Americans. He wrote that child...

• Word Count: 1326
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... with the war by using his language to describe undescribables and it is a critique of American ideology as well. As a personal struggle, the book is a cathartic effort for Herr who disperses his pain of collected Vietnam memories on the last page with the dispelling chant, "Vietnam Vietnam ... Vietnam" [p. 260]. As a critique of American ideology, the book must be examined more closely. Using irony, first-hand accounts, and subjective interjections, Herr blasts through the detached, monolithic American view of the ... as necessary for the betterment of those opposing people. Herr calls ...

• Word Count: 1801
• Approx Pages: 7

... had been going on for some time, and a draft in Minnesota was something people did not look forward to. Many of Tim's college friends escaped the draft with doctor's notes or chaplain notes. This was an obvious fear of death in war. Tim was officially in the draft. He did not want to go to the war for his own reasons. He ... thing to do. Meanwhile, the time for Tim's departure for basic training was approaching very quickly. A lot of outside pressure made Tim grudgingly go to the next level. Throughout the book he referred to Socrates and other Greek characters. He remembered that Socra...

• Word Count: 1388
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... 9/11. Radical Jensen sets out on a mission to display how the illegitimate authority of the American Government has failed its people. At the end of his book, Jensen asks the reader a very critical question: "Do we have the courage to stop being Americans and become human beings? " (Jensen, 135). This ... us patriotic; it's just an excuse used by humans because of our need to feel solidarity and connection with others. As I previously stated, Jensen's book is very proactive. It hasn't been until after the 9/11 attacks though that his work has been widely recognized. Perhaps it's becaus...

• Word Count: 2263
• Approx Pages: 9
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... of water, disease, deforestation, pollution, depletion of the ozone layer, and coastal flooding. The last issue Mr. Feagin writes about those issues of social inequality and injustice. Mr. Feagin notes " I only have space to note briefly such major societal realities as racial and ethnic oppression, patriarchy, homophobia, bureaucratic authoritarianism, violence against children, and discrimination against the aged and ... Ida Bell Wells-Barnett was a great contributor in the form of journalism. Barnett's main crusade was led against lynching, after she watched three friends die that wa...

• Word Count: 1581
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... things every man carried into the war were a representation of the role of man in a society and the influence of war on such roles. Moreover, the book also depicts the differences between the Vietnam War and other wars such as the World Wars, the Revolutionary war, and Civil War in the history of America. For ... by Rat Kiley, who was later killed. He also says that after Kiley's death another medic, Bobby Jorgenson was sent to replace him. However, O'Brien notes the difference in the skills of the two pointing out that unlike Kiley, Bobby failed to treat him when he was shot for second...

• Word Count: 2300
• Approx Pages: 9
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... uses this situation as a way to display how American patriotism in its symbolic meaning like football is nothing more than a twisted awareness of reality. From the very beginning of the book Ben fountain starts to takes us into the mind of a veteran combat soldier who is currently try to comprehend the actual twisted nature of an American society he thought he ... once knew. In the opening chapter of the book Fountain gives the readers a quick look into how Billy sees civilian class people. "Not Spooks- they were too plump for that, their smiles to heedless of the woes of the ... becau...

• Word Count: 1444
• Approx Pages: 6

... Puritan predecessors. They wrote history for their own satisfaction and to explain to the enlightened world the success of men like themselves: free, bold, intelligent, and ambitious. Thomas Jefferson's Notes on the State of Virginia is a highly evolved product of this rationalist tradition. America is for Jefferson, as it was for the Puritans, a model for the world, but ... intellectuals, in other words, they were reformers. In 1913, Charles A. Beard, the most famous historian, published An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution. It was probably the most influential book ever writte...

• Word Count: 2043
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... , but, more importantly, disparate within our country. Before moving on to possible solutions for our education system, I want to note an interesting point made in the final chapter of Ryan's book, Five Miles Away, A World Apart that is the basis for my thesis. In discussing the PISA scores of United States versus other nations, Ryan says, "students who attend predominantly ... low-income minority groups) more readily available in their neighborhoods. Cities can help reduce white flight by making the living environment more enjoyable and suitable for the average citizen; Ryan notes effor...

• Word Count: 1473
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... , and childish people running the government- (Snyder, Place in Space) Snyder and the Beat Generation spent much time thinking and discussing the nature of the human individual. In Snyder's essay "Notes on the Beat Generation-, he links the beats to Occidentals in Zen Buddhism. The Occidentals practiced existentialism, which was a modern pacifist anarchist movement. There are clear links between the cultural ... for the forest service and a timber comapnay, when he could see the first-hand impacts of using up natural resources. When discussing the internet he has mixed feelings. In the b...

• Word Count: 2488
• Approx Pages: 10
• Grade Level: High School

... . He would not let this death affect his drive. In fact, he became more determined to make a difference. Only one thing was missing. This became the pivotal point in the book. The one thing that John needed to complete his life story was to find a loving wife. During the summer of "59, Adams met the one and only love of his ... knowledge was necessary for the drafting of the Constitution of the United States of America, as well as the road to independence. This occurred in the first third of the book. The next part covered John's travels to France and life in Europe. This was not an easy...

• Word Count: 1570
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... seeing this more clearly, I can continue my research with a more educated stand point as to why women clearly do not have this motivation any longer. In Jeanne Halladay Gouglin's published book, The Rise of Women Entrepreneurs, she depicts the four major and distinct economic motivations for female entrepreneurs. The first of these motivations was being able to have control over one ... emotions. Due to the high unemployment rate for women, Linda Petrosino undoubtedly is not alone in her theories and predictions. On the contrary to Mrs. Petrosino's viewpoints, in Mary E. William's book,...

• Word Count: 2200
• Approx Pages: 9
• Grade Level: High School

... . But, what led up to that momentous decision to separate from Great Britain? From where did our Founding Fathers gather the confidence and strength to manage such a feat? In his book, The Colonial Wars: 1689-1762, Howard H. Peckham takes the reader through a timeline of the four great Colonial Wars and their battles, their heroes and their forgotten influence on American history ... colonies and England in that the former sought total English control over the continent to oust France while the latter simply wanted a balance of power throughout its kingdom. Also, he notes the improvement...

• Word Count: 1737
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography

After reading Peter Sacks" Standardized Minds, my discontent with the education system in the United States grew even more. Last year, I read another book that dealt with problems in education policy (Richard Kahlenberg's All Together Now: Creating Middle-Class Schools Through Public School Choice.) The latter discussed the issue of public school segregation by ... of standardized tests, and the notion of "teaching to the test." Standardized Minds also drives home the point of America's unhealthy obsession with the results of standardized tests. I found the book to be both informative and co...

• Word Count: 1692
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... author stating that "After a lull of nearly seven years, major terrorist attacks against Americans overseas resumed in 1995" (Anonymous History of terrorism against Americans in Middle East K3341). Leader further notes that "The 1996 totals were not available as of this writing, but incidents for the first six months of 1996 numbered 122. By comparison, the total for the first six ... Pakistan and Afghanistan indicates this as America has offered to feed and support the Alliance as well as the refugees. This is also alluded to by Kameel Nasr in the book "Arab and Israeli Terrorism" wher...

• Word Count: 1657
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... as night from day. 'We will never be slaves' was good secessionist propaganda" (111). As we can see in the Cultural Studies of the United States of America's notes, Lincoln allowed slaves to take part in the war: "la Unión había reclutado a dos millones de hombres, entre los que se encontraban unos 186.000 negros" (Gonzá ... violence. Malcolm X used Islam as a pretext to impose black people above white ones through altercations, struggles, etc. Several negros remembered the insurgencies before Civil War, as shows Jacobs in his book Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl: "it...

• Word Count: 1255
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography

... War II, and it was one of the major reasons the United States joined the war. Pearl Harbor was the turning point during the war for the United States. In a book about Japanese Internment, which was an effect of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the author briefly gives an explanation about the attack, "On December 7, 1941, Japanese war planes bombed ... packed together which made a great target for Japanese submarines and warplanes. Although most of the ships moored at Pearl Harbor were destroyed, most of them were later repaired. One author notes the losses in ships as such: By the time the ...

• Word Count: 1588
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School