The Civil War Siege of Vicksburg

The Civil War Siege of Vicksburg The siege of Vicksburg on July 4, 1863, was a significant battle of the United States Civil War, and the culmination of one of the most brilliant military campaigns of the war. Vicksburg was a fortress with a massive artillery located on a sharp bend in the Mississippi River. Known as the Gibraltar of the Confederacy, Vicksburg controlled movement and trade along the Mississippi and linked Texas and Louisiana to the rest of the Confederacy. It was the second largest city in Mississippi after Natchez, with an economy based on cotton and riverboat trade and transportation. The 1860 census reports that Vicksburg had a population of 4,591 people, including 3,158 whites, 31 free blacks, and 1,402 slaves. Failed Attempts, and a Plan The north early recognized Vicksburg as a pivotal point, and the first northern siege of the city was attempted in summer 1862 by Admiral David Farragut. General ​Ulysses S. Grant tried again in the winter of 1862-1863, and after two more unsuccessful assaults in May of 1863, Grant began to plan a long-term strategy. To take the fort, there needed to be weeks of bombardment and isolation of Vicksburg from its sources of food, ammunition, and soldiers. Federal forces held the Mississippi River, and as long as the Union forces held their position, the encircled Confederates led by Major Maurice Kavanaugh Simons and the Second Texas Infantry faced decreasing resources. Assembled Union forces began making their way south to Vicksburg during the summer of 1863, masked by occasional forays by gunboats shelling random targets and cavalry raids. By June many of Vicksburgs residents hid in underground caves, and all the people and soldiers were on short rations. The Vicksburg press reported that there would soon be forces coming to their rescue, but General John C. Pemberton who was in charge of Vicksburgs defense knew better and began to scale down expectations. Progress, and a Literary Reference Intermittent shelling from the river increased and intensified during the first week of July, and Vicksburg fell on the fourth. Troops marched in and the stronghold with 30,000 men was ceded to the Union. The battle had 19,233 casualties of which 10,142 were Union soldiers, but the control of Vicksburg meant that the Union commanded traffic on the Mississippi Rivers southern reaches. With the loss of Pemberton’s army and this vital stronghold on the Mississippi, the Confederacy was effectively split in half. Grants successes in the West boosted his reputation, leading ultimately to his appointment as General-in-Chief of the Union armies. Mark Twain and Vicksburg Twenty years later, American satirist Mark Twain used the siege of Vicksburg to craft his Battle of the Sand-Belt in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthurs Court. According to Mark Twain aficionado and science fiction writer Scott Dalrymple, Grant is represented in the novel by its hero, Boss Hank Morgan. Like reports of the Siege of Vicksburg, the Battle of the Sand-Belt is, says Dalrymple, a relentlessly realistic portrayal of war, a clash between a chivalric, slave-owning, agrarian society and a modern, technologically advanced republic led by a general-president. Sources Braudaway DL. 2001. A Texan Records the Civil War Siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi: The Journal of Maj. Maurice Kavanaugh Simons, 1863. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly 105(1):92-131.Dalrymple S. 1996. Just War, Pure and Simple: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthurs Court and the American Civil War. American Literary Realism, 1870-1910 29(1):1-11.Henry G, and Simms LM. 1967. A Louisiana Engineer at the Siege of Vicksburg: Letters of Henry Ginder. Louisiana History: The Journal of the Louisiana Historical Association 8(4):371-378.Osborn GC. 1955. A Tennessean at the Siege of Vicksburg: The Diary of Samuel Alexander Ramsey Swan, May-July, 1863. Tennessee Historical Quarterly 14(4):353-372.

How to Write a PhD Personal Statement

How to Write a PhD Personal Statement How to Write a PhD Personal Statement A person might be required to write a personal statement when he or she is completing a PhD application. Professionals in this area have specific guides that need to be followed when completing the application process. The reader is supposed to understand what type of PhD program is being sought and the reasons behind the student’s preference to study in the proposed university. The reader must understand clearly what is of most interest to the customer in the specific field of study. A good PhD personal statement should have all of these details, and the writer should be able to provide a background of their earlier academic credentials and empirical experience which may highlight his or her interest in the specific area of study. When applying for a PhD, experience and prior knowledge is very important to help convince the board that one actually qualifies for the program. This is the highest level of study and hence professionalism and integrity applies at all times. As such, the skills and experience acquired by the applicant are vital in the process of transition from the undergraduate program to the postgraduate program. This also guarantees the level of success in the area of study. One may not want to apply the same statement to every application, and instead make each application unique based on the area of interest and the person who will be reading it. In addition, it is of great use to a writer if they conduct thorough research on the University that offers the program that they are applying to. Grammar and type of vocabulary used must be well thought out. Very long sentences with repetition should be avoided at all cost. The sentences should be short and precise and the tone of the statement should be positive and enthusiastic. The word limit should also be adhered to. The statement should be structured with an introduction, main body and a conclusion. The purpose of the introduction is to captivate the reader and make them interested in reading the statement to the end. The reasons for choosing that particular institute of learning must be explained and the individual’s strength and personal skills should also be highlighted. The ability to communicate effectively and work as part of a team should be brought out by the writer. What’s more, the relevance of the undergraduate program to the PhD study should be described to demonstrate the foundation which was laid for further research and study. The career aim should be exemplified to demonstrate the intended c ontribution to society. One must try to make their statement unique; it must stand out among the rest. Professional personal statement help at is provided by academic experts. They can write a custom personal statement paper starting at $13/page. High quality and on-time delivery guarantee!

Research proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 3

Research proposal - Essay Example 78). Despite the widely acceptance, some scholars have opposed it, raising the arguments that it does not capture the entire sources of social influence especially among youths and the predicators it defines are not usually sufficient either (Bouzigard & Saidel 2010). For detailed understanding, studies should always be theory based. In this analysis, the theory of planned behavior was adopted as the theoretical framework to enhance the understanding (Ajzen 1991, p. 201). This theory asserts that when a person has a strong positive attitude, his/her subject norms will be stronger and the perceived control over the behavior will be greater; the intention to perform a particular behavior will be high, leading to involvement in that particular behavior. This theory is related to the influence students undergo in Saudi Arabia, leading to smoking instances (Kobus 2003, p. 36). Due to peer pressure, innocent students usually backslide and consequently follow the meek behaviors of their colleagues. Non-smoking students finally get themselves smoking. Most students in Saudi Arabia associate smoking with tobacco and not other substances. This is the reason why the government declared Saudi Arabia a free tobacco nation in 2000 (Garner & Alty 2005). In some instances, teachers smoke before their students, leading to poor role modeling (Connolly 2001, p. 31). Students from smoking families who also see their teachers smoke will have the courage to participate in advertisements designed to promote its consumption amongst the youths (Higgins & Conner 2003). The study aims to highlight how smoking affects behavior of students and the negative impacts it brings. Records from world heath organizations indicate that between 1999 and 2008 smoking amongst young people started between the ages of 13–15. Another set of data collected between 1999 and 2009 indicates that smoking prevalence ranges between 2.4% and 37%. The findings point

Contracts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Contracts - Essay Example Clause (213) of section (2) states that express warranties are usually in the form of a sample mode, affirmation, description or a promise. The consumer goods should be in such a condition that they shall be as described in the contract and that the whole of the goods will be the same as to the sample or model shown. The main purpose of the express warranty should be such that its specific intention mainly involves making an affirmation just of the value of consumer goods (furniture) or a statement that purports to be simply the seller’s opinion or praise of the consumer goods that they do not make a warranty (Margaret 127). The federal law also requires that express warranties for consumer goods (furniture) be available for the buyer to read even when writing contract terms or doing shopping on the internet or through a catalog (Margaret 130). This would allow the consumers to compare the extent of the warranty coverage just as the law requires that the buyer should have privilege to compare price and other features of goods (132). However, the act fails to state on whether warrant must be in written or oral form, but should be readily available for the

Terrorism in Nigeria Essay Example for Free

Terrorism in Nigeria Essay Nigeria is a country in the West of Africa with an interesting population of over 160 million people. A British Colony, Nigeria was hitherto peaceful and seen as key to African development and interests. Such has been the opposite of the true state of the supposed Giant of Africa since gaining independence in 1960 and declaring a Republic in 1961. After years of Military Dictatorship and coups left the country under-developed for much of her early post-independent years, Democracy was returned to the Oil rich Nation. The country divided across religious and ethic lines with the North dominated by Muslims, and the South by Christians. The country’s major trade partners include the USA and UK. The early independent kingdoms and states that make the present day British colonized Nigeria are; i. Benin Kingdom ii. Borgu Kingdom iii. Fulani Empire iv. Hausa Kingdoms v. Kanem Bornu Empire vi. Kwararafa Kingdom vii. Ibibio Kingdom viii. Nri Kingdom ix. Nupe Kingdom x. Oyo Kingdom xi. Songhai Empire xii. Warri Kingdom The name Nigeria was suggested by a British Journalist Flora Shaw in the 1890s. She referred to the area as Nigeria, after the Niger River, which dominates much of the country’s landscape. The word Niger is Latin for black. Nigeria has over 250 ethnic groups, which the three major and internationally recognized are Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo. Other smaller groups include the Fulani, Ijaw, Kanuri, Ibibio, Tiv, and Edo. Prior to their conquest by Europeans, these ethnic groups had separate and independent histories; hence their amalgamation was a construct of their European Colonizers. That singular act of amalgamation has proved costly year after year as communal, religious, and ethnic clashes characterize the present-day  Nigeria. With porous borders on the West to Benin, North to Niger and Chad, and on the East to Cameroun, clashes often than not spiral out of the shores of Nigeria to neighbouring countries. Nigeria gained independence from Britain on 1st October, 1960 and following independence, vicious fighting between and among ethnic political parties created chaos within the fledging system. On the 15th of January, 1966, a group of army officers most of whom were Igbo staged a military coup, killing many of the government ministers from the Western and Northern tribes. Six months later, Northern forces within the military staged a countercoup killing most of the Igbo leaders. Note that Nigeria’s persistent ethnic rivalry is deep rooted and dates back to colonization. From Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) in Northern Nigeria, to the Militants in the Niger Delta (Southern). The Afenifere in Western Nigeria to MASSOP in the East, continuous calls for disintegration and de-amalgamation by the aforementioned groups underlines the many ethnic divide and challenges facing Nigeria since creation. The current sophisticated attack on government institutions by an Islamic extremists group popularly known as Boko Haram (Western Education is Sin – Islam) buttress the notion that agitations from these groups have long departed from mere campaigns and media sponsored attacks. Suicide bombing that once was alien to Nigeria now characterize an already tensed and over-stretched system. Nigeria’s quest to quell all form of ethnic aggression and divide will most undoubtedly succeed if the Government looked into the origin and distinctions of the diversities rather than combating a generational dissent.

Summary of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn :: Huck Finn American Literature Essays

Summary of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn The narrator (later identified as Huckleberry Finn) begins Chapter One by stating that the reader may know of him from another book, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by "Mr. Mark Twain," but it "ain't t no matter" if you have not. According to Huck, Twain mostly told the truth, with some "stretchers" thrown in, though everyone--except Tom's Aunt Polly, the widow, and maybe Mary--lies once in a while. The other book ended with Tom and Huckleberry finding the gold some robbers had hidden in a cave. They got six thousand dollars apiece, which Judge Thatcher put in trust, so that they each got a dollar a day from interest. The Widow Douglas adopted and tried to "civilise" Huck. But Huck couldn't stand it so he threw on his old rags and ran away. But he went back when Tom Sawyer told him he could join his new band of robbers if he would return to the Widow "and be respectable." The Widow lamented over her failure with Huck, tried to stuff him into cramped clothing, and before every meal had to "grumble" over the food before they could eat it. She tried to teach him about Moses, until Huck found out he was dead and lost interest. Meanwhile, she would not let him smoke; typically, she disapproved of it because she had never tried it, but approved of snuff since she used it herself. Her slim sister who wears glasses, Miss Watson, tried to give him spelling lessons. Meanwhile, Huck was going stir-crazy, made especially restless by the sisters' constant reminders to improve his behavior. When Miss Watson told him about the "bad place," Hell, he burst out that he would like to go there, as a change of scenery. Secretly, Huck really does not see the point in going to "the good place" and resolved then not to bother trying to get there. When Huck asked, Miss Watson told him there was no chance Tom Sawyer would end up in Heaven. Huck was glad "because I wanted him and me to be together." One night, after Miss Watson's prayer session with him and the slaves, Huck goes to bed feeling "so lonesome I wished I was dead." He gets shivers hearing the sounds of nature through his window. Huck accidentally flicks a spider into a candle, and is frightened by the bad omen.

Multicultural Education Essay

Multicultural Education is becoming important in our society, because of the big social change in the United States; Americans have been forced to look at the cultural change in the schools. We have had to address multicultural education and the educational needs of our students which continue to be a struggle for educators. Multicultural education programs could be put into three categories. Content-focused, student focused, and socially focused. Content-focused is known to be the most common type of multicultural educational. The students are taught in the curriculum about different cultures. For example holidays. Student-focused programs address the academic needs of the minority groups of students. This approach helps the students integrate into the main stream of the school system. Socially focused programs are designed to develop knowledge among the different cultures in our schools. There are different learning Styles. Every student that comes in your classroom gains and uses the information in different ways: this is done by seeing, hearing, touching, analyzing. As our students are different so are the teaching styles which also may vary from person to person. I have learnt that if a teacher does not try to understand the students in their class there will be a problem passing on the knowledge to their students. and the students will become bored if they are not interested in the subject, it is up to the teacher to make it interesting so they can reach all students. I feel as a teacher you should try to incorporate a variety of different teaching styles into your lessons to help engage all students that will enable them to learn more effectively. Philosophy of Education  I believe that each child is special and they need a secure, caring, and stimulating environment in which to grow and mature emotionally, intellectually, physically, and socially. As an educator it is my duty to help students meet their full potential, and this can be done in by providing an environment that is safe, orderly, and invites a sharing of ideas. There are three ways that will help create such an environment in the classroom. †¢ the teacher acting as a guide †¢ allowing the child’s natural curiosity to direct his/her learning †¢ Promoting respect for all things and all people. The teacher’s role is to guide their students. If we give our student’s access to hands-on activities and allow them enough time to use materials that will reinforce the lesson we are teaching it will creates an opportunity for the students to find the information for themselves. Student life in school and at home Students usually separate their lives into different areas, doing the same things they do at home, and school. The things students learn during these various life stages will eventually be the foundation from which they can build their careers. Most students need to develop the skills they learn that they will use in their future professions. Almost every student in school will learn that the only way to get assignments done on time is by managing their time effectively. The Transition from elementary school to college is difficult for students, as they have to become independent quickly. Today’s classroom Class sizes have become too big in the America school system, and the people making the decisions are taking out the paraprofessionals that help the teachers in the classrooms. In my personal opinion I feel that the classrooms are overcrowded and this extends from the elementary schools to the high schools. Classes used to be smaller and the student teacher ratio helped achieve greater academic success. Some benefits of small class sizes are that the students receive more personal attention. Smaller class sizes will help a student that has a learning disability, and the needs of the other students would be met. A small number of students in the classroom can also help with less noise and disruptive behavior. Tracking Tracking seems to be a common practice in the United States, and allows a teacher to work with students that are on the same academic level. The Students are placed together in classrooms by using test scores. Tracking has been around for about a century and is used in most schools across the United States. I found out in my research that there are different types of tracks. For example there is high or low tracking, all the students in each class are on the same level. Tracking seems to be a good idea, but in reality it seems to be very complicated. One of the main problems is that the students in low tracks are largely populated with minority students, and the low tracks are not good for a student’s development. I also found out that it affects the teachers in different ways. Teachers teach in different styles to educate their students. The students in high track classrooms are taught the content of the curriculum and the students in the lower track classrooms just briefly cover different subjects. In other words the high track students are challenged and the low track students are not. Low track teachers seem to have low expectations of their students (Callahan 2005) and high track classrooms have a positive attitude which helps the students desire to learn (Hotter 2004) The classroom has become very culturally diverse with students from all over the world. I found out that the students who were in the low tracks were predominately minorities, and the high track students were Caucasians and Asians. The text book states† In a classic study done in the 1970s, Ray Rest Observed a kindergarten class in an all-black urban school. By the eighth day Of class, the kindergarten teacher, apparently using such criteria as physical Appearance, socioeconomic status, and language usage, had separated her students Into groups of â€Å"fast learners† and â€Å"slow learners. † She spent more time With the â€Å"fast learners† and gave them more instruction and encouragement. The â€Å"slow learners† got more than their fair share of control and ridicule. The children soon began to mirror the teacher’s behavior. As the â€Å"fast learners† Belittled the â€Å"slow learners,† the low-status children began to exhibit Attitudes of self-degradation and hostility toward one another. This teacher’s Expectations, was formed during the first eight days of school, and this shaped the Academic and social treatment of the students in her classroom for the rest of the school year. Records of the grouping that had taken place during the first week of kindergarten which was then passed on to the teachers in the upper grades, providing the basis for further differential treatment. † (Sadker, Zittleman pg. 106. ) This is true because working in the school system you here teachers telling other teachers about the students they have in their classrooms, and what to expect if they come into their classrooms. In conclusion I found out that tracking is not the main problem it has its positive and negative points. I believe that if all students had the equal opportunity of a good early education there would be more students excelling in our schools. For example if all students had the opportunity to attend preschool it would help the students from being put into high or low track groups as all children would have the same opportunity in education my opinion is that detracking would help all students work and learn from each other no matter what their level is in the classroom.