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Bacon's Rebellion cause and effect Essay
Themes: Race, Class, Politics, and economics choose one
- How theme was reflected in Bacon's Rebellion
- How theme was resolved by Bacon's Rebellion
- How theme contributed to transform Chesapeake society in colonial times
- Relate theme with common theme in American life today
...::.::.Links.::.::...
Subject Matter: General
Bacon's Words and reforms
...::.::.Race.::.::...
...:: Before :: ...
[basis of "The American Promise" textbook]
Whites didn't think that the Native Americans were lesser by skin, rather than the fact that they were rather "un-English" in their customs and behavior, thusly referred to as savages. So, when the elites took control of the government and the treaty with Native Americans was put it place, they defended it. For, the Native Americans relinquished claim to all land already settled by the English and the English would not begin expansion under fear of conflict with the the Native Americans. But, as the settlers freed from indenture continued to multiply, the treaty began to impose a threat to the settlers, for there was no new land to acquire without conflict with the Native Americans.
...:: During ::...
Within the rebellion, Nathanial Bacon and his compatriots fought initially against Native Americans. Albeit their focuses changed from the time they started their initial goal (the government) they continued to fight the Native Americans until they could acquire land.
...:: After ::...
In the end, after the revolt, the colony decided that it was better to fight Native Americans rather than themselves, as such caused many more problems both politically and economically. Soon after, as the servant labor system began to slowly weaken (which was the main cause of such unrest) a slave labor system was put into place. In the year 1700, 1/8 of the population was African American and, as quoted from the text, "all slaves were black, almost all blacks were slaves; all freeman were whites, all whites were free or in temporarily indentured service." Thus, as before, the Englishman thought the African Americans lesser due to the dark pigmentation of their skin, in which they thought black to be in correlation of evil, "stainted with dirt," atrocious, and the like whilst thinking themselves were better, in the sense that white meant pure, good, and beautiful. Social heirarchy was soon defined by race and skin color instead of class and governmental power.
...:: Common Theme ::...
Discrimination is common today, albiet we, as American citizens, don't believe it as such. It has grown less dominant in recent years, but it there none the less.
(
Art of Democracy)
There is a school in Federal Way is currently dealing with a major crisis, albiet no action has been taken. The employees cannot complain or assert their view because their jobs would thus be lost. Moreover, the principal has failed to complete appropriate tasks needed to assert disciplinary action over one of the students.
The third grader, in the center of this case, has reportedly assaulted and fought with other children. Smashing student's head into the school bus, pushing kids down, fist-fighting in the lunchroom, and punching other students with no just cause.
One boy, whom is the child of a teacher at the school, scored a touchdown and had his touch loosened in the resulting punch given by the third-grader. His mother, as well as paraeducators and other teachers of the school, have not forthright demanded the solutions conflicts caused by the lack of action on the principal's part but disagree with his methods. Such as when the third-grader was spotted outside during recess, he ran and the principal told the paras monitoring the playground to "shadow him. Don't chase after him, shadow him."
The staff of the school is attempting to quietly point out the principal's mistake in allowing the boy to continue attendance at the elementary school by placing pages of the Student Rights and Responsibilities booklet into his staff mailbox. They hope to clearly show reference to policy 3240 that mentions fighting to be a exceptional misconduct and an eventual resulting expulsion.
Of course, such third party action negotiation might not solve the problem. The lack of communication from the teachers to the principal might result in even less being done and even a basis of mistrust to brew. Unless the matter can be resolved quietly amongst the staff of the school, then negotiations would soon begin in the court of law.
Tobacco, from its beginning, has sowed corruption to those whom have commercially harvested it. From its first major importation to European societies, tobacco became widely popular as it was continuously shipped East and the prices began to depress; thusly, the fade of tobacco transcended age, gender, class, and geography. But, as the Chesapeake colony (the English colony which had begun the exportation of tobacco from their newly acquired farmlands) began to grow a larger population, the farmer 'elite' began to overpower the other free farmers (as in, those not indebted and repaying it off through way of servitude) in the sense that gains became harder to acquire as the 'cash crop' of the New World suffered through the decrease of their product. In such a manner, planters devised legal ways to extend periods of servitude of their indentured servants as the number of poor men from England began to lessen as their time went on; moreover, the farmer elite had more opportunity to grow more crops on their lands and, thus, sell more tobacco, as well as gain support from the monarchs because of their wealth and the number of servants they could afford. This resulted in a rebellion of the poorer free farmers (whom wished for more land whilst believing the elite were supporting the Native Americans' rights to land instead of their own by endorsing a treaty to keep their lands apart) and an eventual change of governance appointed by the King himself. These colonists fought for equal shares of wealth, social status, and government holdings; essentially, they fought to destroy the social heirarchy created and imposed by the servant labor system. Contemporary times, however, differ from that of the seventeenth century. Instead of those who, essentially, command all the tobacco commercialism fighting for dominance and equality amongst themselves, the Tobacco Companies of today fight against activists who want to put a stop to all smoking and strive for public aid. The once high held opinion of tobacco use began to rapidly decline as the years progressed and studies revealed the additives companies began including in cigarettes (none of the plausible 599 are listed on the packaging) leading to cancereous diseases and, ultimately, death. Tobacco companies, then attempted to breach negative public opinions about smoking by appearing morally correct whilst still endorcing their own personal gains. Such as the companies that encourage people to quit smoking, yet, as a 2006 court soon found, they instead "manipulated nicotine levels to keep smokers addicted." And, in 1969, the CEO who was quoted agreeing to "avoid advertising directed to young people," yet their product appeared in the 1979 Muppets Movie; moreover, in 1999, tobacco advertisements were being placed at child's eye level. Actively this shows the tobacco industry's gluttony. For the groups come off as morally correct, instigating what should be done and what is defined as 'right,' only to defy their own words in advertising purposes. Albeit the tobacco industry isn't as thriving as it once was, the sheer indulgence in advertising has caused a major loss in gains that these tobacco owners might have had; thus, resulting in a selfish desire for more wealth, even when there is enough and aplenty for they themselves by spending away their own gains to acquire more. As such, through the measures of overinstigating themselves through pompous shows of wealth and often overpowering their neighbors (as the activists and the poorer freeman) and misleading the consumer, the tobacco companies avarice becomes clear.
To easier understand such as subject as the ARG, it must first be defined. By the information I have gathered from the article and our teacher, this 'not a game' experience is a narrative played out through technology. More precisely, it is a mystery (or, perhaps, better said a scavenger hunt) in which the clues are found through technological devices, including phones, websites, televisions, video games, and the such. There are those who control the reality presented in these experiences, such as the 'Puppet Masters' who are distanced from the player by the 'curtain,' and those who play, such as we ourselves. The players must overcome certain obstacles by gathering and using the information, as well as connecting the right clues with the corect conclusions. Often, the player will have to seek the aid of other players, building social networks within the ARG in order to move forward. That is, as such, my definition of an ARG.
Now, there can be conclusive reasoning behind the assignment to read this article. But, the only conclusion of this which I have come to would be that, as pupils, students, and otherwise, peers, we are participating in an ARG with the prize being a passing - perhaps even high passing - grade. As we do research for our wikis (in order to cite various sources that we can later use for history 121 projects as well as the Arts of Democracy assignments) we need to verify what the clues are, and how we are led there. In this sense, research is an ARG but based on all terms of reality. One must search through the countless droves of information in order to find a logical support to one's thesis or arguement, whether it be through contacting those who are primary sources (through way of telephone and e-mail, as well as snail mail), building a social network amongst fellow students in order to solve more complex riddles, and succinctly advocate one's arguement through the aid of the acquired sources. As thus, our writing teacher (or, in this case, the Puppet Master, along with three others, and the curtain seperating us being the rank and status as 'pupil' and 'teacher' in the classroom) has willed us to read aout ARGs in order to retain a different perspective on researching in the college environment and researching later on in life.
There a few ways that such knowledge will impact me in the classroom. The first of which would be to strengthen social connection. Each person's perpective on a situation sheds light on a new idea or way of going about it, and perhaps even defeating obstacles in researching our topics that we may come accross. Such as in ARGs, where more people are often needed in order to cross hurdles and problems social interconnection would allow for a more in-depth and critical-thinking piece of work that can touch a diverse audience. Secondly, I would need to reach for primary sources by way of contact information. Telephone numbers mentioned in ARGs are real and can be used, much as the information one uses to establish connection with a friend, family member, or co-worker. In this sense, I would need to continue my search for accurate clues in this ARG by looking for parties that have had first-hand experiences in the topics and subjects we are researching (such as historians, my family in Norway, politicians, and the like that focus around whatever subject is the focus of my research at the time). Conclusively, in order to win the prize of this ARG, I need to step out of my comfort zone to acquire all the clues I need.
The public service on September 28, 2007 led me to a realization about PSEC. It is not what I perceived it to be. Of the six volunteers from PSEC, only three of us cared enough to follow the full wishes of the client, as in, to cut along a path and generally make things safer for those who lived and visited at the house. This, to me, shows that only a few people here at PSEC are here for a higher education.
They, in essence, only wished to go to an easier school with more freedom. And, that's the majority of who's here, really (at least, those are the people I see daily). Those who wanted freedom from responsibility, those who do not care, those who used higher powers to be transferred into PSEC or by way of plagiarism, and those who wanted only to be free of school at an earlier date.
This community service day, has, in effect, shown me how to perceive all of PSEC's students. Approximately half will work hard, wish for a future, and want a higher eduction. And, well, the rest, they want only an easier way to slack off.
Perhaps, later in the year (or years), these peoples will begin to fall into place, and align with the true attitudes that PSEC has distinguished for itself. Yet, for now, these students are immature and otherwise unfit for a college environment. The teachers offer every available resource and few look to take them.
Had my favorite teachers not quit working at Todd Beamer (due to the resident 'sting' operation which was, in itself, discriminatory due to the fact that they focused on only those of colored skin) then I would return there, because at least I had more of a connection with the goings on of a wider, more diverse community than bottled up amongst immature slacks who only do barely acceptable work.
True, though, PSEC, in itself, offers a wide variety of diverse ideas and the such, but I've met few students (of the Junior year) that actually want to do something with their life and wish to make a change. After all, that should be the reason they're at PSEC.
Not for the freedom it gives and the responsibility no one wants to take.
Change, though, take time. And I suppose me peers are all merely procrastinators.
