The Gilded Age Essay Example for Free

The Gilded Age Essay Response During the Gilded Age (1876-1900), Congress was known for being rowdy and inefficient. It was not unusual to find that agreement could not be achieved because too many members were drunk or otherwise preoccupied with extra-governmental affairs. It was an era in which political corruption seemed to be the norm. Practices that today would be viewed as scandalous were accepted as a matter of routine. The narrow division between Republican and Democratic voters made both parties hesitant to take strong stands on any issue for fear of alienating blocs of voters. The result was that little got done. The halls of Congress were filled with tobacco smoke, Businessmen wantonly bribed public officials at the local, state and national level, and political machines turned elections into exercises in fraud and manipulation. (Kennedy, pg 591) The Senate, whose seats were often auctioned off to the highest bidder, was known as a â€Å"rich mans club,† where political favors were traded like horses, and the needs of the people in the working classes lay beyond the vision of those exalted legislators. The dominant fact concerning the American political parties between 1875 and 1900 was that the parties were evenly divided. The Republican Party held a slight edge in national politics, largely on their repeated claim that it was the Democratic Party that had caused the Civil War. Republicans were noted for waving the â€Å"Bloody Shirt,† calling Democrats responsible for the blood that was shed over secession. (Kennedy, Pg 602) Union veterans gravitated heavily to the Republican Party, which caused its popularity. Before the Civil War the Democratic Party had become a heavily Southern party, and its strong Southern base continued until well into the 20th century. The northern wing of the Democratic Party leaned heavily in favor of the working classes, whose demographic makeup included Roman Catholics of German and Irish descent, and many of the working class immigrants once they became eligible to vote. Neither Democrats nor Republicans were willing to take strong stands on issues important to the voters. Due to the corruption of the parties, little was done in office. The sectionalism caused unfair elections and favored voting that would last for the next decades to come.

John Wesley and the Methodist Church- Analysis of “Methodism and the Ch

I have been a firm believer that if one does not understand where you come from you can have little understanding of where your heading. The first thirty-two pages of the book on â€Å"Methodism and the Christian Heritage in England† gave a background as to Wesley’s foundation that so many authors overlook. The first page summed it up best in: â€Å"The long course of English ecclesiastical history met the force of a new concern for renewal, both individual and institutional. A long tradition of propositional certainty of faith met the power of a personal experience of faith. An institution built by and for the establishment met a concern for the souls and bodies of the disenfranchised† (p.1, Heitzenrater). This explained the transformation of both individuals and the Church at this moment in history. Of how a small congregation in Stanton Harcourt would be the starting point for a â€Å"guest preacher, would shortly become the leader of an evangelical revival that would, during his lifetime, spread across the lands and become a trans-Atlantic movement† (p. 1, Heitzenrater). How many present at St. Michael’s on that June 11 Sunday morning in 1738 realized just how important this day would be in the history of the Church in the British Isle, America and throughout the world. How the step taken by the monarch’s of England influenced the Church in England to be transformed into the Church of England. The struggle in the theology of Lutheran, Calvinist, Catholicism, and Moravianism, to name just a few, would all have an influence in the foundation of the Methodist movement. Of how â€Å"John Wesley, paternal grandfather was brought before the Bishop of Bristol, Gilbert Ironside, to answer charges of nonconforming to the Thirty-Nine Articles† (p. 1... ...day: how do we make the church relevant to a society that see’s it was being a product of a long past believe system. How do we allow people to explore their faith question and at the same time provide a firm foundation? The influence of Calvinist, Mystics, New Age, Atheisms, and other religious faith has caused confusion among our cognation as to what they believe in. By studying this text with our congregations we can provide them with an understanding of where Methodism came from and where we are heading. I am looking forward in gaining a better understanding of where we came from to become Methodist so that I can better chart a course of where we are heading as a congregation, denomination and a people of faith. Let the journey begin. Works Cited 1. Heitzenrater, Richard P. 1995, Wesley and the People Called Methodist. Abingdon Press, Nashville, TN.

iTunes and the Future of Music Essay

Through its iTunes, iPod, and proprietary music software, Apple dominates the legal music download industry. But with the iPod contributing half of all the firm’s revenues, Apple faces intensifying competition posed by imitators such as the joint venture between Microsoft and MTV, and Samsung’s Helix. In addition to the competitive pressures, iPod also faces legal challenges. In France for example, legal enactments that compel firms with proprietary music management software to open their code to others are about to be passed. Such a law will also standardize formats across the industry so that songs from one vendor could be played on a digital player from any other system. Apple has also had to stare down the four largest record labels as far as pricing is concerned. While the four largest record labels preferred variable pricing in order to maximize earnings, Apple successfully argued for the flat 99 cents price which is more competitive (Boone and Kurtz, 2008, ch. 4). The success of Apple illustrates how commitment to the marketing orientation philosophy is useful in ensuring organizational success. Unlike the major record labels which insisted on selling music packaged in CDs, Apple realized that music consumers’ tastes and preferences had shifted in favour of the more convenient digital format, and developed a product around such needs. Through the strategy of product development as identified by the Ansoff Matrix, we see Apple adding on to its product line music videos, popular TV shows, and short movies (Mercer, 1996). Apart from the product, Apple also got other elements of its marketing mix right. In particular, its adoption of the flat $0. 99 price rather than the variable pricing pushed by major record labels ensures that the product remains competitive. Its ability to bundle together its three products – the iPod, iTunes and proprietary music software – is also a smart marketing gimmick that has enabled it to lock in customers (Boone and Kurtz, 2008, ch. 4). Apple derives its sustainable competitive advantage from its proprietary music software as well as its unique player iPod. By enacting laws that allow Apple’s rivals access to its code, and by standardizing formats across the industry so that songs from other vendors could play from the iPod and vice versa, the new regulations will in essence be eroding the source of the competitive advantage enjoyed by Apple in the digital music industry. For that reason, should the French legislation succeed, it would be better for Apple to pull iTunes out of the French market (Boone and Kurtz, 2008, ch. 4).

Theories Of Evolution Of Psychology - 1192 Words

Ideas in psychology have been influenced by many fields of study ranging from philosophy to physics. Evolutionary ideas, themselves, have had a substantial role in shaping psychological thought. This paper will provide an overview of the influence of evolutionary thought on the field of psychology along with a discussion of the range of societal implications associated with evolutionary psychology. The influence of evolutionary ideas on psychology dates back to Charles Darwin, the man who proposed The Theory of Evolution by natural selection. Evolution theory suggests that organisms change with time to adapt to their environments. Those organisms best capable of surviving and making adaptations to their environment will have the most†¦show more content†¦The aforementioned influences eventually lead to the field of evolutionary psychology in which the common view is that both physical and mental organs developed through natural selection. Biases in how our brains perceive, p rocess, and react to the world around us can either contribute to our survival or to the reason we die out . Such biases affect our social behavior and status, sexual selection, and gender relations (Wright, 2010). Presently, evolutionary psychology has become an interest in popular culture which in turn influences the subject matter studied in this field. It provides plausible reasons for an array of human behaviors which sparks interest. People want to know why men have aggressive tendencies or why some will risk their lives to help those with no benefit to themselves. Survival of the fittest has become a commonly used phrase and Charles Darwin is no secret. Evolutionary psychology raises the idea that personality and behavior are mediated by evolutionary forces. This notion can have both positive and negative implications for society. It can provide a reason for why we love the people we love; but it can also provide an adaptive role for violent behavior. These ideas provide a rationale for our ability to think and reason. It makes us question our motives in certain situations like when we may act altruistically. This is reflected in society in many ways. For instance, consider the number of