Reflecting realities of United States in the late 19th century

Introduction In the late 19th century, many immigrants flooded into American cities, in search of green pastures. While others run from civil war, some were in search of wealth and the start of a new life.[1] The population figure grew rapidly in urban cities as a result of the immigrants.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Reflecting realities of United States in the late 19th century specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Many immigrants were rendered homeless and urban crime increased as a result of poverty and an increase of slums. This was the shocking revelation among the immigrants who had come in search of a better life. This paper seeks to study how Horatio Alger, in his book Ragged Dick that reflects the realities of urban life, economic security and social mobility in the late 19th century. Urban life Most people found the city remarkable due to the high capacity buildings and the American cities had expanded t hough haphazardly. The leaders then began to call for some order and organization of the cities to provide a plan for the congesting cities.[2] As both the buildings and parks were increased, the numbers of slums were also increasing. Housing was one of the greatest challenges faced by the new city dwellers. Most of the immigrants had come with no money and could not afford housing in the city or in the suburbs. The tenements later became popular and turned to slum dwellings due to the overpopulation and poor conditions of living.[3] As more immigrants kept streaming in the tenements became more over populated, since the building capacity was not expanded. Transportation also was a challenge in urban areas due to the increase of population. The cities had not been prepared to harbor such large populations and now that the new population was city dwellers, the people had to struggle for the limited number of transportation. The increase in urban population was one challenge that auth orities were not well equipped to handle. Over population caused adequate access to public services such as Medicare and good housing. As a result, problems like outbreak of diseases kept recurring, and it was uncontrollable due to the poor living conditions most of the people lived in. Crime was also on the increase with high rates of unemployment and the desperation to survive. Gangs were formed in metropolitans were crime was common as a means to make ends meet. The schools around also lacked capacity to take in the immigrant’s children and the government felt pressure to respond to the situation.[4] Social mobility During the civil war, there was a lot of immigration with many immigrants coming from abroad. Some of the immigrants came from Latin America, Canada, Europe, China and Japan, with Europe carrying the greatest numbers.[5] Most of the Europeans who migrated to America came in with some education and enough money to support them.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The Germans and Scandinavians arrived through major ports of the Atlantic coast. However, the rest of the immigrants came in with lack of both capital and a good education. Some of the immigrants coming in hardly spoke English and with lack of proper education they worked in unskilled jobs.[6] The influx of foreigners into America led to the founding of immigration restriction league that vetted all immigrants coming in through the various ports. The government responded and set screening mechanisms among the immigrants. The officials would screen immigrants based on literacy levels, and other standards such as health status and native background.[7] Congress at that time barred the Chinese from entry and tagged them as undesirable candidates. Other candidates denied access was the paupers, mentally challenged and ex-convicts from other states.[8] The government imposed tax charge to ever y person admitted to limit the number of immigrants into the state. This was to regulate the number of immigrants to ensure that the public resources were not exhausted.[9] Adjusting in the city life however, was not simple. The various ethnicities formed ethnic groups to help each other in the transition process.[10] The communities lived close to each other forming ethnic ghettos, forming close ties with their ethnic countries. The communities kept their cultures as they also adopted the new cultures. Industrialization however, led to assimilation of the different ethnic groups, this was a time industries were developing in the cities and most immigrants were hired to work in these industries.[11] The Europeans for example felt superior because they were more skilled than most of the ethnic groups like the Irish immigrants.[12] Despite the various differences the immigrants shared the same experiences of living in urban areas and facing the same experience of urban life. The nativ es however, encouraged assimilation the more in the various settings.[13] Schools for example, taught in English and insisted that all classes should be conducted in English. Employers in both private and public institution also looked for English-speaking employees, and this forced most immigrants to learn English to secure jobs in the various companies.[14] The stores sold only American products and this forced the immigrants to adapt to using American products. They also were assimilated in the American way of worship; most religious leaders were Native Americans and practiced their native religion.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Reflecting realities of United States in the late 19th century specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Economic security Economic security was an issue of concern among individuals who had just immigrated to America.[15] Most people were looking forward to accumulating enough wealth and cr eate opportunities for their fellow colleagues back at home[16] .The well-to-do credited their wealth to the hard work they had put and they took advantage of their early arrival to form monopolies in the capital industry. These businessmen rooted out competition in the market place and put controls to ensure that they still got their profit returns. Alger’s ragged Dick captured how the immigrants had to face desirable hardships just to make it in the city. The tycoons who owned industries paid the immigrants poorly and made them work under poor conditions and for longer hours.[17] The tycoons took advantage of the high unemployment rates and the immigrant’s lack of formal education. The tycoons posed a threat to society because even though they paid the laborers, they ran the economy. The businessmen overcharged for goods and service and the people had no choice but to pay for them, as the economy was heavily run by a monopoly.[18] Most immigrants had escaped poverty and oppression from their native land only to find themselves in the same circumstances. In the turn of the century new immigrants began streaming in and most of them from Europe. The immigrants had the privilege of some form of education and after undergoing poor working conditions and low wages the immigrants attempted to fight back. The immigrants began forming small crafted unions but they brought little success. However the immigrants were undeterred and they tried to form a nation labor organization.[19] The steel and ironworkers formed a strong association, and were able to establish the first successful strike. The laborers demanded better pay and an improvement in working conditions in the industries. This alleviated to some point the living and working conditions of the laborers, who were also able to afford the cost of living in urban areas.[20] With the great recession after the civil war the increase in wages hardly counted and many laborers later lost their jobs with n o compensation. This was not what many immigrants had bargained for; most of the laborers had immigrated with the hope of making money and returning home. Despite the labor unions and increase of wages the immigrants felt the need to acquire a more secure source of income to sustain the expensive urban lifestyle.[21] Conclusion After the civil war many immigrants moved to American urban cities in search of greener pastures. Most were running away from poverty and harsh conditions back in their native countries. However, on arrival the immigrants faced great challenges unforeseen to them and a lot of them were frustrated.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Having to face unemployment, poor working conditions, keeping in tenements and racial segregation was in the least of their expectations. While some gave up along the way other became prosperous and assimilated to the urban life they envisioned. Bibliography Brinkley, Alan. The unfinished nation: the concise history of the American people. New York, McGrawHill, 2009. 453 Davidson, J. West, and Mark H. Lytle.After the Fact: The Art of Historical Detection. Michigan: McGraw-Hill, 2009.204 Davidson, J. West, and Mark H. Lytle.After the Fact: The Art of Historical Detection. Michigan: McGraw-Hill, 2009.204 Alger,Horatio. Ragged Dick. New York: W. W. Norton Co., 2008.28 Davidson, J. West, and Mark H. Lytle.After the Fact: The Art of Historical Detection. Michigan: McGraw-Hill, 2009.205 . Alger,Horatio. Ragged Dick. New York: W. W. Norton Co., 2008. 34 . Davidson, J. West, and Mark H. Lytle.After the Fact: The Art of Historical Detection. Michigan: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 207 Brinkley, Alan . The unfinished nation: the concise history of the American people. New York, Mc-Graw Hill, 2009.458 Davidson, J. West, and Mark H. Lytle.After the Fact: The Art of Historical Detection. Michigan: McGraw-Hill, 2009, 207 Brinkley,Alan. The Unfinished Nation: The Concise History of the American People. New York: Mc-Graw Hill, 2009.436 Davidson, J. West, and Mark H. Lytle.After the Fact: The Art of Historical Detection. Michigan: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 207 Brinkley,Alan. The Unfinished Nation: The Concise History of the American People. New York: Mc-Graw Hill, 2009.454 Brinkley, Alan. The unfinished nation: the concise history of the American people. (New York, Mc-Graw Hill, 2009) 458 Brinkley,Alan. The Unfinished Nation: The Concise History of the American People. New York: Mc-Graw Hill, 2009. 458 Alger,Horatio. Ragged Dick. New York: W. W. Norton Co., 2008. 34 Brinkley,Alan. The Unfinished Nation: The Concise History of the American People. New York: Mc-Graw Hill, 2009.448 Davidson, J. West, and Mark H. Lytle.After the Fact: The Art of Historical Detection. Michigan: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 211 Brinkley,Alan. The Unfinished Nation: The Concise History of the American People. New York: Mc-Graw Hill, 2009.437 Alger,Horatio. Ragged Dick. New York: W. W. Norton Co., 2008.47 Brinkley, Alan. The unfinished nation: the concise history of the American people. (New York, Mc-Graw Hill, 2009) 445 Brinkley,Alan. The Unfinished Nation: The Concise History of the American People. New York: Mc-Graw Hill, 2009.449 This essay on Reflecting realities of United States in the late 19th century was written and submitted by user Armani Coffey to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Symbolisms in ‘Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening’ Essay Example

Symbolisms in ‘Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening’ Essay Example Symbolisms in ‘Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening’ Paper Symbolisms in ‘Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening’ Paper Lots of symbolism has used by Robert Frost in this poem. Although the poem itself is written on a very typical, iambic and rhythmic approach using simple language that can easily be understand, there are lots of hidden messages enclosed on every words, lines, stanzas and even to its title itself which has to be interpreted in order for the poem as well as the poet to be understood. Thus, his symbolism, which adds more spice to the poem, has been a help in analyzing its meaning. The title ‘Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening’ was a thought-provoking message which could predict that someone has saying goodbye to his life when he was undergoing through the worst time. Perhaps, the life that he was trying to saying goodbye with or to have its stopping period was a life that is full of misery and agony. The first stanza alone covered four symbolisms in which after interpreting those them could help identify the real meaning of the poem. Firstly, the woods here suggest life. The speaker in this poem tried to figure out whom life it was after all, although he said he thinks he knew who it was. Life may have different meanings, and that was the very reason why Robert Frost wanted to write it in plural form –woods. Secondly, the house of the woods’ owner might depict God or the giver of life. The tone of speaker offered the connotation that God doesn’t see him while he was staring at the life he provided. Thirdly, it was the village. Probably, village was the representation of heaven. Frost did not mention that the village was snowy or freezing as well as the house. God in heaven, as everybody believes, would never experience such upheaval. The last symbol was the snow. The snow represented storm or blizzard, a cold natural phenomenon, or perhaps an unpredicted but anticipated natural catastrophe that can freeze one’s life. Again on the second stanza laid four symbolisms, the little horse, farmhouse, frozen lake, and the darkest evening of the year. To the little horse, it might speak as a voice of the speaker’s conscience. It was written as little because one’s conscience never took proud over the consciousness but not as littlest because it would never be littlest to the point that one could see it as insignificant. The farmhouse suggested point of recognition to the presence of the speaker’s conscience, probably located in his heart where the speaker does not always referring to. Frozen lake might offer a clear picture of death. Lake with its deep and wide characteristic is as frightening as death. Frozen can also be seen literally as lifeless or immovable. The darkest evening of the year although it was written figuratively indicated hopelessness, helplessness and powerlessness. At certain moment, the speaker confidently admitted that he was undergoing through his roughest time. Third stanza covered symbolisms formed on different sounds such as harness bells, easy wind, and downy flake. The harness bell of the horse denoted murmuring of the conscience. It’s as if the shaking sound of the bell tried to awaken the speaker about the stopping thinking in the midst of such heavy snowfall. Easy wind offered calmness and lightness of the speaker’ burden in his heart or perhaps denoted a peace of mind while downy flake suggests tears falling. Such peace of mind might be experience only if one lets his tears flow because it is the best way to lighten up the heart’s load. In the first two lines of the last stanza, which said that ‘the woods are lovely, dark and deep, but I have promises to keep,’ (Frost, 1011) one could predict that the tone of the speaker here tried to figure out the bad and the good memories collected all through his whole existence. Those memories might be though some were somewhat upsetting, all of it could be meaningful and hard to forget. However, he still has no option but to do what he has to do just like performing the promise that he once said. Two last two stanza was identical. Robert Frost made this very ending as dramatic as it looked like. Having that style would make the readers think that the speaker still followed his heart’s desire to just do the stopping by the woods on a snowy evening which means to pause for quite sometime with the life he is living while it still on its darkest and gloomiest period. The speaker here realized not to just cut his journey as he has so many miles to go before he went asleep. Lastly, the poem although can be perceived its tone as very depressing all throughout just like a suicide note, the ending still portrayed a positive outcome and contentment. R E F E R E N C E S Ciardi, John. â€Å"Robert Frost: The Way to the Poem. † Robert Frost: A Collection of Critical Essays. Ed. James M. Cox. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1962. 21-30. Frost, Robert. â€Å" Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening. † Literature and Its Writers. A compact Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. 4th Ed. Ann Charters and Samuel Charters. 2007. 1010-1011. Jeffers, Susan, and Robert Frost. Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening. New York: Penguin, 2001.

About german Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

About german - Essay Example The efficiency is admirable because if something is worth doing the Germans do it right. The obedience to the laws is also commendable. Laws are not created for citizens to pick and choose. They are for the betterment of society. Germans seem to understand this concept. As for the nudity when sunbathing, swimming, or in the sauna, this is laudable due to the shamelessness in the human body. Whether a svelte teenager or a wrinkled old woman the Germans are comfortable with their body. Americans are sometimes efficient, but not across the whole population. The efficiency personality varies among Americans. The obedience to the law is not as important to Americans. It seems that Americans pick and choose laws that are fair. If a law does not appear to be fair an American will fight to change it. For example at a red light in an emergency, an American will run the light. Germans would not. Americans enjoy nudity only for the good looking woman. Men can take off their shirts, but full nudity is obscene to Americans. Women can show everything but the chest and other private areas. Old people that are nude make the Americans disgusted. Germans and Americans are just different in these three

Carl Jung Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Carl Jung - Essay Example Here he learned the discipline of careful and faithful recording of his work and started on his series of experiments, the word associations, which were to bring him the first ray of fame. (Anthony Daniels, Carl Jung) Word associations' experiments in brief constituted of asking the subject to respond with first word that came into subject's mind, in response to a word by Carl Jung. While the subject was responding Carl would record the subject's change in heart beat and respiratory rates as well as changes in skin conductivity (skin conductivity changes along with emotional arousal as this state leads to increase in body's sweat). Carl would thus be able to monitor and gauge which words would gauge which words would cause the most arousal. His next accomplishment was building theory of archetypes and collective consciousness - this theory was formed of thinking in imagery or undirected thinking and he believed that collective unconscious had many such archetypical forms (Anthony Daniels, Jung's idea of causality starts off by laying down the three basic requirements: Causes must precede effects, causes and effects must occur concomitantly, the effects from the concerned cause should occur continually and should not be one off. He further builds up and mentions causal events as obeying the natural laws and following the "scientific truths" while acausal events follow a pattern of "instant discontinuity" or beyond reason. The synchronicity theory bridges this reality gap and aims to present a more holistic picture of our world. (Lance Storm, Synchronicity, Causality and Acausality.) Jung defines synchronicity as occurrence of two or more events with a meaningful connection between them and there is no causal link. The meaningful connection constraint is very important as this removes coincidence. For Jung, synchronous event remains so irrespective of recognition of concerned event as meaningful (Lance Storm, Synchronicity) and also this event involves an archetype. Archetype is the connection, however amorphous may it be, that links the two events and enjoins them with a shared theme. Archetype according to Jung is the pivot points or building blocks of the collective unconscious that impinge on and determine behavior patterns. Victor Mansfield says, collective unconscious is according to Jung a neutral entity and further Jung says that synchronicity does not preclude causality and synchronicity is an Carl Jung 3 indispensable counterpart to causality. Acausal connections are really no connections, as perceived by our ingrained thinking and commitment to causality. (Victor Mansfield, The Rhine-Jung letters). Jung considers synchronicity as a special minor offshoot of "general acausal orderness" and par psychological phenomenon should also be considered in this domain. Paraphysicological phenomenon are acausal because there realizable exchange of energy or information which connects the similarities or correlations

Literature Review of Industrial Policies

Literature Review of Industrial Policies What types of industrial policies are there? Discuss, comparatively, the experience of  Brazil and South Korea. Discussing the literature of industrial policy. The Industrial Policy plan of a country, sometimes shortened IP, is its official strategic effort to encourage the development and growth of the manufacturing sector of the economy.There are role of government which takes measures aimed at improving the competitiveness and capabilities of domestic firms and promoting structural transformation. [4] A countrys infrastructure (transportation, telecommunications and energy industry) is a major part of the manufacturing sector that usually has a key role in IP 1. What kinds of industrial policies are effective? One aspect of this question is whether governments should use industrial policies to make the most of their country’s current comparative advantage, or instead invest in higher-productivity industries that are not competitive in the short-term. According to Justin Yifu Lin, World Bank Chief Economist, where industrial policies fail this is â€Å"due mostly to governments’ inability to align their efforts with their country’s resource base and level of development† (Lin, 2010). For Lin, developing countries should first seek to profit from the (mostly labour- and resource-intensive) products and services that they are currently most competitive in. They will accumulate human and physical capital in the process. This capital, Lin argues, can be reinvested over time in more productive industries. An article in the †The Economist† draws similar conclusions. Ha-Joon Chang, in contrast, argues that dev eloping countries should defy their comparative advantage. For Chang, the cost of moving capital between industries (e.g. from sewing machines to car plants) means that countries should actively promote high-productivity industries at an early stage in their development. Some argue that while manufacturing should be given special policy treatment, governments should not favour particular manufacturing industries (cf. UNIDO, 2011)2. One way to do this is by improving the infrastructure that manufacturers require, e.g. by promoting industrial clusters (UNIDO 2009). The creation of export-oriented Special Economic Zones is a well-known example of this. Critics argue that such an approach may only attract short-term investment, achieving little if any positive spillover into the wider economy (Good and Hughes, 2002 ). Another question is which kinds of industrial policy are most effective in promoting economic development. For example, economists debate whether developing countries should focus on their comparative advantage by promoting mostly resource- andlabour-intensiveproducts and services, or invest inhigher-productivityindustries, which may only become competitive in the longer term. An example of typical industrial policy can be import-substitution-industrialization (ISI), where trade barriers are temporarily imposed on some key sectors, such as manufacturing. By selectively protecting certain industries, these industries are given time to learn (learning by doing) and upgrade. Once competitive enough, these restrictions are lifted to expose the selected industries to the international market. ISI was most successful in countries with large populations and income levels which allowed for the consumption of locally produced products. Latin American countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and (to a lesser extent) Chile, Uruguay and Venezuela, had the most success with ISI. The Brazilian ISI process, which occurred from 1930 until the end of the 1980s, involved in boosting exports and discouraging imports (thus promoting the consumption of locally manufactured products), as well as the adoption of different exchange rates for importing capital goods and for importing consumer goods. Moreover, government policies toward investment were not always opposed to foreign capital: the Brazilian industrialization process was based on: governmental, private, and foreign capital, the first being directed to infrastructure and heavy industry, the second to manufacturing consumer goods, and the third, to the production of durable goods (such as automobiles). Volkswagen, Ford, GM, and Mercedes all established production facilities in Brazil in the 1950s and 1960s.. Industrial policy covers many areas of policy. In the historical and comparative literature on the industrialization processes in East Asia and Latin America, the following areas of industrial policy have been persistently disputed: trade strategies, the role and extent of directed credits and subsidies, and innovation policies. In a country whose government has industrial policies, the market force is more or less distorted due to government intervention. It can also be the case that the government uses industrial policy to correct market distortion resulted from domestic monopoly. However, there is no uniformity in the essence or the extent of industrial policies. Different paths chosen by the governments lead to different patterns of industrial development. Even similar strategies could bring about different results when implemented under different environments. A scarcity of natural resources has motivated South Korea to look at its human capital as its biggest endowment, and the country has invested heavily in education, science and technology, and a â€Å"knowledge-based† economy. The South Korea is one of the few countries in the world that has managed radically to transform its domestic economy from one based on agriculture to that of a leading world industrial power, with a constant increase in income per capita and a high growth pattern (Figure 1). Industrialisation and the shift from light to heavy and chemical industries boosted the rising growth pattern and favoured a virtuous integration into foreign markets (Figure 2). For many years, Brazil employed various policies to alter its productive structure in order to increase the participation of sectors believed to have great potential to generate economic growth. Behind these initiatives lay the idea that since the terms of exchange tend over time to deteriorate as far as agricultural production is concerned, it would be appropriate for developing countries to make an effort to industrialize, principally by imposing protectionist tariffs [Prebisch (1950) Singer (1950)].1 The aim here is not to present a detailed report on Brazil’s industrial policy (IP, for now on) over the last few years [for this, see Suzigan (1995), Guimarà £es (1996) and Bonelli, Veiga Brito (1997), Suzigan Furtado (2006)], but rather to describe briefly the tools used to promote industry. Between the 50s and the 80s, various types of trade protection were basically used (import taxes and non-tariff barriers such as the examination of similarity, indices of nationalizat ion, contingency mechanisms, import licensing, preference in government procurement), along with export stimulation (favored exchange rates for exports of manufactured goods and tax exemptions) and subsidies for production in selected sectors (tax exemption and reduction and acceleration of capital depreciation). Besides this, there was an intense flow of credit to sectors considered to be priority and the strong direct presence of the State in various productive activities. To all this, add the obstacles against adopting new technologies (the Information Technology Law (â€Å"Lei de Informà ¡tica†), for example), large state investments in infrastructure (especially up to the late 70s) and expansion of higher education (principally as of the 70s). Brazilian industrial policy developed within the context of a paradigm shift in the relations between State and Society, in which the public sector sought to bring about a business environment favorable to productive investment, w hile the private sector busied itself with seeking out opportunities and making investments. Brazil’s Industrial, Technological and Foreign Trade Policy (PITCE), unveiled in March of 2004, has unique features which clearly distinguish it from previous policies. Its purpose is to bring increased efficiency and competitiveness to Brazilian companies and place them in international markets, thereby creating jobs and increasing incomes. ________________________________________________________________________________________________ 1 Nonetheless, it must be remembered that there is no consensus concerning deterioration of the terms of trade [see Hadass Williamson (2001) for pertinent references]. On the other hand, Sarkar Singer (1991) find indications that the terms of trade for exports of manufactured goods from developing countries also tend to deteriorate, which would justify the prescriptions set forth by Prebisch (1950) and Singer (1950) even in a more advanced stage of development. 2 These tools were not used with the same intensity in all periods. For further details, see Suzigan (1995) If IP appeared to be successful in changing Brazil’s productive structure, there is no evidence that it managed to promote sustained growth over many years. Comparison with countries that found themselves in a similar stage of development is quite illustrative. We see that Brazil’s per capita income in the 60s was higher than many of the countries in East Asia, but during the 80s it was surpassed by all of them. By way of illustration, in 1980 Brazil’s per capita income was 131% of South Korea’s, 40% of Japan’s and 108% of Taiwan’s, whereas in 2000 it had dropped to 50% of South Korea’s, 28% of Japan’s and 39% of Taiwan’s (see Figure 1). From the 90s on, a movement is perceived to open the economy and diminish the role of the State as entrepreneur. The impact of trade opening on industrial productivity has been widely documented [Ferreira Rossi-Jà ºnior (2003)], but this apparently was not translated into exceptionally high growth rates, especially if compared with previous periods (characterized by the intense use of vertical policies) or with the countries of East Asia (see Figure 1). This being so, many authors point to the performance of the Brazilian economy in the last fifteen years as evidence of the need to adopt sectorial policies [see Kupfer (2003), for example]. Work Cited Wikipedia. Industrial policy UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization) www.unido.org Industrial Policy and Territorial Development. Lessons from Korea An industrial policy for Brazil (AlessAndro Teixeira. President of the Brazilian Agency for Industrial Development (ABDI) ) Import Substitution and Industrialization in Latin Amercia: Experiences and Interpretations. (Latin American Studies Association) Import Substitution Industrialization. Looking Inward for the Source of Economic Growth Industrial and innovation policies in Brazil: recent paths and main challenges (Institute for Manufacturing)

Gang violence Essay

â€Å"Once found principally in large cities, violent street gangs now affect public safety, community image, and quality of life in communities of all sizes in urban, suburban, and rural areas. No region of the United States is untouched by gangs. Gangs affect society at all levels, causing heightened fears for safety, violence, and economic costs† (In The Spotlight) As the quote above shows, gangs and everything that goes with them has spread all over the United States and is now one of the major issues the U.S. faces. There are estimated to be about twenty-nine thousand, four hundred gangs and seven hundred fifty six thousand gang members all throughout the U.S. Also, there are thousands of other gang members illegally crossing the U.S. borders, mostly from Central America. Each gang differs in some way but however, â€Å"A common definition for a gang is a group of three or more individuals who engage in criminal activity and identify themselves with a common sign or name † (Barbour 9). The main problem in the U.S. is not the actual gangs, but it is the drugs that they involve themselves with. The drugs only bring violence and problems. The main purpose of many gangs today is not to rule turf or power but to get money by smuggling drugs over the borders and then selling them. Gang activity and violence is occurring all over the U.S. every day, mainly caused by the involvement of illegal narcotics, if this country wants to stop the gangs, it needs to completely cut off the smuggling and trafficking of drugs from Central America into the U.S. by combining different government agencies of different levels to prevent the gangs from entering the U.S. and growing and also to create prevention programs and groups to control it at a more localized level where the issues are the most pressing. Gangs are smuggling over the U.S. borders and it is causing more problems than the government can handle. The main source of drugs is coming from Central America, where the most predominant number of gangs is located. Many gangs are focused only on smuggling different types of drugs into the U.S. and it is the one way to sustain a constant source of income. This is very appealing to any youth who wants money and that is why the number of gang members is growing so rapidly. â€Å"The transnational gangs are located in over 300 cities and 40 states across the country and are becoming a serious  threat to the national security of the United States† (Farah). Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) is the most dangerous gang in the U.S. today and is not even native to the U.S. The homeland of MS-13 is in El Salvador. El Salvador is the most highly gang populated country in Central America. Some other gang-infested countries are Guatemala and Honduras. There are about ten thousand MS-13 members in the U.S. alone and about forty thousand members in Central America. Unfortunately, these numbers are still on the rise. MS-13 recruits members at a very young age, which keeps a steady growth in members. The idea of a better family and brotherhood, but also money, is very appealing to any kid who is struggling at home. MS-13 accounts for the majority of drug distribution from Central America and is the focal point that needs to be attended to if this problem is going to be solved. Another main problem with the drugs is how large of an impact they have on the people because they only add to the already existing problems for society. Also, violence and drugs go hand in hand, which is why they are so involved within the gangs. Violence is always involved with gangs, but with the addition of drugs, the violence can intensify to a level where nothing can be done. This causes the gangs to be much harder to deal with. One main problem is that the American society hates the gangs but loves the drugs and will continue to buy drugs no matter where they are coming from. This makes it even more difficult to deal with. The drugs find a way to enter the lives of people from all of American society. For instance, they have been involved in different businesses and been the cause of murders, including celebrities. â€Å"Gangs have a large involvement in the rap industry and are related to the murders of Tupac Shakkur and Biggie Smalls† (Smith, â€Å"Gangs†). Tup ac Shakkur and Biggie Smalls were two iconic rappers of their time but sadly, gangs found a way into their lives and ended up causing both of their deaths. The drugs and violence become so intertwined into society, that now they are very hard to remove and a resolution to this problem needs to be found. There are many different processes that are being implemented now to stop this problem. An example is that groups and programs are being formed to fight back against the gangs. The Arizona Corridor has proven to be one of  the busiest places for gang smuggling and trafficking. There was a group formed to prevent it called IIMPACT Arizona. â€Å"IIMPACT Arizona! is a multi-agency project that is managed by the Gang and Immigration Intelligence Team Enforcement Mission (GIITEM) and designed to address rising crime associated with illegal immigration.† (Gang and Immigration Enforcement) IIMPACT is acronym that stands for â€Å"Illegal Immigration Prevention and Apprehension Co-op Teams† (Gang and Immigration Enforcement). IIMPACT is a program where local, state and federal police forces team up to fight against smuggling organized by crime groups. The main goals of the group are to deter, disrupt and dismantle gangs from illegally immigrated people and drugs into the U.S . If they are able to succeed with what they want to do, then they would be shutting down one of the hotspots for gang smuggling. This group is in action today and could eventually make a large impact on preventing gangs from smuggling over the U.S. borders, which would greatly decrease the amount of drugs that would be entering the U.S. The U.S. government has tried to pass different acts and laws against gangs but there has been many legal issues revolving around the civil liberties of the individuals being persecuted. â€Å"Responding to the rise in gang violence in the early 1980s, Los Angeles judges began to issue gang injunctions. This occurs when the city attorney’s office issues a restraining order against specific gang members. This is done only after gathering evidence from police officials and the public. However, in 1987, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) challenged the injunctions, indicating that they presented a violation of an individual’s civil rights† (Smith, Gangs: Outlook). Whenever the government gets close to cracking down on the gangs, an issue involving civil liberties arises and prevents the laws to be passed. The way some of the laws enabled police officers to treat gang members and the hostile level violated some of their rights. In 1994, the Violent Crime Contr ol and Enforcement Act of 1994 was passed and it tightened the choke hold on gangs. It stiffened the penalties for crimes committed by gangs, so that the members would be less prone to break the law. The penalties for a gang member were much more severe than one for just an average person, even if the same crime was committed by both of them. Many lawmakers and law enforcers believe the answer is to make laws to  combat the actions gangs. If the penalties are stiffened, then they will be less prone to smuggle drugs and the drugs levels will go down. If drug trafficking can not be stopped, then there is no chance of slowing down gangs and the violence they create. The solution to this problem will take time and effort but will work. More groups and programs have to be made in order to stop the drug smuggling and gang violence. Also, younger kids have to be reached out to early on so they don’t even have the option to join some sort of gang. If more localized programs can be formed, then smuggling can be cut down from area to area and over time, will disappear. Even though there was extensive research, only one program that was focusing on gang involvement in their area was found and it had been working efficiently so far (IIMPACT). This group is so successful because it requires the usage of town police, state police and federal police all working together. The information that can be shared from each level is key to success. A joint effort is always more successful than a singular effort. If different levels of government enforcement could join up and work together in states all along the border, the smuggling of drugs could be cut dow n immediately. â€Å"The combination of different agencies has brought up results that show that gang violence and just gangs in general are able to be controlled if not reduced a significant amount† (â€Å"In The Spotlight†). This combination occurring much more frequently can be the resolution to the problem that has needed to be solved for so long. The main problem can be seen lying within the gangs but the actual problem revolves around the American educational institutions and the environments that kids are provided with. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) believes that laws will not help and that providing the right environment for kids is what is needed. The main problem with setting a lot of laws and enforcing them is that even if a kid is stopped from being fully involved in a street gang by sending him to prison, he will be more likely to join a gang in prison than out in the world because of how frequent prison gangs are. By trying to prevent one problem, the laws would only cause another. â€Å"If younger kids were provided with better opportunities to enact in a community and have a better environment to conduct their actions, they will  be less prone to join gangs† (Smith â€Å"Gangs: Outlooks†). Groups like the ACLU are trying to stop the problem before it arises and that really is the best po ssible thing that can be done in this situation. If the number of gang members goes down, then gangs will lose their power and influence over the surrounding communities. This would cause there to be less drug smuggling occurring and the problem would gradually decline to a non-existing issue. Gang activity and violence is occurring all over the U.S. every day, mainly caused by the involvement of illegal narcotics. If this country wants to stop the gangs, it needs to completely cut off the smuggling and trafficking of drugs from Central America into the U.S. by combining different government agencies of different levels to prevent the gangs from entering the U.S. and growing and also to create programs and groups to prevent it at a more localized level where the issues are the most urgent. The information that was presented shows how much damage that the gangs are causing to the U.S. and how drugs being smuggled over the borders from Central America are the main cause. This is very important because some of what is being done now and what can be done could be the solution to this enormous problem. Possible trends in the future will definitely be that more laws and acts will be proposed and whether or not they go into action, they will make a positive affect on trying to st op gangs in the U.S. Gangs were first formed in the U.S. in New York in the early 20th century, particularly 1928, so it could be the first time in one hundred years where gangs are not relevant in the U.S. Also, it could make a large global impact because it would encourage other nations to crack down on gangs too. If the necessary steps are taken, the problem of gangs in the U.S. could be completely ended and we could experience a gang-free and drug-free time period in the U.S. for the first time in years. Work Cited Barbour, Scott, ed. Gangs. San Diego: Greenhaven, 2002. Print. Farah, Douglas, and Pamela Phillips Lum. â€Å"Central American Gangs and Transnational Criminal Organizations.† Strategycenter. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Apr. 2013. â€Å"Gang and Immigration Enforcement.† AZDPS. Arizona Department of Public Safety, 2013. Web. 10 Apr. 2013. â€Å"In the Spotlight: Gangs.† National Criminal Justice Reference Service. U.S. Department of Justice, 7 Sept. 2012. Web. 10 Apr. 2013. Smith, Pamela K. â€Å"Gangs.† Issues: Understanding Controversy and Society. ABC-CLIO, 2013. Web. 25 Apr. 2013. Smith, Pamela K. â€Å"Gangs: Outlook.† Issues: Understanding Controversy and Society. ABC-CLIO, 2013. Web. 25 Apr. 2013.

Homeless in America Research Paper Essay

We see them all the time. Homeless people sit at street corners, holding signs, and asking for money or food. We may look at them, choose to ignore, or choose to give, but for many of the homeless, this has become their way of life. The reason I chose this topic was because of my recent volunteer work with the Salvation Army and Thrift Store in Grand Forks. I have seen people in desperate situations and heard some stories while working with community service members during my time at the Salvation Army. I also personally worked with a homeless man every day at the Salvation Army. He was in his 50’s, tall, gray hair and a large build. He always wore layers of clothes which appeared dirty and worn. He never mentioned to me that he was homeless, but it was told to me by one of the other workers. I was also told that he often slept in the truck that was loaded daily with clothes to be sent over to Minneapolis. He always had such a positive attitude about his job, working for the S alvation Army. People in his situation are another reason I wanted to do research on the history and current epidemic of homeless in America. Locally there is not nearly enough shelter for the homeless. The cost of rent, even in this town, has increased dramatically. In order to afford an apartment, you must save more than a thousand dollars much of time. It is not an easy cycle to get out off, as many people think. As we have learned in class, women and children stay in different locations than the men, which means that families cannot stay together. Often, this fact leads families to sleep in their vehicles in order to stay together. There are many different reasons and causes for homelessness in America. Drug use is one of the earliest factors in homelessness. After the Civil War, morphine and heroin could be purchased from Sears and Roebucks catalogs. Hundreds of thousands of war veterans became addicted, and the addiction spread throughout America. The drugs were finally crimin alized,  but the damage had been done. The three common terms, â€Å"hobo†, â€Å"tramp†, and â€Å"bum† came out of this era. Racial divides also still occur in the areas of healthcare, education, access to mortgages, and access to equal paying jobs among many others. Unless some type of intervention occurs, generational issues are often the rule and not the exception. Living in poverty creates depression, which can lead to drug use, alcoholism, and neglect of self and others. Poverty was a well-known issue during the Civil War and many children ended up homeless and in orphanages simply because their parents, or remaining parent, could not afford to take care of them. War often leads to loss of life, and therefore loss of income in families, especially during this time. Our country was still newly formed and there were no social welfare programs as of yet. Further along in history, during the Great Depression, jobs were lost, and the rates of homeless again, increased throughout America. Natural Dis asters are another factor in the homelessness problem. The Great Chicago Fire, The San Francisco earthquake, the massive flooding of the Mississippi in the 1920s from Ohio through New Orleans displaced over 1.3 million people. The Drought of the 30s in Oklahoma and Texas, Hurricane Katrina, are just a few examples of disasters that affected millions of people’s households. The snowball effect of unemployment and poverty attribute to homelessness. People living in generational poverty, for example, may not have the knowledge or resources to become educated and move out of poverty. People living in generational poverty do not have the resources and support to become educated and move out of poverty. In 2011, the official rate of poverty in America was 15.0%, which is 46.2 million. Another category of homeless is the very people who fought for our country: Veterans. One in three homeless people are veterans. The vast majority is single men (97%). In fact, 40% of the male homeless population is war veterans. A large percentage of these veterans (76%) experience alcohol, drug or mental health problems.3 Poverty was a well-known issue at this time and many children ended up homeless and in orphanages simply because their parents could not afford to take care of them. During the Great Depression, jobs were lost, and the rates of homeless again, increased throughout America. Natural Disasters are another factor in the homelessness problem. The Great Chicago Fire, The San Francisco earthquake, the massive  flooding of the Mississippi in the 1920s from Ohio through New Orleans displaced over 1.3 million people. The Drought of the 30s in Oklahoma and Texas, Hurricane Katrina, are just a few examples of disasters that affected millions of people’s households. T he snowball effect of unemployment and poverty attribute to homelessness. People living in generational poverty, for example, may not have the knowledge or resources to become educated and move out of poverty. People living in generational poverty do not have the resources and support to become educated and move out of poverty. In 2011, the official rate of poverty in America was 15.0%, which is 46.2 million. Many of the homelessness are those we do not see on street corners, asking for help. Locally, the North Dakota Coalition for Homeless People reports information regarding the homeless in North Dakota. A statewide January 25, 2012 Point-in-Time Survey of 972 Homeless People indicated: 6% stayed outside, in cars, in abandoned buildings the night of the survey 66% stayed in emergency shelters or transitional supportive housing 16% were precariously housed in motels or doubled up with family or friends and at imminent risk of being on the street 65% (635) were unaccompanied individ uals 35% (337) were families, including 189 children under the age of 18 59% cannot afford rent, even if they have some income 48% were unemployed 36% had alcohol or drug abuse problems 35% had a mental illness Who are the homeless in America? More than 42% of those accessing emergency shelter are families, and, on average these families remain in emergency shelters for 70 days, longer than either single women or single men. The primary reason for family homelessness is the lack of affordable housing, though poverty, unemployment, low-paying jobs, family disputes, substance abuse, and other factors all play significant roles in family homelessness. Recent statistics indicate that 26% of those suffering from homelessness are considered â€Å"severely mentally ill;† 19% are employed; 15% are victims of domestic violence; 13% are physically disabled; 13 are veterans; and 2% are HIV positive. Children are also not exempt from the issue of homelessness. We may not see them on the streets, but families with children are the largest growing segment of the homeless population. The education of these  children is also affected by this lack of stability. Many times, because of the lack of a permanent residence, children miss or change schools, disrupting their education. According to the Institute for Children and Poverty, homeless children are nine times more likely to repeat a grade, four times more likely to drop out of school, and three times more likely to be placed in special education programs than their housed peers. Runaway youth are also at a high level of risk for homelessness. Homeless and runaway youth had been interviewed after getting into trouble with the law while out on the streets. It was found that some young people felt like they had to make mistakes before they realized they needed help. Rather than learning from seeing their friends get into trouble, they had to try out risky behavior themselves and see the consequences first hand.1 The desire to self-help is key to helping homeless of any age, especially the teenager who often feels like he/she is old enough to take care of his/her self. In this same study, there were three main things that were key to helping out these youth. The first was that the programs designed for runaway and homeless youth need to be flexible and person-centered. The second is that people are more valuable than programs and that process is more important than outcomes. The third is the importance of family and friends. Even after these kids leave or abandon their homes, these relationships often need healing. Homelessness is a national problem and is not exclusive to cities. Rural areas make up 7 percent of the population. Catastrophic life events can trigger homelessness. There is a quote from a publication called â€Å"Starting Point Community Analysis† that states â€Å"We are all one life event away from homelessness.† For many of low income families, this is a true statement. Single moms in America have grown dramatically over the past 50 years. This has created an epidemic of poverty in our country. So many factors contribute to homelessness, many of which are unavoidable. Personal accounts of the homeless in America stated the intense loneliness of being homeless. Because of this loneliness, many single homeless people turn to drugs or alcohol for comfort and a way to escape their current situation. One homeless man stated that once an employer found out he had no phone, no vehicle, and no residence, his application was thrown away. Without  assistance, many of thes e people give up hope on anything better for themselves. It is not as easy as â€Å"getting a job†, as many people are quick to say when seeing a homeless person begging on the street. It is an epidemic of the young, the old, the educated, and the uneducated. Many of these homeless stay out of sight. As social workers, we can provide information on assistance and programs that are available through the state and government. Many of these people simply need a hand up and do not know where to start. By working with these organizations, we can get started on helping via drug/alcohol programs, psychiatric care, financial resources, career and housing assistance. On a micro level, we may need to start with the basic needs of the homeless person. Shelter is the first need to be addressed, but the reasons behind being homeless also have to be addressed. There is usually a root of the problem when it comes to homelessness. Some examples may be a recent divorce, addiction, mental illn ess, or loss of employment. Even the smallest factor can change someone’s life and create a chain of events that they never planned for or saw coming. Also on the micro level we can work as counselors or referrals to health care professionals such as psychiatrists. For those homeless with mental illness, a facility and/or medication may be something that will help them to function in society. Also, introducing the homeless to any programs or help that is available in their local area would be an example of micro level social work. There are a vast array of concerns and reasons for homeless that need to be addressed. On a mezzo level, we may work with organizations such as http://www.endhomelessness.org, http://nationalhomeless.org , or more locally, www.ndhomelesscoalition.org to help raise money to help homeless people in need and further the current help of these organizations. On a macro level, we could work to campaign to raise government funding and policy changes for th e homeless in America. An example would be shelter for families to go to together. This is not available locally right now. Homelessness is a country-wide issue. It does not discriminate. From the wealthiest, to those who have lost everything due to the failing economy, to the poorest who grew up having nothing, homelessness is an epidemic that spans the history of our nation. References 1. Kurtz, P. D. P. D., Lindsey, E. P. D., Jarvis, S. M. E. ,. S., & Nackerud, L. P. D. (2000). How runaway and homeless youth navigate troubled waters: The role of formal and informal helpers. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 17(5), 381-402. Retrieved from http://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1007507131236 2. Heidi, M. (2011, November 16). The history of homelessness in america 1640s to present. Retrieved from http://www.dceh.org/the-history-of-homelessness-in-america-1640s-to-present/ 3. http://www.supporthomelessveterans.org/statistics.html 4. http://www.ndhomelesscoalition.org/what_we_do/facts.html 5. http://nationalhomeless.org/about-homelessness/ http://www.supporthomelessveterans.org/statistics.html