Did Truman simply want the black vote Essay Example

Did Truman simply want the black vote Essay When Harry Truman came to power in 1945 his policies were very much associated with black civil rights, in this assignment we must establish whether he simply just wanted the black vote or whether there were underlying reasons for his association and his appealing to the black voters. Truman was born and raised in the state of Missouri which had a large white population and a small black population, it would have been unusual for Harry Truman not to be a racist. The environment he grew up in was very racist and his own ancestors had owned slaves, many of the blacks in the state of Missouri were also previously slaves. Previous to 1944 Truman did not need the black vote to win, no need to court the black vote. Roosevelt in 1944 was looking for a vice president, Truman got the position and for the first time had to appeal to the whole of the USA, therefore he had to court the black vote. It was possibly the first time that the black vote actually accounted for something (franchisement- the right to vote). We will write a custom essay sample on Did Truman simply want the black vote specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Did Truman simply want the black vote specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Did Truman simply want the black vote specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Then in 1945 when President Roosevelt died, Truman became president, at first he was not helpful to blacks. In 1948 the presidential election was held and it was then that Truman really pushed his civil rights policies, possibly to win the black vote. To win the election he needed to secure at least 270 votes. There are 538 votes in the Electoral College and the candidate who wins the vote in each state receives all of the electoral votes assigned to that state. Each state has a number of Electoral College votes equal to the number of senators it has plus the number of members of the House of Representatives it has (which is dependant upon the population of the state). New York, Illinois and Michigan were the three most important (northern) states in the election process because they had a large black population. It was these three black communities which Truman needed to convince to vote for him, in order for him to become president, they were the deciding states as it were. His rival was Strom Thurmond a republican, who was an overt racist whereas Truman was a democrat. His plan was flaw proof, by offering civil rights to the blacks in the Dixie-southern states and those in the two most important northern states would win him the presidency. This action shows the great influence that Trumans policies had on the black voters. It cannot be argued that in no means can it possibly be due to his need for the black vote, the fact is it was to do with votes. In the election Truman carried an unprecedented two-thirds of the black vote. He did however lose the Dixiecrat vote, which was probably significantly as large as the black vote. However this does not entirely explain his support for civil rights, there were a number of other factors which played a part in his support. In 1945 the cold war took place, an ideological conflict between the USA and the USSR followed. Both super powers were involved in a global power struggle and both had the potential to control the entire world. The USA believed the whole world should adopt their capitalist system and at the same time the USSR believed the world should adopt their communist system. In 1945 the USSR and Mongolia were both communist run countries but between 1945 and 1948 Poland, Czechoslovakia, Eastern Germany, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Yugoslavia and China were a new list of countries that Russia had liberated forced to become communist, in the global power struggle. Americans became terrified that the world would become communist and that they would be swamped. Americans did not want to be part of a communist country because it would mean all their wealth would have to be shared, industry would be state-owned not privately owned and elections would be a one-party dictatorship with all candidates belonging to the communist party. The Americans embarked upon a red witch hunt an attack on all communist countries. Truman firmly believed that equality was vital in maintaining Americas moral standing in the Cold War world. So Truman may have been eager to gain equality for all Americans, to stand tall against the USSR, in the global power struggle. Truman may have also been backing black civil rights for the sole reason to protect the Americans national reputation conscience, he believed that there should be an end to lynching, the poll tax and inequality in education and employment. It was clear that he was motivated by the desire to do what was best for America, alongside the other factors which contributed to his policies. Truman was a racist but tried to be fair. He did not seek social equality for blacks but he wanted legal equality, which he saw as a black mans basic right, because he is a human being and a natural born American. It was clear he was still representing the Missouri voters. He was especially horrified by the attacks on black servicemen returning from World War II, the worst occurred in the Deep South where Negro soldiers had just returned from overseas and were dumped out of army trucks in Missouri and beaten Truman remarked that these stories turned his stomach. His opinion on education for blacks was that if they were better educated that it would benefit the economy and in turn help all Americans, he told black democrats of this belief. His ideas were deliberately misrepresented. His advocacy for equality of opportunity was interpreted as miscegenation and integration, which was unprecedented. Integrated political meetings, which he conducted in southern states, caused serious violence. Idealism was an important element in his actions, this was seen when he put his life on the line. When The Ku Klux Klan surrounded a several thousand strong crowd, at a meeting but dared not attack because 100 armed blacks stood alongside them. Truman recognised that regardless of race the respect for the law was at sake. In the case of a white person being violent towards a black person, in whom they were not punished led to the belief and idea that the law was more lenient on the white community. Therefore it was likely that the whites would abuse the law and lose all respect for it. Also those whites, who saw little help for those black people being attacked, would lose their trust in the law to support them in times of need. The nation would lose pride in their justice system. However, privately Truman would still refer to blacks as niggers, his sister even claimed that Harry is no more for nigger equality than any of us. This paints a different picture to how he was regarded by his public. The question being analysed has a very open ended answer, as it is quite possible that President Truman was motivated by the black vote, respect for the law, humane repugnance at racist attacks, personal veracity and his insight into what was good for his country at the time and its proclaimed leadership of the free world against communism, which veered Truman toward support of greater equality for blacks. However, ultimately he supported civil rights so strongly, it could be claimed that it was simply to win the black vote and as a result gain power of the country that he had been brought up in. the definitive reward, which he longed for, a famous name all around the world and a place in history. Still there remains to be strong enough evidence to prove that Trumans motivation was not purely political. Therefore Trumans association with black civil rights was not totally motivated by his want for the black vote but as a result of a combination of reasons.

girl friends and guy friends essays

girl friends and guy friends essays Its a Friday night and youve got nothing to do. Maybe you feel like relaxing on the couch at home. Maybe you want to watch a movie, or even get dinner with a friend. But which friend? A guy friend or a girl friend? This is where the decision becomes crucial. It all depends on what kind of mood youre in. You may be asking yourself, Why would my mood affect whether I call a girl friend or a guy friend? The answer to this is that girl friends and guy friends, while both obviously friends, are completely different beings, different species even. Both are friends, but could not be more opposite in conversations or actions. Because of the way they function in social situations, girl friends and guy friends are like polar opposites. Lets say a girl and a guy friend, well call them Jenna and Fred, go to the mall to look around, you know, for something to do. At the mall, Jenna sees a pair of pants she wants to try on. So she tries them on and walks out to ask Fred for his opinion. Well, theyre kind of tight on your legs. They make you look sorta thick, you know? Brutally honest. The first, and maybe most predominate, trait of the guy friend. Almost offensive, but in actuality its one of his strongest and most reliable characteristics. To be extremely forward, honest, and not take the energy to sugarcoat the truth. On the other end of the spectrum we have a girl friend, who when asked about how Jennas pants look, would say something like, Oh, those are really cute. They look good in the waist. What size are those? The girl friend dodges the trouble area. She avoids the truth, and changes the subject at all costs. She would rather lie than insult her friend. This is where the girl friend differs from the guy friend, because she would rather spare her friends feelings than have her be fully infor ...

Financial reporting Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Financial reporting - Assignment Example rganization is not to simply promote its very own business and increase the ultimate goal of profit figures but, on the other hand, these organization also acknowledges their secondary responsibility towards its society people and environmental affects. The primary purpose of conducting various CSER activities by Company is the clear acknowledgement on the part of the Company that they do care about its society, their peoples, and environment and therefore, is consistently working on the promotion of various subjects of the society including, literature, sports, health, safety and others. CSER involve in incurring some short-term expenses and costs for the organization that do not also provide an instant financial benefit to the business, but instead it provides some qualitative return to the business in the long run. The activities of CSER widely promote many positive and beneficial transformations into the society and environment, in which the organization is performing their operations. With the help of CSER report, the ultimate aim of the business is to signify towards the society that they are the organization which have strict regulations and controls over the various business evils, including, Frauds, Bribery, Political influences and gifts, conflict of interests, compromise of independence issues, tax evasion, unethical business practice, unfair competitive activities, lack of confidentiality of business information and acumen, harassment of human rights and values, discrimination and many others, depending on the structure and needs of the organization. Through, CSER, business organization also wants demonstrate they strictly follow health and safety measures, its code of conduct, regulatory guidelines and are continually striving for improvement in order to accrue lesser and lesser damage to physical environment and nature. ABF Plc’s Corporate Responsibility Report clearly demonstrates that how much importance they are actually giving to the area

Personal Leadership Evaluation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Personal Leadership Evaluation - Research Paper Example It seems clear that to some extent individuals can take a broad overview of their leadership qualities, and work to develop responses to the various strengths and weaknesses that are identified. This essay functions to evaluate my current leadership effectiveness. Specifically, the essay includes a review of who I as a leader need to be, what I as a leader need to know, and what I as a leader need to do. In examining who I as a leader need to be, I recognize that there are a variety of elements that must be considered. While I have not entirely decided on my career path, I recognize that I would like to pursue a path related to businesses and organizations. Even as these categorical distinctions involve a wide variety of elements, it’s clear there are a number of universal principles that underline all aspects of leadership. One of the important texts in articulating essential aspects of leadership is Maxwell (2007)’s The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. In this text Maxwell articulates a number of notions of effective leadership, as well as means of developing these qualities so the reader can attain more effective leadership qualities. In terms of my own leadership, I recognize there are a number of areas of leadership I would like to be as a means of achieving more effectiveness in my chosen career path. One of the important notions of leadership that Maxwell establishes is the understanding that the leader does not simply lead the ship, but the leader charts the course. The text gives an example of a historic trip to the Arctic. The trip was made by two separate groups – one headed by Robert Falcon Scott and one headed by Roald Amundsen. While Scott haphazardly planned for the excursion, Amundsen took great pains to research the terrain and the various environmental conditions. As one might expect, Scott’s trip was a failure and Amundsen’s trip was a success. The underlining principles in this is that successful leaders will not simply follow a set path and expect individuals to simply follow their lead, but will instead by the individuals that foreground that path that will be traversed. When considering the type of leader that I want to be, I am greatly influenced by the notion of charting a course rather than simply leading. In these regards, I would like to lead through example in a leadership model that does not simply follow the structural constraints of an organization, but readily defines these constraints through innovation, creativity, and development. When I consider contemporary examples of the type of leadership that I hope to achieve I consider individuals such as Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. While traditional notions of leadership present a charismatic figure such as John F. Kennedy or Barack Obama who are able to garner followers and support through rhetoric and charm, I increasingly find myself embracing a different incarnation of leadership. I believe that while charismatic leadersh ip is effective, leaders can also be effective through the demonstration of creativity and innovation. For instance, Steve Jobs has garnered incredible support and esteem through his management of Apple, Inc. By most objective standards Jobs does not exhibit the charismatic elements, but is able to retain respect and influence through his strong and innovative corporate approach. Steve Jobs has soundly demonstrated that effective leaders navigate rather than simply lead. In terms of my own leadership, I hope to be able to

NEC Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

NEC - Assignment Example hnology and specialization advanced rapidly, it became more difficult for companies to harness all necessary technologies through their own R&D activities. Consequently they were forming strategic alliances with other firms, laboratories and universities that held competitive edge technologically (Mark 1987). There were several proposed sites for NEC including Boston, Palo Alto and Princeton. Shinoda and Kahng believed it was necessary to establish the laboratory at a relatively quiet place and thus it was conducive to establish the site in Princeton. The closeness of Princeton to Europe was significant for constant communication to the headquarters in Europe. It was essential for NEC to move out of Europe in order to diversify its market and exploit new markets in the globe. Princeton was a strategic position for the development of the company owing to the accessibility of resources. The region having other scientific institutions such as the Bell Laboratories, the IBM Research Institute, and the SRI Institute would facilitate NES with new knowledge that would be essential in establishing of a successful achievement of set objectives. Princeton would also be a convenient place to do collaborative research; this is because of the easy access to universities such as the Princeton University, Columbia University and Yale University. These Universities would greatly help in carrying out research for the firm. I think locating the industry in a region that has other firms already established would be essential for ease in access by clients because clients are already aware of the company’s location. The competition by other similar firm would greatly assist the firm to borrow and make reasonable improvements. Many companies tend to focus on both research and development activities all together; this is not the case with NEC. NEC prefers to entirely focus on research activities alone in the international research center; this decision is accompanied with a number

What Is a City?

What Is a City? What properties characterizes a ‘city? The definition of the term â€Å"city† is some what ambiguous. Our modern definition merely describes the physical characteristics of a city. However, I believe the definition has passed many ordeals to evolve into the current state as I will explain the few more popular explanations for â€Å"What is a city?† Firstly, a city has the property of proximity where there are educational institutions, entertainment, medical facilities, friends and family etc with a good infrastructure system. Businesses enterprises will often situate themselves in a centralized hub where they have access to labour forces while being close to markets therefore it makes â€Å"daily commuting between residences and workplaces† (Filion Bunting, 2006, pg.5) possible. Mumford, on the other hand describes a city as a â€Å"geographic plexus, an economic organization, an institutional process, a theatre of social action, and an aesthetic symbol of collective unity† (Mumford, 2007, pg.87) by focussing on the social needs rather than physical structure. This means that art, politics, education, commerce only serves to make the â€Å"drama more richly significant, as a stage-set, well-designed, intensifies and underlines the gestures of the actors and the action of the play† (Mumford, 2007, pg.87). Contrasting Mumfords concept with Wirths, one observes a more focused perspective on urbanism and its effect on our quality of life. Wirth defines a city â€Å"as a relatively large, dense, and permanent settlement of socially heterogeneous individuals† (Wirth, 2007, pg.90). His argument is that the greater the number of individuals participating in a interaction process, the greater the potential differentiation is between them. These variations segregate individuals according to color, race, ethnic, social status and preferences. Although we are physically close, our social contacts are distant, which results in the declining significance of the family; the disappearance of the neighborhood and the undermining of the traditional basis of social solidarity. After much consultation from scholars, the question: â€Å"What is a City?† is still difficult to answer. On basic observation, a city can simply be a workplace as suggested by Filion Bunting. However I believe a city is a much more complex combination of hierarchies, both the physically and the socially, as Mumford and Wirth stated. A city is the organized interconnection between the site and structure and its people. Such as, the city needs a water system, different variety of jobs to offer its people, a governing system but these systems cannot operate without the people its accommodating, which is how it all connects and flows like a stage with its actors just like in Mumfords ‘theatre. The city is a mere constitution of the people who reside in it. It is only a city, as long as its residence will give the name and credibility in the social and physical hierarchy. Work Cited Bunting, Trudi. â€Å"Canadian Cities in Transition†, Third Edition. Canada: Oxford, 2006. Mumford, Lewis â€Å"What is a City?† In The City Reader, Fourth Edition, eds. R. Legates and F. Stout, 85-89. London: Routledge, 2007. Wirth, Louis â€Å"Urbanism as a Way of Life.† In The City Reader, Fourth Edition, eds. R. Legates and F. Stout, 90-97. London: Routledge, 2007.

Performance Appraisal Essay

Performance Appraisal is a formal management system that provides for the evaluation of the quality of an individual’s performance in an organization, and is usually prepared by the employee’s immediate supervisor, and the procedure typically requires the supervisor to fill out a standardized assessment form that evaluates the individual on several different dimensions and then discusses the result of the evaluation to the employee (Grote, 2002). According to Grote, too often, performance appraisal is seen merely as a once-a-year drill mandated by the personnel department, but in organizations that take performance appraisal seriously and use the system well, it is used as an ongoing process and not merely as an annual event. To obtain the best information possible if performance appraisal data must be used, four phase model of performance appraisal must be used, and these are through, performance planning, performance execution, and performance review. In performance planning, this is usually set at the beginning of the year, the manager and individual get together for a performance-planning meeting in which they discuss what a person will achieve over the next 12 months. In the performance execution, the manager provides coaching and feedback to the individuals to increase the probability of success and creates the condition that motivate and resolves any performance problems that arise and in the midway through the year, they meet to review the individual’s performance thus far against the plans and goals that they discussed in the performance planning meeting (Grote, 2002). In performance assessment, the manager reflects on how well the subordinate has performed over the course of the year, assembles the various forms of paperwork that the organization provides to make this assessment, and fills them out, and the manager also recommend a change in individual’s compensation based on the quality of the individuals work (Grote, 2002). The completed assessment form is then reviewed and approved by the appraiser’s boss, department head, or the compensation manager. In performance review, the manager and the subordinate meet, usually about an hour, and they review the appraisal form that the manager has written and talked about how well the person performed over the past 12 months, and at the end of the review meeting, they set a date to meet again to hold a performance-planning discussion for the next 12 months, at which point the performance management process anew (Grote, 2002). Self-ratings fit to this approach in the way that, it is needed by the manager in the performance assessment to be able to fully evaluate the employee.