Sunday, November 16, 2008
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Test eMail
It has been a while sine I have made any entry into my blog here, so I
have found a way for things to get much simpler. I will post via
mobile phone whenever I get a chance
have found a way for things to get much simpler. I will post via
mobile phone whenever I get a chance
Let me know how it looks!
Sent from my HadiPhone
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Socially Sanctioned Couples
Addressing the question of what types of couples should be sanctioned by society; I believe that there is no greater statement of commitment to a spouse than to ask for their hand in marriage. For Gay and Lesbians, this socially sanctioned statement of intent has been void, up until the beginnings of the Gay and Lesbian Civil Rights Movement. This is when Gay and Lesbian couples began to come “Out of the Closet,” socially, to validate the very core of their being. Very soon after, gay and lesbian couples began the process of filing for legal protections for their partners, with much resistance. In places like California, and New York, domestic partner status registries became available to Gay and Lesbian couples seeking legal protections for their relationship during the late 1980’s. This was resulting from a rise of Gay and Lesbian political activism during that time in the United States in response to the A. I. D. S. Crisis. Having social agendas brought to the forefront of the consciousness of American legislators with the political activity stemming from the Gay and Lesbian civil rights movement; “Right to marry” issues emerged on the Gay political scene.
From a moral standpoint, Gay Marriage as a political agenda was very controversial because it deals with the very issues that religious fanatics point to in their attempt to suppress and denigrate Gay and Lesbians on moral grounds. Forming family bonds would negate immorality as a point of contention logically. So the issue of Gay and Lesbian civil and social rights forced the hand of what people in the United States hold primarily important as a founding creed. It was Thomas Jefferson’s hendiatris, “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness,” which would be the rallying cry for Gay rights advocates.
In New Jersey, Civil Unions are in place, and have been since January 2007. Based on the New Jersey Supreme Court decision of October 2006, providing for equal statutory treatment of same sex couples in New Jersey by April 2007, legislatures passed a Civil Union measure with all of the rights and protections of a “Marriage.” New Jersey’s Civil Union’s were modeled after Connecticut and Vermont’s Civil Union legislation and based on the information of the votes in the NJ State House of Representatives vote approving by 59-19, and the NJ State Senate’s approval by a 23-12 margin, the Civil Union legislation was supported by the state legislature. Opinion poles taken in December 2006, conservative estimates of 60% of citizens in New Jersey supported Civil Union partnerships.
Addressing the question of what types of couples should be sanctioned by society; I believe that there is no greater statement of commitment to a spouse than to ask for their hand in marriage. For Gay and Lesbians, this socially sanctioned statement of intent has been void, up until the beginnings of the Gay and Lesbian Civil Rights Movement. This is when Gay and Lesbian couples began to come “Out of the Closet,” socially, to validate the very core of their being. Very soon after, gay and lesbian couples began the process of filing for legal protections for their partners, with much resistance. In places like California, and New York, domestic partner status registries became available to Gay and Lesbian couples seeking legal protections for their relationship during the late 1980’s. This was resulting from a rise of Gay and Lesbian political activism during that time in the United States in response to the A. I. D. S. Crisis. Having social agendas brought to the forefront of the consciousness of American legislators with the political activity stemming from the Gay and Lesbian civil rights movement; “Right to marry” issues emerged on the Gay political scene.
From a moral standpoint, Gay Marriage as a political agenda was very controversial because it deals with the very issues that religious fanatics point to in their attempt to suppress and denigrate Gay and Lesbians on moral grounds. Forming family bonds would negate immorality as a point of contention logically. So the issue of Gay and Lesbian civil and social rights forced the hand of what people in the United States hold primarily important as a founding creed. It was Thomas Jefferson’s hendiatris, “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness,” which would be the rallying cry for Gay rights advocates.
In New Jersey, Civil Unions are in place, and have been since January 2007. Based on the New Jersey Supreme Court decision of October 2006, providing for equal statutory treatment of same sex couples in New Jersey by April 2007, legislatures passed a Civil Union measure with all of the rights and protections of a “Marriage.” New Jersey’s Civil Union’s were modeled after Connecticut and Vermont’s Civil Union legislation and based on the information of the votes in the NJ State House of Representatives vote approving by 59-19, and the NJ State Senate’s approval by a 23-12 margin, the Civil Union legislation was supported by the state legislature. Opinion poles taken in December 2006, conservative estimates of 60% of citizens in New Jersey supported Civil Union partnerships.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Our Capacity To Do Good
I got one of those eMail's from "ONE.ORG" today... I signed the petition, of course because it was easy. There was an option where you could write a personal message to George W. Bush. Within the context of this agenda I really had only one thing to say:
"America's legacy remains that our citizenry have risen beyond ability to do what is humane and good, while our government has prevented the good people of this nation from achieving their ambition, in favor of their own personal fortune. We have such shameful representation, historically proven to be the downfall other great empires and yet remains a specter on the horizon of this great experiment. We have the ability and desire to do good in this world. What confounded thought would stand in the way of this?"
I don't think that he'll understand the words, but maybe someone will "dumb it down," for him.
What do you think about our capacity to do good in this great nation of ours?
I got one of those eMail's from "ONE.ORG" today... I signed the petition, of course because it was easy. There was an option where you could write a personal message to George W. Bush. Within the context of this agenda I really had only one thing to say:
"America's legacy remains that our citizenry have risen beyond ability to do what is humane and good, while our government has prevented the good people of this nation from achieving their ambition, in favor of their own personal fortune. We have such shameful representation, historically proven to be the downfall other great empires and yet remains a specter on the horizon of this great experiment. We have the ability and desire to do good in this world. What confounded thought would stand in the way of this?"
I don't think that he'll understand the words, but maybe someone will "dumb it down," for him.
What do you think about our capacity to do good in this great nation of ours?
Monday, March 17, 2008
I'm Getting Old.
I chose to experience an activity about Hip Hop Culture, and for referential and contrast opinion, I spoke with my nephew John about his feelings about Hip Hop Culture, Indie Culture, and compared these with my own notions of what these two popular cultures are.
On February 15, 2008 I attended a Black History Month event, “Our Youth – A Time For Positive Change in a Multicultural Society Speaking and Understanding Our Language,” from 7pm to 9:30pm at Neptune Middle School, Neptune, NJ. The event consisted of a panel of speakers and viewing the film, “Hip Hop: Beyond Beats And Rhymes,” by Byron Hurt. The purpose of the event was to engage young people in the effects of sexism, homophobia and violence within the Hip Hop community. Discuss violence, materialistic and sexually explicit cultural issues through Hip Hop Culture. The facilitators included Luke Tirrell and Pat Cooper, and the panel members were Richard Harrell from Living Word Christian Fellowship; Karen Gillispie from 180 Turnaround [Sexual assault and violence prevention group]; A. B. Zoonton, WSOU FM station manager, Richard Comack, Kean University Counselor, and Jason Whitley a local music producer. In attendance were the Mayor of Neptune, the Principal of Neptune Middle School and some of the faculty, Neptune township committee people, parents, and children of the Neptune Middle School. The other activity I attended was a discussion with my Nephew John, who is in High School right now. John has two bands that he contributes to, playing drums and guitar. John is an wonderful resource for cultural definitions in pop culture and has made music a part of his own cultural definition. Drawing from these two experiences with co-cultures and discussions of the definitions and impact on each other, I intend to explore how these cultures affect each other and my own culture.
My first impressions about Hip Hop culture were mixed. I was around when Hip Hop emerged on the music scene during the late 1970’s and early 1980’s as Rap artists were a novelty. Along with this were break-dancing and street percussionists who would play plastic buckets in the street for change. It was creative and vibrant. As Hip Hop developed into a genre and then a culture, it lost it’s creative edge and eventually became very commercial and mechanical. There were many creative artists but as time went on the direction of the genre became too commercial for my taste and I lost interest in it. Indie Culture is something of a mix of different genres but I was aware of only the pop musical side. There was much more to it than that, as I was about to learn. My nephew John stated, “Hip-hop now in my opinion is the worst kind of music because it is too commercial and not very good. It is heard on any radio station that plays, “Hits.” It used to be the poetry of the streets, but now it’s more about “bling” and parties. There’s not much variety in it. If you listened to 50 songs you mainly will hear people talking about how much diamonds they have around their neck. At the time it was emerging it was more important because it was more interesting than what was happening on the rock and roll scene. 2pac or Public Enemy were good: Something with a message. But that type really doesn’t exist anymore. “
I believe the Hip Hop event I attended was important to the Hip Hop Culture because it defined it’s self through the film and allowed parents to gather a better understanding of what Hip Hop Culture has become and to be aware of the Sexism, Violence and Homophobia which is a part of this commercialized evolution of Hip Hop. The film was excellent in that it drew attention to what was going on in the industry of Hip Hop, and how it has become mechanical rather than creative. Likewise I believe my conversation with John was important because I learned a lot about the influence of Indie culture on music, film, clothing and culture. Being much older than most people in my Sociology class has placed me in an interesting position of learning. I can learn a lot about what is new in cultural direction, as well as take the knowledge of my past experience to create a bridge of communication across cultures.
For example, last year I was working with several young men down in Houston, TX. These young men were listening to the radio while we were working and I heard a Hip Hop song come on which had a rather extensive sample from a pop music song from 25 years ago. When the song came on, it simply sounded like an updated version of this older song, and I was singing along with it. My young co-workers were shocked that I knew all of the words. I said, “Oh, that’s an old song….” To which they replied, “No, that’s a new song!” I had to explain that this was a sample from a song from a few decades earlier, to which they were surprised to learn was true. In these ways Hip Hop Culture was similar to my experience, however it was through education that there was a connection.
Indie culture is more in tune with how I define my own culture. Progressive, experimental, innovative are much more of the types of words I associate my own experiences with. Hip Hop Culture is currently formulaic, deliberate and commercial, violent, bigoted, and homophobic which is why I have little in common with it. My nephew states, “I like all types of music, including Indie and Hardcore subculture music. But Indie rock has more variety. Groups like Animal Collective, Death Cab for Cutie and Bright Eyes, are Indie but, they’re also sort of the same. Animal collective is really out there. Deer Hoof is like that also. Examples are: Death Cab For Cutie creating music styles in polar opposites on each album. Also, Bright Eyes released 2 cd’s at the same time. One was Folk. And the other was more electronic and synth music. That was unique because you won’t see one band release such polar opposite music on the same day.
Indie music as a culture has influenced a lot of aspects of music and media. Now there are Indie production companies with bands like the Shins, influencing an Indie culture of music and popular clothing styles. Sort of like in the 60’s with the hippie culture [Art, fashion, music], I see that with the Indie culture. It is also influencing mainstream media.”
Members of these cultures may have preconceived notions as to what my interests are based on how I look, and the fact that I am probably the same age as their parents. When they discover that I have interests similar to their own, or have a knowledge of what their culture is about, they take me into consideration. Members of Hip Hop culture communicate with each other in hyper masculine machismo ways. There are hand gestures they emulate from the artists they see on television. There is a definite vocabulary, posturing, and cadence of speaking to each other. Indie cultural enthusiasts are very much eclectic in conversation and outlook, but still have a, “Look,” of their own. Indie culture tends to be inclusive and multi-cultural.
What most surprised me about Hip Hop culture is the extent that it is formulaic. I had no idea how music producers overtly provided a blue print for they type of music they expected from their artists, which is surprising, knowing how violent, sexist, and homophobic Hip Hop lyrics are. It is commercialized corruption. On the other hand I had no idea how Indie culture has changed the way music is produced, films are made, and clothing is created. I discussed this with my nephew. He stated, “Indie culture is going from underground to the mainstream. Like grunge in the 90’s. Altogether Indie is more influential than grunge because it is influencing art and media and the way music is distributed, clothing: I’ve noticed when I first got into middle school, middle school mimic’s High school and style trends were more Preppy. Now Preppy styles have collided with Indie bringing more clashing colors and patterns. It’s dressing like an old person, with slacks and sweater vests, like a hipster. As an example, I was wearing a fedora when I was 12, and now I see more and more people are wearing them, so I don’t wear it anymore. Now skateboarding companies and surf companies are making fedoras, not just hat companies.
“Indie culture is influencing movies also Indie movies, like Darjeeling Limited, Juno, Little miss Sunshine, are breaking into mainstream markets, even though they were independently produced. Movies like Lost in Translation, Indie movies are not so interested in mass profit so Big actors can get into much more challenging film roles, meet up and coming actors, and play off each other.
“In high school, the preppie groups are most popular, and Hip-Hop is not so big because of Indie influence, but ultimately, Preppie and hip-hop cultures are the biggest. Within Indie culture, there are artistic kids, kids in bands who don’t dress like the rest of the kids, Hardcore kids and Emo kids. All are part of the Indie culture. “
My opinion about these cultures haven’t changed drastically, but I believe that my understanding has increased quite a lot from these experiences. I believe my culture could learn that we should expand our knowledge to understand and contribute much more with each other.
Music plays a very large role in my life, and in the lives of many young people in this country. It is how they define themselves and identify their personalities. Young people do not have real life experiences yet, so they bind with a philosophical outlook based on what they identify with at the time. My nephew is involved with two garage bands, and he defines his cultural outlook in these ways, “The band I have is influenced by the hardcore genre, which is another thing with the Emo subculture helped along by the Internet. It has a blend of emo and metal music, so it’s toned down metal with bands using a synthesizer in parts. Bands like Carnesex, death metal music. Lamb of god, slipknot, Slayer, Sort of like Pantera, and Metal Core genre: Bring Me The Horizon, and As I Lay Dying. Hard Core is also becoming a genre for Christian music.
The other band I have is influenced by punk rock and electronica, Like the Misfits, Black Flag, and just trying to get weird sounds out of my guitar, experimental progressive. Bands like “Minus The Bear” can turn their guitar into a piano, and other bands are influenced by Tom Morello. He is the guitarist in Rage Against The Machine, have done a lot of innovative influence on music. On guitars, he will turn one of the master volumes down, and he will play something and switch between pickups so that type of stuff is unusual, and not heard usually except for bands like Buckethead. Coheed and Cambria are cool because they cross over media, because the lead singer also writes comic books that go along with the story line of the cd’s that they produce. So Claudo Sanchez (the artist he is referring to in Coheed and Cambria) is an artist of multiple talents. Prideside Inferno, is another band Sanchez is in: Acoustic and electronic genres. Variety of art. He writes and draws. He’s a cross over artist in multi-media outlets.
So, these co-culture experiences are very influential in popular youth culture. In some ways I can identify with the interest that is generated by these styles and art forms, however I don’t feel the immediate validity of identification with the commitment with one cultural genre over another the way that young people do. The expression, “To identify with,” comes to mind here, however for myself I would prefer to simply remain neutral and enjoy my pick of entertainment without the commitment of identity.
I chose to experience an activity about Hip Hop Culture, and for referential and contrast opinion, I spoke with my nephew John about his feelings about Hip Hop Culture, Indie Culture, and compared these with my own notions of what these two popular cultures are.
On February 15, 2008 I attended a Black History Month event, “Our Youth – A Time For Positive Change in a Multicultural Society Speaking and Understanding Our Language,” from 7pm to 9:30pm at Neptune Middle School, Neptune, NJ. The event consisted of a panel of speakers and viewing the film, “Hip Hop: Beyond Beats And Rhymes,” by Byron Hurt. The purpose of the event was to engage young people in the effects of sexism, homophobia and violence within the Hip Hop community. Discuss violence, materialistic and sexually explicit cultural issues through Hip Hop Culture. The facilitators included Luke Tirrell and Pat Cooper, and the panel members were Richard Harrell from Living Word Christian Fellowship; Karen Gillispie from 180 Turnaround [Sexual assault and violence prevention group]; A. B. Zoonton, WSOU FM station manager, Richard Comack, Kean University Counselor, and Jason Whitley a local music producer. In attendance were the Mayor of Neptune, the Principal of Neptune Middle School and some of the faculty, Neptune township committee people, parents, and children of the Neptune Middle School. The other activity I attended was a discussion with my Nephew John, who is in High School right now. John has two bands that he contributes to, playing drums and guitar. John is an wonderful resource for cultural definitions in pop culture and has made music a part of his own cultural definition. Drawing from these two experiences with co-cultures and discussions of the definitions and impact on each other, I intend to explore how these cultures affect each other and my own culture.
My first impressions about Hip Hop culture were mixed. I was around when Hip Hop emerged on the music scene during the late 1970’s and early 1980’s as Rap artists were a novelty. Along with this were break-dancing and street percussionists who would play plastic buckets in the street for change. It was creative and vibrant. As Hip Hop developed into a genre and then a culture, it lost it’s creative edge and eventually became very commercial and mechanical. There were many creative artists but as time went on the direction of the genre became too commercial for my taste and I lost interest in it. Indie Culture is something of a mix of different genres but I was aware of only the pop musical side. There was much more to it than that, as I was about to learn. My nephew John stated, “Hip-hop now in my opinion is the worst kind of music because it is too commercial and not very good. It is heard on any radio station that plays, “Hits.” It used to be the poetry of the streets, but now it’s more about “bling” and parties. There’s not much variety in it. If you listened to 50 songs you mainly will hear people talking about how much diamonds they have around their neck. At the time it was emerging it was more important because it was more interesting than what was happening on the rock and roll scene. 2pac or Public Enemy were good: Something with a message. But that type really doesn’t exist anymore. “
I believe the Hip Hop event I attended was important to the Hip Hop Culture because it defined it’s self through the film and allowed parents to gather a better understanding of what Hip Hop Culture has become and to be aware of the Sexism, Violence and Homophobia which is a part of this commercialized evolution of Hip Hop. The film was excellent in that it drew attention to what was going on in the industry of Hip Hop, and how it has become mechanical rather than creative. Likewise I believe my conversation with John was important because I learned a lot about the influence of Indie culture on music, film, clothing and culture. Being much older than most people in my Sociology class has placed me in an interesting position of learning. I can learn a lot about what is new in cultural direction, as well as take the knowledge of my past experience to create a bridge of communication across cultures.
For example, last year I was working with several young men down in Houston, TX. These young men were listening to the radio while we were working and I heard a Hip Hop song come on which had a rather extensive sample from a pop music song from 25 years ago. When the song came on, it simply sounded like an updated version of this older song, and I was singing along with it. My young co-workers were shocked that I knew all of the words. I said, “Oh, that’s an old song….” To which they replied, “No, that’s a new song!” I had to explain that this was a sample from a song from a few decades earlier, to which they were surprised to learn was true. In these ways Hip Hop Culture was similar to my experience, however it was through education that there was a connection.
Indie culture is more in tune with how I define my own culture. Progressive, experimental, innovative are much more of the types of words I associate my own experiences with. Hip Hop Culture is currently formulaic, deliberate and commercial, violent, bigoted, and homophobic which is why I have little in common with it. My nephew states, “I like all types of music, including Indie and Hardcore subculture music. But Indie rock has more variety. Groups like Animal Collective, Death Cab for Cutie and Bright Eyes, are Indie but, they’re also sort of the same. Animal collective is really out there. Deer Hoof is like that also. Examples are: Death Cab For Cutie creating music styles in polar opposites on each album. Also, Bright Eyes released 2 cd’s at the same time. One was Folk. And the other was more electronic and synth music. That was unique because you won’t see one band release such polar opposite music on the same day.
Indie music as a culture has influenced a lot of aspects of music and media. Now there are Indie production companies with bands like the Shins, influencing an Indie culture of music and popular clothing styles. Sort of like in the 60’s with the hippie culture [Art, fashion, music], I see that with the Indie culture. It is also influencing mainstream media.”
Members of these cultures may have preconceived notions as to what my interests are based on how I look, and the fact that I am probably the same age as their parents. When they discover that I have interests similar to their own, or have a knowledge of what their culture is about, they take me into consideration. Members of Hip Hop culture communicate with each other in hyper masculine machismo ways. There are hand gestures they emulate from the artists they see on television. There is a definite vocabulary, posturing, and cadence of speaking to each other. Indie cultural enthusiasts are very much eclectic in conversation and outlook, but still have a, “Look,” of their own. Indie culture tends to be inclusive and multi-cultural.
What most surprised me about Hip Hop culture is the extent that it is formulaic. I had no idea how music producers overtly provided a blue print for they type of music they expected from their artists, which is surprising, knowing how violent, sexist, and homophobic Hip Hop lyrics are. It is commercialized corruption. On the other hand I had no idea how Indie culture has changed the way music is produced, films are made, and clothing is created. I discussed this with my nephew. He stated, “Indie culture is going from underground to the mainstream. Like grunge in the 90’s. Altogether Indie is more influential than grunge because it is influencing art and media and the way music is distributed, clothing: I’ve noticed when I first got into middle school, middle school mimic’s High school and style trends were more Preppy. Now Preppy styles have collided with Indie bringing more clashing colors and patterns. It’s dressing like an old person, with slacks and sweater vests, like a hipster. As an example, I was wearing a fedora when I was 12, and now I see more and more people are wearing them, so I don’t wear it anymore. Now skateboarding companies and surf companies are making fedoras, not just hat companies.
“Indie culture is influencing movies also Indie movies, like Darjeeling Limited, Juno, Little miss Sunshine, are breaking into mainstream markets, even though they were independently produced. Movies like Lost in Translation, Indie movies are not so interested in mass profit so Big actors can get into much more challenging film roles, meet up and coming actors, and play off each other.
“In high school, the preppie groups are most popular, and Hip-Hop is not so big because of Indie influence, but ultimately, Preppie and hip-hop cultures are the biggest. Within Indie culture, there are artistic kids, kids in bands who don’t dress like the rest of the kids, Hardcore kids and Emo kids. All are part of the Indie culture. “
My opinion about these cultures haven’t changed drastically, but I believe that my understanding has increased quite a lot from these experiences. I believe my culture could learn that we should expand our knowledge to understand and contribute much more with each other.
Music plays a very large role in my life, and in the lives of many young people in this country. It is how they define themselves and identify their personalities. Young people do not have real life experiences yet, so they bind with a philosophical outlook based on what they identify with at the time. My nephew is involved with two garage bands, and he defines his cultural outlook in these ways, “The band I have is influenced by the hardcore genre, which is another thing with the Emo subculture helped along by the Internet. It has a blend of emo and metal music, so it’s toned down metal with bands using a synthesizer in parts. Bands like Carnesex, death metal music. Lamb of god, slipknot, Slayer, Sort of like Pantera, and Metal Core genre: Bring Me The Horizon, and As I Lay Dying. Hard Core is also becoming a genre for Christian music.
The other band I have is influenced by punk rock and electronica, Like the Misfits, Black Flag, and just trying to get weird sounds out of my guitar, experimental progressive. Bands like “Minus The Bear” can turn their guitar into a piano, and other bands are influenced by Tom Morello. He is the guitarist in Rage Against The Machine, have done a lot of innovative influence on music. On guitars, he will turn one of the master volumes down, and he will play something and switch between pickups so that type of stuff is unusual, and not heard usually except for bands like Buckethead. Coheed and Cambria are cool because they cross over media, because the lead singer also writes comic books that go along with the story line of the cd’s that they produce. So Claudo Sanchez (the artist he is referring to in Coheed and Cambria) is an artist of multiple talents. Prideside Inferno, is another band Sanchez is in: Acoustic and electronic genres. Variety of art. He writes and draws. He’s a cross over artist in multi-media outlets.
So, these co-culture experiences are very influential in popular youth culture. In some ways I can identify with the interest that is generated by these styles and art forms, however I don’t feel the immediate validity of identification with the commitment with one cultural genre over another the way that young people do. The expression, “To identify with,” comes to mind here, however for myself I would prefer to simply remain neutral and enjoy my pick of entertainment without the commitment of identity.
Liberty! Equality! Fraternity!
The causes and origins of the French revolution were inspired from Enlightenment political thought , where governments held new responsibilities to the citizens of the nation. The French revolution was a radical change: A divorce from existing society. This is a much more revolutionary change than what had happened in the United States. As they called it, ancien régime “the old order” was cast off, and the French Revolutionaries attempted to replace it with new political, social and cultural constructs.
Financial, political, and social problems are what led to the French revolution. The French government spent large sums of money aiding the American Revolution by supporting the war against Great Britain. By the 1780’s half of the French royal government revenues went to pay the national debt, and an additional quarter went to pay for the French Armed forces. France did not have a national banking system to finance loans. France did not have and efficient system of tax collection. The wealthiest French classes included the nobility and clergy. They were exempt from most taxes. So the majority of the tax burden was placed on the peasantry.
By 1787 King Louis XVI turned to the nobility and clergy for help but they refused the King’s requests, to protect their financial status and also as a demonstration to the King of their independence, a power play. The King and the French nobility had clashed over these issues previously but Louis XVI had never compromised on this issue.
The nobility then demanded that Louis summon the Estates General in the hope that Louis would be forced to institute reforms that would be beneficial to the nobility. The Estates General consisted of three, “Estates.” The first estate consisted of approximately 100,000 Roman Catholic clergy. The second estate included about 400,000 nobles. The third estate included about 24,000,000 serfs, free peasants and urban residents. The third estate had as many delegates as the other two estates combined.
When the Estates General were called into session in May 1789 in the royal palace at Versailles, the King hoped this meeting would authorized new taxes. The people of the third estate were dissatisfied with Louis, however. This is where the influence of Enlightenment thought is evident. The middle classes were influenced by calls for political reforms, and resented the nobles’ appropriation of the best offices and jobs within the government. The poorer classes also resented the burden of taxation they carried through economic hardships caused by bad harvests the year prior.
In order to maintain the control of power, the first and second estates insisted that each estate cast only one vote. Thus preserving he balance of power as it had existed. The third estate insisted that the members vote together by head, which would be beneficial for themselves, having the vast majorities of people in their third estate. After weeks of arguing, on June 17, 1789, representatives of the third estate seceded from the Estates General and declared they were to become the “National Assembly,” a new political body. The members of the National Assembly swore not to be disbanded until they had provided France with a new constitution.
On July 14, 1789, a Parisian crowd stormed the Bastille (a royal jail and arsenal). They were searching for weapons to defend themselves in what was perceived as a possible royal crackdown on the members of the National Assembly. The Bastille surrendered but many of the attackers were killed and in retaliation the Parisian attackers killed the defenders of the Bastille, by hacking them to death!
Soon after the news spread, insurrections began erupting throughout France. As the uprisings increased, rumors spread that armed bands were being organized by nobles, causing what was known as a, “Great Fear.” This prompted the peasantry throughout France to burn homes of the nobles, public record offices, and monasteries. The National Assembly quickly moved to produce programs addressing political and social issues fearing that the revolution underway would soon be out of their control.
The National Assembly produced the “Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen, “ which was proclaimed by the National Assembly in August 1789. This document was influenced again by Enlightenment ideas and by American revolutionary concepts, promulgating the rights of all men, rights of the individual and enforcing Enlightenment ideals of sovereignty of the people.
From 1789 to 1791, the National Assembly seized church lands, required clergy to take oaths of loyalty to the state, and abolished the First Estate, defining clergy as citizens. Within the new constitution, property-holding men were given the right to vote and choose legislators in an electoral process. The King was denied the use of any legislative authority, thus France became a constitutional monarchy adopting the ambitious Enlightenment objectives of liberty, equality and fraternity.
Soon after, many Parisians felt the changes of the revolution were not thorough, as the French nobility attempted to treaty with Austria and Prussia in an attempt to reinstate the ancien régime, In April 1792 the Assembly declared war on Austria and Prussia to preserve the emerging political and social structures in France. The following year saw an increase in these self-preservative aspirations by the Revolutionary government. They declared was on Spain, Britain and the Netherlands and created the Convention, a new legislative collective, abolishing the monarchy and declaring France as a Republic.
On Napoleon Bonaparte
If anyone could title one life, and especially a life as complex and ambitious as that of Napoleon Bonaparte, it would have to be with a context of a particular time period. Certainly Napoleon’s life was brilliant and oppressive with many shades of gray between. Within the question of characterization of this extraordinary leader , my opinion would be that of an Enlightened leader of the time, but not as extreme as a despot. In defining despot: A ruler or other person who holds absolute power, typically one who exercises it in a cruel or oppressive way, I would call Napoleon as perhaps an Enlightened Autocrat, rather than despot. If it weren’t for his intervention with Austria-Russia-British coalition against the French Revolution, perhaps the ancien régime would be reestablished. France would have faced even more tumult than what was occurring at the time.
Napoleon Bonaparte was from a Corsican noble family. He studied at French military schools and became what is described as a brilliant military leader, and by becoming a general at the age of twenty-four he was quite ambitious. He supported the French Revolution, even though he was an officer in the army of King Louis XVI. He defended the Directory against the uprising of 1795, and had a successful campaign in northern Italy to establish French control in the region.
From the class packet, “Napoleon pushed for a single set of written laws that applied to everyone. He appointed a commission to prepare a code of laws. Napoleon wanted this code to be clear, logical, and easily understood by all citizens. The commission, composed of Napoleon and legal experts from all parts of France, met over a period of several years. Enacted on March 21, 1804, the resulting Civil Code of France marked the first major revision and reorganization of laws since the Roman era.” So his efforts to bring Enlightenment ideals to France are clear, although his extreme methods in establishing power today seem extraordinary. Looking back at the time and context of his reign, some of Napoleon Bonaparte’s methods may seem to stand to reason.
Napoleon brought many changes to France, a nation torn apart by Revolution, social upheaval, and war. He changed the way that the Catholic Church, a very important political and social body in the world and especially in France, was dealt with politically, especially after the French Revolution. Napoleon brought stability to French society by his revision of civil law, the Civil Code, which brought changes to the way that equality and social advancements in education and employment were dealt with. This was a shift from advancement based on social status or birth. This merit-based social structure was a confirmation of National Assemblies revolutionary policies.
As Napoleon extended his authority in Europe, he was successful in capturing and conquering the Iberian and Italian peninsulas, and occupied the Netherlands, and defeated the Austrians and Prussians, forcing these nations to ally with him and respect French dominance in Europe. Napoleon’s downfall was marked by his success in capturing Moscow, but with the city burned by the retreating Tsar, leaving Napoleon’s forces no shelter or supplies. This was a disaster to Napoleon’s army. By the time they retreated back to France, his army of thirty thousand soldiers was merely a fragmented collection the battered abused. Later, in April 1814, Napoleon was forced to abdicate his throne to exile. In March of 1815, Napoleon escaped from exile and returned to France to rule for one hundred days. Ultimately he was defeated a the battle of Waterloo, Belgium by the British army and was exiled again to the island of St. Helena, where he died in 1821
Works Cited
Bentley, Ziegler, Streets, “Traditions & Encounters A Brief Global History” (New York, NY: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc, 2008)
Katz, Solomon, “The Decline of Rome and the Rise of Medieval Europe” (Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 1955) reprinted in “Readings in Global History” (Dubuque, Iowa, Kendall/Hunt Publishing, 1992)
The causes and origins of the French revolution were inspired from Enlightenment political thought , where governments held new responsibilities to the citizens of the nation. The French revolution was a radical change: A divorce from existing society. This is a much more revolutionary change than what had happened in the United States. As they called it, ancien régime “the old order” was cast off, and the French Revolutionaries attempted to replace it with new political, social and cultural constructs.
Financial, political, and social problems are what led to the French revolution. The French government spent large sums of money aiding the American Revolution by supporting the war against Great Britain. By the 1780’s half of the French royal government revenues went to pay the national debt, and an additional quarter went to pay for the French Armed forces. France did not have a national banking system to finance loans. France did not have and efficient system of tax collection. The wealthiest French classes included the nobility and clergy. They were exempt from most taxes. So the majority of the tax burden was placed on the peasantry.
By 1787 King Louis XVI turned to the nobility and clergy for help but they refused the King’s requests, to protect their financial status and also as a demonstration to the King of their independence, a power play. The King and the French nobility had clashed over these issues previously but Louis XVI had never compromised on this issue.
The nobility then demanded that Louis summon the Estates General in the hope that Louis would be forced to institute reforms that would be beneficial to the nobility. The Estates General consisted of three, “Estates.” The first estate consisted of approximately 100,000 Roman Catholic clergy. The second estate included about 400,000 nobles. The third estate included about 24,000,000 serfs, free peasants and urban residents. The third estate had as many delegates as the other two estates combined.
When the Estates General were called into session in May 1789 in the royal palace at Versailles, the King hoped this meeting would authorized new taxes. The people of the third estate were dissatisfied with Louis, however. This is where the influence of Enlightenment thought is evident. The middle classes were influenced by calls for political reforms, and resented the nobles’ appropriation of the best offices and jobs within the government. The poorer classes also resented the burden of taxation they carried through economic hardships caused by bad harvests the year prior.
In order to maintain the control of power, the first and second estates insisted that each estate cast only one vote. Thus preserving he balance of power as it had existed. The third estate insisted that the members vote together by head, which would be beneficial for themselves, having the vast majorities of people in their third estate. After weeks of arguing, on June 17, 1789, representatives of the third estate seceded from the Estates General and declared they were to become the “National Assembly,” a new political body. The members of the National Assembly swore not to be disbanded until they had provided France with a new constitution.
On July 14, 1789, a Parisian crowd stormed the Bastille (a royal jail and arsenal). They were searching for weapons to defend themselves in what was perceived as a possible royal crackdown on the members of the National Assembly. The Bastille surrendered but many of the attackers were killed and in retaliation the Parisian attackers killed the defenders of the Bastille, by hacking them to death!
Soon after the news spread, insurrections began erupting throughout France. As the uprisings increased, rumors spread that armed bands were being organized by nobles, causing what was known as a, “Great Fear.” This prompted the peasantry throughout France to burn homes of the nobles, public record offices, and monasteries. The National Assembly quickly moved to produce programs addressing political and social issues fearing that the revolution underway would soon be out of their control.
The National Assembly produced the “Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen, “ which was proclaimed by the National Assembly in August 1789. This document was influenced again by Enlightenment ideas and by American revolutionary concepts, promulgating the rights of all men, rights of the individual and enforcing Enlightenment ideals of sovereignty of the people.
From 1789 to 1791, the National Assembly seized church lands, required clergy to take oaths of loyalty to the state, and abolished the First Estate, defining clergy as citizens. Within the new constitution, property-holding men were given the right to vote and choose legislators in an electoral process. The King was denied the use of any legislative authority, thus France became a constitutional monarchy adopting the ambitious Enlightenment objectives of liberty, equality and fraternity.
Soon after, many Parisians felt the changes of the revolution were not thorough, as the French nobility attempted to treaty with Austria and Prussia in an attempt to reinstate the ancien régime, In April 1792 the Assembly declared war on Austria and Prussia to preserve the emerging political and social structures in France. The following year saw an increase in these self-preservative aspirations by the Revolutionary government. They declared was on Spain, Britain and the Netherlands and created the Convention, a new legislative collective, abolishing the monarchy and declaring France as a Republic.
On Napoleon Bonaparte
If anyone could title one life, and especially a life as complex and ambitious as that of Napoleon Bonaparte, it would have to be with a context of a particular time period. Certainly Napoleon’s life was brilliant and oppressive with many shades of gray between. Within the question of characterization of this extraordinary leader , my opinion would be that of an Enlightened leader of the time, but not as extreme as a despot. In defining despot: A ruler or other person who holds absolute power, typically one who exercises it in a cruel or oppressive way, I would call Napoleon as perhaps an Enlightened Autocrat, rather than despot. If it weren’t for his intervention with Austria-Russia-British coalition against the French Revolution, perhaps the ancien régime would be reestablished. France would have faced even more tumult than what was occurring at the time.
Napoleon Bonaparte was from a Corsican noble family. He studied at French military schools and became what is described as a brilliant military leader, and by becoming a general at the age of twenty-four he was quite ambitious. He supported the French Revolution, even though he was an officer in the army of King Louis XVI. He defended the Directory against the uprising of 1795, and had a successful campaign in northern Italy to establish French control in the region.
From the class packet, “Napoleon pushed for a single set of written laws that applied to everyone. He appointed a commission to prepare a code of laws. Napoleon wanted this code to be clear, logical, and easily understood by all citizens. The commission, composed of Napoleon and legal experts from all parts of France, met over a period of several years. Enacted on March 21, 1804, the resulting Civil Code of France marked the first major revision and reorganization of laws since the Roman era.” So his efforts to bring Enlightenment ideals to France are clear, although his extreme methods in establishing power today seem extraordinary. Looking back at the time and context of his reign, some of Napoleon Bonaparte’s methods may seem to stand to reason.
Napoleon brought many changes to France, a nation torn apart by Revolution, social upheaval, and war. He changed the way that the Catholic Church, a very important political and social body in the world and especially in France, was dealt with politically, especially after the French Revolution. Napoleon brought stability to French society by his revision of civil law, the Civil Code, which brought changes to the way that equality and social advancements in education and employment were dealt with. This was a shift from advancement based on social status or birth. This merit-based social structure was a confirmation of National Assemblies revolutionary policies.
As Napoleon extended his authority in Europe, he was successful in capturing and conquering the Iberian and Italian peninsulas, and occupied the Netherlands, and defeated the Austrians and Prussians, forcing these nations to ally with him and respect French dominance in Europe. Napoleon’s downfall was marked by his success in capturing Moscow, but with the city burned by the retreating Tsar, leaving Napoleon’s forces no shelter or supplies. This was a disaster to Napoleon’s army. By the time they retreated back to France, his army of thirty thousand soldiers was merely a fragmented collection the battered abused. Later, in April 1814, Napoleon was forced to abdicate his throne to exile. In March of 1815, Napoleon escaped from exile and returned to France to rule for one hundred days. Ultimately he was defeated a the battle of Waterloo, Belgium by the British army and was exiled again to the island of St. Helena, where he died in 1821
Works Cited
Bentley, Ziegler, Streets, “Traditions & Encounters A Brief Global History” (New York, NY: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc, 2008)
Katz, Solomon, “The Decline of Rome and the Rise of Medieval Europe” (Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 1955) reprinted in “Readings in Global History” (Dubuque, Iowa, Kendall/Hunt Publishing, 1992)
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