The Early Days of the Mormons Essay Example for Free

The Early Days of the Mormons Essay In the early days of the Mormon Church, founded by Joseph Smith between 1820 and 1830, periods of strife and tension would follow the early members of the church around the entire United States. Beginning in the East, Joseph Smith would find it difficult to find a safe haven for the organization and headquartering of the Church of Christ. Beginning in Fayette, New York in 1830, Smiths mission was to continue the original Church of Jesus Christ that was no longer on Earth. In 1823, Smith would claim that an angel directed him to a buried book written on golden plates containing the religious history of an ancient people. The Book of Mormon would be the religious texts published as the interpretation of those plates and would be the guiding principles of the Mormon faith. His beliefs that God and Jesus were both once men on Earth before becoming enthroned in the heavens would later become the basis for much of the insults against the Mormons throughout the early years of the church (Abanes, 2002). In the churchs early days of 1830, the Church of Christ would begin to grow and expand through missionaries sent westward to preach the gospel to the settlers. In Ohio, the church would prosper through the work of the missionaries there. As the church expanded into Jackson County, Missouri, settlers in the area became alarmed at the rapid influx of Mormons into the area. This led up to vicious attacks on the Mormons, and the expulsion of the Mormons from Missouri. Following he attacks and the expulsion of the Mormons from Missouri, Joseph Smith would lead the church members to found a new settlement in Nauvoo, Illinois. Tensions would eventually boil over and Joseph Smith along with his brother Hyrum would be killed by a mob near Carthage, Illinois in 1844 (Baugh, 2000). Brigham Young would emerge as the leader of the later known Latter Day Saints and he would go on to lead these pioneers to the Utah Territory. A provincial government under Young would be established in the Utah Territory. The 1800s in America were a time of rapid westward expansion across North America. Accompanied with this expansion, the American government would be undergoing intense battles between political parties. The lands encompassing the Utah Territory would fall under U.S. control following the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The territory settled by Young and the Mormon pioneers would come under control of the U.S. by petition for entry into the Union by Young and his charges. Salt Lake City would become the center of the new State of Utah upon its acceptance into the United States. The Mormons were some of the very first pioneers to travel westward and ultimately founded many of the camps, settlements, and cities along the trails moving west from the Mississippi River. Aside from Salt Lake City, the Mormons founded more than 350 communities, from Idaho to Mexico and west to California. These provinces made travel west extremely convenient for pioneers to come. Mormons were also able to form strong bonds with Native Americans. Their efforts proved monumental to the (short-lived) friendship between Whites and Indians (Abanes, 2002). The Mormons were the dominant group in the Great Salt Lake basin. Discoveries of silver, gold, and other valuable resources would lead to many non-Mormons migrating to the area in order to exploit these resources. Due to the nature of the Mormons religious beliefs, the outright dominance of the group in the area would ultimately slow the admission of the group into the Union as the State of Utah for 46 years. Acceptance of the Mormons way of life as a certainty by the federal government would also lend credibility to that way of life, allowing the Mormons to continue to thrive in their new home and expand to other parts of the country. Throughout the turbulent times of the mid to late 1800s, the Mormons underwent many hardships and persecutions by other settlers of the times that were fearful of their belief systems and lifestyles. Under the government of the day, the Mormons contributions would be extremely helpful in the settlement of the Western United States. To this day, the large Mormon population of Utah and the Southwest United States has continued to make numerous contributions to American society and serve under many different administrations of the government. References Abanes, R., One Nation Under Gods: A History of the Mormon Church (Salt Lake City: Four Walls Eight Windows, 2002), 127. Baugh, A. L., A Call to Arms: The 1838 Mormon Defense of Northern Missouri, (BYU Studies, 2000), 82-83. Howe, D.W., _What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America 1815-1848,_ (2007) pp 705-6

Powerful Satire in Chaucers Canterbury Tales Essay -- Canterbury Tal

Powerful Satire in The Canterbury Tales If one theme can be considered overriding or defining throughout Medieval European society, it would most likely be the concept of social class structure. During this early historical period in Europe, most of society was divided into three classes or 'estates:' the workers, the nobles, and the clerics. By Chaucer's time, however, the powerful estate structure had begun to wear down. Weaknesses in the system became apparent, as many people, such as Chaucer himself, seemed to no longer belong to any one of the three estates. Wealthy merchants sometimes had more power and influence than poor noblemen, but the merchants technically remained mere workers or peasants. Even Chaucer, who was given the title of Esquire en Service, the lowest ranking of the noble class, was never truly considered a nobleman because he wasn't born into his title. With social structure failing the society and putting pressures on the already fractured classes, it isn't surprising that authors of the time such a s Chaucer began to make commentary on the estates in their works. Driven by his own feelings of class isolation, and his observations of the ludicrous behavior of the other classes, Chaucer clearly intended his work, The Canterbury Tales, to be a satire upon the estates. Central to understanding Chaucer's work is, one can see, coming to an understanding of Chaucer himself. Unlike modern works of fiction, which frequently lack any real sense of meaning beyond simple entertainment, Chaucer works a number of social critiques into The Canterbury Tales. His motivation is relatively clear: the social issues he chooses to address were the issues that largely shaped his life. "Chaucer and some of his peers were... ...trates an enlightened commentary on the three estates. By humorously satirizing the societies faults with pilgrim's such as the Summoner or the Pardoner, and applauding the positive influences on society, the true representatives of the three estates, the Knight, the Parson, and the Ploughman, Chaucer makes a bold and lasting statement on his society. Works Cited Benson, Larry D. The Riverside Chaucer. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1987. Brewer, Derek. Writers and their Background: Geoffrey Chaucer. Athens: Ohio University Press, 1975. Cooper, Helen. Oxford Guides to Chaucer: The Canterbury Tales. Great Britain: Oxford University Press, 1989. Kellogg, Alfred L. Chaucer, Langland, Arthur: Essays in Middle English Literature. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1972. Strohm, Paul. Social Chaucer. England: Harvard University Press, 1989. Â  

Classification of Laws

Classification of Laws An important method of classifying law is according to the system in which it is created. †¢ common law Rules of law created by the courts through judicial decisions. Courts â€Å"make law† as part of the process of deciding cases and controversies before them. The case law created in this process is based on a doctrine known as stare decisis. This doctrine is based on the notion that prior decisions provide guidance that should be followed in subsequent cases involving the same questions of law. Thus, where a rule of law has been announced and followed by courts so that the rule has become settled by judicial decision, a precedent is established for future cases. The common law system originated in England. Therefore, because of our nation’s close historical association with England, the common law system is of significant importance in the United States. Indeed, many state constitutions specifically adopted the common law of England as the beginning point of those states’ legal systems. Civil law systems found in France and Spain are quite different from the common law system. The civil law systems rely primarily on legislative enactments, rather than judicial decisions, for law. Any court in a civil law system must defer to the legislation for the answer to a legal issue. The courts’ decisions do not become precedent. Future cases also must be resolved by reference to applicable legislation. Only Louisiana, among the various states, follows a civil law system. This is due to Louisiana’s historical ties with France. Public law Another way of classifying the law is to divide it into matters of public law and matters of private law. public law involves those matters that involve the regulation of society as opposed to individuals interacting. Examples of public law include constitutional law, administrative law, and criminal law. oConstitutional law involves the interpretation and application of either the federal or a state constitution. oAdministrative law describes the legal principles that apply to government agencies, bureaus, boards, and commissions. Criminal law encompasses all legal aspects of crime. In each of these areas, society, or â€Å"the people,† are directly involved in the issues. Their interests are represented by a governmental agency, officer, or official whose obligation it is to see that justice is accomplished and the ends of society achieved. Public law provides a major portion of the legal env ironment of business. †¢Private law encompasses those legal problems and relationships that exist between individuals. Private law is traditionally separated into the law of contracts, the law of torts, and the law of property. Contract law addresses agreements between two parties. †¢Tort law addresses wrongs other than a breach of contract, by which one party injures another. †¢Property law deals with all aspects of ownership and possession of both tangible things and intangible rights. Our whole economic system is based upon the rights of individuals to acquire and use private property. Another means of classifying the law is to divide it into: †¢Civil Law and Criminal Law, For administrative purposes, courts usually separate criminal actions from all other lawsuits. Civil cases may include suits for breach of contract or tort cases, such as suits for personal injuries. Typically, they involve a request for damages or other appropriate relief that does not involve punishment of the wrongdoer. Criminal cases involve a representative of government attempting to prove the wrong committed against society and seeking to have the wrongdoer punished by the court system. †¢Substantive Law and Procedural Law Another important classification or distinction in law is between substance and procedure. Substantive law defines the legal relationship of people with other people or between them and the state. Thus, the rules of law governing the creation or enforcement of a contractual promise are substantive in nature. Procedural law deals with the method and means by which substantive law is made and administered. The time allowed for one party to sue another and the rules of law governing the process of the lawsuit are examples of procedural laws. Thus, substantive rules of law define rights and duties, while procedural rules of law provide the machinery for enforcing those rights and duties. Judicial procedures involve the conduct of lawsuits and appeals and the enforcement of judgments. The rules for conducting civil trials are different from those for criminal trials. For example, each party may call the other party to the witness stand for cross-examination in a civil trial, but the defendant may not be required to testify in a criminal case. Procedural problems sometimes arise concerning papers filed in lawsuits, the admission of evidence, and various other techniques involved in trying the case. They are the rules of the game. Next, you will study these procedural aspects of law in greater depth. In summary, For instance, Common Law was created with the purpose of establishing a set of legal rules based on previous court decisions made on similar cases, and these decisions may or may not be regulated by any already existing statutes. This form of law is based on the stare decisis doctrine. In contrast to the common law, Civil Law is dependent on statutes, where decisions are made based on established legislative rules, therefore prior decisions from judges do not take precedence. The second classification is based on the differentiation between Public and Private law, where public law relates to societal influences and governing structures, whereas private law deals with upholding the legal rights of individuals. Another common classification introduced is that of Civil and Criminal laws, in which the courts make a distinction between laws that pertain to the deliberate perpetration of a criminal wrongdoing, from laws that were established to enforce and ascertain the outcome of a lawsuit between disputing parties. Finally, laws can also be classified as Substantive or Procedural laws, where substantive laws address the rights and duties that protect every person within our society, and the application of procedural laws, which governs and enforces the rules that assist in controlling the behavior of all the officers, governing bodies, and other members that form our judicial system. All members of the armed forces must adhere to military rules enforced by a document known as the Uniform Code of Military Justice, and this document provides all necessary guidelines in the compliance of the various articles delineated in the document. In addition, we must also comply with federal, state and local regulations. For example, in order to avoid fines and legal reprisals, and also due to the technical nature of our working environment, rules and regulations generated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) must be adopted and enforced, ensuring the safety of personnel and environmental stability.

The Effect of Physical Education on Academic Achievement...

The controversial topic in the realm of physical education is if physical education should remain in schools. Higher up’s are complaining about test scores and suggesting that cutting physical education programs would lead to better test scores. Technically, this would lead to more time spent sitting in a desk and listening to lectures in class, which is supposed to improve test scores. So, the solution to increase test scores is to take the small chance of physical activity that children receive during the school day and keep them almost completely sedentary for six-plus hours. When physical activity is restricted during school hours, children do not regain the lost physical activity after school, resulting in children who remain†¦show more content†¦There is nothing more important than health, especially in this day and age. It’s concerning that only 29 percent of high school students surveyed by the CDC (2011) had participated in at least 60 minutes of physi cal activity on all seven days before the survey. The CDC also noted that only 31 percent of these high school students attended physical education class daily. Only 8 percent of elementary schools, 6.4 percent of middle schools, and 5.8 percent of high schools provide daily physical education to all of its students (SHPPS, 2000). The government is missing the fact that physical education can actually improve test scores, not the opposite. There was a study done in Mississippi with elementary and middle school students, whose aim was to find associations between health-related physical fitness and academic achievement using standardized Language Arts and Math scores (Blom, Alvarez, Zhang, Kolbo, 2011). Besides the standardized test scores, objective measures of fitness were used, along with attendance records, discipline records and socio-demographic information of the area. The participants included 2,992 Mississippi public school children in grades 3-6. The results indicated a strong positive correlation between fitness and standardized test scores in Language Arts and Math. The more fit students had higher test scores and fewer absences overall. The study also revealed that students with the lowest numberShow MoreRelatedPhysical Activity And A Child s Academic Achievement847 Words   |  4 PagesABSTRACT It’s a well-known fact that physical activity and being healthy leads to a positive lifestyle. There have been numerous debates about the relationship between physical activity and a child’s academic achievement. In 1947 to 2009, 59 studies were used for the â€Å"comprehensive, quantitative synthesis of literature† (pg. 521) for data analysis. 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