Eleanor Roosevelt Essay Example for Free

Eleanor Roosevelt Essay Eleanor Roosevelt will always be remembered in history as the first woman to make a difference in the status of first lady. She was born in 1884 and died in 1962 and all through her life showed tremendous courage in facing what happened to her. Her childhood may be seen as having influenced her later life. It is considered to have been influential in shaping her life and her approach towards the problems evident in society. She was born in a very wealthy family because both sides of her family were very wealthy and also renowned families. However, her adult life defied the expectations of her class in society. She did not behave as the rest of her class members did. She did what they would not do due to their status in society. She was born Anna Eleanor Roosevelt in 1884 to Anna Hall and Elliot Roosevelt in New York. Her mother was famous for her beauty and was disappointed in Eleanor’s looks because she was not as beautiful or graceful as she wanted her to be. As a result, they did not become close in the short time they spent together. Her father was the younger brother to President Theodore who later actually gave Eleanor in her wedding since her parents were already dead by then (http://www. pbs. rg). Her mother died in 1892 when Eleanor was only 8 years old. Her relationship with her father was a bit better because he did not criticize her looks. They were however not very close because of marital problems experienced between him and Anna and hence ended up not communicating a lot with Eleanor. After the death of her mother, she moved in with her maternal grandmother and hence, instead of closing the rift between her and her father this ended up widening it. He died in 1894 when she was 10 years old due to drinking related problems. His behavior had led to his being disowned by his family. She had private tutors until the age of 15 when she joined Allenwood a finishing school where she met her mentor Madame Marie Sourvesre. She traveled all over Europe with her and she was the one who taught Eleanor â€Å"the lifestyle of an independent woman† (PBS 1999). She returned to New York at the age of 18. She became a social worker and it is at this time that she met Franklin Delano Roosevelt who was her fifth cousin. She got married in March 17, 1905 to Franklin D. Roosevelt. She introduced him to the world of poor people during their courtship when she was working as a social worker. Due to her the emotional problems she faced in her childhood as a result of the lack of affection from both her mother and father, she was able to give unto others unconditional love regardless of their status in life. She was also greatly affected by the constant reference people made in regards to beauty and the fact that she knew she was not a great beauty. This was carried on even in her engagement where she was not sure if she could maintain a marriage to her husband who was handsome where she whereas she was plain (http://www. drlibrary. marist. edu). She had very many accomplishments that started early in life even before her status as first lady. Although earlier in life she had not been interested in politics, she later became interested because she did not want to seem ignorant among her peers. The presence of her domineering mother-in-law led to her having more time to dedicate to her functions because her 6 children were watched by Sarah the mother-in-law. She wanted to continue having the status that she had achieved under the tutelage of Madame Souvestre. She felt that as long as she was around Sarah she would not be able to accomplish what she wanted to and so would involve herself in many activities in order to escape her (http://www. fdrlibrary. marist. edu). During World War 1, she volunteered both in the American Red Cross and also in the Navy hospitals. She worked tirelessly to help those afflicted by the war even though she did not like the war or even the idea of war. In 1920, she became an active member of the women’s suffrage movement. In an effort to fight for women and also enlighten them on their rights, she joined the League of Women Voters and became the vice president of its New York branch. In this group, she was able to encourage women to become voters and fought for the right of women to vote. The law allowing women to vote was passed in 1920. This was also made possible by the Women’s Division of the Democratic Party of which she was also a member. She was also a member of the Women’s Trade Union League which looked into the working conditions of women and fought for the improvement of the same. It also fought for the acceptance of women in the employment field. She was very concerned about women issues and would fight for them in any way possible. She also went ahead to establish Todhunter which was a private school for girls only. She co-owned it with her friend and became its assistant principal and also a teacher of history yet she had no formal certificate. She did this because she had admired Souvestre and wanted to follow in her footsteps. This happened in 1927. In 1918, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was discovered by Eleanor to be having an affair with her social secretary Mercer. She discovered love letters between the two. She threatened him with divorce if he did not end the affair. He promised he would and hence saved the marriage albeit his mother was involved. Although the marriage was saved, Eleanor became a different woman who channeled her energies to many situations that both took her time and also enlightened her more to women’s independence. It is also at this time that she joined the various women organizations and became very close to the women she was working with. In 1921, Franklin suffered from poliomyelitis which left paralyzed in both legs and his mother advised him to become a recluse. She wanted him to remain in Hyde-Park but Eleanor encouraged him to keep interested in politics. He took her advice and Eleanor would act as his informant gathering information from the citizens and giving it to him and discussing the various issues with him. He appeared in public on crutches in 1924 to nominate Governor Alfred E. Smith for president. This was all Eleanor’s doing because she was the one who encouraged him (Lash J. P. Eleanor 1972 pg 550-680). In the process of becoming his eyes and ears, on the ground, she ended up becoming an independent woman and this helped her deal with the hurt of her husband’s infidelity. She realized there was a problem of unemployment and this led her to form the Val-Kill furniture factory. This was in New York and its aim was to provide employment especially to those who were suffering from unemployment yet could learn skills that would provide an income for them. Later on the industry widened its activities to involve weaving and also pewter work. This impressed her husband very much and in the long run encouraged her to spend more and more time there. Franklin through her encouragement ran for governorship of New York and he was elected in 1928. He served in office up to 1933. In all this time, Eleanor would help him make legislations that were progressive. She did this by ensuring that she corresponded with the New York residents an understood their problems. She would also travel very much and in these travels would inspect the state institutions and report to Franklin what was going on and in what ways the issues could be resolved. Her work is what led to the re-election of her husband as a governor for a second term and also his nomination to become president. This is because he sued the information she had gathered to help improve the lives of the common people. Franklin became president in March 4 1933 and consequently Eleanor became America’s first lady. She did not approach this situation confidently since she was apprehensive on its impact in her life as an independent woman. Despite this, she adapted to the role quickly and actually went down in history as the longest serving first lady because Franklin was president from 1933-1945. Once she became first lady, she continued providing various opportunities for women she did this by holding press conferences where only female reporters were invited. It is through these conferences that she kept the public informed about the policies in the white house especially the New Deal which was supposed to help in the recovery from the depression (http://www. lkwdpl. org). In line with the effects of the depression, she persuaded FDR to create the National Youth Administration. This organization was supposed to help young people who due to the effects of the depression could either not join or complete their studies. They could only manage to do this if they had jobs which in turn affected their studies. She became the adviser to those who held the administration posts and also spoke on behalf of the program. She was also involved with the American Youth Congress which was also concerned with matters of the youth. She got involved with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. This is because she no longer held the view of white supremacy and viewed everyone as equals. She understood the plight of the black people in America and worked hard to ensure their rights were recognized and respected. She also worked with the National Council of Negro Women to help the black women. Her stand was made clear when she resigned from being a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1939 because they had refused to allow Marian Anderson, who was a musician, to perform at Constitution Hall (http://www. pbs. org). At this time, the Second World War was starting off and although she detested war, she became involved in it because her sons were fighting in the war. During this time, she made numerous visits to England and also to the South Pacific. This she did in order to promote the good-will that was there among the allies. She also visited the United States troops that were abroad in order to boost their confidence and lift their spirits. She worked to rally civilian volunteerism to which she had been appointed as assistant director of the Office of Civilian Defense (OCD) a post to which she had been appointed by Franklin. She however resigned from it later on due to complaints made about the people she appointed to work with her. FDR died in April 12 1945 and although she had assumed that her public life was over, she was proved wrong by the then president Harry S. Truman. He appointed her as a delegate in the United States Delegation to the United Nation’s General Assembly. In this capacity, she worked hard to ensure that the issues that pertained to social, humanitarian and cultural issues were dealt with. She held this position up to 1953 when she resigned. In this period, she was also the chairman of the Human Rights Commission and it is during her tenure that the Declaration of Human Rights was drafted. The declaration was adopted by the General Assembly on 10th December 1948. Her greatest achievement can be said to be the Declaration of Human Rights. This declaration emphasized the equality of all people regardless of their race, creed, color or gender. It therefore protected the way people that Eleanor had spent her whole life trying to protect and also improve their lives. It declared the right to life, liberty and equality to all people. It therefore meant that the poor, minorities and the disadvantaged were to be treated the same as those who were previously deemed to be superior. Through it, she was able to help the blacks, the women and those who were poor (Lash J. P. Eleanor 1972 pg 550-680). In the same year of 1948, she helped in the establishment of the state of Israel. This she did because she had always been sympathetic to the experience of the Jews at the hands of Adolph Hitler during the Second World War. She did not harbor ill feelings towards the Jews as did the rest of the upper-class. She also provided her help because she viewed herself first and foremost as a United Nations delegate whose work was to promote peace the world over. As a UN delegate, she also tried to establish negotiations with the Soviet Union although she was very cautious. This failed because they did not respect the Human Rights Declaration. From 1953, she volunteered as a member of the American Association for the United Nations. She did this in the capacity of a representative to the World Federation of United Nations. Later on she became the chairman of the Associations’ Board of Directors. John F. Kennedy reappointed her to the United States Delegation to United Nation in 1961. He also appointed her as a member of the National Advisory Committee of the Peace Corps and also the chairman of the President’s Commission on the status of women. She took on these responsibilities gladly as she was well versed with the operations of each (http://www. bs. org). In her lifetime, she had been involved in writing a daily column in the paper, which started in 1935 up to a few days prior to her death in 1962. This column was called â€Å"My Day†. She also started some question and answer column in the newspapers. She managed to write several books during her lifetime which are: This Is My Story (1937), This I Remember (1950), On My Own (1958), and Tomorrow Is Now (1963). Her last book was produced post humously and in it she praised Franklin for the social reforms he had put in place. She died in Nov 7 1962 and thus did not see it published. She was a lady who affected the western civilization in many ways. She proved that a woman can be able to perform remarkably in politics while still maintaining her dignity. The fact that she was able to accept every person regardless of their status in life led to the formation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This declaration opened the people’s eyes to the fact that all human beings are equal even if they come from different areas in life. She established that one has to be able to deal with what they cannot change and should not be judged by what is beyond their power to correct or change (Lash J. P.  Eleanor 1972 pg 550-680). She also exhibited that regardless of how high and mighty one’s family may be and also despite the wealth they have, anyone can be able to make a difference in the lives of those who are victimized and destitute. The western people held a lot of prejudice towards Jews and blacks and she went a long way to try and bridge the gap that existed by not having such prejudices. She also set the role that the other first ladies in America and world over ought to follow. They are not supposed to just sit back and watch what their husbands do but instead should get involved and learn as much as possible and help them out. On the question of how she affected the society, she did a lot to help women get the right to vote. She also encouraged the women to seek employment and provided any opportunity possible to women to ensure that they succeeded. She was also very concerned about the youth and their education. She valued education and ensured that through the formation of the National Youth Association that the American youth would be able to access quality formal education without the problems of having to search for a job. The various trips she made to meet the common man made her understand the problems that they faced everyday. She got to understand the impact of unemployment and also that of the Great Depression. She would give this information to Franklin and also suggest the various ways in which he could help solve the problems (http://www. pbs. org). The creation of the Val-Kill was intended to provide employment to those in New York who needed it yet could not get it. She therefore helped uplift the living standards of many Americans by providing employment and also avenues through which they could provide employment for themselves and for others. The face of the government changed from her time to include more women. The fact that women become voters meant that more women had chances of being voted in because they were voted in by their fellow women. She proved that women can be very good politicians and diplomats. As a U. N delegate she kept making attempts to bring about negotiations between America and the Soviet Union. Although she never succeeded in bridging this gap, she tried her best.

Eros Essay example -- essays research papers

In the Poem, EPƒÇƒÃÆ', by Robert Bridges, Eros is referred to as an  ¡Ã‚ §Ã‚ ¡Kidol of the human race ¡K ¡Ã‚ ¨ with a perfect form and looks, however, he bears no expression on his face. On the other hand, in the poem, EROS, by Anne Stevenson, Eros is portrayed as a  ¡Ã‚ §thug ¡Ã‚ ¨ with a bruised and  ¡Ã‚ §patchy ¡Ã‚ ¨ appearance. I believe that although both authors are trying to convey the same message, they choose different ways to go about it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the poem by Anne Stevenson, I believe that she is trying to show that while people, especially the narrator, were constantly asking for help and calling upon the gods, they were not thinking of others, but more so their own personal problems. When Eros first appears to the narrator, she is shocked and in disbelief of his appearance. Eros tells the woman that he has that form due to all of the feelings she and others have directed in his direction. He then tells the girl that since it is the gods that control the fate of man, they are the ones that take all of the blame for things not going well, and that is reflected upon their bodily form. I think that the author was trying to show that from the scorn of man, the gods were receiving these verbal beatings that resulted in physical marks, and to show the selflessness of the gods as well. This is done when Eros tells the girl that it is better for him to be all bruised than for her to not have love.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  However, when comparing the work of Anne Stevenson ... Eros Essay example -- essays research papers In the Poem, EPƒÇƒÃÆ', by Robert Bridges, Eros is referred to as an  ¡Ã‚ §Ã‚ ¡Kidol of the human race ¡K ¡Ã‚ ¨ with a perfect form and looks, however, he bears no expression on his face. On the other hand, in the poem, EROS, by Anne Stevenson, Eros is portrayed as a  ¡Ã‚ §thug ¡Ã‚ ¨ with a bruised and  ¡Ã‚ §patchy ¡Ã‚ ¨ appearance. I believe that although both authors are trying to convey the same message, they choose different ways to go about it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the poem by Anne Stevenson, I believe that she is trying to show that while people, especially the narrator, were constantly asking for help and calling upon the gods, they were not thinking of others, but more so their own personal problems. When Eros first appears to the narrator, she is shocked and in disbelief of his appearance. Eros tells the woman that he has that form due to all of the feelings she and others have directed in his direction. He then tells the girl that since it is the gods that control the fate of man, they are the ones that take all of the blame for things not going well, and that is reflected upon their bodily form. I think that the author was trying to show that from the scorn of man, the gods were receiving these verbal beatings that resulted in physical marks, and to show the selflessness of the gods as well. This is done when Eros tells the girl that it is better for him to be all bruised than for her to not have love.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  However, when comparing the work of Anne Stevenson ...

Gender segregated schools Essay

The Benefits and Disadvantages of Single-Sex Education Schools in early 17th century America were fist modeled after English learning institutions after Puritans immigrated over to the English colonies. Originally only rich white males were allowed to attend school to learn how to read and write. In many cases, most parents placed their boys into the nine month long curriculum to keep them out of mischief. For the other three months of the year, students would be released from school during the summer months to lend a hand on their familys arms to help cultivate the land and raise animals. During the summer months, wealthy white girls attended these same schools often taught by a female instructor to learn to read and write. Of the girls who could attend the schools, many were kept at home to be taught the essentials for their future such as cooking, sewing, and the caretaking of babies and toddlers (A Short History). Fast forward one hundred years and the first coeducational schools can be found appearing in the American colonies, primarily the New England area. In these schools the major focus was to teach children how to read, specifically for religious purposes. The likely cause of the integration of boys and girls in schools is thought to be stemmed from â€Å"growing numbers of female church numbers and the practical requirements of finding enough children to support schools in sparsely populated regions† making schools more practical to spread religion (A Short History). After the revolutionary war, American citizens saw that women’s education was important and was needed to promote good citizens and great leaders in society. With this state of mind, many private schools opened their doors to coeducation and allowed both boys and girls to attend school together. Until the late 1840’s, only rich white boys and girls were allowed to attend schools because there was no government funded schools. That changed when reformers Horance Mann and Henry Barnard succeeded with their efforts to promote a free public school system. This finally allowed all white children to attend schools together for free. The only exception to gender-integrated schools where catholic families who â€Å"objected the practice of coeducation on moral and religious grounds†¦ and that males and females had profoundly different purposes to fulfill† (A Short History). Because of this many catholic schools remained segregated y gender. In the early 1900’s many schools created classes specifically to prepare boys and girls for their future. Girls were taught â€Å"home economics and traditionally feminine labor skills, such as secretarial work and or garment-making† while boys were educated in industrial arts, bookkeeping, and commercial geography (A Short History). These classes were introduced for the importance of the growing labor market of the time period. In todays society, some parents are faced with placing their children in gender- segregated schools or in public schools to better benefit their children. The problem brains of the two genders learn different subjects at different ages. So, with this, boys or girls have an advantage over each other. The same happens when puberty becomes a factor in adolescence as well as in high school with distractions. On the other side, there are also benefits to public schools such as socialization with the opposite sex and better preparation for the real world. Then there are gender segregated schools that better accommodate teaching methods and times for specific sexes as well as better grades, less competition, and fewer distractions. Again there re bad sides to this too, such as less socializing and less competition to prepare someone for their future Job. With all of these factors, any parent faced with a decision like this will have a hard time figuring out what type of education their child should receive. One of the major arguments people make supporting gender-segregated schools is the fact that boys and girl’s brains differ in many different aspects. Whether it is an emotional difference or the structure of the brain, one gender will do better in class than the other. In 2007, a team of neuroscientists from the National Institute of Mental Health conducted a study on subjects ranging in age from three to twenty- seven years old both male and female. Their results showed that the occipital lobe of the brain where visual processing is mostly associated with is developed much more rapidly in six to ten year old girls, as opposed to the male brain where this lobe does the majority of its development after fourteen years of age (Novotney). Another major brain difference between the girls and boys is that a girl’s corpus callosum is twenty- five percent larger than a boys, making girls better at multitasking. A girl’s prefrontal ortex also develops earlier and larger than that of a boy, making girls better at abstract thinking and thought analysis as well as making better choices between right and wrong (McBride). Meanwhile, the cerebral cortex where mechanical and spatial thinking is conducted is used much more in boys. This results in boys having an easier time learning with movement and pictures as opposed to girls. With these different developed sections of the brain, girls gain an upper hand in classrooms over boys by ways of better listening, sensory memory, and especially reading and writing. However, boys gain an upper hand over girls in math as Leonard Sax a Ph. D. in psychology and author of Why Gender Matters explains: [the] fact that many middle-school boys seem to learn algebra better when you start with numbers, whereas many same-age girls seem to be more engaged if you start with a word problem. For example, if you are teaching equations in multiple variables, the typical 7th-grade boy will do better if you begin by asking â€Å"If x + 2y = 60, and 2x + y = 90, how do we solve for x and y? † But the typical 7th-grade girl will be more engaged if you begin by asking â€Å"If a sweater and two blouses cost $60, and two sweaters and a louse cost $90, how much does each blouse and each sweater cost? (Sax 15). By splitting boys and girls in school, a teacher can adjust a test to where the two genders of students both benefit from word or equation only math problems. According to Lisa Damour, Co-director of the Center for Research on Girls at Laurel school, a girls day school claims that â€Å"the benefit of single-sex schools†¦ is that they offer the dynamic of having only one sex in the classroom at a time, creating girls class that would not work as effectively in a boys class and vice versa (Novotney). That way boys and girls are taught the same subject at different times in a better gender specified manner. Many studies have statistically shown support towards gender-segregated schools as being better for students in both education and even personality. A study was conducted by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania studying schools in Seoul South Korea that randomly assigned students to either attend a coed or gender-segregated school. In these schools, all students were from different socioeconomic backgrounds. The results of this study found that girls in gender- egregated schools were more likely to attend college after graduation as compared to girls at coeducational schools; the same appeared in boys of both types of schools. Both boys and girls in these gender-segregated schools made higher test scores than coed schools in the same city. In another study conducted by Betta Hannover and her colleague Ursula Kessels found that American girls in girl only schools were more comfortable with physics. The National Foundation for Educational Research in England also supports that boys and girls do better on test scores and overall grades as compared to coed students regardless of background factors. The study also backs up the Hannover and Kessels study by finding that â€Å"girls at single-sex schools were more likely to take non-traditional courses – courses which run against gender stereotypes† (Single-Sex). Student grades at single-sex schools could be better than expected by both boys and girls because boys and girls in the single sex schools are more comfortable enrolling in contradicting gender-stereotypical classes, like girls interested in computer science, and boys in art. These classes could seem a bit more difficult for some students bringing their overall grade down a bit even if it is in egard to students in different nations or here in America. Researcher for the Australian Council for Educational Research Cornelius Riordan found that most boys and girls who attend single-sex catholic schools were from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, yet these students obtained better grades than coed students (Single- Sex). This backs the study done by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, that socioeconomic background does not play a major role on a student’s grades as thought by many people who oppose single-sex schools. Riordan also found that students in these catholic schools view learning in a more positive manner which ould be another reason as to why students in single-sex schools do much better than coed students. In another study conducted in Jamaica by Marlene Hamilton â€Å"found that students attending single-sex schools out preformed students in coed schools in almost every subject tested† which confirmed the research done in Australia, South Korea, England, and America (Single-Sex). With many studies on students all over the world being consistent, it proves that single-sex schools are better for a student’s education. Not only do single-sex schools benefit a student’s education, but their overall focus and character as well. At Thurgood Marshall Elementary School in Seattle, principle Benjamin Wright led the movement of the schools traditional coed classroom setting to single-sex classrooms. Before this transition he would address over thirty misbehaving children a day, eighty percent of which were boys. In regard to the Washington Assessment of Student Learning, the single-sex classrooms, there were on average one or two students sent to the office for misbehavior a day. The boys reading average rose to sixty-six percent while their writing average also went up to fifty-three percent (Single-Sex). All of this was done under the same teachers for boys and girls. At an inner-city high school in Montr ©al who underwent the same type of transition also saw positive results. The number of students skipping class dropped by thirteen percent to Just seven percent. Fifteen percent more of students passed their final exams as opposed to before where sixty- five passed. Finally, the rate of students continuing their education in college doubled what it used to be before the switch. With these consistent positive results, many schools will turn to the idea of following these footsteps and transition to single-sex schools or classrooms to benefit all students in their education and haracter. Although segregating students by gender has its positive results, it also has negative results in students psychologically and socially. New York Times writer Tamar Lewin stresses â€Å"the strongest argument against single-sex education†¦ is that it reduces boys’ and girls’ opportunities to work together, and reinforces sex stereotypes† (Lewinl). By splitting the two genders apart, students will not know how to properly work together or even communicate with one another. According to the American Psychological Association, â€Å"school is preparation for the adult life and how oys and girls learn to interact will dictate relationships formed in the workplace† (Saunders). As students are separated by gender, they miss vital chances to work with one another and build important social skills. By segregating students, they are missing out on learning those very skills needed outside of school such as an engineering firm where thoughts from multiple engineers take place. A female engineer who spent her entire school life including college in single-sex classes may feel a bit more uncomfortable speaking out her ideas to the male engineers. Not only oes this affect people in the work place, it affects their personal relationships as well, for example, a male trying to meet women to date, becomes much more difficult. If he has spent little or no time communicating with the opposite sex, he may feel shy or awkward. Elizabeth Danish explains: Part of the idea of going to school is to prepare your child for ‘real life’ when they leave. There is no doubt that the real world’ is mixed gender rather than single sex and so that means that the best way to do this would be to emulate that in school. Further, learning to talk to members of he opposite sex is a very important skill and one that can leave you at a significant disadvantage if you’ve never had a chance to practice. By experimenting with relationships now when things are less serious, your child will be better at managing and finding them when they leave (Danish). She also believes that in coed schools students become more understanding of each other and are more open minded of new conditions. Danish then suggests that building a feminine side to men could help them better understand girls and reduce the changes of sexism in schools. The problem with some single-sex schools is that he ideas of men are better than girls or in some cases women are better than men begins to circulate and lowers the self-confidence and self-esteem of some students. Another problem facing single-sex classrooms is lack of trained teachers to What could be done to better benefit students in single-sex schools is to have the two genders attend the same school in different buildings. With this, students could be integrated during lunch hours and for elementary schools even recess. This way the two genders can socialize with one another and not be completely segregated throughout all twelve years of school. This socialization can help prepare boys and girls for life outside and after high school in both work life and relationships with one another. In regards to single-sex classrooms, studies show how boys are encouraged or more engaged in learning subjects can be implemented in teaching methods for specifically boys and vice versa for girls. With this, teachers can know what method of teaching works better so they can use it only for boys and only for girls. The numbers of single-sex schools have been on the rise in the past fifteen years and will continue to go up because they are proving to better benefit student’s education and personality. However, many advocates believe that the psychological and sociological downsides to this form of education are harmful to students and outweigh the positives.

How The Salem Witch Trials Impacted Modern Culture

Hailie Lindblom Ms. Rosemann LA 10 22 December, 2015 How the Salem Witch Trials Impacted Modern Culture The Salem Witch Trials roused numerous pieces of literature, films, a theatrical performance, and changed the outlook of Salem, Massachusetts eternally. Understanding what happened at the trials, the tests accused witches had to go through, the execution of witches, and the victims of the trials is all necessary to better understand the impact the Salem Witch Trials had on modern culture. The Salem Witch Trials occurred in seventeenth century Massachusetts. The small Puritan town of Salem was first burdened with the accusations of witchcraft in January of 1692, according to the article â€Å"Salem Witch Trials† on â€Å"History.com.† The article also states that two local girls, Elizabeth Parris and Abigail Williams, began having violent fits accompanied with bloodcurdling screams (â€Å"Salem Witch Trials). When the girls never healed, the town doctor, William Griggs, was called to the girls’ homes says the article â€Å"The 1962 Salem Witch Trials.† After Doctor Griggs examined the girls, he diagnosed them with â€Å"being victims of black magic,† as stated in the article â€Å"Were Witches Burned at the stake During the Salem Witch Trials?† written by Evan Andrews. After the diagnosis had been made, five more young girls of the community began contracting similar symptoms (â€Å"Salem Witch Trials†). Accusations had been made among the townspeople. Three women accused by the girls of bewitching the,Show MoreRelatedThe Impact of Hollywood in American Society1568 Words   |  6 PagesAlthough it started out as a novelty and a source of controversy, Hollywood has had an impact in American society significantly on political aspects in the 20th century as well as shaping our modern world. In 1894, two French Brothers, Auguste and Louis Lumiere introduced the portable motion picture camera and projector as a solution to the smaller projection of Thomas Edison’s original invention the kinetoscope. In April of 1896, the two men unveiled their vitascope and presented theRead MoreThe History of American Literature3501 Words   |  15 PagesAmerica. It has been a great evolution to come from tribal symbols and drawings to todays Stephen King and Danielle Steele. Literature has gone through many phases and was impacted by great events and ideas in American history. The earliest form of literature in what would one day be known as America were far from what modern day people would consider Literature. The Natives who inhabited this land first had unwritten ways of passing on experiences, beliefs, and stories. Natives relied heavilyRead MoreThe Mountains Are Calling By John Muir Essay2619 Words   |  11 PagesThe Mountains are Calling Scottish born â€Å"John of the Mountains† impacted the way National Parks are viewed today. As a wee lad, John Muir had a keen fixation on his natural surroundings. Conversely, his father Daniel was vehemently opposed to any contact with the world outside of their garden. Ironically, the family’s abrupt move to America would set the stage for his son John to blossom into the renowned naturalist he is remembered as today. While attending college in Wisconsin, John was exposed