The Inspirations of Theodore Roosevelt: “Speak softly and carry a big stick…”

Outline

THESIS:  Theodore Roosevelt was not just a great leader of the United States but was an

effective leader, instilling regulation to the United States economy.

I.                   The foundation of Roosevelt’s exceptional leadership was his character.

A.    His deprivation of boyhood instilled an everlasting motivation and dynamic energy within him.

B.     Roosevelt was the first President since Lincoln to completely take advantage of the powers of office because of his understanding: the President had all powers that were not prohibited by the Constitution.

C.     One of his prime strategies was “Speak softly and carry a big stick…”

II.                Roosevelt’s beliefs in the existence of rights for workers began his triumphant road to success.

A.    He ended the coal strike, which allowed him to show for the first time he wanted to offer a “square deal” to all Americans.

B.     The Employer’s Liability Act was established to protect and compensate railroad workers who are injured on the job.

III.             His understanding of the economy’s basis being capitalism allowed him to take advantage of his Presidential term by enforcing dissolution of monopolies.

A.    The investigations and dissolutions of monopoly corporations occurred under the Sherman Anti-Trust Act.

B.     The Department of Commerce and Labor was established to regulate all matters affecting business corporations.

IV.             He strongly supported and enforced societal health.

A.    The Meat Inspection Act was established, giving government officials the power to inspect all meat and condemn any meat product found unfit for human consumption.

B.     The Pure Food and Drug Act was passed and prohibited the manufacture, sale, or transportation of contaminated food products and poisonous patent medicines.

V.                Roosevelt knew that natural resources could not all be replaced, so he enacted “conservation.”

A.    The Newlands Reclamation Act was signed, which funded irrigation projects for arid lands.

B.     The National Forest Service was founded and administers the nation's national forests and grasslands.

            Out of all leaders is the United States history, President Theodore Roosevelt accomplished a hefty number of improvements to the economy, making him one of the nation’s greatest leaders. As a child, he was deprived of his boyhood due to asthma and poor vision; however, his childhood deprivation instilled a radiant energy and motivation in him. He began working out at home and became very athletic, marking his character with the love for a good fight. His pre-political life defined his character, which became the foundation of his career’s success. Well-educated and politically experienced, Roosevelt believed the President had all powers that were not prohibited by the Constitution. Furthermore, his primary strategy description was “Speak softly and carry a big stick…,” but he explained the secret of his power:

It has always seemed to me that in life there are two ways of achieving what is commonly called greatness. One is to do that which can be done by the man of exceptional and extraordinary abilities. Of course this means that only one man can do it, and it is a very rare kind of success or greatness. The other is to do that which many men could do, but which, as a matter of fact, none of them actually does. This is the ordinary kind of greatness… (Russell 217)

As President McKinley’s successor, the new President, Theodore Roosevelt, was the first President since Lincoln to fully take advantage of the powers of office (Boorstin and Kelley 522).

            Barely settled into office, Roosevelt took great advantage of his first opportunity to show how a President should lead: the coal strike, which threatened to disable the country. In May of 1902, miners went on strike due to the negligence of the coal mine owners: for example, in 1901 alone, 441 workers were killed in mining accidents in Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia (Boorstin and Kelley 522). Besides workers not receiving raises in twenty years, they were paid by the weight of what they dug; however, the owners weighed unfairly: for instance, a worker would have to dig two tons before getting credit for one (Boorstin and Kelley 522). Although on strike, the owners would not deal with the union. On October 15, 1902, as a result of the nation being in fear of freezing with the winter coming, after Roosevelt attempted to mediate between the workers and the owners, the owners still refused deal with the union; then, he threatened to send the military into the mines, which settled the anthracite coal strike (Theodore Roosevelt Association). The workers went back to work, and eventually many of the workers requests were met. The nation was at ease. Having settled this dispute, Roosevelt was able to show that the federal government can help protect Americans from big businesses. Additionally, Roosevelt further continued to fight for the rights of laborers, and in 1906, the Employer’s Liability Act was established, which protects and compensates railroad workers injured on the job. Furthermore, because of his belief in capitalism, additional reform was called upon.

            After being able to establish that he wanted a “square deal” for all Americans, he further proved his point by targeting monopolies under the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, which was the first Federal law to limit unions and monopolies and required the federal government to investigate and pursue trusts, companies, and organizations suspected of violating the Act (Sherman Antitrust Act).  He strongly believed in capitalism and felt it needed to work not just for businesses but for everyone. The Northern Securities Company, founded to control the four “big” railroads of the northwest, was Roosevelt’s most famous target. Americans of the northwest depended on the railroad combine to bring supplies and take their produce to market, but now the railroads could charge whatever rates that they wanted (Boorstin and Kelley 524). As a result of the fight for monopoly, which disrupted the stock market, Roosevelt had them sued under the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, and the Supreme Court deemed them to be within violation of the Act (Boorstin and Kelley 524). Therefore, in February 1902, the Northern Securities Company was ordered to dissolve, and with justice prevailing, Roosevelt further acted against additional, unpopular trusts, like the beef, oil, and tobacco trusts, totaling in forty-five anti-trust suits (Theodore Roosevelt Association). His economic reform led to the establishment of the Department of Commerce and Labor, which was founded with intentions to regulate all business corporations’ affairs, in February 1902 and the Hepburn Bill, which gave the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) power to regulate railroad rates, in June 1906. However, that was not the end of his economic reform plans, he also was aware of the importance of societal health.

            Roosevelt’s crusades for labor and against trusts defined his first term with success and provided him with an easy win in the election of 1904. Pre-Presidency, Roosevelt was governor of New York and personally investigated and appointed a commission to report on the tenement-house slums, and according to Thomas Russell, an author, “Governor Roosevelt’s two years at Albany, in fact, saw more constructive and reconstructive legislation placed on the statute books than the entire decade that preceded him” (170). However, no one would have thought that this was just a hint of what he would do as President. Partially as a response to the publication of Upton Sinclair's The Jungle—an exposure of the Chicago meat packing industry—his next step of reform was the passing of both the Pure Food and Drug Act, which prohibited the manufacture, sale, or transportation of impure food products and poisonous patent medicines, and the Federal Meat Inspection Act, which was designed to inspect and condemn any meat product found unfit for human consumption (Federal Meat Inspection Act). Furthermore, he knew that the Earth’s natural resources were scarce, so he took even greater measures to save and reproduce as many natural resources as possible.

            Unlike many others, Roosevelt deeply took into consideration the nation’s future and the scarcity of natural resources. To begin his journey of conservation, which he created a new definition for, the Newlands Reclamation Act was passed in June of 1902, which funded irrigation projects for the arid lands of multiple Western states, and was to be utilized to conserve water for irrigation by creating dams and canal systems (Boorstin and Kelley 525). Also, previous Presidents set aside 50 million acres of national forests, but as a result of the realization of companies wasting timber, he subsequently founded the National Forest Service in February 1905 and increased the forests reserves from 50 million acres to 190 million acres (Boorstin and Kelley 525). Subsequently, in June 1906, the Forest Homestead Act was passed, which authorized the Secretary of Agriculture to determine what lands in the national forests were agriculturally valuable and could be occupied for agricultural purposes without negatively effecting the national forests. Furthermore, in May of 1908, Roosevelt held a conference of governors of all states with intentions of persuading them to cooperate in the task of conservation of natural resources, which he succeeded. Shortly thereafter, Roosevelt appointed a National Conservation Commission for purposes of natural resource inventory (Theodore Roosevelt Association).

            Roosevelt’s Presidency was a period of complete economic reform, motivating many and creating a foundation for the future. His influences on the nation were not just effective in his time period but became a basis for future reforms. Although time for him was not enough, disabling him from completing all of his intended reforms, his primary goal remained saving the United States by making a “square deal” for everyone. As written by Roosevelt, “I did not usurp power but I did greatly broaden the use of executive power” (The White House). He felt that the President, being a “steward of the people,” should take any measure necessary for the public’s benefit unless it was prohibited in the Constitution (The White House). According to Thomas Russell “He served wherever duty called” (3).

Works Cited

Boorstin, Daniel J., Boorstin, Ruth Frankel, and Kelley, Brooks Mather. A History of the United

States. Boston: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 2002. Print.

“Federal Meat Inspection Act.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 17 May 2011. Web.

7 August 2011.

Russell, Thomas H. Life and Work of Theodore Roosevelt: Typical American, Patriot, Orator,

Historian, Sportsman, Soldier, Statesman and President. L. H. Walter, 1919. Web.

“Sherman Antitrust Act.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 22 July 2011. Web.

7 August 2011.

Theodore Roosevelt Association. “Timeline: Life of Theodore Roosevelt.” About Theodore

Roosevelt—26^th President and much more. The Theodore Roosevelt Association,

January 2001. N. pag. Web. 6 August 2011.

The White House. “Theodore Roosevelt: 26^th US President—1901-09.” ClassBrain.com.

ClassBrain.com, 28 March 2006. N. pag. Web. 6 August 2011.

Tobacco Smokers, Did You Know…?

Cigarette smokers, regardless of the expression “smoking is bad,” did you know that smoking has benefits besides pleasure? In fact, cigarette smoking has been proven to have several health benefits by providing alternative relief or prevention of several diseases. As a health benefit to smokers, each puff is a relief of some anxiety and has been shown to decrease psychiatric, cognitive, sensory, and physical effects of schizophrenia and ease antipsychotic drug side effects (Russo). Another benefit provided from smoking cigarettes is the decreased risk of Parkinson’s Disease and Alzheimer’s Disease, which several different studies have confirmed. Tobacco has also been confirmed to be an appetite suppressant, having the ability to treat obesity, and it has been associated with the decreased risk of some inflammatory disorders (Russo). However, even though benefits can be reaped of smoking, smoking is not beneficial but is self-negligent, life endangerment because its adverse factors are by far much greater than all of the good factors combined.

Cigarette smokers are usually unaware of how they are being ripped off, used, and abused in many different aspects. The obvious aspect is money; cigarettes these days go for at least $5.00 a pack in the U.S., if not more. How is that right? They are just a pack of smokes, but there is much more to the abuse than inflation. Cigarettes to smokers are their calm in the storm or their boost in the day. For the longest time, our dear Uncle Sam (the government) has been slightly negligent to his family (U.S. citizens) by allowing the self-abuse of smoking for money. It seems that the more negatively-associated health effects that exist, the higher the price has gone; it’s like Uncle Sam has been saying “You can kill yourself, but only if you give me money for it first.” Finally, Uncle Sam is beginning to take necessary measures more than the Surgeon General’s warning to at least imply that he slightly cares for his family by passing the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act on June 22, 2009, which gives the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the control to regulate the tobacco industry (HHS).  Since the 1980s, the government has required only the Surgeon General’s Warning in small and mostly unnoticed print on cigarette packs, which has similar variations, but usually states “SURGEON GENERAL’S WARNING: Smoking Causes Lung Cancer, Heart Disease, Emphysema, And May Complicate Pregnancy.” On June 21, 2011, with intentions of preventing children from smoking and convincing current smokers to quit, the FDA revealed their new approach to tobacco regulation: as of September 2012, every pack of cigarettes sold in the U.S. and all cigarette ads are required to display nine graphic health warnings to ensure Americans understand the dangers of smoking and no additives are allowed that will provide a characterizing flavor (HHS). However, the government is not the only entity that receives profit from cigarettes, but the tobacco industry does too.

The tobacco industry has always portrayed itself as a smoker’s friend by supporting and promoting smokers’ rights. What smokers don’t know is that the industry is merely using them for one thing and one thing only: money. Their greed has corrupted them just as drugs corrupt a drug addict: they find any and every possible justification for what they do and blame all faults on others. Tobacco industry contributors argue that the manufacturing of tobacco is a critical economical factor because of revenue generated by the government and farmers, which the U.S. received nearly $17 million in tax revenue in 2008 (State and Local Tax Revenue Selected Years 1977-2008).  The industry constantly argues that they help the social environment and claim that over 400 thousand jobs are directly linked with the industry and an additional almost 300 thousand jobs are provided from allied industries (Breed). The industry attempts to prevent the passing of smoke free policies and claims that many businesses will lose profit, but they ignore the cost of illnesses from their products. Also, according to Paul Mason, author of “Know the Facts” book series, besides suggesting that smoking is economically beneficial from profit for the government and industry workers, the tobacco industry also suggests smoking is economically beneficial because the dead don’t need doctors, money, or a place to live (38). Still, both the tobacco industry and the government have neglected to completely disclose the extent of harms inflicted from smoking.

The harms resulted from smoking can be categorized in several categories: psychological, physiological, and sociological. Generally, smokers are aware of the basic harms from their habit because of the Surgeon General’s warning on their packs of cigarettes. However, the label is not written to receive a whole lot of attention; therefore, it’s not a message that really sticks. Both the government and the tobacco industry fail to inform smokers of the psychological effects (or better yet, the trap).            

“Oh, my God! I’m going to die if I don’t smoke a cigarette soon” is a common expression among smokers, which in all reality is not true. Cigarettes are not food or water; life can be lived much longer without them. Smoking usually begins based on psychosocial factors (and more often than not begins in early adolescence), and therefore, its road to ruin begins with the user’s mentality (Slowik). The nicotine in tobacco is able to convince people that they need it to function by altering electrical activity of the brain, but the addiction begins at a psychological phase (Slowik). Because a smoker mentally adapts to the unpleasant effects of smoking, many smokers only notice the pleasurable effects of relaxation, alertness, and stress relief, which the primary contributors are the effects on the heart, nervous system, and endocrine system (Jones). Like Joe Jackson, a musician, concludes, the definition of addiction is scientifically unclear and separating addictions from “habits, rituals, or pleasures” is difficult because it is pleasurable (which most people don’t really want to give up), leaving it a question of personality (not the substance) (109). After regularly smoking for a short period of time, tolerance and psychological dependence occurs; this then leads to physical dependence, leaving nicotine highly addictive like heroin and cocaine. However, most physical withdrawal symptoms are psychologically induced—for example, if someone misplaces their keys in desperate time of need, that person’s mind induces panic and anxiety. Unfortunately, the psychosocial-based initiation begins the road of physical damages to the body.

Although the psychological effects are what gets a person “hooked” and prevent them from quitting, the long unnoticed physical damages are extensive repercussions that eventually surface. The primary cause of death from smoking is cardiovascular disease, and the most common cause of sudden death is from blood clots located in both the heart and the brain (Petrie). According to Dr. Gavin Petrie, consultant chest physician, heart attack, paralysis, stroke, high blood pressure, kidney failure, and gangrene are just a few effects from some diseases that smoking can cause. The most well-known consequence of smoking is cancer: common cancers among smokers are of the lungs (which ninety percent of all lung cancer cases in the U.S. are due to smoking), throat, mouth, bladder, esophagus, kidneys, pancreas, and cervix (Slowik). Another common disease among smokers is Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), which in basic terms represents a group of conditions that make breathing difficult. Smoking also affects one’s appearance: stained teeth and gums, paler skin, and more wrinkles. Although there are many more harmful physical effects, smoking also imposes societal dangers.

Much less considered effects of smoking are those that damage society.  One direct consequence of smoking for the society is pollution of the air (second hand smoke) and streets (cigarette butts). The side-stream smoke from cigarettes has greater physical risks than the smoke inhaled directly from a cigarette (Petrie). Also, excluding fires, every year, smoking costs the economy roughly $200 billion in medical expenses and productivity loss (HHS). Overall, the primary societal concern of the nation has appeared to be children smoking. The earlier on in life a person smokes, the higher the chances will be of addiction and physical consequences. However, those concerns are not the only ones regarding children smoking; another worry is the alleged gateway effect. Different studies have indicated that cigarette smoking leads to use of marijuana or other illicit drugs, but the gateway is based on social factors rather than the substance itself. At a young age, if children have access to cigarettes, then they are far more likely to have access to other drugs and will be more willing to experiment. Although one thing somehow always leads to the next, there is only one resolution.

To resolve and prevent many of these horrifying consequences, smokers must not decide to smoke in moderation but must decide to not smoke at all, or the government should completely restrict the sales of tobacco. In the U.S., 20.6 percent of adults and 19.5 percent of high school children are current cigarette smokers (HHS). According to the 2004 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, in the U.S., tobacco is the most widely used and leading preventable cause of death, and as stated by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), “Nearly 90 percent of smokers start smoking by age 18, and of smokers under 18 years of age, more than 6 million will die prematurely from a smoking related disease” (93,100). Currently, an estimated 440,000 Americans die every year as a result of damages caused by smoking (greater than alcohol, cocaine, heroin, homicide, suicide, car accidents, fire, and AIDs combined!) (National Institute on Drug Abuse 98). The point of initiation can mark the beginning of one’s tragic ending. Unfortunately, there are many smokers who eventually wish that they would have really known all of the details about their habit, so they could’ve made an informed decision. For example, take Bryan Curtis, whose story was published in the St. Petersburg Times newspaper in Florida on June 15, 1999.

Like many, the once handsome Bryan Curtis of St. Petersburg, Florida started smoking at a young age of only thirteen years old. Eventually, he smoked over two packs per day, and like most smokers, he mentioned quitting every now and then but was never really serious. He assumed time was not an issue, and thirty-year old laborers didn’t get cancer. However, after experiencing critical abdominal pain and an emergency room visit, it dawned on him how wrong he had been all along after discovering he had small-cell lung cancer. Unfortunately, not many people live more than a few months with that particular type of cancer (Landry). As a result, his only goal was to save at least one child from that same fate. Just nine weeks after being diagnosed and going through antagonizing chemotherapy, his life was taken, leaving behind a wife and a son, and his remains were not even similar to the man he was just two months before (see fig. 1 & fig. 2). His story is only one of many examples of why smokers should be informed of all benefits and consequences from tobacco smoking.

                                      

Fig. 1. 33 year old Bryan Curtis holds his son two months before death.

Fig. 2. June 3, 1999, the day of Bryan’s death as his wife and son sit at his bedside.

                From ripped off and used to the abuse and permit to slowly die, smokers cannot let go of their dignity and allow their lives to be sacrificed at a price or surrendered to greed or lost to gluttony at the hands of the tobacco industry and the government by falling for their deception. If you try to kill someone, you go to jail; if you try to kill yourself, you have to be detained and professionally evaluated. But somehow, as long as they get paid for it, it’s ok for the tobacco industry and the government to allow smokers to slowly kill themselves. It has never been ok for a person to use you, so why allow corporations and the government? A little pleasure and a few benefits are not worth all of the risks from smoking, and the games and lies offered by the tobacco companies are not worth getting caught up in.

Works Cited

Breed, Larry. “Strategies of the Tobacco Industry.” Tobacco.org. Tobacco.org, N. d. N. pag. Web. 2 August 2011.

Fig. 1. 33 year old Bryan Curtis holds his son two months before death; “He Wanted You to Know”; Tampabay.com;

                St. Petersburg Times, 15 June 1999; Web; 3 August 2011.

Fig 2. June 3, 1999, the day of Bryan’s death as his wife and son sit at his bedside; “He Wanted You to Know”;

                Tampabay.com; St. Petersburg Times, 15 June 1999; Web; 3 August 2011.

HHS. “FDA Unveils Final Cigarette Warning Labels.” HHS.gov. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services,

21 June 2011. N. pag. Web. 1 August 2011.

---. “Overview: Cigarette Health Warnings.” FDA U.S. Food and Drug Administration. U.S. Department of Health &

                Human Services, 22 June 2011. N. pag. Web. 1 August 2011.

---. “Tobacco Prevention and Control: New Actions to End the Tobacco Epidemic.” HHS.gov. U.S. Department of

Health & Human Services, N. d. N. pag. Web. 1 August 2011.

Jackson, Joe. “Harms from Tobacco Use Are Overstated and Distorted.” Opposing Viewpoints: Gateway Drugs.

                Ed. Noël Merino. Greenhaven Press, 2008. 102-11. Print.

Jones, Allen. The Stop Smoking Guide. TheStopSmokingGuide.com, N. d. Web. 1 August 2011.

Landry, Sue. “He Wanted You to Know.” St. Petersburg Times 15 June 1999: N. pag. Web. 1 August 2011.

Mason, Paul. Know the Facts About Drinking and Smoking. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group Inc., 2010. Print.

National Institute on Drug Abuse. “Tobacco Use Is Addictive and Harmful.” Opposing Viewpoints: Gateway Drugs.

                Ed. Noël Merino. Greenhaven Press, 2008. 92-101. Print.

Petrie, Gavin. “Smoking- Health Risks.” Netdoctor. NetDoctor.co.uk, 14 February 2005. N. pag. Web. 31 July 2011.

Russo, Juniper. “Health Benefits of Smoking Cigarettes: Could Tobacco Be Good for You.” Associated Content.

Yahoo! Inc., 8 December 2008. N. pag. Web. 31 July 2011.

Slowik, Guy. “How Smoking Affects the Body.” EhealthMD. Health Information Publications, 28 June 2011. N. pag.

                Web. 1 August 2011.

---. “What is a Smoking Addiction.” EhealthMD. Health Information Publications, 28 June 2011. N. pag. Web.

                1 August 2011.

“State and Local Tax Revenue Selected Years 1977-2008.” Tax Policy Center. Urban Institute and Brookings

                Institution, 22 October 2010. N. pag. Web. 2 August 2011.

Do You Have Children?

                Do you trust your child’s judgment and allow them to do basically whatever they want because they are still your perfect little angel or even allow them to drink alcohol occasionally? Imagine how many parents you have judged or will frown upon whether you know them or not because their children are “trouble makers:” violent, breaking the law, drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes or marijuana, or even using other illicit drugs. Oh, that could never be your precious baby, right? All these years and someone who was once so perfect (and to you they still are and always will be), it’s nearly impossible to imagine such a perfect being doing such imperfect things. However, those “trouble makers” were all at some point just as innocent as the next child. Reality is life happens, and every child in this world is influenced by one thing or another, just like you were. No matter how perfect you think your child may be or how desperately you want to protect them from the world’s evils, it is impossible to be with your child at all times and ensure that they are being as perfect as you think they are. Although you put your faith in your children, the things that they do behind your back (maybe partying, sex, etc.) or that first drink that you initiated can provide a gateway to many unimaginable things such as crime or illicit drug use.

                Although many people may disagree with the existence and path of the “gateway theory,” alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana are commonly associated with the “gateway drug theory,” which implies that the use of less harmful drugs may lead to a future risk of using more dangerous drugs and/or crime. However, the risk is much greater in adolescence because they are much more influenced by social factors than any other age demographic, and the foundation of drug use is at psychosocial level.  According to information collected by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in 2009, the survey revealed: of children in the U.S. between the ages of 12 and 17, 14.7% were alcohol users, 8.9% were tobacco users, 7.3% were marijuana users, and 10% were illicit drug users. What if your child is one of those numbers?  Do you even know? Although there are different alleged gateway paths, the most common gateway path begins with the initiation of alcohol at an early age.

                The primary factors for alcohol use are based mostly upon one’s age and environment. Alcohol use is extremely common amongst adolescence, and the first drink usually comes from home (you probably remember sneaking into the liquor cabinet as an adolescent).  That single drink, whether parents know about it or not, can be the start of a devastating path to crime, other drug use, or even physical consequences. Nearly every adolescent is interested in their first drink, whether it is because they see family members drinking or their peers. It is likely to be the first stage of the gateway path because drinking in general is a natural everyday routine, and alcohol is just another substance (like a new pop) that adolescents find interesting because they’re not supposed to have it. After initiating that first euphoric phase from intoxication, drinking will likely become a habit. As a result of alcohol boosting confidence, while under the influence, an adolescent is likely to engage in criminal behavior (possibly for the first time). For example, in 1999, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health revealed that “26 percent of youths who had participated in a serious fight at school or work during the past year reported past month use of alcohol compared with 14 percent of youths who had not participated in a serious fight at school or work during the past year” (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration).   After repeated alcohol use, adolescents (maybe even your baby) begin to associate with older individuals who have regular access to alcohol, and therefore, the access to cigarettes come about. Of the nearly 15% total adolescent drinkers, approximately 75% smoked cigarettes (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration).

                Now someone’s once perfect child is indulging in criminal behavior, drinking alcohol, and smoking cigarettes! Could they be yours? Imagine that, but there’s more. The nicotine in tobacco is addictive, more-so psychologically than physically, and presents the psychological feeling of “I need it to survive” and the feeling of drug craving, which can later encourage potential “hard drug” usage. Besides the introduction to partying, sex, drinking, criminal behavior, and cigarette smoking, at this point, an adolescent’s primary focus changes from school to social issues, which increases the risk of dropping out of high school. Since alcohol and tobacco have already been incorporated into that adolescent’s life, he/she doesn’t have much more to fear. “I’m going to go to the library and study with my friends” is a common excuse for adolescents to leave the house, but now it won’t just be to get drunk or smoke a cigarette. This time he/she is going to smoke marijuana with so-called “friends” since the fear of smoking for the first time has been broken with cigarettes. For them, it’s not a big deal because they’ve already smoked before, and someone that they trust is doing it, which in their eyes, they’re just fine (children don’t think of potential risks). The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA) has conducted research that allowed them to conclude: “Of teens who have tried marijuana once, 20 percent are current cigarette smokers. Of teens who are repeat marijuana users, 43 percent are current cigarette smokers” (118). Unfortunately, at this point, anger, violence, crime, depression, social withdrawal, and a high lack of interest in education and family unnoticeably slip their way into that child’s life along with the marijuana that they anticipated to be cool and innocent fun.

                Now, a parent doesn’t even know who their child is anymore—doesn’t know their so-called “friends,” where they’re actually going, or what they’re truly doing. Constant fighting at home now exists along with the holes in the walls accented with shattered picture frames and a parent’s broken heart and tears. Mommy and Daddy want to help this disaster, but they don’t know where to even start. How could they allow this to get so far without even noticing? They awarded too much trust without following their children’s actions to see if they are truly trustworthy. He/she is using marijuana more and more because it relieves “pain,” but what continues to go unnoticed is how that pain came about: drugs, leading from one to another. Now that there’s a somewhat broken home and the pain and depression increases daily, marijuana is no longer suppressing the pain like it was; the high is not the same. However, that child knows someone who can “help” them out. This is when “hard drugs” come in to the picture. In 2008, of the adolescent marijuana smokers who were admitted to substance abuse treatment, approximately 20% also admitted to the use of other illicit drugs (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration). The order of illicit drug use would likely be based upon familiarization to a certain extent: smoking (other substances), eating pills, snorting, and then intravenous injection. Furthermore, a higher level of crime surfaces for coping and habit supporting purposes.

                From alcohol, to tobacco, to marijuana, to “hard” drug usage, and violence, a gateway path not only exists; it lives but survives in a precise order based on not just age but environment.  No parent in their right mind wants to see their child go through anything like that. According to SAMHSA, in 2008 of children who were admitted for substance abuse treatment the most common age of substance initiation was at 13 years old, but there were also some reports of children using substances before the age of 7.  The existing gateway drug path is based initially on environmental factors and leads to a foundation of solely psychological factors, such as depression. Know the signs; know where to look for answers. A child’s life depends on it.

Works Cited

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. “Cigarette Smoking

Among Teens Is a Gateway to Marijuana Use.” Opposing Viewpoints: Gateway Drugs. Ed. Noël

Merino. Greenhaven Press, 2008. 116-20. Print

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.  “The NHSDA Report: Youth Violence

Linked to Substance Abuse.” Office of Applied Studies. Department of Health and Human Services, 31 December 2008. N. pag. Web. 5 August 2011.

---. “The TEDS Report: Substance Abuse Treatment Admission Aged 12 to 14.” Office of Applied Studies.

Department of Health and Human Services, 18 May 2010. N. pag. Web. 5 August 2011.

Alleged Gateway Drugs: Are They Significantly Harmful?

     The "gateway theory" implies that the use of less harmful drugs may lead to a future risk of using more dangerous drugs and/or crime and is most commonly associated with alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana. Regardless of the gateway theory being difficult to prove or disprove, the primary concerns regarding alleged gateway drugs appear to be the constant evaluation of their benefits, the extent to which they are physically, psychologically, and sociologically harmful, and the actual gateway to "hard" drug usage and/or crime. Although there are many myths about gateway-associated drugs, the question of what is over/under rated, over/under stated, and underused/ abused still remains, leaving the existing debates primarily about evaluation and definition. As stated by Noel Merino, "Concerns about a drug's status as a gateway set aside, many argue that tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana are harmful in their own right, whether or not they lead to the use of other drugs [or crime]" (55).
Alcohol
     For example, alcohol, which is legal but highly associated with the gateway effect, poses an open debate on evaluation of its risks, benefits, and alleged gateway effect. With alcohol as one of the most common and widely available drugs, its use is affected by many factors, including area of residence, income level, religion, individual's sex, and education. Among many motives, the most popular reason for one to drink is the feeling induced by alcohol use. According to information gathered by the World Health Organization in 2004, out of the approximate 2 billion global drinkers, an estimate of 76.3 million people had (health and injury) problems as a result of alcohol use (Mason 18). Though more than 50 different types of disease and injury are linked to alcohol drinking, some controversial issues of alcohol include determining if it is more or less beneficial than harmful and proving or disproving its ability to have a gateway effect.
Alcohol: Alleged Gateway Effect and Society
     Although at some point a euphoric phase can be reached, ultimately, alcohol can result in death, but not everyone agrees with the extent of the seriousness of damages influenced by alcohol. The most controversial societal issues of alcohol are its alleged gateway effect and escalated death rate. Can alcohol be considered a gateway drug based on the majority of people struggling with violence being alcohol users and approximately 5% of the 52% total U.S. adult regular drinkers using marijuana (Myers and Petty 126)? Alyssa J. Myers and Marion O. Petty conducted a study at a university that allowed them to conclude: the more alcohol consumed by a person the greater their chances of smoking marijuana. On the other hand, Dr. Daniel J. Sonkin believes violence is the gateway path of alcohol, which he supports by statistics and experience, and he implies "Although there are no conclusive studies indicating that alcohol...cause[s] domestic violence, a person... may do things that he might not ordinarily do while sober" (Sonkin). Also, the abuse of alcohol has resulted in many deaths, mostly of which are road accidents. Paul Mason, an author, implies "Drinking an alcoholic drink is like going on a trip... that can end in a number of places, depending on when you stop drinking" and insinuates that teenage death are mostly a result of alcohol rather than any other drug, which contradicts some people's argument of alcohol being less dangerous than illicit drugs (12,20). Many people are under the impression that alcohol abstinence could save many lives, but according to David J. Henson (a retired sociology professor) a;though several deaths could be prevented, numerous additional lives would be taken as a result of escalating cases of coronary heart disease, which is estimated from thirteen different studies that deaths would rise in the U.S. alone by roughly 136,000 (90). The society also struggles with heavy financial damages inflicted from alcohol users, largely within the health care industry. Additionally, another topic for debate on alcohol is the extent to which its physical and psychological damages are harmful.
Alcohol: Physiological and Psychological Effects
     As a result of alcohol consumption, research indicates physical damages to the body include liver damage, increased risk of other diseases such as hepatitis, destruction of heart muscle, decreased blood flow in coronary arteries, increased hypertension, obesity, increased chances of heart disease, destruction of blood cells and irreplaceable brain cells, impaired memory and ability to learn, malnutrition, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), and dependence. As implied by the World Health Organization, the 3rd most significant health threat in wealthy countries is alcohol (Mason 37). Regardless of there being reports that show that one drink per day favorably affects the way cholesterol is carried through the blood, which somewhat decreases the risk of heart disease, according to Albert S. Whiting, no benefit can be reaped from alcohol consumption, which he supports by the acknowledgement of its physically-damaging effects. But according to Hanson (who attempts to discredit many myths about alcohol), the alcohol-induced damages are exaggerated, including wight gain, fetal alcohol syndrome, and increasing alcohol abuse among youths. Although alcohol is a depressant, Whiting acknowledges the common belief of alcohol as a stimulant and notes it reduces the functions of all living cells, more-so those in the brain (79). Unlike Whiting, Hanson implies the destruction of brain cells caused by alcohol is a myth by suggesting that moderate alcohol consumption is often associated with enhanced intellectual functioning (86). Contrary to Whiting's belief in alcohol tolerance leading to dependence, as a result of no substantiated scientific findings, "Drinking enough" will not induce alcoholism nor will alcohol, which is compared as a ratio to sugar causing diabetes, and with prohibition as a reference, it can be concluded that there is no link between alcohol's availability and alcoholism (Hanson, 87,90,91). However, where there is pleasure, the risk of dependence exists. Furthermore, alcohol is not the only alleged gateway drug that is legal and widely accessible, but tobacco is too.
Tobacco
     The most frequently used tobacco products globally are cigarettes, averaging at 15 billion cigarettes smoked daily, and since their introduction to the world, every year the amount of cigarettes smoked has risen, currently averaging annually at 451 billion cigarettes smoked in the U.S. alone (Mason 6). The 2004 National Survey on Drug Use and Health concluded the most widely abused and death-preventable drug in the U.S. is tobacco, showing an estimated 70.3 million Americans over twelve years old currently as users (National Institute on Drug Abuse 93). Many studies indicate that cigarette smoking is caused by many varying lifestyle factors, including sex, age, residential location, education, religion, ethnicity, income, and marital status. Smokers generally suffer from lung problems, addiction, and sometimes cancer, and smoking has also been associated with heart and circulatory problems and infertility. After knowing the results of various extensive studies, how can there be any benefits reaped of tobacco? Ignoring the feeling of pleasure from tobacco's products, allegedly, tobacco decreases the risks of Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease; however, the chances of developing either before a tobacco-related problem are extensively slim. Yet regardless of tobacco being linked with many diseases, some people believe the harms are exaggerated; therefore, several national debates regarding primarily smoked-tobacco products include the significance of its damages, its alleged gateway effect, and how society should react.
Tobacco: Physiological and Psychological Effects
     The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) argues that tobacco's nicotine is highly addictive and harmful as a result of many findings implying just that and supports their argument with details about the effects of nicotine, nicotine addiction, other addiction-contributing chemicals in tobacco, and medical consequences. As a dispute, Joe Jackson refers to nicotine addiction as "Pathetic Addict Syndrome;" he concluded that the definition of addiction is scientifically unclear and separating addictions form "habits, rituals, or pleasures" is difficult because it is pleasurable (which most people don't really want to give up). leaving it a question of personality (not the substance) (109). Also, in the U.S., approximately 440,000 people die yearly from diseases induced by smoked tobacco products, which is greater than alcohol, cocaine, heroin, homicide, suicide, car accident, fire, and AIDs combined. According to Paul Mason, who claims 24 times as many people are killed yearly by smoking than in road accidents, it is safer to drive or cross the street rather than smoke (20,21). Favoring Mason's theory, NIDA also claims "Cigarette smoking harms every organ in the body" and "Nearly 90 percent of smokers start smoking by age 18, and of smokers under 18 years of age, more than 6 million will die prematurely from a smoking-related disease" (98,100). But feeling as the inflicted damages of tobacco are overstated, Joe Jackson states "It has become fashionable to blame smoking for just about anything" and argues statistics have been biased, portraying a greater risk than there actually is (102). To support hi claim, he mostly details premises for lung cancer and statistics by implying statistics are one-sided and ten to forget to acknowledge the numbers of people who die from the same assumed smoke-related diseases without ever smoking and insinuates many statistics are falsified. Also, Robert A. Levy boldly disputes the argument of the harms of secondhand smoke because, according to him, there is no evidence, which NIDA claims it as the primary source of air pollution and has many of the same medical disadvantages as first-hand smoke. As a result of the alleged damages, some believe it should be outlawed.
Tobacco: Society and Alleged Gateway Effect
     Recently in the U.S., many public locations have been enforcing no smoking, and Levy indicates smoking prohibitions violate the rights of smokers. However, John W. Whitehead, president of the Rutherford Institute, suggests that tobacco should be illegal because of the extent of health-related damages it can cause and implies the only reason it is legal because the profit for the tobacco industry and the government. According to Mason, the tobacco industry occasionally suggests that smoking is economically beneficial for several reasons: the government and workers receive large amounts of money, and the deaths cause by tobacco products are beneficial in the sense that the dead don't need doctors, money, or a place to live (38). And although the smoke of tobacco products consists of over 4,000 chemicals, with nicotine as the main reinforcing agent, tobacco smoked products cause outstanding amounts of money to be contributed to healthcare alone, which has a negative societal effect despite pollution. Additionally, the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA) argues that there is an existing connection between teen cigarette smoking and marijuana smoking and claims that marijuana use is likely to occur among teenage cigarette smokers rather than non-smoking teens. After researching, CASA concluded "Of teens who have tried marijuana once, 20 percent are current cigarette smokers. Of teens who are repeat marijuana users, 43 percent are current cigarette smokers" (118). On the contrary, Patrick Zickler implies that NIDA's data has displayed links between both cravings for nicotine and illicit drugs, like cocaine and heroin rather than marijuana, and usage levels of tobacco and illicit drugs. Finally, another alleged gateway drug is marijuana, mostly illegal but widely available and used, which provides another massive debate regarding the evaluation of its harms outweighing its benefits and vice versa.
Marijuana
     The active ingredient in marijuana, THC--which acts on cannabinoid receptors[1], has been scientifically proven to have beneficial potential for pain relief, nausea control, and appetite stimulation, and many doctors have reported they would rather prescribe medical marijuana as treatment rather than some legal medications like Xanax, which is considered highly addictive. In the U.S., marijuana is the most commonly used illegal drug, and according to a 2009 survey, 28.5 million Americans, over 12 years old, used marijuana in the prior year (National Institute on Drug Abuse). The main difference between tobacco and marijuana is their main reinforcing ingredients, THC and nicotine, and there have been reports indicating marijuana smokers have mostly the same or more health disadvantages as cigarette smokers. Also, other studies have shown links among frequent marijuana use and high levels of anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia and different cancers, which has not yet been confirmed (National Institute on Drug Abuse 3). However, the issues at hand are determining whether its benefits outweigh its harms and vice versa, what role society should play, and its alleged gateway effect.
Marijuana: Physiological and Psychological Effects
     With marijuana (and any drug that influences pleasure), there is a risk of dependence, which many people dispute the rationality of marijuana addiction. According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, no benefits reaped of marijuana, which is currently more intoxicating than ever before, outweigh its harms--intellectual impairment, mental health problems, traffic safety issues, addiction, gateway to "hard" drugs, medical problems, and behavioral problems (57). On the other hand, Paul Armentano disputes the idea that marijuana smoking effects brain function and claims the theory is not scientifically confirmed; also, he denies that marijuana has addictive capabilities nor does it cause violence. Smoking marijuana has many adverse effects, including: heart rate increase of 20-100% after smoking marijuana--which studies have implied increased chances of a heart attack within the first hour after smoking by approximately 5-fold, abnormal epithelial cell growth in the lungs--which can lead to cancer as a result of being exposed to up to 70% more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than tobacco smoke and inhaling more deeply and longer, and negatively affecting daily lives (National Institute on Drug Abuse 3). As scientifically proven, marijuana is not harmless but neither are any other drugs, legal or not, and out of roughly 80 million Americans who have admitted using marijuana, few admitted having any drug-related health problems (Armentano 68). But as a result of marijuana's harms, Antonio Maria Costa, executive director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), insinuates that marijuana should be classified as a "hard" drug. Furthermore, marijuana's alleged gateway effect and issue of legalization are additional current debates.
Marijuana: Society and Alleged Gateway
     The debate of legalization is currently a major national controversy, but if its harms appear to be less than alcohol, which is legal, and seem to be nearly equal to tobacco, also is legal, why is marijuana not legal or alcohol and tobacco illegal? Costa strongly disagrees with the very thought of legalizing marijuana. Since marijuana can fall in with tobacco and alcohol, several people, including Ray Warren--director of state policies for the Marijuana Policy Project in Washington, D.C.--and Rosie Boycott--a journalist who has used marijuana and associates with current successful users, feel it should be legalized, which could prevent many arrests and government spending. Similarly, Bruce Mirken, a communication director for the Marijuana Policy Project, claims it is illegal only because the alleged gateway effects, which according to him, several studies show no evidence. As implied by some researchers, a gateway effect, if any, favors being social rather than pharmacological (Mirken 140). Other evidence indicates the earlier on in life marijuana is used provides an increased gateway to illicit drug use, and according to researchers for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), most illicit drug users began using marijuana at an early age. Although marijuana is just one subject for debate, the greater debate is not just the defining and evaluating what qualifies as a gateway drug but also the evaluation of the risks and the benefits and what role society should play.
     Indeed there have been various studies that have implied trends from their data, but the studies only imply relationships between different things rather than providing facts. Another issue is determining which reports are biased or exaggerated. Regardless, alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana each have their own shortcomings, which have been scientifically proven, and although the benefits for each seem minimal, it is overall left to the user to determine rather the benefits outweigh the harms and establish if the feeling provided is worth the sacrifice.

[1] Cannabinoid receptors are mostly located in areas of the brain that affect pleasure, memory, thinking, concentrating, sensory and time perception, and coordinated movement.

                                                               Works Cited

Armentano, Paul. "The Harmful Effect of Marijuana Are Minimal." Opposing Viewpoints: Gateway
                 Drugs. Ed. Noel Merino. Greenhaven Press, 2008. 67-77. Print.

Hanson, David J. "There Are Many Myths About the Harms of Alcohol Use." Opposing Viewpoints: Gateway Drugs. Ed. Noel Merino. Greenhaven Press, 2008. 85-91. Print.

Jackson, Joe. "Harms from Tobacco Use Are Overstated and Distorted."Opposing Viewpoints: Gateway Drugs. Ed. Noel Merino. Greenhaven Press, 2008. 102-11. Print.

Mason, Paul. Know the Facts About Drinking and Smoking. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group Inc., 2010. Print.

Merino, Noel. Opposing Viewpoints: Gateway Drugs.Greenhaven Press, 2008. Print.

Mirken, Bruce. "Marijuana Is Not a Gateway Drug."Opposing Viewpoints: Gateway Drugs. Ed. Noel Merino. Greenhaven Press, 2008. 137-41. Print.

Myers, Alyssa J. and Petty, Marion O. "Alcohol Use Is a Gateway to Marijuana Use."Opposing Viewpoints: Gateway Drugs. Ed. Noel Merino. Greenhaven Press, 2008. 125-31. Print.

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. "Cigarette Smoking Among Teens Is a Gateway to Marijuana Use."Opposing Viewpoints: Gateway Drugs. Ed. Noel Merino. Greenhaven Press, 2008. 116-20. Print.

National Institute on Drug Abuse. "Marijuana." NIDA INFOFACTS. (2010): 1-5. Web. 22 July 2011.

---. NIDA. National Institutes of Health. Web. 22 July 2011.

---. "Tobacco Use Is Addictive and Harmful."Opposing Viewpoints: Gateway Drugs. Ed. Noel Merino. Greenhaven Press, 2008. 92-101. Print.

Office of National Drug Control Policy. "Marijuana Use Has Many Harmful Effects."Opposing Viewpoints: Gateway Drugs. Ed. Noel Merino. Greenhaven Press, 2008. 57-66. Print.

Sonkin, Daniel Jay. "Alcohol, Drugs, and Violence." Daniel Jay Sonkin, Ph.D. Relationship Matters. David J. Sonkin. N. pag. Web. 27 July 2011.

Whiting, Albert S. "Alcohol Use Is Harmful."Opposing Viewpoints: GatewayDrugs. Ed. Noel Merino. Greenhaven Press, 2008. 78-84. Print.

Onduras

                Holly Mayson created and led a scientific research group that studied the planet of Onduras. Her goal was to go the planet with her team and learn about the planet, its natives, their customs, and to teach them of ours. She was inspired by her grandfather who led the first and only scientific group to go to the planet. After reaching their goal of funding requirements for the trip, she and her team finally headed out to space after five year of training for this mission. The entire crew was excited to finally be on their way to Onduras. Her dedication prepared her for the upcoming exploration.

                After traveling for many days and many nights in outer space, the ship finally landed in an abandoned appearing area. It was the perfect place to land. While most of the crew was getting home base settled, Holly had to be the first to try out her Ansi, her DNA created native to the planet. Not even two weeks after landing, Holly felt comfortable enough to explore alone, but she figured it was ok if she stayed close to home base. Carried away in interest and exploration of the planet’s contents, it began to get dark outside. She didn’t realize how lost she was in her enjoyment of discovering until she knew she didn’t know how to make it back to home base. Overwhelmed with fear, Holly realized she would have to sleep in the mysterious jungle with many unknown creatures lurking. This was a great risk and even greater and more complicating not having any type of survival accessories or even necessities beside what the jungle contained within.

                Trying to mentally, emotionally, and physically adjust to the jungle, Holly’s fear began increasing exponentially after hearing unfamiliar noises and movement. She was able to see just enough using the moonlight to be able to create a fire with some matches and paper kept in her pocket and some branches broken off of a tree. Forced to change her mentality, her intuition for survival kicked in, just in time, too. With her newly created light, she is now able to see at least in a minimal distance range. Then, creatures slowly started circling her and the fire. Now beginning to panic, she started looking around to locate either a semi-efficient weapon or a safe haven. Stumbling, attempting to slowly move away, she stepped on a spear-like branch and quickly retrieved it. A momentarily awkward silence passed, and then suddenly the animals began closing in on her preparing to attack. Just as she felt helpless, a miracle happened; a male Ansi came to her rescue by fighting off the creatures and taking her to a safe haven.

                Immediately, the two had an intimate connection. Unable to understand each other’s language, the native Ansi took Holly’s hand, created a great bond through touch, showed her about his kind, taught her his name, Goru, and began teaching her his language. Spending every second of every day teaching each other new thins, they became inseparable. That bothered Lesenya, a female Ansi in Goru’s tribe, whom expected to be mated someday with Goru. Lesenya began conjuring a plan to get Holly out of the picture. Lesenya decided to maliciously befriend Holly. Once feeling she gained Holly’s trust, she asked her to go on a walk with her, but Goru knew Lesenya well enough to know she was up to no good. In turn, he distantly followed behind the two to make sure nothing bad happens. Feeling as though they were far enough into distance, Lesenya flipped her personality toward Holly. Just as Lesenya was going to attack Holly, Goru jumped in front of her and made her feel shameful by his hurtful words until she fell to the floor weeping.

                On her knees, crying, begging for forgiveness, Lesenya felt like she had nothing more. Thankful for each other, Goru took Holly by the hand, and the two began to walk away. Before returning to the colony’s grounds, Goru and holly decided to take a detour to cultural, sacred grounds, and there they made their inseparation official by mating. After their lifetime changing intimacy, she told him her secret about her mission. She didn’t want to leave him, so he was ok with her secret. Therefore, he seeked out help from the tribe’s spiritual leader, who told them to bring the human body to the ritual grounds, and then, the transfer from human to Ansi may become official after the colony performs a ritual in union.

                Goru assisted and accompanied Holly in finding the way back to home base. Her crew was astonished to her presence. They’ve been keeping her human body alive through intravenous nutrition. She informed the crew of her decision and was congratulated. Returning to the spiritual leader, the switch became permanent. The new couple was very happy to have met and made the decisions they made.

The Course of the Industrial Revolution

            The Industrial Revolution was a major turning point in history that occurred during the 18^th and 19^th centuries. Significant changes occurred in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology. Just a century before, the land was mostly unsettled wilderness. Increased supply and demand opportunities provided more employment opportunities. Also, the Industrial Revolution aided the existence of the Transportation Revolution.

            There were several events that brought about and aided the Industrial Revolution. Originally, the revolution began in Europe, but one man memorized a design for machinery and against all odds, emigrated to the U.S. He became the founder of the first textile factory. This was the introduction to the rise of the factory system. This onward progression led to the rise of a new economy.

            The factory system replaced the old system of household manufacturing, which provided additional opportunities for many. A change like farmers buying factory made household items rather than being their own suppliers is an example of the new economy beginning. Each region would specialize in what it could do best, and a national economy began to emerge. Unfortunately, factories were costly, and no single man or small group of men could provide enough to start a factory. As a resolution the “joint stock” company came about which became a corporation. Profits and responsibilities were shared amongst investors. In 1813, a new type of factories emerged and expanded providing all processes for making cotton cloth under one roof.

            The rise of factories provided employment for not just men but mostly women and children. Allowing women and children to work helped solve the problem of scarcity of workers. Unfortunately, employees mostly worked in unhealthy, inadequate environments. Another momentous event was the introduction of interchangeable parts which resulted in mass production of many products. This was an “express lane” aid to the growing new economy.

            The hefty changes resulted in many positive things like a decline in death rate, an increased birth rate, increased food, higher wages, and new settlements. Although there were negative effects mostly due to ignorance, the overall outcome of the Industrial Revolution was positive. The Industrial Revolution opened new doors to many people and invited the progress of knowledge for inventions. This time period refers to the great changes brought about by the modern factory system. Although it represented one time period, it also guided the economy to become what it is today.

How He Changed My Life

                When I was a young girl, I always thought my parents were perfect as do most children. Parents to children are like God. Only we don’t know their stories or their life. We just know Mommy and Daddy. I grew up in Gary, Indiana, but I wasn’t allowed to do the things the other kids did like go down the street or to a friend’s house. I went to private schools ever since I was capable of going to school. I was raised as God’s child. I knew nothing about the streets, because my mother did not want my brother or me to know.

                In 2003, my parents separated, and that was the beginning of the great change of my life. When they were having their issues, it gave my brother and me the opportunity to explore and begin to experience. We were able to leave the block and do the things that we were never able to do because our parents didn’t really pay us much attention at this point in their life. As crazy as it may seem, we enjoyed it. We liked it better that way because we were able to live our lives how we wanted to. Shortly thereafter, my father moved out, and my brother move with him. I wanted to go more than anything, but I stayed because I didn’t want my mother to be by herself.

                After a short period of time, my mother and I fought ridiculously. I couldn’t take it anymore, so I moved in with my father. My father and I never fought or had differences. He was my best friend; he always understood me. Living with him was an open door to exploration and opportunity. My brother and I began to explore and do all the things we never knew about. From the end of 2003 to the beginning of 2005, I got into a lot of trouble. I was hardly ever home; I had no curfew. I began drinking, partying, and doing drugs, as did my brother too. I was able to do all of those things living with my father as long as I stayed in school and got good grades, and so I did.

                In May 2005, I met a guy that went by the name of D. At first, I did not like D, nor did he like me. He was friends with my brother, and began frequently staying the night at our house. At this point I had been sleeping in the basement, and he started coming in the basement to sleep also; only we didn’t sleep. By summer time, we were up every night talking about everything in the world any individual could imagine. We got very close, and one thing led to the next. We started a relationship. He moved to Chicago in August, but we still stayed together. By this time, I had stopped doing drugs and partying because I had an incident, and I almost died. Come September, the beginning of my freshman year, I found out I was pregnant.

                Neither of us knew how to react, but we were excited. Then, a few weeks later, I found out he was cheating on me. We ended up back together, but things weren’t the same because I couldn’t bring myself to completely forgive and open the door to the opportunity to be in love again. So, from there, things went down hill for us. We tried to make it work, but it just didn’t. I dropped out of school in October because of morning sickness and went to move with him. By December, I was living at home again with my father. Our relationship continued on and off until shortly after the baby was born in March 2006; then, we completely ended things. We hardly talked after he was born. He didn’t do anything to help me or the baby.

                It seemed as if every six months or so he wanted to be a dad and be with me again, and we lasted about a week and broke up again. Finally in April 2007, we stopped talking completely. It didn’t bother me, though; I liked being a single mother rather than dealing with the drama. My little boy made me strong; he was and is still my motivation to do and to be so much more. He stopped me from going back to the girl I was, and helped me and pushed me to grow into the young woman I am.

                I may only be nineteen, and I have a three and a half year old son. I was young, and I still am. But I am finally grown; I found the woman in me a long time ago all because of my baby boy. Although he may drive me crazy sometimes, he is the one that saved my life. I learned from many of my mistakes in the past, and my son kept me from relapsing back to my old habits and lifestyle. He changed my life for so much better and so much more to come.

Comparing Anne Frank and Harriet Tubman

            The stories of The Diary of a Young Girl and “Harriet Tubman: The Moses of Her People” have a lot of meaning behind them to the world. Anne Frank and Harriet Tubman are both well recognized around the world. When you think of Anne Frank, you think of the Halocaust, and when you think of Harriet Tubman, you think of freedom for African-Americans. They were both women obligated to wrongful circumstances, and they did the best they could to overcome their obstacles. They had to face obstacles and conflicts that no one should have to face. They were changed by these obstacles. Both women have some things in common as far as approaching their challenges.

            Anne Frank was a young girl subject to many obstacles and conflicts in her life. She wanted so much but had so little. One of her first conflicts was with herself. She wanted to be beautiful, and she wanted a woman’s body. She thought about love and having a boyfriend. Another conflict of her life was the issue of her being Jewish. The anti-Jewish law required Jews having to wear yellow stars, handing in their bicycles, not allowed to take trams or drive, and other severe restrictions. As time went on, these beginning conflicts turned into additional conflicts and obstacles and obstacles.

            Anne’s father was planning on going into hiding from the Nazis eventually. The family’s plan was moved up a lot sooner because Anne’s sister received a call-up notice from the S.S. The family had help smuggling their belongings into hiding which was in the building where Anne’s father had his office. Additional people also went into hiding with the Franks, which began to be a problem. Anne did not know what to think about giving up her life, except that it was better than going to a concentration camp. Anne was always an optimist, yet a realist, and that is what made her different from everyone else. She always tried to make the best of a situation, but if she couldn’t she became angrier than she should. Her diary was her escape for everything. She told her every thought that no one could know to her diary. While in hiding, issues between the families began to come about, for example: being too loud, who’s doing what and where, and things around those lines. Her self-evaluation of herself was that she was really two people, one who was cheerful and lighthearted on the outside, and another who was deep and serious but only showed in her diary.

            During the “Secret Annexe,” Anne Frank changed so much. She was still outspoken, but she became a young woman. She began to slowly develop into a woman physically, and with all of the conflict surrounding her, she also matured mentally. Once they were caught in hiding, they were all taken to a concentration camp. The men and the women were split up, and then eventually the families were completely split up. Anne and her sister were still together. During this horrific point of Anne’s life, it showed how much she changed, but mostly was forced to change. She cared for her sister until her death, and then her own followed, but she still pushed and tried to make it. She still had faith.

            Harriet Tubman was a black woman in a white world, or so it seemed. The slavery was a big conflict. She, then, decided to run away because she and two of her brothers were to be auctioned off. Being auctioned off was a thought that she could not stand. She wrote a song whose lyrics had a double meaning, one of which let her family and friends know what she was planning. She was motivated to take risks because of her desire for freedom for herself and others.

            During the first years of Tubman’s freedom, she helped other slaves to escape. She risked her life for what she believed in, freedom. She used a number of tricks to avoid capture, including disguising herself as an old woman or as a man, getting on trains headed South, and wading upstream to throw bloodhounds off her scent. She became smarter and smarter about things. She made her way to her freedom by following the North Star at night as she traveled through the woods. She believed that African Americans and women should have the right to vote. She was a great leader because of her strength, courage, and daringness. When leading others to freedom, she would not allow the slaves to turn back, and her leadership gained freedom for many people.

            Her faith in God and her cleverness is what made her the woman she was. Tubman carried a pistol to scare frightened travelers away from returning to slavery. She was the leader of what the world knows as the Underground Railroad. She is considered the Moses of her people because she helped lead African Americans out of slavery and into the “Promised Land” of freedom in the North. She felt that no one should be a second class citizen, and there should be one government for all the people by all the people.

            Both of these women’s lives were very different, but they shared similarities, too. Anne Frank was just a young girl, and Harriet Tubman was a woman. Some of their similarities of life are their main conflict of racial discrimination against them, being optimistic to keep pressing on, and continuing to have faith that things will be better. They both did what they could to keep going, but Anne didn’t have as many options and opportunities as did Harriet. Anne didn’t have much chance, but she still believed. They both approached their conflicts, open minded, but still motivated and optimistic about what was to come.