Analysis Of Terry Newell's Essay 'Fostering Civic Virtue'

When hearing George Washington’s Farewell Address for the first time it is easy to understand it is well written and the substance is things he really felt is important. However once the time is spent relating his speech to todays times and problems the magnitude of his word is really understood. Almost 250 years later and 44 more presidents, George Washington’s thoughts still apply perfectly to the current state of the U.S. So much has change sense he gave this address but unity, Stoping the divide of political parties, morality, and avoiding entangling

Oscar Wilde once said, “Society exists only as a mental concept; in the real world there are only individuals.” Throughout history and even today, there are so many people and contributions that helped shape the way American society is thought of today. George Washington is one of the most well-known American figures throughout history, therefore, he is taught to kids at a very young age. He did countless things to help America and its inhabitants. Washington was one of the many influential figures throughout time and led America to victory when it was fighting for its independence in the Revolutionary War.

President George Washington set a great example for the forthcoming presidents. He didn’t ruin the country, nor did he abuse his powers as the people of the struggling country had “feared another George III might threaten their liberties” (Articles of Confederation). George Washington did face many challenges however. Some of Washington’s biggest and most dangerous challenges included the failing economic system as well as “the British’s refusal to evacuate its forts on American soil” (Introduction). As first president of the United States George Washington had the opportunity to either, ‘make or break’ this country for lack of a better term. I think it is clear today that Washington performed in a fashionable manner and got this country to

"George Washington was born on February 22, 1732, in Westmoreland County, Virginia" (George Washington, 2016). The late president George Washington would 284 years old today if he was here. "A month after leaving the army, Washington married Martha Dandridge Custis, a widow, who was only a few months older than he"(George Washington. ,2016). George Washington married Martha Washington to whom he would be married to most of his life. "Washington marriage also brought Martha 's two young children, John (Jacky) and Martha (Patsy), ages 6 and 4, respectively. Washington lavished great affection on both of them, and was heartbroken when Patsy died just before the Revolution. Jacky died during the Revolution, and George adopted

In the book of His Excellency: George Washington by Joseph J. Ellis, the author introduces Washington, the Father of the United States, in a fresh portrait focused on the characters of Washington. This book is an impressive biography of Washington's remarkable dedication to the United States history. According to the author, George Washington is an omnipresent figure as he was growing up, described as the man in the moon who was aloof and silent. This book focuses on Washington's wartime service which became some of his major contributions to the United States, rather than merely telling the true story of Washington, its main thesis is focusing on analyzing his contributions and how his governorship had affected the American history.

George Washington Plunkitt was a historically significant politician born in 1842 into a poor family. He initially worked as a butcher, but then followed his dream of entering into politics. He started at the New York state assembly and ultimately ended up as a New York state senator. He held the reins of the Tammany Hall political machine for over 40 years. Tammany Hall is one of the most controversial topics of political history and is the main discussion of the book Honest Graft: The World of George Washington Plunkitt by William L. Riordon. It is a collections of talks and writing of Plunkitt detailing about his life, politics, and general knowledge of the public. Many reformers saw the organization of Tammany Hall as a corrupt malignancy that plagued the American government. But Plunkitt argues that his work was always practical, legal and influential and helped shape the democratic system for the better. And as for his fortune, he simply states, “I seen my opportunities and I took em.” (Riordon)

A respected author John Green questions, "Why is being a nerd bad? Saying I notice you 're a nerd is like saying, ‘Hey I knows that you 'd rather be intelligent than be stupid, that you 'd rather be thoughtful of them be vapid, that you believe that there things that matter more than the arrest record of Lindsay Lohan and why is that?” Many people who are passionate about their studies question the same thing. Leonid Fridman wrote a passage “America Needs its Nerds” in order to raise concern that our society does not value intelligence. Fridman uses compare and contrast to get his point across to the readers. He makes the text more relatable by characterizing the typical American mindset. He successfully explains to the reader that the persecution of intellectuals is something our country should not be doing.

America, the land of the free, was founded upon the standards life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. In America’s early years, Thomas Paine, in his book Rights of Man characterized this country’s government as functioning in unison with no difficulties. When you break it down and look at the big picture, some people will argue that increased diversity has brought the nation to an all time peak, in terms of unity. Meanwhile, others maintain the idea that Thomas Paine’s assessment is mistaken for what is to one day be achieved. Yet while we would like to believe in his visionary, it unfortunately does not hold true today regarding both our modern politics and social principles.

How can improvements be made without the people who want the improvements don’t make an effort? Giving American citizens the responsibility to improve their own lives may cause setbacks, but it is the outcome of these setbacks that enable change and allow further quality of life. Without American citizens taking initiative to improve their own lives, they will be never be satisfied with the quality of their own lives. Many improvements in this world such as freedom and rights were not established through citizens counting on authority to make this change. It was the people who were affected by this dilemma that took action that ended up giving a new meaning to life. It is from the responsibilities of the citizens in which the most positive improvements in the quality of life are made.

Paine asserts that America is made up “of people from different nations, accustomed to different forms and habit of government, speaking different languages, and more different in their modes of worship,” and this assertion still holds true till this day. America fundamentally was, and still is, a melting pot of different people and culture (Paine). Next, Paine explains that “by the simple operation of constructing government on the principle of society and the rights of a man, every difficulty retires, and all the parts one brought into cordial unison” (Paine).

In An Imperfect God, Henry Wiencek presents George Washington as a specific case through which to study what he calls the great “paradox” of American history: how a nation founded on the philosophies of liberty and equality also kept human beings in chains. Washington was a slave-owner his entire life and he took the role of managing the slaves who lived and worked at Mount Vernon including their purchase and sale. Prior to the Revolution, Washington “was just another striving young planter, blithely ordering breeding wenches for his slave trade, blithely exiling a man to a likely death at hard labor” (Wiencek 133) The fortune produced by Washington’s slaves kept him in the ranks of Virginia’s planter elite, securing the social and political prestige that helped lead the Second Continental Congress to appoint him commander-in-chief of the Continental Army in 1775. Washington was joined by slaves while leading the Continental Army in the field of battle, as well as during his time as president. Yet Wiencek also argues that the Revolution and the establishment of the new democracy changed Washington’s beliefs on slavery. By the end of his life, Washington had changed completely and “sickened by slavery, willing to sacrifice his own substance to end it.” (Wiencek 274) Many of the founding fathers recognized the problems created by slavery. Unlike his contemporaries, Washington did not leave an extensive written record detailing his public positions and reserved judgments on

Pacoima is a city with five or six active gangs. Here, the low-income neighborhood carries a sense of fear and despair that permeate the air. In the summer of 2016, after having mustered the right confidence, I took on a summer job at Hubert H. Humphrey Recreation Center - home to one of the city’s most deadliest gang, the Humphrey Boys. Ironically, that summer would be the park community’s turning point, hosting the safest, most loving, and consistent 2016 Summer Night Lights (SNL).

Around the time my husband was defeated by Thomas Jefferson in the 1800 election. After the election had happened our son Charles had died of alcoholism. With great sadness, that We had soon moved to the country’s new capital, Washington, D.C., where we became the first residents of the White House. I wrote many letters to family around this time, shedding light on the early days of the new capital and complaining about the unfinished state of our new home. A few months later, after John had left office in 1801, we returned to our family

John Daniel Barry, an American novelist, once said, “Society is the mother of us all.” The article “What Unites These States?” by Phillip Caputo, the “Oklahoma Bombing Memorial Address” given by President Bill Clinton, and “The Gettysburg Address” speech spoken by Abraham Lincoln all have one thing in common. The works all support the idea that the unity of men is more powerful than individualism.

This story is about a modern day pilgrimage from everyday life to meet the president in the capitol of the United States. Three others are making the same pilgrimage to discuss their own issues with the president of the United States. I am a student and on this journey with three others from different occupations: a farmer, a miner, and a businessman. A common stereotype in our country today is that people are lazy and only concerned for themselves, it will be shown in these individual’s stories this stereotype is false. As this story continues, the reader will be able to hear about some of the different reasons why each of these people wanted to go to Washington D.C.