The Mauritian Economy Defied Predictions Of James Meade

The Mauritian Economy Defied Predictions Of James Meade Few Sub-Saharan African countries have managed to achieve high standards of living over the past two decades. Mauritius has been a notable exception. With no natural resources, a small domestic market and vulnerability to external shocks, Mauritius exhibited a series of characteristics very typical to the rest of Africa namely a mono-crop economy, exposure to terms of trade shocks, high population growth rate, ethnic tensions exacerbated by high income and wealth inequality. Defying the predictions of Nobel Prize recipient James Meade, who famously predicted poor development prospects for Mauritius back in 1961 due to its vulnerabilities to both weather and price shocks and lack of job opportunities outside the sugar sector, Mauritius has transformed itself from a poor sugar economy into a country with one of the highest per capita incomes among African countries. Today, the small island nation is one of Africas most prosperous and stable economies and is considered an economic success story. For arguments sake, between 1977 and 2009, real GDP in Mauritius grew on average by 5.1 percent annually, compared with 3.2 percent for sub-Saharan Africa. 3.1 The Mauritian Economy Mauritius is a small island developing state with limited resources and a remote geographical location considered unfavourable. Since its independence in 1968, Mauritius has developed from a low-income mono crop economy to a middle-income relatively diversified export-oriented economy. In the early 1960s, Mauritius embarked on a program of diversification and adopted import substitution policies with the initial emphasis on tax exemptions, long-term loans at favorable rates and protective import duties and quotas. The aim was mainly to combat unemployment, raise standard of living and alleviate poverty. However, import substitution did not bring the benefits expected owing to the small size of the domestic market, limited resource endowments and technical know-how. The enterprises were unable to benefit from economies of scale given the small size of the local market. Furthermore, import substitution policies failed to address unemployment, which reached 20% in the late 60s. In the early 1970s, Mauritius switched to an outward-looking export-oriented strategy. The establishment of the Export Processing Zone scheme, designed to encourage the setting up of labour intensive export oriented manufacturing enterprises, aimed at helping to dampen the growing problem of unemployment, as well as to open up further the economy and benefit from the preferential access to the European markets under the different Lomà © Conventions (and now the Cotonou Agreement). The authorities prudent management of the economy and their outward-oriented policies placed Mauritius on a sustained growth path. Launched with the start-up capital of the sugar sector, the EPZ sector has concentrated mostly on textile and textile-related products. Mauritius seeks to serve as a bridge from Asia to Africa, Europe and the United States: in the 1980s, companies from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore settled in the countrys economic processing zones (EPZs), and were joined in 2007 and 2008 by companies from mainland China. For the past three decades, the industry have attracted FDI from various countries, created new employment opportunities and strengthened the manufacturing base of the economy. The tourism sector also emerged as a serious economic pillar by contributing to foreign exchange earnings of the country and by being an important generator of employment. A range of investment incentives were provided to boost the development of the tourism sector in terms of fiscal incentives and financial support for hotel development and management services. The labour-intensive export-oriented growth strategy was therefore powered by three main economic sectors, namely sugar, textile products and tourism. The diversification strategy was further expanded in the 1990s with the consolidation of the financial services sector into commercial banking, insurance and global business. In recent years, information and communication technology (ICT), in particular business process outsourcing, and the seafood hub have emerged as important sectors of the economy. From 1991 to 2010, the economy enjoyed an average annual real growth of 4.9%. To further diversify the economic base of the island, the government is actively encouraging development in the following sectors: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ the land-based oceanic industry; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ hospitality and property development; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ the healthcare and biomedical industry; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ agro-processing and biotechnology; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ the knowledge industry; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ renewable energy. Figure 1: Sectorial Breakdown of the Mauritian economy, 2009 Mauritius is a fairly well diversified export oriented economy with agriculture, textile, tourism and financial services as leading sectors. However, a gradual shift from agriculture to the service sectors has been observed. Today, the services sector makes the largest contribution towards GDP and towards total employment. The share of the agricultural, hunting, forestry and fishing sector in GDP which was 6.1% in 1999 went down to 4.3% in 2009. The manufacturing sector also experienced a fall, from 23.9% in 1999 to 19.5% in 2009. On the other hand, Hotels and restaurants, a major component of the Tourism sector, witnessed a rise from 6.9% to 7.3% during the same period. Albeit the successful growth records, there is growing concerns as regards competitiveness and sustainability of growth. The traditional Mauritian labor-intensive exports is being challenged by new competitors. Productivity is not increasing fast enough to keep pace with wages that have been rising as a result of near full employment, thus eroding competitiveness. Government policies are aiming at diversifying towards more capital-intensive production and higher value added goods. The acceleration of the growth rate in the 1980s is the result of the macroeconomic reforms in response to protracted balance of payments and fiscal troubles. Following the reforms, Mauritius experienced steady growth, low inflation, and increased employment. GDP per capita, meanwhile, increased approximately seven-fold between 1976 and 2008, from less than $1,000 to nearly $7,000 (figure 2). At the same time, consumer price inflation in Mauritius has remained in the low single digits through the 1990s and 2000s (figure 3). The steady growth path of the early years of the period under review was due to the sugar boom of the early 1970s and the newly established EPZ attracting foreign investment. During that period, GDP grew at an average of 9% per year. However, the boom was short lived with sugar prices falling by 50% and the first oil shock of 1973-74 starting to impact on isolated Mauritian exporters and the small but promising tourism industry. Year 1979 saw the devaluation of the exchange rate by 30%, a rise in interest rate, reduction in food subsidies and wage increases held below inflation. Between 1979 and March 1980, the island was hit by cyclones, sugar production tumbled and GDP fell by 9%. The only encouraging factor during that period was a fall in inflation. The highest rate of inflation Mauritius witnessed since its independence was in October 1980 at 42%. This was due to the deteriorating economic situation following increasing oil prices in the late 1970s coupled with adverse weather conditions damaging food crops. In the same period, the island adopted its first Structural Adjustment Programme and the rupee was devalued by 22.9 % in October 1979. The direct impact of the devaluation was seen on import prices which sky rocketed. Macroeconomic policies have contributed to containing inflation. On a calendar-year basis, inflation (measured by changes in consumer prices) was maintained at under 6.5% per year till 2006, when it rose to 8.9%. The main contributors to this increase include higher oil prices (resulting from increase in world prices and the introduction of the Automatic Pricing Mechanism, higher prices of alcoholic beverages and cigarettes (resulting from the increase in excise duties) and of some other products (resulting from the reduction of subsidies for rice, flour, and bread), increase in freight costs and depreciation of the Mauritian rupee. During 2007, inflation increased further to reach 10.7% in June (on a yearly basis), the highest in over a decade. According to the BOM, this was due to the second-round effects of high oil and commodity prices, the depreciation of the Rupee, and the increase in excise duties. 3.2 Trade Performance Trade remains an important feature of the Mauritian economy in light of the fact that it has a small domestic market and limited natural resources namely land. The island is known to have been running merchandise trade deficit which has been offset at times by surpluses on the services account. The bulk of Mauritian merchandise exports (namely 70% of the total value) is accountable to manufacturing products. Though decreasing in share, clothing remains the main manufactured export (from 57% in 2001 to 36% in recent years). Sugar has remained the main agricultural export, contributing around 16% to total merchandise trade. Imports as well continued to be dominated by manufactured goods. Leading imports include machinery and transport equipment, radio/television transmission apparatus, textile and chemicals. The share of textiles has decreased from 20% in 2001 to 7% in recent years. Nevertheless, textiles remain an important import item. The European Union is the major destination for most of the Mauritian export. The bulk of Mauritian sugar and a large share of its textiles and clothing are destined to the EU. The UK remains the major single destination followed by France and the US. On import grounds, the EU supplies around one third of the total value of Mauritius merchandise imports. Other major suppliers include China, South Africa, France, India and Germany. The share of Middle East countries (Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates) has considerably increased, reflecting mainly the increase of oil prices. 3.3 Trade Openness Mauritius is an active participant of the multilateral trading system and member of various economic groupings and trade agreements. Participation in regional agreements is crucial for a small island country like Mauritius for the following reasons: Allows the exploitation of its comparative advantages and economies of scale. Improves the islands competitive edge. Allows the diversification of its range of exports. Facilitates its integration into the world economy. However, challenges remains for Mauritius has to ensure consistency between the national reform agenda and participation in a multitude of trade agreements, with different geographical coverage, liberalization agenda, provisions and goals. To Sachs and Warner, the key determinants to a countrys long-run growth is its trade policies. In effect, in the 1970s and 1980s, Mauritius had a fairly protected economy; the average rate of protection being high and dispersed. This is depicted by the rather poor openness ration of the early years of the period under review. When the country started to open to the world, a net amelioration of the ratio was noted. 3.4 Exposure to external shocks and policy responses An integral part of economic policies in Mauritius, trade policies are aimed at improving the living standards of the population and seeking to achieve full employment. This objective is projected to be achieved through the implementation of sound macroeconomic policies, investment in public infrastructures, easing the doing business environment and further opening up the economy. Trade policies have, for over two decades, shaped the countrys industrial development and contributed towards sustained growth. Mauritius was able to join in the ranks of the newly industrialised economies. 3.4.1 Agricultural sector Today, agriculture remains an important sector given its share in exports and revolves mainly around sugar. However, the ever decreasing sugar prices have seen the implementation of actions to restructure the sector and ensure its long-term viability. Those actions seek to promote alternative goods relating to cane production. In fact, much of the sugar cane production in Mauritius has been exported to the EU under the preferential terms of the ACP-EU Sugar Protocol. ACP sugar-producing countries were granted preferred access to the EU market, with annual quotas and guaranteed prices. As part of the transition to the new regime defined by the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs), ACP countries experienced a decline in their guaranteed minimum price for sugar to the EU. Over four years to 2009, the price fell by 36 per cent. Mauritius is the most affected by the falling price paid by the EU for sugar. At 507 000 tonnes, Mauritius enjoyed the largest quota under the Sugar Protocol. Sugar exports to the EU alone contributed 17 per cent of the countrys foreign exchange earnings and up to 4.5 per cent of gross domestic product. The losses associated with the new regime are expected to have a significant impact on Mauritius, particularly given that the revenue that had been procured from the Sugar Protocol was important for stimulating economic development, promoting diversification and supporting services throughout the country. It is likely that the economy will go through structural change as the agricultural sector moves away from its almost exclusive dependence on sugar and becomes more diversified. The Multi-Annual Adaptation Strategy (2006-2015) is the Government of Mauritiuss response to the changes in the Sugar Protocol, to aid in the adaptation process and take advantage of the package of accompanying measures offered by the EU to ease the transition to the new trading regime. It seeks to protect the long-term viability and sustainability of the sugar industry and ensure that it can continue to make an important economic and social contribution to Mauritius. There are several elements associated with the MAAS designed to help the industry and its workers adapt to the new trading reality and safeguard a future for the sector. Key among these are a focus on ways to (i) reduce costs of production (through factory closures, centralization, and restructuring of the workforce), (ii) generate additional revenue (such as through increasing value added), (iii) efficiently use by-products (such as for producing renewable energy) and (iv) contribute to poverty alleviation (by establishing voluntary retirement and re-training programmes). By pursuing these policies, the Government hopes to transform the sugar industry into an industry that moves away from producing raw sugar towards producing several types of sugar (raw, special, industrial and white), and also produces electricity from bagasse and ethanol from molasses. Once implemented, the policy should result in higher-value products, sufficient production to meet all of Mauritiuss trade commitments, and reduced dependence on imported fossil fuels by increasing the contribution from sugar cane to national electricity production and increasing the production of ethanol. 3.4.2 Manufacturing sector The development of textile and clothing, the main industry, was favoured in the past by preferences under the Multifibre Arrangement (MFA), and preferential access to key markets such as the EC and the United States. Mauritius textiles and clothing industry has been facing many challenges, such as multilateral liberalization, which has resulted in erosion of trade preferences; rising production costs in Mauritius; and the emergence of low-cost producing countries. In anticipation of the multilateral liberalization of the industry in January 2005, most of the major Hong-Kong-owned enterprises (which dominated the industry in Mauritius) ceased operation: between 2001-06, employment in the industry was reduced by 27,000 jobs. This explains the poor performance of both exports and growth of the EPZ subsector. Several steps have been taken to sustain development of the textile and clothing including restructuring of enterprises; promotion of vertical integration to increase value added, as well as high value products; upgrading skills; improving access to finance; and facilitating business operations. With the phase out of the Multi Fibre Arrangement, Mauritius has to compete with major textiles producers like China. The new LDC scheme proposed by the US to extend the AGOA type benefits to all LDCs pose a major threat to Mauritian exports to the US, particularly for garments. With the application of a coefficient of 8 in a Swiss formula to reduce tariffs in the context of the Doha Development Agenda, the preference margin for garments will fall from an average of 12% on the EU and US markets to below 5%. For canned tuna, which Mauritius exports, the preference margin will drop to around 6% from a high of 24%. 3.4.3 Tourism The Tourism Industry has contribution extensively towards foreign exchange earnings, GDP growth and employment creation. With the impact of the turmoil experienced in the international financial markets in 2008, the sector recorded an increase of only 2.6% in tourist arrival as opposed to a 15.1% growth in arrival in 2007, followed by a negative growth of 6.4% in 2009. As at 2009, the tourism sector contributed to 8.9% of GDP; created 26,922 direct jobs and generated Rs. 35,693 million ($1190 million USD) as tourism receipts. Mauritius has performed well in developing a distinctive form of relatively high-end tourism. Growth in tourist arrivals has outpaced that of many of our competitors. Currently, the aim is to continue that growth with a visitorsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸ target of two million tourists a year by 2015. To achieve the set target, the number of hotels and room capacity has evolved considerably over the years to cater for the ever-increasing tourist arrivals. Mauritius has been taking measures since early May 2008 to cushion the economy from the risks of deterioration in the world economy. The main policy measures taken since May 2008 are as summarised in the table below. Date POLICY MEASURES ADOPTED AND IMPLEMENTED May 2008 Allocation of Rs. 6 billion [$200 M] for investment in airport expansion creation of 6 funds to realize the Maurice Ile Durable vision, build food security, boost education and knowledge, eradicate poverty and widen the circle of opportunities, improve local infrastructure, carry social housing commitment and sharpen the competitiveness of domestic oriented industries and SMEs. June 2008 The 2008/2009 Budget voted an amount of Rs. 1.8 billion [$430 M] for contingencies to cater for any additional injection required to support public spending and demand. July 2008 Full implementation of the recommendations of the Pay Research Bureau on review of salaries and conditions of employment in the civil service thus injecting an additional amount of Rs 1.5 billion [$50 M] in the economy. October 2008 Reduction in Repo Rate by 50 basis points from 8.25 to 7.75 Reduction in Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) from 5% to 4.5 % Reduction in the minimum CRR on any particular day from 4% to 3% Introduction of a Special Foreign Currency Line of Credit by the Bank of Mauritius aggregating $125 M so as to assist banks encountering difficulties due to non-availability or inadequacy of foreign exchange facilities from usual sources. Review of the Automatic Price Mechanism (APM) to enable monthly, instead of quarterly, review of petroleum prices so that local retail price aligned with international prices of petroleum products. December 2008 Presentation of Additional Stimulus Package (ASP) amounting to Rs 10.4 billion [$350 M] to be spent through 2009 and 2010, basically on major capital projects with focus on fast-tracking and frontloading of existing public infrastructure projects, new investments in public infrastructure, accelerating private sector investment, improving business climate, building human resource capacity, and supporting vulnerable sectors such as the SMEs, export oriented manufacturing and tourism. Setting up of Special Committees to fast track implementation of the Additional Stimulus Package and to unlock private investment. Reduction of the Repo Rate by 100 basis points from 7.75 to 6.75 March 2009 Reduction in the Repo Rate by 100 basis points from 6.75 to 5.75 May 2009 Presentation of new budget built on the Additional Stimulus Package to ride out the global crisis. Some measures to enhance competitiveness and focusing on saving jobs, protecting people, and preparing for recovery are as follows: Injecting an additional Rs 2 billion in the Saving Jobs and Recovery Fund (SJR FUND), to provide for a new micro-enterprise financing scheme for women to be operated by the National Empowerment Foundation in collaboration with the Ministry of Women and the Mauritius Post and Cooperative Bank. Rescheduling of loans by the Development Bank of Mauritius for SMEs which were servicing their loans prior to the crisis in September 2008 but then faced cash flow problems. Setting up an Emergency Export Credit Insurance scheme for SMEs as well as large enterprises in all sectors until December 2010. Operating a scheme to assist small hotels and restaurants to improve, and enhance productivity and competitiveness under the SJR Fund. Setting up of the Mauritius Business Growth Scheme (MBGS) to promote business growth in SMEs. Eligible firms will receive financing to support their business growth on a cost-sharing basis Introducing a mentoring service by National Empowerment Foundation to ensure sustainability of small businesses initiated mostly by women Under the Food Security Fund, introduction of a Food Crop Insurance Scheme for small food crop planters, a Seed Potato Purchase Scheme to encourage the production of potatoes by small planters and an Onion Seed Purchase Scheme. Reduction of Ministers salary by Rs 10, 000 per month (July 2009 to Dec 2010) Earmarking Rs 100 million from the MID Fund to co-finance a Rs 280 million programme with the CEB, CWA and WMA (utility agencies) to clean up the social housing estates and rehabilitate the water, electricity and waste-water infrastructure Increase old age, non-contributory pensions and social aid benefits by 5.1 % Payment of compensation of 5.1% for the lowest income band while at the time broadening the band. September 2009 The key Repo Rate was maintained at 5.75 per cent per annum November 2009 The Budget 2010 presented on 18 November 2010 provides for policies for shaping recover, consolidating social progress and sustaining green Mauritius. The measures, inter-alia, include, intensifying efforts to consolidate the traditional and emerging economic pillars, so as to open business opportunities and further stimulate job creation, in particular for women, continue improving the doing business environment to increase investment; investing in human resource development, science, technology and innovation to build the competitive competence that Mauritius needs to be among the fast globalisers; accelerating plan to build the infrastructure of tomorrow. On the social front, the 2010 budget provides for additional effort towards eradication of absolute poverty, provision for every family with a decent dwelling, delivering more and better health care, giving more social protection to our children and women, preparing for the challenges of an ageing population and ramping up support for our seniors and consolidating the progress made in giving greater access to education, from pre-primary to tertiary levels. In regard to the Additional Stimulus Package (ASP), Government policies have been instrumental in dealing with the crisis in terms of saving jobs, preventing closures of firms and protecting people. However, given the current international economic context, the exit strategy needs to be carefully managed. Accordingly government has decided to maintain the Additional Stimulus Measures until December 2010 including the funds committed for a stimulus package for Rodrigues. December 2009 The key Repo Rate was maintained at 5.75 per cent per annum Source: Mauritius Strategy for Implementation National Assessment Report 2010 3.5 Conclusion Trade liberalization has proven to be beneficial to the economy through consistent amelioration of the growth rate over the years. However, increased openness has undermined the economic vulnerability of the island.

Gun Control Essays -- Second Amendment The Right To Bear Arms

Gun Control Throughout America there is the constant debate concerning the second amendment or the right to bare arms. One day an innocent kid walking home from school gets shot in a drive by shooting is he just a victim of circumstance or could this of been easily prevented. There are lobbyist for the private ownership of guns and lobbyist for legislation to ban personal possession of guns for good. In this paper I hope that just maybe I can persuade you to think differently on a topic that’s stirring up the nation. First you must look at the obvious problem first and foremost crime. 85% of all violent crimes are committed with handguns(Mosley,104). Some say that yes if these criminals are criminals simple legislation isn’t going to prevent them from getting handguns. I think this couldn’t be more wrong in actuality lots of crimes are committed with guns that kids have taken from their parents. Every day you hear in the news kids killing kids weather it’s a school shooting or gangs and the easy availability of guns is just promoting the cause. If we pass legislation to get rid of these god like life takers then the kids can’t get to them. If you look at it thought it is a trickling down process. If guns aren’t as easily distributed to shops only a few shops would be permitted to carry them. Then of those few shops only under special circumstances could they sell them to some adults then only a fraction of the kids who had access to guns in the home before this legislation ...

The Wisdom of Frost Exposed in The Oven Bird Essays -- Oven Bird Essay

The Wisdom of Frost Exposed in The Oven Bird  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚         These seemingly negligible birds, symbols of the lyric voice, have intuited the Oven Bird's lesson and are the signs by which one is meant to divine Frost's acceptance of the linguistic implications of the fall from innocence. The Oven Bird, who watching "That other fall we name the fall" come to cover the world with dust, "Knows in singing not to sing." Instead, "The question that he frames in all but words / Is what to make of a diminished thing." The fall, in necessitating both birth and death, imposes a continuum of identity that compromises naming. The process toward death, begun with birth, transmutes and gradually diminishes form, thus adding to the equation - words are things before they become words and things again when they do - an element of inevitable, perpetual senescence. The birds of "A Winter Eden" say "which buds are leaf and which are bloom," but the names are always premature or too late: gold goes to green, dawn to day, everything rises and falls and is tran sformed. Thus the Oven Bird says, "Midsummer is to spring as one to ten," because a season - this or any other - may only be codified analogously. "Fall" takes on a series of identities: petal fall, the fall season, the first and fortunate fall, each of which bears, at the moment of articulation, the burden of a whole complex of moral, aesthetic, and literary valuations. This bird is a "midsummer and a midwood bird" that sees things at the moment of capitulation to the imperatives of fall. Loud, he predicts the inevitable, and his "language" reflects the potential meaninglessness of a world in which one is forced to define a thing by what it departs from or approaches rather than what it "is." To... ... ice are, after all, the inextricable complementarities of one apocalyptic vision: that endlessly regenerative cycle of desire and (self) hatred that necessarily brings the productive poet to scourge his own voice as he mocks both the poetic vocation and the state to which poetry - and if poetry then all language - has come. Frost anticipates modernism's lament and, it may be said, prefigures in his dualism its dubious palliative of self-referential irony. The lyric birds and the weary speakers tell us the genuine Frostian wisdom of achieving a commonsensical accommodation with the fallen world, while inciting at another, and ineffable, level a profound disquiet.    Works Cited Robert Frost and a Poetic of Appetite. Cambridge University Press. 1994 "Robert Frost" in The Columbia History of American Poetry. Ed. Jay Parini. Columbia University Press. 1997

Extended School Day Essay

Imagine you are a seven-year-old whose’s parents work until five each night. When you come home after school there is no one home with you. What could you get into? You might know right from wrong but you still might get yourself into some trouble. Just out of plain curiosity you might get into something or an accident could happen without you even being involved in it. But I say there is a way to stop this from ever happening. I think we should either keep schools open longer or introduce more after school programs. Many advantages would come from either of these ideas. For one the parents would not have to be in a state of worry about whether their child is safe at home or in trouble. Plus you always have that added guilt about not being able to help your kids with their homework. Now with either longer days or more after school programs a lot of stress could be taken away from your family. No more having to pay for sitters which could stress out a families finances. Also the dangers of the kids being home and getting into trouble would be cut down severely. And also with the longer days or more after school programs parents would be able to get home, at least one parent would be home, to pick their kids off the bus. I wanted to suggest some programs I feel would help out with the problem at hand. These programs would be a reading and math after school program. One program I would suggest is a reading after school program. It is said that today, too many children fail to read at a level we would expect for the grade they are in. In a study done in 1998, the National Assessment of Educational Progress found that, thirty eight percent of our nation’s fourth graders failed to read at the basic level. That fact alone says we must enforce more after school programs. Now they also found that sixty-four percent of African American and sixty percent of Hispanic American fourth graders read below the basic level. This shows we need to not only put these programs in suburban schools but also city schools. Research has shown that students who are behind in reading can catch up to grade level with additional reading instruction and tutoring after school and in the summer. And that is what I am trying to put in effect. We all know that to succeed in school all students need good reading skills, and that’s just a fact. Another program that I think is good is a mathematics after school Program. I has been found that students who take rigorous mathematics courses are much more likely to go on to college and into promising careers than those who do not. And with technology becoming more prevalent in the workplace, the need for employees with mathematics backgrounds has greatly increased. In my research I have found that far too many students finish middle and junior high school without developing a solid foundation in algebra and geometry. Research done by the international comparative assessments said that U. S. student achievement in mathematics falls below the average in the middle grades. We need to help improve this. I think some other important facts help support my case for the longer school day and the after school programs in this little chart. Some reasons why the public supports after school programs: *Over 28 million school-age children have both parents or their only parent in the workforce. *At least 5 million children — and possibly as many as 15 million — are left alone at home each week. *Many children, especially low-income children, lose ground in reading if they are not engaged in organized learning over the summer. *Experts agree that school-age children who are unsupervised during the hours after school are more likely to receive poor grades and drop out of school than those who are involved in supervised, constructive activities. *Statistics show that most juvenile crime takes place between the hours of 2:00 and 8:00 pm, and that children are also at much greater risk of being the victims of crime during the hours after school. Here is another chart showing that after school programs enhance a child’s academic achievement. *Participants in after-school programs:* *Show increased interest and ability in reading *Develop new skills and interests *Show improved school attendance, increased engagement in school, and reduced dropout rate *Turn in more and better quality homework and can spend more time on task. *Are held back or placed in special education classes less frequently *Show higher aspirations for the future, including intention to complete high school and go to college. These facts are real. This is why I picked trying to make a longer day and more after school programs. And with these two programs the numbers will go up. I plan on adding more programs to what I have wrote in here. But I think implementing a longer school day and these after school programs should help not only the parents of these children but the children themselves.

Effect smoking has on our society Essay

Smoking cigarettes have been determined to be responsible for the premature death of over 400,000 people each year in the United States. It has been described as the single most preventable disease today. This paper will cover a basic overview of the history of smoking, advertising, health findings, and legal liability realized from cigarette manufactures. The current trends and laws concerning the use of tobacco will also be addressed. Most of us know that George Washington was America’s first President of the United States. This is common knowledge and still taught today in public schools. However, one of the more astonishing facts that is generally not discussed is that George Washington inherited an enormous tobacco plantation that was comprised of 10,000 acres of land as well as approximately 50 slaves who were transported to the Americas from Africa. Because of the rising prices of tobacco in the 1730’s, George Washington at the age of 21 was one of the wealthiest men in Virginia. (Badertscher, 2005, p.2). Could this have been one of the first accounts that sociologist Karl Marx (1818-1883) assessed when formulating his theory of social conflict. In the example of George Washington and his tobacco plantation, capitalism and the alienation that it produced among its slaves, who were tirelessly working in the tobacco fields was rampant during that time and also making George Washington a very rich man. The popularity of smoking in the 1700’s would continue to grow for the next 200 years in the United States. Along with this path little if any regulation from our government would follow. Because of the addictive qualities that are a part of the cigarette and its tobacco, our society would slowly and unknowingly become addicted. Many years would go by and by the beginning part of the twentieth century; cigarette manufacturers such as RJ Reynolds and Philip Morris were spending over 8 million dollars in advertising each year. By the 1920’s tobacco and cigarette consumption was taking hold in the United States. Cigarette smoking was not only common, but it was increasingly being more fashionable. Originally gender stratification provided that is was unbecoming or a private matter at best that woman would be cigarette smokers. Yet in advertising, pretty woman were often used and eventually once tobacco giants realized that woman were also an enormous market share, their creativeness and opportunist as a capitalist took hold. During the 1920’s, Lucky Strike, a leader in striking tobacco claims finally went right after the female with no regard of gender bias. One of their famous campaign slogans, â€Å"Reach for a Lucky instead of a sweet† instantly played on the ability of a woman to stay thin by asserting the benefits of smoking a cigarette as an appetite suppressant.(Gardner, 2006, p.222-224). Unsubstantiated claims were common, by the 1940’s, an advertising agency by the name of , the William Esty Company worked exclusively for R.J Reynolds, here they developed their own surveys, often giving out free cartons of cigarettes to their newest spokespeople, doctors. Here they employed a gallant tactic. Because of the fact that so many people smoked cigarettes, including doctors, the cigarette companies went for the most trusted people of that time. For the next 6 years, beginning in 1946, their memorable slogan would read, â€Å"More doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette† They listed this as fact and claim to survey thousands of doctors, it would be discovered that these questionnaires would always include a free supply of cigarettes to the respondents. (Gardner, 2006, p. 224-225) By the beginning of 1950, the health concerns from smoking tobacco could no longer go unnoticed. Consequently, cigarette makers would stop picturing doctors in their advertisements, but next they would include the likes of celebrities, such as sports figures and movie stars. In 1961, several groups including the American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association wrote President John F. Kennedy and asked that the United States Government take an active role in measuring the health consequences of using tobacco. Several years later in 1964, the Surgeon General of the U.S. Public Health Service released the first report on tobacco smoking and related issues concerning a smoker’s health. The findings showed that cigarette smoking is a cause of lung cancer in men, the most important cause of chronic bronchitis and a probable cause of cancer in woman. The Surgeon General also stipulated that every year a new report would be released. (Terry, 1964). Next, the United States Congress would enact the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act of 1965 and also the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act of 1969. Cigarette makers would now be required to put a health warning on the side of a cigarette package, warning the users of its dangers. It also for the first time put certain restrictions on the types of advertising that cigarette manufactures could employ. (cite) As an example of sociological evolution, computer technology would allow for a vast amount of statistics to compile. During this same period, data was showing a huge number of premature deaths and exclusive illnesses directly related to tobacco users. Conversely, cigarette manufactures were able to more closely follow their target market. The television would eventually be eliminated as a method of advertising, however the magazine, radio, internet and United States Postal service would allow for a huge audience of smokers and future smokers to be reached. Now fast forward to the 1990’s, and by 1998 the Center for disease control and prevention (CDC) the United States governments â€Å"official† fact finder determined by using a basic two question survey as their research method, that there were 47.2 million adult smokers which represented 24% of the population. During this same time period, from the years of 1995-1999, figures and estimates were showing that 440,000 people were dying prematurely each year due to smoking. Hospital and health care costs were skyrocketing. Liability was becoming a costly issue for the cigarette giants. (Leverett, 2002, p. 88). 13 states brought immense lawsuits against the cigarette manufactures and eventually won in a landmark settlement in 1998. The settlement involved medical expenses incurred by smokers, insurance companies, workers compensation and Medicare costs. It would include payments to each of the 13 states until the year 2025 to the sum of 196 billion dollars.(Coller, 2002,p.984) Tobacco usage is by far not limited to the United States. To best explain its usage today is to reveal the number of deaths attributed to smoking on a worldwide level. World-wide each year over 5 million people will die from cigarette smoking and estimates that 10 million deaths per year is possible by the year 2025. It is also estimated that if cigarette consumption continues matched with new emerging markets. That by 2030, one human being will die every four seconds from the negative effects of cigarette smoking. (Tomlinson, 1997, p. 3). Cigarette manufacturers are still entering new markets throughout the world today. As of 2010, Phillip Morris International has their product available for sale in 160 countries. In the near future, small developing countries such as, South Korea and Vietnam will also be captive to this epidemic situation and will eventually be included in dark future statistics. Because of the extreme danger and liability concerns, secondhand smoke is now another area of contention. Secondhand smoke is defined as a mixture of side stream smoke from the end of a burning cigarette and exhaled mainstream smoke.(Jarvie, 2008,p. 2140) It has also been identified that secondhand smoke causes lung cancer, respiratory tract injury, and heart disease. Over 50 carcinogens have been recognized in secondhand smoke.(Malone, 2008, 2145) The American Lung Association has compiled an enormous data bank of information concerning the devastating statistics with tobacco use of American citizens. There are 443,000 deaths each year that are attributed to smoking tobacco. In 2004, it was determined that smoking cost the U.S. nearly 193 billion dollars. This included 96 billion dollars in health care costs and 97 billion dollars lost in productivity. This amounts to $4,260 per year, per adult smoker. (CDCP, 2004). It has been determined that cigarettes contain over 4,800 different chemicals and 69 of them are known to cause cancer. Chronic lung disease accounts for 73 percent of smoking related conditions. It has been determined that smokers die at a faster rate than non-smokers. On average a smoker’s life is shortened by 13.2 years for an adult male and 14.5 years for an adult woman. (CDCP 2006). Statistics are meaningless when it comes to measuring the level of pain and discomfort that a person will experience by smoking regularly for a lengthy period of time. The list goes on for painful, serious diseases caused by smoking tobacco, as most smokers will not experience instant death. The diseases caused by smoking include; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), this includes chronic bronchitis, and emphysema, coronary heart disease, stroke, abdominal acute aneurysm, acute myeloid leukemia, cataract, pneumonia, periodontitis, and bladder, esophageal, laryngeal, lung, oral, throat, cervical, kidney, stomach and pancreatic cancers. (Surgeon general 2004). Workplaces throughout the United States are going smoke free to provide clean indoor air and protecting employees from life threatening effects of second hand smoke. Nearly 70 percent of the U.S. work force worked under a smoke free policy in 1999. (Gibson, 2001). Finally in June of 2009, 45 years after the 1964 Surgeon Generals first report on the hazards of cigarette smoking, President of the United States Barack Obama signed the Tobacco Control Act. This gives the Food and Drug Administration the authority to regulate and control tobacco. It does not give them the authority to ban cigarettes or remove nicotine all together. They are still evaluating whether or not they will reduce the amounts of nicotine in cigarettes. They are also granted the power to regulate advertising and the promotion of tobacco in the United States, which to include the possibility of graphic pictures and labeling on the package of cigarettes. (FDA cite) Today 165 countries have signed on to the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). The treaty joins these countries to adopt current and future policies regarding and limiting the use of tobacco. As well as enforcing tighter control on advertising and packaging of tobacco. (Tynan, 2010, p3). As a result of the alarming numbers and data showing the ill effects of cigarette smoking and secondhand smoke, governments are starting to wake up and fight back at these large wealthy cigarette manufactures. The Australian High Court has upheld one of the world’s toughest tobacco rules. Once again after lengthy court battles between the giant cigarette manufactures and the Australian government, new cigarette labeling laws has gone into effect at the time of this writing. Beginning December 2012, the court has paved the right for extreme restrictive cigarette package labeling to go into effect. Cigarette packs in Australia now must display graphic images of mouth cancer, diseased lungs and gangrenous limbs. In addition, brand logos are banned and these graphic images dominate the entire package. British American Tobacco, Imperial Tobacco, Japan Tobacco, and Philip Morris International had all argued that a ban on brand logos would infringe on their intellectual property rights. The High Court of Australia rejected their argument. Now industry analysts feel that this may propel other countries to follow suit with this type of restrictive labeling. The ruling was welcomed by Australian officials, with hopes to drive cigarette sales down even further, coupled with the extremely high taxation already imposed on the sale of tobacco in Australia. Today smokers in Australia spend on average, $16.80 (us dollars) on one pack of cigarettes. The new law will require health warnings to cover 75 percent of the front of the cigarette package and cover 90 percent of the back of the package. According to the Australian Cancer Council, as of 2010, smoking rates have declined, but still remain at 16.4 percent among adult men and 13.9 percent among adult women. In the U. S., the figures from the Center for Disease Control show the smoking rate to be 21.5 percent for adult men and 17.3 percent for adult women.(Siegal, 2012). Also this year in the Ukraine, all advertising including, television, radio, print, internet, coupons, even advertising on the counter at a point of sale is banned. (Target, 2012,p1) While these two markets are comparably small in size, the message that is being sent to the cigarette manufacturer and to the world is enormous. By representing the best interest of the non-addicted citizen, governments are finally starting to stand up, take action and force the issue. It appears that these types of small countries are at least willing to interact and negotiate with the giant lobbyist’s that are so commonly found in giant governments like the United States of America. Finally in the United States, individual states are establishing smoking restrictions in public spaces and public buildings. Today over 70% of the United States population is represented by some type of smoking regulation in public spaces. (cite) After many failed attempts at passing substantial legislation limiting the locations where cigarette smokers can smoke cigarettes, the state of Indiana in July of 2012 has enacted a new no smoking policy throughout the state in regard to public buildings. Smoking is now prohibited in all public spaces, including retail establishments and restaurants. Concessions had to be made to casino and bars as the state predicted tax revenue could drop nearly 190 million dollars per year by not allowing people to smoke here. While a major argument was for the betterment of workplace safety, last minute provisions were included to allow smoking in nursing homes and fraternal clubs located throughout the state. (cite in.gov) Constantly big tobacco companies are still grabbing headlines in today’s newspapers. This past week on November 30, 2012, a federal judge has ordered tobacco companies to publish statements that require them to publicly admit that they had repeatedly lied to the public about the known dangers of smoking and that they disclose the known health effects, including the death on average of 1,200 people per day. U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler previously has said she wanted the cigarette industry to pay for corrective advertisements. But know the judge is laying out what she wants the cigarette giants to say. Each advertisement is to include a statement from the defendant tobacco companies that says, â€Å"Deliberately deceived the American public about the health effects of smoking.† The required statements are to include,†That smoking kills more people than murder, AIDS, suicide, drugs, car crashes and alcohol combined†. Also, â€Å"That secondhand smoke kills over 3,000 Americans each year.† These corrective statements are part of a case the government initiated in 1999. Judge Kessler ruled on that case in 2006 that the nation’s largest cigarette makers hid the dangers of smoking for decades from the public and that she wanted the smoking industry to pay for corrective advertising. The Justice Department proposed most of the legal wording and worked in conjunction with Judge Kessler. Kessler went on to write, â€Å"That all findings are based on factual evidence that was proven by a court of law†. She goes to say, â€Å"The court has made a number of explicit findings that the tobacco companies perpetuated fraud and deceived the public regarding the addictiveness of cigarettes and nicotine. A spokesperson for the nation’s biggest tobacco company, Philip Morris USA, said they were studying the court’s decision and that they had no further comment. The unfortunate part of this story is that, the ending is not here. This case had begun in 1999 and nearly fourteen years later, the cigarette conglomerates are still managing to attempt to skirt these horrendous issues. Today there are many tools and opportunities to help a person stop smoking. There are seven different medications approved by the FDA to help a person quit smoking. The nicotine patch, nicotine gum, and nicotine lozenges are available as over the counter medicine. A nasal spray and inhaler are available by prescription. Name brand prescription such as Zyban and Chantix are non-nicotine pills that can also be used to help stop smoking. A national help program, 1-800-QUIT-NOW, can be accessed anywhere in the United States and is a free program sponsored by individual states and the Department of Health and Human Services. They offer new personal innovative tools to help individuals stop smoking, and include free counseling and free nicotine patches. Nicotine is a highly addictive drug, which when inhaled reaches the brain faster than drugs that enter the body intravenously. Quitting smoking usually takes multiple attempts. If someone is serious about stopping smoking, here is a valuable service to extend those possibilities. We teach our children about the Presidency of the United States. It includes our first President George Washington, a story about a cherry tree, and a maybe even more propaganda, that he could not tell a lie. Nowhere is there a mention of his greatest truth. He was one of our forefathers of tobacco. Then followed almost 300 years, mixed with another great giant of America, which is capitalism. What comes next is a society that is heavily addicted to cigarette smoking and unquestionably very sick from the dangers of over 4,800 chemicals that are comprised of the cigarette. When people become addicted to something that is more powerful than them and unable to stop it from continuing, they then develop defense mechanisms that prevent themselves from seeing the truth. September 11, 2001 was a day where U.S. soil became a target of terrorist attacks, and a day that will never be forgotten. A sad remembered day when 2,996 people perished. In the next 12 months, there will be 443,000 more people who will die, this time from the negative effects of cigarette smoking. This is equivalent to the United States of America having an attack on United States soil every two and a half days, and counting. References Badertscher, Eric. (2005) George Washington. Great Neck Publishing. Retrieved on September 28, 2012 from Ebscohost database. http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/ Coller, Maribeth. (2002) Evaluating the Tobacco Settlement Damages: Too Much or Not Enough. American Journal of Public Health. Retrieved on September 28, 2012 From Proquest database. http://search.proquest.com.allstate.1bproxy. Gardner, Martha. (2006). The Doctor’s Choice is America’s Choice. American Journal Of Public Health. Retrieved on September 18, 2012 from Proquest data base. Indiana Ok’s Smoking Smoking Ban. (2012). Retrieved on September 16, 2012 from http://www.In.gov/legislative/bills/2012/he/he1149.l.html Jarvie, Jill. (2008). Children’s Secondhans Smoke Exposure in Private Homes and Cars. American Journal of Public Health. 2140-5. Retrieved on September 20, 2012 From Proquest Database. Leverett, Michelle. (2002). Tobacco Use: The Impact of Prices. The Journal of Law, Medicine, and Ethics. Retrieved on September 26, 2012 from Proquest database. Plain Cigarette Packs in Australia. (2012) The Lancet Journal. Retrieved on September 28, 2012 from Proquest database. Tobacco expands their Epidemic of Death. (2011). Elsvier Limited. Retrieved on September 28, 2012 from Proquest database. Tobacco Products and Advertising is Banned in Ukraine. (2012). Targeted News Service. Retrieved on September 24, 2012 from Proquest database. Tomlinson, Richard. (1997) Smoking Death Toll Shifts to Third World. British Medical Journal. Retrieved on September 28, 2012 from Proquest database. Tynan, Martha. (2010). Current Opportunities in Tobacco Control. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Retrieved on September 26, 2012 from Proquest databas

Describe the roles of parents and carers Essay

The expectations of males and females in parenting and caring are constantly changing. Stereotypically, females are seen as the carer and males are seen as the provider. Societal changes such as equal pay for equal work, work environment policies and changing family structures, i.e. single parents are changing these traditional expectations. This discussion will show how the empowerment of women and men influences the way they function in society.  · Traditionally, a father’s role was in the public realm of work, while female roles were based around their husband’s household (known as the domestic sphere. Men are often viewed as assertive, aggressive and domineering, while the women were viewed as house-makers and child-bearers. Now tasks are shared equally around the home, such as discipline. Discipline is shared between both parents, whereas, men used to discipline and children were taught to fear their fathers. Both parents are now seen equally, as providers and carers for their families. Both should determine the child’s education, set appropriate societal limits and have legal, welfare and responsibility of the child. However, traditional roles still exist in older generations, which may be influential on younger generations.  · Prior to WW2, women did not work as they were told that their role was to care for their husband and family. If women did work, it was usually in hard physical labour repetitive tasks. However, women were called up to the workforce when their husbands were sent to WW2 to stabilise the economy. When their husbands returned, they were told to go back to their traditional roles. Many women protested for their rights are formed women’s liberation. Equal pay for equal work allowed freedom for women. Before this legislation was passed in Australia in 1975, women were receiving 54% of the male rate. Women embraced the workforce, freeing them of their traditional roles. Women are now encouraged to have a career, but policies such as maternity leave, which is available for up to 52 weeks also allow women to have a family. Thus, due to the introduction of equal pay, women are now encouraged to have a carer, and not expected to stay at home and look after their children as a career.  · The introduction of the contraceptive pill in the 1970s also gave women more freedom in their domestic lives. Women were and are able to control their family structure, i.e. how many children they have and when they have children. Women were able to establish their career before having a family. Thus, females were no longer expected to have children early and not have a career, due to the freedom of the pill.  · Males are embracing the â€Å"radical† notion of equality due to societal changes. The role of â€Å"father† has dramatically changed over the post-war years an now fathers are serving as role models who support their children in sports and arts. Many husbands have supported their wives returning to work and have become the primary carer of their child. Paternity leave enables fathers to take up to 51 weeks for the employee who is the primary care giver of the child allowing the father to bond with the child. David a lawyer choose to become the primary care giver of his child while his wife went back to work, to be involved in his child’s life, but admits that it is hard work as â€Å"there is no promotion†. Father support groups, such as â€Å"New Pin† in Western Sydney has been created to offer support by linking fathers together to discuss problems and provide strategies. Thus, societal changes such as paternity leave allows the mother to go to work and be the provider, and the father to take on the primary care giver role, with support offered to males who find the role challenging.  · Single parents are more accepted than they were 50 years ago. According to the ABS, 64% of male parents and 49% of female single parents work. Divorce is more common, but single-parenthood can also occur from a death of a partner, unplanned pregnancy or a planned pregnancy eg IVF. When individuals got divorced in the 1950s-1970s, women had sole custody of the child, as traditionally their role was the carer. Times have changed, however, and men are gaining sole custody of their children. Barry Hooker, a full time Dad and single parent of Leah â€Å"doesn’t regret his decision for a second† for leaving his job as a boilermaker. Thus, due to the acceptance of single parents, men are now gaining sole custody of children, which traditionally would not happen.  · However, in many aspects, our society has reinforced the traditional parenting roles for males and females. Generally, when children are sick, it is the mother who takes the day off. Women are the ones who drop of and pick up the kids from childcare and go to playgroup. Men support their son’s activities in sport, while women support their daughter’s activities in more passive arenas such as ballet. Currently, 20.9% of men are primary school teachers and 44.9% are high school teachers. Teaching may be unattractive to males due to the salary, status, and working with children runs counter to the male psyche. Parents are unintentionally or intentionally treating genders differently, which enforces these traditional gender roles through further generations. For eg, male babies are dressed in darker shades, while female babies are dressed in paler shades and boys are played with actively, while girls are handled more delicately. The concept of â€Å"male† and â €Å"female† develops from our experiences and observations. Household tasks should be shared equally, so children do not learn that one task is for males, while another task is for females.  · Pregnancy in teenage mothers is also now accepted by most parts of society, which may have been shunned in earlier years. Teenage mothers were not expected to have an education, but this has changed due to Principal Glenn Sargent’s young mothers program at Plumpton High. Here, young mothers are given an education, but the school also provides $5 a day day-care, support by counsellor Rebecca and shelter. He has created a suitable environment for young mothers to reach their full potential. His success is measured â€Å"for each individual’s marks and attendance†. Same sex-couples are also more accepted. Both parents can be free to parent equally, which forms intimacy with the child. Family and friends can form a network of social and emotional support as well as to offer their children suitable adult role models of the opposite sex. Mainstream organisations also support same-sex couple’s i.e. alternative lifestyle association in Australia. Whoever the parents, all children need love and supervision. They all need to be sheltered, fed, taken to school and so on, thus the daily routine of same-sex couples is largely similar to heterosexual families. Thus, due to the social acceptance of pregnant teens, young mothers can raise a child and  also gain an education due to Glenn Sargent’s young mothers programs, which would be unable in earlier years. Acceptance of same-sex couples has allowed individuals to create their own parenting skills in a nurturing and loving environment, similar to heterosexual environments. Both groups however are still often morally and socially stigmatised due to their lifestyle choices.  · Many employers in small and medium sized business provide a family friendly workforce. When women fell pregnant in the 1950s-1970s, women were forced to resign from their careers. But due to women’s liberation and workforce policies, women can now have a career and a family at the same time. Maternity leave is available for women up to 52 weeks. Work hours are changing to become more flexible for both parents, there are now split shifts and some business have child-care where parents can easily drop off and pick up their children. This places the stress off families who have both parents who work. Thus, many businesses have changed their workforces to accommodate to the changing expectations of men and women. Workforces now provide flexibility for both parents, and allow women to have a career and family. Thus, expectations of males and females are currently changing, due to societal changes such as post WW2, work friendly environments and changing family structures. However, stereotypical male and female roles are still being enforced by parents, whose children will pass onto their own families, thus their roles will not change.

American Literature in the 19th Century Essay

Much has been said about America being the â€Å"Land of Opportunity† throughout history. From Columbus, to Walt Whitman, to present times, American society and its values differed quite a bit from American society and its values today. As these values have changed, so have the opportunities that present themselves within society, such as the ability to write about certain issues or topics. This means that the topics of literature have changed drastically along with the times as well. Much of the time, these issues and topics covered in pieces of American Literature are controversial: slavery, racism, ethnocentrism, women’s rights, and the qualities needed to obtain the opportunities America provides for people. That is why in order to be considered American Literature, the piece must characterize or define American values, morals, ideals, or standards in some way, whether it is to represent them or to oppose them. To Crevecoeur, who was not an American by birthright, but a visitor who considered America his home, America is the embodiment of opportunity. Crevecoeur marks America as a place where oppressed people are able to come and pursue their own freedoms, self-interests, and independence. It is a place where any hard working man can earn economic stability for his family; a place of humility and new ideas. Crevecoeur explains through his character, Farmer James, that an American farmer possesses, â€Å"freedom of action, freedom of thoughts, ruled by a mode of government which requires but little from us†. He speaks of â€Å"national pride† when realizing there are no aristocratical families, no invisible power giving to a few a very visible one. The rich and the poor are not so far removed from each other as they are in Europe. And finally, Crevecoeur claims that Americans are â€Å"All animated with the spirit of an industry which is unferrered and unrestrained,† which means that as long as the people of the nation work hard, they will be able to achieve whatever they wish. These are the reasons why America is the â€Å"melting pot† it is today, because people during Crevecoeur’s time period that came from other countries viewed America as an escape to all their oppression and problems. This was the American dream or ideal: through industriousness, you could provide a better life for your family in America. Since Crevecoeur believed he could have freedom of thought and action in America, he was also more sympathetic to the rights of African-Americans, who were being used as slaves during the time, and Native Americans. Crevecoeur found slavery to be a terrible institution, speaking out on behalf of the enslaved African-Americans by saying, â€Å"Forced from their native country, cruelly treated? They are neither soothed by the hopes that their slavery will ever terminate? mildness of their treatment? † Crevecoeur also asserts through Farmer James, â€Å"Though our erroneous prejudices and opinions once induced us to look upon them as fit only for slavery? With us they are now free? they are in general become a new set of beings,† showing his general consideration for the African-Americans. As for Crevecoeur’s standpoint on Native Americans, Farmer James makes the observation that, â€Å"they are as stout and well made as the Europeans? they are in many instances superior to us†. Obviously, Crevecoeur held the belief that the African-American and Native American populations could provide contributions to society and should not looked down upon as inferior â€Å"savages† by the white man. Rather, the white man should be willing to set good examples through gentleness to make them socially acceptable. To Crevecoeur, a country could never truly flourish with an imprudent system such as slavery in place, which was quite a progressive stance for the time. It took a lot of courage to speak out for what he believed in, because it went against mainstream America’s majority belief of superiority over the slaves and the Natives. While minority cultures were fighting for equal rights amongst the whites, females were also fighting for equal rights amongst the men. Female writers and activists such as Judith Sergeant Murray openly protested the typical female virtues set for women of the 19th Century, and before, by society. She did not want to be submissive and obedient. She wanted females to vote, to own property, and to have a life outside the household. In her Letters on the Equality of Sexes, she outwardly condemns these â€Å"virtues†, and she addresses the fact that men shun a woman for having dreams of equal opportunities. Then, she vents about the undeniably constant battle between women and men, because their lives and work are only valued at half that of men. â€Å"Though sensibility, soft compassion, and gentle commiseration are inmates in the female bosom, yet against every deep laid art, altogether fearless of the vent, we will set them array; for assuredly the wreath of victory will encircle the spotless brow†. What makes texts on the equality of the sexes so special is that they have felt the direct effects of oppression based on the white male patriarchal society set before them, and they are attempting to use their experience as modes for change in that society so others will not have to suffer as they have. Even before certain issues such as equal rights for women and racism were brought up in American, the land obviously had to be explored. The stories of exploration are a great place to begin looking at how this great country developed. They give us a good sense of the type of land and people of the time when our country was just getting started. These types of writing help us develop a definition of American Literature because they were some of the first documented texts and they give us a good foundation of details about the cultures back then. A major role of Early American Literature would be that it gives us a clearer sense of the life and culture of the time it was written in or about. The exploration stories of Columbus are able to do that for us as readers. Columbus’ story is a good starting description of America because it gives the readers of his letters an idea of what the land itself was like. He used his words to paint a positive image of the new land and was convincing people back home that their money was well spent on the exploration. Although this work doesn’t exactly define any American morals or values, it is necessary to literature because it is the first good taste we get of what America was like. Columbus used his work to more or less â€Å"sell† the New World to anyone who would read about it. He described the people and the culture there as delightful and entertaining. The works of Columbus go along with the definition of American Literature because it gave readers a good feel of what the â€Å"land of opportunity† had to offer them. Determination is a vital characteristic one must have when getting on their feet in the land of opportunity. Without determination, a man might as well not even try to make a like for himself and his family. In John Smith’s Virginia, New England, and the Summer Isles, that is exemplified. John Smith and the voyagers that traveled along with him experience plenty of hardship during their trek. Within the first ten days of their trip, many people were sick due to lack of a healthy diet and sufficient lodging. During this time, Captain Smith often left himself shortchanged to benefit the health of his crew. One day, while Smith was attempting to make trades, he was shot in the leg by some savages and taken hostage. At this point is when the text takes a turn to define values of America. Smith remains determined to make the best of the situation and stays totally polite and collected towards the savages. After spending time as a hostage, they developed a great deal of respect for Smith and personally escorted him back through their village to his camp. From this time on, every other week or so, Pocahontas would bring the settlers of Jamestown enough provisions so that they could lead a healthy life and continue to flourish. I consider this particular text a good example of American Literature because it shows characteristics that were necessary to live during the early development of America. The works of Paine and Jefferson are a great summary of the overall view of what America is as an idea and an ideal. They describe characteristics of true American men and women. Throughout their texts, they reiterate many of the visions of Crevecoeur. America is described as a vision of a place where people could come and be free to start a life of their choice. The pursuit of happiness and success were key points mentioned as well. When an outsider of America came to our country, they came to learn and embody things such as practicality, progressiveness, tolerance, self reliance and education for all. All of these things were mentioned again and again throughout the pieces of Paine and Jefferson, which makes them a great example of impact literature. The beauty of American Literature is also the hardest part of coming to a distinct, tangible definition of what it is. The freedom of speech and expression through American Literature is so broad, as are what American values, morals, and standards are exactly, that American Literature can be in the form of travel or slave narratives, speeches, poetry, letters, autobiographies, myths, etc. However, it is evident that in any of these genres of literature, they constantly contain American values, morals, ideals, and standards. And in order to progressively move into the future, there must be literature to stand by or and oppose these American values, morals, ideals, and standards, just as the great American authors of the past have.