Feb 18

Existing misery, much of it is caused by selfishness. Regarded as the summum bonum are high profits. An immense proportion of the poorer classes remain entirely uncivilized. The poorer classes debase themselves by the vices that accompany civilization. However, they make no use of its advantages and benefits. Human ignorance and self-indulgence is the result of misery. Misery is most commonly the result of individual vice and improvidence. Education will help the working class to use their means of comfortable living.

Feb 17

To reduce the hours of labor to ten, the value of one's mill and machinery would have to be reduced. By the early 1860s, a group of artisans owed in part to a smaller amount in the fashion of wearing silk ribbons. Larger manufacturers who organized more efficient production in factories had looms that many individual weavers had to sell. A weaver has a weary manner and shuffling feet. A weaver has a face that tells of care and grief. He has a saddened heart and aching bones. A weaver is just an inconsistent man, who does not understand the commercial plan. If a man is wanted his wages may be high. If he is not wanted, he may starve and die. One of the richest countries in the world is England. An accumulation of wealth in the country exists. The empire never consisted of more food or money. However, there is a huge mass of poverty. Certain portions of the working population have endured miseries. Therefore the Haves and Have-nots stand at the two extremes of the social scale. Haves are rich people while have-nots are those that are poor. I learned this in a show I was in called "Urinetown."

Feb 15

The Industrial Revolution's impact unfolded gradually and varied greatly among men, women, and children. The early Industrial Revolution represented a transformation in the organization of work, mostly expressed in the factory. The factory assigned workers highly specialized and repetitive tasks. Workers' lives were regulated according to clock time. Workers depended on receiving an uncertain amount of income their economic survival. In 1833, for women and children, legislation limited the hours of employment. Elizabeth Bentley was only six years old when she began working at the factory. She was a little doffer, so she cleaned the machines. When she worked regular hours as opposed to being extra busy, Elizabeth Bentley worked for 13 hours! When the factory was busy, she worked "from 5 in the morning till 9 at night" (Strayer, 863). That's a lot of hours, especially for a six year old child! If someone was late or flagged a little, they would get strapped, which means severely beaten. The meals they had consisted of a forty minute break in the afternoon. Elizabeth Bentley was never beaten for being late; however, the boys were.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton made the rights of women well-known and eloquently appealing. She urged to allow women the right to vote. The strongest reason for allowing woman to have all the opportunities for higher education is for the solitude and personal responsibility of her own individual life. The strongest reason for asking woman for a voice in the government, or religion is because as an individual, she must rely on herself. Women and men need the same preparation for eternity and time, for their responsibilities of life are equal, and their destiny is the same. In the supreme moments of a woman's life, a man cannot bear her burdens. The French Revolution lasted from 1789 to 1815. By 1792 the French Revolution became far more radical and violent. In 1799 the French Revolution culminated in a seizure of power by Napoleon Bonaparte.

Feb 9

Frederick Douglass escaped from being a slave to become a leading abolitionist, newspaper publisher, writer, and African American spokesperson. He was born a slave in 1818. The great sin and shame of America is everything that serves to perpetuate slavery. Now, there is no nation that can shut itself up from the surrounding world. Empires and walled cities became unfashionable. The gates of the strong city have been borne away by the arm of commerce. After being expressed on one side of the Atlantic, thoughts are distinctly heard on the other side.

Purely passive is what "the posture of those who dwell in the American hemisphere" (Strayer, 815) has been. This states that people in the American hemisphere have been purely passive with their posture. At a level lower than servitude we have hindered ourselves from elevating to the enjoyment of freedom. Americans occupy the positions in society as servants or simple consumers. Relative to the science of government and administration of the state, we have been absent from the universe. A struggle for emancipation is what the American provinces are involved in. They will eventually succeed. A federation of different states that will eventually emerge should be overseen by a single government. 

Feb 8

For having an opinion, no individual shall be disturbed. One of the most special rights of man is the free communication of opinions and thoughts. Therefore speaking, writing, and printing freely is a right that every citizen has. Public powers are required for the safeguard of the rights of man and citizen. Common taxation is indispensable and should be apportioned equally with all citizens according to the capacity they have to pay. Simon Bolivar's dream of a federation was failed by his struggles.

Feb 7

Human rights were viewed as both natural and universal. These rights were envisioned as being the same for everybody. Prior to the late eighteenth century, the understanding of rights challenged nearly all notions of government and society. What was highly controversial was the idea of human rights. Both the French document and the U.S. Declaration of Independence drew ideas from the European Enlightenment. The sole causes of public misfortunes were the ignorance, contempt, or neglect of the rights of man. In rights, men remain free and are born. In the nation, what rests is the principle of all sovereignty. Actions that are injurious to society are prohibited by the law. All public dignities, offices, and employments are equally admissible with all citizens. Only in cases determined by the law may a man be indicated, detained, or arrested.

Feb 4

Universal male suffrage was granted by 1914, as Western Europe, the United States, and Argentina enlarged their voting publics. The end of slavery was sought by abolitionists,  unity and independence from foreign rule was hopefully fostered by nationalists, and male dominance was challenged by feminists. From roughly 1780 to 1890 slavery lost its legitimacy and was largely ended. For economic progress, slavery was not essential. England and New England were based on free labor, and they were among the most prosperous regions of the Western world during the early nineteenth century. 'In the new era of industrial technology and capitalism," (Strayer, 799) slavery was unnecessary. The British public came to believe that slavery was morally wrong, economically inefficient, and politically unwise. Governments felt a growing pressure to close down the trade in slaves and ban slavery itself.

Feb 2

To make heavy payments, Haiti took out huge loans from German, French, and North American banks. Repaying those loans in 1915 cost 80 percent of the government’s revenue. Over 100 prominent people in 2010 signed an international petition that asked the French Government to repay about $17 billion. In 1772, the French intellectual Voltaire asked his dear philosopher, if this appears to be the century of revolutions. From early eighteenth to mid-nineteenth century, political and social upheaval was witnessed by many parts of the world. By the 1730s, the Safavid dynasty which ruled for several centuries in Persia had completely collapsed. Meanwhile the Wahabi movement, which took place in Arabia seriously threatened the Ottoman Empire, as well as Central Asia. Under Catherine the Great, the Russian Empire experienced some peasant uprisings, including one led by Pugachev in 1773 - 1774. “In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries” (Strayer, 782) China also hosted a number of unsuccessful rebellions. One of the major rebellions was the Taiping revolution of 1859 - 1864.

PS: This document was typed on Sunday, but the internet was down and I could not post my blog.