Excellent Thinking and Writing

Under Pressure

Colleen Wenke states in Too Much Pressure that schools need to focus more on education instead of grades or else students will cheat to achieve high grades. The schools’ emphasis on GPA rather than the students’ education is horrifying; so much depends on the GPA that students are willing to risk their integrity and cheat to improve their grades. In an environment where cheaters often get the best GPA in the school, cheating becomes an accepted practice. It does not matter if the students understand the material at all; the ultimate measure is their final grade. This heavy emphasis on grades over education compromises the students’ ability to work independently and to rely on their own capabilities. To maintain high grades, many students will often resort to copying other students’ work rather than risking a lower GPA. Cheating under pressure becomes the norm for many students.  However, if the emphasis on GPA is removed, there is no reason for students to cheat. Rather, they can focus on learning and developing instead of concentrating on just getting high grades.  Cheating is a dishonorable aspect of a student’s life, but the amount of pressure on students to get extraordinary grades is so immense that many of them are willing to take that risk.

SKILL: Persuasion

Persuasion is very hard, but can be easy. By utilizing a topic that everybody can relate to, it becomes easier for the reader to have an emotional attachment to the essay. Making that connection between the argument and reader is important because without it, the writer would have a very hard time persuading the reader their argument. Furthermore, the usages of strong diction like cheat, horrifying, final, etc. grab the reader’s attention thus keeping them interested in the topic. By following those rules, writers can write an excellent persuasion essay.

 

America’s Hardships: Providing Opportunities to Grow

A quick look at newspaper headlines today reveals the state of America and the sentiments of her people. Headlines such as “Severe Hardships, Dashed Hopes” and “Facing Hardship, Jobless Go Without” are bolded on the front pages of the New York Times and Washington Post, highlighting the troubling conditions in which Americans are currently living. Hardship seems to be a theme of this era, but distressing events and challenging adversities are not new; in fact, Americans have endured hardships throughout their history. The reality is that Americans have always faced privations.

 In discussing the impact of these adversities on America, people disagree about whether America has been helped or harmed from these experiences. While some conclude that the nation has been irreversibly harmed by them, others remain convinced that many of America’s most prominent accomplishments have their genesis in her darkest tragedies, such as the Great Depression and the 9/11 Attacks in New York City. Regardless of the degree to which America has been altered, most can agree that some of these hardships have irrevocably affected Americans and offered opportunities to learn from the challenges, transform from the lessons, and emerge as a stronger, more unified nation.

From her beginning, America was divided. Due to their different political and religious beliefs, the colonies were disconnected from each other, seldom cooperating to find collective solutions to common problems. The conflict between the colonies was so pronounced that, despite the common threat of attacks from the French and Native Americans, they were unable to unite to defend themselves, resulting in heavy casualties and property losses (Kennedy 117). Great Britain capitalized on this disunity to assert its power over the colonies and continued to refuse them direct government representation.  In 1774, in a show of absolute power, the British Parliament passed the Intolerable Acts, a series of laws designed to punish the colonists who resisted paying British taxes, reaffirm British rule over the colonies, and crush colonial resistance to British rule (”The Intolerable Acts”). The British intended to use these laws to finally and conclusively subdue the colonists.

However, these laws were so punitive that instead of intimidating the colonists, they made apparent how little power or representation the colonists had and thus brought them together. Although many of the Intolerable Acts were aimed at punishing Massachusetts, other colonists viewed them as threats to their own liberties and rights (Kennedy 136-137). This perceived threat galvanized the colonists to put aside their differences and unite to fight for their independence. Using Benjamin Franklin’s cartoon, “Join, or Die,” which showed a snake cut into eight pieces, each labeled with the initial of a colony, the Patriots urged colonial unity against the British (Franklin). This image appealed to the colonial belief that a dismembered snake would come back to life if the pieces were put together (Franklin). Its message to the colonies was clear: the colonies as separate, divided entities had little or no power against the British unless they united to form a more powerful whole. Failure to do so meant the colonies would forever remain helpless in the face of Great Britain’s demands or worse, fail to survive.

Other respected colonists also urged colonial unity against British rule. Patrick Henry, a lawyer, appealed to his fellow colonists in March 1775 to arm in defense against the British by stating:

“There is no longer any room for hope. If we wish to be free-- if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending--if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained--we must fight!” (Henry)

Henry passionately reminded the colonists that the British had disregarded their petitions requesting basic rights, leaving them with only one stark way - war - to escape the tyranny of Great Britain. His exhortation, “we must fight!” not only underscored the oppression under British rule with its arbitrary laws, but also the political and diplomatic impotence of the colonists. 

Colonial resistance to the Intolerable Acts led to the American Revolution and ultimately America’s independence from Great Britain. Although America won the war, some historians believe that in the break from British rule, the colonists incurred a big loss, giving up the British military and

economic protections. However, the sacrifices that were made in America’s fight for independence were ultimately beneficial and, at the very least, mitigated by the perceived loss because the colonists gained autonomy over both their government and economy, giving rise to a self-reliant national character. Furthermore, the colonists formed a united, democratic nation, bound together by the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution that they collectively wrote. These documents, which continue to be the bedrock of American government and law today, illustrate America’s initial and continued commitment to personal liberties and a unified democratic government.

Although the Constitution formed the basis for democracy and civil liberties in America, they protected only white males. While America remained a physically united nation, it hosted separate political strata for men and women. Nearly a century after the American Revolution, women, unlike “every male, native or foreign born, white or black, ignorant or otherwise, drunk or sober, self-supporting or a pauper” (Ketcham), were not allowed to vote, despite the 14^th Amendment, which provided equal rights to former slaves, and the 15^th Amendment, which furthered the voting rights of men. This disenfranchisement denied women a political identity and voice, essentially making them non-citizens with no power to determine their political, economic and social standings. Furthermore, it meant that women did not enjoy the basic protections and personal freedoms promised by the Constitution.  

In 1873, Susan B. Anthony, a prominent suffragist, used Constitutional principles to argue that “women deserved the same rights and responsibilities as men because women and men were ‘created equal’" (“The Fight for Women's Suffrage”). As she noted, “It was we, the people; not we, the white male citizens; nor yet we, the male citizens; but we, the whole people, who formed this Union” (“Women's Suffrage in America”). Anthony’s use of democratic principles as compelling justifications for women’s suffrage showed that continuing to deny women the same basic right to vote solely on the basis of their gender was to perpetuate an unjust and exclusionary system which denied women the very rights of citizenship the Constitution guaranteed. Although Anthony’s argument did not change the law at the time, her use of, “We, the people” stirred public support and appealed to ordinary Americans.

Nearly fifty years later in 1920, after a long and hard-won struggle by the suffragists and their supporters, Congress ratified the 19^th Amendment allowing women the right to vote. Although, as critics of the Amendment argued, this newfound power of women increased divorce rates and dysfunctional families and loosened the strict moral standards of that time (Kennedy 788), it played a greater positive role in society. Women’s suffrage forced the country to re-examine the role of women in society and to address the morality of denying a class of citizens the rights guaranteed by the Constitution. In response, the country united to ensure that women were finally enfranchised into the political and economic systems, empowering them with greater autonomy over their lives and enabling true political representation.

Less than a decade after the 19^th Amendment was passed, America suffered one of the most catastrophic events in her history. The Great Depression plunged the country into a devastating economic crisis, causing huge inflation. Life savings vanished as banks failed; mass unemployment was rampant as businesses and factories closed; and people lost their homes as they became unable to pay their mortgages (“Year of Hardship”). Even farmers were hard hit as the price of crops fell and droughts persisted, resulting in many farmers losing their only means of livelihood.

As a result of the economic catastrophe, people were financially and psychologically devastated. Despair was widespread, and Americans lost confidence in the government due to its inability to stabilize the economy. America fell apart in the face of adversity. After the election of President Franklin Roosevelt and the introduction of the New Deal, his social, economic and regulatory programs to combat the effects of the Great Depression, Americans became optimistic once again. They responded to Roosevelt’s confident leadership, regular radio broadcasts to the nation known as “fireside chats” (Kennedy 829), and assurance that "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself" (Kennedy 832). Roosevelt’s short and long term action plans demonstrated that the government had regained control of the crisis, giving the nation the impetus it needed to renew its confidence in America and her ability to

improve her future. The nation finally came together to end the cycle of psychological paralysis and anxiety that had infected America.

Although America was able to turn the economy around largely due to the economic boom resulting from its entry into World War II, the effects of the Great Depression had changed America as a nation. Though its critics contend that the New Deal programs steered America towards socialism and created a culture of entitlement, most people agree that, as a result of these programs, the government assumed greater responsibility for regulating the economic systems and providing social and economic assistance to its neediest citizens (Kennedy pp. 847-849). This, in turn, led to less emphasis on the individual and more on community and collaboration. This change in the role of government in the lives of the American people - and the resulting change in society’s attitude - indelibly altered America, changes that are experienced even today in social programs like Medicare and Social Security. However, by coming together to address one of its biggest challenges, America once again demonstrated that, by uniting as a nation, she could adapt to meet and overcome great adversity.

After World War II ended in 1945, America competed for global power against the Soviet Union.  Due to the rapid rise of communism in Europe and Asia, Americans believed it was their duty to protect democracy (Kennedy 931-934). “The attitude toward the Communist ranges all the way from the fanatic witch hunters down to the statement made by Mr. Stassen last Monday night when he said flatly that there was no place on any public payroll for a Communist” (Nathanson). A national paranoia, known as the Red Scare, soon ensued in America when Senator Joseph McCarthy declared that over two hundred communists had infiltrated the U.S. government, increasing fears that the American way of life was threatened.  This growing paranoia heightened people’s suspicions of each other and destroyed relationships as people accused family members, neighbors and friends of being communists, often with little or no evidence. “Two teaching assistants, Eugene Bluestein and Jules Chametzky, were accused of being Communists in 1954. A university board of inquiry cleared them of these charges but a cloud of suspicion continued to hover over them” (Nathanson). Like Bluestein and Chametzky, the accused often suffered devastating personal and professional outcomes as many of them lost their jobs and reputations.

Although McCarthy’s accusations were later proved untrue, Americans’ fear of communism and the Soviet Union persisted. Moreover, this fear was intensified by the reality that the Soviet Union had nuclear weapons and was willing to use them against the United States. The Cuban Missile Crisis, which became one of the defining moments of the Cold War, occurred after the Soviet Union began building nuclear missile bases in Cuba that were able to strike most of the United States (Weeks). Although the resulting standoff ended diplomatically, it became a part of everyday American life to prepare for a Soviet nuclear attack. The fear of a nuclear attack was so great that many people often spent their days in lead-lined suits and masks designed to prevent radiation leakage. Schools and communities instituted regular drills called “Duck and cover” to practice nuclear attack responses (Weeks). Americans were convinced that they would experience a nuclear attack; these practices gave them a sense of control.

The American fear of communism and Soviet nuclear attacks led to psychological and emotional stress for many Americans. Like Bluestein and Chametzky, many Americans were wrongly accused of being communists and shunned from society, resulting in the destruction or stagnation of their careers. Despite the on-going debate around who was responsible for the Cold War, most people agree that America benefitted as the ensuing research and development resulted in the creation of better medical technologies such as life support bags and medical imaging technology and the establishment of a national standard for safety drills that included nuclear warnings and alarms. More importantly, the Cuban Missile Crisis promoted and demonstrated the power of diplomacy as the Soviet Union and America were able to negotiate through an extremely tense nuclear standoff without going to war, creating an era of American diplomacy as a political power to be exhausted before military intervention. Although the Red Scare had turned Americans against each other, in the face of the greater threat of nuclear war, they were, once again, able to rise above their fears and come together to form a unified plan of action and response. 

This peace did not last long. On September 11, 2001 (9/11), America was attacked by Al Qaeda on its home soil at the Twin Towers in New York City and the Pentagon outside of Washington, DC. “The images of mangled planes, buildings and bodies slowly faded from the news coverage...But the concrete reality - and enormous silence - of that empty sky broke through the façade” (Cameron).  9/11 was so dramatic, unexpected, and shockingly real that America was both physically and emotionally devastated, shattered and shocked. The sense of security that Americans had always taken for granted was irretrievably gone. Everyone was a potential target, and “a substantial number of Americans suffered a lost sense of personal safety and security” (Traugott). Americans lived in daily fear of their vulnerability – that they could be attacked anywhere, anytime – at school, at work, at home.

Addressing the security challenges presented by 9/11 was particularly difficult as America needed to find a balance between its desire for greater security and upholding its laws and civil liberties. In October 2001, America passed the Patriot Act to strengthen domestic security and “to deter and punish terrorist acts in the United States and around the world, to enhance law enforcement investigatory tools, and other purposes” (“USA Patriot Act”). While many believed that the Patriot Act violated the individual freedoms of the Constitution, others dismissed those concerns in favor of the potential protection that the Patriot Act offered. After much debate, Congress amended the Patriot Act to include certain civil liberties safeguards, resulting in a better balance between national security and personal rights (“USA Patriot Act”). Although the dialogue still continues about how best to defend America against another terrorist attack, most Americans agree that, even during times of adversity such as these, it is critical not to lose sight of who we are as a nation and the principles we represent. Although 9/11 instilled an immense sense of helplessness and psychological stress on the American psyche, Americans proved, once again, to be resilient under adversity as they worked together to strike a balance between defending themselves and protecting the principles America is based on.

Great adversity tests a nation’s fortitude, ultimately revealing the true character of its people. Beginning with Britain’s 1774 Intolerable Acts and continuing through Women’s Suffrage, the Great Depression, the Red Scare and into the 9/11 attacks of the 21st century, Americans have endured great emotional, physical and economic suffering. With each adversity, Americans have been presented with the unavoidable choice of either allowing themselves to be overwhelmed by the challenge or uniting to find a collective solution. Over the centuries, their resiliency was revealed through the repeated triumph in the face of adversities - exemplified by the creation of a Constitution guaranteeing the right of individual freedoms and rights as well as the heated debates and ensuing revisions to the Patriot Act protecting civil liberties. It is true that America has been greatly injured by its adversities, as demonstrated by the considerable ethical wavering revealed at the time of the Red Scare. Yet, these injuries, although great, have been demonstrated by history to be both surmountable and recoverable. Although the dialogue continues about the extent to which America has been transformed, most Americans concur that the challenges faced have provided invaluable opportunities for her to learn, adapt and grow. From its earliest existence, America has learned the benefits of facing each challenge as a unified nation. As such, America has continued to evolve with each adversity, using lessons learned to develop into the country of hope and promise we share today.

Works Cited

Cameron, Scott. “When the Distant Tragedy of Sept. 11 Became Personal.” Blog of the Nation. NPR, 4 Sept. 2011. Web. 24 Mar. 2012. <http://www.npr.org>.

“Feminism and Women’s Rights.” Women’s Suffrage in America. HubPages, n.d. Web. 31 May 2012. <http://oldskool903.hubpages.com>.

“The Fight for Women’s Suffrage.” History.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 May 2012. <http://www.history.com//‌the-fight-for-womens-suffrage>.

Franklin, Benjamin. “Join or Die!” Cartoon. Archiving Early America. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2012. <http://www.earlyamerica.com>.

Henry, Patrick. “Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death.” American History. ABC-CLIO, 23 Mar. 1775. Web. 18 Mar. 2012. <http://abc-clio.com>.

“The Intolerable Acts.” ushistory. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 May 2012. <http://www.ushistory.org///.htm>.

Kennedy, David M, Lizabeth Cohen, and Thomas A Baily. The American Pageant. 14th ed. 2006. Boston: Cengage Learning, 2010. Print.

Ketcham, Emily Burton. “ARE WOMEN CITIZENS AND PEOPLE?” A Celebration of Women Writers. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 May 2012. <http://digital.library.upenn.edu////‌ketcham.html>.

Nathanson, Iric. “The Oppenheimer Affair: Red Scare in Minnesota.” Minnesota History. By Iric Nathanson. 172-186. JSTOR. Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2007. Web. 10 Mar. 2012. <http://www.jstor.org>.

Traugott, Michael, et al. “How Americans Responded: A Study of Public Reactions to 9/‌11.” N.d. PDF file.

 “USA PATRIOT Act.” FinCEN. Financial Crimes Enforcement Network and United States Dept of the Treasury, n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2012. <http://www.fincen.gov>.

Weeks, Linton. “Living In The Atomic Age: Remember These Images?” The Picture Show. NPR, 17 Mar. 2011. Web. 17 Mar. 2012. <http://www.npr.org>.

     TYPE: Research

The American Experience research paper is an example of excellent research because it utilizes all different kinds of research and is well integrated into the essay. The sources range from websites to textbooks and blogs to PDF’s. Furthermore, the structure helps balance the paper. In the body paragraphs, the direct quote gives the paper credit while the analysis, which directly follows the quote, argues the writers point of view while using the quote as support. The usage of different sources supporting the writer’s analysis only furthers the many different credits promoting the writers argument.

                                                      My Writing Over Time

Over the course of four quarters, my writing has improved greatly. In the beginning, I could dish out a decent essay that could support my argument. However, what I truly lacked was the finishing touches to a five star entrée, context and organization. I would have amazing examples in my essays but the essay would either not flow properly or my analysis was insufficient. Currently, my writing is more analytical. I learned how to think the “So What” and am having fewer problems writing my introduction by using SOAPSTONE. Also, by knowing how to incorporate different types of rhetoric, my writing is more interesting and less formulaic.