Stonewall Jackson: Embodying the American Dream 10261999 1
Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson once said, “You may be whatever you resolve to be,” (Biography.com Editors). Many of the greatest men throughout history, including Stonewall Jackson, came from small beginnings, yet with perseverance, achieved their wildest dreams. Furthermore, many of these men were inspirational figures to others during his or her time; alike how Stonewall Jackson was idolized by many southerners due to being born with a family facing an uphill battle against death and poverty, but overpowered all odds and became a triumphant military general. However, Jackson was not only a successful general but also taught a variety of sciences and artillery tactics at VMI and
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Also, he did not allow others to prevent him from becoming an influential man of his time. For instance, Jackson was poorly educated due to his deprived upbringing, so when he attended the military institute, West Point that was based in New York, he was portrayed as a lesser man than the other cadets and was often heckled by other students since he was much older and his lack of schooling, but with determination, he graduated 17th in his class (Biography.com Editors). Without a doubt, Jackson would not have been such a compassionate, powerful man without having to battle his own adversities, so, if Jackson was born into a privileged family, he most likely would not have such endurance for problems that he would face on the battlefield nor benevolence for the common man, which created the bond between him and his men. Additionally, it would be unlikely for him to be as successful in the military without the personality he developed throughout his youth since he would not compose the relationship with his men due to lack of similarities and he would almost certainly not be as determined to become the greatest he can be for his men. Nonetheless, the challenges he faced at an early age caused him to only become tougher and provided him the ambition to achieve anything that he put his mind to. Next, Stonewall Jackson was a compassionate man who felt as if it
"If you fall behind, run faster. Never give up, never surrender, and rise up against all odds." That’s Jesse Jackson at one of his speeches in 1984, he went against all odds himself, overcame the risks and proved to America that color didn’t matter making him one of the most influential characters in American history. Jacksons rough childhood, bravery, and human rights activism is what I think it took to get the courage to do something as big and selfless as Jackson brought himself to do.
After his childhood in Virginia, Stonewall Jackson attended the United States Military Academy at West Point. He was not the first choice to be able to attend for his congressional unit, but the first applicant withdrew from the academy after his first day there. In June of 1846, Jackson
Famed Confederate General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson’s legacy is hardly easy to define. His is most remembered for cunning speed and brutality in battle and many consider him without equal. The same strategies Jackson used in the Shenandoah Valley campaign were scrutinized by both Rommel and Patton for inspiration in WWII. Jackson’s personal discipline carried over into his command. Although his men were often barefoot and near starvation, he pushed them forward into battle, not wishing to sacrifice the element of surprise. Many of his battles were actually waged on Sundays which contradicts Jackson’s steadfast devotion to Christianity that many attribute to fanaticism.
Andrew Jackson, unlike other politicians, didn’t grown up prestigious and wealthy from a political family. He gained his political status all on his own. Andrew Jackson, before his run in office, became a lawyer and later a planter;. He entered the War of 1812, and was considered a hero. After this, he dedicated a large part of his life to politics. He believed in things like majority rule, and equality among commoners. Andrew Jackson believed in ideas such as strong states, less of a federal government, and staying out of slavery issues. These characteristics were what set him apart from other aristocratic politicians during his time.
Although the “Age of Jackson” wasn’t a time era, which brought forth a great political, social, or economic freedom and equality to the U.S., it did in fact put our country through a metamorphosis in our political lives of the nation. The start of a new presidency (Jackson’s presidency) was accompanied by huge numbers of Hickoryites (Jacksonian supporters) and official hopefuls. Many of these hopefuls were granted their desire of holding office, which is one of the changes brought into Washington by Andrew Jackson.
Andrew Jackson wasn’t just a president, he was also a common man. Jackson was most famous because he believed in the common man, and that’s what he fought for and how he wanted to model the country. The common man started as almost the lowest of the system until Jackson helped them rise to be one of
Police brutality, or the general brutality towards black people, is not a new issue in America. Over 700 unarmed African-Americans were murdered in 2015 alone. Michelle Alexander argues in “The New Jim Crow” that the criminal-justice system in America has purposely been used as a means for oppressing black people after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed. In 1903, Hon. Frank Moss, a former police commissioner of New York City, published this paragraph:
Sure, there are lots of arguable points that conflict with whether or not Andrew Jackson was a “common man” or not. But, based on the abundance of facts that display Jackson’s morals, qualities, and feelings toward the wealthier men that controlled a lot of the government back then, it is obvious that he was a “common man”. Does the fact that he worked for what he wanted, and achieved it, take away from what he was and what he grew up being? Andrew Jackson was a common man with an uncommon
The Age of Jackson, from the 1820 's to the 1830 's, was a period of American history full of contradictions, especially in regard to democracy. The period saw an immense increase in voter participation, nominating committees replaced caucuses, and electors began to be popularly elected. Yet, all of these voting changes affected only a minority of the American people: White, Anglo-Saxon males. So, though one can easily tell that White, Anglo-Saxon males were gaining
First, Andrew Jackson was highly revered for his humble beginnings. Jackson was born on March 15,1767, in a region between North Carolina and South Carolina called Waxhaws. Born to Andrew and Elizabeth Hutchinson Jackson who were Irish colonists that emigrated to America in 1765. Jackson was born just three weeks after his father’s unexpected death (“Andrew Jackson Biography”). Jackson grew up in poverty in the Waxhaws wilderness, but received an irregular education before the Revolutionary War (Freidel). After one of his older brothers died in 1779, in the Battle of Stone Ferry, Jackson joined a community militia when he was only
America’s history is rich and full of countless heroes, scandals, and incredible stories. Perhaps one of the most interesting of those stories is that of Andrew Jackson’s. To some, he was a hero, but to others, he was their worst enemy. Being raised in the mountains of the Carolinas, he became the first “backcountry president” of the United States (Wilentz, 13). His fame, though, began years before his presidency.
The American Revolutionary War was now all around him and his two brothers. The effect it had on his life was devastating. He and his brothers joined the war to fight for the cause. Jackson was only thirteen years old. His brother Hugh soon died of heat stroke in Battle of Stono Ferry in 1779.
In 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. was thrown into jail due to participating in non-violent protests against racism and segregation in the city of Birmingham. There, he wrote the famous “Letter from the Birmingham Jail,” which became one of the most important letters in history of the American civil rights movement (Colaiaco 1). The open letter covered many points to King’s arguments for why the marches, protests, and other non-violent actions were necessary and justifiable. James Colaiaco analyzes the key components to the letter and the different ways Martin Luther King, Jr. used literary devices to form a well written argument.
In the past decades, the struggle for gay rights in the Unites States has taken many forms. Previously, homosexuality was viewed as immoral. Many people also viewed it as pathologic because the American Psychiatric Association classified it as a psychiatric disorder. As a result, many people remained in ‘the closet’ because they were afraid of losing their jobs or being discriminated against in the society. According to David Allyn, though most gays could pass in the heterosexual world, they tended to live in fear and lies because they could not look towards their families for support. At the same time, openly gay establishments were often shut down to keep openly gay people under close scrutiny (Allyn 146). But since the 1960s, people
Andrew Jackson’s life endured many different events that lead to his popularity among the people of America; one of his greatest achievements came in his campaign in the military, much in the event of the Battle of New Orleans in 1812. Andrew Jackson came out as a leader; one of the common people a farm-boy that had shown real leadership. The success at war against the British gave him true recognition after Battle of New Orleans had come to an end. The news had spread of success and freedom for