Age and the Application Process Youth Considerations COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog

Age and the Application Process Youth Considerations COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog I apologize in advance for the length of this entry, however I think it is important as the questions addressed come up quite frequently.   I wrote it while on a long train ride recently.   If you are still in school or have less than two years of work experience, this entry should provide some helpful information and insight. Each application season one of the most common inquires we receive is something along the lines of the following: “I see that your Web site notes that the average age of a new student at SIPA is 27 but I am young and motivated and wish to apply to your program.   I believe that I am a wonderful fit for SIPA and have performed well in school and have participated in activities outside the classroom.   Can you provide advice on how as a young applicant I can put together a competitive application?   Further, as a younger applicant, is it worth my time to apply to your program?” This question is often accompanied by a résumé, a list of activities/accomplishments, or a personal story about commitment to the intended field of study. Let me start by stating that the Admissions Committee looks for the same thing all applicants, regardless of age.   We seek to answer two basic questions when reading applications: 1)      Is the applicant prepared/capable of performing well in our rigorous curriculum? 2)      Is the applicant a good fit for our program?   This roughly breaks into whether the application as a whole provides a clear idea of what an applicant wants from our program, what s/he will add to our program, and the contribution s/he hopes to make after leaving our program. Our goal is to admit applicants who are able to address the points above in a convincing manner, regardless of age.   However, to provide some context let me elaborate on some of the characteristics concerning our typical applicant pool.   Roughly 70% of those that apply to our program are 25 years of age or older.   These individuals usually have 2-3 years worth of full time work experience. Those who are able to focus full time on work after leaving school have a few things in their favor.   One is the ability to contribute professional experience to the classroom environment at SIPA.   In a professional program like ours, faculty will often ask students to integrate their personal experience into classroom work and assignments.   Two, full time work helps individuals to learn more about what they want to do, and equally as important, what they do not wish to do.   Thus, applications from those who have been out of school for a few years allow an applicant to speak from experience and not just desire and short term experiences such as internships. Because of the value of experience, applicants that apply during their senior year of college or those with little work experience certainly increase the chance of being admitted if the résumé shows a history of interesting experiences.   To state it another way, we are looking for applicants that are unusually mature compared to others in the same age group.   Examples of such experience/abilities can include: Internships Volunteer Work Student Leadership Study Abroad or time spent working/volunteering abroad The ability to speak multiple languages Focused academic/professional projects A gap year between high school and college, or during college In sum, we are looking for experiences outside of the classroom that help to demonstrate maturity and focus and as a result will create a rich learning environment at SIPA.   Just as our students wish to learn from faculty members with experience, our faculty look for students who will be able to create synergy in the classroom and increase the value of group projects that are integrated into our curriculum. Regarding preparation for our core curriculum, we do pay particular attention to quantitative training/experience.   The reason for this is that our core curriculum requires a full year of economics, a quantitative analysis class, and a financial management course.   We feel that in order to succeed in these courses, applicants need some previous experience or demonstrated ability with quantitative methods.   This can be demonstrated through coursework, professional experience, and standardized testing.   Courses in the following areas can help to demonstrate quantitative competence: Mathematics Statistics Quantitative Analysis Economics Science/Engineering coursework Some younger applicants will also ask about the relevance of academic major/minor.   The Admissions Committee is more concerned with fit and competence than academic major, but it is true that young applicants with a major that is seemingly unrelated to the proposed field of study at SIPA face stronger scrutiny in the admission process.   Thus, young applicants with a major that is somewhat related to the proposed field of study at SIPA are more likely to receive favorable consideration by the Committee. Let me address a few other common follow up questions from younger applicants. “Is it possible for you to tell me my chance of being admitted by reviewing my materials before I apply?” We are unable to tell anyone their chance of being admitted because the admission process is relative.   Each year hundreds of applicants apply and thus the pool is different each year.   There is also turnover in the Admission Committee each year.   The best thing you can do is closely review our FAQ page and put together the most competitive application possible. A competitive application is one where all of the parts fit together.   By this I mean your personal statement, letters of recommendation, résumé, etc. should all combine to tell the story of why an education at SIPA will allow you to accomplish your goals and how your experience to date has prepared you to succeed in our program. As a younger applicant, is it worth my time to apply? In one sense there is never a bad time to apply to SIPA.   If you think you are ready and you want to go for it, nothing should stop you.   One reason I say this is that the Admission Committee does not look down upon or penalize applicants that are denied who choose to reapply at a later time.   As a matter of fact, the Committee sometimes encourages applicants that are denied to reapply at a later time.   Admission to SIPA in quite competitive and often times the Committee will encourage applicants to pursue additional experience or coursework and reapply. Do you treat domestic and international applicants differently in the admissions process? Just like the Admissions Committee looks for the same qualifications in an applicant regardless of age, we look for the same things regardless of whether a student is domestic or international.   Of course applicants that do not speak English as a native language must submit an English langauge test result.   The Committee also understands that domestic applicants may achieve higher scores on the GRE.   This is one reason we do not publish average GRE scores.   Each applicant is different and we do not have any GPA or test cutoffs or recommendations. Many international applicants will also state something like the following: I think the Committee should understand that in my country a Masters degree is required to apply for jobs, and yet your program prefers applicants to have professional experience.   It is hard for me to get professional experience in my country without a graduate degree.   Does the Committee take this into consideration? The Committee does understand that this “Catch 22” exists, however we are concerned most with creating the best learning environment possible at SIPA. Our advice is to try to get as much experience as you can outside the classroom while pursuing your undergraduate degree. In the end please realize that the Committee does not set a limit on the number of people we will admit from certain age groups.   We simply look for the most qualified applicants.   The reality is that the majority of those that apply have experience and it is thus statistically more difficult for those with little or no experience to gain admission.   Each year 5-10% of those that enroll in our program do come directly from college so a small percentage is able to convince the Committee of preparedness for our program. If you feel you are ready, please do apply.   There is no downside to doing so because we will not penalize you if you choose to reapply at a later time.

Leadership Styles And Finding The Right One For You

Leadership Styles and Finding the Right One for You There are many forms of leadership styles in the workplace. According to Gardner, â€Å"leadership is how one can persuade another to pursue the leaders or corporations goal or objective (Gardner, 1996). In this paper, I will explore and compare various leadership styles. Furthermore, I will determine what I believe are the most important aspects of the different leadership styles. In addition, I will identify what my leadership styles are along the way and how it fits into my nursing profession. There have been many forms of leadership styles studied over the years. For example, the most common and frequent leadership forms discussed throughout my research are autocratic, democratic,†¦show more content†¦Often threats, force, or intimidation are used by the autocratic leader toward employees to get results. In contrast, the laissez-faire is a leader who basically takes a back seat and has a hands-off approach. With this style, changes are rare and if a change needs to be made, it is done only after the fact and then quality control is known to suffer too. Due to the ever-changing role of the nursing profession, I cannot imagine how any of the leadership styles previously discussed would be appropriate for application in today’s nursing practice. Transformational leadership is the most frequently used framework of leadership styles to achieve excellence in nursing practice. The evolved model of leadership includes transformational leadership and the â€Å"components are behaviors of building trust, demonstrating integrity, inspiring others and coaching† (Penprase, 2010). This concept shows the advocacy and support of the staff’s beliefs, values, as well as behaviors. Transformational leadership style differs from the autocratic and laissez-faire styles; however, it is similar to the democratic style of leadership. The democratic and transformational leader urges and expects open communication amid everyone, and seeks staff involvement at various levels. Everyone is held accountable, which in turn builds trust and integrity. The leader can be seen as a coach; their role is to build trust amongst the team and inspire others. Transformational

The Communist Manifesto By Karl Marx Essay - 1426 Words

Karl Marx is undoubtedly one the most influential and controversial writers in modern history; Robert Tucker, a noted political scientist at Princeton University, once asserted, â€Å"[Marx] profoundly affected ideas about history, society, economics, ideology, culture, and politics [and] about the nature of social inquiry itself. No other intellectual influence has so powerfully shaped the mind of modern left-wing radicalism in most parts of the world.† (9). Indeed, his innumerable works, in particular, the Manifesto of the Communist Party, inspired political upheaval and violent uprisings which, to this day, continue to influence the structure of governments and society in countries around the world. The theory behind â€Å"The Communist Manifesto† is a simple one: â€Å"The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles†Ã¢â‚¬â€ but, Marx believes, history could take a new direction if guided by the disinterested equalizing force o f communism. In the first chapter of his great manifesto, Marx argues that as the bourgeoisie, motivated by ruthless capitalism and industrialization, accrued more and more wealth, the proletariat would gain class consciousness and move from being a class in itself to a class for itself; in essence, the growth of capitalism would paradoxically be its own undoing. In order to understand this paradox of capitalism’s success, it is first helpful to trace the development of the bourgeoisie and the birth of the proletariat. As previouslyShow MoreRelatedKarl Marx And The Communist Manifesto1044 Words   |  5 Pagesworld was forever changed when Karl Marx published The Communist Manifesto, the ideas of a stateless and classless society would inspire many, and forge the path that many nations would follow, and give rise to numerous conflicts throughout the 20th century. Karl Marx was born in Trier, Germany on May 5th 1818. During his early years he studied philosophy and law, in 1834 Marx had moved to Paris and had adopted a radical view of socialism known as communism. Marx met and became friends with aRead MoreThe Communist Manifesto By Karl Marx1364 Words   |  6 PagesThe Communist Manifesto, written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, has become one of the world s most significant pieces of political propaganda written to this date. The main contributor to the book was Karl Marx. Marx was born on May 5th, 1818 in Western Germany. When he turned seventeen he enrolled at the University of Bonn to study law. Due to his social misbehavior, his father had him transferred to the University of Berlin, which had a stricter regime. During this time at college, heRead MoreKarl Marx And The Communist Manifesto1185 Words   |  5 PagesIn their work called The Communist Manifesto, which was created in 1848, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels are exploring their ideas and thoughts on the situation that was taking place in their time : the distinction that was more and more visible between two social classes - proletariat and bourgeoisie. The two authors are explaining how the bourgeoisie is exploiting the working class. They are encouraging the oppressed workers to rise and to confront this injustice in order to make their life betterRead MoreThe Communist Manifesto By Karl Marx1094 Words   |  5 Pagesthe rich and the o ppressed would battle the oppressor. During the time â€Å"The Communist Manifesto† was written, we can see two distinct classes battling out as well. These two classes are the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. According to Karl Marx in â€Å"The Communist Manifesto†, the battle will end â€Å"either in a revolutionary reconstitution of society at large, or in the common ruin of the contending classes† (Marx 8). Marx argues that in the end the proletariat would remain because the bourgeoisie areRead MoreKarl Marx And The Communist Manifesto1112 Words   |  5 PagesFail- Past, Present, and Future Karl Marx was born in Prussia in 1818. Later in his life he became a newspaper editor and his writings ended up getting him expelled by the Prussian authorities for its radicalism and atheism (Perry 195). He then met Fredrich Engels and together they produced The Communist Manifesto in 1848, for the Communist League. This piece of writing basically laid out Marx’s theory of history in short form (Coffin 623). The Communist Manifesto is mainly revolved around how societyRead MoreThe Communist Manifesto By Karl Marx Essay1374 Words   |  6 PagesKarl Marx is undoubtedly one the the most influential and controversial writers in modern history; Robert Tucker, a noted political scientist at Princeton University, once asserted, â€Å"[Marx] profoundly affected ideas about history, society, economics, ideology, culture, and politics [and] about the nature of social inquiry itself. No other intellectual influence has so powerfully shaped the mind of modern left-wing radicalism in most parts of the world.† (9). Indeed, his innumerable works, in particularRead MoreThe Communist Manifesto By Karl Marx1678 Words   |  7 PagesThe Communist Manifesto composed by Karl Marx in 1848 is noted as a standout amongst the most powerful political archives on the planet. The distribution of the book earned Marx the notoriety of a conspicuous humanist and political scholar. Regardless of his eminence, there are numerous discussions concerning the thoughts and ideas of socialism figured in the papers that are still heatedly faced off regarding even today. Marx (1998) opened the book with, The historical backdrop of all up to thisRead MoreKarl Marx And The Communist Manifesto1453 Words   |  6 PagesIn the Communist Manifesto, a document that first proclaimed the ideology of communism itself, Marx declared that the â€Å"history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles† (Marx, Karl and Frederick Engels). As a man who spurred resentm ent of governments and inspired revolutionaries, Karl Marx is often regarded as a man who led to the rise of 20th century tyrannical dictators such as Stalin and Mao to take power. His ideas are regarded as failures and, by some, are seen asRead MoreKarl Marx And The Communist Manifesto993 Words   |  4 PagesKarl Marx published The Communist Manifesto in 1848, and with it a public warning to capitalists that the entire economic, social and political systems would soon crumble. His prediction continues by stating where society was headed as a result of bourgeoisie economics: a revolution by the workers and the eventual ushering in of socialism. Soon after Marx publicized the reasons communism would come to conquer capitalism, riots, strikes and general unrest surfaced in France – just as he predictedRead MoreKarl Marx And The Communist Manifesto Essay1691 Words   |  7 PagesKarl Marx (1818-1883), in collaboration with his benefactor and friend, Friedrich Engels (1820-18 95), founded the Marxist Theory. Both men were philosophers, however were referred to as revolutionaries. ‘The Communist Manifesto’, was written collaboratively by both Marx and Engels, as they explored the argument that â€Å"history and progress can be seen dialectically as societies shift from one mode of production to another†. This will be argued through a contextual account of Marxism, its development

How Prisons Can Save Money Free Essays

How Prisons Can Save Money On July 10th, 2003, a fire was started just east of Farmington Utah. The fire consumed over 2000 acres of land, threatened dozens of homes, and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to fight. The following day a thirty three year old man named Josef Heinz Bruhl confessed to starting the blaze, when asked for his motives he said it was to because he wanted to be sent to prison. We will write a custom essay sample on How Prisons Can Save Money or any similar topic only for you Order Now Now I’m not trying to suggest that anybody with normal mental capacity would ever do something like this, obviously this guy has problems. But the fact that anybody would ever want to go to jail to better there situation says volumes on what is wrong with our prison system. Part of the problem is that each year the government spends about 25,000 dollars per inmate per year (in 2007), someone with a life sentence costs about 1. 5 million dollars, and it ends up costing over 30 billion dollars each year most of which falls onto us, the tax payers. This is because people that are put into prison aren’t doing enough and they can basically just sit around all day if they want to. They get a bed to sleep in, three square meals a day, television (usually with cable), a recreation room, and many other things that they can waste their time doing as they wait out their sentence. I’m not trying to say that prison is all peaches and cream, but we could do a lot to make prison a much less inviting place. By doing so we could save the government millions, if not billions of dollars. Prison needs to be a deterrent not just a consequence for breaking the law. It should be the last place anybody would ever want to go. And rather than just â€Å"doing your time† you should literally be â€Å"paying your debt to society†. First off the prisons need to start making cuts. Prison needs to become less of a waiting area where people pass the time watching T. V. waiting for their return to the real world. We could start be cutting the cable cord, prisoners shouldn’t be allowed to enjoy a luxury that many in the country don’t have. A few states have decided that cable is fine as long as the prisoner or their family pay for it. States could generate a lot of profit by charging more for these services than what the cable company is already charging. Also prisons are employing people that they don’t really need. Right now the state of Washington is offering three jobs for a Recreation and Athletics Specialist. This position pays around 3,500 dollars every month. If we could eliminate just two jobs like these from every prison the federal system alone would save over ten million dollars annually. The last thing these people need is some P. E. eacher setting up some basketball game between two rival gangs, I’m sure they’ll manage on there own. The Department of Corrections needs to continue using the prisons to save money in other branches of the government. Right now prisoners do a number of things to keep the inmates productive and occupied while providing them a small source of income. They do things such as make license plates, T. V. stands, chairs, and dressers. They cannot sell these items because it would compete with local business, but they give it to government buildings and the military. Prisoners also do a lot of community service especially with tasks like road clean-up that saves the community thousands of dollars. Another thing they could do is create gardens right next to the prison where inmates could grow their own food. Think of how much money a prison could save if they only had to buy half the fruits and vegetables that they are buying now. I’ve actually heard of one prison having a prison gift shop where people could buy things made at the prison. Another problem is that it’s hard to force inmates to work. We need to find a way to motivate these people to work for there one to two dollar an hour salary. I read that one prison is going to start charging for basic items such as toilet paper and toothpaste. Unfortunately members of the inmate’s family usually pay for these items, but if we were to not allow outside support we could almost guarantee that almost everyone would work. Just think of the dilemma that prisoners would have to face, they would have to decide if they don’t go to work they won’t get toilet paper, toothpaste, or deodorant. If it were me I would work, and it would probably deter people from crime by turning prison into more of a work camp than a waiting area. I’m sure there are plenty of other things we could do to start generating a profit in the prison system, we just need to start thinking of new more profitable ways we could use this work force. I had an accounting professor who once said that if you can’t generate a profit with free labor, you have a serious problem. We have a huge amount of people who work for next to nothing, let’s use this to our advantage. Now with all this money that the government could potentially save, besides going to lower the national deficit, they need to a lot of this money back into the public educational system. Right now the government spends about 1,600 dollars per student in the U. S. Only 47 percent of inmates have high school diplomas (in 2003). If we were to put more money into the schools we could better the situations of many people who would drop out and get out into the streets where they get involved in crime. So by better educating the people we have less crime because they can go out into the world and get better jobs and contribute to society. By doing this less people would go to jail and we would end up spending less money. Our prison system is out of control. We actually are letting people go so that we can fit others inside. Prison has to be the ultimate deterrent from crime, if it’s not then our prison system is literally failing. We need to decrease the amount of people coming back into jail, and we need to focus on keeping people off the streets in the first place. If people go to jail they need to learn there lesson and never want to come back again. I have a good friend who when she was little she had a serious biting problem. It became so bad that her dad went out to IFA one day and bought a cattle prod. After trying it on himself, to make sure it didn’t hurt to bad, he told his daughter that if she bit again she would get a taste of the cattle prod. Needless to say, she did it again and was cattle prodded, after one time she learned her lesson and she never bit again. Prison should be like that, after one stay in prison there should be no reason why you would want to go back to a life of crime, because prison should be the worst possible place in the world. If we could do these things we could keep people out of jail and we could you use the money to keep people out of jail rather than using it to keep people in. I know that this isn’t just about the money; we need to focus on the people, and making this country better for them and us. But I believe that if we do these things to save our money we can achieve the goal of helping our communities and society by keeping people out of prison. How to cite How Prisons Can Save Money, Papers

Native American Religious Beliefs Essays - Americas, Spirituality

Native American Religious Beliefs Through out history, historians have had the ability to pass on the knowledge of the past because of written documents and other forms of evidence that acknowledge the existence of past civilizations and cultures. When there are no written documents, whether lost or never created, it can be more difficult for historians to explain past civilizations. The Native Americans were a group that kept no written records. The information that we know today was passed down from generation to generation through oral traditions. Despite the information we have, there is much more that researchers don't know about because a considerable amount of information has either been lost or has been impossible to obtain. But from what we already know, historians can conclude there are common characteristics that seem to be shared by all of the Native Americans. I will also include the creation myth of the Osage Indians and the afterlife beliefs of the Lakota Sioux. Although there are many points of contrast, the beliefs of Native Americans are distinguished by some common characteristics (p.54 Nigosian). Some of these characteristics are that they all seem to believe in the existence of a high god or vital force along with lesser gods and spirits and that certain individuals possess sacred power and therefore can act as intermediaries between the tribe and the deities. In the ceremonies associated with ritual and initiation, they engaged in certain traditional rites that were designed to perpetuate the smooth operation of the natural order, including human society, and they all believed that by repeating stories or by storytelling they kept the world alive (p.54 Nigosian). Therefore, the Native Americans viewed life evolving around a holy force that holds all things together, which leads to the basic goal of staying in "harmony with all natural and supernatural powers (p.62 Nigosian)." This leads me to believe that the spirits they had for different aspects of nature and their environment were the primary deities they worshipped or venerated. "By and large, however, [Native Americans] believed that the aid of the high god may be propitiated by ritual action (p.62 Nigosian)." And in spite of disparities among regions, the majority of the Native Americans believed in the active roles of both good and evil spirits. Amid the good spirits are mythical such as "thunderbirds, as well as mountains, rivers, minerals, flint, and arrowheads." The evil spirits were "giant monsters, water serpents, tiny creatures that haunt woods and ponds, and the spirits of the dead that come to inflict pain, sorrow, or death (p.62 Nigosian)." Each tribe also had a "culture hero," whose job was to socialize the tribe. In opposition or contrast was the "antihero," or better known as the trickster. Another common feature of Native American traditions is creation myths. "In these imaginative stories, no distinctions are made among gods, spirits, the universe, nature, animals, and human beings. On the contrary, the stories imply a close mystical relationship binding each element (p.64 Nigosian)." Although the Native Americans had several types of creation stories, "the two most common themes are those of creation emerging out of chaos" and creation as a result of conflict between good and evil forces (p.64 Nigosian). The following is a basic gist of the Osage Indians'creation story. Once, the Osage Indians lived in the sky. Wanting to know their origin, they went to the sun. The sun told them that they were his children. Then they wandered about until they came to the moon. She told them that she had given birth to that and that the sun was the father. Then she told them to go settle on the earth. When they came to the earth, they found it covered with water. So they wept, because no on would answer them, and they couldn't return to their former place. While floating around in the air, they searched for help from a god but with no avail. The animals were there, too, and they appealed to the elk, the most finely and most stately. The elk then jumps into the water and calls for the wind, which then lifted up the water like a mist. The elk then provides land and food. As for the concept of an afterlife, it seems that Native Americans were not as concerned with the hereafter as they were with their immediate life. However, an afterlife was a common belief that varied with the different tribes. Here is an example, the afterlife belief of the Lakota Sioux. "The Lakota Sioux Indians have beliefs that are unique

Free Essays on Depression And Healthcare

Depression and Healthcare in Our Society â€Å"In any given 1-year period, 9.5 percent of the population, or about 18.8 million American adults, suffer from a depressive illness. The economic cost for this disorder is high, but the cost in human suffering cannot be estimated. Depressive illnesses often interfere with normal functioning and cause pain and suffering not only to those who have a disorder, but also to those who care about them. Serious depression can destroy family life as well as the life of the ill person. But much of this suffering is unnecessary†(NIMH). There are three main categories of depressive disorder such as: dysthymia, depression and bipolar depression (manic depression). Depression tends to be a chronic and recurring illness. Dysthymia unlike clinical depression tends to be milder persistent symptoms that may last for years. The third depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, cycles between extreme highs (manias) and major depressive episodes, bipolar being the least common of the three. Depression affects 15 percent of Americans at one point during their lives (NIMH). Depression has affected the lives of children, teenagers and adults throughout the world. Of all the other mental illnesses, depression is the most treatable, and most commonly diagnosed. Eighty percent of the symptoms of serious depression can be successfully alleviated. There are three common treatments for depression; psychotropic drugs, psychosocial therapies and electroconvulsive therapy. Even a combination of these can be very effective in treating individuals, so that they are able to move on and live productive lives. Another major misconception about depression is that anytime you are feeling sad, you are depressed. Depression is more than just feeling down, it is a persistent feeling for at least two weeks, with many physiological as well as emotional symptoms. Including at least five of the following: depressed mood, diminish... Free Essays on Depression And Healthcare Free Essays on Depression And Healthcare Depression and Healthcare in Our Society â€Å"In any given 1-year period, 9.5 percent of the population, or about 18.8 million American adults, suffer from a depressive illness. The economic cost for this disorder is high, but the cost in human suffering cannot be estimated. Depressive illnesses often interfere with normal functioning and cause pain and suffering not only to those who have a disorder, but also to those who care about them. Serious depression can destroy family life as well as the life of the ill person. But much of this suffering is unnecessary†(NIMH). There are three main categories of depressive disorder such as: dysthymia, depression and bipolar depression (manic depression). Depression tends to be a chronic and recurring illness. Dysthymia unlike clinical depression tends to be milder persistent symptoms that may last for years. The third depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, cycles between extreme highs (manias) and major depressive episodes, bipolar being the least common of the three. Depression affects 15 percent of Americans at one point during their lives (NIMH). Depression has affected the lives of children, teenagers and adults throughout the world. Of all the other mental illnesses, depression is the most treatable, and most commonly diagnosed. Eighty percent of the symptoms of serious depression can be successfully alleviated. There are three common treatments for depression; psychotropic drugs, psychosocial therapies and electroconvulsive therapy. Even a combination of these can be very effective in treating individuals, so that they are able to move on and live productive lives. Another major misconception about depression is that anytime you are feeling sad, you are depressed. Depression is more than just feeling down, it is a persistent feeling for at least two weeks, with many physiological as well as emotional symptoms. Including at least five of the following: depressed mood, diminish...

Significance of the Stono Rebellion

Significance of the Stono Rebellion The Stono Rebellion was the largest rebellion mounted by slaves against slave owners in colonial America. The Stono Rebellions location took place near the Stono River in South Carolina. The details of the 1739 event are uncertain, as documentation for the incident comes from only one firsthand report and several secondhand reports. White Carolinians wrote these records, and historians have had to reconstruct the causes of the Stono River Rebellion and the motives of the slaves participating from biased descriptions. The Rebellion On Sept. 9, 1739, early on a Sunday morning, about 20 slaves gathered at a spot near the Stono River. They had pre-planned their rebellion for this day. Stopping first at a firearms shop, they killed the owner and supplied themselves with guns. Now well-armed, the group then marched down a main road in St. Pauls Parish, located nearly 20 miles from Charlestown (today Charleston). Bearing signs reading Liberty, beating drums and singing, the group headed south for Florida. Who led the group is unclear; it might have been a slave named Cato or Jemmy. The band of rebels hit a series of businesses and homes, recruiting more slaves and killing the masters and their families. They burned the houses as they went. The original rebels may have forced some of their recruits to join the rebellion. The men allowed the innkeeper at Wallaces Tavern to live because he was known to treat his slaves with more kindness than other slaveholders. The End of the Rebellion After journeying for about 10 miles, the group of roughly 60 to 100 people rested, and the militia found them. A firefight ensued, and some of the rebels escaped. The militia rounded up the escapees, decapitating them and setting their heads on posts as a lesson to other slaves. The tally of the dead was 21 whites and 44 slaves killed. South Carolinians spared the lives of slaves they believed were forced to participate against their will by the original band of rebels. Causes The rebelling slaves were headed for Florida. Great Britain and Spain were at war (the War of Jenkins Ear), and Spain, hoping to cause problems for Britain, promised freedom and land to any British colonial slaves who made their way to Florida.   Reports in local newspapers of impending legislation may have also prompted the rebellion. South Carolinians were contemplating passing the Security Act, which would have required all white men to take their firearms with them to church on Sunday, presumably in case of unrest among a group of slaves broke out. Sunday had been traditionally a day when the slave owners set aside their weapons for church attendance and allowed their slaves to work for themselves. The Negro Act The rebels fought well, which, as historian John K. Thornton speculates, may have been because they had a military background in their homeland. The areas of Africa where they had been sold into slavery were experiencing intense civil wars, and a number of ex-soldiers found themselves enslaved after surrendering to their enemies. South Carolinians thought it was possible that the slaves African origins had contributed to the rebellion. Part of the 1740 Negro Act, passed in response to the rebellion, was a prohibition on importing slaves directly from Africa. South Carolina also wanted to slow the rate of importation down; African-Americans outnumbered whites in South Carolina, and South Carolinians lived in fear of insurrection. The Negro Act also made it mandatory for militias to regularly patrol to prevent slaves from gathering the way they had in anticipation of the Stono Rebellion. Slave owners who treated their slaves too harshly were subject to fines under the Negro Act in an implicit nod to the idea that harsh treatment might contribute to rebellion. The Negro Act severely restricted the lives of South Carolinas slaves. No longer could a group of slaves assemble on their own, nor could slaves grow their food, learn to read or work for money. Some of these provisions had existed in law before but had not been consistently enforced. Significance of the Stono Rebellion Students often ask, Why didnt slaves fight back? The answer is that they sometimes did. In his book American Negro Slave Revolts (1943), historian Herbert Aptheker estimates that over 250 slave rebellions occurred in the United States between 1619 and 1865. Some of these insurrections were as terrifying for slave owners as Stono, such as the Gabriel Prosser slave revolt in 1800, Veseys rebellion in 1822 and Nat Turners rebellion in 1831. When slaves were unable to rebel directly, they performed subtle acts of resistance, ranging from work slow-downs to feigning illness. The Stono River Rebellion is a tribute to the ongoing, determined resistance of African-Americans to the oppressive system of slavery. Sources Aptheker, Herbert. American Negro Slave Revolts. 50th Anniversary Edition. New York: Columbia University Press, 1993.Smith, Mark Michael. Stono: Documenting and Interpreting a Southern Slave Revolt. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press, 2005.Thornton, John K. African Dimensions of the Stono Rebellion. In A Question of Manhood: A Reader in U.S. Black Mens History and Masculinity, vol. 1. Ed. Darlene Clark Hine and Earnestine Jenkins. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1999.