The Platt Amendment and US-Cuba Relations

The Platt Amendment set the conditions to end the United States military occupation of Cuba and was passed at the end of the Spanish-American War of 1898, which was fought over which country should oversee the governing of the island. The amendment was intended to create a path to Cuban independence while still allowing the U.S. to have an influence in its domestic and international politics. It was in effect from February 1901 until May 1934.   Historical Background Prior to the Spanish-American War, Spain had control over Cuba and was profiting greatly from its natural resources. There are two major theories as to why the U.S. entered war: promoting democracy abroad and gaining control of the island’s resources. First, the War of 1898 was popular with Americans because the government promoted it as a liberation war. Cubans and the well-known liberation force Cuba Libre began revolting against Spanish rule much earlier, in the 1880s. Additionally, the U.S. was already involved in conflicts with Spain throughout the Pacific in the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico, citing the European nation as an imperialist and undemocratic power. Therefore, some historians and politicians theorize that the war intended to promote democracy and extend the reach of the Free World, and the subsequent Platt Amendment was intended to provide a pathway to Cuban sovereignty. However, keeping Cuba in the U.S. sphere of influence had great economic and political benefits. In the 1980s, the U.S. was suffering one of the greatest economic depressions in its history. The island had tons of cheap tropical agricultural products that Europeans and Americans were willing to pay high prices for. Further, Cuba is only 100 miles from the southernmost tip of Florida, so keeping a friendly regime protected the nation’s national security. Using this perspective, other historians believe that the war, and by extension the Platt Amendment, was always about increasing American influence, not Cuban liberation. At the end of the war, Cuba wanted independence and self-government, whereas the United States wanted Cuba to be a protectorate, a region with a mix of local autonomy and foreign oversight. The initial compromise came in the form of the Teller Amendment. This stated that no country can permanently hold Cuba and a free and independent government will take over. This amendment was not popular in the U.S. because it seemingly barred the nation’s annexation of the island. Though President William McKinley signed the amendment, the administration still sought annexation. The Platt Amendment, signed in February 1901, followed the Teller Amendment to give the United States more oversight of Cuba. What the Platt Amendment Says The Platt Amendment’s primary stipulations were that Cuba became unable to enter into treaties with any foreign nation other than the U.S., the U.S. has a right to intervene if it is believed to be in the island’s best interest, and all conditions of the amendment must be accepted in order to end military occupation. While this was not the annexation of Cuba and there was a local government in place, the United States had much control over the island’s international relationships and domestic production of agricultural goods. As the United States continued to expand its influence throughout Latin American and the Caribbean, Latin Americans began to refer to this style of government oversight as â€Å"plattismo.† Long-Term Impact of the Platt Amendment The Platt Amendment and military occupation of Cuba is one of the leading causes of later conflict between the U.S. and Cuba. Opposition movements continued to expand across the island, and McKinley’s successor, Theodore Roosevelt, put a U.S.-friendly dictator named Fulgencio Batista in charge in hopes of countering the revolutionaries. Later, President William Howard Taft went as far as to say that independence would be completely out of the question if the Cubans continued to rebel. This only increased the anti-U.S. sentiment and propelled Fidel Castro to the Cuban Presidency with a communist-friendly regime after the Cuban Revolution.   Essentially, the legacy of the Platt Amendment is not one of American liberation, as the McKinley administration had hoped. Instead, it stressed and eventually severed the relationship between the U.S. and Cuba that has not normalized since. Sources Pà ©rez Louis A. The War of 1898: the United States and Cuba in History and Historiography. University of North Carolina, 1998.Boot, Max. The Savage Wars of Peace: Small Wars and the Rise of American Power. Basic Books, 2014.

Flowers.com, Inc And 99cent Only Stores, Which Company...

1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc VS 99Cent Only Stores; which company shall it be? After graduating college, it is time to choose a career, what will they do? Will they jump in and choose the first job that comes their way or will they carefully consider all options before accepting any opportunities. This essay will focus on comparing two companies; 1-800-FLOWERS.COM and 99Cent Only stores. Even though both companies share similar aspects the better company to work for would be the 99Cent only Store Inc. One of the things to consider important when looking for a job is all the opportunities the company has. â€Å"The Company s stores offer everyday consumable products and other household items, as well as seasonal items that are primarily priced at 99.99 Cents or less, it offers an assortment of regularly available products, as well as a range of closeout merchandise.† (99 Cents Only Stores: NYSE:NDN Quotes News - Google Finance) The company attracts mainly low-income families who are constantly looking to save money but also provide quality goods for their loved ones. Over the last few years’ customers started searching for organic products, 99Cent Only store recently started including organic produce at their stores so the company is ready for the growing demand for organic foods. (99 Cents Only Stores LLC.) 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc has its own opportunities include: online retail and the power of social networking â€Å"The online retail spending in the US is gro wing at a fast pace

Review of All the King’s Men Free Essays

The nature of Jack Burden`s journey from the `arid land of facts` to the `dream sea of ideas` is what the story is all about. It goes on to spell whether the journey undertaken by the hero is indeed a spiritual one or an attempt at self-discovery. An attempt has been made to explore the roots of this journey through Modernism (the breakdown of philosophical/moral consensus about the nature of things, the turn toward myth) and Neo-Romanticism (the search for a new unifying principle amid the fragmentations of Modernity/Scientific Materialism), the role of Willie Stark, Ellis Burden, Judge Irwin, and the hero’s journey through the turmoil and pleasures of life. We will write a custom essay sample on Review of All the King’s Men or any similar topic only for you Order Now The story revolves around the relationship between the themes of Death and Rebirth which occur in Jack’s journey through incidences of tragedy and beyond. It ends on a note of positivism, when the hero, Jack Burden, transforms himself from being a pawn to his roots in ancestral lineage. Literature Review ‘All the King’s Men’, is the story of the rise and fall of Willie Stark, a political titan in the Deep South, who during the 1930s rose from hardscrabble poverty to become the governor of his state, and ultimately it’s most powerful political figure. The story goes on to say how Willie, the anti-hero blackmails and bullies his enemies into submission, and using his good office institutes a radical series of liberal reforms which are designed to tax the rich and ease the burden of the state’s poor farmers. This leads to a conflict of personalities which includes the notable former governor, Sam MacMurfee, and other power mongers. Jack Burden, the scion of one of the state’s aristocratic dynasties, turns his back on his genteel upbringing, against the wishes of his well-wishers, which includes the influential Judge Irwin. Throwing caution to wind, Jack joins Willie on his journey to stardom, earning him the name as, Willie’s right hand. Willie takes advantage of Jack’s talent as a historical researcher to dig up the unpleasant secrets of his enemies, using this to blackmail and provocation. Cynical and lacking in ambition as he is, Jack walks away from many of his past interests; the dissertation of American History, and marriage to Anne Stanton, the daughter of a former governor of the state. The scene when Willie asks Jack to look for skeletons in the closet of Judge Irwin, Jack is forced to confront his ideas concerning consequence, responsibility, and motivation. He discovers that Judge Irwin had accepted a bribe, and that Governor Stanton, his would-be father-in-law, had covered it up, resulting in Judge Irwin’s suicide. The story then turns to another interesting episode of Adam Stanton, Anne’s brother, taking up the directorship of a new hospital being built by Willie. The vicious turn of events leads Willie to Anne, who unsuspectingly has an affair leading to his ultimate murder. Jack, with nothing to gain returns, an empty man. In this we see, the death and rebirth of Jack through his tryst with destiny and forlorn countenance of Anne transform to one of exuberance. Willie’s death at the hands of Adam, his loyal employee, jolts Jack to such an extent that he is left dumbfounded and brooding of the consequence of his future and a rethink of his belief. Jack returns to his senses and takes a major plunge towards society by accepting his long lost love, Anne Stanton, and pursues his passion of research . 3. 0 Analysis Jack’s journey from the ‘arid land of facts’ to the ‘dream sea of ideas’ can be best described as a journey towards truth which is emphasized when he says, ‘And all times are one time, and all those dead in the past never lived before our definition gives them life, and out of the shadow their eyes implore us. That is what all of us historical researchers believe. And we love truth. ’ It may be seen that the principal characters in the novel Willie Stark, Judge Irwin, Anne Stanton though their personal lives have not been free from blemishes, they were in more than a way, corrupt. Starting with his association with Willie to the displeasure of his near and dear, the moment he learns of the affair of his first love Anne Stanton with Willie, and to the moment he learns of Judge Irwin’s suicide, Jack had never endured a sign of negativism in Willie’s actions. It is only when Jack’s mother reveals the true identity of his father, does Jack admonishes Willie for his deliberations, although not in public. This incident leads Jack through many a twist and turn in his endeavor to get to the bottom of Willie’s motives. The sequence of events that followed, leading to the untimely murder of Willie, inculcated a sense of disbelief, and revulsion in him. The trudge back to his roots exemplifies the struggle and worship of humanity in all its glory. Jack for all his wiles, was an ardent follower of his master. Willie Stark, ‘the Boss’ gave the impression of a man on the move. Never, did he pause to gauge the consequences of his actions. This ultimately led to his doom. Willie Stark, though he had a humble beginning, rose to a position of wielding unbridled power in the process subjugating his opponents by brute force and of course putting to use the investigative skills of Jack. Judge Irwin, revered as a father figure by Jack, has not been in the good books of Willie, who instigates Jack to dig into the past activities of Irwin, protested vehemently by him. However, when the facts were unearthed, a shocked Jack and a bemused Willie confronted Judge Irwin. Judge Irwin was a man of honor. He was known to be a very straight man and never took the law into his hands. This revelation was too much for him to digest, and equally embarrassing, that he did what a man of his stature would have done, commit suicide. Strangely, for most part of the story, Jack believes that Ellis Burden, whom he refers to as his Scholarly attorney, to be his father, where in fact, it is Judge Irwin who is the real biological father. Ironically, Jack gets to know this only after the suicide of Irwin, which Jack believes was because of his action. Jack’s aristocratic moorings unfortunately does not refrain him from joining hands with the immoral Willie Stark as we see in the story. Though Willie uses Jack as a formidable tool in his ascent to power, using Jack’s research skills to his greatest advantage of subjugating his opponents, was a crime most unsuspecting of such a character. Jack becomes a witness to Willie’s Machiavellian manipulations and misdeeds, albeit, unwittingly. However Jack’s shunning politics at the end of the story and his return to his earlier passion is a metaphor for Jack’s return to his roots, his history, and his American past. In fact, Jack’s research revolves around his study of the life of Cass Mastern, a man of high moral standards and a student at Transylvania College in Kentucky. Even the subject Jack takes up for his dissertation is a reminder to the readers of Jack’s search for the truth. ‘Is death the last sleep? No, it is the last and final awakening,’ said W. Scott, a stark reminder synonymous of the characters in this book; Judge Irwin’s suicide when he is confronted by Jack with facts about his acceptance of a bribe, and the killing of Willie Stark by Adam Stanton. While for the major part of the story Jack believed that the ‘Great Twitch’ denoted actions in life and not words or deeds. The awakening on that morning at home, brought Jack to retract his thoughts on life, and once again believed that men were responsible for their actions and deeds. This rethinking in a sense is responsible for Jack’s decision to marry Anne Stanton (a metaphor for rebirth) despite his knowledge of the fact that he she had an affair with Willie Stark. Reflecting philosophically he says, ‘all the words we speak meant nothing and there was only the pulse in the blood and the twitch of the nerve, like a dead frog’s leg in the experiment when the electric current goes through, a true reflection of Modernism. This can be, in a philosophical sense be equated to the death of Jack figuratively, since Anne was Jack’s first love, whom he loved more than anything else in the world. 4. 0 Conclusion In the ultimate analysis it may be inferred that Jack’s life has been a life of journey towards the truth, towards his roots and eventually his self-discovery. The main characters in the story play an important role in molding Jack’s character, the incidents in the lives of those characters enlightening the path Jack has taken to achieve his goal. 5. 0 Bibliography 1. 0 www. sparknotes. com/lit/kingsmen/summary. html How to cite Review of All the King’s Men, Papers

A Poets History Essay Example For Students

A Poets History Essay Erik UriegasMs, SharpEnglish 4 Period 710-31-03A Poets HistoryWilliam Shakespeare was a very mysterious man. Most of the information about his life is unknown. Some information is lost and never to be found. His plays are continuously being performed today. William Shakespeare was not just a playwriter but also a poet and actor. All of these accomplishment without ever attending a college or university. His early life was at Stratford on Avon and he was educated at a free gramer school in Stratford. Treated well by his father and mother who was middle class. Grown to have marriages, kids, and become one of historys best play writers. Stratford on Avon at a time of William Shakespeares birth was a village of about two thousand inhabitants. Stratford on Avon is about eighty miles away from London. William Shakespeares year of birth was 1564. He was baptized the twenty-sixed of April. William was the third child to be born. He had twin sisters who were elder but died at infancy. The name Shakespeare appears to have been common in the west midlands. William Shakespeare left his family about four years after his marriage to Anna Hathaway at the age of eighteen, and came to London for better family fortunes. At this time London had gone prosperous under the reign. Shakespeare hoped upward Stratford could have held little for him now that his fathers enterprises had faded. During the years William Shakespeare detached himself gradually from his London Associates (William, 3). Irving Robner quoted,Shakespeare growth as a tragicdramastic growth in moral vision (Bergeron, 74). Shakespeare grandfather was a tenant farmer; his daughters husband was altered knighthood (Kay, 17). The Shakespeare family history is a textbook case of that upward social mobility that was so common in Renaissance England.William Shakespeares education is known to be vague. There was a free grammer school at Stratford, to which, as the, son of his father he would have been entitled to free admission. Aubrey, who is entirely unsupported even states that William Shakespeare was a schoolmaster himself. When William was about thirteen years old his father took him out of school and put him to work so he can help the family who got onto some financial difficulties. William Shakespeare has never been proven to have attended a college or a university. His mentality and work has been proven to be a solid education (William, 2). John Shakespeare is father of William Shakespeare who is a resident of Stratford. He is reported at one time a farmer doing business in meat. Williams father also did business in hides. William Shakespeares mother is Mary Arden and also John Shakespeares first love. For your heiress Mary brought into the family a house and about fifty acres of land (William, 1). John and Mary Shakespeare were known to have a total of eight children. John and Mary eventually got married. John was a Prosperous Gentleman or at any rate a prosperous man of business. When William Shakespeare was about four his father John Shakespeare became mayor of the town. His father also occupied other positions in the community. In the year 1601 father of William Shakespeare John Shakespeare pasted on (William, 3). His widow Mary Shakespeare lived until 1608 when she pasted on also. In 1582 the license for the marriage of William Shakespeare and Anna Hathaway was entered into the town records. Three children were born to them, Susanna who was the eldest, and twins, who were Hamnet and Judith. Hamnet lived for only eleven years. The two daughters survived their father. That was to be said as the most certained and best documented event in his life that happened in and around Stratford (Bergeron, 28). .ub30b052c43a6f3257844efa28b63e160 , .ub30b052c43a6f3257844efa28b63e160 .postImageUrl , .ub30b052c43a6f3257844efa28b63e160 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ub30b052c43a6f3257844efa28b63e160 , .ub30b052c43a6f3257844efa28b63e160:hover , .ub30b052c43a6f3257844efa28b63e160:visited , .ub30b052c43a6f3257844efa28b63e160:active { border:0!important; } .ub30b052c43a6f3257844efa28b63e160 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ub30b052c43a6f3257844efa28b63e160 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ub30b052c43a6f3257844efa28b63e160:active , .ub30b052c43a6f3257844efa28b63e160:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ub30b052c43a6f3257844efa28b63e160 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ub30b052c43a6f3257844efa28b63e160 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ub30b052c43a6f3257844efa28b63e160 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ub30b052c43a6f3257844efa28b63e160 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ub30b052c43a6f3257844efa28b63e160:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ub30b052c43a6f3257844efa28b63e160 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ub30b052c43a6f3257844efa28b63e160 .ub30b052c43a6f3257844efa28b63e160-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ub30b052c43a6f3257844efa28b63e160:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: My First Concert Essay The story of his marriage, though starting from some positive and contemporary facts is a spider web of unsubstantial evolution William Shakespeares wife is eight years elder then him. He was only eighteen, on his long absence from Stratford and on the solitary bequest on his second best bed to his wife. The twins follow a long gap in authentic records. There is ground however for believing that William leaving his family at Stratford. On the twenty-sixth of May 1583, Shakespeares eldest daughter