Chain Gangs And Convict Labor Essays - , Term Papers

Chain Gangs And Convict Labor chain gangs and convict labor The Truth About Chain Gangs and Convict Labor Jeremy A. Greenfield English 101 Iowa Western Community College 11/16/98 Outline Thesis: From the early chain gangs to the prison industries of today, prisoners have been used as labor in the United States. I. Definition A. Definition of convict labor B. Definition of chain gangs and prison industries II. Chain Gangs A. Early history B. Mid-history C. Decline D. Present E. Curtis Brown III. Convict Labor A. Statistics B. Reasons for C. Reasons against D. Other benefits E. Types of jobs IV. Main Points Restated A. Best arguments for convict labor B. Best arguments against convict labor page 2 page 3 Prisons have been used as the way of punishment in the United States since its beginning. Throughout the history of prisons, convicts have been used as labor. The methods of labor, the number of laborers, and the arguments for or against has constantly been changing. From the early chain gangs to the prison industr ies of today, prisoners have been used as labor in the United States. When people think of chain gangs, they usually think of people in white and black stripes, being forced to work in a harsh environment. This was often true. Employees, also called leasees, were in charge of the inmates. They often treated the inmates brutally. The name chain gang probably comes from the fact that the inmates were chained together at the legs to reduce the chance of escape. (Reynolds 181) Inmates were often controlled by whips and other harsh disciplines and punishments. People argued that the treatment was just because of the increased chance of escape in chain gangs. (Reynolds 182) People also thought that the chain gangs would deter crime, but studies show that they failed to deter. (Brownstein 179) The living conditions were often unsanitary, crowded, and poorly constructed. (Reynolds 182) These bad conditions of the past have given the chain gang an extremely bad rap. The way people view chain gangs has changed several times throughout their history in the United States. The earliest history of chain gangs holds the cause for the bad views of them. The public sees chain gangs as a racist part of the old South. The first chain gangs began in England and the northern part of the United States during the eighteenth century. (Reynolds 180) Even though chain gangs were legal in almost every state, the South seemed to be the only region using them. Some reasons for this include the bad climate of the North and the publics thoughts against chain gangs. (Reynolds 183) Another reason why we see the South as the source of chain gangs is because it was the region that needed them the most. The South used chain gangs because after the Civil War there was a labor shortage. The labor shortage and an escalation in crime caused the South to begin leasing out convict labor. (Reynolds 180) It did not take long for convict leasing to spread. After the Civil War the South had to rebuild. Th at is why most of the states in the South had convict labor by 1875. The most common workers of the chain gang were county inmates who worked on the roads. A large amount of repairs was needed to mend the roads that were destroyed during the war. Many convicts were also leased out to farms in the South to replace the slaves who were freed because of the Civil War. (Reynolds 180) The South was still a farming region with many large plantations that needed workers. Southerners were accustomed to having cheap labor so convict labor was thought as a good solution. There seemed to be no concern for welfare of the convicts or the jobs of others. Nobody cared that chain gangs were humiliating and degrading to inmates, which was against the eighth amendment, preventing cruel and unusual punishment. (Brownstein 179) Early chain gangs were used only for economic gain. Convicts made money page 4 which helped to support themselves and were used as cheap labor. Rehabilitation was not a concern b ack then. (Reynolds 181) Some people did worry about the bad treatment of

Black Panther Party essays

Black Panther Party essays In 1966, the national Black Panther party was created. Their platform and it's ideals struck a chord with blacks across the country, especially in the inner cities of the north. The Panthers were able to organize and unite these blacks. This alarmed the federal government. They instituted many controversial, illegal programs of harassment, infiltration, and instigation, which led to the deaths of many Panthers. From their inception, the Black Panthers were treated with disdain and contempt. The Panthers wrote out a platform called "What We Want, What We Believe." Their ideas and methods appealed greatly to blacks. The past few years had seen the civil rights struggle rise, and had left many blacks with the feeling that not enough was being accomplished. Many Blacks shared the view of the Panthers in that violence was needed to defend themselves until true equality could be achieved. Aside from being militant, the Panthers did things that helped the community. They set up break fast, and helped people to clean up their neighborhoods. The Black Panthers gave many urban black communities a sense of unity and identity that they hadn't had before. The Panther's rhetoric of violence alarmed the government. In March of 1968, the Panther newspaper printed this warning to police, "Halt in the name of humanity! You shall make no more war on unarmed people. You will not kill another black person and walk on the streets of the black community to gloat about it and sneer at the defenseless relatives of your victims. From now on, when you murder a black person in this Babylon or Babylons, you may as well give it up because we will get your ass and God can't hide you."1 This gave the government cause for alarm, and they stepped up their "efforts" accordingly. The government went through great lengths to keep up the status quo. They began campaigns of disinformation against the Panthers i...

Intercultural managerial communications Term Paper

Intercultural managerial communications - Term Paper Example The study at hand discusses the topic of intercultural managerial communications. In order to elaborate upon the subject, it will include discussions on intercultural myths, how people differ culturally, language and non-verbal sensitivity. It sets out to demonstrate the importance of managers gaining knowledge of various business cultures around the world so they can manage from a global perspective. Without knowing the culture of a place, it would be hard for one to engage in meaningful ventures. Language is a tool for people to communicate their thoughts and non-verbal sensitivity specifically how people decode or perceive the behavior of others, be it with those they have specific relationships with or not. Various cultures have different modes of communication even within their own subculture. It is of utmost importance for business professionals to be sensitive to the different cultures within the regions they operate to successfully communicate in other cultures. Intercultural Managerial Communications The communication in an organization or workplace is described as the conveying of messages with the help of a proper channel and medium to the desired receiver. According to the social constructionist approach, the communication in an organization pertains to the manner in which the use of language establishes various types of social structures, which may include teams, relationships, and networks. Managerial communication also refers to the related aspects of the organizational communication. It is an activity which assists the managers in communicating with the employees as well as amongst each other in the organization. The Managerial Communication facilitates in providing an even flow of information amongst them which directs them towards a mutual goal. Culture Culture is an amassed system of values, rules, norms, experiences and concrete behavior which man adapts from descending generations and aims at passing forward to ascending generations (Nakaya ma and Halualani 2011). In organizations, the word culture reflects on the business practices and the way of doing things. Business professionals have to learn the different business cultures before doing business in various markets so they can minimize the risk of business failure. Obtaining knowledge about different styles of communication, forms of body language, dressing, greetings, negotiation techniques and meeting approaches is vital in gaining successful business relations with like-minded people. Successful leadership engages the subject of intercultural managerial communication through discussing the branches of culture, intercultural myths, how people’s perceptions differ, language, and non-verbal sensitivities. People differ culturally in various ways such as voice pitch, words used, accents and nonverbal communication i.e. body language. In addition, within the cultures, there is a contrast in how people communicate. Certain actions may be acceptable within some cultures and not applicable in others. There are things that one can do in their culture and if they did the same in other cultures, they may be perceived as being undisciplined or offensive. There are also things that one can omit in some cultures and, therefore be perceived as rude in other cultures. For example, people must be sensitive to the different forms of greetings as they travel from one culture to another. Thus, many business profession