Definition of Literacy Test

Definition of Literacy Test   A literacy test measures a person’s proficiency in reading and writing. Beginning in the 19th century, literacy tests were used in the voter registration process in southern states of the U.S. with the intent to disenfranchise black voters. In 1917, with the passing of the Immigration Act, literacy tests were also included in the U.S. immigration process, and are still used today. Historically, literacy tests have served to legitimize racial and ethnic marginalization in the U.S. HISTORY OF RECONSTRUCTION AND JIM CROW ERA Literacy tests were introduced into the voting process in the South with the Jim Crow laws. Jim Crow laws were state and local laws and statutes enacted by southern and border states in the late 1870s to deny African Americans the right to vote in the South following Reconstruction (1865-1877). They were designed to keep whites and blacks segregated, to disenfranchise black voters, and to keep blacks subjugated, undermining the 14th and 15th Amendments of the United States Constitution. Despite the ratification of the 14th Amendment in 1868, granting citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States which included former slaves, and the ratification of the 15th Amendment in 1870, which specifically gave African Americans the right to vote, Southern and Border states continued to find ways to keep racial minorities from voting. They used electoral fraud and violence to intimidate African American voters, and created Jim Crow laws to promote racial segregation. During the twenty years following Reconstruction, African Americans lost many of the legal rights that had been gained during Reconstruction. Even the Supreme Court of the United States â€Å"helped undermine the Constitutional protections of blacks with the infamous Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) case, which legitimized Jim Crow laws and the Jim Crow way of life.† In this case, the Supreme Court maintained that public facilities for blacks and whites could be â€Å"separate but equal.† Following this decision, it soon became the law throughout the South that public facilities had to be separate. Many of the changes made during Reconstruction proved to be short-lived, with the Supreme Court continuing to uphold racial discrimination and segregation in its decisions, thus giving southern states free reign to impose literacy tests and all manner of voting restrictions on prospective voters, discriminating against black voters. But racism was not just recurring in the South. Although the Jim Crow Laws were a Southern phenomenon, the sentiment behind them was a national one. There was a resurgence of racism in the North as well and â€Å" emerging national, indeed international, consensus (among whites at any rate) that Reconstruction had been a serious mistake. LITERACY TESTS AND VOTING RIGHTS Some states, such as Connecticut, used literacy tests in the mid-1800s to keep Irish immigrants from voting, but Southern states didn’t use literacy tests until after Reconstruction in 1890, sanctioned by the federal government, where they were used well into the 1960s. They were used ostensibly to test the voters ability to read and write, but in reality to discriminate against African American voters and sometimes poor whites. Since 40-60% of blacks were illiterate, compared to 8-18% of whites, these tests had a large differential racial impact. Southern states also imposed other standards, all of which were arbitrarily set by the test administrator. Those who were property owners or whose grandfathers had been able to vote   (â€Å"grandfather clause†),   those deemed to have â€Å"good character,† or those who paid poll taxes were able to vote. Because of these impossible standards, â€Å"in 1896, Louisiana had 130,334 registered black voters. Eight years later, only 1,342, 1 percent, could pass the state’s new rules.†Ã‚  Even in areas where the black population was substantially greater, these standards kept the white voting population in the majority. The administration of literacy tests was unfair and discriminatory. â€Å"If the official wanted a person to pass, he could ask the easiest question on the test- for example, Who is the president of the United States?† The same official might require a black person to answer every single question correctly, in an unrealistic amount of time, in order to pass.†Ã‚  It was up to the test administrator whether the prospective voter passed or failed, and even if a black man was well-educated, he would most likely fail, because â€Å"the test was created with failure as a goal.† Even if a potential black voter knew all the answers to the questions, the official administering the test could still fail him. Literacy tests were not declared unconstitutional in the South until ninety-five years after the15th Amendment was ratified, by the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Five years later, in 1970, Congress abolished literacy tests and discriminatory voting practices nationwide, and as a result, the number of registered African American voters increased dramatically. ACTUAL LITERACY TESTS In 2014 a group of Harvard University students was asked to take the 1964 Louisiana Literacy Test to raise awareness about voting discrimination.   The test is similar to those given in other Southern states since Reconstruction to potential voters who could not prove they had a fifth grade education. In order to be able to vote, a person had to pass all 30 questions in 10 minutes. All of the students failed under those conditions, because the test was meant to be failed. The questions have nothing at all to do with the U.S. Constitution and are completely nonsensical. You can try the test yourself here.    LITERACY TESTS AND IMMIGRATION In the late 19th century many people wanted to restrict the influx of immigrants to the U.S. due to increased problems of urbanization and industrialization such as crowding, lack of housing and jobs, and urban squalor. It was during this time that the idea of using literacy tests to control the number of immigrants able to enter the United States, particularly those from southern and eastern Europe, was formed. However, it took those who advocated for this approach many years to try to convince lawmakers and others that immigrants were the â€Å"cause† of many of America’s social and economic maladies. Finally, in 1917, Congress passed the Immigration Act, also known as the Literacy Act (and Asiatic Barred Zone Act), which included a literacy test that is still a requirement for becoming a U.S. citizen today. The Immigration Act demanded that those who were over the age of 16 and could read some language must read 30-40 words to show they were capable of reading. Those who were entering the U.S. to avoid religious persecution from their country of origin did not have to pass this test. The literacy test that is part of the Immigration Act of 1917 included only a few languages available to immigrants. This meant that if their native language was not included, they could not prove they were literate, and were denied entry. Beginning in 1950, immigrants could legally only take the literacy test in English, further limiting those who could gain entry to the United States. Besides demonstrating the ability to read, write, and speak English, immigrants also have to display knowledge of U.S. history, government, and civics. English literacy tests have effectively been used in the U.S. as a means to keep immigrants   that the government deemed unwanted out of the country, for the tests are demanding and rigorous.   Would you be able to pass them? REFERENCES 1.Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia, Ferris State University, 2.Foner, Eric., The Supreme Court and the History of Reconstruction and Vice-VersaColumbia Law Review, November 2012, 1585-1606ericfoner.com/articles/SupCtRec.html 3.4. Techniques of Direct Disenfranchisement 1880-1965,   University of Michigan, umich.edu/~lawrace/disenfranchise1.htm 4. Constitutional Rights Foundation, A Brief History of Jim Crow, crf-usa.org/black-history-month/a-brief-history-of-jim-crow 5. The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow, PBS, pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/voting_literacy.html 6. Ibid. 7. http://epublications.marquette.edu/dissertations/AAI8708749/ RESOURCES AND FURTHER READING Alabama Literacy Test, 1965, pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/voting_literacy.html Constitutional Rights Foundation, A Brief History of Jim Crow, crf-usa.org/black-history-month/a-brief-history-of-jim-crow Foner, Eric, The Supreme Court and the History of Reconstruction and Vice-Versa Columbia Law Review, November 2012, 1585-1606ericfoner.com/articles/SupCtRec.html Head, Tom, 10 Racist US Supreme Court Rulings, ThoughtCo., March 03, 2017, https://www.thoughtco.com/racist-supreme-court-rulings-721615 Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia, Ferris State University, ferris.edu/jimcrow/what.htm Onion, Rebecca, Take the Impossible â€Å"Literacy† Test Louisiana Gave Black Voters in the 1960s, slate.com/blogs/the_vault/2013/06/28/voting_rights_and_the_supreme_court_the_impossible_literacy_test_louisiana.html PBS, The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow, pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/voting_literacy.html Schwartz, Jeff, CORE’s Freedom Summer, 1964 - My Experiences in Louisiana, crmvet.org/nars/schwartz.htm Weisberger, Mindy, Immigration Act of 1917 Turns 100: Americas Long History of Immigration Prejudice, LiveScience, Feb. 5, 2017, livescience.com/57756-1917-immigration-act-100th-anniversary.html

HR Proposal -Edit Chapter 2& 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 10000 words

HR Proposal -Edit Chapter 2& 3 - Essay Example This section comprises of mainly four basic steps which are involved in the process of data collection. In most cases, the type of methodology used in a study is determined by the particular type of research being undertaken. The availability of relevant resources and time also play a contributory role to the methodology used. Methodology helps to organize, represent, and analyze data and information in a bid to answer the research questions of the study. The following are the basic steps involved in this section of methodology: A research design is a conceptual structure, outline or blueprint of what the researcher would do in the study by following proper guidelines that are meant to obtain data that can be used to solve the research problem or answer the research question. Research design represents the entire structure and working framework of the research which makes it possible and valid to draw more general conclusions from the study (Oppenheim, 1992). It works as the bonding element that holds other elements and parts of research together to give a perfect blend of conclusions and consequences of research. The researcher used mainly primary data collection method in order to provide reliable results. The research has been designed in a descriptive manner which is meant to count representative samples and make inferences about the whole population. The method used in the study involves gathering data from the selected participants using questionnaires and an analysis of this data is descriptive in na ture since it shows the subjective views of an individual. This design would certainly reach the desired goals in that the participants would be employees in HR related departments but working for organisations that deal with IT. Quantitative data collection techniques will be employed in this study and it will include mainly primary data through the use of questionnaires. Basically, quantitative data is any

The principle of party autonomy and the applicable law are playing Assignment

The principle of party autonomy and the applicable law are playing different but interrelated roles in international commercial arbitration. Critically evaluate this Statement - Assignment Example However, this tradition today fails to hold any weight given the numerous contradictions arising from facts. The most prominent facts arise from the European Commission law’s goal of establishing an integrated market within the European territory. The aim was to have goods move freely between member states as a way of facilitating production efficiency through allowing direct competition amongst producers in the member states. Such an economic angle totally or partially makes the private law of any nation irrelevant. In addition, a nation’s legal rule for the members are subject to internal market edification provided they belong to any branch of the summa division between public and private rules. However, the edification of an integrated European market within the European territory is contradicted by the diversity of legal systems in different nations that affect the costs of selling within their national public law rules and selling to other member states. The resul t of such alterations is conflict of laws, and with this realization, today’s scholarly writing recognize and focuses mandatory international laws absent in case laws, international conventions, and national statutes. Through mandatory international laws in resolution of conflict, there is no requirement to apply courts to any given disputes provided conflicts fall within such scope and without dictating the application of a foreign governing law. However, regardless of the emphasis on the purpose of forum rules in conflict of laws, the result is the weakening of their status due to widening opportunities for evasion by private operators. This weakened status of forum laws in conflict of laws is due to competition between legal systems that comes as a by-product of national market interconnectedness and cross-border trade liberalization and augmented function of party autonomy that accompany them (Muir-Watt & Brozolo, 2004). Consequently, the capacity of participants in

Qualitative research and questionnaire design Essay

Qualitative research and questionnaire design - Essay Example In its simplest sense, emotional branding pertains to that type of strategy which gives paramount importance to the emotions, most especially that of the consumers. Nowadays, members of the corporate world have recognized the importance of Corporate Branding. Big companies such as Victoria’s Secret, Coca-Cola, Godiva and Starbucks have all resorted to the use of emotional branding to attract more customers. Basically, emotional branding denotes one thing: that is, to place the customers at the core of the marketing strategy rather than focusing too much on the product (Berrada 2010; Gobe 2010). Pertinently, it is the goal of emotional branding to ensure the development of customer loyalty by making sure that the brand dominates its competitors with respect to the attention given by the customers (Travis 2000). Generally, emotional branding gives importance to the five senses of the consumers. Hence, advertisements focus on these, making sure that the customers connect not just with the product being advertised but to the brand as well. Hence, through emotional branding, the consumers are perceived to have the capacity to connect more to the brand. In this regard, the connection of the customers and the brand results to a greater profit for the company or manufacturer concerned (Gobe 2010; Taher 2006). The use of emotional branding then appeals to the internal aspect of the consumer. It is basically more concerned with the use of abstract concepts yet at the same time, yields to results that are concrete (Berrada 2010; Norman 2005). Evidently, not much research has been successful in determining why emotional branding results to customer satisfaction. It was considered as the marketing trend of the current generation (Gobe 2010; Passikoff 2006). Because of the competition dominating in the business arena, companies must not only tell their consumers what they need; instead, they must focus on the different reasons why the latter needs to obtain this (Desg rippes, Hellman and Gobe 2007; Norman 2005) This research generally focuses on emotional branding in the case of one of the most successful brands in the whole world: Starbucks. Undeniably, Starbucks has been considered as one of the most successful companies that have carried out the emotional branding strategies. Its products appeal to its consumers, enjoy high name recall, and finally, experience high degrees of customer loyalty (Gobe 2010; Mennen 2010; Passikoff 2006). In fact, Starbucks has been considered as the benchmark for mainstream coffee houses in view of its ability to market its products by promoting the social status that it gives. In this regard, this research draws on the perceptions of the customers of Starbucks with respect to aspects of emotional branding carried out by the corporation as well as the successfulness of the said strategies in the attainment of the following results: (1) appeal of the products to the customers, (2) high name recall, and (3) customer loyalty (Dorfmeister 2003; Gobe 2010). To attain the said objectives, this research employs the use of the qualitative approach to research, focusing on the use of the interviews in the form of questionnaires to obtain the pertinent data for this research. Literature Review Having established the main objective that this paper seeks to attain, this section then focuses on the review of pertinent literature with respect to emotional branding. Generally, this literature review focuses on three pertinent issues,

Emergency Medicine Concepts and Principles Research Paper

Emergency Medicine Concepts and Principles - Research Paper Example Emergencies – Emergencies, on the other hand are events which usually threaten public health, safety, and welfare (Department of Environmental Management, n.d). These incidents differ from each other in terms of size, location, and their causes, as well as impact; however, despite these considerations, they usually all impact negatively on the environment. Emergencies are also considered as unexpected events which impact negatively on the lives and properties of people, and eventually they prompt the use of community emergency and routine responses as well as procedures (Emergency Management Institute, n.d). Examples for emergencies include: forest fires, outbreaks of diseases, road blocking landslides, and floods covering towns and farms (Central Coast Center Independent Living, n.d). In Australia, in the two landslides which occurred from 1939 to 2007, about 28 individuals were killed and 101 other individuals significantly impacted (CRED, 2007). Wildfires numbering 28 were seen from 1939 to 2007, this caused the death of 300 people, and caused damages amounting to about 1.2 million US dollars (CRED, 2007). Disasters – Disasters are â€Å"a condition or situation of significant destruction, disruption and/or distress to a community† (Emergency Management Australia (2004, p. ix). In a similar vein, the United Nations (1992) consider disasters to be incidents which seriously interrupt the normal activities of society as they cause significant human and environmental losses – more than what can normally be handled by the community resources. Beachley (2005) enumerated the following as disasters: floods, extreme range of temperatures, epidemics, multiple car crashes, and environmental contamination through chemical agents. In... There are various principles and concepts which define and govern disasters and emergencies. Basically, disasters and emergencies are unexpected events which have a significant effect on various individuals and large communities. These disasters impact significantly on the lives of many people. They bring about physical as well as psychological effects. Emergency management helps authorities cope with these disasters and it helps people recover and prepare for these emergencies. Emergency management is important because most communities face a persistent hazard and risk for losses from emergencies and disasters. These hazards may come in the form of natural threats like floods, cyclones, earthquakes, and tsunamis; it also includes technological hazards like chemical, biological, and radiological threats. Australia is situated in an earthquake prone region which it at a continuous threat from earthquakes and tsunamis, as well as volcanic eruptions. It is also in a region likely to be hit by storms which lead to floods and landslides. It s humid temperature also places it at a higher risk for suffering bushfires. With adequate planning and coordination, the prevention and management of these incidents are ensured. The prepared communities are communities which have managed to make the necessary plans for these emergencies. The systems in this community are coordinated and the local as well as national agencies are linked with each other. With these plans in place, it is possible for people and communities to minimise the impact of disasters and emergencies.

DRAGONWINGS SUMMARY Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

DRAGONWINGS SUMMARY - Assignment Example Windrider and his son save Uncle Bright star’s son from being shot by corrupt neighborhood watchmen. Moon collects and delivers laundry to his father, but one day Black Dog, the uncle’s son beats Moon and steals money received from laundry clients. Windrider goes to an underground gang and fights Black Dog to avenge his son, in the process Moon and his father kill a man. They escape the village after the murder and plan to work for Mr. Alger. Moon and his dad move into a stable behind the house of Miss Whitlaw. The neighborhood boys are cruel to Moon, and they ridicule his English. Moon requests Miss Whitlaw to help him in writing a letter to ask the Wright brothers to help his father with plane specifications. Windrider refuses to use the specifications at first but with time he agrees. An earthquake occurs in San Francisco in 1906 and demolishes the city, and two of the family members disappear. Windrider builds a functional airplane â€Å"Dragonwings,† but Black Dog shows up and robs them off their savings. The next day the company loans Windrider lots of money. Windrider flies his plane, but in the process its frame snaps and he breaks his leg and ribs. The company helps Windrider in bringing his wife to

Mauritania Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Mauritania - Research Paper Example There is 20% of population who live with less than US$1.25 a day in Mauritania. There are so many challenges and issues that Mauritania faces now, including slavery, human trafficking, female genital mutilation and child labour. Slavery is the most significant issue among these challenges. When going through the ancient history of Mauritania, one observes that the original inhabitants of Mauritania (Bafour) were basically farmers, and the first among the people of Sahara to reject their wandering lifestyle. With famines and draughts in Sahara, the people moved towards the south. The migration to West Africa mainly included the Central Saharans and also the people of Ghana, as the Moorish Islamic Warrior monks attacked and defeated the ancient Empire of Ghana. The Arabs subdued furious defiance from the local population with all their might. The thirty year war of Mauritania was in vain fighting against the Yemini Magil Arab invaders, who were under the direction of the Beni Hassan tr ibes. When taking into consideration the modern history, it is observed that imperial France conquered the provinces of the current region of Mauritania, bank of Senegal river and nearby regions during the late 19th century. Mauritania became a part of French West Africa from 1920 onwards, ever since the entry of Xavier Coppolani and his governance on the imperial mission. The French government took immediate actions and introduced as well as enforced laws that forbid slavery. However, Mauritania claimed independence in 1960 and Nouakchott, the capital city was established at the location of Ksar, a small colonial village. Despite the availability of natural resources, Mauritania has the lowest GDP rates among the nations of Africa. A majority of population depends on agriculture for their livelihood, even in the present time. Mauritania has widespread stock on iron core that accounts for about 50% of their total exports. Several copper and gold mining companies are now opening mine s in Mauritania. The first deepwater port in Mauritania was opened near Nouakchott in 1986. Drought and various economic issues resulted in the rise of foreign debt in recent years. The Mauritania government signed an agreement of World Bank- International Monetary Fund in March 1999, which has to some extent benefited the people of Mauritania. One of the natural resources available easily in the country is oil, however, harsh environment prove it difficult for them to make use of the resources. Description: In simple words, it can be said that peace, tolerance and prosperity are the major vision of the government of Mauritania. With the achievement of independence in Mauritania, industrialisation got a boost, which further led to the establishment of new investments. Maaouiya Ould Sidi Ahmed Taya came in to rule in the year of 1984. â€Å"A new constitution permitting multiple parties was established in 1992 and Colonel Ould Taya was re-elected, making Mauritania the first member of the Arab League to have elected a head of state by direct universal suffrage† (Mauritania 1). After 1997, Taya was re-elected as President when he gained 66.7 % vote in 2003. In West Africa, Mauritania is the only nation, which is governed by people who possess a nomadic heritage. The present government is focused on the assurance of growth of economy,