Macon Bolling Allen, the First African-American Licensed Attorney

Macon Bolling Allen, the First African-American Licensed Attorney Macon Bolling Allen was not only the first African-American licensed to practice law in the United States, he was also the first to hold a judicial post. Allen was born A. Macon Bolling in 1816 in Indiana. As a free African-American, Allen learned to read and write. As a young adult, he gained employment as a schoolteacher. Allen Becomes an Attorney During the 1840s, Allen moved to Portland, Maine. Although it is unclear why Allen moved to Maine, historians believe it may have been because it was a free state. While in Portland, he changed his name to Macon Bolling Allen. Employed by General Samuel Fessenden- an abolitionist and lawyer- Allen worked as a clerk and studied law. Fessenden encouraged Allen to pursue a license to practice law because anyone could be admitted to the Maine Bar association if they were considered to have good character. However, Allen was initially rejected because he was not considered a citizen because he was African-American. However, Allen then decided to take the bar examination to bypass his lack of citizenship. On July 3, 1844, Allen passed the exam and became licensed to practice law. Yet, despite earning the right to practice law, Allen was unable to find much work as an attorney for two reasons: many whites were not willing to hire a black attorney and there were very few African-Americans living in Maine. By 1845, Allen moved to Boston. Allen opened an office with Robert Morris Sr. Their office became the first African-American law office in the United States. Although Allen was able to make a modest income in Boston, racism and discrimination were still presentpreventing him from being successful. As a result, Allen took an exam to become a Justice of the Peace for Middlesex County in Massachusetts. As a result, Allen became the first African-American to hold a judicial position in the United States. Allen decided to relocate to Charleston following the Civil War. Once settled, Allen opened a law office with two other African-American attorneysWilliam J. Whipper and Robert Brown. The passing of the fifteenth amendment inspired Allen to become involved in politics and he became active in the Republican Party. By 1873, Allen was appointed a judge on the Inferior Court of Charleston. The following year, he was elected as a probate judge for Charleston County in South Carolina. Following the Reconstruction period in the south, Allen relocated to Washington D.C. and worked as a lawyer for the Land and Improvement Association. Abolition Movement After becoming licensed to practice law in Boston, Allen caught the attention of abolitionists such as William Lloyd Garrison. Allen attended an anti-slavery meeting in Boston. Most notably, he attended the anti-slavery convention in May 1846. At the convention, a petition was passed around in opposition to involvement in the Mexican War. However, Allen did not sign the petition, arguing that he was supposed to defend the United States Constitution. This argument was made public in a letter written by Allen that was published in the Liberator. However, Allen ended his letter arguing that he still adamantly opposed enslavement. Marriage and Family Life Very little is known about Allens family in Indiana. However, once moving to Boston, Allen met and married his wife, Hannah. The couple had five sonsJohn, born in 1852; Edward, born in 1856; Charles, born in 1861; Arthur, born in 1868 and Macon B. Jr., born in 1872. According to United States Census records, all of Allens sons worked as schoolteachers. Allens Death Allen died on October 10, 1894, in Washington D.C. He was survived by his wife and one son.

Civil Rights Act Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Civil Rights Act - Essay Example Reconstruction, also known as Radical Reconstruction, was the period after the American Civil War. During this time, the South was in political, social, and economic turmoil and eleven Confederate states had already seceded from the Union during the wartime unrest. In response, the Union attempted to regain order in the Confederate states during the Reconstruction era. The ex-slave states were divided into 5 military districts by the Reconstruction Act of 1867 and an assistant commissioner was appointed to each district. (McElrath 2008 Afroamhistory.about.com) After the Civil War, Congress established a Bureau for the refugees,Freedmen and Abandoned Lands, known as the Freedmen's Bureau. We find in McElrath's article that it provided with food, medical care, helped with resettlement, and very noble it established schools. Due to inadequate funds, corruption and inefficiency it closed in 1870.While the Freedmen’s Bureau worked to help Southern blacks, opposition to their new fr eedom was mounting. In 1865, several Southern states passed legislation creating black codes. Depending upon the state, these laws generally restricted blacks’ right to own property, controlled where they were allowed to live, established a curfew, and forced blacks to work as agricultural laborers or as domestics. The Black Codes were quickly eliminated with the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1866. The Act gave blacks the rights and privileges of full citizenship. (McElrath Afroamhistory.about.com 2008). ... agricultural laborers or as domestics. The Black Codes were quickly eliminated with the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1866. The Act gave blacks the rights and privileges of full citizenship. (McElrath Afroamhistory.about.com 2008). The Reconstruction Act of 1867 eliminated white controlled Governments. President Johnson, successor of Lincoln had reneged his promise to implement Lincoln's Reconstruction plan so that States could revise legislatures and implement less severe codes instead of eliminating all the black codes. With the Reconstruction Act, blacks were given the the freedom to participate in the political process. Black became ordinary 10489 4 to kill and torture the black. Affter the Reconstruction ended all changed at constitutional conventions, helped to write laws and became state legislators. In June 1866, Congress proposed the 14th Amendment to the U. S. Constitution. It provided blacks with citizenship and guaranteed that federal and state laws applied equally to blacks and whites. With the passage of the Amendment, Congress also provided that Southern states could not be readmitted to the Union until it ratified the 14th Amendment. All of the states, except Tennessee, refused to do so. By 1870, however, the remaining 10 states ratified the 14th Amendment. (McElrath Afroamhistory.about.com 2008). In 1870, African Americans were given the right to vote through the 15th Amendment. According to this amendment, the right to vote applied to citizens regardless of race or color. Despite this right, some Southern states added grandfather clauses to their state Constitutions in an effort to counter this new right. Typical clauses stated that the right to vote extended only to citizens or

The hazards of taking children out to eat Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The hazards of taking children out to eat - Essay Example The only way to reduce these problems is by modifying the eating habits through good education and by creating awareness among the children. These statistics could be reduced if children learn to make proper food choices. With the busy schedule of parents, children are used to eating outside and are enjoying the food that does not have much of nutritional benefits. This paper mainly focuses on the hazards of taking children out to eat. The habit of eating foods of little or no nutritional value such as cookies, candy, chips, and doughnuts contributes empty calories to the diet. Similarly, food such as pizzas, ice creams, and French fries have become their favorites among children. Sometimes, these foods are chosen as rewards by parents to make their child obey them which is a dangerous trend. Though most of the parents know the fact that eating outside may lead to various short and long term problems, they continue to follow this trend. Eating outside usually prevents children from being open to eating the wide variety of fruits and vegetables that provide essential vitamins and minerals needed for growth and good health. Every parent wishes to feed their kids with nutritious food. It is not just the wish of parents but it is also the need of every child that they are well nourished. It is a well known fact that only when children get required and balanced nutrients they have good physical and mental growth. The requirement of energy is high for kids since most of them are always into playing and running around. Though it is the primary responsibility of the parents to provide good nutritious food, it is also important that children themselves are made aware of what good food is and what the bad foods are. It is essential to help them become responsible for their own nutrition and eating habits so that they eat judiciously. If good habits are taught early in life, children tend to continue these habits

Psychopathic behavior Essay Example for Free

Psychopathic behavior Essay Mike Tyson, or Iron Mike, the world’s youngest heavy weight boxing champion, has been involved in several problems with the law. A brief look at his life will show that it is possible that he is suffering from antisocial personality disorder or psychopathy. Mike was born in Brooklyn, New York on June 30, 1966. He came from a broken family as his left them when he was two years old. At his younger years, before 12 years old, he became a member a street gang and was involved in numerous bouts with the law. At the age 12 he was arrested for armed robbery and was sent a correctional center for juveniles in New York. At the age of 16 his mother died, and having no parent, he lived with his boxing trainer D’ Amato, became his legal guardian. There were rumors that he sexually abused a 12 year old girl. At age 20, in 1986, he came the world’s youngest WBC heavyweight champion. At age 21, he became the WBA heavy weight champion, and earned $20 million. Later he was married to actress Robin Givens, but they subsequently divorced. In 1992, he was convicted of rape and he spent 3 years in prison. In an official match, he bit off a chink of Evander Holyfield’s ear, which caused him to be banished from boxing for quite some time. In 1999, he was again sent to prison for assault. In a 2002 press conference, he attacked Lennox Lewis and bit his leg. In 2005, he was in debt for $34 million, despite earning hundreds of millions throughout his career. In 2006, he was again apprehended for driving while under the influence of alcohol. Based on these, it can be believed that Mike Tyson is possibly suffering from antisocial personality disorder. The key symptoms of antisocial personality disorder are; repeated lawbreaking, which can be seen from his repeated arrests; deceitfulness or lying; impulsivity, irritableness and aggressiveness, which can be seen from his assault and attack charges; reckless disregard for own safety and that of others, which can be seen when he was driving without a license; irresponsibility as seen unreliable employment history or not meeting financial obligations, which can be seen is being in debt for millions of dollars; lack of remorse; conduct disorder, which can be seen as he was already a member of a gang conduct disorder before 15 yrs of age. Lacks of affection, severe parental rejection, and lack of discipline from parents, are considered to be the primary causes of psychopathic behavior. In Mike’s case, he came from a broken family. He had no father since he was 2 years old. He had no mother since he was 16 years old. One might assume that mike never that the affection from his parents. When his father left their family, Mike might have taken it as being rejected. Their family set-up provided no or little room for discipline. Experts have found that it is futile to try to alter the nature of psychopaths (Davidson et al, 2004). A reason for this is that psychopaths just play along with therapists, indicating the manipulative character of psychopaths. It is also believed that it is unlikely that psychopaths would want to be in therapy. Recent studies however show that there can benefits from psychosocial treatment for younger patients with the said disorder (Davidson et al, 2004). Because of these, I believe treatment for Mike would be futile. Considering that he is already 42 years old, and that research have shown that treatment for psychopaths are often unsuccessful, and that psychosocial treatment would only benefit younger patients, it would be safe to assume that he will derive minimal, or no benefit at all from treatment. However since, he is already 42 years old, it can also be said that it would not be needed since psychopaths often settle down in middle age and after. In this stage in his life, antisocial behavior is believed to be less evident (Davidson et al, 2004). Reference Davidson, G. C. , Neale, J. M. , Kring, A. M. ( 2004) Abnormal Psychology. USA. John Wiley Sons, Inc.

Experiencing The Polio Epidemic :: Disease History Historical Essays

Experiencing The Polio Epidemic It was in the middle of September; the height of summer and the temperature was somewhere in the high eighties, and under normal circumstances there would be a long line of people, especially kids waiting to dive into the huge indoor pool at the Mission Beach Plunge. However, these were not ordinary times, the only people anywhere near the pool were there to forlornly gaze at the crystal clear water and wonder what deadly monster might be lurking in its depth. It was in the middle of the summer of 1952, and it was in the middle of the polio epidemic that would strike more than 60,000 people and kill more than 3,000 of them in the United States alone.1 As a young boy I did not know what caused the paralyzing epidemic, in fact I am sure the adults did not know the cause either. But, we had been told to stay away from swimming pools and drinking fountains because it seemed that anyone who did not heed the warning was sure to come down with the deadly disease. At school and in stores there were posters of children and young adults on crutches with heavy metal braces wrapped around their lower legs. Next to these posters, an organization called the March of Dimes placed a clear plastic canister for people to put money in for finding a cure for the deadly illness. Fear and guilt seemed to hang in the atmosphere, because although no one knew what caused the virus, everyone seemed to feel it was something they did that caused them to get sick. Parents especially, felt guilty because they were overwhelmed with the unknown, and the thought of one of their children becoming paralyzed or worse, dying, always led to almost daily admonitions to stay away from the drinking fountains and away from pools where groups of strangers swam. There seemed to be a general consensus that the disease was water borne. Waking up with flu like symptoms such as a mild upper respiratory infection, diarrhea, fever, sore throat or just generally not feeling well, would cause instant concern. My brothers and sisters and I inherited our father's sinus problems and allergies and we regularly had some type of symptom of an oncoming cold or flu. Even knowing we had hereditary respiratory problems, my mother would fall into a deep silence of concern whenever we showed signs of not feeling well.

Nock’s Ideas on Education Essay

Education refers to a slow and gradual process of gaining and acquiring knowledge. Training is an organized and planned process of imparting practical and hands on skills (www. osh. gov). Training is what Nock would rather wish people undergo rather than the rigorous process of learning abstracts. Nock’s view on education though largely generalized is the basic and sad truth. We should strive to train our children towards specific topics and fields instead of continually pumping them with more and more abstracts. Whereas education imparts one with theoretical knowledge regarding certain concepts and phenomena, training focuses at the application of that knowledge to practically control that phenomenon. A locomotive engineering student gains knowledge on the mechanical components and rationale behind vehicles but a mechanic practically applies this knowledge to perfect the mechanical rationale and yet he may be of modest education. It is agreeable that education takes much of an individual time and narrows his/her thinking directing it to one channel. This is at the expense of exposing one-self to diversified interests and aspects that would be beneficial to ones life. A nuclear scientist might learn so much about nuclear science and lack understanding of how to manage his financial resources. Education for sure leads to very frustrated minds, although not all. It promises sometimes what cannot be delivered leaving one consumed by an unquenchable thirst and passion for things that life cannot offer. Although this is what leads to innovations and inventions, it leaves in its wake very frustrated people. However I find Nock’s generalizations and insinuations regarding the social life unacceptable. Being educated does not simply mean that one does not associate with people. Although one may not necessarily hang out with his/her childhood playmates, they still maintain close associations with those that they enjoy the same interests with. However, I find Nock’s view regarding education and training to be real and we should heed the advice and seek to train more than we educate.

What Is Race My Reflection Essay - 887 Words

I took the time today to read the article titled â€Å"What is Race† by Victor M. Fernandez, RN, BSN and found myself agreeably intrigued and in admiration of his thoughts regarding race. Victor touched on an extremely insightful and significant topic; one that most people have sturdy opinions about. Race – what is it? What does this mean to you? What does it mean to our upcoming careers in the nursing field? I trust that how we characterize and assess our awareness of race is due exclusively to how we were raised. I do not mean merely what we were taught from our family or culture about race, but to a certain extent how we have lived it, and how it has lived around us. â€Å"Race is a modern idea. Ancient societies, like the Greeks, did not divide†¦show more content†¦Does everyone feel this way about different races? No, I don’t think that they do. There is still a tendency to judge and stereotype based on racial profiling; not everyone was raised the same way that I was. Does this mean that I believe racism in present society is still largely a concern? This is a challenging question to answer because so many variables can play into this. You see racism everyday when a person of Middle Eastern ethnicity boards an airplane, or you happen to end up in a cab with an Iranian driver. However, I do not exclusively believe that this means racism is a serious problem. It is human nature to fear the unknown and for a lot of people this fear inadvertently creates racial prejudice. Could it be that racial profiling – stereotyping - has worsened in present day? Again, this is a terribly difficult question to answer due to the vast amounts of variables that can play into it. â€Å"In 19th century, the concept of nationalism was often used to justify the domination of one race over another within a specific nation, in the last decades of the 20th century; the legal system as well as the official ideology emphasized racial equality. 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