Jacobite opposition to the Whig Oligarchy Essay Example for Free

Jacobite opposition to the Whig Oligarchy Essay Why was Jacobite opposition to the Whig Oligarchy so unsuccessful between 1714-60 The Jacobites were a British group who repeatedly tried to reinstate the old Stuart kings onto the English throne, as opposed to the Protestant monarchy that began in 1689. From 1714-60 parliament was dominated by the Whig party, to the detriment of the pro-Jacobite Tories. There were many Jacobite attempts in this period to overthrow this Whig oligarchy and the kings that supported it. P Monod attributes the failure of the Jacobites to a lack of leadership and inadequate military forces. J Stephenson, on the other hand, argues that a lack of foreign and domestic support for the old stuart monarchy is the predominant reason for the lack of success of the Jacobites. This essay will examine the four main factors that are cited as the reasons for the failure of Jacobites poor leadership, weak military, little foreign support, declining domestic support and will evaluate which one of them is the most important. The Jacobites that they never had adept leaders. Jacobite officers were normally of Scottish brethren, with little experience of warfare. Furthermore, as they were Scottish, they did not know the territory when they entered England. This is considered by Monod as one of the reasons for their failure to sustain themselves upon exit of Scotland. The best attempts at Stuart restoration were the rebellions of 1715 and 1745. However, both of these are characterised by poor leadership. In the 15 the commander of the Jacobite army was the Earl of Mar. He raised the Jacobite flag too early, before the army was prepared and, at the Battle of Sherifmuir, failed to take advantage of his victory and the 3:1 ratio of forces, instead allowing the British battalions to retreat and regroup. On top of this, James Francis Stuart, the Pretender King, was absent from the rebellion. Thus, the Jacobites were without their inspirational figurehead. The rebellion of the 45 endured similar problems, despite having their true leader, Bonnie Prince Charlie present. Having successfully driven down to Derby, instead of marching for London, the Jacobites fled to Scotland, allowing the British to regroup and pursue them. The issue of poor leadership was compounded by the inherent weakness of the Jacobite forces. They were predominantly comprised of Scottish highlanders, and anyone else that wished to join them, normally farmers. The men had little, if any, fighting experience and had never been trained in combat. Furthermore, they were poorly equiped, relying on homemade and captured weapons. The force was usually small, at its largest during the 45 when it reached 12 000 men. This is contrast to the British armies that were defending London. Although, they were slow to react to both rebellions, they were far superior when they engaged the Jacobites in combat. In 1715, the British army had just emerged victorious from the War of Spanish Succession. After famous victories, such as Blenhim, it became known as one of the most formidable fighting forces in Europe. It was large and well trained. Moreover, the Jacobite armies were hampered by internal divisions. The bulk of their men came from highland clans which were historically opposed. Many refused to fight with each other. This problem was particularly present in the rebellion of 45. The Jacobite cause had little hope when it was so weak in the face of such strong opposition. In Britain and Scotland the Jacobites support for the Jacobites was slight, waning further during the period. While Scotland may have been very pro-Jacobite in 1714, the Jacobite influence influence decreased radically until 1760. This is largely down to the fact that the people were forgetting the reasons for their hatred of the British crown. The Glencoe Massacre of 1690 was soon moved into oblivion. Memories of the stuart kings faded as Britain enjoyed peace and prosperity under Hanoverian rule. Lastly, the benefits of Union with England became more apparent as Scotland grew economically and was less heavily taxed than before. In England itself, followers of the Jacobites were always few and far between, only decreasing in the period until 1760. England had always been very anti-Stuart, accusing James II and his predecessors of despotism. Thus, the Glorious Revolution of 1689 was welcomed by the majority of the population. The support that had come from the Tory party also wavered. This was because, after their defeat in the 1714 election, they were keener to rebuild politically than waste time on what was considered a hopeless task. This was compounded by the fact that two Tory leaders, Oxford and Bolingbroke were impeached in the run up to the Jacobite rebellion of 1715 and because Jacobitism grew to be associated with treason. The Jacobites could never rely on foreign support. Louis XIV had originally pledged his allegiance to James Francis Stuart, proclaiming him as King of England and promising resources. However, the loss of the War of Spanish Succession, and the subsequent acknowledgement of the Hanoverian succession, esnsured France would not, and could not, fund the Jacobites for a very long time. This was reinforced by the Anglo-French Entente of the 1720s, whereby Walpole and Fleury were keen to maintain the peace. The French did promote the Jacobites in the run-up to the 45, with a 15 000 invasion force at Dunkirk ready to embark for England. However, poor weather and the War of Austrian Succession diverted the troops. Similarly in 1719, a Spanish fleet was ready to set sail for England, in support of the Jacobites, only to be stopped by a storm. Few other European nations were willing to fund the Jacobites. Seeing it as an worthless cause that would just bring unnecessary aggression from Britain, the pre-eminent power in Europe. The lack of foreign support was no doubt significant, as a large, well-supplied army was never received in Britain. However, even with the absence of this, the Jacobite rebellions drove deep into Britain. Similarly, the claim that Jacobite leaders were inept, while maybe true, does not fully explain the failure of the rebellions. The armies still enjoyed many victories and the British were often commanded by similarly worthless men. The inadequacy of the troops and the lack of domestic support are the most significant explanations for the failure of the Jacobites. Against such a strong British army, the Jacobites had little hope of victory. Linked to this, is the lack of pro-Jacobite people in Britain. This was an underlying reason for the small number of people that would join the rebellion and further ensured that both times the revolts extended into England, they petered out due to the prevalent hostility of the people.

Christopher Columbus Essay example -- History

Christopher Columbus is credited as the audacious voyager who challenged modern thinking and found the land now known as the Americas. Columbus not only discovered new lands, but also opened trade with natives and brought substantial wealth and glory to the major European powers. In addition, his ventures not only enabled the spread of the gospel to pagan peoples, but also set the stage for the emergence of the United States of America. Without Christopher Columbus the United States would not have been a separate state for over 500 years or more or not at all. However, despite all that Columbus did, people still fail to recognize the tribulations he undertook before he set off in his first ship. The public is unable to comprehend, despite years of education, the internal struggles and the ridicule Columbus was forced to endure for just believing in what he thought was correct (Philips 13). His courage in the face of this ridicule is what makes Columbus a national hero in that age as well as now. Christopher Columbus’ acts of perseverance, his moral courage, and his adventurous spirit continue to inspire the people of today. Through this intercourse, Christopher Columbus’ work has not ended, for it is everlasting as it persists to imbue the people of today with the ability to succeed in the face of an unknown future. Christopher Columbus’ perseverance and persistence have long been a trait of the philosophy of modern thinking. Columbus displayed high acts of persistence as he rode the waves of uncertainty to the land of success. When Columbus sought audience with King of Portugal in 1485, he was humiliatingly denied funding for his proposed idea to sail west to get to India. If Columbus had given up at this first sign of failure... ...make our decisions accordingly. Works Cited 123Holiday. "Christopher Columbus Biography." Columbus Day. Microsoft Encarta, 2 May 2003. Web. 27 Nov. 2010 http://columbusday.123holiday.net/christopher_columbus.html. Cohen, J.M. (1969) The Four Voyages of Christopher Columbus: Being His Own Log- Book, Letters and Dispatches with Connecting Narrative Drawn from the Life of the Admiral by His Son Hernando Colon and Others. London UK: Penguin Classics. Davidson, Miles H. (1997) Columbus Then and Now: A Life Reexamined, Norman and London, University of Oklahoma Press. Khurana, Simran. "Quotations: Hope." Quotes Quotations. 2001. Web. 27 Nov. 2010. . Phillips, W. D. and C. R. Phillips (1992) The Worlds of Christopher Columbus. Cambridge UK: Cambridge University Press.

Are Teenagers Apathetic to the Less Fortunate? Essay

I agree to a large extent that teenagers today are apathetic towards the less-fortunate. To be apathetic means to not care about something and to show no interest in that matter. Likewise, I feel that teenagers do not care and show no interest at all towards the less-fortunate and have an ignorant mind-set and attitude towards that matter. Most teenagers are self-centred, causing them to be apathetic towards the less-fortunate. In this materialistic world, teenagers have developed a very self-centred attitude and only care about themselves. They love themselves more than anything else and do not care about the people around them, yet alone the less-fortunate. A survey conducted amongst teenagers in Sydney, Australia has shown that when ask for a donation to help the less-fortunate, only 20% of the teenagers will donate and those who did donate, only donated small sums of money ranging from some spare change to one or two dollars at most. The teenagers who did not donate any money also admitted that they did not want to give the money away but instead wanted to keep it so that they could use the money to buy something for themselves. In a newspaper article about volunteering to help the less-fortunate, a teenager, Arianna had said â€Å"Why should I give my money away to charity just to help others? Why can’t I just keep the money and help myself?†. Another teenager Gerard has also commented, â€Å"Will I get anything out of donating to these people? Like a medal from the president or my name be pasted on the school’s honour board?†. This shows how self-centred these teenagers are and how they will only do things if it benefits themself and makes themselves look better. These teenagers simply do not care about the less-fortunate and only care about themselves. Teenagers are so busy that they are apathetic towards the less-fortunate. Today, teenagers have so many things to focus on such as studying, exams getting good grades, co-curricular activities and hanging out with friends that they are simply oblivious towards the less-fortunate. Their schedules are so packed and filled with activities the whole week they do not even get enough time to rest and relax by themselves, let alone to care for others that they do not even know personally, such as the less-fortunate. Teenagers these days would much rather spend their time studying or hanging out with friends than to volunteer at a shelter for homeless adults or to tutor less-fortunate children for free. A teenager, Max, quoted in a newspaper article about volunteering to help the less-fortunate, â€Å"Why should I sacrifice my own time just to help these people?†. Schools are not helping out either, placing a larger emphasis on scoring better grades and piling their students with homework as compared to placing an emphasis on community service and encouraging students to go help out. Teenagers in some countries are also not exposed to the less-fortunate, causing them to be apathetic towards the less fortunate. Teenagers in some countries are simply not given enough opportunities to be exposed and to interact with the less-fortunate, living an ignorant life during their years of adolescence. For example, teenagers in some countries such as South Africa, France and the United States of America, are not required to do any community service at all and remain ignorant and have no interest at all towards the less-fortunate. However, there are some countries in which schemes are successfully implemented to raise awareness amongst teenagers about the less fortunate. For example, in Singapore, all students in government secondary schools have to do a mandatory ten hours of Community Involvement Programme (CIP) each year in order to be promoted to the next grade at the end of each year. In this programme, students have to serve the community at large and also help the less-fortunate children and elderly. Students also doing the new International Baccalaureate (IB) programme have to do mandatory community service with the less-fortunate living in their community in order to successfully complete their diploma programme. I think that such schemes should be implemented in all countries as this successfully raises awareness amongst teenagers. In conclusion, I agree to a large extent that teenagers are apathetic towards the less fortunate and I think that this is mainly due to the fact that teenagers these days are self-centred, busy and are simply not exposed enough to the less-fortunate. I do not think that it is entirely the teenagers’ fault that they are so apathetic and ignorant towards the less-fortunate but that it is also partially the fault of the schools and the government. I also feel that teenagers should have more initiative to be more empathetic towards the less-fortunate.

Christmas Wrasse Facts and Information

Christmas wrasses were named for their green and red coloration. They are also called ladder wrasses, awela (Hawaiian), and green-barred wrasses.   Description of Christmas Wrasses Christmas wrasses can be up to about 11 inches in length.   Wrasses are a big-lipped, spindle-shaped fish that flap their pectoral fins up and down while swimming. They often fold their dorsal and anal fins close to their body, which increases their streamlined shape. Males and females exhibit sexual dimorphism in color, and may change color, and even sex, during their lives.   Males in their terminal color phase are brightly-colored while females are green with black lines. The most brilliantly-colored male Christmas wrasses have reddish-pink background coloration on their body with ladder-like stripes that are bright blue and green in color.  In its initial phase, a male has a diagonal dark red line below its eye. The head of the male is brown, orange or shaded with blue, while the head of females is spotted. Younger animals of both sexes are a more drab green and brown color. The Christmas wrasses ability to change colors and sex has caused confusion over the years over species identification. It also looks similar to another species in a similar habitat - the surge wrasse (Thalassoma purpureum), which is similar in color, although there is a v-shaped mark on their snout which is absent in the Christmas wrasse.   Christmas Wrasse Classification Kingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: ChordataSubphylum: VertebrataClass: ActinopterygiiOrder: PerciformesFamily: LabridaeGenus: Thalassoma  Species: trilobatum Habitat and Distribution Christmas wrasses are found in tropical waters in the Indian and western Pacific Oceans. In U.S. waters, they may be seen off Hawaii. Christmas wrasses tend to frequent shallow waters and surf zones near reefs  and rocks. They may be found singly or in groups.   Christmas wrasses are most active during the day, and spend nights resting in crevices or in the sand.   Christmas Wrasse   Feeding and Diet Christmas wrasses feed during the day, and prey upon crustaceans, brittle stars, mollusks, and sometimes small fish, using canine teeth in their upper and lower jaws. Wrasses crush their prey using pharyngeal bones that are located near their gills.   Christmas Wrasse Reproduction Reproduction occurs sexually, with spawning occurring during the day. Males become more intense in color during spawning time, and their fins may be blue or blackish-blue in color. The males display by swimming back and forth and waving their pectoral fins. Males may form a harem with several females. If the primary male in a group dies, a female may change sex to replace him.   Christmas Wrasse Conservation and Human Uses Christmas wrasses are listed as of least concern on the IUCN Red List. They are widespread throughout their range. They are fished in limited numbers, but more important to humans for their use in the aquarium trade. References and Further Information Bailly, N. 2014. Thalassoma trilobatum (Lacepà ¨de, 1801). In: Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. (2014) FishBase. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species, December 22, 2014.Bray, D. J. 2011. Ladder Wrasse, Thalassoma trilobatum. Fishes of Australia. Accessed December 23, 2014.Cabanban, A. Pollard, D. 2010. Thalassoma trilobatum. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.3. Accessed December 23, 2014.Hoover, J. P. 2003. Fish of the Month: Christmas Wrasse. hawaiisfishes.com, Accessed December 23, 2014.Randall, J.E., G.R. Allen and R.C. Steene, 1990. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, Hawaii. 506 pp., via FishBase, December 22, 2014.Waikiki Aquarium. Christmas Wrasse. Accessed December 23, 2014.