History of the Potato Famine

History of the Potato Famine Treavor Hoffman Collen Seguin The Potato Famine Between the years of 1845 and 1850 over a million-people died of either disease, hunger or fever throughout Ireland. The Irish believed that nature was a main cause but so were the British, English and the rest of Europe. The main cause of all these deaths is what we have all typically heard and learned about and that is the potato blight or otherwise known as the potato famine. So many people died because the potato was such a big part of the Irish consumption and when you run out of something that was highly relied upon, and have very few other sources, it results in very bad outcomes. Aside from the disease that affected the crop, the other causes that contributed to such a major drop in population and death can be attributed to the lack of support from the British and English. They were the ones who caused the hunger and catastrophe throughout Ireland. Let us first talk about the history of Ireland and the potato. The population of Ireland increased rapidly from the early seventeenth century. In 1600 it was just over a million: by 1841 it had risen to something over 8 million (Toibin and Ferriter, pg. 11). So, over a 200-year span Ireland saw a huge growth in their population and were not fully prepared for it. As for the potato, it was first discovered in South America in the year 1537 by Spain and was brought back to Europe and gradually spread throughout. There are a couple of stories in how it made its way to Ireland. The first is that the potato washed ashore from the wreckage of the Spanish Armada in 1589. The other story is that an explorer named Sir Walter Raleigh brought the potato from one of his expeditions. The potato was an easy crop to grow and could grow in some of the poorest conditions making it very suitable for the Irish to raise because it was cheap and could be very plentiful (newworldencyclopedia.org). Now that we know a little about the Irish and how the potato got to Ireland, let us talk about the causes and factors of the famine. The big reason of course was the potato blight. Researchers dont know exactly how the potato blight was caused or where it came from. Before the massive potato blight there were many other failures of the potato that we dont typically hear about. Throughout the time the potato had been in Ireland it had seen around 20 other failures. But between the years of 1845 and 1850 the entire country was suffering from crop failure making it impossible for anyone to thrive. According to a chart in the book The Irish Famine in the early 1840s there was a total of about 15,000 tons worth of potatoes being grown. Then from the years 1847-1856 that number dropped to 4,423 tons and dropped even more to 3,407 tons between the years of 1857-1866 (Toibin and Ferriter, pg. 53). Two thirds of the workforce were dependent on agriculture in the 1840s while only one in seven of the population lived in towns and cities ( Toibin and Ferriter, pg. 52). The average amount of potatoes the average adult male ate pre-famine was around fourteen pounds worth, eleven pounds for women and children older than eleven, and almost five pounds worth for children under eleven. This shows us that much of the population in Ireland was reliant on this one food source and when it was gone or full of disease, many people died or became ill. The Irish famine caused many deaths and saw many emigrants. There was a total of about a million people who died due to the famine and another million who ended up leaving Ireland in search for a better way of life. Life for those who stayed was brutal and desolate. One good thing though is that when so many people left it gave opportunities for other farmers to work their land and make a profit (Toibin and Ferriter). Considerably one of the biggest reasons so many people died wasnt because the potatoes ran out and were gone but because Englands long running political dominance over Ireland. The Irish had been bullied and conquered many times by the English. They also seized much of the agriculture land which wasnt given back to the Irish. The English hired their own kind of farmers to manage the land and do all the upkeep. These same managers would then rent out the small plots of land to farmers in exchange for labor and cash. This ended up leading to higher rent prices and a plummet in the Irish economy. In a typical tenancy like this it can be effective and benefit both parties but in this case the Irish had zero rights to the land they farmed.ÂÂ   The only place that wasnt as bad were the areas high in Protestants. These were the only areas that the farmers could make any profit from what they were doing. The Irish suffered from many famines under English rule. Like a boxer with both arm s tied behind his back, the Irish could only stand and absorb blow after blow. It took the many circumstances of English policy to create the knockout punch and ultimate answer to the Irish question (mises.org). The British did not care one way or the other of what would happen to Ireland. They found them to be disgusting and referred to them as ape like. Aside from not only having to grow the potatoes the Irish also had to eat them and so did their livestock. They would feed the livestock their peelings because they did not eat that part. As for people, they did not have to many ways to make the potatoes. Most of the time it consisted of just some cabbage, butter, milk, and salt thrown in to help with the flavor and texture (Toibin and Ferriter, pg. 49) . As for the cooking of the potato they would just boil them over the fire until the inside of the potato was done and they could add the other ingredients (Toibin and Ferriter, pg. 67). Now these potatoes they were growing were not like the potatoes most of us are accustomed to today. They were of very poor quality and did not taste very well. Being a potato farmer myself I can say I have a pretty good judgment on what kind of potatoes taste good and which do not. And the ones they were growing definitely tasted bad. I can also tell you that when we read about the stories people had from the book The Irish Famine and when they say rotting potatoes smelled bad, it is most definitely true. Rotting potatoes is one of the grossest smells you may ever smell in your entire life. Unfortunately for the people of Ireland they were constantly dealing with this nasty smell and I cant even imagine what their homes and lands would smell like. There has been much research done to determine whether or not the British are responsible for the death of over a million people. Most historians believe that are enormously responsible because they just sat back and watched as Ireland fell apart. And not only did they just watch but they kept thriving off the Irish land in ways like taking all their cattle and other crops leaving the Irish with very few options but mainly the potato. It was said that the amount of dead and emigrated people was impossible to determine because of how many actually died and left the country (Toibin and Ferriter pg. 17). Before the famine struck Irishmen had already been steadily immigrating to the U.S and to other parts of the world. But once the famine struck those previous numbers were a joke. Over 72,000 emigrants entered the U.S in the year 1848 (Toibin and Ferriter, pg 172). In just one year! By 1850 the population of New York City was said to be 26 percent Irish (About.com). Overall the Irish Famine had two main causes. The first being the fungus that grew on the potatoes causing the potato blight and completely destroying the crop. And the second factor was the lack of support given by the British and how they mistreated the Irish people. This was definitely an example of an Irish Auschwitz ( Toibin and Ferriter, pg. 54). References Robert McNamara 19th Century History Expert. What Happened During the Great Irish Famine? About.com Education. N.p., 15 Dec. 2014. Web. 03 Mar. 2017. . Anne. What Caused the Irish Potato Famine? Mises Institute. N.p., 07 May 2008. Web. 03 Mar. 2017. . Potato. Potato New World Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2017. . ToÃÅ'ibiÃÅ'n, Colm, and Diarmaid Ferriter. The Irish Famine: A Documentary. London: Profile in Association with London Review of, 2004. Print.

Leadership and Ethics Paper

The movie entitled Coach Carter have shown more than just the simple approach on presenting leadership as a way by which the situations are treated by someone who is expert in a certain field of leading the people. As for this movie, the focus was on the way a coach was able to face the challenges of helping his team see more than just winning the games. Coach Carter, an alumni and an MVP player of the basketball team of the Richmond High School, was able to recreate the motivation of his team players through giving a different approach to his young players. His lengthened thought of the future for his team players have particularly helped him in taking greater steps in making a change in his procedures of the assistance that he is giving them towards   a certain future that would lead them to lives beyond what they have in the basketball courts. From this particular movie, it could be observed that â€Å"leadership† is certainly a factor that brings definite change to groups and organizations. The lessons that are presented through this film certainly awakens the corporate leaders in becoming more aware of the fact that their responsibilities does not simply involve them commanding and directing their people. The corporate world is certainly involving a number of great changes that are involving motivational procedures for the sake of the organizational future as well as individual development goals of the organization. Through the pattern that has been shown through the movie Coach Carter, this particular paper shall be completed in an aim of presenting the possibility of creating effective changes within the organization through the effective use of leadership procedures to be able to meet the challenges of future needs for the corporation that the said leaders are working for. The Role of Communication in Leadership As primarily shown in the movie â€Å"Coach Carter†, it could be observed that communication has been the key factor that has mainly assisted the coach in making it possible for the whole team to understand the aspect that he is making them see. This is indeed also an important factor that needs consideration in application for the sake of organizational growth. The act of constantly communicating with the people around the environment that an individual deals with certainly places an impact on the ways by which the organizational members are able to relate to each other with regards the plans, the procedures of the progressive advancements for the organization. Hence, from this point, it could be observed that there are at least five major points behind the importance of communication within organizational operations. The said points of communication are as follows: (a)Communicating for the sake of passing information There is a need for constant passing of information especially for organizational members. The idea is that the regular way of people communicating with each other would indeed keep the organization unified and intact for the sake of continuous business progress. (b)Communicating for organizational update on progress Whatever the company deals with, the members should know of all of them. This is for the sake of the establishment of trust among the employees as well as the organization’s administration section. It is through the application of regular communication that the progress reports could be utilized to motivate the other members of the organization. (c) Communication for motivational purposes As mentioned earlier, there is a specific need for the people of the organization to take specific steps in being able to perform well for the sake of organization’s progress. To be able to come to a meeting point between the administrators and the employees, it is then necessary to take advantage of communication. Through the open line of communication that exists between the two said parties, it is then obvious that the changes could be given chances of being fulfilled as both sides of opinions are already able to relate to each other’s needs and expectations form the organization as well as form each other. (d)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Communication for the sake of advancement as an organization It is necessary that there exists an open line of communication between all the people making up the organization because of the fact that much of the progress procedures would rely on the ways that govern the ways by which the said people are able to connect with each other through speaking with each other. Their unity, their connection with each other towards progressive efforts relies on their capabilities to talk to each other and support each other through the use of communication. (e)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Communication for the sake of implying law To be able to keep the whole organization at the right track, there is a necessity for the administration to imply the laws of business within the operational engagements of the employees as this would particularly identify the limitations and the capabilities as well as the benefits that the company has further provided for the employees. Communicating to the employees on why the said set rules are necessary to be followed by the people working within the organization shall then make it easier for them to cope up with the organization’s rules and thus keep a clear track of the changes that they need to face as they are staying with the said organization. From the discussion of the five-point reasons of why communication in the continuing process of a particular organization’s growth, it could be noted that the price that keeping the communication lines open pays is much essential for any organizational progress procedures. Constant attention given to the procedures of communication shall indeed bring forth fine results for the whole team or group that works their way on towards advancements. The five importance of communication certainly identifies one of the key roles of leaders then. In the movie Coach Carter, the coach never failed in helping his team understand why he’s doing to them what they actually do.   Hence, although they were not able to understand the reasoning that he presented to them as to why he aims to make them more motivated in learning their lessons as they are completely serious about their plays, they were able to take the gist of the methodologies he used to motivate them later on. The Constant Need for Change It is necessary that every organization take changes every now and then. The fact is that change is the primary reason why several organizations are able to spot the different aspects of possible progress that the organization could be undergoing in the near future. However, to be able to make change, a fine leader should be ready to face the challenges of the new venture that the organization tries to engage into. As based from the movie Coach Carter, it is indeed obvious that the change that he intended to make among his teams created problems with regards the reaction of the people. This particular situation in the movie actually presents the change that goes beyond the norms. Normally, people are not that open to change. However, through the use of transformational leadership, a person who aims to implicate the changes within the organization certainly is given a fine chance of showing that he can face the impending challenges that may hinder him from keeping up with the needed changes. It could be observed then that the leaders are indeed expected to have the capabilities of transforming the opinions of people to be able to coincide with the thoughts and the practices that they ought to imply within the organization. To be able to understand the situation better, it could be noted that the leaders are to have the necessary characteristics that they need to apply in dealing with the situations that they are usually faced with in their position as group motivators. There are necessary points that need to be considered in this particular situation. The said points are as follows: (A)People-focused leadership It is necessary that leaders are able to take into consideration several strategies that are able to meet the needs of the people that they serve. Certainly, it could be noted that the responsibilities of the leaders are primarily people-centered. The profit and everything else comes in a secondary state as leadership is primarily created to be able to direct people towards the progressive state of the organization. (B)Ethical Based policing It is always essential to carry into consideration the ethical measures of the procedures that are being adapted by organizational leaders. It is only through the ways by which the people are able to get the satisfaction that they need that the leadership of one particular person could be considered successful. Hence, the ethical standards that are set for business policing should constantly be observed by the business leaders as they are expected to have a closer observation of the intensity of the application of ethics within the system of business operations. (C)Giving personal assistance to people who are concerned in the change â€Å"Empathy† is one of the primary characteristics that fine leaders should posses. It is then necessary that the leaders of any organization have this particular attitude towards others especially when dealing with critical and complicated issues within the relational aspects of employees and the administration as well. (D)Personal Concern for the employee’s needs and expectations The individual’s that make up an organization are people who have their own needs and expectations from the company. If one particular leader is able to know and thus provide that particular need, it is then possible to have a more personal-focused system within the organization that could lead to a more progressive future for the entire business. Conclusion The movie of Coach Carter certainly redefines the responsibility and the normal approach of leadership within several organizations in the society. The constant implication of the fact that leadership is a profession, a career that requires strength and courage in implementing necessary rules within certain organizational settings, has been actually presented within the plot of the said movie. Hence, this particularly means that the changes that organizations are required to meet every now and then requires an amply amount of patience and courage from the leaders. Aside from that, it also requires sturdiness when it comes to decision making on the part of the leaders. The policy of â€Å"what must be implemented must be implemented† should always be carried on through by the leaders with an ample scaling of the ethical values that are involved within the situation. Yes, the fact that leadership is not an easy challenge that needs to be conscientiously met identifies the qualities and the attitudes that leaders or aspiring organizational head personnel should posses. Hence, a leader is then supposed to face the said challenges in full courage and knowledge of the strategies that need to be applied in particular situations that they are to meet. References: Maxwell, John C. (2001). Developing the leader within you. Thomas Nelson Publishers. Quinn, Robert E. (1996). Deep Change: Discovering the Leader Within (Jossey-Bass Business & Management Series). Jossey-Bass Stephen R. Covey. (2006). The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness: Miniature Edition. Running Press Book Publishers; Miniature edition. The Coach Carter Movie. (2005). http://www.coachcarter.com/movie.htm. (June 9, 2

Sports and Gender Essay - 1653 Words

Sports become stereotyped as gender-neutral, feminine, or masculine based on conceptions regarding gender, gender differences, and beliefs about the appropriateness of participation due to gender (Colley et al., 1987; Csizma, Wittig, Schurr, 1988; Koivula, 1995; Matteo, 1986). Sports labeled as feminine seem to be those that allow women participants to act in accordance with the stereotyped expectations of femininity (such as being graceful and nonagressive) and that provide for beauty and aesthetic pleasure (based on largely male standards). A sport is labeled as masculine if it involves the following: 1) attempts to physically overpower the opponent(s) by bodily contact; 2) a direct use of bodily force to a heavy object; 3) a†¦show more content†¦Principal component analysis performed on the second questionnaire resulted in twelve factor-based scales: 1) Aesthetics and Femininity; 2) Danger/Risk and Violence; 3) Team Spirit; 4) Fair Play and Morals; 5) Speed; 6) Advanced Skills and Precision; 7) Commercialism; 8) Strength and Endurance; 9) Equipment; 10) Masculinity; 11) Excitement and Challenge; and 12) Cognitive Efficiency. All sports labeled as feminine scored high on scale one, Aesthetics and Femininity. Attributes such as â€Å"aesthetical†, â€Å"beauty†, â€Å"graceful†, and â€Å"sexy† loaded on the same factor as â€Å"feminine† and â€Å"womanly†. In contrast, the sports labeled as masculine scored high in Danger/Risk and Violence, Team Spirit, Speed, Strength and Endurance, and Masculinity (Koivula, 2001). This study reveals much about the attitudes that persist in society today regarding sport and gender. Early on, sport was created to serve men, evolving as a celebration of maleness, valuing strength, power, and competition. It idealized, promoted, and rewarded successful, elite athletes, established â€Å"the dream† as a professional career in sports, and viewed mass participation in sport as a tool to weed out the weak (Hill, 1993). In contrast, women’s sports originated to â€Å"address the expressed need for healthful exercise† (Huckaby, 1994). Unlike the competitive warrior modeShow MoreRelatedGender in Sports986 Words   |  4 PagesGender Differences in Sports For plenty of years the women nature has been looked upon as homemakers, hairdressers, wives and mothers. As women step out into the world to pursue dreams, careers, and aspirations, many have come across the issues of playing on male teams. 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