The Nature of Reconstruction in African American History Essay

The Nature of Reconstruction in African American History - Essay Example   African Americans participated in huge numbers in the war as soldiers either enslaved by the confederate rulers or as loyalists to the Northern states due to their denouncement of slavery. The northern states, known as the Union, won the war in 1865 with the surrender of Confederate General Robert E. Lee at McLean House Virginia. With the victory of North, and their policy of emancipation was universally implemented in the entire country. This along with other political and social measures taken in the aftermath of the civil war for reconstruction of the war struck areas and to ensure the integration of freedmen in the society are collectively referred to as reconstruction. As mentioned earlier, the reconstruction refers to the steps taken by the federal government to counter the effects of Civil War, specifically on the former Confederate States and on the freedmen. There were various objectives of the reconstruction initiated by the then President Abraham Lincoln and the Republ ican Congress in 1863. An administrative and political structure had to be re-established in the southern states which lost the war. Moreover, their incorporation in the Union itself, and the congress was also to be carried out in the long term. Moreover, even after the war ended, there was a huge following of the ex-Confederate leaders in the nationalist white men of the southern states (Horton, 2005). The status of the Confederate leadership had to be decided in order to avoid any conflict or chaos. Another, rather more serious, issue was to decide the social, economic and political rights of the freedmen under the constitution. Most important of them was the question that whether or not the freedmen should be given the right to vote. Hence, the reconstruction can be thought of as political, social, economic, legal and administrative restructuring of the southern states by the President and the Congress. There were two different approaches followed by the Union politicians during the Reconstruction era. The office of the president, under Abraham Lincoln, and after his death by Andrew Johnson, resorted mostly to administrative measures to avoid conflict, and contain the chaos caused by southern nationalists over the above-mentioned issues. The policy of both presidents was very lenient towards the southern states and ex-Confederate politicians. They wanted the Reunion of Southern States with the federal government as early as possible. Starting from 1862, military governors were appointed in ten out of eleven states which exercised administrative and legal powers. At that time, it was decided that these governors would give way to a political set up when at least ten percent of the white men in a state vowed allegiance to the Union and also accept the declaration of emancipation (the Ten Percent Plan). The states were then allowed to elect their own governor and legislative assembly and write a new constitution embodying concepts of emancipation and federatio n. These measures proved to be very effective in the immediate control of the riots, which had broken in the southern states.

Food Retail Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Food Retail - Assignment Example Given the trend toward globalization and international expansion of markets, modern retailers are faced with increasing competition as well as the need to expand their products and services to appeal to broader market segments. This process is requiring retail grocers to identify and target specific ethnic market segments. In the same way that US retailers have successfully targeted Hispanic consumers, international retail grocery companies such as Tesco must focus on diversifying their product line and successfully marketing to significant segments such as the Muslim community. According to the company, Tesco is one of the world's leading international food retailers with over 2500 stores worldwide and a commitment to long-term growth (Tesco: At a Glance, 2006: 1). In fact, it has been called the "success story" of British supermarket retailing whose industry leadership has been widely accepted (Kacker & Sternquist, 1994: 202). This places the organization at the forefront of market development because its broad reach locates it's outlets in many different markets with an extremely diverse customer base. In those areas which have high concentrations of devout Muslims, this means offering a product line that comports with the strict dietary laws known as Halal. There is no doubt about the fact that the Muslim community has significant economic power; in France, it is estimated that if the 60 million Muslims who reside there would consume and purchase only Halal meat, the product could account for 10% to 15% of the French national meat market (Kutschera, 199 6: 40). Given Tesco's stated corporate responsibility policy, which notes the organization's intent to appeal to customers across many social and economic ranges as well as use their size and success as a force for good in playing an important role in local communities, Tesco has given itself no choice but to develop products that will appeal to this constituency (Tesco: Corporate Responsibility, 2005: 1). The concept of Halal, which means "acceptable," is to the Muslim community what Kosher is to the Jewish community. It is a set of dietary laws which prescribe the manner in which foods are processed prior to being consumed, and there is increasing Muslim demand for the provision of these products (Haddad & Lummis, 1987: 20). In fact, making acceptable food available to devout Muslims is so important that many European countries are now including it as part of the food services available in public institutions such as schools and hospitals; and if they cannot find it elsewhere, many Muslims will purchase their meat from Jewish shops because of