Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Student:
Ungureanu Stefania
Contents
Argument....3 Chapter I: Thomas Jefferson....4 1.1. Education and the beginning of the political ideas...4 1.2. Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence..4 1.3. Jefferson- President in 1800..5 1.4. Thomas Jefferson outside the political life ...6 1.5. 1826-The last year.6 Chapter II: John F. Kennedy7 2.1. Early life and education.7 2.2. The beginning of JFKs political career7 2.3. JFK-President in 1961...7 2.4. Civil rights 8 2.5. Space program ..9 2.6. Death, funeral and legacy10 2.7. JFKs family. Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis .10 Chapter III: Barack Obama12 3.1. Early life and education...12 3.2. Legislative career: 1997-2008.13 3.3. Presidential campaign.13 3.4. Barack Obama- President in 2009...13 3.5. The death of Osama bin Laden ......14 Chapter IV: Martin Luther King Jr..15 4.1. The roots of his ideas......15 4.2. Montgomery Bus Boycott...16 4.3. Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)...16 4.4. Civil Rights Movement...16 4.5. Speeches of Martin Luther King Jr.17 4.6. Kings Assassination...18 4.7. Legacy.....19 Chapter V: Elvis Presley.21 5.1. A difficult beginning.......21 5.2. First live appearance.......21 5.3. Elvis debut album......22 5.4. Appearances on TV.....22 5.5. Movies and songs....23 5.6. Military service and life after the army...23 5.7. Comeback....24 5.8. Divorce, health problems and death....25 2
Argument
My paper is about five famous people who changed the world so dramatically that they ended up in the history books. They all come from different places, times, and backgrounds, yet they managed to leave a mark after they were gone. I chose the subject American people who changed the World because I have always been interested in finding out more about the personalities who really did something with their life and who made a difference during their lifetime. The paper is divided into five chapters, the first three are focused on the life of three American Presidents, the fourth is about Martin Luther King Jr. and the last describes the life of The King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley.
President but lost narrowly to John Adams, however under the terms of the constitution, this was sufficient to become Vice President. In the run up to the next election of 1800 Jefferson fought a bitter campaign. However Jefferson was narrowly elected and this allowed him to promote open and representative government. On being elected, he offered a hand of friendship to his former political enemies. The Presidency of Jefferson was eventful, but importantly he was able to preside over a period of relative stability and generally kept America out of conflict. I love peace, and am anxious that we should give the world still another useful lesson, by showing to them other modes of punishing injuries than by war, which is as much a punishment to the punisher as to the sufferer. [http://www.biographyonline.net/thomas_jefferson/index.html]
"HERE WAS BURIED THOMAS JEFFERSON AUTHOR OF THE DECLARATION OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE OF THE STATUTE OF VIRGINIA FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND FATHER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA."
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_jefferson] Jefferson, together with George Washington, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln, was chosen by sculptor Gutzon Borglum and approved by President Calvin Coolidge to be depicted in stone at the Mount Rushmore Memorial. Thomas Jefferson is constantly rated by historical scholars as one of the greatest U.S. presidents.
In 1946, Kennedy won a seat in Boston for the US House of Representatives and in 1952 got himself elected for the US Senate. One year later, JFK married Jacqueline Lee Bouvier. In 1956 he published 'Profiles in Courage', a book about US Senators who stood up for their personal beliefs and one year later he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for biography for his book. Kennedy is the only President who has received such a prize.
As one of his first presidential acts, Kennedy asked Congress to create the Peace Corps. Through this program, Americans volunteer to help underdeveloped nations in areas such as education, farming, health care, and construction. The authorization grew to 5,000 members by March 1963 and 10,000 the following year. Since 1961, over 200,000 Americans have joined the Peace Corps, serving in 139 countries.
Finally, Kennedy suggested international cooperation in space. Sergei Khrushchev said Kennedy approached his father, Nikita, twice about a "joint venture" in space explorationin June 1961 and autumn 1963. On the first occasion, the Soviet Union was ahead of America in many aspects of space technology. On April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first person to fly in space, reinforcing American fears about being left behind in a technological competition with the Soviet Union. Kennedy was eager for the U.S. to take the lead in the Space Race for strategic reasons. In September 1963, during a speech before the United Nations, Kennedy again proposed a joint lunar program to the Soviet Union. The proposal was not enthusiastically received by Khrushchev. On July 20, 1969, almost six years after his death, Apollo's goal was realized when Americans landed on the Moon.
10
He was posthumously awarded the Pacem in Terris Award (Peace on Earth). President Kennedy is the only president to have predeceased both his mother and father. He is also the only president to have predeceased a grandparent. His grandmother, Mary Josephine Hannon Fitzgerald, died in 1964, just over eight months after his assassination.
11
2009, from the effects of a malignant brain tumor. John F. Kennedy, Jr. was born in 1960, just a few weeks after his father was elected. John died in 1999, when the small plane he was piloting crashed killing him, his wife and his sister-in-law. Kennedy's wife, Jacqueline and their two deceased minor children were buried with him later. His brother, Senator Robert Kennedy, was buried nearby in June 1968. In August 2009, his brother, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, was also buried near his two brothers. Kennedy came in third (behind Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mother Teresa) in Gallup's List of Widely Admired People of the twentieth century.
12
and advance for a book about race relations, which evolved into a personal memoir. The manuscript was published in mid-1995 as Dreams from My Father. After graduating with a Juris Doctor (J.D.) magna cum laude from Harvard in 1991, he returned to Chicago. In 1991, Obama accepted a two-year position as Visiting Law and Government Fellow at the University of Chicago Law School to work on his first book. He then served as a professor at the University of Chicago Law School for twelve years teaching constitutional law. In 1993 he joined a 13-attorney law firm specializing in civil rights where he was an associate for three years.
In October 2009, Obama was named the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Baracks election was also important for offering a change from the disruptive years of George Bush. In March 2011, as forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi advanced on rebels across Libya, on Obama's orders, the U.S. military took a lead role to destroy the Libyan government's air defense capabilities in order to protect civilians. He also signed an arms control treaty with Russia. His speeches galvanized a nation with a positive message of hope combined with powerful criticism of the failings of the Bush years. Although Barack Obama gained solid support amongst black Americans, his appeal was universal and he was able to attract support from even southern blue collar constituencies.
14
15
embodied in his life certain universal principles that are inherent in the moral structure of the universe, and these principles are as inescapable as the law of gravitation. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King,_Jr.]
16
King believed that organized, nonviolent protest against the system of southern segregation known as Jim Crow laws would lead to extensive media coverage of the struggle for black equality and voting rights and convinced the majority of Americans that the Civil Rights Movement was the most important issue in American politics in the early 1960s. King organized and led marches for blacks' right to vote, desegregation, labour rights and other basic civil rights. A successful movement was the Birmingham Campaign. It was a strategic effort by the SCLC to promote civil rights for African Americans. Based on actions in Birmingham, Alabama, its goal was to end the city's segregated civil and discriminatory economic policies. The campaign lasted for more than two months in the spring of 1963. By the end of the campaign, King's reputation improved immensely and public places became more open to blacks. However the most important part of the movement was March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom where King said his most renowned speech: I have a dream. King, representing SCLC, was among the leaders of the so-called "Big Six" civil rights organizations who were instrumental in the organization of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, which took place on August 28, 1963. King, who received death threats throughout his involvement in the civil rights movement, was hit by a brick during one march but continued to lead marches in the face of personal danger.
17
Despite tensions, the march was a resounding success. More than a quarter million people of diverse ethnicities attended the event, sprawling from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial onto the National Mall and around the reflecting pool. At the time, it was the largest gathering of protesters in Washington's history. King's "I Have a Dream" speech electrified the crowd. It is regarded, along with Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and Franklin D. Roosevelt's Infamy Speech, as one of the finest speeches in the history of American oratory. The March, and especially King's speech, helped put civil rights at the very top the liberal political agenda in the United States and facilitated passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal." I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. [King H, Richard, Civil Rights and the Idea of Freedom, New York: Oxford University Press, 1992, Chap. 4 "Martin Luther King and the Meanings of Freedom" and Chap. 5 "Martin Luther King: Authorship and Ideas"]
18
people, will get to the Promised Land. And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord. [http://www.mlkonline.net/promised.html] King was booked in room 306 at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. According to Jesse Jackson, who was present, King's last words on the balcony prior to his assassination were spoken to musician Ben Branch, who was scheduled to perform that night at an event King was attending: "Ben, make sure you play "Take My Hand, Precious Lord" in the meeting tonight. Play it real pretty." Then, at 6:01 p.m., April 4, 1968, a shot rang out as King stood on the motel's second floor balcony. The bullet entered through his right cheek, smashing his jaw, then travelled down his spinal cord before lodging in his shoulder. After emergency chest surgery, King was pronounced dead at St. Joseph's Hospital at 7:05 p.m. According to biographer Taylor Branch, King's autopsy revealed that though only thirty-nine years old, he had the heart of a sixty-yearold man, perhaps a result of the stress of thirteen years in the civil rights movement. The assassination led to a nationwide wave of riots in Washington DC, Chicago, Baltimore and other cities. President Lyndon B. Johnson declared April 7 a national day of mourning for the civil rights leader. Vice-President Hubert Humphrey attended King's funeral on behalf of the President, as there were fears that Johnson's presence might incite protests and perhaps violence. Two months after King's death, escaped convict James Earl Ray was captured at London Heathrow Airport while trying to leave the United Kingdom on a false Canadian passport. Ray was quickly extradited to Tennessee and charged with King's murder. He confessed to the assassination. Ray was sentenced to a 99-year prison term. He claimed a man he met in Montreal, Quebec, with the alias "Raoul" was involved and that the assassination was the result of a conspiracy. There are many allegations of conspiracy. Those suspecting a conspiracy in the assassination point out the two separate ballistics tests recovered by police had neither conclusively proved Ray had been the killer nor that it had even been the murder weapon. Moreover, witnesses surrounding King at the moment of his death say the shot came from another location not from the rooming house window.
4.7. Legacy
King's main legacy was to secure progress on civil rights in the United States, which has enabled more Americans to reach their potential. He is frequently referenced as a human rights 19
icon today. On the international scene, King's legacy included influences on the Black Consciousness Movement and Civil Rights Movement in South Africa. King's wife, Coretta Scott King, followed her husband's footsteps and was active in matters of social justice and civil rights until her death in 2006. The same year that Martin Luther King was assassinated, she established the King Center in Atlanta, Georgia, dedicated to preserving his legacy and the work of nonviolent conflict resolution and tolerance worldwide. There is a national day which celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. on the third Monday of January each year, near the time of King's birthday. In 1971, King was posthumously awarded the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for his Why I Oppose the War in Vietnam In 1963 King was named Time Person of the Year and in 2000 King was elected third in the Greatest American contest conducted by the Discovery Channel and AOL. More than 730 cities in the United States have streets named after King. In 2002, scholar Molefi Kete Asante listed Martin Luther King, Jr. on his list of 100 Greatest African Americans. King spoke earlier about what people should remember him for if they are around for his funeral. He said rather than his awards and where he went to school, people should talk about how he fought peacefully for justice: I'd like somebody to mention that day that Martin Luther King Jr. tried to give his life serving others. I'd like for somebody to say that day that Martin Luther King Jr. tried to love somebody. I want you to say that day that I tried to be right and to walk with them. I want you to be able to say that day that I did try to feed the hungry. I want you to be able to say that day that I did try in my life to clothe those who were naked. I want you to say on that day that I did try in my life to visit those who were in prison. And I want you to say that I tried to love and serve humanity. Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major. Say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter. [http://www.mlkonline.net/speeches-the-drum-major-instinct.html]
20
21
Elvis appeared publicly for the first time on July 17 at the Bon Air club. At the end of the month, he and his band appeared at the Overton Park Shell and Elvis attitude and moves fascinated the crowds. From August through October, they played frequently at the Eagle's Nest club and returned to Sun Studio for more recording sessions. Presley quickly grew more confident on stage. Presley made what would be his only appearance on Nashville's Grand Ole Opry on October 2; after a polite audience response, Opry manager Jim Denny told Phillips that his singer was "not bad" but did not suit the program. Two weeks later, Presley was booked on Louisiana Hayride but he had another attack of nerves during the first set, which drew a muted reaction. Soon after the show, the Hayride engaged Presley for a year's worth of Saturday-night appearances and his trio began playing in new locales including Houston, Texas, and Texarkana, Arkansas. By early 1955, Presley's regular Hayride appearances, constant touring, and well-received record releases had made him a substantial regional star, from Tennessee to West Texas. After three major labels made offers of up to $25,000, Parker and Phillips struck a deal with RCA Victor on November 21 to acquire Presley's Sun contract for an unprecedented $40,000. Presley, at 20, was still a minor, so his father signed the contract.
5.4. Appearances on TV
He recorded songs in the rock and roll genre, with tracks like "Hound Dog" and "Jailhouse Rock" later embodying the style. Presley had a versatile voice and had unusually wide success encompassing other genres, including gospel, blues, ballads and pop. To date, he has been inducted into four music halls of fame. Presley was booked for a July 1 appearance on NBC's Steve Allen Show in New York. Allens show with Presley had, for the first time, beaten CBS's Ed Sullivan Show in the ratings. Sullivan, despite his June pronouncement, booked the singer for three appearances for an 22
unprecedented $50,000. Presley's performance of his forthcoming single, the ballad "Love Me Tender", prompted a record-shattering million advance orders. More than any other single event, it was this first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show that made Presley a national celebrity of barely precedented proportions. Presley brought rock'n'roll into the mainstream of popular culture", writes historian Marty Jezer. "As Presley set the artistic pace, other artists followed. ... Presley, more than anyone else, gave the young a belief in themselves as a distinct and somehow unified generationthe first in America ever to feel the power of an integrated youth culture." Elvis, Presley's second album, was released in October and quickly rose to number one.
23
Presley returned to the United States on March 2, 1960, and was honorably discharged with the rank of sergeant. He released his best-selling singles, the ballads "It's Now or Never" and "Are You Lonesome Tonight? Along with the rest of Elvis Is Back! G.I. Blues, the soundtrack to Presley's first film since his return, was a number one album. During a luncheon preceding the event, RCA presented him with a plaque certifying worldwide sales of over 75 million records. He performed on March 25, in Hawaii to raise money for a Pearl Harbor memorial and this concert was Presley's last public performance for seven years. During a five-year span1964 through 1968Presley had only one top ten hit: "Crying in the Chapel" (1965), a gospel number recorded back in 1960. Shortly before Christmas 1966, more than seven years since they first met, Presley proposed to Priscilla Beaulieu. They were married on May 1, 1967, in a brief ceremony in their suite at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas.
5.7. Comeback
Presley's only child, Lisa Marie, was born on February 1, 1968, during a period when he had grown deeply unhappy with his career. Of the eight Presley singles released between January 1967 and May 1968, only two charted in the top 40, and none higher than number 28. His forthcoming soundtrack album, Speedway, would die at number 82 on the Billboard chart. Recorded in late June, the Christmas special, called simply Elvis, aired on December 3, 1968. Later known as the '68 Comeback Special, the show featured lavishly staged studio productions as well as songs performed with a band in front of a small audiencePresley's first live performances since 1961. By January 1969, the single "If I Can Dream", written for the special, reached number 12. Further hit singles were culled from the American Sound sessions: "Suspicious Minds", "Don't Cry Daddy", and "Kentucky Rain". Presley held a concert in Las Vegas and the audience of 2,200, including many celebrities, gave him a standing ovation before he sang a note and another after his performance. A third followed his encore, "Can't Help Falling in Love". At a press conference after the show a journalist referred to him as "The King. The next day, Parker's negotiations with the hotel resulted in a five-year contract for Presley to play each February and August, at an annual salary of $1 million.
24
Presley was by now performing in a jumpsuit, which would become a trademark of his live act. During this engagement, he was threatened with murder unless $50,000 was paid. Presley had been the target of many threats since the 1950s. His gospel album He Touched Me, released that month, would earn him his second Grammy Award, for Best Inspirational Performance.
25
Attempts to revive him failed, and death was officially pronounced at 3:30 pm at Baptist Memorial Hospital. Thousands of people gathered outside Graceland to view the open casket. Presley's funeral was held at Graceland, on Thursday, August 18.
5.9. Legacy
Presley has been inducted into four music halls of fame: the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1986), the Country Music Hall of Fame (1998), the Gospel Music Hall of Fame (2001), and the Rockabilly Hall of Fame (2007). In 1984, he received the W. C. Handy Award from the Blues Foundation and the Academy of Country Music's first Golden Hat Award. In 1987, he received the American Music Awards' Award of Merit. In 2005, another three reissued singles, "Jailhouse Rock", "One Night"/"I Got Stung", and "It's Now or Never", went to number one in Great Britain. A total of 17 Presley singles were reissued during the yearall made the British top five. For the fifth straight year, Forbes named Presley the top-earning deceased celebrity, with a gross income of $45 millions 2009, he was ranked fourth. The following year, Viva Elvis: The Album was released, setting his voice to newly recorded instrumental tracks. President Jimmy Carter issued a statement that credited Presley with having "permanently changed the face of American popular culture": "His music and his personality, fusing the styles of white country and black rhythm and blues, permanently changed the face of American popular culture. His following was immense, and he was a symbol to people the world over of the vitality, rebelliousness, and good humor of his country." Presley's rise to national attention in 1956 transformed the field of popular music and had a huge effect on the broader scope of popular culture. As the catalyst for the cultural revolution that was rock and roll, he was central not only to defining it as a musical genre but in making it a touchstone of youth culture and rebellious attitude. Presley's name, image, and voice are instantly recognizable around the globe. In polls and surveys, he is recognized as one of the most important popular music artists and influential Americans. Greil Marcus wrote in his book Mystery Train: Images of America in Rock 'n' Roll Music. Revised ed. E.P. Dutton; 1982 pp. 141-142 the next lines about Elvis, concluding that Presleys music changed the face of the world:
26
Elvis Presley is a supreme figure in American life, one whose presence, no matter how banal or predictable, brooks no real comparisons. ... The cultural range of his music has expanded to the point where it includes not only the hits of the day, but also patriotic recitals, pure country gospel, and really dirty blues. ... Elvis has emerged as a great artist, a great rocker, a great purveyor of schlock, a great heart throb, a great bore, a great symbol of potency, a great ham, a great nice person, and, yes, a great American.
Conclusion
To conclude, in my paper I discussed about three emblematic American presidents Thomas Jefferson, John F. Kennedy and Barack Obama. Their mandates were in different periods; the first of them was a President in 1800, the second in 1961 and the latter is the current President of USA. I chose these particular three presidents because I find what they did for the world very significant. Jeffersons Declaration of Independence represents, from my point of view, the most important American document which attests that every person has the right to life, freedom and the pursuit of happiness. The second President, Kennedy was a unique President: the first Catholic President, the only President to have won a Pulitzer Prize, the second youngest President and the first President who has been born in the 20 th century. Moreover, everyone will remember his tragic death as a scar in Americas history. The last President I discussed is Barack Obama who is the first African American President of USA. By electing him, America changed dramatically and ended the racial discrimination. Obama will always remain as the first black President from the White House. More than that, I also presented the life of Martin Luther King Jr. who was one of America's most influential civil rights activists. His name stands for equality among every man, no matter what their colour is and for peace. King is my favourite personality because he never gave up his dream and managed to end the discrimination between blacks and whites. Of course, he paid a terrible price: he was assassinated but he became an icon. In the last chapter, I discussed about Elvis Presley. If someone hears his name it is impossible not to know who he was. His music changed the world forever and he turned into an icon most known as The King of Rock and Roll. He also had a tragic death but his name wont be forgotten. His tunes are listened by countless people and I can say I am one of them.
27
Bibliography
Greil, Marcus. Mystery Train: Images of America in Rock 'n' Roll Music, Revised ed. E.P. Dutton; 1982 pp. 141-142 King H, Richard. Civil Rights and the Idea of Freedom, New York: Oxford University Press, 1992, Chap. 4 "Martin Luther King and the Meanings of Freedom" and Chap. 5 "Martin Luther King: Authorship and Ideas"
http://www.mlkonline.net/speeches-the-drum-major-instinct.html http://www.mlkonline.net/promised.html] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King,_Jr.] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obama http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_f_kennedy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_jefferson http://www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/freedom/doi/text.html http://www.biographyonline.net/thomas_jefferson/index.html http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/john_f_kennedy_2.html http://www.biographyonline.net/speeches/i-have-a-dream.html http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkivebeentothemountaintop.htm http://www.dailygood.org/pdf/ij.php?tid=193
28