George Whashington Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

George Whashington - Essay Example He was born the second child of Augustine and Mary Ball Washington in Westmoreland County Virginia in February 22, 1732 (The White House 4). Like any child in his day, he was educated at home under the diligent tutelage of his father and older brother. Being born in the family of farmers, his first interests are also on planting and agriculture. His manners, moral, and education embody that of an 18th century Virginia gentleman. Together with this passion, he also has two "intertwined interests" (The White House 6)-military arts and military expansion. He has been previously employed as a surveyor which geared him with the knowledge of the terrain in his homeland. During 1749, he was appointed as surveyor of then recently established Culpeper County where he became interested in Ohio Company which planned to exploit Western Land. From these humble occupations, he was commissioned a lieutenant colonel in 1754 and fought in the early series of French and Indian war. These exposures equipped him with the necessary skills of warfare and courage. During the following year, Washington "escaped injury although four bullets ripped his coat and two horses were shot from under him" (The White House 7). After his brother's death, he inherited part his estate together with his responsibility as the adjutant in the colony. At the age of 20, he became Major Washington and "was charged with training the militia in the qua rter assigned him" (George Washington 7). He became a Master Mason in Freemasons, a fraternal organization which had a lifelong influence in him. Washington served in the military during the seven years of French and Indian war. Between the war, he got acquainted with a widow named Martha Dandridge Custis who eventually became his wife. They got married on January 6, 1759 and moved to Mount Vernon where Washington began his career as a farmer and a political figure. Being married to a wealthy widow, Washington has been charged of tilling and managing thousands of acres of land. After his marriage, he has been devoted to a busy yet fulfilling life. However, he also shared the growing concerns of his fellow planters. Having been under British regulations, he also felt exploited by the British merchants because of the unfair practices and policies. In his quest of freeing himself and other planters of these restrictions, he took an active role in voicing out their concerns (The White House 10). He became a leader in the colonial resistance by introducing the proposal which called to boycott imported English goods. He was recognized by being very much passionate in pushing for his fellow planters' interests. When the fighting in the American Revolution broke out in 1775, Washington signaled his preparedness for war by appearing at the Second Continental Congress in his military uniform. Having the "prestige, the military experience, the charisma and military bearing," and "the reputation of a strong patriot" (George Washington 15) he was appointed Major General and elected by the congress as Commander-in-Chief. Thus, together with his troops, he embarked on war which lasted for six years. His efforts paid off because in 1781, he

To what extent is the documentary film 'sisters in law' a reliable Essay

To what extent is the documentary film 'sisters in law' a reliable source to account for the situation of women's rights in Came - Essay Example Issues in Cameroon In this section, the issues faced by women in Cameroon have been listed down and discussed as shown in the documentary. The reliability of the documentary is also analysed with the help of some independent sources. Child Marriage The documentary shows that women are usually married off at a very young age in the country (Ayisi & Longinotto, 2005). Due to early marriage, they are unable to complete their education. An early marriage also gives rise to early pregnancies which is risky both for the mother as well as the child. This problem is corroborated by the statistics presented by UNICEF. According to UNICEF 36% of women were married before the age of 18 in 2010. Thus, the problem of Child marriage is really a big issue in Cameroon and has been captured well by the documentary (UNICEF, 2010). Selling off Daughters In the beginning of the documentary we have seen a case in which the women were ‘sold’ of as wife by the father in return for dowry. This is a very big problem in many Islamic societies. Women are considered as merchandise by the family which can be sold for the right amount (Ayisi & Longinotto, 2005). Although the documentary has failed to take into account the issue that majority of Cameroon residents are not Muslims but the issue is still worth discussing as it affects one-third of Cameroon’s population. The documentary presents this issue in a good way but fails to tell us about the extent to which this issue plagues the society. Custody of Children The Islamic law says that if there is divorcee or if the wife runs away, the custody of the children stays with the father. This is in sharp contrast with the modern law which regards the mother as the most natural custodian of the child. Although Cameroon has modern system of law in place but the society still follows age old tradition and a woman has to fight in order to get custody of her children (Ayisi & Longinotto, 2005).Once again the documentary focused on the Islamic population of Cameroon and fails to give an insight into the practices followed by other people of Cameroon. Physical abuse Physical Abuse is another big problem which is faced by women in Cameroon. This abuse is not only inflicted on older women but even children are not spared from it. It is common for the husband to regularly beat up his wife over small things. Children are beaten up mercilessly by their guardians over small faults (Ayisi & Longinotto, 2005).Report of UNICEF in 2010 also supports the issue shown in the documentary. It shows that 56% of population of Cameroon justifies wife beating and a very high 93% has justified the beating of children (UNICEF, 2010).Thus the issue shown in the documentary also finds resonance with UNICEF and shows that the issue has been shown reliably and correctly. Social Boycott Cameroon is a traditional society where matters of the house are not taken outside. The elders of the house or of the village gather together in orde r to solve the issue .It is taboo for women to drag her husband to the court even if she has been suffering a lot. Once a woman decides to break free of