The Downfall of Man Power

1519 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Importance of leadership in military

The need to be powerful has plagued many in history. Once the taste have been had, the drive to continue for more power cannot be stopped. Power twisted and shaped the designs of those who sought it out. Many had risen with their new found power and then fell quickly once it collapsed in on them. General Benjamin Franklin Butler is just one of the many who had lost their power by clawing their way to get more. The continued orders that he placed during his time as military commander in New Orleans eventually led to his downfall. His story is one that is arguably important to understanding how the minds of some men were warped by power throughout the Civil War era. Benjamin Franklin Butler did not start out as a general from the Civil War. Growing up, Butler was described as being "a reckless, impetuous, headstrong, boy...who regularly got into fights” (West). He had always been one to do his own wishes, even from a young age. Later in life after studying law, he became an attorney from Massachusetts who advocated for the working class, even helping them to have ten-hour work days, and promoting against labor strikes (Hearn). Gaining his strong Northern Democrat views from his time in college, he easily backed Jefferson Davis and a proslavery stance even though he was not for the spread of slavery. Butler also served as a member of the House of Representatives and was a governor of Massachusetts. When war broke out he was not one of the first nor would he be one of the last to be appointed as a general due to his political standing (Gauthreaux). The problem with his being a politically appointed leader gave him the idea that he was able to do whatever he wished when it came to battles and orders from his superiors. ... ... middle of paper ... ...e U.S. Civil War. http://www.libraries.uc.edu/libraries/arb/exhibits/civil-war/butler.html. 23 March 2014. Faulkner, Carol. "Prostitutes and Female Patriots in the Civil War Era." Reviews in American History, Volume 38, Number 1 (2010): 87-92. Academic Search Premiere. Faust, Patricia L. "Benjamin Butler's New Orleans "Woman's Order"." 13 January 2002. Historical Times Encyclopedia of the Civil War. 24 March 2014. Gauthreaux, Alan G. "The BEAST Turned Loose in New Orleans." America's Civil War (2012): 30-35. Academic Search Premier. Hearn, Chester. "When the Devil Came Down to Dixie: Ben Butler in New Orleans." Louisiana State University Press (2000): 13. Lardas, Mark. "Beauty and the Beast." American History 37.6 (2003): 26. Web. West, Richard Sedgewick. "Lincoln's Scapegoat General: A Life of Benjamin F. Butler, 1818–1893." Houghton Mifflin (1965): 9-10.

Show More
Related

  • Mary Surratt: An American Secret

    1804 Words  | 4 Pages

    Pittman, Benn. The Assassination of President Lincoln and the Trial of the Conspirators. New York, NY: Moore, Wilstach, and Baldwin, 1865. 83-87. Print.

    Read More

  • Comparing the Military Leaders of the Civil War

    1558 Words  | 4 Pages

    When we compare the military leaders of both North and South during the Civil War, it is not hard to see what the differences are. One of the first things that stand out is the numerous number of Northern generals that led the “Army of the Potomac.” Whereas the Confederate generals, at least in the “Army of Northern Virginia” were much more stable in their position. Personalities, ambitions and emotions also played a big part in effective they were in the field, as well as their interactions with other officers.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Killing Lincoln

    2215 Words  | 5 Pages

    leading up to and surrounding President Abraham Lincoln’s death. The purpose of this book is to

    Read More

  • Failure of Mission Command by General McClellan

    2308 Words  | 5 Pages

    Heidler, David Stephen, and Jeanne T. Heidler, eds. Encyclopedia of the American Civil War: a

    Read More

  • Summary: Why The North Won The Civil War

    999 Words  | 2 Pages

    Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States of America, showed weaknesses within his leadership which may have contributed to the confederacy’s loss and the unions win . Davis failed in three vital ways. These ways were: his relations with other confederate authorities and with the people, as well as in his fundamental concept of his job as president and in his organization and specific handling of his role as commander in chief . Davis failed in maintaining communication with leaders and with his people, often unable to admit when he is wrong which led to lack organization in his role . In addition, Davis was a conservative leader, not a revolutionary one which meant that his strength was often in protocol and convention rather than in innovation . Studying each of these aspects that represented a weakness in Jefferson Davis’s leadership, Lincoln in comparison provided more admirable and outstanding qualities within his leadership which in many ways affected the outcome of the war

    Read More

  • Themes Of Redemption The Last Battle Of The Civil War

    982 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the historical narrative Redemption: The Last Battle of the Civil War, Nicholas Leman gives readers an insight into the gruesome and savage acts that took place in the mid-1870s and eventually led to the end of the Reconstruction era in the southern states. Before the engaging narrative officially begins, Lemann gives a 29-page introduction to the setting and provides background information about the time period. With Republican Ulysses S. Grant as President of the United States of America and Republican Adelbert Ames, as the Governor of Mississippi, the narrative is set in a town owned by William Calhoun in the city of Colfax, Louisiana. As a formal military commander, Ames ensured a

    Read More

  • Jackie Kennedy: Women's Lib Predecessor

    1266 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Women’s Liberation.” International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. Ed. William A. Darity, Jr. 2nd ed. Vol. 9. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2008. 112-116.U.S. History in Context. Web. 21 Jan. 2014.

    Read More

  • Women Spies in the American Civil War

    2024 Words  | 5 Pages

    Eggleston, Larry G. Women in the Civil War. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., 2003. Print.

    Read More

  • Women in Abolitionism and Womens Rights

    1435 Words  | 3 Pages

    Venet, Wendy Hamand. Neither ballots nor bullets: women abolitionists and the Civil War. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1991.

    Read More

  • Disorderly Women : Gender And Labor

    936 Words  | 2 Pages

    In “Disorderly Women: Gender and Labor Militancy in the Appalachian South,” Jacquelyn Hall explains that future generations would need to grapple with the expenses of commercialization and to expound a dream that grasped financial equity and group unanimity and also women’s freedom. I determined the reasons for ladies ' insubordination neither reclassified sexual orientation parts nor overcame financial reliance. I recollected why their craving for the trappings of advancement could obscure into a self-constraining consumerism. I estimated how a belief system of sentiment could end in sexual peril or a wedded lady 's troublesome twofold day. None of that, in any case, should cloud a generation’s legacy. I understand requirements for a standard of female open work, another style of sexual expressiveness, the section of ladies into open space and political battles beforehand cornered by men all these pushed against conventional limitations even as they made new susceptibilities.

    Read More

  • The Role of Women in the American Civil War

    1951 Words  | 4 Pages

    The.. Eggleston, Larry. A. Women in the Civil War? North Carolina: McFarland and Company, 2003. Print. The.. Schwartz,

    Read More

  • Media Coverage on Hurricane Katrina

    1298 Words  | 3 Pages

    News of the devastating hurricane Katrina and its economic, political, social, and humanitarian consequences dominated global headlines in an unprecedented manner when this natural catastrophe struck the region of New Orleans in mid August 2005 (Katrinacoverage.com). As a tradition, large-scale disasters like Katrina, inevitably, bring out a combination of the best and the worst news media instincts. As such, during the height of Hurricane Katrina’s rage, many journalists for once located their gag reflex and refused to swallow shallow and misleading excuses and explanations from public officials. Nevertheless, the media’s eagerness to report thinly substantiated rumors may have played a key role in bringing about cultural wreckage that may take the American society years to clean up.

    Read More

  • Hurricane Katrina: Causes, Effects, and Aftermath

    1428 Words  | 3 Pages

    Fink, Sheri. "Hurricane Katrina: after the flood." The Gaurdian. N.p., 7 Feb. 2014. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.

    Read More

  • Abraham Lincoln Book Review

    1248 Words  | 3 Pages

    Bradford, author of “Remembering Who We Are: Observations of a Southern Conservative, ineffectively argues that Lincoln overstepped and abused his authority as president as well as commander-in-chief during the Civil War. Bradford sharply critiques Lincoln as Lincoln destroyed the republican goals created by the Founding Fathers by abusing his presidential powers. According to Bradford, “Lincoln began his tenure as a dictator when between April 12 and July 4 of 1861, without interference from Congress, he summoned militia, spent millions, suspended law, authorized recruiting, decreed a blockade, defied the Supreme Court, and pledged the nation’s credit.” (640) In fact, Bradford goes as far as calling Lincoln dishonest while characterizing him to a “cynical politician.” (632) However, during the initial stages of Lincoln’s presidency, the country was in a national crisis; therefore, Lincoln was determined to fulfill the oath of office he took in order to preserve the Union. According to Paludan, “Lincoln kept his oath by leading the nation, guiding it, insisting that it keep on with the task of saving the Union and freeing the slaves.” (634) In a time of national crisis, Lincoln used every means necessary as provided by the Constitution to fulfil his duty as president. In fact, “historians consistently have rated Lincoln the nation’s best chief executive.” (633) During his presidency, Lincoln was faced with immense challenges. Without Lincoln’s

    Read More

  • A Father of the Nation: The sacrifice Abraham Lincoln

    1116 Words  | 3 Pages

    Witt, John Fabian. "Lincoln Changes The Rules Of War." American History Vol. 47 Issue 6 (2013): 60-65. Academic Search Premiere.

    Read More

More about The Downfall of Man Power

Open Document