Industry, Science, and Women in Victorian England
In The Stone Book: The Mosaic Record of Creation, Thomas Cooper expressed the opinion of many Victorians, claiming that our brave and revered forefathers, who, if they could rise from their ashes and look about them in this their native England, as it is at present, would feel sorrow, instead of joy, mingled with their surprise (Cooper).
Although such sentiments are not confined to any single generation, the desire to return to simpler, bygone times is particularly understandable in regard to Victorian England. After all, England was undergoing an unprecedented period of rapid changes: farms were giving way to factories; science and technology were revolutionizing how people viewed their world; and, for the first time in over a century, a woman reigned Britain. Practically nothing was left untouched, resulting in a conflict between progress and traditional norms.
Recent discoveries of gold in India and Australia, plus the agricultural success of Canada, spurred a fevered amount of growth throughout England (Harrison 25). Railroads, canals, bridges, factories, warehouses, government buildings, and suburban neighborhoods flourished, as did England’s overall prosperity (25). Indeed, between 1850-1883, the national income doubled and exports increased 229 percent (24-25). New technology, such as hydraulic presses, reapers, and locomotives began to appear, as did telegraphs – the first of which connected Edinburgh and Manchester (260). With the proliferation of railways, traveling became faster and more convenient, causing people to describe the distance between two locations in terms of the length of a train ride (Sussman 252). Similarly, state-of-the-art innovations, such as the jacquard loom, which produced elaborate textiles by following patterns punched into paper cards, “blurr[ed]… the boundary” between human and mechanical intelligence (255).
However, although such advancements proved to be an economic boon, industrialization was by no means universally beneficial. As Fredrich Engles described in The Condition of the working class in England, entire neighborhoods were blighted by the choking smoke of nearby factories (Harrison 21). In northeastern Manchester alone, Engles found that 4,000 people were crammed into 400 coal-black, stagnant…”disgusting” ramshackle cottages, surrounded by “heaps of refuse, offal and sickening filth” (21). Impoverished workers, which comprised 70 percent of the population, “swarm[ed] abut the streets… just as dirty as the pigs which wallow[ed]” in adjacent pens (21). In addition to their squalid housing, Engles noted that workers labored under dangerous conditions and were prone to hunger, occupational diseases, and unscrupulous employers (21).
The Victorian Era had lasted from the years 1837-1901. People in this era were known through their social class and how efficiently they were able to present themselves. Those who were obligated to carry themselves is such a proficient manner, were the women of Victorian Era. Although they had been expected to perform and execute many tasks, they were never recognized just as equal to the men in society. They were never acknowledged to make judgments or decisions, rather were best known for marriage, prostitution, and motherhood. As the men, dominated and took control of every decision possible. They were known for their aggressive and independent attitude. This led an extraordinary women named, Charlotte Brontë to begin a revolution of change and improvement in the social standings. As her living in the Victorian Era, set her upon a journey of many hardships but her well-known classics, Jane Eyre, depicted her strength and courage to step up for women equality and portray who she truly was in society.
Thomas Jefferson was an agrarian soul who favored popular rule. He placed his trust in the land and the people who farmed it and desired that America would remain a nation of farmers. He emphasized liberty, democracy, and social welfare and believed that the main purpose of government was to assure freedom of its individual citizens. He had a fear of tyranny and distrusted centralized power, especially from an aristocracy or a moneyed class. Thomas Jefferson favored the spread of power ranging from the federal level to state and local levels. Jefferson stated, ?I have never observed men?s honesty to increase with their riches.';
The Industrial Revolution in America began to develop in the mid-eighteen hundreds after the Civil War. Prior to this industrial growth the work force was mainly based in agriculture, especially in the South (“Industrial Revolution”). The advancement in machinery and manufacturing on a large scale changed the structure of the work force. Families began to leave the farm and relocate to larger settings to work in the ever-growing industries. One area that saw a major change in the work force was textile manufacturing. Towns in the early nineteen hundreds were established around mills, and workers were subjected to strenuous working conditions. It would take decades before these issues were addressed. Until then, people worked and struggled for a life for themselves and their families. While conditions were harsh in the textile industry, it was the sense of community that sustained life in the mill villages.
Jefferson was of course the author of the Declaration of Independence, and because he had set this document in motion, he waited out the Revolutionary War to see if the colonies would win. If they had lost, Jefferson would have been hanged for treason against the King of England. He served as the minister to France from 1785 to 1789. At this time there was growing opposition to Alexander Hamilton and his policies, and Jefferson associated himself with a group called the Republicans, who were actually forerunners to the present Democratic Party. While Jefferson was serving as vice President from 1797 to 1801, he drafted the Kentucky Resolutions. He was elected President following a long deadlock with Aaron Burr in the House of Representatives.
Thomas Jefferson held firmly to his principles and ideals but the practical reality of leadership forced Jefferson to make decisions for the best interest of the country. When Jefferson was elected adjustments had to be made to the economy and new acts had to be composed in an effort to the United States safe. Events would take place in America where Jefferson would have to determine if should follow his principles or abandon them in domestic affairs. Jefferson was a pacifist at heart, and did his best to keep the United States out of foreign conflicts and entangling. His ideals were peaceful but at points he would have to violate these ideals. Jefferson envisioned a land of agriculture and where government would have minimal power over the Americans lives but that would not be the case. America would need a powerful and intelligent leader at this time.
Jefferson¡¯s vision for an agrarian nation, one ruled by a republican government, led by individuals of merit and talent, with guaranteed political and natural liberties for all men, is one that we don¡¯t experience in the United States today. However, although his proposals haven¡¯t been adopted entirely intact, the main points, and more importantly, the spirit of his proposals are permanent tenets of American democracy. Coupled with the consistency of his policies based entirely on natural law and natural rights and defended with unfaltering reason, Jefferson¡¯s genius and foresight is admirable.
Thomas Jefferson came into presidency with the intentions of limiting the size and power of the central government. His success and failures in accomplishing this goal were many. Thomas Jefferson was America’s third president in reign from 1801 – 1809, once tying in the presidential race with Aaron Burr, where the decision was made by the House of Representatives to choose Jefferson whom they thought was less dangerous than Burr.
Although Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman had different styles of writing, they did convey the same attitude and acceptance toward death. Both Dickinson’s “712” and Whitman’s “From “Song of Myself” poems showed death was something natural that had to happen and we need to accept it at a certain point in life. Both wrote poems about it as if it were no big deal, but something peaceful. Both poets used much imagery to convey this message very clear to their audience.
Thomas Jefferson's ideals and beliefs were derived from a deep regard for life, liberty, and freedom. His concept of individual freedoms strongly disagreed with the notion of a "guided republic" which he believed concentrated a great deal unchecked power among a few people. This could have the potential of tyrannical government that might suppress personal freedoms of any kind especially those of religion, which Jefferson feels very strongly felt should be protected. After fighting hard to rid America of British domination, Jefferson was determined to create a government that was responsible to, and derived its powers from, a free people. As the writer of the Declaration of Independence and the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, Jefferson is thought by many to be the founder of the Democratic Party. He was foremost among the influential men who believed that laws should be made by those who are to obey them. Thomas Jefferson pushed hard to create a government that would serve and protect all its constituents.
The industrialization era is one of the most important and wonderful events that have occurred in the past 400 years. Industrialization has had an over all ripple effect upon the world. “Industrialization led to a better quality of life for most people” (Beck, 723). While it may seem to some that Industrialization only impacted Great Britain, it is actually true that industrialization many characteristics and consequences that had a worldwide impact. Industrialization had its up’s and down’s such as economic prosperity, jobs, and innovation. On the downside, unhealthy working conditions, pollution, and child labor issues.
The increasing amount of people left destitute and helpless regarding the hasty fundamental changes of the Industrial Revolution; which occurred economically, socially, and on the conditions of the workplace, affected the living standards of all, but did not occur obscure. Reform actions begun to take place; for even industrialists like Robert Owen were sincerely concerned of the direction industrialization was headed in. Endorsing with legislation, politicians together were able to ultimately relieve the working classes predicament, as well as regulating laws for child labor. Regardless of this, the expense of suffering paid by the previous working generations for this advancement in addition to our present contented standards of living was undeniably an awful one.
The Victorian era, spurred a momentary sequence of both women and men in search of a prosperous relationship regulated by the demanding etiquettes of the Victorian Society. If these desired qualities were not in possession, a man or woman could be labeled as ‘unsuitable’ in the positions of a husband or a wife. Women suffered mostly throughout the Victorian Era as rights were ceased and the rules and guidelines of society were placed. The Victorian Era caused the rights of women to escalate when the Vision of the “Ideal Woman” was introduced amongst society; producing segregation between men and women to last for years to come.
Destiny, brought the book True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership into my life and I want to bring it into the lives of others. More specifically those who may believe they weren’t born with the characteristics or traits to become a leader or those who have not found their passion or purpose in life; their “True North.” The book, written by Bill George and co-author Peter Sims, compiles a series of interviews with 125 managers from Howard Schultz of Starbuck’s to Dan Vasella of Novartis. The interviewees guide readers through their journey to become the leaders they are today; discussing their failures, successes, obstacles, personal tragedies and triumphs. The stories of each manager prove the True North’s thesis, which is no one person is born a leader and there isn’t one path to becoming a leader. The book is separated into three sections: 1) Leadership is a Journey 2) Discover Your Authentic Leadership 3) Empowering People to Lead. Before giving overviews of each section, it is important to define an authentic leader.
The Industrial Revolution of the 18th century changed Europe forever. At the front of this change was Great Britain, which used some natural advantages and tremendous thinking and innovation to become the leader of the Industrial Revolution.
Although the Romantic period was really focused on the nature and imagination the Victorian era was a different story. The Victorian Era was similar but no different to the Neoclassical period. The Victorian Era was strict and had a strict Monarchy government that had rule that were suppose to be followed at every minute of every day. Religion was also very strict the main religion was christianity. The rules were strict and harsh and had to be followed at precisely the rich minute or a person would get in trouble.