A Brief Taste of Mexico essays

A Brief Taste of Mexico essays Aztec natives, who have been traced back thousands of years, originally inhabited Mexico. Despite their natural claim to the land, Hernn Corts was easily able to lead the Spaniards to conquer much of their territory in the 16th century. For this reason, it was Spain that maintained absolute control over Mexico, a gargantuan region that extended as far North as todays Oregon, and as far west as todays Texas. Between the years of 1750 and 1811, various Spanish monarchs ruled the territory. These rulers prevented revolution by strictly enforcing the separation of the inferior masses, denying any resistance opportunities. Although local white Mexicans (of Spanish decent) governed their respective colonies, it was the rulers back in Spain that controlled Mexico as a whole. Spaniards were a minuscule minority; however, until 1822, they used force and strategy to successfully exploit Mexicos resources in search of wealth. In 1811, rebel groups began to fight against their government. Distre ssed by the long war overseas, the Spaniards surrendered to the rebellion, allowing for Mexicos independence in 1822. From 1822-1841, Mexico attempted to use democracy, but the democratic system was misused; other than electing leaders, people still made few political decisions. In addition, leaders were constantly assassinated. In 1841, a lied war hero known as The Unsinkable Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna declared dictatorial power over Mexico, and backed by fearsome soldiers, he showed his Unsinkable side by refusing to lose his power. Santa Annas advantage lay in his large amount of supporters, allowing for better protection than previous leaders. The conservative leader lost his edge when Mexico lost land and lives to the U.S.-Mexican war. Benito Juarez, a liberal, overthrew Santa Anna in 1855. He gained support by writing a constitution, which called for a democracy based on equality. ...

Alcatraz Island And Prison Essays - Alcatraz Island, Free Essays

Alcatraz Island And Prison Essays - Alcatraz Island, Free Essays Alcatraz Island And Prison Alcatraz Island has quite a distinct history. Many people know that Alcatraz served as a federal prison, but most are reluctant to know that this island served as fort. Built before the Civil War, it served two main purposes. First, that it was to guard the San Francisco bay area from enemy ships against a foreign invasion, and second, to hold hostage prisoners of war or POW's as they were called. In this report, I'll show you how this fortress came to be a federal prison, why it is no longer in operation today, and most importantly, to show why it was built in the first place. When the great Gold Rush of 1849 first started, California grew from what would be considered a small, unpopulated state, into what it is now. California is now one of the most populated states and it was mostly the gold rush that brought attention to California. As the government saw all of this happening, they realized that California was much more important than they ever realized. In their realization, they decided that California must be protected. San Francisco has one of the largest bays in all of California, and so this was where enemy countries would most likely to try to invade the country. So this is where Alcatraz was to lie, to serve as a military fort. It was supposed to serve as a secondary base in companionship to another base located on the other side of Golden Gate Bridge. But with severe problems trying to build this other base, Alcatraz was to remain alone. Out in the middle of the San Francisco Bay, the island of Alcatraz is definitely a world unto itself. Isolation is just one of the many constants of island life for any inhabitant on Alcatraz Island. It is the most reoccurring theme in the unfolding history of Alcatraz Island. Alcatraz Island is one of Golden Gate National Recreation Area's most popular destinations, offering a close-up look at a historic and infamous federal prison long off-limits to the public. Visitors to the island can not only explore the remnants of the prison, but learn of the American occupation of 1969 - 1971, early military fortifications and the West Coast's first and oldest operating lighthouse. These structures stand among the island's many natural features - gardens, tidepools, bird nests, and bay views beyond compare. (1) Fortress Alcatraz ran in operation from 1850 - 1933. It served as San Francisco's only major defense. It started off with only eleven cannons, that were transported onto the island in 1854. By the early 1860's, Alcatraz had 111 cannons. Some were enormous, firing a fifteen-inch ball weighing over 450 pounds. Defenses included a row of brick enclosed gun positions called case mates to protect the dock; a fortified gateway or a Sally Port to block the entrance road; and a three-story citadel on top of the island. This served both as an armed barracks and as a last line defense strategy. Even though Alcatraz was built to withstand a foreign invasion, its most important use was during the Civil War, 1861 - 1865. Seeing as it was the only completed fort in the entire bay, it was vital in the protecting from Confederate Raiders. Early in the war, ten thousand rifles were moved to Alcatraz from the State armory, to prevent them from being used by southern sympathizers. The crew of a Confederate privateer were among the first inmates to be held within The Rock. Alcatraz's notoriety as a penitentiary overshadows its earlier, and longer use by the Army. Surprisingly, this small island once was the most powerful fort west of the Mississippi River. There was some limited modernization of the island's defenses after the Civil War. Rifled cannons were mounted. In 1854 some 450 electrically controlled underwater mines were brought to the island to protect the Bay. However, as the ships of potential enemies became more and more powerful, the defenses were increasing! ly obsolete. In 1907 Alcatraz officially ceased being a fortress and became Pacific Branch, U.S. Military Prison. Alcatraz Island's use as a prison began in December 1859 with the arrival of the first permanent garrison. Eleven of these soldiers were confined in the Sally Port basement. The Army recognized that the cold water (53 F) and swift currents surrounding Alcatraz made it an ideal site for a prison, and in 1861 the post was designated as the military prison for the Department of the Pacific - most

Developing a Joint Globally Accepted Conceptual Framework Essay - 1

Developing a Joint Globally Accepted Conceptual Framework - Essay Example This essay stresses that the advantage with IASB conceptual framework is that of having a wider and broader purpose as opposed to the FASB framework. IASB places more emphasis on other purposes which include use of statements of finance and helping auditors while FASB theoretical framework seeks to place very little emphasis on these other purposes. This puts IASB framework in a much higher level in the GAAP order than the FASB framework’s GAAP hierarchy of the United States, also the status framework will reflect the difference in purpose. IASB framework is highly considered by those units that prepare statements of finance under IFRS where a specific standard is not applicable. This paper makes a conclusion that the FASB Statements of Concepts are ranked below articles, textbooks on accounting and handbooks under the United States GAAP. The FASB Concepts Statements are ranked no higher than accounting textbooks, handbooks, and articles, and below widely recognized and prevalent general or industry practices. Recent changes in U.S. law and regulation have removed responsibility for establishing the U.S. GAAP. FASB structure includes gains, losses, expenses, revenue and comprehensive income as the elements relating to financial performance while IASB has expenses ad income as its only elements. IASB defines an asset as a resource for drawing future economic benefits while FASB framework terms assets themselves as the economic benefits of the future a thing that puts IASB ahead of FASB.