The Value of Philosophy Essay - 754 Words

The Value of Philosophy The word â€Å"philosophy† is derived from two ancient Greek words, â€Å"philos† meaning ‘love of’ and â€Å"sophia† meaning ‘wisdom’. Philosophers are lovers of wisdom. They have had the time and resources to sit back and wonder about what things really are like when all the pieces are fitted into one final accounting. The history of philosophy is generally divided into four stages or periods. Ancient philosophy covers Greek and Roman philosophy. Medieval philosophy deals with the great attempts by Christian, Jewish, and Arab thinkers to synthesize their religious faiths with Greek and Roman philosophy. Modern philosophy includes the various philosophical attempts in the 17th and 18th centuries to react to the†¦show more content†¦Russell was a leader in the revival of the philosophy of empiricism in the large field of epistemology. He wrote Our Knowledge of the External World (1914), The Analysis of Matter (1927) and Human Knowledge, Its Scope and Limits (1948). He also wrote Principles of mathematics (1903), Principia Mathematica (with A.N. Whitehead; three volumes, 1910 – 1913), and Introduction to mathematical Philosophy (1919). Russell agrees that philosophy deals with issues with uncertain answers. Yet in this uncertainty, he sees philosophy’s chief value – that in contemplating the great questions one is freed from narrow personal interest alone. Let’s review the problems of philosophy, and then make conclusion, what is the value of philosophy. In view of the fact that many men, under the influence of science or of practical affairs, are inclined to doubt whether philosophy is anything better than innocent but useless trifling, hair-splitting distinctions and controversies on matters concerning which knowledge s impossible. This view of philosophy appears to result, partly from a wrong conception of the ends of life, partly from a conception of the kind of goods which philosophy strives to achieve. Philosophy, like all other studies, aims primarily at knowledge. The knowledge it aims at is the kind of knowledge which gives unity and system to the body of the science,Show MoreRelatedValue of Philosophy Essay971 Words   |  4 PagesPhilosophy is the study of examining and thinking about questionable ethical problems and/or generally accepted certainties. Philosophy aims at knowledge that combines a variety of academic fields as well as convictions, prejudices and beliefs. What is Russell’s essay about? Present Russell’s position in your own words. Bertrand Russell’s essay addresses many issues concerning philosophy. In the writing, he states philosophy’s nature, value, and criticisms. The essay explains these aspects ofRead MoreThe Values Of Philosophy : Questions1017 Words   |  5 PagesName Instructor Course Institution Date The Values of Philosophy Question #1 String theory seeks to explain the origins of universe and combines the four forces of nature. It is apparent that it was impossible to integrate the theories of quantum mechanics and general relativity before the string theory. For three decades, string theory has played a key role in theoretical physics because the theory explains the Big Bang that took place some 300 billion years ago, which led to violent riseRead MoreThe Value Of Philosophy : Lord Russell1522 Words   |  7 PagesValue is defined as something that is considered important or beneficial. Philosophy is a rational argument about the â€Å"big questions† such as knowledge, love, ethics, morals, etc. Philosopher Lord Bertrand Russell stated that [p]hilosophy is to be studied not for the sake of any definite answers to its questions, since no definite answers can, as a rule, be known to be true, but rather for the sake of the questions themselves; because these questions enlarge our conception of what is possible, enrichRead MoreThe Value Of Philosophy By Bertrand Russell803 Words   |  4 PagesThe essay The Value of Philosophy by Bertrand Russell suggests that many â€Å"practical† people view philosophy as rather useless, because these people are – according to Bertrand Russell – operating both with wrong conceptions about the ends of life and wrong conceptions about what goods philosophy strives to achieve. According to Russell the value of philosophy is in what it does for the person who studies it. He makes the point that goods of the mind are as important in life as goods of the bodyRead MoreThe Value of Philosophy Essay example604 Words   |  3 Pages9:30 T/Thu Philosophy In Russell’s discussion â€Å"The Value of Philosophy,† he asserted that the true goal of Philosophy wasn’t a tangible, or even reachable, goal. He says that Philosophy won’t lead us to any definite answers, because once you acquire solid knowledge of a subject, it instantly becomes another science. Instead that the greatest value of this study comes from the mental freedom you get when you begin to question the status quo and not just accepting things as they are. He also saysRead MoreThe Value Of Philosophy And Its Influence On Society1271 Words   |  6 PagesThe value of philosophy lies in its ability to influence a society and/or provide wisdom to others. Often philosophy is mistakenly thought of as inadequate compared to science. Breakthroughs in medicine allow us to live healthier and longer lives; While technological advances allow for a more connected and convenient world. Despite popular belief, philosophy is just as evident as science in advanc ing society. Contrary to the empirical measurement’s that science provides, philosophy provides wisdomRead MoreThe Value Of Philosophy By Bertrand Russell1959 Words   |  8 PagesThe Value of Philosophy In Bertrand Russell’s article â€Å"The Value of Philosophy† in his The Problems of Philosophy, he may as well be looking at the problems of his argument. Russell does reach his purpose and is able to make valid conclusions that are well supported for why and how philosophy is valuable, but his credibility can be called into question. He makes cases that allow for weaknesses and sets limitations on what he says. It is limitations he puts on how he defines philosophy and the weaknessRead MorePersonal Value Philosophy Paper1461 Words   |  6 Pagesassessment tool used to analyze one’s perspective and style thru a series of questions asked and answered. The tool provides deeper insight into an individual’s core belief system. The tool refers to four broad characterizations represented in ethical philosophy. This tool was used by the writer for an Interdisplinary Capstone class taken in January 2007. The writer learned her ethical perspective is most likely to be based on a blended profile Character and Obligation, and her least ethical perspectiveRead MoreThe Philosophy Of Health Policy Values871 Words   |  4 PagesHealth Policy Values As human beings, we all have our own values, beliefs and attitudes that we have developed throughout the course of our lives. Our family, friends, community and the experiences we have had all contribute to our sense of who we are and how we view the world (The Gospel Coalition, 2014). Values are principles, standards or qualities that an individual or group of people hold in high regard. These values guide the way this author lives and the decisions made throughout my life.Read MoreMarket Management Philosophies : Concept Of Value2619 Words   |  11 PagesMarket Management Philosophies Concept of Value Value is considered to be an important constituent of marketing and the ability of a company to provide superior value to its customers. The essential idea of marketing is offering customers superior value (Doyle, 2008). By adding more value to commodity, companies seek to improve customer satisfaction so that bonds are strengthened in order to achieve customer loyalty. The most frequently used definition of value is that value is relationship between

Focus Groups Role in Research Essay - 1176 Words

It has been decided to focus on to explain on a personal experience whereby focus groups produced positive or negative information hence anticipated as of other types of research. The importance of Focus groups providing better, or worse, information this is highlighted by Pitt-Catsouphes et al, 2006 (p.365) who states that focus groups â€Å"offers the advantage of creating inductive insight, and these insights can then be later used in the development of quantitatively instruments such as surveys†, Duarte et al, (2006, pg.202) adds that researchers may still disagree on the members emphasis. Four main aspects Focus groups will be discussed. First, a personal experienced researched focus group conducted in a lecture. Following that, the†¦show more content†¦Experience has shown that smaller groups may be dominated by one or two members of the group, while larger groups are difficult to manage and inhibit participation by all members of the group†. This definition could also be supported by Morgan 1997 (p.2) who mentions that â€Å"focus groups are basically group interviewers, although not in the sense of an alternation between a researcher’s questions and the researcher participant’s responses. Instead, the reliance is on interaction within the group, based on topics that are supplied by the researcher who typically takes the role of the moderator†. A focus group discussion was conduct in our lecture whereby the moderator was testing the public (students) opinion on a more intimate level toward a sum of different members of Parliament. I would like to clarify that this was not a classic focus group but a practical one. As it was not a classical one, the information which was delivered was quite true and some were not of serious however more of a mockery. There were positive as well as negative. The positive one was that people where open to express they opinions which were intimate freely, everyone came up with different opinion that was accurate and the rest of the group seemed to have agreed on, the group was not undecided. As for theShow MoreRelatedFocus Groups Are More Than Just Interviews1512 Words   |  7 PagesFocus Groups are more than just Interviews Focus groups are known to have existing before WW11, however, it was in the 1940’s sociologist Robert Merton embraced and pioneered the qualitative research method of focus groups. Merton’s study observed and recorded the effects of educational propaganda and conditioning on troop morale. Nonetheless, it wasn’t until the 1980’s, focus groups were rediscovered and became a common method of qualitative research within social sciences. Subsequently, more studiesRead MoreThe Benefits Of Kangaroo Care1629 Words   |  7 Pages Jessica Plimpton FCS 497: Intro to Research Methods Fall 2015 The Benefits of Kangaroo Care for Fathers with an Infant in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU): Educational, Emotional and Paternal Role Support. Introduction Take a second to imagine you are a father, who has an infant admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for the first time. How are you feeling? Afraid? Confused, even? If your baby is admitted to the NICU, your first question probably will be:Read MoreSocial Isolation Of The Elderly Essay1408 Words   |  6 Pagesreported to be associated with poor physical and psychological health among older adults (Findlay, 2003; Pettigrew, 2007). Additionally, social isolation also affects an individual’s well-being (Victor et al., 2000). Over the past 40 years, consistent research has been done on well-being of the elderly to reduce social isolation. Previous literature examining social isolation of the elderly has looked at it from a healthcare, sociology and psychology perspective (e.g. Bild Havighurst, 1976; Noà «l etRead MoreP3 how to be a boss1426 Words   |  6 Pagesa selected organisation uses marketing research to contribute to the development of its marketing plans. P4: Use marketing research for marketing planning. P5: Explain how and why groups of customers are targeted for selected products. P6: Develop a coherent marketing mix for a new product or service. Merit M1: Compare marketing techniques used in marketing products in two organisations M2: Explain the limitations of marketing research used to contribute to the development ofRead MoreData Collection Techniques And Methods1316 Words   |  6 PagesData Collection Techniques Staci Shockley Applied Research LS 698-01 Kaplan University September 21, 2015 Running head: DATA COLLECTION TECHNIQUES 1 DATA COLLECTION TECHNIQUES 4 DATA COLLECTION TECHNIQUES Data collection techniques Data collection is a very essential aspect in all research studies. Normally, inaccurate data collection methods tend to have a very big impact to the results of the study and this eventually leads to invalid results. The data collection techniques in many casesRead MoreAnalysis Of Doing Gender 902 Words   |  4 Pages1.A. In the â€Å"doing gender†, author’s definition of sex is combined social condition and it is not just focus on the biological area. And also, author mentioned that different definition about sex, gender and sex category. Firstly, sex is build on traditional biological standard. It distinguished male or female by genitals. As the definition of sex, the people who was born without clearly character of male or female, those people called intersex. People’s definition of sex brings some bad influenceRead MoreWal Mart As A Research Organization883 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction For this research paper, I would like to select Wal-Mart as a research organization. Wal-Mart was initiated by Sam Walton in 1962. In addition, this is an American multinational retail corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores in approximately 27 countries. Moreover, the organization operates its business throughout e-commerce websites in around 10 countries and in every week about 245 million customers visits these sites. Furthermore, asRead MoreThe Aspects Of Gender Roles779 Words   |  4 PagesAspects of gender roles that are especially relevant to understanding leadership, pertain to agentic and communal attributes (Eagly, Karau, Makhijani, 1995). Agentic characteristics are attributed more strongly to men than women. For example, males tend to be more aggressive, ambitious, dominant, forceful, independent, daring, self-confident, and competitive. In employment settings, agentic behaviors might include speaking assertively, competin g for attention, influencing others, initiating activityRead MoreHealth Professionals Attitudes Towards The Promotion Of Breastfeeding1679 Words   |  7 Pagesin this field they have their own opinions and attitudes about new moms and the health advantages of a mother breastfeeding her child. Ultimately, the purpose of reading the article and writing this critique is to get acquainted with reviewing a research article, thus being able to recognize the quality of a study and understand the attitudes of health professional’s towards the promotion of breastfeeding. Some of the major areas addressed in the literary review are whether or not the health professional’sRead MoreWorking On The African American s Project With My Group Members1133 Words   |  5 Pagesproject with my group members. I will share the process on how we completed the project as a team. In addition, I will my assessment of each member I worked with on this project. In addition, I will include my contribution to this project. Lastly, I will conclude my overall reflection of working on this project with my group mates and my decision if I would change anything about this project. I was assigned to the African American diverse group. My group chose Disability and Solution Focus as our two

Music and Film Jaws (1975) Free Essays

An opaque dorsal fin slices through the water. Camera-point-of-view on a young man splashing in the distance. The fin submerges. We will write a custom essay sample on Music and Film: Jaws (1975) or any similar topic only for you Order Now The sound track cranks up a notch: Dum- Dum – Dum – Dum – Dum – Dum..! Bubbles, white foam, glimpses of something large and foreboding thrashing in the waves. The music increases in its intensity: Dum-Dum-Dum-Dum-Dum-Dum-Dum..!   A red mist of blood that fogs the water. The audience in the movie theatre screams hysterically. A severed limb floats lazily to the ocean floor below. The music trails off. Dun-Dun-Dun-Dun-Dun-Dun. There have only been a handful of movies produced which contain a soundtrack that is not only instantly recognizable, but where the music also plays such an integral part in the film itself. Jaws (1975) is such a film. The movie successfully tapped into several human fears of the unknown and translated these phobias into a highly entertaining film that doesn’t talk down to its audience, nor uses violence gratuitously to get its point across. Commented Director Steven Spielberg: â€Å"†¦I think one of the reasons I made â€Å"Jaws† was because I was afraid of the water before I read the Peter Benchley book, and therefore I was the perfect candidate to direct this picture, because I have a tremendous amount of anxiety about the sea. Not so much about swimming pools or small ponds, but certainly about the eternal sea. I have a lot of anxiety, and my main anxiety stems from not being able to see my feet when I’m treading water. And what’s down there with me, and who’s nibbling on my toes. And I know how to express my fear cinematically. I’ve always been good at that, and I thought when â€Å"Jaws† came along, well, I   already have a tremendous fear of the ocean, and certainly a fear of sharks, and so I went to [producers] Dick Zanuck and David Brown and volunteered myself to direct the adaptation from the Benchley book†¦Ã¢â‚¬    (Excerpts from Steven Spielberg Interview) Composer John Williams — while no stranger to sound tracks for television and film (he’d already won an Oscar as music producer in 1971 for Fiddler on the Roof) — was just beginning to hit his stride on a musical odyssey that would see his movie soundtracks crack the Billboard music charts and sells millions. Almost unheard of for instrumental compositions, let alone for movie soundtracks. Williams saw something unique in the Spielberg rough-cut. He viewed the film as more  of an adventure and less as a traditional horror film. Recalled Williams in a conversation  with film producer Laurent Bouzereau:  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"†¦This is like a pirate movie! I think we need  pirate music for this, because there’s something primal about it — but it’s also fun and  entertaining†¦Ã¢â‚¬  ( Lindahl, pg1 ) As the legend goes, Williams was previewing proposed music for the film on his piano, playing the basic structure for Spielberg and Bousereau and hammering out the now famous bars of impending doom on his piano keys. Spielberg thought Williams was kidding. â€Å"dum, dum, dum-dum, dum-dum, dum-dum†   The rest as they say, is history: At first I began to laugh, and I thought, â€Å"John  has a great sense of humor!† But he was  Ã‚  serious — that was the theme for Jaws. So he  Ã‚  played it again and again, and suddenly it  seemed right. Sometimes the best ideas are  Ã‚  the most simple ones and John had found a  signature for the entire score†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚  ( Lindahl, pg 1) Let it be said that the music in Jaws is effective because it’s not over used. By playing the Jaws theme only to foreshadow the presence of the shark, the music is much more effective. Several examples of this stand out. The music played in the scenes of families playing at the beach have an almost home town flavor to them. The music when the boats are setting out to capture the shark have a classical feel and one scene in particular – of a child playing in the water with a fake shark fin – has no music at all. Collectively, this contrast in musical styles plays to the audience’s advantage. They know in short order when they do hear the jaws theme that there’s no mistaking the fact that the shark is going to make an appearance. What is it about the movie Jaws and its music that sets it apart from so many other adventure and suspense films? Oddly enough, prior to the film’s premier there wasn’t a â€Å"genre’ for this type of film. Horror and suspense were considered â€Å"Category B or C†. In fact, after Jaws cracked 100 million dollars during its North American Box Office the genre of monster/animal/villain stalking its prey was firmly in place. Whose to say there’s not a little bit of Jaws in every film ranging from Rambo to Halloween? Certainly there are variations of John Williams film score in the above mentioned film and more. Stephen Spielberg has gone on record as saying that Jaws wouldn’t have been nearly as successful if it didn’t have the music it did. Plainly put, the music works. Would any other type of soundtrack so indelibly stamp an image on the subconscious of the  audience? Highly doubtful. The by-now famous â€Å"†¦dum, dum, dum-dum, dum-dum, dum-dum†¦Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"   creates an instant visual. But also serves as a metaphor for the shark’s excitement when it approaches its prey or when it approaches the boat of Robert Shaw. Critics can say what they will regarding John Williams score for Jaws. As a â€Å"piece of music† it is not the kind of score that allows for listening while lying down on the coach for example. It is music that conjures up images. There are several suites — if the term can be freely used – that showcase Williams versatility as a scorer of music and as a producer who knows how to grab his audience by the collar. When it comes to music that creates a sense of suspense and hysteria the loaded â€Å"Shark Cage Fugue† bears listening to more than once. Similar treatment is due â€Å"The Great Shark Chase† and the nearly five minutes long â€Å"Man Against Beast†, where renditions of the familiar theme appears and disappears, interwoven with the theme associated with the actual shark hunting. However, Williams’ use of Quint’s â€Å"sailor song† as a recurring theme is used to great effect as a vehicle to mark the captain’s inner resolution and character. He sings it when he is in a good mood, or when he needs to conjure up his muse: â€Å"†¦Farewell and a-do to you fair Spanish ladies, farewell and a-do to you ladies in Spain†¦Ã¢â‚¬    Williams interweaves this ditty at crucial parts of the film. Most notably when his ship â€Å"The Orca† is floundering and ready to sink. The shark is waiting â€Å"out there† somewhere and Quint is running out of luck. The music again — in this case not even the theme — is used to great effect. On a more technical note, it would be impossible to discuss the impact of the Jaws soundtrack on the film, without exploring how the music itself was packaged and made available to the public as a marketing tool. Andrew Drannon provides a valuable perspective on the issued soundtrack for Jaws, as well as an astute track by track breakdown of the music on it’s latest re-issue. Drannon mentions that the original Jaws score exists in three recordings: The original LP and a 1992 CD re-issue feature about half an hour of music that Williams rearranged and re-recorded for the sole purposes of the album, and this was for a long time the only available music from the picture. Drannon delves further into the music, saying: â€Å"†¦Film score collectors have been historically  Ã‚   quite adamant in their demands for complete releases of soundtracks, namely for the scores of John Williams, which so often leave out highlights of the music and place them into confusing suites.  To some, this may seem a bit unneeded, due to the fact that the original 35-minute LP album featured a great majority of the score, with a few of the shorter cues actually expanded into suites. Still, for the 25th anniversary of the film, Decca saw fit to rescue  the entire musical work, minus the album expansions for a 51-minute CD release. Fans will be elated due to the inclusion of almost 30 minutes of new material, including fantastic cues not used in the film, which make up for the loss of the infamous original album developments†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Andrew Drannon pg 1) The final re-issue presents the jaws soundtrack into a more cohesive listening experience. Years after the film made its debut in theatres, after countless showings on television, after a Jaws Fest even, the music ha become an institution. There have been only a handful of films where the music has much such an impact: the James Bond franchise, Enrico Morricone with â€Å"The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, and possibly the Indiana Jones series. But none make the blood curl, create a knot in one’s stomach and send a chill up the spine like John Williams soundtrack for the original summer blockbuster, Jaws. References: Spielberg, Steven. Interview excerpts, Jaws 30th Anniversary Special Edition DVD linear notes, 2005 Lindahl, Andreas. Scoreviews.Com. Internet article. pg 1 1998 Ibid. pg 1 Drannon, Andrew. Decca Music Group Sound Tracks Review: Jaws 25th Anniversary Edition. Internet article. pg 1. 2000 How to cite Music and Film: Jaws (1975), Essay examples

Mexican War of Independence free essay sample

Mexico still remains a society of divisions that were never addressed through Mexico’s independence because the final leader of the war of independence avoided it. * In the 300 years of Spanish reign, they instilled a social hierarchy and economic ideal, which became impossible to overcome with the passing of time. Since the Conquista, the Spanish based their relationship with the native Indians on brutality, exploitation, and prejudice. This became the basis of the society. The Spanish inability to integrate the Indians into society became the start of the Spanish down fall, and a reason that Mexico still suffers today. Mexico was divided into three social groups: at the bottom were the native Indians, blacks, and the castes; then came the creoles (Mexican-born Spaniards), and then at the top where the peninsulares, the Spaniards. Creoles, although economically equal to the peninsulares, were discriminated against for being white Europeans born in the new world, and therefore they were deprived of positions of power in New Spain. The social barriers were immense between the races making the culture and the economy rely mostly on the work of the poor. While Indians were made to pay tribute but the whites were not expected to. Henderson describes the system as â€Å"intended to perpetuate inequality, in accordance with the Spanish conviction that God designed human society along hierarchical lines. † The Indians were mistreated and deprived in all aspects of life by the governing Spanish, although they were still educated by Catholic missionaries, who came to the New World to convert the Indians, teaching them a loose version of the Catholic Bible and Spanish ideals. While badly mistreated, according to Henderson, the Indians â€Å"may have despised the Spaniards in general, but they revered the distant king, a figure no less abstract or perennially popular than god†. The peninsulares were the royalty of New Spain, but with the decline of Spanish power the peninsular population diminished. With fewer peninsulares the creoles came to power in New Spain, buying their way into powerful positions. As Spain itself was declining rapidly, under both Charles III and his son Charles IV, Spain ended up in the hands of Ferdinand VII. Under Charles III, Spain learned how underutilized its colonies were and implanted the Bourbon reforms to raise the Royal revenues substantially in Spanish America. The reforms only deepened the social prejudices by kicking out the Jesuits (depriving education to the creoles), raising taxes only on the Indians then including the creoles, not allowing Mexicans to dress like Spanish, and finally taking away from the poor entertainment (bullfighting) and cheap alcohol (pulque). The Bourbon reforms ended up most importantly lowering the creoles to minority status. Then Charles IV, who became hated by Spain and her colonies, only enforced the Bourbon reforms; he raised the taxes on the Mexican aristocracy because he would not tax the Spanish. He then decreed the Law of Consolidation of 1804, which ordered the Mexican church to sell its land and give its earnings to the crown also call in most loans it had with creoles and Indians. Napoleon made Charles IV abdicate, and instated Charles’ son Ferdinand VII, and then quickly replaced Ferdinand VII with his brother Joseph. All of Spain and Mexico was in agreement that â€Å"Ferdinand VII was their rightful King and that they would reject any decree or representative from the French usurper†. Which shows the loyalty Spain and its colonies had to their king. With the social injustices occurring and their constant change in governmental authorities, the people showed they disapproval. Rallies of rebels (mostly creoles) would cry, â€Å"Long live the King! Death to bad government! † Which represents the support for the king but they were disgusted towards the local authorities that controlled them on a daily basis. With many failed conspiracies only the conspiracy of Queretaro turned the corner to the start of a revolution. The Conspiracy was built to appeal to the Indians by making it a war against their local Spanish overlords as opposed to â€Å"their (creoles) true motivation†¦ to put political power in the hands of creoles like themselves. They also knew that few of those Indians and castes would fight in the name of independence from Spain: the poor, while they hated Spaniards, had great reverence for King and church†. The creoles promised the Indians that they would get rid of their insanely high tribute payments and they would fight in the name of the King Ferdinand VII. The creoles knew that alone that would not be able to beat the Spanish armies in Mexico, they would need the masses of Indians and poor to fight with them. The Conspiracy was to be led by a rebel priest named Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla. Hidalgo was a man who â€Å"seemed to offer something for everyone†, born a wealthy creole but none a less as a priest appealed to the Indians and the fellow conspirators. Miguel Hidalgo and his fellow conspirators were fighting under one common cause to â€Å"denounce the policies that seemed to perpetuate the glaring and growing divisions in class. The crises unfolding in both Spain and Mexico seemed to offer them a brilliant opportunity to correct those divisions by making a revolution†. At Dolores, early in the morning on September 16, 1810, Miguel Hidalgo, fearing the conspiracy to rebel would be discovered, quickly acted by ordering the church bells to ring calling for a crowd to gather, where he then gave his historic speech of El Grito de Dolores. As Henderson states, â€Å"that he (Hidalgo) told the people of Mexico that the Mexico city junta was actively planning to surrender Mexico to the French, and they must rise up to defend church and king; most likely he promised the Indians an end to tribute payments; and he probably assured that all who joined the cause would be paid wages. He closed his oration with the cry, ‘Long live Fernando VII! Long live America! Long live religion, and death to bad government! ’† So the revolution had begun. * With the poor behind Hidalgo, a charismatic leader he, was â€Å"woefully deficient as a military leader†. Once his army of creoles, castes, and Indians, reached San Miguel, his army ransacked all Spanish stores for â€Å"food and vengeance†. Without enough funding Hidalgo said â€Å"sacking and plundering, were the rights of war and unless the common folk were permitted to do such things they would have no incentive to support the rebellion. † Ignacio Allende, Hidalgo’s second in command, disagreed, for Allende knew that without more discipline was needed. Yet â€Å"Hidalgo defended the mayhem on the grounds that Spaniards had abused the Indians for centuries†. After a rather easy unorganized victory in San Miguel Hidalgo was therefore to be known as Captain General of America and headed for Guanajuato. Guanajuato ended up being a blood bath in which almost all the creoles and Spaniards protecting the treasury were killed without mercy, â€Å"revealing the burning hatred and mutual incomprehension that prevailed between rich and poor†. Hidalgo’s lack of control over his army, as described by Aleman, a famous Mexican historian, depicts Guanajuato as being â€Å"the most lamentable aspect of disorder, ruin and desolation (on the part of Father Hidalgo). † Even though Hidalgo was shocked, he did nothing to stop the looting. The mass savagery performed at Guanajuato became * â€Å"a Pyrrhic victory†¦ not only did the rebels lose many men in the siege, but the sacking of Guanajuato soon became†¦ a cautionary tale that, to moderate and conservative creoles, revealed the horrors that would ensue should they place their fate in the hands of the unwashed masses†. * Henderson 81-82 * After Guanajuato, Hidalgo gave so many military commissions that it became army run by criminals. His newly appointed officers would carry out 350 executions of Spanish prisoners by beheading and mutilating them. With the appointments of unworthy officers and mob-like behavior of his growing army, Hidalgo started to lose creole supporters. * Despite the brutality and the haphazard military direction, his army’s successes improved his fortunes, which allowed him to start produce propaganda to attract Indians and reflect his sympathy for the oppressed. In El Despertador Americano, Miguel Hidalgo claimed that the Spanish â€Å"trampled the rights of the Mexican people†¦desecrating their religion†¦ and he threatened to put to the sword any Spaniard or Mexican who spoke against or opposed the rebellion, refused to free his slaves or gave shelter to a Spaniard. † The propaganda was a realization that he had lost creole support and had to rely on the poor to finish the war. * With a disastrous defeat at Guadalajara, Allende â€Å"was incensed that he had lost every debate over military tactics, even though Hidalgo’s plans had proved consistently catastrophic. Allende then took over the army. He failed to acquire the United States support to fight against the Spanish, and both Hidalgo and Allende were captured by the Royalist army, the tried, executed and were displayed on spikes at the treasury of Guanajuato which the previously plundered. In anyway one looks at Hidalgo’s rebellion, one can not blame him for the huge differences in the social classes, but can be held accountable for his poor military leadership and loss of control over his army, which devastated the land, increased hatreds between Mexicans and Europeans, and delayed Mexico’s independence from Spain. Jose Maria Morelos, a general under Hidalgo, became his successor in 1811. Morelos was a much more capable military leader than Hidalgo having early success in the revolution, and became the â€Å"rebellions most successful general†. Yet, he still failed through major military blunders and a movement that was still unorganized without a unifying ideology. While he is successful in southern Mexico, his first mistake was not taking Puebla, which would have led him to Mexico City. Instead he was stuck in Cuautla, where he was outnumbered, two to one, by royalist forces that laid siege on the town for several months. In desperation he sacrificed all 3000 of his troops for a chance to escape. â€Å"The carnage inflicted upon the insurgents was so terrible that even some Royalist officers were sickened by it†. Morelos denies military advice to attack Mexico City at its vulnerable, and instead insists on taking Acapulco, a port that was no longer significant to the Spanish. While the rebel armies had control over most southern Mexico and portions of central and north Mexico, the rebels declared Independence from Spain in September 1813 and producing a â€Å"viable constitution†. The Declaration of Independence was short sited, â€Å"it declared Mexico Independent, but beyond that it gave little hint as to what the new nation would be like†. It did not take into consideration the difference between classes and would not address it, making the whole war fought for just a change in ruling party. During this time, the royalist army rebuilt itself from being in a demoralized state, with the declaration of Independence, Morelos set his sights on recapturing Valladolid. The Royalist army led by Colonel Agustin Iturbide, a pivotal figure in the war, beat Morelos at Valladolid. Once captured and traded several times between the government and the church then finally trialed and sentenced to death. * With the death of Morelos, the rebellion was slowed down and disorganized with out a prominent leader with a cause. The period during 1816 to 1820, the revolution â€Å"merely became dispersed and disorganized, the domain not of prominent commanders†¦ but rather of freelancers leading small bands of raiders†. It became a war â€Å"more for the lust for booty or vengeance than a desire to free Mexico from foreign domination and create a just society†. Meanwhile in Spain itself was going through her own revolution, trying to push Ferdinand VII back off the throne and bring back the Constitution of 1812 which very much more liberal. * With the situation in Spain developing Colonel Agustin Iturbide, a creole royalist military commander, saw an opportunity, in which would not only benefit him but Mexico as a its own independent country with out anymore bloodshed. Iturbide although Mexican born believed in the Spanish ideals, but * Iturbide had grown favorable to the idea of Mexican independence, though the reasons for his conversion (to the rebel forces) are a bit murky. Some on the grounds might well been cynical an self serving†¦ he had no doubt that leading a successful movement for independence could bring new financial prospects. And he felt that his service to the Spanish crown had been insufficiently appreciated. * Henderson 165 * Iturbide thought the Spain was not deserving of his support and he changed his alliance to his birth land of Mexico. Iturbide wrote, â€Å"my country was about to be drenched in blood; I was led to believe that I had the power to save her, I did not hesitate to undertake so sacred a duty. He then though a matter of dealings with Vicente Guerrero, the rebellions most fit leader, united forces. Iturbide suggested the Plan of Iguala, and as Henderson suggest â€Å"it was ingenious, albeit highly imperfect; neither liberal or revolutionary nor counterrevolutionary; and in the end it said much about the condition of Mexico’s fractured society†. Iturbide now the new leader of the rebel army, brought wit h him a new cause to push for the end of the war, although it being different principles from what they fought for. The Plan of Iguala offered three main ideas/cause to fight for, first that Mexico would only accept the Roman Catholic Church as it’s main religion, second that Mexico would be it’s own independent country, and third that Mexico would be a constitutional monarchy (hopefully still run by Ferdinand VII or a European Royalty). The plan satisfied all the people involved and making no one party the main beneficiary, supplying everyone with a short term result, but creating the same problems they were trying to break away from for down the road. The plan still ensured â€Å"poisonous division in race, class, region, culture, abd ideology were part of the wrap an woof of Mexican society and a mere statement that such divisions were no longer acceptable was unlikely to about the needed transformation. † But Iturbide ideals were inclined to see â€Å"legal equality more as a means of protecting the rights of European Spaniards than elevating the dark skinned masses†. * With no suitable heir to take the Mexican throne, Iturbide becomes the first Mexican Emperor. With the power Iturbide had, he became more and more tyrannical until he was finally exiled then he returned where then he was killed. * Hatred of European Spaniards had fueled the Hidalgo rebellion and much of the popular violence of the revolutionary decade; the superficial paean to fellowship in the Plan of Iguala did nothing at all to diminish that hatred, which was in fact a key element in the Mexico’s incipient nationalism. Henderson, 188 * This is where Iturbide failed by not even trying to change the social trenches that affect Mexico today. The Mexican Wars for Independence by Timothy J. Henderson gives a rather dull view on what pride an entire nation today. The war for independence ended up being a just a change in government performing no other need social change that would fix the issues that still affect Mexico to this day. Hidalgo, although starting out with the right ideals, eventually only supported the poor’s causes, trying to hard to inflict change. U nder Morelos, he was lacking one unified nations state with equality for everyone. Iturbide unlike his predecessors wanted independence from Spain but did not want to take away the prejudice in the social groups, he in the end tried to change the least with the immense opportunity he had in front of him. None of them were able to correct or address the social division created by 300 years of Spanish rule. By doing too little or doing too much. But it was ridiculous to even conceive that 10 years of war could undo 300 years of Spanish colonial rule. * * * * * Bibliography. Timothy J. Henderson, The Mexican Wars of Independence.