A Short History of Reconstruction by Eric Foner †A Review Essay Example

A Short History of Reconstruction by Eric Foner – A Review Essay A Short History of Reconstruction by Eric Foner is an important addition to documented American history. The American Civil War and its aftermath is a critical period in the nation’s history and one that profoundly influenced subsequent socio-political developments. The Civil War would have its most important effect on the lives of millions of African American slaves, as a large proportion of them would be decreed ‘free’ toward the end of the war. Having achieved this concession from their white masters, African Americans would rejoice their newly won liberties and rights in the years following the war – also referred by historians as the period of Reconstruction. Eric Foner’s book offers an in-depth analysis and commentary on this crucial period in American history. Since there are already numerous books dealing with the Reconstruction era, the necessity for yet another authorial perspective and interpretation is to be questioned. But Foner a nswers such questions satisfactorily in the book, making it a valuable (if not the definitive) resources on the subject for students of history, culture and political science. Throughout the book Foner maintains an unequivocal stance on the failure of the Reconstruction project. The acceding of eleven defeated Southern states into the Union was going to be a highly challenging process, given the cultural and political dissimilarities between the two formerly warring factions. Indeed, the inviability of this proposition had what ultimately led to the abandonment of Reconstruction efforts; and much of the bipartisanship seen in American politics today is a testament to this deep fissure in the country’s socio-political fabric. Author Eric Foner understands well the importance of connecting the past to the present and throughout the book the reader is able to see the contemporary relevance of events of a bygone era. Immediately after the Civil War an atmosphere of euphoria prevailed, when the intellectuals and common people alike dreamt of a radically new American society. But as the initial excitement of the Reconstruction era faded out, people ca me to the realization that old, entrenched institutions would not dismantle readily. In many ways the Civil Rights movement that occurred a century later was precipitated by the failure of the Reconstruction project. And Foner implies that the progress of American society had been held back for a hundred years, during which many of the injustices prevalent prior to the Civil War had continued unabated, albeit in less oppressive forms. We will write a custom essay sample on A Short History of Reconstruction by Eric Foner – A Review specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on A Short History of Reconstruction by Eric Foner – A Review specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on A Short History of Reconstruction by Eric Foner – A Review specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Where Foner also succeeds is in capturing the intricate political and economic complexities of the Reconstruction era. There is a tendency among contemporary scholars to give simplistic explanations for the overall failure of the project. But Foner does not fall into this mode as he gives detailed explanations (including making references to the dominant economic policy paradigms of the time). That the emancipation of black Americans was a bottom-up process rather than vice-versa is emphasized by the author. While often the key role played by white political leaders and a few black radical thinkers are mentioned, the cumulative political force of ordinary and obscure black slaves is usually discounted. But Foner gives emphasis to the latter and documents at length the small but vital contributions made by thousands of blacks during the Civil War. In essence, Foner succeeds in illustrating how the thrust toward emancipation was a grass-roots movement. At places like this, Foner ’s style and tone of argument is similar to that of Howard Zinn – another great contemporary historian. But Foner doesn’t employ subaltern narrative perspectives to the extent Zinn does. The perusal of anecdotal first-hand accounts of those who participated and survived the war is another attractive aspect of the book, but conservative historians wouldn’t approve of this technique. But in the book in question, it works very well and infuses an element of authenticity to historical accounts. There are passages in the book when the reader is overwhelmed by the poignant emotions they evoke. One such is the depiction of black Americans’ exhibition of bravery in the battle grounds. Despite historical injustices suffered by them, they joined forces with fellow Unionists and staked their lives for the promise of emancipation. The author puts such sacrifices in the context of the fruits they bore. In other words, looking back at the 150 years since the ushering of the Reconstruction era, one sees examples of tokenism without much substance behind them. Admittedly, the station of blacks and other minorities in the country has improved over the years, but these improvements don’t add up to deem them as equal citizens to their white counterparts. As Foner subtly reminds the reader, today the practice of discrimination against blacks continues in politics, commerce and broader society, although their manifestation has taken more palatable forms. As for where the book falls short, it surely lacks the rigorousness of research and presentation that the unabridged version ‘Reconstruction: America’s Unfinished Revolution’ possessed. But this deficiency is reasonably compensated by the author by compressing most of the unabridged content into a concise yet factual narrative. Hence, for the numerous other merits associated with the book, it is highly recommended for scholars as well as the general audience. Reference: Eric Foner, â€Å"A Short History of Reconstruction†, published by HarperCollins in 1989.

Let me not to the marriage of true minds, by William shakespeare.

Let me not to the marriage of true minds, by William shakespeare. ''Let me not to the marriage of true minds'' by William Shakespeare is an Elizabethan sonnet of 14 lines divided in three Quatrains and the habitual rhyming couplet. In this particular poem Shakespeare uses a complete different approach, luring the reader by achieving a dramatic change of style.Although keeping the simple A/B/A/B/C/D/C/D/E/F/E/F/G/G rhyming scheme, providing the sonnet with an harmonious, fluid sound and giving it the pleasant impression of a light-hearted song ''Let me not to the marriage of true minds'' does not fulfill all the typical criteria's Shakespearian sonnet, the subject evoked being without comparison to his previous pieces.Shakespeare deliberately takes an idealistic turn, praising love in it's purest form, where it is not only a simple feeling, but a synergy of the souls, where obstacles seem meaningless on the road of happiness, where no Impediments can be admitted in the ''marriage of true minds''.William ShakespeareThis great respect for love is alre ady announced by the poet in the very title, as he preaches that he shall not come in between of love ''Let me not to the marriage of true minds'' nor accept any impediments to destroy this permanent bond.''Love is not love which alters when alliteration finds {....} or bends with the remover to remove...'' Here the author makes a strong statement, claiming that true love is strong, constant and can be in no way alliterated by adversity or the hands of time. If altered or shaken by a ''remover'', proven impermanent by time as it was not apt to endure the arising obstacles in its path, this love is thus not comparable to the ''true love'' the author makes allusion to, ''love is not love''.True love is indeed an ''ever-fixed mark'', an unfailing variable 'that looks on...

Business Environment and the Analysis of the Financial Health of Bank Essay - 1

Business Environment and the Analysis of the Financial Health of Bank of America Corporation - Essay Example The study discusses the impact of globalization on the business strategies of Bank of America Corporation (BAC). The Bank of America Corporation is a Delaware Corporation in addition to being a ‘bank holding company’ as well as a financial holding company. It is headquartered in Charlotte in North California. BAC provides a varying array of banking as well as nonbanking financial products and services all over the United States in addition to certain overseas markets, through their banking and nonbanking subsidiaries. BAC functions in six business divisions, namely, Deposits, Global Commercial Banking, Global Card Services, Global Banking & Markets, Home Loans & Insurance, and Global Wealth & Investment Management. As of December 2010, BAC operates in all the states of the United States of America and 40 other countries across the world. BAC caters around 80% of the population of the United States through their retail banking segment. The business environment and the mar kets in which the BAC carries out its business are dynamically influenced by the developments in the economies of the US and other countries. In the year 2010, the worldwide economy continued to recuperate, though the growth was not even across the various regions. The US, the UK, and Europe showed modest growth, while the countries like China, Brazil, and India demonstrated rapid expansion. The US economy started to improve at the beginning of 2010 as a result of reasonable development in consumption level as well as inventory rebuilding in the nation. However, the growth slowed down in the mid of 2010 as a result of the escalation of the financial calamity in Europe. Nevertheless, notwithstanding the modest economic augmentation in 2010, BAC generated free cash flows worth $1.5 trillion from their nonfinancial businesses as a result of their vigilant financial practices in the business. Furthermore, the credit quality of bank loans improved considerably in the year 2010 and the co ntinuous economic revival enhanced the atmosphere for bank lending. Since the latter part of 2010, bank commercial as well as industrial loans amplified, illustrating augmented loan demand as a result of stronger production and capital spending in addition to inventory building.

Tourism destinations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Tourism destinations - Essay Example Introduction Tourism activities all over the world take place at particular destinations. Destinations are very important parts of tourism since they determine whether the country is exciting to tourists or not. Most tourists get attracted to various destinations in the world through destination marketing organizations. In Australia, the marketing of various tourist destinations is done by an organization known as tourism Australia. A destination may refer to any location in any country. However, tourists may define destinations to mean those naturally attractive sites that are pleasing to explore. Destination can be a specific geographical area or a combination of several locations. Further, in the perspective of a tourist, destination can be defined as any area that has appealing attributed and services that would enable them choose the place for their leisure purposes. To succeed in destination marketing, organization such as tourism Australia should undertake a thorough analysis of the market. They should also determine other competitive destinations that can pose challenges to the Australian tourism sector. The analysis of the market should include the assessment of factors such as hotel accommodations, nature, historic sites and other attractions in the tourist destination. Other aspects that must be considered by the destination marketing organizations include security and the cleanliness of the place (Svarcas, Cass & Australian National Audit Office 5). Ningaloo Reef and Shark Bay, Western Australia Ningaloo reef is an exciting place to visit in Australia. It is also one of the best tourist attraction sites where tourists can watch as swim with the world’s largest fish known as shark. The sharks congregate in this place shortly after the collection of coral spawning; this takes place in every third month of the year. Ningaloo reef is located in the North West region of Australia and is approximately 1200km from Perth. In addition, the reef is abo ut 260 km in length and is the only reef in Australia that is located close to a landmass. The reef is also famous for its ability to allow for the feeding and the mating of sharks. This reefs provides a favorable breeding ground to ensure that the number of sharks do not reduce to extinction levels. There are several species of fish as coral that constitute the Ningaloo reef which attract several tourists to the site every year (Ningaloo par 1). Shark Bay Shark bay has one of the best coastal scenery and islands that provide exciting leisure adventures to tourists. Shark bay is located in the western part off Australia and has an area of about 4,800 km2. Other exciting species of animals that live in Shark bay include the Dugong and the Stromatolites. Stromatolites are members of the algae family that is said to be some of the ancient forms of life the world. The shark bay Tourist attraction is an important site in providing habitat for several endangered species of animals. Some o f the endangered species of animals in Australia are actually found in this tourist site. The endangered species of animals include the Boodie, Rufous, Hare-Wallaby, Banded Hare Wallaby, the shark bay mouse and the Western barred. These species of animals

The ICT Project Essay Example for Free

The ICT Project Essay Introduction: I have been given a task to find out a real end user for my project who is currently having problems with paper. I am brainstorming different types of techniques to improve the efficiency and quality of the paper based problem. I have found an end user for my project; it is one of my teachers in Sir John Cass, Mr Shah who is a key skills ICT teacher. His currently having a paper problem he needs to input details of individual student of their term report, his currently using a pen and a paper to input all the details such as the whole terms attendance, predicted grades etc. The type of software I will be using is Spreadsheet because it is one of the criteria in my project. Spreadsheet is an application used to input data into table graphs. This application will require basic computer (including input devices) and the spreadsheet application with a connected computer per unit. The way in which the spreadsheet will be constructed is a big factor when deciding its effectiveness and speed of input for example I do not want to overcomplicate the system. I will be using well known software called Microsoft Excel, which is ideal for the creation of tables and graphs as stated earlier. I in this case will be easy to use interface. Although the end user is not adept to the use of ICT I will be creating the system for a user with no ICT skills as this in a sense will speed up the input process further. Why not continue the old methods of registry and late entries: 1. All the work is written down so there are human errors such as spelling and when something like this is to happen you have to start over because on a formal piece of information there cannot be mistakes this can be time consuming. 2. Accuracy will be greatly increased with the user friendly interface which in addition to accuracy increases efficiency. 3. You may not able to make immediate electronic copies of information tables. 4. The special features available with Excel (spreadsheet) are no longer an option such as, immediate calculation, from entry, graphs and charts, etc. 5. Most of the surnames and first names are the same it can be difficult to find phone details, however with this system you can have this information automatically loaded with the name entry. Current System Mr Shah teaches year 7 to year 11 students for Key Skills ICT, the problems his currently facing is filling in individuals students records such as their term report, attendance record, working grade, everything on paper as it is a bit time consuming to find all the records of each students when filling in their report. Mr Shah is a very busy man as he is also the head of year of ICT key skills. The current system involves Mr Shah marking grades by using a pen and filling in term reports by manually and keeping records of individual students which involves writing everything on paper. Therefore I have stepped in to help him with his problems. I will be mainly focusing on year 11 as it is important for them because their about to face their exams. Problems with Current System: By reviewing Mr Shahs problem I have found out what the current common mistakes happened to be, they are: * The current system is inaccurate and most of the time he makes mistakes. For example, when she is working out percentage and grades for each student, she often makes calculation errors. * It is very time consuming, especially the calculation of percentages attained in marked worked and grades obtained overall. * As the names of students are not in order he finds it difficult to find the student to record a mark. * The report could easily get lost. * Also writing in individual names several times, which is time consuming. Interviewed Questions What is your position at this school? What type of system do you use for your mark tracks? What method do you use to mark your student work? What problems are you facing with your current system? How would you want your current system to be improved? What do you think is the major failings in your current system? Have you ever used a computer for tracking marks? Can you give me any samples of your current system? Is there a CD ROM drive in your computer? Do you have a printer? How certain are you when using computers? How certain are you when using Excel? What features and functions are you aware of in Excel? Do you keep all your records? Do you have any additional questions? End User Requirement Statement of user requirements Mr Shah feels a computerized system will solve some of her current problems as she thinks she has some knowledge about Excel. She feels I will be able to create an effective, fast, and easy to use automated system to calculate her students marks for her, which will enable her to solve her problem. They are the following things she expects to get from a computerized system. Input * She wants the new system to enable her to make management decisions that she uses to support student, which need help, whether parents need contacting, whether other action is required e.g. Detention. * The system should automatically calculate the percentage and grades of each student. This system will therefore make her work more accurate and easy to use. * Mr Shah wants the new system to be able to enter student personal details, e.g. DOB, tutor group, surname, etc. * She wants the new system to be able to edit student personal details. Also she wants the system to able to delete student personal details if a student moves form her teaching group. Output * Mr Shah the new system to use colour coding when displaying grades of each student, e.g. Green for A*, Blue for A etc. * Mr Shah would like a report facility where she can select a student from a list and the report will show the students name, gender, from group, overall percentages mark, grade obtained and an automatic comment on progress. * The system should be able to produce chart, which will analysis student overall performance and also compare girls and boys performance. Processing * The system will put the names of student in alphabetical order. * Mr Shah wants the new system to automatically convert numerical marks to percentages. Storage * Mr Shah wants the new system to be able to store 30 students personal detail and also store results for up to 70 tests. * Finally, the new system should not be used by anyone else except Mr Shah, I will make sure the system is safe and I will make sure it has a security code. Backup protocols are a necessity in the event that the master copy is lost or destroyed. Backup up will be provided by an external hard drive, and the system will be backed up periodically, i.e. every week, or in special circumstances, for example, there is a significant in take of data into the system. Furthermore, the backup copy will be stored of site, so that if theres a natural disaster affecting the main site, the backup copy will remain. Plus, this method of backup can be described as differential backup, which practices a cumulative backup of changes from the last full backup , allowing a full system restore based upon the last full backup. Due to the non existent computer skills of the employees, an introduction into the use of computers is necessary. To accompany the basic skills they will acquire, I will need to develop a user manual which will provide detailed instructions in performing various tasks in the system as well as maintaining it, which is vital to its integrity and reliability. However, Victor has advised me to provide a manual of minimal size and contents in order to avoid confusion and enable the employees to read it swiftly, so they can get on with the job as soon as possible. Source Documents The source document that I have provided is a copy of marks book that Mr Shah uses to record her student marks. As you can see there is a lot of data to be inputted by hand. This is one of the problems that Mr Shah has. The calculations of total mark and overall have to make using calculator, which is time consuming. Objectives of the new system * The new system will perform the following tasks: * It should be able to identify students with poor performance by using a visual alert. * Ability to edit incorrect mark, so whenever Ms Gammon make an accidental mistake, she will have the ability to correct it. * The system should be able to produce average performance percentage of each student for her class. * It should have the ability to Edit and Delete students details if required, thorough the use of data forms. * Easy and clear to use. * It should automatically calculate percentages and grades from the inputted a student marks and maximum mark available for each test. * Cell, formulae protected to prevent accidental deletion. * It should automatically work out a students grade, based on overall percentage for all tests taken. * It should be able to generate an automated report for students showing student performance. * Password (security) on file access. * It should automatically colour code student grades. User Skill Level Mr Shah has used Microsoft Excel but does not use it to calculate percentage, and grades of her marks. She is an average user, which means she does not understand most of the advanced features. Such as Vlookup, IF Statement, Macros, etc. Project Constraints Mr Shah uses school standard PC that I will be using to calculate percentages and grades for the new system. It has a four processor, which has 512 MB of RAM and 30 GB hard disk. It has Microsoft software including the excel 2000. Mr Shah Pc has CD Rom, USB and floppy drive, which are also connected to school network. This will make my work to be easy when loading the new system onto her computer because I can store it on the CD or floppy disk and transfer the system. Ms Gammon has printer in her office, which will be used to print out reports of student performance Performance Criteria These are the performance criteria that are going to be used in the new system that Mr Shah asked for: * MR Shah will be able to correct mistakes that she might make during marking; this will make the system to be more neatly presented and pleasant. * It should be able to add and delete students if required. * The system will generate automated reports of each student by click of a button showing their performance that can be sent to parent. * It will be easy and clear to use. * The new system will produce an average performance percentage for each student. And also it will automatically convert numerical marks to percentages. * It should have protection to prevent accidental deletion of important formulae, numbers, table, chart and text. All the sheet and cells in the system must be protected with security to prevent these. * Graph and charts should be generated quickly and easily to compare boys and girls performance, All student and by form. * The new system will not take more than 4seconds to view performance and grades for each student. * The system will generate automated colour coding when displaying grades of each student. * The system will store 40 student personal details, and also store results for up to 50 tests. * Mr Shah will be able to select student from a list and the report will show the students name, gender, overall percentage mark, grade obtained and an automatic comment on progress. Design Choice of Software I think that Microsoft Excel is the best option of software because it has got many features such as: * It has advanced functionality such as pivot table, sort, forms, Vlookup, average, and write protection. This will make things more automated for the user. * Pivot: this will hold table for charts. This will not need to be seen by the user. When they select the chart that they require on the student summary sheet, the pivot table on the sheet will change to represent that choice. It will also used to summaries archive data for use in charts showing: 1. By gender 2. Form * Data entry form will be able to edit and delete student records. * Conditional formatting will allow automatic shading of cells to give visual message for highlighting grade attained and also table displaying student grades. * Macros can be used to perform complex tasks at the press of a single button. * It can perform complex calculation such as working out the grade for each student. * User Forms for controlling actions with macros using buttons. * Chart /Graph: can be used to display output of information such as averages, predicted grades etc. * The user wants the system to be as error-free as possible. Excels Validation facility will allow me to set up range validation to control data input when entering student personal details, overall mark etc. * Protections of cell so that user cannot accidentally delete information. Statement of Input, Processing Output requirement The input would be: Personal Details: First name Surname Gender Date of Birth Form Roll number Student marks: Assignment marks Maximum /minimum mark Grade Boundaries The Processing would be: Calculating the grades through a Vlookup to the grade boundaries table. Sorting, grouping and summarizing data with a pivot table. Calculate the average of total marks Using Vlookup work out a grade for the average. The output would be: Pivot Chart/Graph showing comparisons between gender, form-by-form and overall year group achievement. Give students their grades using report card. Table displaying student grades. Creating report for using student with performance. School letter, which would be sent out to parent using conditional formatting to highlighting grade attained. Data Set Because of Data Production Act, I cannot be able to use the real detail of Mr Shah Students. For that reason, I will create my own data set of example student details, which I will work with.

Abraham Lincoln and Calamity Jane :: essays research papers

In The Boys’ Life of Abraham Lincoln by Helen Nicolay and Life and Adventures of Calamity Jane, By Herself, tone is employed to more effectively display the purpose of the essays. In The Boys’ Life of Abraham Lincoln, Nicolay uses a tone that demonstrates triumph through tragedy, weaving specifics about Lincoln’s ancestors with the trials he faced. In Life and Adventures of Calamity Jane, By Herself, Mrs. Burk (Calamity Jane) uses a tone that is familiar to the world of documentaries, starting her story at her birth and ending with where she was when she wrote the autobiography. One must remember that The Boys’ Life of Abraham Lincoln is a biography, and Life and Adventures of Calamity Jane, By Herself is an autobiography. The contrasting of these two fine pieces of literature makes some specifics about tone and purpose stick out in one’s mind. The Boys’ Life of Abraham Lincoln uses a tone that is personal and endearing in order to inspire the reader to face circumstances in their life with the notion that a sunnier day will come only if they try their hardest to make the best of their current situation. Tone is also used to display Abraham Lincoln as a man who did just that to become â€Å"the greatest man of his time†. The biography begins nearly 175 years before Abraham Lincoln was born. It traces its way through the pioneering of his forefathers into the â€Å"west† by specifically pointing out hardships faced on the unfriendly trail. (They faced solitude, privation, and all the dangers and hardships that beset men who take up their homes where only beasts and wild men have had their homes before.) However, â€Å"they continued to press steadily forward† even though they lost most of what they had when they started their journey. The determined family continues on through the death of Abraham ’s grandfather, till Abraham is born â€Å"in deep poverty†. Throughout this initial background, it is hinted that Abraham will be â€Å"a wonderful man†, and it is noted how ironic it is that such a great man is to be born and raised in such a humble place. It is stated that of his early childhood â€Å"almost nothing is known†. The author still manages, however, to dig up an anecdote which portrays Abraham as a â€Å"generous child†. He was â€Å"large and strong for his age†, and when a â€Å"severe mysterious sickness† breaks out, Abraham pulls through, though many die around him.

Religion may be losing its power at an institutional level, but it still retains immense influence over individual consciousness

Statistical evidence suggests that in terms of institutional religion, membership is in decline in Britain and in much of the rest of the world. Church attendance figures show a continuing drop in attendance throughout the twentieth century particularly in Anglican, Baptist and Catholic Churches. It has also been found that the number of children being baptised has dropped from 65% of the British child population to only 27%. Many sociologists use these statistics as support for their hypothesis in the secularisation of our society. However an equal number disregard these facts as evidence of secularisation, arguing that for our society to become secular there must be a decline in religious belief not just Church membership. Institutional religion can be defined as a large organisation, that has particular codes of conduct, values and morals which members are supposed to follow. Private belief is when an individual has their own set of beliefs and moral guidelines to follow, worship and abidance to these rules are conducted personally and internally. An opinion poll conducted in 1991 called the British Social Attitudes Survey found that only 10% of the English population and 1% of the people in Northern Ireland denied the existence of God outright. This suggests that Britain has a religious population supporting the idea that religion still has major influence over religious consciousness. It is therefore necessary to explain what has caused the decline in popularity of institutional religion if it is not a decline in religious belief itself. It can be argued that for a society to be truly religious, religion must play a part in every aspect of life. This religious ‘Golden Age' was present in Britain in the Medieval Ages where the Church held most of the power, wealth and status. Today the Church has less wealth and plays little part in the running of the country (there is little Church representation in the Government), Martin (1969) calls this process the disengagement of religion from wider society. However many sociologists would dispute that the ‘Golden Age' of religion does not automatically indicate an enhanced religious thinking but actually a lack of spiritual freedom which can lessen religious conviction. With an increasingly diverse ethnic mix present in British society there are more religions. Religious pluralism has made people aware that spirituality can be an individual journey and that they are not required to share the same beliefs as everyone else to be religious. This is verification of the idea that institutional religion is in decline but not of secularisation, as although religious beliefs have changed they are still inherently spiritual. The sociologist Bellah defined religion as the search for the ultimate meaning of life but claimed that this did not have to involve the supernatural. Bellah supported the theory that religious pluralism is evidence against, not for, secularisation saying that religion has become an individual quest as religious doctrine had become less strict. For example today it is impractical for all workers to rest on the Sabbath therefore it is no longer considered unholy to work on a Sunday allowing many to conduct their own worship in their own time. Consequently it is impossible to use research on the Church and other institutional religions as evidence of secularisation. Individuation is the natural evolution of religion whereby religion has not decreased but simply changed to become more personal to the individual. Bellah can be faulted however for his lack of evidence in individuation in wider Western society and also for his definition of religion being too vague Parsons argued that through generalisation religious teachings have become an integral part of our society. Rather than there being a number of different teachings and values in one society, the institutional religion (in Britain it is Christianity) doctrine has become more generalised and embedded into modern culture. Parsons uses the example of healthcare. When the Church was at its height of power it was responsible for the running of the Hospitals, rather than the State. Religion was a major part of caring for the sick. Today Hospitals are run by the Government but the notion that it the responsibility of the healthy and able to care for the sick is a religious teaching. David Martin looked into generalisation in the US and found the same as Parsons however both have been criticised. It has been said that neither provide enough detailed evidence to support their theory, for example they do not supply evidence that social values do not have a secular foundation rather than religious. Also many argue that it is wrong to assume that Britain and the USA are basically Christian societies. In terms of whether society has become secular Parsons theory of generalisation suggests that this is not the case, religious principals have become embedded in our society. Weber, another leading sociologist, agreed that many of society's core social guidelines in modern society have a religious origin. However where Weber significantly differs from Parsons is that he proposes that these guides to action have been transformed into secular guidelines, essentially Weber is arguing for secularisation. Weber uses his study The Protestant Ethic and the Rise of Capitalism to show how the popularity of the Protestant faith has inadvertently caused a secular society. The teaching of the Protestant faith (to work hard and to keep reinvesting time, money and energy so to accumulate wealth) has lead to a decrease in the necessity of religion. Capitalism has brought about an increase in wealth, which provides its own satisfaction and rewards so there is less need for religion. Furthermore new technology and the mechanization of industry has resulted in there being less call for religion as a motivator for hard work. Like generalisation the transformation theory can be condemned for lack of evidence for modern day values having religious origins. Alternatively one could argue that Weber's theory does not disprove generalisation, he makes little argument for the Protestant Ethic not still being present in society today. Weber argued against individuation also, claiming that the supernatural belief has been banished from our society and all meanings and motives are governed by rational belief instead. Weber called this Desacrilisation. Wilson developed the argument for desacrilisation citing four reasons for the dissolution of supernatural conviction. Firstly the rise in Protestantism, which Wilson argues encourages rational thought and behaviour. Secondly the rational organisation of society, this can be related to the fact that with a greater equilibrium in society this has lessened /. Finally the development of rational ideologies such as Communism have highlighted negativity within religious institutions (for example Marx's claim that ‘Religion is the opium of the people'). Desacrilisation can be denounced for its lack of hard data, it almost appears that much of the theory is based on the impressions of particular researchers. When looking at society from a different perspective it is clear to see that the supernatural does play a significant role in our lives. An example being belief in superstitions such as walking under a ladder or making a wish when you break a wish bone or blow out candles. To imply that supernatural belief has been banished from our society would eradicate all superstitious related actions, yet they are still prevalent in our society.