Sophocles Antigone Essay - 1702 Words

Sophocles’ play â€Å"Antigone† illustrates the conflict between obeying human and divine law. The play opens after Oedipus’ two sons Eteocles and Polyneices have killed each other in a civil war for the throne of Thebes. Oedipus’ brother in law Creon then assumes the throne. He dictates that Eteocles shall receive a state funeral and honors, while Polyneices shall be left in the streets to rot away. Creon believes that Polyneices’ body shall be condemned to this because of his civil disobedience and treachery against the city. Polyneices’ sister, Antigone, upon hearing this exclaims that an improper burial for Polyneices would be an insult to the Gods. She vows that Polyneices’ body will be buried, and Creon declares that anyone who†¦show more content†¦Creon has no toleration for people who place personal beliefs over the common good. He believes that government and law is the supreme authority, and civil disobedience is wor st form of sin. The problem with Creon’s argument is he approaches He approaches every dilemma that requires judgement through descriptive generalizations. In contrast to the morality defined by Aristotle in his Nicomachaean Ethics, Creon shows that he is deaf to the knowledge of particulars--of place, time, manner, and persons, which is essential for moral reasoning. In short, he does not effectively bring together general principles and specific situations Creon does not acknowledge that emotion, and perception are as critical to proper moral consideration as reason. This explains why he does not respond accordingly with the reasoning of the guard, Tiresias the prophet, Antigone, her sister Ismene, or even his own son Haemon. Throughout the whole play, Creon emphasizes the importance of practical judgement over a sick, illogical mind, when in fact it is him who has the sick, illogical mind. He too exhibits pride in his argument. To Antigone and most of the Athenians, posses sing a wise and logical mind means acknowledging human limitations and behaving piously towards the gods. Humans must take a humble attitude towards fate and the power of the gods, yet Creon mocks death throughout the play. He doest not learn his lesson until the end of the play when he speaks respectfully ofShow MoreRelatedAntigone By Sophocles Antigone1478 Words   |  6 PagesThroughout Antigone, Antigone is a presented as a strong woman who is both dedicated to her family and her community. That said, there is much conflict between these two dedications. In this paper, I will give examples of Antigone’s different individual responsibilities and her philosophies and explain how those conflict with the commitment that she is to have to her community and indirectly, her king. Ultimately, I will argue that Sophocles demonstrated his values of family, the way of the godsRead MoreSophocles Antigone By Sophocles Essay1869 Words   |  8 PagesIn Sophocles’ play Antigo ne, two brothers, Eteocles and Polynices fight for the thrown of Thebes. The war comes to an end when both brothers die fighting for the honor, and their uncle Creon becomes the king of Thebes. Upon his coronation, Creon issues a decree that Eteocles, the former king of Thebes, will be honored with a traditional military burial, while his brother Polynices will be â€Å"left unwept, unburied, a lovely treasure for birds that scan the field and feast to their heart’s content† (SophoclesRead MoreSophocles Antigone By Sophocles964 Words   |  4 PagesIn â€Å"Antigone† by Sophocles, a famous ancient Greek tragedian, the main character, Antigone, demonstrates a prohibited action in a strict, male-dominated society. Greek civilization upheld strong values and rules that were designed to enforce orderly behavior among its people. There were state laws created by the King, Creon, and divine laws created by the Gods. Divine law was superior to the king laws, and if t hat rule was disrupted, eternal consequences could ruin an individual. In this societyRead MoreSophocles Antigone By Sophocles1892 Words   |  8 PagesAntigone †¢ Title: Antigone by Sophocles †¢ Genre: Play; Tragic drama †¢ Historical context: Written circa, 442 B.C.E. in Athens Greece. Performed circa, 441 B.C.A. Its literary period was classical. While Antigone was the first written of Sophocles’ three Theban plays, it was the last of the trilogy. It was performed during a time of national unrest. Sophocles was appointed to serve as a general in a military crusade against Samos. The significance of the historical events during that timeRead MoreAntigone, by Sophocles1997 Words   |  8 PagesThe death of Antigone is truly a tragic episode in the Theban Plays, where she hung herself with a woven linen of her dress. By convention, her death would be characterized with feminine quality. However, Antigone, one of the few female characters in the book, possessed distinguishable female characteristics that are as remarkable as a male hero. Antigone was determined when she made up her mind to bury her brother. She was an agent of her words and took up the risks that accompanied to her dee dsRead MoreAntigone By Sophocles Antigone1525 Words   |  7 Pagesneglect nothing that the gods demand† (1349-1350). Sophocles’ Antigone takes place in a trying time for the city of Thebes, when Oedipus, their king, and most of the royal family have died, and Creon has just been appointed the new king. Throughout the play, Creon tries on his power as the new ruler, and seems to believe that the gods will not be angry with some of his choices as king, even though they directly violate the divine law. However, in Antigone, when there is a conflict between the divine lawRead MoreSophocles Antigone By Sophocles1495 Words   |  6 PagesAs one of the most famous tragedies ever written, Antigone, by the Greek playwright Sophocles, has received much notoriety as well as much speculation. Set in the city of Thebes after a devastating civil war between the brothers Polyneices and Eteocles, the play begins after the brothers’ deadly struggle for the throne. Polyneices and Eteocles have already caused the undue deaths of one another, and without another man in their immediate family available, their uncle Creon travels to Thebes to seizeRead MoreAntigone By Sophocles Antigone912 Words   |  4 PagesIn Sophocles, â€Å"Antigone† begins with the stages of grief as Antigone mourns the loss of her two brothers, Polyneikes and Eteokles, who die simultaneously in face-to-face combat in Thebes. Eteokles dies with honor fighting for the Thebesians and is honored with rituals and a proper burial. The body of Polyneikes, who attempted to burn the city of Thebes, is left for the dogs and birds to savage. Thesbesian’s law forbids anyone giving a traitor, like Polyneikes, a proper burial, for that itself isRead MoreAntigone by Sophocles622 Words   |  3 PagesIn the playwright Antigone by Sophocles, the characters reveal their values while exposing a life lessons through their actions, dialogue, thoughts ,and effects on others. Antigone st arts with two brothers, Eteocles and Polyneices, being killed at battle. Creon, the king of Thebes, declares that Eteocles’ death will be honored and Polyneices’ dishonored. He instead will lay unburied to become the food of animals. When the play opens, Antigone takes Ismene, Antigone and Ismene are sisters of the deadRead MoreSophocles Antigone By Sophocles967 Words   |  4 PagesTragedy in Antigone Antigone is one of the greatest Greek tragic plays by Sophocles. The play portrays two main characters, Antigone and Creon, who undergo tragedy in the play. Various arguments have been put forth regarding who amongst the two characters is the actual tragic hero in Sophocles’ Antigone. A number of people are for the idea that Creon qualifies since he does possess the real characteristics of what tragedy is all about, while numerous others believe that Antigone is the actual hero

The Changes in Police and Crime Drama Over Time Essay

The Changes in Police and Crime Drama Over Time Crime drama has always been featured as one of the most popular genres of our society. However over the year’s crime drama has been changed and adapted to fit into different times. Many aspects of crime drama have been changed such as camera shots, seriousness of crimes and police language/jargon in order for crime drama to change with the times, become more realistic and retain its former popularity. Throughout time many crime programmes featured on T.V have changed through Media language (Iconography, editing, camerawork and music). The Bill, first created in 1984 featured a lot of Iconography. At the start of the title sequence the camera focuses†¦show more content†¦Camera shots and editing have also changed. Older title sequences of the Bill used long camera shots, which were not varied and were focused on a particular person. However over the years as technology has improved the title sequences have become faster paced and use shorter and varied camera shots that create feelings of excitement and tension for the viewer. Music has also changed. The original title sequence (1984) featured reggae style music and used off beat instruments. This suggested that the programme was based in a multi-cultural area. The music in the late 80’s was more upbeat and faster paced, however it featured the same theme tune. The music in the mid 90’s was jazzy and sophisticated. Music has become more upbeat due to changes of personalities in society. However the theme tune has remained the same in order for people of different times to identify the programme as a long remaining classic. The storylines of each title sequence have also changed over time. In the original title sequence we do not see the police’s face. This indicates that the main emphasis of the programme is on the job of the police rather than their characters. The slow moving music and camera shots convey the sense that the programme does not feature dangerous crimes but simple crimes such as theft or burglary. However the late 80’s title sequence shows clips ofShow MoreRelatedEssay on The Crime Drama Genre1663 Words   |  7 Pagesthat television genres continue to develop over time in response to changes in audience tastes and original creative ideas. Indeed, television genres will keep on developing to meet the expectations and satisfaction of the audience. Crime drama series have become one of the most popular television genres within our society. It attracts the audience by dealing with themes and issues relating to the news and current affairs that the viewers are aware of. Cr ime fiction has various sub-genres includingRead MoreThe Godfather Is A 1972 American Crime Drama Directed By Francis Coppola919 Words   |  4 Pages1972 American crime drama directed by Francis Coppola based on the 1969 novel by Mario Puzo. The film stars Marlin Brando and Al Pacino as the leaders of a powerful family business of crime. The story is centred on Michael Corleone, and how he grows from a young man wanting nothing to do with the family business to a ruthless Don who will stop at nothing to exact his revenge. The movie grossed around 286 million dollars and is touted as one of the most successful films of all time, and in 1990 itRead MoreForensic Science And The Scientific Examination Of Evidence1644 Words   |  7 Pagesin a crime scene is called forensic science. Forensic scientists use the same technology, tools and methods used by other scientists doing other types of research, including microscopes, computers, and lasers. As forensic science has advanced over th e years, so has the ability to gather evidence and solve crimes. At crime scenes, lasers provide lighting to track blood sample that not visible to the naked eye. Forensic imaging technology is technology that lets the first responding local police departmentRead MoreIs The Technology Behind Forensics Reliable?1654 Words   |  7 Pagesin a crime scene is called forensic science. Forensic scientists use the same technology, tools and methods used by other scientists doing other types of research, including microscopes, computers, and lasers. As forensic science has advanced over the years, so has the ability to gather evidence and solve crimes. At crime scenes, lasers provide lighting to track blood sample that not visible to the naked eye. Forensic imaging technology is technology that lets the first responding local police departmentRead MoreThe Perception Of The Police Officer1287 Words   |  6 Pagestoday involves the perception of the police? What is the perception of how we look at our officials in law enforcement? Is this something that’s based on personal experiences? Is it media driven? Over the last year, we’ve had to examples in the media that pertains to this discussion. In Ferguson, MO there was the Michael Brown case involving the shooting of an unarmed man by police officer Darrin Wilson. There was the death of Eric Garner involving the New York Police Department. Depending on what mediaRead MorePhilosophical Analysis of Gone Baby Gone Essay1744 Words   |  7 PagesAffleck’s drama Gone Baby Gone, two very notable philosophies collide head on, and the protagonist must choose between the two to find the solution that he feels is ‘right.’ In Affleck’s brilliantly rendered drama Gone Baby Gone, a young girl is abducted from her mother, in a blue collar area of Boston, Massachusetts. Patrick Kenzie and his girlfriend are private investigators who are called in by the sister-in-law of the abducted childs mother. The neighborhoods in Boston where this crime took placeRead MoreBlack Lives Matter By Karin Kamp1645 Words   |  7 PagesPeople are calling this crime the â€Å"Black Lives Matter Kidnapping†. The videos show horrible and gruesome things that were done to the man, including forcing the man drink toilet water. While this is happening the attackers were saying hurtful words to the man, Donald Trump and many others. The police suggest this event has no link to the Black Lives Matter Movement, but the videos say otherwise. People also infer that this isn’t just a attempted murder, but also a hate crime. Wail Qasim wrote, â€Å"TheRead MoreAnalysis Of Rio De Janeiro s Most Infamous Favela1590 Words   |  7 Pagesbrutality and crime rate among the residents. The quality of life in the Brazilian favelas has in a way improved and also worsened. As Brazil is set to hold the Summer Olympic Games this year in 2016, the government has been intervening with the history of Rio’s violent crime rates; it was something the government had never done before, considering the severe corruption and risks of diseases in the favelas. Due to this intervention, many residents have been either kicked out or killed by police in the favelasRead MoreEssay on The Crime Drama Genre 1948 Words   |  8 PagesThe crime drama genre has endured many changes since the days of Dickson of Dock Green (1955-1976) in the UK along with Dick Tracy (1950-1952) in the USA. The natural progression within the crime drama genre saw them eventually displaying police procedurals. This was a first for television, the audience not only saw the crime and the apprehension of the criminal, but for the first time, the whole crime solving system was opened for the audience to see. Forensics and legal bureaucracy whereRead MoreChanging Nature of Television Crime Drama Essay2783 Words   |  12 Pagesthe diversity of concepts and setting of crime dramas currently being produced this comment may or may not seem as convincing as it may have been when authored. Take one crime drama series and investigate the respects in which it both: 1) reworks established crime drama formula and conventions; and 2) offers novelty in terms of such aspects as concept, characterisations, episode structure and visual style. In 1997, Senior Commissioning Editor for Drama on channel four in Britain, Peter Ansorges

Immigration Free Essays

Imagine being thirteen years old, living â€Å"the dream† and enjoying your life until your father says, â€Å"pack up we are moving to a different country. † Any person would be In shock after hearing someone say that to them against their will, let alone a teenage girl. Gloria Jugular was told this by her father in the year 1962 that she would be moving to the United States of America from Calico, Mexico. We will write a custom essay sample on Immigration or any similar topic only for you Order Now She was living a very luxurious, middle class lifestyle with all her family. She had lots of friends and family who loved her. She lived in a fairly nice house and went to a good school. Glorious father had obtained a workers permit to work the fields for himself, Gloria, and her older brother. Gloria, her brother, and her father came by car across the border traveling for seven days. When Gloria Jugular leafstalk’s, Mexico In 1962 at the age of thirteen, she was leaving behind a great life, family, and friends. Her expectations were to find â€Å"The American Dream† of a better education, become better off financially, and for her experience to be â€Å"like heaven†. When Gloria reflects on her journey she believes she has overcame a lot and met her expectation of the American Dream. Gloria was expecting to live a better life than she was living when she arrived to California. She soon came to realize she would not have that option. Gloria had to work the olive trees climbing up and down daily to meet her daily quota. In 1963, there was a letter to Congress which basically stated in order for immigrants to obtain citizenship they must first be looked at for â€Å"(1) the skills of the immigrant and their relationship to our needs [United Stated]; (2) the family relationship between immigrants to the person already here† (Kennedy). This helped Immigrants who were miming Into the united States to make the process faster. For Glorious family, It was the fact that they were coming to be farm workers. Gloria spent SIX to nine months out of the year traveling back and forth to Mexico and Woodland, CA. Gloria, her brother and her father took these long exhausting trips from Mexico to the United States until she turned 18 years old. Although the scenery was Just as perfect as she pictured it would be, her daily life was not. Glorious father no longer allowed her to get an education. She was always constantly working to make ends meet. There was o telephone to communicate with her friends and family. In the home she was staying in there was a television to help the time go by. Gloria also had a radio to help with the passing of time. â€Å"Kennedy’s domestic efforts were in their infancy when an assassin’s bullets struck him down November 22, 1963† (Understanding the American Promise). Kennedy died before he could fulfill the many promises he made to Americans of economic growth. The radio was the way Gloria and her family learned of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. This was a major concern for her and her fellow Mexican Immigrants because John F. Kennedy was an advocate to bettering the immigration systems. â€Å"While Jiff’s right legacy is widely recognized, less attention has been paid to his record championing reform that ended an era of deeply discriminatory immigration laws† (Doris). President Kennedy had a power and great had a great vision for immigration that could change the face of America forever. She was in shock and In utter sadness when she learned of the news. The eliminated ancestry, race, or the national origin as a basis for immigrants. It created many fundamentals that still stand in today’s system for legal immigration into the United States. Not speaking English and not having anyone to teach her made life harder for Gloria. The lack of understanding English kept her from having American friends. This made her feel very isolated and like she was in a â€Å"deep hole†. The feeling of being isolated was not a feeling Gloria was used to. It wasn’t until she was a little over eighteen when she learned how to speak English. At the age of eighteen, she married off to get out of her father’s house and reside in the United States permanently. After she had her first son, Random, her husband had tried to kill her so she fled once again. She eventually found a live-in babysitting Job with a family who had two children. She learned English through the children, who at the time were both toddlers who were trying to learn English as well. Gloria also paid very close attention to the English television and radio stations to help her with her English language. Her life had improved from the first time she arrived in the United States. When Gloria looks back at her initial reaction to the United States she feels she has come a long way because she has achieved her â€Å"American Dream†. Her â€Å"American Dream† is defined as having a wonderful life that includes a child or hillier, owning your own home, a great Job and career, the right to vote, health care and freedom to make your own choices. Gloria is very upset and concerned for those still in Mexico dealing with the corruptions, such as the Mexican cartel. One of the most recognized and quoted opening sentence in the starter to â€Å"Uprooted,† Dry. Handling engraved: â€Å"Once I thought to write a history of the immigrants in America. Then I discovered that the immigrants were American history. Americans have come from many different backgrounds to make the â€Å"American† culture we know today. Gloria is extremely pleased with living in the United States. She remarried and had three beautiful children. She now owns three homes in California. She also has a very giving and caring position as a care giver to the sick and elderly. She has great healthcare to cover her and her family well- being. She enjoys the right to have a say in her government. Gloria believes America is the land of freedom and opportunity. Gloria is very pleased to be able to allow her children to have these opportunities of â€Å"The American Dream†. According to the article, â€Å"Reform Immigration FOR America† Obama has opted to pursue an administrative immigration policy. Therefore this causes conflict with the Republican critics by boosting his immigration and border enforcement authorizations. Also according to the article, â€Å"Reform Immigration FOR America† Obama has prioritize dealing with health care reform rather than immigration. During his election much of the work in swing districts were spent simply convincing the legislators that their vote would make the immigration reform happen. Obama is not making immigration a priority like he persuaded the people to believe he was. According to â€Å"Immigration Reform† the extent that the public-spirited issues of improvement enters the debates. The suggestions for â€Å"legalizing† undocumented workers attempts to respond to the question of what the government should do with people who are living in the United States? This funding has tremendous effect to the economy. But yet they are still being deprived of basic process would rank the considerate â€Å"good immigrant† also known as Dreamers. This term refers to young people who came to the United States as children. They are now seeking citizenship, along with the many others in demand framework’s and tech worker. They are also set to be â€Å"fast tracked† on the path to citizenship. They are more likely to have a significant shorter time than the decade-plus those other migrants can anticipate. This setting would create on an earlier organizational command issued by President Obama. It would also definitely stop deportations for the young generations meeting the background requirements. Gloria says for those who are in America they should be grateful. Gloria also says that it may take a lot of different situations testing your patience but, â€Å"Do NOT give up on your dream of bettering yourself. Gloria believes that those in Mexico should so their hardest to try ND come to America for more opportunities. Gloria also says that â€Å"America has more to offer when it comes to many things. † She believes the education is better in the United States and having this education allows you better career opportunities. Although she says the process has definitely become harder by the increasing costs and rules, Gloria advises anyone trying to immigrate to the United States to continue to have faith in God, pray, and to not give up until your goals are achieved. Many people would say Gloria Jugular is a role model to achieve their American dream. People would say this because when Gloria reflects on her Journey she believes she has overcame a lot and met her expectation of the American Dream. How to cite Immigration, Papers Immigration Free Essays Immigration is a really big topic that is being discussed by our president and all of our citizens which people have two different views on but,I believe, immigration is a great cause for the United States. Due, to the fact that the United States was built upon immigration from many other countries. I believe that it can create a lot of good if we keep allowing immigrants to become citizens to a certain extent and we should keep it regulated. We will write a custom essay sample on Immigration or any similar topic only for you Order Now Immigration has been a part of the United States for years now. According to U.S. Immigration Before 1965 (U.S. Immigration Before 1965),more than two million immigrants have entered the United States in the years of 1880 through 1920.This helped populate the U.S during its beginning years when it was trying to expand and grow as a country. The immigrants who came from other counties in that time came to find religious freedom and find a better life for their families. Our current president wants to build a wall to keep Immigrants out of the US. he does not want immigration to be apart of the US because he believes that they would take our jobs and he believes that most of the people who come to the united states from mexico are all of the felons or people who come to the US to break the US apart and kill people when in reality they all have the same believes that the first immigrants had who came to the US they are coming to the US to start over try and provide for there families and look out for their future kids. Other people in the US believe that they will just come to the US to take our jobs and our money that we can be making when Usually they take jobs that no one would ever take here in the US they take the jobs that most people in the us think is to hard like working in the fields and in factories and other jobs. They also get paid less than minimum wage for doing jobs that people should get paid more for because they are producing our for economy by creating jobs and our produce of fruit and vegetables or anything that is made in a farm is usually grow and picked by these people who are really hard working and are just trying to make a living for there family and themselves. Another reason i believe that immigration would be great for the US is because our economy can benefit greatly if we allow immigrants to become citizens they can generate about 832 billion dollars to our economy in the next ten years which would help the us greatly the US this can help create over 203,000 jobs a year which would help the economy out a lot it would give us more jobs and it would also help the US with the economy because more money would be generated after all those jobs are created. Most immigrants have wanted to come to the US to follow their dreams and do what they can to to support their family and give them a better future in life and just most of the immigrants who came over from mexico are coming from a place where the drug cartel is reigning over there city or state and they are trying to get away from the bad that comes along with it they are trying to stop there kids from getting kidnaped and sold for money those people who are trying to get away from that believe that the US can provide that for them and they believe that they can provide something for the economy too. I am a first generation and have watched my family struggle through all the hardship that they have come across due to the fact that they never had any help from the government when all they are trying to do is help the american government and provide for their kids. In the US there are so many people who are for the legalization of immigration. â€Å"80% of americans surveyed said that they support the pathway to citizenship†(Most Americans support the path to citizenship for illegal immigration) this shows that most people would allow immigrants to become citizens. If 80 % of the people are for it then why does the US not allow them to become citizens. â€Å"72% of these who backed president Trump also support the issue† (Most Americans support the path to citizenship for illegal immigration) Its know that president trump doesn’t want to allow immigrants to become citizens but most of his voters have spoken up saying they have no problem with it at all and would allow them to become citizens. Its scary to see that there is a lot of criminals and violence in this world and you as an american would not want that for your country. Yes, the mexican drug cartel has spilled over the us border according to the article (illegal Alien criminals should be removed from the country) and it is scary but not all mexican people are drug dealers or people from the cartel. â€Å"They are families and workers, taking the jobs nobody else wants, staying out of trouble,†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (the realities about illegal immigrants in the united states) Most of the immigrants who came to the us came to help support their family in hopes to find a job to help get out of all the dangers in mexico.They left everything behind to risk it all for the american dream to have a good family and have enough money to better there kids futers and get them ready for life. I believe that if we still allow immigration to the United states it can benefit the US a lot im not saying fully legalized but if we monitor it a lot more and and only let a select few people migrate over to the US we wouldn’t have to deal with some of the downfalls of the immigration like tax increasing and other things like crime rate going up in the united states because there are some people who are criminals but most of the people who come to the us don’t come here for that reason they come to help there family witch i really emphasis because not all immigrants are bad. How to cite Immigration, Papers

Victoria Hubble February 8, 2000 Reconstruction Th Essay Example For Students

Victoria Hubble February 8, 2000 Reconstruction Th Essay e Reconstruction, a time most people would call a rebirth, succeeded in few of the goals that it had set out to achieve within the 12 years it was in progress. It was the reconstructions failure in its objectives, that brought forth the inevitable success in changing the South, as well as the countless African Americans living in it as well as the countless African Americans living in it at the time. There were three goals the reconstruction set, and failed to achieve, as well as emphasizing the profound effect it had on the south, and an entire race. In the South the Reconstruction period was a time of readjustment accompanied by disorder. Southern whites wished to keep blacks in a condition of quasi-servitude, extending few civil rights and firmly rejecting social equality. Blacks, on the other hand, wanted full freedom and, above all, land of their own. Inevitably, there were frequent clashes. Some erupted into race riots, but acts of terrorism against individual black leaders were more common. During this turmoil, Southern whites and blacks began to work out ways of getting their farms back into operation and of making a living. Indeed, the most important developments of the Reconstruction era were not the highly publicized political contests but the slow, almost imperceptible changes that occurred in southern society. Blacks could now legally marry, and they set up conventional and usually stable family units; they quietly seceded from the white churches and formed their own religious organizations, which became a central point for the black community. Without land or money, most freedmen had to continue working for white masters; but they were now unwilling to labor in gangs or to live in the old slave quarters under the eye of the plantation owner. The governments set up in the Southern states under the congressional program of Reconstruction were, contrary to traditional cliches, fairly honest and effective. Though the period has sometimes been labeled Black Reconstruction, the Radical governments in the south were never dominated by blacks. There were no black governors, only two black senators and a handful of congressmen, and only one legislature controlled by blacks. Those black who did hold office appear to have been about equal in competence and honesty to the whites. it is true that these Radical governments were expensive, but large state expenditures were necessary to rebuild after the war and to establishfor the first time on most southern statesa system of common schools. Corruption there certainly was, though nowhere on the scale of the Tweed Ring, which at that time was busily looting New York City; but it is not possible to show that Republicans were more guilty than Democrats, or blacks than whites, in the scandals that did occur. If the Civil War was fought to set black slaves free, then Reconstruction proved to be a fight to limit their freedom. Political power was gained by former slaves during the late 1860s, but any power gained was all but gone by the end of the 1880s. Blacks were given liberty in name only for the most part. They were not allowed to develop nor use the skills necessary to take advantage of that liberty in Americas unique system of democracy and capitalism. For most African Americans living in the south during the Reconstruction era, life changed dramatically from enslavement, to a life of limited rights. Even though the reconstruction offered them a few unreliable rights, it failed to offer them the equal amount of social, economic, and political freedoms. It was these three contributing factors that participated in changing the south. The Reconstruction was started by the freed slaves who rallied and protested for civil rights as well as justice. In addition to this, Radical Republicans from 1865 to 1877 temporarily wiped out each state in the Souths system of government. All of the black codes, a series of laws that forced blacks to sign labor contracts requiring them to work at a job for a full year, laws that permitted employers to whip black workers, and laws that allowed states to jail unemployed blacks and hire out their children, that violated or contradicted the equality .