The Battle of Chapultepec in the Mexican-American War

The Battle of Chapultepec in the Mexican-American War On Sept. 13, 1847, the American army assaulted the Mexican Military Academy, a fortress known as Chapultepec, which guarded the gates to Mexico City. Although the Mexicans inside fought valiantly, they were outgunned and outnumbered and were soon overrun. With Chapultepec under their control, the Americans were able to storm two of the city gates and by nightfall were in tentative control of Mexico City itself. Although the Americans captured Chapultepec, the battle is a source of great pride for Mexicans today, as young cadets fought bravely to defend the fortress. The Mexican-American War Mexico and the United States had gone to war in 1846. Among the causes of this conflict were Mexicos lingering anger over the loss of Texas and the US desire for Mexicos western lands, such as California, Arizona, and New Mexico. The Americans attacked from the north and from the east while sending a smaller army west to secure those territories they wanted. The eastern attack, under General Winfield Scott, landed on the Mexican coast in March of 1847. Scott made his way towards Mexico City, winning battles at Veracruz, Cerro Gordo, and Contreras. After the Battle of Churubusco on August 20, Scott agreed to an armistice which lasted until Sept. 7. The Battle of Molino del Rey After talks stalled and the armistice was broken, Scott decided to hit Mexico City from the west and take the Belà ©n and San Cosme gates into the city. These gates were protected by two strategic points: a fortified old mill named Molino del Rey and the fortress of Chapultepec, which was also Mexicos military academy. On September 8, Scott ordered General William Worth to take the mill. The Battle of Molino del Rey was bloody but short and ended with an American victory. At one point during the battle, after fighting off an American assault, Mexican soldiers crept out of the fortifications to kill American wounded: the Americans would remember this hateful act. Chapultepec Castle Scott now turned his attention to Chapultepec. He had to take the fortress in combat: it stood as a symbol of hope for the people of Mexico City, and Scott knew that his enemy would never negotiate a peace until he had defeated it. The castle itself was an imposing stone fortress set on the top of Chapultepec Hill, some 200 feet above the surrounding area. The fortress was relatively lightly defended: about 1,000 troops under the command of General Nicols Bravo, one of Mexicos better officers. Among the defenders were 200 cadets from the Military Academy who had refused to leave: some of them were as young as 13. Bravo had only about 13 cannons in the fortress, far too few for an effective defense. There was a gentle slope up the hill from Molino del Rey. Assault of Chapultepec The Americans shelled the fortress all day on September 12 with their deadly artillery. At dawn on the 13th, Scott sent two different parties to scale the walls and assault the castle: although resistance was stiff, these men managed to fight their way to the base of the walls of the castle itself. After a tense wait for scaling ladders, the Americans were able to scale the walls and take the fort in hand-to-hand fighting. The Americans, still angry over their murdered companions at Molino del Rey, showed no quarter, killing many wounded and surrendering Mexicans. Nearly everyone in the castle was killed or captured: General Bravo was among those taken prisoner. According to legend, six young cadets refused to surrender or retreat, fighting to the end: they have been immortalized as the Nià ±os Hà ©roes, or Hero Children in Mexico. One of them, Juan Escutia, even wrapped himself in the Mexican flag and leaped to his death from the walls, just so that the Americans would not be able to take it in battle. Although modern historians believe the tale of the Hero Children to be embellished, the fact is that the defenders fought valiantly. Death of the Saint Patricks A few miles away but in full view of Chapultepec, 30 members of the St. Patricks Battalion awaited their grim fate. The Battalion was composed mainly of deserters from the US army who had joined the Mexicans: most of them were Irish Catholics who felt that they should be fighting for Catholic Mexico instead of the USA. The Battalion had been crushed at the Battle of Churubusco on August 20: all of its members were dead, captured or scattered in and around Mexico City. Most of those that had been captured were tried and sentenced to death by hanging. 30 of them had been standing with nooses around their necks for hours. As the American flag was raised over Chapultepec, the men were hanged: it was meant to be the last thing they ever saw. The Gates of Mexico City With the fortress of Chapultepec in their hands, the Americans immediately attacked the city. Mexico City, once built over lakes, was accessed by a series of bridge-like causeways. The Americans assaulted the Belà ©n and San Cosme causeways as Chapultepec fell. Although resistance was fierce, both causeways were in American hands by the late afternoon. The Americans drove the Mexican forces back into the city: by nightfall, the Americans had gained enough ground to be able to bombard the heart of the city with mortar fire. Legacy of the Battle of Chapultepec On the night of the 13th, Mexican General Antonio Là ³pez de Santa Anna, in overall command of the Mexican forces, retreated from Mexico City with all available soldiers, leaving it in American hands. Santa Anna would make his way to Puebla, where he would unsuccessfully try to sever the American supply lines from the coast. Scott had been correct: with Chapultepec fallen and Santa Anna gone, Mexico City was well and truly in the hands of the invaders. Negotiations began between the American diplomat Nicholas Trist and what was left of the Mexican government. In February they agreed on the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which ended the war and ceded vast tracts of Mexican land to the USA. By May the treaty had been ratified by both nations and was officially implemented. The Battle of Chapultepec is remembered by the U.S. Marine Corps as one of the first major battles in which the corps saw action. Although the marines had been around for years, Chapultepec was their highest-profile battle to date: the Marines were among those who had successfully stormed the castle. The marines remember the battle in their hymn, which begins with From the halls of Montezuma†¦ and in the blood stripe, the red stripe on the trousers of the marine dress uniform, which honors those who fell at the Battle of Chapultepec. Although their army was defeated by the Americans, the Battle of Chapultepec is a source of much pride for Mexicans. In particular, the Nià ±os Hà ©roes who bravely refused to surrender, has been honored with a memorial and statues, and many schools, streets, parks, etc. in Mexico are named for them.

Policemen of the World Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Policemen of the World - Research Paper Example The situation in Libya can be traced back to when the Arab Spring occurred and protests began in many nations that are part of the Arab league. The uprisings led to the removal of several heads of state through force such as the ousting of the president of Yemen and also the peaceful resignation of the Tunisia Prime Minister. In other parts of the Arab world the effects of the riots are still been felt as seen with the case of Syria in which there is still a civil war. The citizens of Libya were part of those who rebelled against the leadership but the government of Muammar Gaddafi instead of resigning decided to suppress the revolutionaries by use of force. The United States together with NATO received a lot of criticism from the Libyan government as well as from African leaders who felt that there was a disregard for the sovereignty of the country and international law. Gaddafi also enjoyed a good level of support in his home country more so since Libya’s economy had grown s ignificantly under his rule and so he did enjoy significant support in the country (Lengeni 2012). The Al Qaeda is a terrorist group that was located in Afghanistan, however after the US invaded Afghanistan they shifted to north of Pakistan where they are currently located. The United States has since then been sending drones in Pakistan until present day due to the presence of Al Qaeda in some of its remote areas. The Pakistan government has constantly criticized this move by the US government however due to its poverty levels and inadequate military it is unable to either crush the Al Qaeda rebellion or stop US from sending drones to its territory. The attacks have been mainly focused near the Afghan border as this is where most Al Qaeda rebels are situated. Many US citizens have always felt that the activity of US in Pakistan was excessive and beyond their duty and that withdrawal should not only be done but the drone strikes were unnecessary in the first place. The US government has therefore been in constant dialogue with the Pakistan government on setting up some terms and conditions which once they fulfill the drone strikes can end. The economic crisis that hit the nation from 2009 – 2013 was another factor that made the drone strikes have a negative image. The cost of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan had already passed the billion dollar mark and the public felt that it was time to withdraw their troops; the people also felt that there was no need for continued air strikes and military presence in Pakistan. The Pakistan government has however been in a controversial situation since the leak of documents showing that they supported the air strikes as they too feared that the entry of Al Qaeda into the country could lead to the removal of the already weakened government (Lister, 2010). The development of US into a world superpower was led by several factors one of which was the gradual deterioration of the British Empire. Britain had faced several rebellions in the territories that it held and this had led to its army being severely weakened as WWII started. Other European nations that had also been viewed as superpowers such as France had also significantly weakened and so could not aid Britain much when the war started (Whitehead, 2006). The impact of the

Organisational Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Organisational Leadership - Essay Example The scare coincided with the retirement of John Scott the long serving CEO and the new CEO'S initial months at the head of the organisation has been problematic. Media stores have suggested that he hasn't effectively managed the reputation damage to Retailco's brand and was not fully conversant with or effectively leading the international markets. In addition to that, the Executive Board is uncertain as to how to develop the China strategy and as a consequence its share price and ability to raise funds from investors is at risk.† Thus, the purpose of this part is to provide a solution to the challenges faced by Retailco Company. Reputation is often associated with damage and it’s never intentional. For instance, the Snow ball chocolate contamination has badly ruined the Retailco company reputation. No single organisation intends to temper with its perfect reputation on purpose. According to the reputation theory, reputation damage can be mitigated and managed. In additi on to that, reputation risks makes organisations not to meet expectations in terms of revenue and also give surprises that are unpleasant. To manage reputation risks, company’s managers should invest in trust as it is the principal currency. All in all, successful mitigation of reputation damage helps in achieving of high performance, activity and behaviour consistent alignment with the expectations of the stakeholder. For purposes of managing the company reputation risk, the CEO needs to identify and appreciate his stakeholders as vital ingredient for managing reputation. This is because; the primary stakeholders are vital organisation components without whom the organisation cannot function properly. The stakeholders are such as the customers, suppliers, employees and stakeholders. Even though secondary stakeholders are not that important, the loss of any of them or a substitute addition is not critical in any business environment. As such, the CEO of Retailco company shoul d identify 6-7 stakeholders whom he should closely watch. In addition to that, the CEO should comprehend that there is no way that is simple when it comes to managing reputation. He should aim at preventing the situation in which the company reputation can be damaged. As such, he should put in place a protection policy. Since Retailco Company is managing business internationally, he should have a clear understanding of the factors that might affect his business such as competitive, economic, environmental and market factors. In addition to that, he should ensure that his employees understand the language of the people that houses its foreign operations. Furthermore, they should comprehend the attitudes of the people in the foreign country and also the things that motivate them. Finally, the company should ensure product sustainability through building products that are perfect and do not cause harm that is unnecessary. In addition to that, the managers should use their business to i mplement and inspire solution to crisis that is environmental among others. If all the above measures are followed, the company will regain its reputation again. In the light of the above, the reigning CEO should gather his employees together his employees together for purposes of imposing his beliefs, values, vision, goals and assumptions. All these are aimed at solving the problem in the company which is brand reputation. This is a perfect way of developing leadership and organisation culture. The end result is equipping of organisation employees

Public Health System Essay Example for Free

Public Health System Essay Health policy and entire health care system in both the USA and Great Britain create a core for national quality standards. Dealing with health as a key condition for local and global human activity representatives of medical spheres in these two countries on opposite sides of the ocean have long-term experience which differs greatly in terms of functional, financial, and social issues. Financing. In the UK financing of the industry is done out of taxation paid by people on regular basis. 130 billion of dollars annually are spent to cover expenditures of healthcare system: paying out salaries for physicians, facilitating hospitals, providing latest medical technology and treatment (Hadikin, 2003). British health policy does not require from patients to pay on the scene since it has already been done automatically by their tax procedure. Sometimes those having problems with eyes or teeth will have to pay very small amounts to cover the cost for particular tests. However, such co-payments are not common in the UK and are covered by government for special society layers including aged and young people, special patients with chronic diseases, etc. The state pays directly to doctors and cover fees for a wide range of hospital services (Hawkes, 2007). In the USA payments for healthcare are done through private insurance system. Many believe that British system is more convenient since patients receive â€Å"free at the point of service† medical treatment. American healthcare sector is employee-employer based (54%) with partial governmental funding (46%) for the poor, the disabled, Native Americans, and elderly adults. Average American spends annually approximately $6,400 for healthcare where $2,880 is covered by government, $2,675 by private insurance, and more than $800 paid directly to doctors or other additional services. Unlike the US with population equal to more than 302 million people, the UK with its 61 million of citizens spends $2,720 each year to be confident in high-quality medical treatment. Described in detail, $2,370 are covered by British government received through national taxation and other $350 go directly from patients for extra services required (Sultz Young, 2008). Challenges. Over years health policy in Great Britain has been facing significant obstacles in its strive for providing high-quality national medical service. First of all, due to the fact that all costs having to do with healthcare are covered through taxation without going directly to doctors on daily basis physicians tend to be less efficient. On the other hand being confident in that medical system is paid for by the government people with light complaints which can be easily treated at home with help of drugs purchased in the nearest drugstore immediately make an appointment unreasonably disturbing physicians who may have very urgent problems to take care of. Also, being structurally located under the government health policy in the UK must follow the rules set from above. That’s why if the government representatives decide that specific drug is cost-ineffective they may choose not to cover such medications. It is especially true for drugs against cancer which have always been extremely expensive with only several month effect and certain plastic surgeries which are considered to be addition features of healthcare and may never be crucial to health (Hawkes, 2007). Sadly enough, Great Britain tends to keep young people and those less than eighty years old in focus. The thing is that significant number of people in their eighties tend to be seriously ill whereas average life expectancy in Britain reaches 79. Unlike the US, where doctors do their best to save people no matter how old they are, English government refers to limited financing and number of able-bodied people who have the potential but need treatment. Unfortunately, anti-cancer treatment costs a lot and in majority of cases prolongs life of an aged person for couple of months only. In the UK National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is authorized to decide whether specific drug in particular case is worth to be covered and normally they conclude that it is not. One more problem encountered by health policy in Britain again has to do with money issue. Governments have specific amount of money to spend annually on a person who has health problems. However, costs for drugs and medical treatment are constantly escalating and quality of service, therefore, is gradually dropping making this proportion more and more blurred (Hawkes, 2007). The biggest challenge for American citizen regarding health policy is a necessity to pay bills for all services they receive including various tests, prescriptions, visits to physicians, etc. Regardless of the fact that this tradition has a long-term history it has caused enormous inequity between the rich and the poor. Having created two healthcare bodies called Medicare and Medicaid which handle financial issues of old and poor people accordingly, they are far from being perfect. Firstly, people with membership in one of these institutions should go through never-ending bureaucratic procedures that require time and effort valuable for both aged people and low-income society representatives. Secondly, having received long-awaited registration they are provided only with basic services and typically have almost no choice while selecting doctors and hospitals (Barr Dowding, 2008). In terms of care organization any insurance-based system including American one provides care upon request. For instance, when a person gets heart attack s/he is transported to the hospital, receives necessary medical treatment, and post-traumatic prescription. In Great Britain similar procedures are planned in advance. Thus, British doctors should calculate how many beds for what kinds of patients should be provided, how much vaccine should be purchased to immunize specific number of people and so on. Both American and British health policies have one thing in common having to do with technical issues of the system. Speaking about response times, neither of these states has a set regulation regarding standard response time applicable to all locations under any conditions. There exist certain agreed rules between providers of emergency service and official authorities that instruct required response times. Significant number of these regulations, however, have to do with private emergency service providers who cover only small portions of society. Both Americans and British have concluded that every location throughout these two countries should be provided with 8-minute medical help. (Davis, 2005) Irrelevant of the absence of set rules regarding response times cardiac arrests are considered to be the most urgent and demanding emergency calls in entire emergency service system. Majority of people who experience cardiac arrest should be provided with proper treatment including electric shock with ALS intervention within the first minutes. Figures show, that the sooner the ambulance arrives the more chances it has to save the patient from permanent brain death and irreversible processes which start occurring in human body shortly after the cardiac arrest. It happens on very rare occasions that the person survives receiving help within more than ten minutes. (Davis, 2005) Taking apart from cardiac arrest, response times for normal emergency calls that have to do with physical injuries or wide range of attacks vary from 12 to 14 minutes. Specifically, Wales show the worst result ever obtained in Great Britain in terms of response time and emergency service. According to recent statistics average Welsh emergency service provider arrives not earlier than 20 minutes after the emergency call. British authorities claim that it is totally unthinkable to demonstrate such low performance and that this part should be immediately improved. (Brindley, 2008) In conclusion it would be appropriately to note that both health policies have their advantages and drawbacks as basically any other system. The following table highlights key features of American and British healthcare sectors: Health policy in the UK Health policy in the USA Advantages Drawbacks Advantages Drawbacks Every member of society is provided with medical care Random cases of poor quality service due taxation payments as opposed to direct ones Better consumer choice provided due higher cost for medical services Only insured ones get the best service and treatment Because of sufficient NHS funds treatment and drugs cost less Some misuse medical treatment due to longing for communication and company (especially old people) Active implementation of latest technological equipment and scientific innovations in medical sphere Many retired people choose to work since it’s the only way to receive medical insurance Patients receive decent treatment regardless of their age, social status, or level of income Many claim they do not receive the right to choose a hospital or a doctor they like Patients visit hospital only in cases when it is really necessary, reasonable, or urgent Prices for medical treatment and drugs are higher because of debates and policy on governmental levels References Barr, J., Dowding, L. (2008). Leadership in Health Care. London: SAGE Ltd. Breen, N., Woods, J., Bury, G., Murphy A. Brazier, H. (1999).   A national census of ambulance response times to emergency calls in Ireland. Journal of Accident Emergency Medicine, 17, 392-395. doi:10.1136/emj.17.6.392 Brindley, M. (2008). Ambulance Response Times Worst In UK. Retrieved March 20, 2009, from WalesOnline Health News Web site: http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/health-news/2008/06/20/ambulance-response-times-worst-in-uk-91466-21109781/ Davis, R. (2005). The Price Of Just A Few Seconds Lost: People Die. Retrieved March 21, 2009, from USA Today Web site: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/ems-day2-cover.htm Hadikin, R. (2003). Effective Coaching in Healthcare. London: Books for Midwives. Hawkes, N. (2007). NHS’s Advantages And Shortcomings. Retrieved March 20, 2009, from Frontline Web site: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/interviews/hawkes.html Sultz, H., Young, K. (2008). Health Care USA: Understanding Its Organization and Delivery. New York: Jones Bartlett Publishers

Free Trade V.S. Command Economy Essay -- Economics

Free Trade V.S. Command Economy =============================== Introduction: Politicians, countries and ideologies from all over the world have for years been torn between what they should follow and believe. Countries quarrel over which policies should be adopted and what, how, for whom have been the economist's fundamental question. Adam Smith preached for market economies often referring to "the invisible hand" Karl Marx preached for command economies often referring to "The proletariat will over run the capitalist class" These two men have substantially shaped the way countries have decided to run their economies. Not forgetting the names of a great deal of other Their works were published in volumes, therefore I will not attempt to integrate any of their work in this project, but instead I will refer to some of their ideologies. One would think that these two men were totally different from each other, but in actual fact they are very similar. They both wanted to change the way their societies ran things.  · Resource allocation  · Resource ownership  · Type of incentives  · Level of government decision making The 2 major economic systems are market and Marxist: The first is Capitalism: an economic system characterised by private ownership of the factors of production, market allocation of resources, use of economic incentives, decentralised decision making. E.g.(the US adopts an economic system very much similar to the one above but does have some forms of state intervention like the Defence) The second is planned socialism: an economic system characterised by state ownership of the factors of production, the use of moral, resource allocation and economic plan and central... ... thus queues for staple food were lengthening and demand was soaring. For most commodities supply had dropped because inter-trading with the USSR had also ceased. These ex-communist countries were each specialised in supply certain resources (i.e. iron, coalà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) but after the break of control from Moscow this was no longer possible. The transition in 1991 was less difficult for Poland because they already used market forces in agriculture. The USSR succeeded in sending the first man in space during communist rule In Russia investment and business were failing to settle because of the old bureaucratic system still in place, as the example goes (Its hard to teach an old dog new tricks). Another example of failure was that of Military expenditure, production fell, as well as space research, the two earlier accounting for 20% of the GDP in the USSR.

Critical Legal Thinking Essay

A state doctrine is â€Å"a doctrine which states that judges of one country cannot question the validity of an act committed by another country within that other country’s borders. It is based on the principle that a country has absolute authority over what transpires within its own territory† (Cheeseman, 2013). In the case of Glen v. Club Mediteranee, S.A. this means that because the incident of Cuba’s expropriating the Glen’s beachfront property to Club Mediteranee, S. A. to build their facility and then not paying the Glen’s for the property cannot be brought to a U.S. court to be judged because the incident originated in Cuba and state doctrine states that another country cannot â€Å"question the validity of an act committed by another country† (Cheeseman, 2013, p. 543). The U.S.A. cannot just step in and tell Cuba that their standards and beliefs are wrong. Ethics No, the Cuban government and Club Mediteranee by ethical, societal, or U.S. standards act morally in the joint venture of building their facilities on the Glen’s beachfront property without establishing a contract or making payment to the Glen’s for their beachfront property. By our society standards and beliefs, in the U.S.A. this would be considered stealing. Although we might see this as immoral and illegal Cuba may not, because their country may have no compunction to take what is not theirs and use it as they see fit does not give another country the right to sit in judgment because each culture and civilization has their own ethical standards and we cannot place our standards on other countries because that would be unethical. Contemporary Business References Cheeseman, H. R. (2013). The Legal Environment of Business and Online Commerce: Business Ethics, E-Commerce, Regulatory, and International Issues. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson/Prentice Hall. Investment policy – OECD. (2014.). Retrieved from http://www.oecd.org/investment/toolkit/policyareas/investmentpolicy/expropriationlawsandreviewprocesses.htm

Is Green Capitalism Resistance to Change Free Essay Example, 3000 words

There would not be any wonder if oil extracts will be lesser and lesser every day, therefore (Winter, 2006, p. This is based on simple logic that natural resources are naturally scarce but oil consumers and miners choose to think that oil is unlimited because energy experts and political authorities implant such idea to prosumers and consumers. In 1993, a news organization reported that the 700 million barrels of oil Shell Oil Company mined was only good for 42 days (16.6 million bbl/day) for the U. economy at that time (Bartlett, 1998, p. The US economy has always been one of the world s largest oil consumers as it is the world s second-biggest economy (only behind the European Union). Although it is a mixed market, one may not argue that it is highly capitalistic more than it is socialized. More than that, the country is probably overdeveloped as it is now. The clincher, however, is that major pollutants don t directly suffer the effects of climate change. Third world nations do which is why these the same catalysts to ecological degradation are the same agents (e. We will write a custom essay sample on Is Green Capitalism Resistance to Change or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page initiatives for Basel III, Solvency II) wherein the effectiveness depends on the matter of implementation or adoption. The crisis was due to unhealthy financialization in major international markets wherein financial institutions became submissive to too many risks and thereby, creating ineffective demand (Mueller Passadakis, 2009).