A history of American sexuality Essay Example for Free

A history of American sexuality Essay There is little to dispute the notion that rebellious movements only originate as a need, not as a result of human nature. It would indeed be appropriate to view the various cultures of resistance that have developed over the ages in light of this ideology; every era saw a different need and hence developed and shaped itself through their individual’s sexual meaning (Demilio and Freedman 228). They embody a change in attitude of youngsters regarding suppressed sexual inclinations considered inappropriate by the general public or believed to be counterproductive. Stemming from as early as the 17th century, the progress of freedom of sexuality has mostly been a mosaic, finding roots in differences of race gender and class. However, recent times have allowed that progress to be catalogued in discernable text which can be reviewed to gain insight into the perception of sexuality as has been generally associated with the past; historians such as Jeffrey Weeks, D’emilio and Freedman provide some valuable control points to make those judgments. First era: 1600 to 1780 The institution of marriage, the historical perspective of which was recently been subjected to criticism, has been under scrutiny lately simply because historical data does not correspond with the stereotypes of a traditional marriage (Coontz 13). In simple words, people who believed that the sanctity of marriage centuries ago was protected because of love between partners have lately been disproven. From 1600 to 1780, marriage was vastly regarded as a tool designed squarely as a reproductive mechanism and for the promotion of labor sources, increasing the family ties and the creation of a new generation (Demilio and Freedman 14). Since work was primarily agricultural back in those days, there was a need to increase labor within the family which was directly reflected in sexuality being confined to the institution of marriage, which in turn was designated for procreation (Demilio and Freedman 16-17). Such was the kinship and family system. During this era, there was a distinct lack of the element of love and social stigma prohibited acts of premarital intercourse and even falling in love as a pretext for marriage. Amongst the general society though, there were mixed thoughts within Protestants and Native American Indians (Demilio and Freedman 108). They formulated resistant sexualities to the norms. While the Protestants encouraged sexual pleasures within the marriage and allowed public, though limited, displays of affection, anything outside this institution was invalidated and scorned upon (Demilio and Freedman 4). There are evidences of regulation in the many punishments awarded to those who breached these standardized concepts of sexualities, and acts of adultery, premarital intercourse, homosexuality, and fornication were considered crimes, commission of which not only resulted in penalties but drew contempt at the hands of the public at large. These were very evidently governed by legal implications, enforced not only by the church (Demilio and Freedman 51) but also the state and society in unison. Such sexual criminals thus became outcast, leading to non-uniformity of sexualities. Amongst these, the prime suspects were Native American Indians, who allowed pre-marital intercourse and considered homosexuality acceptable. Moreover, marriage was not restricted to just one partner. Polygamy became just as common, suggesting that the sexual behavior was more a matter of the culture and social acceptance than human nature. As D’emilio and Freedman point out, the Chesapeake colonies where men outnumbered women due to the presence of a big number of migrants, men could choose to have sex with women simply to derive pleasure and not as instigation to marriage (Demilio and Freedman 14-17). The political system in the middle of the 17th century harbored the use of slaves, and those created their own sexual regimes. The southern areas saw a rise in inter-racial sexual ordeals, giving presence to another distinct system of regulating sexualities. The forms of political control that dominated throughout the 17th century, namely the church, state and the local community began losing their footing by the middle of the 18th century to late 18th century. This was partly due to the rise in commercialization and trade, since community presence was losing ground to a larger form of individualism, which institutionalized marriage as an expression of romance. Thus, the original sexual meanings relating to family ties and procreation governed by the sexual politics of the church, state and the local community were being superseded by the culture of resistance that encouraged romance as the central focus of marriage (Demilio and Freedman 95). Second era: 1870-1980 A new era of sexual preferences was emerging in the late 19th century. The prevailing mood was that of a heightened sense of pre-marital and within-marriage sexual intimacy, defined as â€Å"Victorian† (Peiss 206), with individuality as the central focus, allowing for sexual endeavors to extend beyond marriage and include previously scorned ideologies such as same sex sexualities. The aura was becoming increasingly liberal, as the presence of seemingly immoral exercises such as pornography, and brothel management undermined the societal values (Peiss 238). Attention was drawn towards them by a new breed of post 1880 conservatives. This movement concentrated squarely on declaring every form of seemingly impure sexuality such as adultery, commercialization of sex in terms of pornography, fornication and even eroticization within marriage as immoral and as plagues to society. Sexual meaning, while decidedly liberal in those days, employing extensive use of contraception and experimental living with partners, was met with sexual regulation tactics by the state, governed by the enforcement of legislations. The sexual politics included the passing of Anti-prostitution (Demilio and Freedman 150, 209, 213) and anti-pornography laws facilitating the resistance that Protestants had also partnered in. This, while curbing public vulgarities to some extent, could not come in the way of the growing consumerism that the industrial wave brought with it. With concentration on individual choice, commercial sex grew, in sync with the empowerment of women both at the workplace and within the family, leading to even more equality amongst the sexes (Coontz 208). In the culture that ensued, the sexual meaning took a very liberal turn with empowerment of the individual being the centerpiece, thus enabling homosexual tendencies to thrive, along with the encouragement of romance and eroticism becoming increasingly desirable. The post 1920s was regarded as an era of sexual reform, post Victorian sexual era so to speak, a time when the concept of marriage was drifting from the originally conceived â€Å"traditional† meanings to those based on deriving sexual pleasures simultaneously with the need to reproduce. The sexual meaning, thus, in the context of D’emilio’s and Freedman’s philosophies (1997), combined those two to place emphasis on the fulfillment and satisfaction of one’s self with respect to the institution of marriage, rather than be forced to adhere to it in order to meet social demands of labor and reproduction. The freedom of choice was highlighted amongst the youth and non-heterosexual endeavors as well as pre-marital sexualities became gradually acceptable. The depiction of sex for commercial use picked up pace as well (Demilio and Freedman 327), and liberalism both within marriage and outside it grew. The routine depiction of sexual images to the public became frequent, suggesting that sexual choice and independence was what the society wanted. It was in these times that strides were made for gender equality as well, as men slowly edged towards ceasing to become the dominant sexual partners and women began sharing high posts with men in the workplace. Third Era: Post 1980 to present day The major cultural resistance shift was next experienced in the 1970s, with the advent of the liberal homosexual regimes and the urge to pursue sexual freedom by the likes of Hugh Hefner, bringing to light demands to acknowledge premarital sexual endeavors as a right. This, of course, was contrary to the norm of the day, which was still largely heterosexual. More sexual politics brought Left-wing views to the forefront, arguing especially in favor of the gay liberation movement and feminism (Demilio and Freedman 322-323). During the 70s and 80s, this phenomenon gripped the economically thriving youth of the day, affecting the counterculture in so much as shredding the traditional norms associated with marriage and family in favor of a single sexual life. The right-wings continued to advocate against the sexual deviancies of pre-marital intimacy, commercial utilities of sex, eroticism, etc and much of the debate in the 80s thus surrounded the use of contraceptives, illegitimacy, the spread of HIV and Herpes, rising divorce rates etc. This state of moral panic was superseded by the feminist culture of resistance, which in turn strengthened the position of women who placed emphasis on choice. Employing Margaret Sanger’s voice of reason (Demilio and Freedman 243-244), the phenomena of birth control enabled women to pursue sexualities undisturbed, serving to ultimately enable gays and lesbians to exchange vows and raise children (Peiss 484). Conclusion To the present day, sexual meanings have been age dependant and cultures of resistance have shaped the way sexual regulations were governed by sexual politics. As stipulated by Weeks, D’emilio and Freedman, all three need to be considered in unison to understand the changing mechanisms of sexualities over a given period (Demilio and Freedman 377), but it can easily be inferred that those cultures had a strong part to play in the liberation of sexualities and the deviation of the essence of the institution of marriage, from its traditional stance as a means of reproduction to one purely used to attain sexual fulfillment through love . Works Cited Coontz, Stephanie. Marriage, A history: How Love Conquered Marriage . Penguin Books, 2005. Demilio, John and Estelle B. Freedman. Intimate Matters: A History of Sexuality in America, 2nd Edition. University of Chicago Press , 1997. Peiss, Kathy. Major Problems in the History of American Sexuality: Documents and Essays . Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2002.

Immigration and America :: Immigrants Emigration Essays

Immigration and America Many modern textbooks state that Christopher Columbus â€Å"found† America in 1492. Taken literally, this statement is obviously false. Many geologists will concur that the lands of the world have been in existence for billions of years. More pertinent to the discussion of American history, learned researchers will concur that there is proven fact that humans lived on the land now called America for thousands of years before the name Columbus reached the Western world. Over 37 million people from Europe, 6 million from Asia, and 10 million from the rest of the world have immigrated to the United States since 1820.[1] In essence almost all â€Å"Americans† are descended in some part from immigrants to the New World. The tossed salad that is America is made great because of the variety of ideas from foreign lands. Immigration is crucial to American success because of the extreme scope of thought contained within America and the acceptance of the world as a whole immigration brings. The success of America is based largely on the wide variety of thought brought to the New World. Multiple accounts describe the trials of immigrants attempting to gain a new lifestyle within America for one or more of a host of reasons. Many of these accounts detail a case in which the immigrant is able to become successful within a self-owned business or create a new idea for the good of the country and the world. Examples of this set of circumstances are plentiful. One such case is Samuel Slater.[2] His careful study of European mills proved very useful upon entrance in America. After building his own mill, America rose to become one of the world’s top producers of manufactured goods. Another valuable example is Andrew Carnegie of Carnegie Steel Corporation. Carnegie, a Scottish immigrant, came to America and first found work as a bookkeeper. He then progressed up the ranks of multiple companies and eventually started a steel business in Pennsylvania, later to become one of the most lucrative businesses in American history. Carnegie’s drive and determination after coming to the New World were outstanding and were voiced within his Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie. â€Å"There was scarcely a minute in which I could not learn something or find out how much there was to learn and how little I knew.

Building a Green Kitchen

An ordinary kitchen consumes at least 41. 5 percent of energy consumed by the entire household. Lighting, cooking, and refrigeration are the biggest culprits (â€Å"Tech Set 8: Green Kitchen Remodel†). The high energy consumption of lights may be reduced by locating workspaces close to windows or installing new windows if not a skylight to make good use of daylight. Energy efficient refrigerators are also available. The most efficient of these are the 20-cubic-foot fridges that consume 47 percent less energy.Similarly, energy-efficient dishwashers are sold in the markets nowadays. Energy-efficient stoves, e. g. convection ovens as well as induction-element ranges, are better than old-fashioned stoves (â€Å"Creating a Green Kitchen†). Water efficiency must also be addressed in order to make a kitchen green. The kitchen faucet should be a changed if it is not a â€Å"water saving model (â€Å"Low Flow Kitchen Faucet†). † The new water efficient kitchen fauc ets could save a huge amount of water without significantly impacting the daily chores completed in the kitchen.These faucets use sensors that stop the flow of water if it is going to be wasted otherwise. They also use aerators that reduce the flow of water without the user noticing. But, of course, there are finer models available with newer technologies as well. There is a metered valve faucet, for example, that could deliver up to 0. 25 gallons of water before shutting off automatically (â€Å"Low Flow Kitchen Faucet†). As far as the indoor environment of a kitchen is concerned, ventilation and the quality of air are the most important issues to address if the kitchen must turn green.Installing new windows to create cross ventilation is a good idea. An exhaust hood over the stove that is energy efficient must also work wonders. Because mold may grow in places that are damp and could easily get mixed with breathable air to cause respiratory problems – it is essential to fix pipe leaks, too. Dangerous chemical based cleaning products may also pollute the kitchen environment with toxic fumes, which is why it is imperative to purchase only environmentally friendly products (â€Å"Creating a Green Kitchen†).Works Cited â€Å"Creating a Green Kitchen: From Resource Planning to Maintenance. † Green Home Guide. 5 Jul 2005. 14 Nov 2008. . â€Å"Low Flow Kitchen Faucet – Save Water Without Even Noticing. † Green Kitchen Design Guide. 14 Nov 2008. . â€Å"Tech Set 8: Green Kitchen Remodel. † Tool Base Services. 14 Nov 2008.

Foreign Investment And Trade Policy - 1565 Words

Foreign Investment and Trade Policy: Brazil can be seen as country that is open and inviting foreign investments. Brazil remains the top destination for FDI in the Latin American region and according the A.T. Kearney Foreign Direct Investment Confidence Index for 2015, Brazil is ranked #6 as a global FDI destination. FDI inflows into Brazil stood at USD 60.5 billion as on Feb 2015, (Central bank of Brazil). The US Department of State’s report on Brazil states that Brazil is a foreign investment friendly country however complex tax, local content and regulatory requirements must be looked out for. The Brazilian economy’s GDP growth has been erratic, but is showing signs of stability and is expected to hit 2.1 % during the year†¦show more content†¦Foreign capital must be registered on this system before 30 days of its entry or customs clearance in the case of goods. Some of the highlights of this policy are: †¢ Besides registration of capital there is no restriction on remittances of capital abroad. †¢ Amounts paid out to foreign shareholders and partners are not taxed. †¢ Repatriation of capital is also tax exempt, subject to the amount not exceeding the original investment. †¢ Foreign investors may invest in Brazilian financial institutions subject to a few conditions. Brazil’s Trade Policy: According to a WTO policy document on Brazil, â€Å"Brazil considers the multilateral trading system fundamental to attaining its development goals based on sustainable and socially inclusive economic growth†. Brazil practices this goal by being an active participant in various international and regional forums like the WTO, BRICS, and the MERCOSUR. These multi-country organizations aim to facilitate trade between member countries and also help in achieving common goals. In Brazil the Chamber of Foreign Trade (CAMEX) is responsible for formulating and implementing the trade policy. All matters related to trade must be referred to the CAMEX before being implemented. Policy on imports: Brazil just like any other county places certain laws and regulations intended to deter the entry of illegal and dangerous material into its