We The People essays

We The People essays Declaring our independence from the British Crown was only the beginning of our development of becoming a successful, and independent and free nation. It marked the need to create a sound national government under a new constitution that would be strong enough to rule the nation. Between the American Revolution and the Civil war, many changes took place in American society: The development of the market economy in the North and South, the population growth that resulted from the new economy and the movement westward to acquire land and wealth, marked important changes in the early progress of our nation. Though we were proven successful in establishing ourselves as a nation, it was often a brutal process involving much blood shed, and followed in the footsteps of our earlier history of taking what we wanted, by force. In the early 1800s we encroached on the land that belonged to the Indians and took their land through a process we called Indian removal. In the mid-1800s, we enc roached on the land to the West that belonged to the Mexicans. However, by 1848 we had conquered the continental United States and the groundwork of our nation was set. The first step in forming our nation was the adoption of the constitution in 1787, which was in many ways a work of creative genius. With its adoption, all states were now one national government and our republic was formed. Though the constitution is a very general statement, it allows us to continually develop our nation through political and social negotiations. We can grow in to it as our country grows. In the early 1800s as American cities grew, the nature of work and society changed. There were two different social and economic systems growing at the same time. In the South, society was based on agriculture, farming, and cotton. Cotton was the most abundant crop coming out of the South and it represented a vast investment of capital. Theirs was a societ...

8 Ways to Tell If a Website Is Reliable

8 Ways to Tell If a Website Is Reliable For every reputable website, there are dozens chock full of information thats inaccurate, unreliable or just plain nutty. For the unwary, inexperienced journalist  or researcher, such sites can present a minefield of possible problems. With that in mind, here are eight ways to tell if a website is reliable. 1. Look for Sites from Established Institutions The internet is full of websites that were started five minutes ago. What you want are sites associated with trusted institutions that have been around for awhile and have a proven track record of reliability and integrity. Such sites may include those run by government agencies, non-profit organizations,  foundations, or colleges and universities. 2. Look for Sites with Expertise You wouldnt go to an auto mechanic if you broke your leg, and you wouldnt go to the hospital to have your car repaired. Im making an obvious point: Look for websites that specialize in the kind of information youre seeking. So if youre writing a story on a flu outbreak, check out medical websites, such as the Centers for Disease Control, and so on. 3. Steer Clear of Commercial Sites Sites run by companies and business - their websites usually end in .com - are more often than not trying to sell you something. And if theyre trying to sell you something, chances are whatever information theyre presenting will be tilted in favor of their product. Thats not to say corporate sites should be excluded entirely. But be wary. 4. Beware of Bias Reporters write a lot about politics, and there are plenty of political websites out there. But many of them are run by groups that have a bias in favor of one political party or philosophy. A conservative website isnt likely to report objectively on a liberal politician, and vice versa. Steer clear of sites with a political ax to grind and instead look for ones that are non-partisan. 5. Check the Date As a reporter you need  the most up-to-date information available, so if a website seems old, its probably best to steer clear. One way to check - look for a last updated date on the page or site. 6. Consider  the Sites Look If a site looks poorly designed and amateurish, chances are it was created by amateurs. Steer clear. But be careful - just because a website is professionally designed doesnt mean its reliable. 7. Avoid Anonymous Authors Articles or studies whose authors are named are often - though not always - more reliable than works produced anonymously. It makes sense: If someone is willing to put their name on something theyve written, chances are they stand by the information it contains. And if you have the name of the author, you can always Google them to check their credentials. 8. Check the Links Reputable websites often link to each other. You can find out which other websites link to the site youre researching by conducting a link-specific Google search. Enter the following text into the Google search field, replacing [WEBSITE] with the domain of the site youre researching: link:[WEBSITE].com The search results will show you which websites link to the one youre researching. If lots of sites are linking to your site, and those sites seem reputable, then thats a good sign.