November 4, 2009

 

Napoleon Bonaparte

 

 

 

 

 

 

Napoleon Bonaparte was born on August 15, 1769 in Ajaccio, Corsica. He was the fourth out of eleven children, born to Carlo Buonaparte and Letizia Romolino. Napoleon attended an all-boy’s school in his hometown. At age 10, he was accepted into the French military school for aristocrats. At age 16, he graduated as a second lieutenant in the artillery. After his father’s death in 1785, Bonaparte completed a three year course in just one year.

 

 

            Napoleon’s career almost ended, but was called in when opposing forces tried to regain the power in Paris. Later, Napoleon met Josephine de Beauharnais and married her in March 1796. Napoleon left Paris and created a new command of the Army of Italy. French troops began winning battles against the Italians and Austrians.

 

 

In May 1798, Napoleon decided to conquer Egypt. He reorganized the government, the postal service, and the system that was used for collecting taxes. He also built new hospitals for the poor. Three months later, a group of countries joined together and regained their control over Italy. They destroyed French ships and cut the French army off from its homeland. Napoleon left the army and returned to France with many officers.

 

 

            Napoleon divorced Josephine and in March 1810, married Marie Louise. Marie Louise was the daughter of Emperor Francis II of Austria. In 1813, Austria declared war upon him and when Louis XVI was placed on the French throne, Napoleon was exiled to an island. Two years later, Napoleon returned with many soldiers and gained his reign. Napoleon planned to go to America, but surrendered to the British on July 3^rd. He was then sent to exile on St. Helena and stayed there until he died of cancer on May 5^th, 1821.

 

 

 

 

Why I Chose Napoleon Bonaparte:

 

            For the Power of One, I chose Napoleon Bonaparte. I chose to do him because I thought it’d be interesting to research about Napoleon. Not only was he one of the greatest military leaders in history, but he also helped Europe and its governments and legal reforms. Another reason I chose Napoleon was because a lot of people have heard a lot of things about him, but at the same time, don’t know anything about him. I thought that this would be a great opportunity to learn more about an everlasting military leader.

 

 

What was going on in the world?

 

 

 

           

Napoleon Bonaparte was born on August 15, 1769 in Ajaccio, Corsica. In 1770, Greece was ruled by Ottoman Turks and the Ottoman Empire crushed the Russians with Albanian soldiers. In 1773, businessmen in Boston were upset because the British East India Company was selling tea to the colonists for a cheaper price. They disguised themselves as Indians and boycotted against them. They threw about 342 chests of tea into the Boston Harbor. This was known as the Boston Tea Party.

 

 

            On July 4^th, 1776, the United States gained their independence. By 1777, the French had remained neutral with the rebellion in British colonies. French volunteers joined ranks of revolutionaries who wanted revenge for France’s loss of territory in the Seven Years’ War.  In 1783, King George declared the thirteen original colonies free. Peace treaties were given and signed between France and Britain and Britain and Spain. In 1784, the Treaty of Paris was approved.

 

 

            In 1793, Louis XVI was executed because he was accused of conspiring against the nation. France was then claimed a republic. As wars went on, Thomas Jefferson supported France, Alexander Hamilton supported England, and President Washington was neutral.

 

 

            In 1800, France gained Louisiana, but in 1803, sold the Louisiana Territory to the United States. In 1804, nearly have the population of Hawaiians are wiped out because of an unknown disease from Europe. By 1807, the U.S. Congress passes the law that bans the importation of slaves into the U.S. In 1821, Napoleon Bonaparte dies on the island of St. Helena due to stomach cancer. A treaty is also signed between the United States and Spain. In 1821, the United States bought Florida for 5 million dollars. 

 

Initial Argument

 

 

            Napoleon Bonaparte impacted many things in the world. He influenced the revolutionizing warfare. Weapons used to be handcrafted and later evolved creating more weapons. More weapons led to bigger and stronger armies. By 1759, Napoleon had already begun talking about “Automobile in war”. Many inventions didn’t have an impact in the industry, but they did have long-term impacts.

 

 

            Warfare was also impacted by the use of technology. The telegraph led to many changes. The telegraph was first invented in 1837. By 1844, public telegrams were able to be sent. Since France was pretty much a Catholic nation, Napoleon finalized an agreement with the Pope that permitted the turnover of narrow-minded schools. Due to this move, a law was passed that forbade any priest or minister to become a teacher.

 

 

            Napoleon Bonaparte introduced the civil code. It changed the political lives of people in Europe. Laws used to be based on the traditions of the monarchy that ruled throughout Europe. The civil code introduced the concept of a unified system based on principles of law. In conclusion, Napoleon established political stability, restored morals, modernized the country, coded law, ended feudalism, established schools, and encouraged science.

 

Sources

 

Haas, Wener. The Reforms of Napoleon and Their Impact on Europe. May 31, 2007. AC Content Producer. 3 Nov. 2009 <http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/257247/the_reforms_of_napoleon_and_their_impact_pg3_pg3.html?cat=37>

 

 

Smitha, Frank. 18^th Century Timeline:1701 to 1800. 2005. (N.p.) 2 Nov. 2009

            <http://www.fsmitha.com/time/ce18.htm>

 

 

Wilde, Robert. Napoleon Bonaparte. European History Guide. 2001. 2 Nov.               2009 <http://europeanhistory.about.com/od/bonapartenapoleon/a/bionapoleon_3.htm>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

September 15, 2009

 

Harriet Tubman was born in 1820 as a slave and died in 1913 as a free woman. Tubman joined a “secret network” of free Blacks and few sympathetic Whites. She, along with many others, helped slaves run away through the Underground Railroad. She risked her life to lead others to freedom. Something that not many people may know about Tubman is that she used to carry a pistol and tell people that they must go on or die. Based on the little information given about Tubman, we don’t know if she’s a good Power of One subject.

 

 

            Dolores Huerta was born in 1930 and was a very powerful labor movement leader. She fought for the permit for thousands of immigrant children to receive fair services. She led the struggle for unemployment insurances, collective bargain rights, and immigration rights for farmers. Huerta is still alive and is still known for outstanding labor and being a political activist. Dolores Huerta may not be a good choice because what she did doesn't effect all four categories.

 

 

            Susan B. Anthony was born on February 15, 1820 in Massachusetts. Anthony was a smart leader and joined many groups, such as the group that was dedicated to the probation of alcohol. In 1878, Susan wrote an amendment which turned into the 19^th amendment in 1920. The 19^th amendment gives women the right to vote. Anthony died in 1906 and led the only non-violent revolution in the United States that fought for women’s rights.  Susan B. Anthony would be a great Power of One subject because she was an influence in several areas.