The Declaration Of Independence And The Second President...

Thomas Jefferson, writer of the Declaration of Independence and the third president of the United States of America, was born on April 13, 1743. The future president was born to the parents of Peter Jefferson, a well-known and successful planter, and Jane Randolph, a prominent member of a very well-known and distinguished Virginian family. Jefferson was the third of ten children who were raised on the Shadwell slave plantation in Virginia. Starting from the early age of nine, Thomas Jefferson began studying Latin and Greek at one of the local private schools. Quickly after, Jefferson was studying classical languages, literature, and mathematics with Reverend James Maury at the age of fourteen. By the time he was seventeen, Jefferson was†¦show more content†¦One of the many colonists that greatly supported the American independence movement was Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson was soon elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1768 which was being led by Patrick Henry and George Washington. In 1774, Jefferson wrote, A Summary View of the Rights of British America, and it displayed his deep passion and commitment to the cause. Jefferson then attended the Second Continental Congress where the Continental Army was created and George Washington was appointed as Commander-in-Chief. The Congress soon appointed a five-man committee consisting of Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman and Robert Livingston to write a Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson was chosen to be the first author to pen the first draft of the Declaration of Independence. Over the course of a seventeen day period, it was believed that Jefferson had written one of the most powerful and influential documents ever produced in the world’s history. The document went through many revisions before it was finally brought to the table and held high by the founding fathers. Nevertheless, many of the words and phrases are originals that came from Thomas Jefferson thus cementing him in history forever. Jefferson’s most famous words to be solidified in history are, â€Å"We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator

The Importance of Reading Free Essays

I had an epiphany about reading and it changed my life. It was a day only several years ago when I first realized the numerous benefits I could realize from reading. Of course, I had been told all my life that reading was important. We will write a custom essay sample on The Importance of Reading or any similar topic only for you Order Now I was forced to do it in class after class beginning in elementary school and on up through high school. I had never read for enjoyment, had never gone to a book store and surveyed the stacks of tomes with pleasure, had never been to the library except when it was required for researching a particular assignment. To me reading was drudgery, a chore which interfered with more important things in life, like eating and sleeping. It wasn’t until I took an English class in my senior year, however, that the importance of reading finally penetrated my brain. I realized my teacher for that English class, Mrs. Smith, was different from others I’d had in the past from the first day I walked into her classroom. While she looked like a typical, older lady with her graying hair and pair of wire-rimmed reading glasses continually perched on the end of her nose, it was her attitude that set her apart from other instructors. From her roost atop a stool at the front of the room, Mrs. Smith ruled the classroom with short legs swinging to and fro above the rungs while her arms – complete with flabby â€Å"schoolteacher arm† – would wave about to lend emphasis to her words. Mrs. Smith could tell I was uncomfortable in her English class almost immediately. She watched me squirm in my seat during her lectures and saw the visible signs of upset when she handed out a reading assignment. I’m sure the groan I emitted was another clue to my discomfort. The next day, Mrs. Smith decided to address this issue with the entire class, without naming me specifically as the impetus for this particular lecture. I’ll never forget what she said, however. It was something along the lines of this: â€Å"If you are going to get ahead in this world, you need to continually inform yourself about many different matters. In order to keep yourself informed, you must read. I don’t mean sitting down to read â€Å"War and Peace† front to back, but more general reading. Take the opportunity to read anything you can. If you are sitting at the breakfast table eating a bowl of cereal, read the back of the cereal box. Take time to read a magazine article about something which interests you. Reading doesn’t have to take a lot of time or be boring.† For some reason, Mrs. Smith’s words made me come to the realization that reading was beneficial in a way that other teachers had failed to do. I took her advice. I began by reading the back of the cereal box while eating my breakfast later that week (and Trix, by the way, has the best reading material, although Cap’n Crunch comes in a close second). I started reading newspaper articles; smaller ones at first and then lengthier columns. While waiting for a doctor’s appointment or to get on an airplane, I read the signs posted on the wall, the advertising posters and billboards, and magazines that were left behind. Just a little bit at a time, I told myself. Remember what Mrs. Smith told you – that reading doesn’t need to take a lot of time. Mrs. Smith’s first assignment to the class included reading two short stories, William Faulkner’s â€Å"A Rose for Emily† and â€Å"Everything Rises Must Converge† by Flannery O’Connor. We were to read the assigned stories and then analyze their meanings, and structure. Mrs. Smith helped us with an initial story we read in class and showed us how to read efficiently and what things to keep in mind as we read. She taught us to look beyond the obvious and delve deeper into the author’s motivation, history, and the lesson, or lessons, they were trying to convey. To my surprise, I actually enjoyed reading the two short stories. It didn’t take much time to read through them the first time and, using Mrs. Smith’s directives, the second time of reading brought to light many aspects of the story I had previously missed. There was a depth to the words that caused me to sit back and reflect further on what I’d read. In particular, Flannery O’Connor’s â€Å"Everything Rises Must Converge† made a great impact on me with its important statement regarding racism and reverse racism. Prior to reading that story, I’d really had no idea just how prevalent such issues were in the South and how it might adversely affect people. Although O’Connor wrote the work some decades earlier, the issues raised are as important today as they were back then. I wish I could say I became an avid reader overnight, but that’s not the way it happened. I did, however, begin to take a peek at some of the books for sale in various stores. If I happened to be at the drug store, I snuck into the aisle of bestsellers and looked over the covers, reading the blurbs of praise on the front. I wasn’t sure what subjects would interest me, but after reading some excerpts online, I decided that science fiction was the best fit for me and my personality. I tried reading â€Å"The Hobbit† but its length made it a chore so I opted, instead, for some shorter books, like novels based on the â€Å"Star Wars† movies. The volumes I chose couldn’t be classified as classical literature by any means, by I enjoyed reading them and I figured that if there were books that could hold my interest, me – the self-proclaimed non-reader – then they couldn’t be all bad. Next on my list are some of the more classical works of science fiction, like those by Isaac Asimov, Jules Verne, and H. G. Wells. I’ve learned a lot along the way in my reading adventures. I’ve gotten an insider’s view to history, as well as what the future might hold. I’ve identified with characters and been surprised at endings which left me wanting to know more. An added benefit which I never would have guessed is that of greater confidence in writing. Attending college means that essays, term papers, and theses are required in order to pass most classes. When once I used to dread doing such assignments, I’ve found that, through reading, I am much more comfortable with the written word. This is what literacy means to me. It is the ability to use our skills – of reading and writing and comprehension – to further our knowledge as well as the desire to do so in order that we may better ourselves. No matter if you read a mystery novel or a history book, there is something in that volume which imparts further knowledge to the reader. In some cases, it is obvious – such as learning about the mistakes in history so future generations are not doomed to make the same mistakes. In other cases, it is not so obvious. But any book that causes the reader to think about something in a different way is doing its job by expanding our knowledge and inciting our curiosity. As Frederick Douglass once said, â€Å"Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.† And by the way, thank you Mrs. Smith, wherever you are! How to cite The Importance of Reading, Essay examples The Importance of Reading Free Essays Reading skills are essential to success in society today. The ability to read is highly valued and very important. Reading is important in our life, we gain more knowledge by reading various books. We will write a custom essay sample on The Importance of Reading or any similar topic only for you Order Now Some persons write their personal experience as their book and share a lot of ways to solve various problems. Reading is a great hobby for various people and they are spending their time usefully by reading good books which helps them to gain knowledge. Having a large vocabulary is not only impressive, but also useful in many areas of public speaking. Reading is necessary for our practical life also. Good readers can understand the individual sentences and the l structure of a piece of writing. In other words, students who have a large vocabulary are usually good readers. It is really hard to read books daily, but we can read books whenever possible as well as time permits. A good book is like a good companion and we will get more information while reading it as well as it have the ability to give solution to our issues, while reading funny books we will get more fun and enjoyment. Various kind of books will help us to get various kind of feelings. Surely reading books will give more enjoyment to us and help us to spend our time usefully. We also read to learn about other people life. Reading books is always worth to our time and we never regret for reading a good book in our life. That’s why people say ;† Anyone who says they have only one life to live must not know how to read a book! † How to cite The Importance of Reading, Papers

Smile Kid by We the Kings free essay sample

Travis Clark is a sweetheart. The frontman of Floridas pop-rock quartet, We The Kings has a lot of personality (just ask any adoring fan) which is expressed in his online blog along with the love for his longtime girlfriend making him a quirky romantic. Combine this with talented guitarists and a spunky drummer, that should equal an awesome follow up to their self-titled debut album right? Nope. Smile Kid shows literally almost no progress from We the Kings. To be honest it feels like 11 rejected songs from the debut album. I dont see how the group has evolved. They definitely played it safe and that is a deadly mistake. If you look at the successful musicians now, theyre people who are trying to push themselves and take risks and establish identities for themselves. If We the Kings wants to compete with that, they have to step up their game. We will write a custom essay sample on Smile Kid by We the Kings or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I will not go as far to call Smile Kid a sophomore slump because as unoriginal as the songs feel, Traviss voice is definitely something that saves the record along with his romantic beachy lyrics. Also the acoustic covers are irresistible. We the Kings has the opportunity to be an amazing band, they just have to realize it themselves.