The Historical Progression of African American Essay Example for Free

The Historical Progression of African American Essay In Unit One, life for African Americans was transformed by Lincoln’s proclamation of emancipation. The social/cultural issue they faced was without economic dependence, effective freedom would never be had. In response to that issue they chose to gain literacy, build black churches, and remain working for white land owners. The outcome of that was the establishment of black churches controlled by freed staves, blacks were trained to be teachers, and sharecropping agreements were made between white land owners and African Americans. In Unit Two, life for African Americans was plagued by violence and intimidation. The political issue they faced was reform for the support of white supremacy. In response to that issue they chose to protest against segregation, discrimination, and disfranchisement. The outcome was the establishment of the organization National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) which rallied for the equal rights and privileges of African Americans. In Unit Three, life for African Americans was leaning toward financial independence. The economic issue they faced was securing better paying jobs. In response to this issue they sought employment in the railroad and automobile industries. The outcome was the black owned businesses, Pullman porters, and growth in the entertainment industry by way of the Harlem Renaissance. In Unit Four, African Americans became influential in the television and film industry. The literary issue that they faced was unbiased portrayal of their culture. In response to that issue African Americans became freelance writers and photographers. The outcome was the showcase of the talented African American writers and photographers who achieved rose above the achievements of their peers. In Unit Five, the life of African Americans was ridiculed by the increase in teenage pregnancies. The religious issue they faced is abstinence is more spiritually moral than birth control. In response to that issue they choose use the methods that they saw fit to counter act teenage pregnancies. The outcome of that was a decrease in the incidents of teenage pregnancies. The historical progression of African Americans was accompanied by new found freedom, racism, and struggle for equal rights and opportunities. The Civil War was supposed to be justification of social and political freedom for all American born people. The end of the Civil War bought freedom to enslaved African Americans but the change in social status did not provide much relief for them because they lacked economic dependence. The period from 1865-1876 was the most transforming period in history for African Americans. Emancipation freed slaves from whippings, the breakup of families, sexual exploitation, and constant confinement. For African Americans freedom meant the right to travel without the permission of their white captors. The south witnessed a massive migration of freedmen as they traveled to reunite families and establish permanent homes. Politically, it became evident that emancipation and equality were not synonymous and that oppression arose in a variety of forms. Political actions influenced an economic situation that was already bleak (Meacham, 2003). Prominent African American leaders fought the National Republican Party to secure rights promised by the Equal Rights Amendments and to extend those rights into material independence for the freed people. However this would be difficult because of the numbers of newly freed slaves who were largely uneducated, highly migratory while searching for family or employment, and largely disorganized by centuries of oppression (Meacham, 2003). After the Civil War, the newly freed southern blacks developed many methods to obtain the freedom and equality that they had expected from emancipation. One such effort was the Exoduster movement. The Exoduster movement was an attempt by Benjamin â€Å"Pap† Singleton, a former slave and others to encourage migration of African Americans from the old south to Kansas. Singleton worked towards this goal within the black community in a variety of ways and developed support in the dominant societys institutions. Singleton saw the need to improve the material status of freedmen. In 1880, he told the Senate, â€Å"My people want land we need land for our children and our disadvantages that caused my heart to grieve and sorrow; pity for my race, sir, that was coming down, instead of going up that caused me to go to work for them. Because of the freedmen history of agricultural labor, land seemed the most expedient need for their economic development (Meacham, 2003). Blacks remaining in the South after the war had few choices, so they had to continue to work for white landowners. Although they paid some wages, whites wished to continue the old system of labor consisting of close supervision, gang labor, and physical punishment. African Americans’ refusal to work under these conditions or live in the old slave quarters near the master’s house, afforded them the task of erecting cabins on plantation land located far away from the main house. Wages were at $5 or $6 a month but in the year 1867 wages increased to $10 a month. Because African Americans farmed were able to farm separate sections of land, a rise in sharecropping developed. African Americans would tend the crops and split them with the white landowner at the end of the planting season (Davidson, Gienapp, et al, 2008). After the Civil War, education became the main source of release from the mental chains of slavery. During this time there were many who had never experienced basic education due to the constraints of slavery. However, those who had been exposed to formal as well as informal education established what was called â€Å"Sabbath schools† which were operated in churches on Sundays and through the week. Religious denominations such as African Methodist Episcopal, Colored Methodist Episcopal, and Black Baptist helped to educate freedmen because they knew that education was a form of eradicating illiteracy, poverty, and the degradation of slavery. Education was not just a strike against discrimination, but a means of gaining respect and dignity ( Butner, 2005). The anti-freedom movement progressed and grew stronger. During the period from 1877 to 1920, the situation hardly changed for better. The discrimination of African Americans was ongoing. The 1890’s was one of the lowest points for African Americans. Lynching increased, black voting suffered drastic restrictions, and special facilities were used to segregate whites from blacks. This segregation was represented by signs painted with the words â€Å"For Whites Only. † African Americans from all walks of life began to fight back against such discriminations. Booker T. Washington tried to influence blacks to accept segregation but W. E. B. Du Bois believed that intellectual growth would be damaged if they settled for vocational training. Du Bois, not accepting of the discriminatory caste system structured by whites, also believe that blacks could achieve a better future if they fought politics to gain suffrage and equal rights. As a result of protest against segregation, disfranchisement, and discrimination; the Niagra Movement was formed in 1905. This movement sought political and economic equality for colored people. However, in 1909 a coalition of black and white reformers came together and changed the movement into the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) which challenged the legality of the Jim-Crow system of bigotry and segregation (Davidson, Gienapp, et al, 2008). Black professionals identified the Achilles heel of white supremacy. Segregation provided blacks the chance, indeed, the imperative, to develop a range of distinct institutions that they controlled. Maneuvering through their organizations and institutions, they exploited that fundamental weakness in the separate but equal system permitted by the U. S. Supreme Courts 1896 decision in Plessy v. Ferguson. For all their violence, lynching, prejudice, and hatred, white supremacists could not exterminate black people. The white supremacists major goal, after all, was to maintain an exploitable labor force that would remain in a inferior place (Hine, 2003). However, in 1921-1945, the situation started to improve and the civil right movement of African Americans had started to grow stronger. The 1920s were the period known as the Harlem Renaissance. As a result of the Great Migration of African Americans from South to North, their number of blacks in Northern states increased steadily. They had more opportunity to exercise their rights because oppression in the North was not as severe as in the South. The cultural movement, known as the Harlem Renaissance, spread nationwide and became a powerful movement which proved that African American communities had the power and ability to achieve success in the US (Tolnay, 2003). Since the time of Emancipation in the 1860s, economic circumstance handicapped Baltimores African-Americans. They understood that advances in economic opportunities were crucial to other gains in social access and civil rights. During the 1930s workplaces across Baltimore begin to yield such access and opportunity. Increased access and opportunities came in a wide array of industries. The strength behind the change rested on the expanding black population. Ariving by bus, train, and by car, African Americans came to Baltimore in search of higher wages and to escape from the hedged-in experience of the deeper South. They came in search of greater job variety and greater political freedom. By the mid-1940s, Baltimore-bound blacks averaged fifty people each day and as many as 300 per week. Drawn to Baltimore for the chance at something better, they more than doubled the citys African-American population in the forty years following 1910. Union goals and civil rights aims largely paralleled each other. Amid the talk of labor reform, a rights consciousness developed among blacks, supplying working-class militancy with a powerful, moral foundation. War-time protests, such of the 1942 March On Annapolis, also emphasized the need for opportunities. For example, when white workers walked off their jobs at Western Electric in 1943, in protest of the absence of worksite segregation, in spite of racial tensions many blacks progressed economically and occupationally. Beyond industrial work, blacks struggled through the 1940s. All of the 800 employees in the citys post worked as custodians or mail handlers. The municipal government as well as many other city departments barred African-Americans from employment. By the early 1950s, most municipal entities dropped their color bar, including the Baltimore City Fire Department, which appointed ten black firelighters in 1953. In the private sector, several important companies offered semi-skilled positions to blacks for the first time, including the Yellow Cab Company, which opened driver opportunities in 1951(Terry, 2004). In the post-World War II period, from 1946 to 1974, African Americans became major contributors in the television and film industry. African American actors and actresses were forced to accept demeaning roles or have no roles. However in spite of these demeaning portrayals, African Americans starved to see folks who looked like themselves in films and on television. During the 1970s, several African American families were introduced on American television with series such as The Jeffersons (George and Louise) and Good Times (James and Florida Evans). Both shows were spin-offs of Norman Lear programs: The Jeffersons hailed from All in the Family and Good Times from Maude. Two important components regarding these programs addressed are their overall societal harm and/or good and the different way, in which blacks and whites processed the programs contents. The widely popular Cosby Show arrived in the 1980s, providing a stark contrast to the ghetto based comedies of the 1970s (Mastin, 2006). In 1964, Sidney Poiter’s acting talent and skill earned him an Oscar, making him the first African American male to win this prestigious honor. Finally, teenage pregnancy has plagued the African American community for many years. The high rate of adolescent pregnancy among African-American adolescents and damaging consequences of premature parenting make it imperative that strategies be developed to address these problems. This oversight is tragic given that an early adolescent pregnancy often predicts the beginning of a rapid succession of unwanted births and that such repeat pregnancies have adverse consequences for the infants health as well as for the mothers developmental, educational, and occupational well-being (Okwumabau, Okwumabau, Elliott, 1998) The period from 1976-present, several attempts have been made throughout the African-American community to provide programs and services to prevent this problem. However, some scholars and practitioners argue that such prevention programs and services are doomed to failure when African-American communities lack the ability to recognize or build on the cultural integrity of that community. The continued high rate of adolescent pregnancy among African-Americans, despite extensive intervention and prevention efforts, brings to the forefront the issue of cultural consistency as a key ingredient in providing prevention programs (Okwumabau, Okwumabau, Elliott, 1998). The Let the Circle Be Unbroken: Rites of Passage program is a translation of the theoretical underpinnings of an Afrocentric conceptual model into a prevention program. It influences adaptation of socialization processes observed in African cultures, which acknowledge that it is necessary to assist adolescents in the transition or passage from childhood into adulthood. â€Å"Rites of passage† is a cultural experience which requires that ideology, education, training, and culture be taught prior to an activity or celebration marking the successful transition from one stage of development (adolescence) to another (adulthood). For example, young people in many African societies are involved in initiation and training experiences that can extend from a few days or weeks to several years. More often than not, the training is conducted by elders in the society and includes a period of total separation from ones family and community during which the young person lives alone or together (communally) with others who are also in training. The young persons return from the separation-back to her family or community-signifies the successful completion of a developmental process and the earning of the respect of the community for having done so. This is the time that new responsibilities and privileges are given to the youth The Rites of Passage program began in 1991 as a pilot project of the Memphis City Schools Adolescent Parenting Program. It initially targeted pregnant and parenting adolescents and was offered as an after-school program at the Comprehensive Pupil Services Educational Center (CPSEC), home to the systems special program for pregnant and parenting students. The subjects that are covered in the Rites of Passage program are: Knowing Africa increases awareness of global Africa, her geography, people, culture, beliefs, community, and family. Knowing Self and Others introduces participants, adult facilitators, leaders, and elders to the Rites of Passage program as a means of socializing youth for adult roles and responsibilities. Family History encourages appreciation of the African-American family, including its role and function from a cultural and historical perspective. The History of African People increases basic understanding of the history and accomplishments of people of African descent. Family Life Education increases knowledge and awareness about family life matters, including human sexuality and how ones sexuality relates to responsibility, values, and respect for self and others. Spirituality: The Journey Within increases understanding and awareness of the importance of spirituality to well being. Taking Care of Self and Etiquette promotes understanding of the importance of total wellness, including physical, emotional, and spiritual well being and enhances understanding of socially acceptable (appropriate and inappropriate) behaviors. Housekeeping and Finances increases understanding of the overall management of a household, including financial planning, money management, and homemaker skills (cleaning, grocery shopping, cooking, sewing, and mending). Values Clarification and Goal Setting develops awareness of the traditional value system that guided African people, and explores and begins to clarify individual values and encourages behavior, including life goals, that is consistent with values Conflict Resolution and Violence Prevention increases awareness and understanding of violence, including the kinds of violence that are destroying AfricanAmerican communities and people as well as the cause and consequences of violence. It also illustrates that violence is preventable and that there are alternatives to violence. Creativity increases basic understanding of the contribution of people of African descent to the creative arts as well as knowledge and appreciation of the creative arts, particularly those related to the history and culture of African people. X Life Management: Time, School, Work, and Leisure develops skills to appropriately manage ones life in regard to time spent at school, work, and at leisure. HIV/AIDS and Other Life-Threatening Conditions increases knowledge and awareness about sexually transmitted diseases and other health conditions (high blood pressure, homicide) that threaten the longevity of people of African descent. Communication increases awareness of the importance of communication skills. Assertiveness and Leadership increases awareness of the qualities of leadership, including those qualities shown by famous and/or high profile African-Americans, as well as the importance of assertiveness and leadership to ones growth and development. Career Development exposes participants to a variety of career options and the requirements for each career (Okwumabau, Okwumabau, Elliott, 1998). The Let the Circle Be Unbroken: Rites of Passage† program helped to decrease the incidents of teenage pregnancy among African American teenagers by providing them with knowledge of ancestrial heritage, self, family values, spirituality, and personal skills that influence them to make effective decision about birth control and sexuality which will not hinder them from succeeding in life due to teenage parenthood. Conclusion Lincoln’s signing of the Emancipation Proclamation in Unit One subjected African Americans to a life where economic dependence was vital in securing true freedom. The assistance of black churches enabled them recognize the importance of education in developing their own communities, securing employment, and gaining respect of white land owners. Although violence and intimidation was a part of the political reform of the Democrats in support of white supremacy, African Americans remained steadfast. Protests of social injustices such as segregation, discrimination, and disfranchisement, influenced the formation of the organization National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) defenders of the equal rights and privileges of African Americans. African Americans’ achievement of financial independence in Unit Three was dependent on securing better paying jobs. The migration from South to North and the Harlem Renaissance afforded them the opportunity of employment as factory workers, postal workers and government employees. The unbiased portrayal of African Americans in television and film in Unit Four encouraged the creation of sitcoms and movies that presented the progression of blacks from demeaning roles to award winning roles that showcased their talents as award winning writers, photographers, actors, and actresses. The development of prevention programs in Unit Five, helped to decreased the incidents of teenage pregnancy by increasing community awareness. References Butner, B. (2005). The Methodist Episcopal Church and the Education of African Americans After the Civil War. Christian Higher Education, 4(4), 265-276. Retrieved July 20, 2009 from http://search. ebscohost. com. Davidson, J. W. , Gienapp, W. E. , et al. (2008). Nation of nations: a narrative history of the American Republic (6th ed. , Vol. 2). Boston: McGraw Hill. Hayes, J. (2009). Political-Cultural Exodus: Movement of the People! Black History Bulletin, 72(1), 7-13. Retrieved July 14, 2009, from Research Library. (Document ID: 1708145821). Hine, D. C. (2003). Black professionals and race consciousness: Origins of the Civil Rights Movement, 1890-1950. The Journal of American History, 89(4), 1279-1294. Retrieved July 20, 2009, from Research Library. (Document ID: 322744531). Mastin, T. (2006). Color Television: Fifty Years of African American and Latino Images on Prime Time Television/Representing Race Racisms, Ethnicities and Media. Review of Journalism Mass Communication Educator, 61(2), 218-222. Retrieved July 22, 2009, from Research Library. (Document ID: 1124893681). Meacham, M. (2003). The Exoduster Movement. Western Journal of Black Studies, 27(2), 108-117. Retrieved July 20, 2009, from Research Library. (Document ID: 828030721). Okwumabua, T. M. , Okwumabua, J. O., Elliott, V. (1998). Let the circle be unbroken helps African-Americans prevent teen pregnancy. SIECUS Report, 26(3), 12-17. Retrieved July 21, 2009, from Research Library. (Document ID: 26859760). Terry, D. (2004). Dismantling Jim Crow: Challenges to Racial Segregation, 1935 1955. Black History Bulletin, 67(1-4), 14-17B. Retrieved July 22, 2009, from Research Library. (Document ID: 1379490521). Tolnay, S. (2003, August). THE AFRICAN AMERICAN GREAT MIGRATION and BEYOND. Annual Review of Sociology, 29(1), 209-232. Retrieved July 21, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.

Environmental conservation Essay -- essays research papers fc

An Environmental Conservationist, which is also known as a conservation scientist, is an excellent job for anyone who loves nature and wants to preserve all of earth’s natural wonders. As a conservationist you need to, â€Å"Find your own ways to make less trash, and help others to learn how to reduce, reuse, and recycle.† (EPA). The job is a hands-on job which means â€Å"spending a major portion of the workday outdoors without regard to weather.† (Easton 35) Though this doesn’t seem like a scientific job to most people it is because it involves calculating the outcome of certain things on the environment. The purpose of this career is to protect the environment and the people and wildlife that live in it. The profession of environmental conservationist can be narrowed to certain fields. Some people specialize in land water or soil conservation. There are others who live for â€Å"addressing ‘environmental racism’, or the tendency to condone poorer environmental conditions (hazardous waste dumps, illegal/abandoned dumps) in areas populated mainly by people of color.† (Morkes 187) It is required that you at least have a bachelors degree to hold this job. Many people have Masters as well. Generally, your pay depends on which degree you hold. Those who held doctorates has an average pay of 52,162 dollars. Those who held their Berry 2 doctorate in research for this field had a higher salary which has a median of 61,451 dollars. â€Å"In 2000, the median pay was $47,140† (Easton 90) This is a career which is neither gender nor location specific. People with this career tend to travel to where the problem areas are, which is why it isn‘t location specific. The problem areas depend on which field someone specializes in. Both men and women hold this job. There isn’t a part of the job which requires either a male or a female to perform its task. This job involves a lot of â€Å"treating, teaching, listening, counseling, problem solving/creativity, designing, inventing, drawing/writing, and developing ideas or programs.† (Easton 35) It obviously requires a lot of hands on work as well as mental work, which is demonstrated in the â€Å"problem solving/creativity, designing, inventing† Easton 35) In addition to the required hands-on work, this is not a job for someone who cann... ...bout the environment and about preserving our natural recourses. I feel especially strong about Environmental Racism because I feel it is something I have been subjected to all of my life. This is a job for me because I enjoy using things that the earth provides, like water and snow and I want to protect it because "there is a need to ensure that the cleanliness and environmental safety †¦ are not compromised." (Manila Bulletin) Works Cited 1. Easton, Thomas. Careers in Science. New York, NY: The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. 2004 2. â€Å"Environmental Conservationists†. Encyclopedia of Careers and Vocational Guide. 2003 3. â€Å"Women and Work† Fact Monster.  © 2000–2004 Pearson Education, publishing as Fact Monster. 15 Dec. 2004 http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0906934.html. 4. United States Environmental Protection Agency. Solid Waste and Emergency response (5305W). Washington: September 2002. 5. DoT promotes environmental conservation in surfing tilt. Jaser A. Marasigan.Dec 15, 2004. http://www.mb.com.ph/TOUR2004121724655.html

Marketing Intelligence

Market intelligence is a term that is widely used, widely misunderstood, and often mistaken for a mysterious art requiring high-level detective work. Before providing advice on how market intelligence can potentially benefit your business, it is therefore essential that we begin this paper by agreeing on a definition. It is defined by Wikipedia as follows: â€Å"Market Intelligence is the information relevant to a company’s markets, gathered and analyzed specifically for the purpose of accurate and confident decision-making in determining market opportunity, market penetration strategy, and market development metrics. In simple terms, market intelligence is information that is gathered for the purpose of making business decisions. It is largely synonymous with market research, the systematic gathering, recording, analysis and interpretation of information about a company’s markets, competitors and customers. * Types of Intelligence Sources Intelligence can be described as the summary of internal and external data and information, paired with expertise and experience in any given environment and brought into context with the own doing and goals. Primarily though, market & competitive intelligence is based on sources providing the critical mass and substance to deal with as it comes to knowledge of any type. External Market & Competitive Intelligence Sources External market & competitive intelligence sources can and should provide a rich and realistic view of the external environment any business is operating in. Market & competitive intelligence has become a major marketing discipline and industry supplying much needed insights into business figures and trends. Desk Research for Intelligence Desk research might be the most common intelligence discipline regardless how advanced the organizations intelligence programs and systems are. Published information and data, pushed by partners, consultants and MI specialists as well internal resources pointing towards external intelligence is being scoured, gathered and pre-analyzed. Acquired Intelligence & Market Reports Industry reports, market studies and other business intelligence are being made available in many formats and sizes. Any industry or market have their major players in terms of research, market observation and monitoring who create and provide studies, reports, overviews, key market data, trends and indicators. Business Journals & Trade Magazines Business journals and trade magazines are excellent intelligence sources for both market intelligence as well as competitive intelligence. Most importantly here, the intelligence consuming organization needs to make sense of it all. Condensing and bringing relevant intelligence into context of immediate business needs and long term market strategies are crucial elements of intelligence preparation. Industry & Market Newsletters Keeping customers and partners in the loop of developments and offers can be done quite effectively via newsletters that are delivered in hard copy format or electronically. Not only is this a crucial customer retention measure but a competitive tool as well where customers find another comparison opportunity across products and service offers. Individual Intelligence Subscriptions A large corporation with thousands of employees hardly has any overview of how many subscriptions are being ordered and offered to staff. Subscription providers never care about consolidation. Neither do bothered employees if asked to openly acknowledge their subscriptions to market websites, news portals or periodicals. Market Intelligence: Wholesale Sourcing Drop Shipping, Bulk Wholesaling, General Wholesaling, Liquidation / Overstock Sourcing are sourcing strategies that need and naturally produce a lot of intelligence both market intelligence and competitive intelligence. External Soft Intelligence Any sales force and other field operators possess and handle unbelievable amounts of external intelligence about customers, market players, associations, industries and events with all developments and dynamics. Not to utilize this vast amount of intelligence in any organizations is a major competitive disadvantage. Internal Market & Competitive Intelligence Sources Most important and generally of extremely high value are internal sources for business intelligence. Legacy systems, ERP, any transactional data as well as soft information such as meeting transcripts and verbal communication with customers, suppliers and partners need to be exploited. The intelligence found in internal resources such as management and marketing or sales force is invaluable for any business decision. Business Data & Databases Major databases such as ERP systems, legacy systems, transactional data archived and stored for reference should be considered standard intelligence as they provide the very base for any data comparison and measurement. As well as for external intelligence, soft knowledge residing in the heads of the employees regarding internal view of markets and customers, competitors and other business variables can be invaluable for the entire intelligence prospective. Utilize Internal Soft Knowledge. As well as for external intelligence, soft knowledge residing in the heads of the employees regarding internal view of markets and customers, competitors and other business variables can be invaluable for the entire intelligence prospective. * Steps to be taken by a Company to improve its Marketing Intelligence (1) Train and Motivate Sales Force: A company's sales force can be an excellent source of information about the current trends in the market. They are the â€Å"intelligence gatherers† for the company. The acquired facts can be egarding the company's market offerings, whether any improvements are required or not or is there any opportunity for new products, etc. It can also provide credible source to know about competitor activities, consumers, distributors and retailers. (2) Motivate Distributors, retailers, and other intermediaries to pass along important intelligence: Specialists are hired by companies to gather marketing intelligence . In order to measure the quality of production, the way the employees are behaving with customers, quality of facilities being provided; retailers and service providers send mystery shoppers. Firms can also assess the quality of customer experience with the shops with the use of mystery shoppers. (3) Network Externally: Every firm must keep a tab on its competitors. Competitive intelligence describes the broader discipline of researching, analyzing and formulating data and information from the entire competitive environment of any organization. This can be done by purchasing the competitor's products, checking the advertising campaigns, the press media coverage, reading their published reports, etc. Competitive intelligence must be legal and ethical. 4) Set up a customer advisory panel: Companies can set up panels consisting of customers. They can be the company's largest customers or representatives of customers or the most outspoken customers. Many business schools set up panels consisting of alumni who provide their knowledge and expertise and help in constituting the course curriculum. (5) Optimal usage of Government data resources: Governments of almost all countries publish reports regarding the population trends, demographic characteristics, agricultural production and a lot of other such data. All this data must be or can be referred to as base data. It can help in planning and formulating policies for the companies. (6) Information bought from external suppliers: Certain agencies sell data that can be useful to other companies. For example, television channels will require information on the number of viewership, ratings of TV programs, etc. An agency which calculates this information and generates this data will provide it to companies that need it. (7) Collect Competitive Intelligence through online customer feedback: Customer's view about a product is most essential for any company. Ultimately it's the customer who's buying the product. Hence customer feedback must be taken. Online platforms like chat rooms, blogs, discussion forums, customer review boards can be used to generate customer feedback. This enables the firm to understand customer experiences and impressions. It becomes easier for companies to apply a structured system to do so as it can then scan out the relevant messages without much of a trouble. With the above steps being applied, a company's marketing intelligence system will prove to be beneficial to its effective functioning.

Biography of Father Miguel Hidalgo, Mexicos Founder

Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla (May 8, 1753–July 30, 1811) is today remembered as the father of his country, the great hero of Mexicos War for Independence. His position has become cemented in lore, and there are any number of hagiographic biographies available featuring him as their subject. The truth about Hidalgo is a little more complex. The facts and dates leave no doubt: his was the first serious insurrection on Mexican soil against Spanish authority, and he managed to get quite far with his poorly armed mob. He was a charismatic leader and made a good team with the military man Ignacio Allende despite their mutual hatred. Fast Facts: Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla Known For: Considered Mexicos founding fatherAlso Known As: Miguel Gregorio Antonio Francisco Ignacio Hidalgo-Costilla y Gallaga Mandarte Villaseà ±orBorn: May 8, 1753 in  Pà ©njamo, MexicoParents: Cristà ³bal Hidalgo y Costilla,  Ana Marà ­a GallagaDied: July 30, 1811 in  Chihuahua, MexicoEducation: Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico (degree in philosophy and theology, 1773)Publications: Ordered the publication of a newspaper,  Despertador Americano  (American Wake Up Call)Honors: Dolores Hidalgo, the town where his parish was located, is named in his honor and the state of  Hidalgo  was created in 1869, also in his honor.Notable Quote: Action must be taken at once; there is no time to be lost; we shall yet see the oppressors yoke broken and the fragments scattered on the ground. Early Life Born on May 8, 1753, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla was the second of 11 children fathered by Cristà ³bal Hidalgo, an estate administrator. He and his elder brother attended a school run by the Jesuits, and both decided to join the priesthood. They studied at San Nicolà ¡s Obispo, a prestigious school in Valladolid (now Morelia). Hidalgo distinguished himself as a student and received top marks in his class. He would go on to become rector of his old school, becoming known as a top theologian. When his elder brother died in 1803, Miguel took over for him as the priest of the town of Dolores. Conspiracy Hidalgo often hosted gatherings at his home where he would talk about whether it was the duty of the people to obey or overthrow an unjust tyrant. Hidalgo believed the Spanish crown was such a tyrant: a royal collection of debt had ruined the finances of the Hidalgo family, and he saw injustice daily in his work with the poor. There was a conspiracy for independence in Querà ©taro at this time: The conspiracy felt that they needed someone with moral authority, a relationship with the lower classes and good connections. Hidalgo was recruited and joined without reservation. El Grito de Dolores/The Cry of Dolores Hidalgo was in Dolores on September 15, 1810, with other leaders of the conspiracy, including military commander Allende, when word came to them that the conspiracy had been found out. Needing to move immediately, Hidalgo rang the church bells on the morning of the sixteenth, calling in all of the locals who happened to be in the market that day. From the pulpit, he announced his intention to strike for independence and exhorted the people of Dolores to join him. Most did: Hidalgo had an army of some 600 men within minutes. This became known as the Cry of Dolores. The Siege of Guanajuato Hidalgo and Allende marched their growing army through the towns of San Miguel and Celaya, where the angry rabble killed all Spaniards they could find and looted their homes. Along the way, they adopted the Virgin of Guadalupe as their symbol. On Sept. 28, 1810, they reached the mining city of Guanajuato, where the Spaniards and royalist forces had barricaded themselves inside the public granary. The battle, which became known as the siege of Guanajuato, was horrific: The rebel horde, which by then numbered some 30,000, overran the fortifications and slaughtered the 500 Spaniards inside. Then the town of Guanajuato was looted: creoles, as well as Spaniards, suffered. Monte de Las Cruces Hidalgo and Allende, their army now some 80,000 strong, continued their march on Mexico City. The Viceroy hastily organized a defense, sending out Spanish general Torcuato Trujillo with 1,000 men, 400 horsemen, and two cannons: all that could be found on such short notice. The two armies clashed on Monte de las Cruces (Mount of the Crosses) on Oct. 30, 1810. The result was predictable: The Royalists fought bravely (a young officer named Agustà ­n de Iturbide distinguished himself) but could not win against such overwhelming odds. When the cannons were captured in combat, the surviving royalists retreated to the city. Retreat Although his army had the advantage and could easily have taken Mexico City, Hidalgo retreated against the counsel of Allende. This retreat when victory was at hand has puzzled historians and biographers ever since. Some feel that Hidalgo feared that the largest Royalist army in Mexico, some 4,000 veterans under the command of General Fà ©lix Calleja, was nearby (it was, but not close enough to save Mexico City had Hidalgo attacked). Others say Hidalgo wanted to spare the citizens of Mexico City the inevitable sacking and plunder. In any event, Hidalgo’s retreat was his greatest tactical error. The Battle of Calderon Bridge The rebels split for a while as Allende went to Guanajuato and Hidalgo to Guadalajara. They reunited, although things were tense between the two men. Spanish General Fà ©lix Calleja and his army caught up with the rebels at Calderà ³n Bridge near the entrance to Guadalajara on Jan. 17, 1811. Although Calleja was vastly outnumbered, he caught a break when a lucky cannonball exploded a rebel munitions wagon. In the ensuing smoke, fire, and chaos, Hidalgos undisciplined soldiers broke. Betrayal and Capture Hidalgo and Allende were forced to head north to the United States in the hope of finding weapons and mercenaries there. Allende was by then sick of Hidalgo and placed him under arrest: he went north as a prisoner. In the north, they were betrayed by local insurrection leader Ignacio Elizondo and captured. In short order, they were given to Spanish authorities and sent to the city of Chihuahua to stand trial. Also captured were insurgent leaders Juan Aldama, Mariano Abasolo, and Mariano Jimà ©nez, men who had been involved in the conspiracy since the start. Death All of the rebel leaders were found guilty and sentenced to death, except for Mariano Abasolo, who was sent to Spain to serve a life sentence. Allende, Jimà ©nez, and Aldama were executed on June 26, 1811, shot in the back as a sign of dishonor. Hidalgo, as a priest, had to undergo a civil trial as well as a visit from the Inquisition. He was eventually stripped of his priesthood, found guilty, and executed on July 30. The heads of Hidalgo, Allende, Aldama, and Jimà ©nez were preserved and hung from the four corners of the granary of Guanajuato as a warning to those who would follow in their footsteps. Legacy After decades of abusing Creoles and poor Mexicans, there was a vast well of resentment and hatred that Hidalgo was able to tap into: even he seemed surprised by the level of anger released on the Spaniards by his mob. He provided the catalyst for Mexicos poor to vent their anger on the hated gachipines or Spaniards, but his army was more like a swarm of locusts, and about as impossible to control. His questionable leadership also contributed to his downfall. Historians can only wonder what might have happened had Hidalgo pushed into Mexico City in November 1810: history certainly would be different. In this, Hidalgo was too proud or stubborn to listen to the sound military advice offered by Allende and others and press his advantage. Finally, Hidalgos approval of the violent sacking and looting by his forces alienated the group most vital to any independence movement: middle-class and wealthy Creoles like himself. Poor peasants and Indians only had the power to burn, pillage, and destroy: They could not create a new identity for Mexico, one that would allow Mexicans to psychologically break from Spain and craft a national conscience for themselves. Still, Hidalgo became a great leader: After his death. His timely martyrdom allowed others to pick up the fallen banner of freedom and independence. His influence on later fighters such as Josà © Marà ­a Morelos, Guadalupe Victoria, and others is considerable. Today, Hidalgos remains lie in a Mexico City monument known as the Angel of Independence along with other Revolutionary heroes. Sources Harvey, Robert. Liberators: Latin Americas Struggle for Independence. 1st Edition, Harry N. Abrams, September 1, 2000.ï » ¿Lynch, John. The Spanish American Revolutions 1808-1826. Revolutions in the modern world, Hardcover, Norton, 1973.