Big Data Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Big Data - Coursework Example Managers should take the advantage of big data to improve services in their organizations. Big data can be used in all management functions from administration, marketing and finance. It acts as an information store in which data is stored over a long period and can be easily retrieved if need be (Baesens, 2014). Big data has five factors that determine is availability and usefulness, the five factors are volume, velocity, variety, variability and flexibility. Big data uses all these aspects for it to be reliable and easily accessible by businesses and individuals. For volume, big data is in very large volumes mostly in terabytes. Increase in data volume is due to many factors including data that is from the daily transactions stored for a long period of time and over the years. Unstructured data from internet platforms like the social media and virtual interaction sites and increased use of sensor machines in most organizations and the machine-to-machine information sharing data that collected over the years. The determination of relevance of the large data volumes, which sometimes may be irrelevant, is an emerging issue with the increasing storage costs. Businesses use some analytics to create usefulness from relevant data and discard the irrelevant data to reduce storage costs (Chamber, D hiraj & Minelli, 2012). Variety means that big data come in various forms and styles. The variations come by because of the different sources that the big data comes from. This ranges from information originating from the side of business applications, information and data from traditional databases, unstructured data from informal communications like text messages. With such a large variety of source s of data and streaming in on daily basis, management and governance of big data is a technical issue that many organizations are finding it hard to stabilize. Most of the big data is not necessarily useful to the

Lord of the Flies Essay Example for Free

Lord of the Flies Essay ​Evil is a characteristic that describes a person as being morally wrong or bad, immoral and/or causing suffering for others. Evil in the book Lord of the Flies by William Golding was an inborn trait of mankind. In this book, evil was seen as a main theme throughout the whole story. Golding saw no hope for mankind and believed that evil is always in mankind and sooner or later it will be expressed and no longer be subdued by civilization. The Lord of the Flies is a book about a group of children (some very young), who become stranded on an uninhabited island with no adults. They are on this island due to a plane crash during a war that they were in. From the beginning of this story until the end, one sees a transformation of the children from a well-organized, diplomatic civilized group into an evil group of murderous blood thirsty savages. At the very beginning of this story, the children seemed well mannered and organized. They called a conch they found to gather the survivors. The only event that showed the boys’ inherent â€Å"evil† or jealously was the power struggle between Jack and Ralph for chief. Jack thought he should have been leader because he was chapter chorister. â€Å"I ought to be Chief, said Jack with simple arrogance, because I’m chapter chorister and head boy† (22). The children did the diplomatic thing and decided to put it to a vote. All of the children exspect Jack and the chorister boys elected Ralph. This event builds to Jack resenting Ralph throughout the story. Jack also tried to gain power later on in the story. As the story progresses so do the intensity of the evil acts of the children. One of these acts of â€Å"evil† from the children was their attitude toward Piggy, the over-weight, intelligent boy with asthma and glasses. Piggy became the victim of continuous bullying and neglect. A few example of this was when they called him fatty, piggy and wont let him speak and they won’t listen to him too, â€Å"Shut up, Fatty†¦He’s not fatty, cried Ralph, his real name’s Piggy†¦A storm of laughter arose and even the tiniest child joined in† (21). Another event that showed their rising evil ways is when Ralph, Jack and Simon explored the island, to decide if it is an island and/or it is uninhabited . On this adventure they saw a small, defenseless baby pig caught by â€Å"creepers†. Jack took out his knife and prepared to slaughter the piglet but couldn’t do it and allowed the piglet to go free. Jack had probably never killed anything before so the thought of ending a living thing’s life so to much for him. Afterwords Jack promised that the pig won’t be so lucky next time. Jack said this so he wouldn’t seem weak to the other children. Around the middle of the book Jack kept good on his promise, when his hunters and he slaughtered a piglet and chanted, â€Å"Kill the pig, cut her throat. Spill her blood† (69). There are also symbolisms in this story what expressed mankind’s inherited evil. The beastie in this story symbolized mankind’s inherited evil. Out of all the children, Simon is the only one who truly understood that. At one point in the book they even believed they (Sam and Eric) saw the beastie up on top of the mountain. When Jack and Ralph along with others go see the beastie they too start to believe in it. This leads to an increase in fear of the beastie (themselves). Also Ralph’s and Jack’s power struggle intensifies due to their increasingly differing wants and views. Ralph wants to be rescued but Jack’s only true desire is to hunt, kill, make fun of Piggy and become Chief with total power. Later on the children, all but Piggy, Sam and Eric are corrupted (by food) to join Jack’s tribe of savages. The turning point of their transformation into evil, savages was at Jack’s feast. At this feast the children were chanting, dancing an d reenacting the butchering of a defenseless piglet. When Simon, who represents natural human goodness (Jesus), is â€Å"accidentally† massacred by all of the children (expect Piggy). This event showed the innate human evil disrupting childhood innocence and just how far children are willing to go. ​ The event that showed total loss of civilization and the establishment of savages in this book was when Piggy was killed by Roger and the conch shell which symbolized civilization is broken. The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist. (164). When the conch is broken it signifies the total loss of society, order, rule/law and peace among almost all the boys on the island. With the conch gone savagery is completely developed and the evil is shown to its fullest. At this point there is no more thoughts of right and wrong, just fear, pain and evil. Now all the children wanted to â€Å"hunt† and kill Ralph simply because Jack told them to. Especially Roger who has growth to love causing pain to others, and who â€Å"Sharpen a stick at both ends.† All of them even Sam and Eric helped to find Ralph so they could kill him. If it wasn’t for the office, Ralph would have been killed and the children wouldn’t have cared. They probably would have thrown a feast over Ralph’s death and spear hishead as a sign of power. ​In the book, Lord of the Flies the transformation of the children is clearly shown. They started off as proper gentlemen and ended as murderous, malevolent, sick savages, who want and like to exterminate and track innocence living animals including humans. Golding’s feeling towards human’s inherited characteristics is spot on and was seen throughout this whole story.

Deviance Essay -- essays research papers fc

"Discuss how one of the sociological theories of deviance can be used to explain social phenomena, such as pornography, drug use, suicide and disability." By Vanessa Neil 1 - Introduction 2 - A Brief background to the Interactionist Perspective 3 - More recent developments in the Interactionist Perspective 4 - Using the Interactionist Perspective to explain social phenomena 5 - Conclusion Introduction Deviant behaviour has sadly been a ongoing occurrence in society throughout history, more noticeably in life today. Sociologists have been provoked to study and form theories in order to try and explain why social phenomena such as suicide, prostitution and drug use occur in our society. The Interactionist Perspective, known to many as the Labelling Theory, is interested in social processes and examines deviant behaviour using such methods as social typing. The Interactionists emphasise the role that meanings play in the creation of deviant behaviour and gain a greater understanding of what it means to commit actions that others label as deviant. A Brief background to the Interactionist Perspective In order to discuss how the Interactionist theory can be used to explain deviance, it is necessary to understand the historical development and approach of this theory. The Interactionists firstly believe that there are no behaviours that are intrinsically deviant. Secondly, Deviant actions are simply those which are defined as deviant within a certain culture or setting. Therefore Interactionists focus on social processes by which certain behaviours become known as deviant and the consequences for those who are labelled deviant. (Aggleton, 1987, chpt 4) The Interactionist approach was at its height during the 1960’s and 1970’s, shedding a whole new, fresh perspective on the study of deviance. Here in Australia research on deviance was basically Functionalist and Positivist, Until 1970 when more critical approaches, like the Interactionist perspective began to appear. (Sargent, Nillan & Winter, 1997, pg 387) Interestingly the origins of the Interactionist approach go back as far as 18th century Philosophers, arguing with Positivist’s about how to best explain social behaviour. In 1938, professor, Frank Tannenbaum first observed the actual reactions to certain behaviours, rather than on beha... ...n going in our society due to the ‘stickiness of labels’ and ‘the self-fulfilling prophesy’ in which people grow into further careers of deviance, and the deviant cycle continues. Bibliography Aggleton, P. (1987). Deviance. London: Tavistock Publications Anleu, S.L Roach. (1991). Deviance, Conformity and Control. Melbourne: Longman Cheshire Goode, E. (1990). Deviant Behaviour. New Jersey: Prentice Hall Pontell, H.N. (1999). Social Deviance. New Jersey: Prentice Hall Rubington, E & Weinberg M.S. (1999). Deviance, The Interactionist Perspective. Boston: Allyn & Bacon Sargent, M & Nilan, P & Winter, G. (1997). The new Sociology for Australians. Melbourne: Longman Traub, S.H & Little C.B. (1994). Theories of Deviance. Illinois: F.E Peacock Publishers Additional Reading Cohen, S. (1977). Images of Deviance. England: Penguin Books McGrath, J.H & Scarpitti F.R. (1970). Youth and Drugs, Perspectives on a Social Problem. Illinois: Scott, Foresman and Company Wilson, P.R & Braithwaite, J. (1978). Two faces of Deviance. Queensland: University of Queensland Press

A Study into the appeal of Hip Hop culture, focusing on Ali G

From the time of Elvis Presley and his pelvic thrusts being found offensive and un-Christian, to today's icons of hip hop culture, the most outrageous part of youth culture is what young people enjoy or find most appealing, which is normally material that is very rebellious or subversive. For today's youth, icons such British comedian Ali G are seen as appealing as well as offensive mainly by the older generation for their portrayal of hip-hop culture, which is defined as: ‘A popular culture movement originating in the USA in the 1980's, incorporating rap music, break dancing, and graffiti, and the wearing of characteristically baggy clothes' Chambers Dictionary In its main rap music and graffiti art are seen as offensive due to their unsociable aspects; graffiti art is mainly done in places where it is not welcome, and rap music has always been portrayed in a negative light. From the time of Public Enemy and NWA (Niggaz with attitude), who were the forefront and pioneers of gangster rap music, to recent rappers Xzibit, and Snoop Dogg. Gangster rap music (which is the main sub-genre of rap) represents violence as being an integral part of gangster life. The following song lyrics reflect hip hop culture: ‘The only reason you alive cos I aint said the word'- Represents the power rappers have, killing is represented as part of the gangster life. (Snoop Dogg-Lay Low)-LYRICS(year 2001 Misogyny is also represented as a feature of the gangster life. ‘I never go to clubs, I never chase a bitch'- Bitch a term used casually for females, with negative animal connotations. (Snoop Dogg-Lay Low)-LYRICS (year 2001) Rappers also promote the use of drug taking. ‘Smoke weed every day'-The use of drugs is represented as an acceptable, and sociable thing to do. (Dr.Dre-The next episode)-LYRICS (year-2000) The common use of expletives only adds to the ideology that the gangster life is one of being socially unacceptable, for example commonly used expletives include, ‘I'm a down town nigger so fuck all you niggers' (Snoop Dogg- Back up off me)-Lyrics 2001 The term nigger even though they are black could be seen as racist. Though mainly from outsiders or people who do not understand the hip hop culture, because with a twist of irony it is the derogative term given to black people by white western society, black people have taken this term and in the majority use it the sense of stating someone who is a friend. ‘U're my nigga dowg, and Eazy im still wid u' (Dr.Dre-Forget about dre)-Lyrics 2001 Thought it is still true the term can be used in a derogatory term to describe black people, the same way white people used it to decribe black people. ‘Nigga u'ze a penguin lookin' mutherfucker' (Dr.Dre-The Chronic)-Lyrics 1992 Ideologically the representations made of the gangster life are as true as can be perceived, but rappers produce an image of themselves in the mould required to sell the records, it is true that some rappers do live the life of the music they produce. Evidence can be seen in the drive-by shooting of rapper Tupac Shakur, and soon later the killing of rival rapper ‘Biggie Smalls' after there verbal assault on each other which included Tupac claiming to have had sex with his wife, and also threatening his life in a song. â€Å"You claim to be a player but I fucked your wife† â€Å"We gonna kill all you mutherfuckers† (Tupac-Hit em up)-Lyrics 1995 Yet in the same field you have rap stars such as ‘P Diddy' who has recently changed his image to a much softer one, and does not proclaim his relationship to the gangster life. However he was portraying a completely false image as he was brought up as a rich middle class boy, who started his career in hip hop as a music producer for ‘Biggie Smalls' Rappers do this to give them some type of authenticity, so it is believed that what they talk about is true and real, and this makes ‘the trip' a better and more real one. The difference between rap artists, and more mainstream pop artists even though you now have people who are merging them borders just look at Princess Superstar, is that rap artists produce talented work based upon their culture. Take DMX for example, his debut album ‘Its Dark and hell is hot opened at No 1 on the American music billboards. The album was given no official advertising or promotion by the record label, but due to the underground hype which was created by his sheer talent as an ‘M.C' which would most likely have been realised by his undertaking in lyrical battles with other MC's. Another example of underground hype shining through is Eminem who won came second in an olympic rap battle, and by listening to his talent Dr.Dre signed him up and now he is a hold house name selling million s of records including the smash hits such as, Stan, and The Real Slim Shady. Where as Hear'Say a manufactured pop band found fame through media construction, or whereas the winner of pop idol will also find fame in the same way. The concept by Nigel Lythgoe is an exceptionally creative one, but it would obviously not work for rap artists because of the different image they potray which is why they appeal to their target audience. It is clearly evident that some pop artists are not manufactured and work through in the regular way of having talent, a bit of luck and a gap in the market. Take the Beatles for example who were friends who started playing with each other, and then got signed up. Even though rappers are being racist their main target audience has become teenagers from white sub-urban areas in America. They target the â€Å"E† socioeconomic group but appeal to the students of the families in the â€Å"B/C† socioeconomic group, because of the rebellious and unacceptable statements they make, and the fact that they take their audience on a fantasy tour of the ghetto- a forbidden zone of killers, drug dealers, whores, pimps, and gun shootings. It could be said they allow them the offer of escapism in which they give a chance to see the â€Å"gangster world† from a safe distance Former congresswoman C. Delores Tucker and Harlem minister Calvin Butts helped to try to boycott hip hop records, but this had done nothing more than to reinforce and help target the main target audience due to the outrage it caused. They complained about the use of the Nigger word on American TV, but this sis nothing to appeal to the target audience of the music as Def Jams Co-Producer says best:- â€Å"Whatever they try to do only fuels the fire† Russel Simmons Ali G is also seen as offensive character because of his misogynistic comments, and his racial portrayal of the character Ali G played by Sacha Baron Cohen who is a Jewish, Cambridge graduate. The idea behind his shows and character is that he is a white man (who he actually he is) pretending to be from an Asian origin(he refers to an uncle Jamal, and his skin is slight tan brown), which is where the name Ali G comes from. He impersonates an ignorant misogynistic black man. He wears Tommy Hilfiger branded clothing, which from the 90's created links to hip hop culture through gangster rappers such as Snoop Dogg who wore the label, and gave the brand name a â€Å"street cred†) and Wu-wear which is another brand name clothing of the group Wu-Tang Clan who are a gangster rap group. Ali G also has a goatee which has socially become more â€Å"hip† and popular with youth culture, and the big oversized gold chain he wears around his neck. His accent is full of colloquialisms and references to urban street culture ie â€Å"skunk† â€Å"aiiggh† â€Å"innit†. There are numerous variations to the idea of his origin and who he is trying to represent, and as Sacha never gives interviews we are left guessing as to where the humour lies. He first started his comedic career, after having graduated from Cambridge, by starting a comedy club with his brother. They played two bitter Jews doing a song called ‘Shitzving' ( Yiddish for sweating) where they complained about being hot whilst stripping to their underwear. Here he is taking humour out of his own culture, which could be seen as racist, yet as it is his own culture it is not. When he does the same out of a section of British people, it is seen as racist. His big break came when he created the character Ali G reporting on â€Å"Yoof issues† for the '11 o clock show'. This was a humorous topical programme which was a hybrid of genres from interviews to â€Å"news reporting† (the word should be taken lightly) and Trigger Happy TV type spoofs on the street with the public. The show involved Ali G interviewing famous people such as The Bishop Of Corsham, and General Alexander Haig, former United States Secretary Of State. He became increasingly popular he was put on later and later until he was the last part of the show, so as to keep the audience watching until the end. He was later rewarded by been given his own show. On his own show for Channel 4, a show he engrossed viewers by interviewing semi-celebrities such as The Hamiltons at the time. This led to him being reported at the time Guardian reporting on him as â€Å"the most talked about figure in British popular culture.† www.theage.com/au/entertainment/2001/07/24/ffxq15u4hpc.html Thus it became obvious that his Target Audience, which are very similar to the one of the rap music, but more clearly a youth audience equally male and female of socioeconomic groups of â€Å"C,D,E†, find him funny; and those which are not directly targeted i.e. middle class older people, see him as offensive, like Andy Parfitt complained about his outrageous interview he gave on Radio 1. One of his more offensive comments in an interview with Sara Cox on Radio 1 he asked: â€Å"How come peoples on this show is allowed to say the c-word and mutherfucker but me can't say puni?† This question was obviously found offensive to some people like Andy Parfitt the Producer of the show, and Sara Cox had to give an apology on air ‘I do apologise if you've got any children in the car with you, because I know its half term in some parts of the country. I do apologise' But this would not have damaged his popularity because the target audience would expect this type of behaviour, and would appreciate it as it is so un-acceptable and rebellious. These are the type of antics and outrageous things Ali G would ask or say, and these are the reasons he got his own pilot show, and one of the reasons he is talked about so much especially in the tabloids, were they are known for focusing on famous people particularly in the leisure and entertainment industry. For example analyse the attention, and press coverage David Beckham is and was given when he changed his hair style to a Mohican which was reported in The Sun even though the news had no relevance to sport whatsoever. The reasons Ali G has so many admirers is that his humour has many angles. He is a clear parody of Black Culture, as he plays the black gangster rapper stereotype image with lots of street â€Å"cred†. He uses X-rated dancers who would easily be seen in a rap video (look at the Dr.Dre-Next Episode video), and wears the accepted hip hop culture uniform clothes which I mentioned earlier. He also has a DJ on the show playing Jungle/ hip hop tunes which are very popular within predominately black youth culture, and therefore also they can relate to them. He could also be trying to poke fun at white/Asian people who look to black youth culture, and find it appealing. He then takes this attitude and tries to imitate the culture with the clothes and the language, which can also be seen as to why Gangster rap's main TA is white people. A very famous example of white popularity of hip hop culture could be DJ Tim Westwood who has adopted a black sounding accent for his Radio1 Hip-Hop/Rap slot. These types of people are very evident in society and have even therefore been given a tag â€Å"Wiggers†. DJ Tim Westwood is also evidence of people who try to imitate or represent themselves as being gangsters to imitate their authenticity to the roots of the culture, in his case attempting to encourage people to tune into his show. Yet due to the social change of youth culture in relation to race, and the way the youth as a whole dress and talk, which is very similar regardless of race, some of the humour is aimed at the youth as a whole. His interview technique works around the ideology or questioning the structure of our society and in doing so attempts to become the voice of the youth in a sense as he is representing them, and enforces the ideology that young people know what is actually going on in the world or that they hope/wish that they do. â€Å"he questions knowledge of the past and in doing so makes the young feel smart† www.theage.com/au/entertainment/2001/07/24/ffxq15u4hpc.html He does this by breaking taboos which is evident in the question he asks Royal watcher James Whittaker: â€Å"Why was Diana knobbing that Pakistani?† This was a question after Princess Diana passed away, but at the time it was still seen as offensive due to the language he used â€Å"knobbing†. This represents a negative image of having sex, and also the comment, â€Å"that Pakistani†, suggests an alternative more sinister motive as though what is important or different in that particular Pakistani. In another interview with Sir Rhodes Boyson: â€Å"Do you fink kidz should be â€Å"caned† in school?† The joke here is not racial, but generational as under 35's would understand that he is talking about the use of drugs, yet people over this age would think he is talking about physical punishment in school. Ali G for the reasons explained above has became ever more popular as well as hip hop culture in general as well as rap music who are selling more and more records. Ali G has became so popular that he is made his own move ‘In Da house' which will be released on March 22, and he has in collaboration with Shaggy created a song called ‘Me Julie', whose video has been produced, and stays in line with Ali G the character and show women as sex objects Ali G asks Shaggy if he has any spare in reference to women, and shows mostly very sexy women who have very little clothing on. He is also represented as a ‘wigger' who takes it too far, and tells shaggy in the video ‘aren't we all' in reference to being from Jamaica where the video was shot. He also uses hand gestures which black people are predominately using. Though with this ever increasing popularity, and public awareness it would be interesting to see if he will not die out like Dennis Pennis who was caste out by the celebrities. But as far as rap music goes as well as Ali G if the music and comedy stays rebellious, and makes the young feel important it will always be popular by the youth audience, but contrary to this you have pop/rap artists such as Will Smith who created a popular album in ‘Willenium'. This was not rebellious at all but did well but this appealed to a different target audience much younger kids as it was not gangster rap music. You can now see how widespread and popular gangster rap music is getting by the fact that white people are finding fame in a predominately black art form, and the success they are receiving, such as Eminem who has stretched the genre of gangster rap music as he also talks about his problems in his own life which are not gangster related, he was the first rap artist who had a #1 album ‘The Marshell Mathers LP' at the same time as a #1 single ‘The real Slim Shady.'

Informed Opinion Outline

It is a career/Job choice selected by the person performing the Job It has the potential for large financial profit It is highly regulated and safer than illegal prostitution It generates tax revenue for the counties that allow it Personal Opinion: Women should have the right to work in this field safely, and without harsh punishment for a service that is elsewhere considered to be profitable and respected. Support and Statistics: Buzzed. Mom's Hillary Reinsert reports In How I was a Prostitute, without ever reeking a law; an unnamed woman reported â€Å"The first thing I have to say is that I was not abused, I don't drink or do drugs and I don't come from a troubled home-my parents Just celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. † â€Å"l became a working girl because I really love having sex and I like the money' According the CDC In Nevada; women have to undergo weekly pap smear as well required HIVE screenings and condoms are also mandatory.In in article from Family Plann ing Perspectives It sates that a study conducted In the US on the Prevalence of the HIVE Infection among female prostitutes Zero out of the 35 restitution from southern Nevada were positive for HIVE and 25 percent out of the 59 from Newark, New Jersey (where prostitution Is Illegal) were positive.In the Article â€Å"Novena's Legal Brothels Make Workers Feel Safer† In the New York Times Written by Barbara G Brent (University of Alas Vegas Professor In the Department of Sociology) she writes that â€Å"In legal Brothels, employees report that they feel safe, are free to come and go, and are bound only by their contract† † Workers report that they felt Largely safe because the police, employers and co- workers were there to protect them† By summarize Buzzed.

A History of Napoleons Continental System

A History of Napoleons Continental System During the Napoleonic Wars, the Continental System was an attempt by French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte to cripple Britain. By creating a blockade, he had planned to destroy their trade, economy, and democracy. Because British and allied navies had impeded trade ships from exporting to France, the Continental System was also an attempt to reshape the French export market and economy. Creation of the Continental System Two decrees, that of Berlin in November 1806 and Milan in December 1807 ordered all allies of France, as well as all countries who wanted to be considered neutral, to cease trade with the British. The name ‘Continental Blockade’ derives from the ambition to cut Britain off from the entire continent of mainland Europe. Britain countered with the Orders in Council which helped cause the War of 1812 with the USA. After these declarations both Britain and France were blockading each other (or trying to.) The System and Britain Napoleon believed Britain was on the verge of collapse and thought damaged trade (a third of British exports went to Europe), which would drain Britain’s bullion, cause inflation, cripple the economy and cause both a political collapse and a revolution, or at least stop British subsidies to Napoleon’s enemies. But for this to work the Continental System needed to be applied for a long time over the continent, and the fluctuating wars meant it was only truly effective in mid 1807-08, and mid 1810-12; in the gaps, British goods flooded out. South America was also opened to Britain as the latter helped Spain and Portugal, and Britain’s exports stayed competitive. Even so, in 1810-12 Britain suffered a depression, but the strain didn’t affect the war effort. Napoleon chose to ease gluts in French production by licensing limited sales to Britain; ironically, this sent grain to Britain during their worst harvest of the wars. In short, the system failed to break Britain. However, it did break something else... The System and the Continent Napoleon also meant his ‘Continental System’ to benefit France, by limiting where countries could export and import to, turning France into a rich production hub and making the rest of Europe economic vassals. This damaged some regions while boosting others. For instance, Italy’s silk manufacturing industry was almost destroyed, as all silk had to be sent to France for production. Most of the ports and their hinterlands suffered. More Harm than Good The Continental System represents one of Napoleon’s first great miscalculations. Economically, he damaged those areas of France and his allies which relied on trade with Britain for only a small increase in production in some areas of France. He also alienated swathes of conquered territory which suffered under his rules. Britain had the dominant navy and was more effective in blockading France than the French were in trying to cripple Britain. As time passed, Napoleon’s efforts to enforce the blockade bought more war, including an attempt to stop Portugal trading with Britain that led to a French invasion and the draining Peninsular War, and it was a factor in the disastrous French decision to attack Russia. It is possible that Britain would have been harmed by a Continental System that was properly and fully implemented, but as it was, it harmed Napoleon far more than it harmed his enemy.

Battle of the Monongahela in the French and Indian War

Battle of the Monongahela in the French and Indian War The Battle of Monongahela was fought on July 9, 1755, during the French and Indian War (1754-1763) and represented a failed attempt by the British to capture the French post at Fort Duquesne. Leading a slow advance north from Virginia, General Edward Braddock encountered a mixed French and Native American force near his objective. In the resulting engagement, his men struggled with the forest landscape and he fell mortally wounded. After Braddock was hit, the British ranks collapsed and the looming defeat turned into a rout. Fort Duquesne would remain in French hands for four more years. Assembling an Army In the wake of Lieutenant Colonel George Washingtons defeat at Fort Necessity in 1754, the British decided to mount a larger expedition against Fort Duquesne (present-day Pittsburgh, PA) the following year. Led by Braddock, the commander-in-chief of British forces in North America, the operation was to be one of many against French forts on the frontier. Though the most direct route to Fort Duquesne was through Pennsylvania, Lieutenant Governor Robert Dinwiddie of Virginia successfully lobbied to have the expedition depart from his colony. Though Virginia lacked the resources to support the campaign, Dinwiddie desired the military road that would be built by Braddock to pass through his colony as it would benefit his business interests. Arriving at Alexandria, VA in early 1755, Braddock began assembling his army which was centered on the under-strength 44th and 48th Regiments of Foot. Selecting Fort Cumberland, MD as his departure point, Braddocks expedition was beset with administrative issues from the outset. Hampered by a lack of wagons and horses, Braddock required the timely intervention of Benjamin Franklin to supply sufficient numbers of both. Braddocks Expedition After some delay, Braddocks army, numbering around 2,400 regulars and militia, departed Fort Cumberland on May 29. Among those in the column was Washington who had been appointed as an aide-de-camp to Braddock. Following the trail blazed by Washington the year before, the army moved slowly as it needed to widen the road to accommodate the wagons and artillery. After moving around twenty miles and clearing the eastern branch of the Youghiogheny River, Braddock, on Washingtons advice, split the army in two. While Colonel Thomas Dunbar advanced with the wagons, Braddock rushed ahead with around 1,300 men. The First of the Problems Though his flying column was not encumbered with the wagon train, it still moved slowly. As a result, it became plagued by supply and disease problems as it crawled along. As his men moved north, they met light resistance from Native Americans allied with the French. Braddocks defensive arrangements were sound and few men were lost in these engagements. Nearing Fort Duquesne, Braddocks column was required to cross the Monongahela River, march two miles along the east bank, and then re-ford at Fraziers Cabin. Braddock expected both crossing to be contested, and was surprised when no enemy troops appeared. Fording the river at Fraziers Cabin on July 9, Braddock re-formed the army for the final seven-mile push to the fort. Alerted to the British approach, the French planned to ambush Braddocks column as they knew the fort could not withstand the British artillery. Leading a force of around 900 men, most of which were Native American warriors, Captain Lià ©nard de Beaujeu was delayed in departing. As a result, they encountered the British advance guard, led by Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Gage, before they could set the ambush. Armies Commanders British Major General Edward Braddock1,300 men French Indians Captain Lià ©nard de BeaujeuCaptain Jean-Daniel Dumas891 men The Battle of  Monongahela Opening fire on the approaching French and Native Americans, Gages men killed de Beaujeu in their opening volleys. Attempting to make a stand with his three companies, Gage was soon outflanked as Captain Jean-Daniel Dumas rallied de Beaujeus men and pushed them through the trees. Under heavy pressure and taking casualties, Gage ordered his men to fall back on Braddocks men. Retreating down the trail, they collided with the advancing column and confusion began to reign. Unused to forest fighting, the British attempted to form their lines while the French and Native Americans fired on them from behind cover (Map). As smoke filled the woods, British regulars accidentally fired on friendly militia believing them to be the enemy. Flying around the battlefield, Braddock was able to stiffen his lines as makeshift units began to offer resistance. Believing that his mens superior discipline would carry the day, Braddock continued the fight. After about three hours, Braddock was hit in the chest by bullet. Falling from his horse, he was carried to the rear. With their commander down, British resistance collapsed and they began falling back towards the river. Defeat Becomes a Rout As the British retreated, the Native Americans surged forward. Wielding tomahawks and knives, they caused a panic in the British ranks which turned the retreat into a rout. Gathering what men he could, Washington formed a rear guard which allowed many of the survivors to escape. Re-crossing the river, the beaten British were not pursued as the Native Americans set about looting and scalping the fallen. Aftermath The Battle of the Monongahela cost the British 456 killed and 422 wounded. French and Native American casualties are not known with precision but are speculated to have been around 30 killed and wounded. The survivors of the battle retreated back down the road until reuniting with Dunbars advancing column. On July 13, as the British camped near Great Meadows, not far from the site of Fort Necessity, Braddock succumbed to his wound. Braddock was buried the next day in the middle of the road. The army then marched over the grave to eliminate any trace of it in order to prevent the generals body being recovered by the enemy. Not believing that he could continue the expedition, Dunbar elected to withdraw towards Philadelphia. Fort Duquesne would finally be taken by British forces in 1758, when an expedition led by General John Forbes reached the area. In addition to Washington, the Battle of the Monongahela featured several prominent officers who would later serve in the American Revolution (1775-1783) including Horatio Gates, Charles Lee, and Daniel Morgan.