Capital Punishment -Edward Earl Johnson Essays - Edward Earl Johnson

Capital Punishment -Edward Earl Johnson Edward Earl Johnson was put in death row when he was eighteen. A documentary was made when he was twenty-six, called fourteen days in May. Edward claimed all along that he was innocent yet he was still executed. The documentary showed he had lived for eight years at the Parchment state penitentiary, Mississippi (death row.) Edward was put to death row for the attempted rape of an elderly white woman and the murder of a white Marshall. The documentary tried to show his innocence, the process of this is what this essay will be about. The opening scenes from the documentary showed the Parchment State Penitentiary. You saw a large building inside of barbwire (sharp enough to have sliced you to bits). Inside of the building were hundreds of doors separated by metal doors. When you saw the prisoners cells, all of the prisoners were all standing with there hands reached out by which the camera tried to emphasise the point of slavery. You saw shots of the gas chamber, inside sat the chair Edward died in, with the belts that strapped him in. It showed most of the staff treating the prisoners like slaves, you see them working in lines digging in the fields with the staff watching over them on their horses with their whips. This just showed how little things have changed since slavery. A pep talk that the superintendent gave to workers about off colour remarks proves that there was racism at the Parchment Sate Penitentiary. The documentary showed many of the interviews. The interview with Edward was long and detailed (behind bars, as was most of the interviews with him) so he could give his side of the story: Edward said that eight years ago when he was first taken to the police station for an identification parade, the woman of the attempted rape said that she knew him and it was not him because it did not look like the guy who did it. He was then asked a few days later to take a lie detector test in Jackson which was a few miles away from his home town. According to Edward, the white Marshalls stopped the van on a quiet country road, put a gun to his head and said that if he didnt confess into the tape recorder, they would say they had shot him because he had tried to escape. The way Edward said all this made him look innocent. The look on his face was distressed and he was uncomfortable. There were other interviews with Edwards fellow inmates. These interviews made them look gentle, thoughtful, intelligent people who believed in Edwards innocence. Not one interview was with a person that claimed Edward was guilty except the superintendent. This interview was quite short. It took place in a car, so it was noisy which prevented it from having the atmosphere Edwards interview had. Pictures of Edward made him out to be a kind, loving person who certainly did not deserve to die. The camera showed him playing chess, which indicated he was intelligent. They showed him playing basketball, which indicated he was fit and sporty. And they showed Edward with his family, which indicated he was a loving man who was devoted to his family. All the time the documentary was putting a message across which basically said that a whole community was being bullied, that all black people were oppressed and oppression was built into their consciences. As the last few days of Edwards life came closer, the camera crew showed more detail about the way he was feeling and the process of the legal killing. Most of the staff spoke about how they were going to miss him and the way they had got closer to him over the years. Edwards inmates spoke of how they were going to miss him and that he was innocent and did not deserve to die. The staff at Parchment State Penitentiary started to test the gas that they were going to kill Edward with. They tested it on rabbits. You saw the rabbits distressed. It was awful. You also saw a real human being strapped to the seat and being locked in the gas

Biography of Matilda of Scotland, Wife of Henry I

Biography of Matilda of Scotland, Wife of Henry I Matilda of Scotland (c. 1080–May 1, 1118) was a princess of Scotland and later queen of England through her marriage to Henry I. She was a popular queen who presided over an educated and pious court, and she even functioned as queen regent in her husbands stead at times. Fast Facts: Matilda of Scotland Known for:  First wife and queen consort of King Henry I of England and sometimes queen regent, mother of  Empress Matilda/Empress Maud  and grandmother of King Henry IIBorn: c. 1080 in Dunfermline, ScotlandParents: Malcolm III of Scotland, Saint Margaret of ScotlandDied: May 1, 1118 in London, EnglandSpouse:  King Henry I of England (m. 1100–1118) Early Years Matilda was  born around 1080 as the older daughter of the Scottish king Malcolm III and his second wife,  the English princess Margaret later canonized as  Saint Margaret of Scotland.  The royal family had several children: Edward, Edmund of Scotland, Ethelred (became an abbot), three future Scottish kings (Edgar,  Alexander I, and David I), and Mary of Scotland (who married Eustace III of Boulogne, becoming the mother of Matilda of Boulogne who later married King Stephen of England, a nephew of King Henry I of England). Matildas father Malcolm descended from the Scottish royal family, whose brief overthrow inspired Shakespeares Macbeth  (his father was King Duncan). From the age of 6, Matilda and her younger sister Mary were raised under the protection of their aunt Cristina, a nun in the convent at Romsey, England, and later at Wilton. In 1093, Matilda left the convent, and Anselm, the archbishop of Canterbury, ordered her to return. Matildas family turned down several early marriage proposals for Matilda: from William de Warenne, second Earl of Surrey and Alan Rufus, Lord of Richmond. Another rejected proposal, reported by some chroniclers, came from King William II of England. King William II of England died in 1100 and his son Henry quickly seized power, supplanting his older brother through his quick action (a tactic his nephew Stephen would use later to supplant Henrys named heir). Henry and Matilda apparently knew each other already; Henry decided that Matilda would be the most suitable bride for his new kingdom. The Marriage Question Matildas heritage did make her an excellent choice as a bride for Henry I. Her mother was a descendant of King Edmund Ironside, and through him, Matilda was descended from the great Anglo-Saxon king of England, Alfred the Great. Matildas great uncle was Edward the Confessor, so she was also related to the Wessex kings of England. Thus, marriage to Matilda would unite the Norman line to the Anglo-Saxon royal line. The marriage would also ally England and Scotland. However, Matildas years in the convent raised questions of whether she had taken vows as a nun and was thus not free to marry legally. Henry asked Archbishop Anselm for a ruling, and Anselm convened a council of bishops. They heard testimony from Matilda that she had never taken vows, had worn the veil only for protection, and that her stay in the convent had only been for her education. The bishops agreed that Matilda was eligible to marry Henry. Matilda of Scotland and Henry I of England were married at Westminster Abbey on November 11, 1100. At this point, her name was changed from her birth name of Edith to Matilda, by which she is known to history. Matilda and Henry had four children, but only two survived infancy. Matilda, born in 1102, was the elder, but by tradition she was displaced as heir by her younger brother William, who was born the next year. Queen of England Matildas education was valuable in her role as Henrys queen. Matilda served on her husbands council, she was queen  regent when he was traveling, and she often accompanied him on his travels. From 1103 to 1107, the English investiture controversy led to a conflict between church and state over who had the right to appoint (or invest) church officials at the local level. During this time, Matilda served as a mediator between Henry and Archbishop Anselm, eventually helping to resolve the conflict. Her work as regent lives on: to this day, charters and documents signed by Matilda as regent survive. Matilda also commissioned literary works, including a biography of her mother and a history of her family (the latter was completed after her death).  She administered estates that were part of her dower properties and oversaw several architectural projects. In general, Matilda ran a court that valued both culture and religion, and she herself spent a great deal of time on works of charity and compassion. Later Years and Death Matilda lived long enough to see her children make good royal matches. Her daughter Matilda (also known as Maud), was betrothed to the Holy Roman Emperor Henry V, and she was sent to Germany to be married to him. Maud would later attempt to take the English throne following her fathers death; although she did not succeed, her son did and became Henry II. Matilda and Henrys son William was the heir apparent to his father. He was betrothed to Matilda of Anjou, daughter of Count Fulk V of Anjou, in 1113, but died in an accident at sea in 1120. Matilda died on Mary 1, 1118, and was buried at Westminster Abbey. Henry married again but had no other children. He named as his heir his daughter Maud, by that time widow of Emperor Henry V. Henry had his nobles swear fealty to his daughter and then married her to Geoffrey of Anjou, brother of Matilda of Anjou and son of Fulk V. Legacy Matildas legacy lived on through her daughter, who was set to become Englands first reigning queen, but Henrys nephew Stephen seized the throne, and enough barons backed him so that Maud, though she fought for her rights, was never crowned queen. Mauds son eventually succeeded Stephen as Henry II, bringing the descendants of both Norman and Anglo-Saxon kings to the throne. Matilda was remembered as the good queen and Matilda of Blessed Memory. A movement began to have her canonized, but it never actually took shape. Sources Chibnall, Marjorie.  The Empress. Malden, Blackwell Publishers, 1992.Huneycutt, Lois L.  Matilda of Scotland: A Study in Medieval Queenship. Boydell,  2004.â€Å"Matilda of Scotland.†Ã‚  Ohio River - New World Encyclopedia, New World Encyclopedia.

Finish the following question Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Finish the following question - Assignment Example It, therefore, advocates for abortion, abstinence and celibacy. In addition, it advocates for the legalization of the use of contraceptives. The intention of the pro-choice movement is to ensure that all â€Å"rights† are legal (Johnson & Lambert, 2010). 2. Marxist Approach to Sexuality: Marxist disregards the importance of heterosexuality to capitalism. In this sense, he alleviates the oppression of women by using capitalism system and private property. According to Marxist feminists, the liberation of women could be achieved through the reconstruction of the capitalist system of economy. The reason for this is that in this system, there is no compensation for women labor (Ferguson, 2013). However, diverse opinions exist regarding the level to which the constructs of the theory advocate for women’s economic rights. 3. Feminist Politics of Location: The debate is meant to campaign against the oppression of female body in terms of cultural and national boundaries. The women movements fight against the restriction of the freedom of women. This is done in terms of sexuality, politics and certain geographical and cultural locations. It campaigns therefore that women’s rights and powers should extend globally. Additionally, it should extend across all cultural aspects. 4. Feminist Body Politics: The term refers to debates that address the misrepresentation and abuse of the female gender. It involves the fight against the perception of the human body as an object. It also advocates against violence to women as well as their reproductive rights. This kind of politics emphasized on the woman’s power over her body. The term was most famous in 1970s in the United States during the â€Å"second wave† of the feminist movement (Ferguson, 2013). 5. Riot Grrrl: It is a hardcore punk movement started in Washington DC and a bigger part of northwest Pacific. It began in the early 1990s. It is an underground