Was the suspension of habeas corpus by Jefferson Davis necessary Research Paper

Was the suspension of habeas corpus by Jefferson Davis necessary - Research Paper Example It is thus imperative to begin with a detailed explanation of the meaning and key concepts of habeas corpus. Habeas corpus is a writ founded on the legal doctrine of an accused person’s entitlement to a fair trial. Its essence is that a person deserves to be tried before an open court of law where he can respond to the charges presented before him as an accused person. It is therefore a court order to show cause as to the purpose and a justification for the arrest of the accused person. When presented before a court of law, the state is required to bring forth a prisoner held in custody so that the court can determine the lawfulness of the detention.2 It is for this reason that Habeas corpus is considered to be among the cornerstones of American civil liberties and has been used extensively as a powerful safeguard against unlawful arrests. The term ‘habeas corpus’ originates from the Latin maxim â€Å"to produce the body of†, whereby ‘habeas’ l oosely translates to â€Å"you have† and ‘corpus’ refers to the body. The writ can be traced as far back as the British occupation of the United States. However, the most accurate detailed explanation of its origin is found in the British Magna Carta. ... The American Constitution allows for the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus in cases of rebellion or the invasion of the public safety.4 Under the American history, the writ has been suspended severally, especially during the American civil war. The first suspension of the writ took place in 1861, where President Abraham Lincoln authorized a suspension of the writ upon the outbreak of riots, threats of succession and resident militia actions.5 Even then, this generated a public outcry in which the Maryland courts challenged the suspension of the writ.6 President Jefferson Davis repeated the same act upon the emergence of the American civil war. However, his suspension of the writ during the confederacy period earned him a lot mob criticism. This is because not only did he suspend the writ once, but also sought to seek the extension of the suspension through congress. Unlike in the north where the suspension arose from civil unrest, the suspension of the writ in the south was mai nly to spur economic development that had been rampaged by the economic crisis of the south. Partly to blame for the extension of the suspension was the reasoning, by Jefferson Davis, that winning the confederacy war and uniting the northern and southern states was his priority. The extension of the martial law was just but the means to win the war over the south and return the south to economic prosperity. This therefore meant that when the attention of the world was upon the Confederacy, President Davis’ focus was solely upon how to win the war, no matter what it took and any step towards achieving this objective was acceptable. Jefferson Davis and the Confederacy The American civil war emerged as a fight to preserve the union that was the United States of America.

Spencer Johnson Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Spencer Johnson - Essay Example In this light, the need to find ways to deal with challenges presented by the flurry of change in our life becomes of the most urgent and demanding. In this regard, the book "Who Moved My Cheese" by Spencer Johnson that I had recently read is addressed exactly to those who seek ways to effectively manage changes in their lives. One of the main points of the author is that change as such can not only bring anxiety, but good opportunities as well. How we perceive changes depends on our attitudes towards life and valuable things in it, which the author calls 'cheese'. Thus, the principal message of Johnsons book is that if we begin to understand the true value of 'cheese' in our life, and develop a realistic and positive attitude to changes that seem to move our cheese away from us, we can become much more successful and effective in managing our well-being. It is not accidental that the book "Who Moved My Cheese" depicts a maze in which four characters live, because the maze represents our path towards happiness in life, and the four characters with their different attitudes represent different parts of human nature. Trying to sho w readers the inherent simplicity of insights offered in the book, the author manages to convince that everyone can courageously confront change in different spheres of our life, like career, family, health, spiritual growth, etc. Now, it is no wonder that, in light of what we had initially observed, the book "Who Moved My Cheese" has become so much popular throughout the world as it addresses one of the most universal problems of modernity. And while some could blame this work on being somewhat simplistic, I am sure that most people would find it nevertheless very helpful and encouraging. Personally, upon reading this book and taking some time to contemplate on its messages I began to become aware of how fear and psychological effects of change influence my life. I found especially inspiring the proposal from "Who Moved My Cheese" to imagine what I would do if I were not afraid, and I must confess that now I realize that there are a lot of things which I would like to change in my life, but which I have been afraid to abandon because of the uncertainty about what a change can bring. At the same time, the mentioned book made me think that some larger problems could also be fixed by application of the offered principles. For instance, many religion-based conflicts could disappear if those who perceive their religions as endangered in the modern world were to realize that changes are not inherently bad, but, being inevitable, changes offer benefits as well. This ability of principles and approaches advanced by the author to be applicable for both personal and global realms of our life testifies to their validity. In this regard, I can define three general conclusions that I made after reading this book and that have influenced my values and my understanding of peculiarities and demands of our modern life. Firstly, it is important to point out that one of the main traits of modernity is the complexity and interdependency of phenomena that surround us, be they social, economic, cultural or physical in nature. On the other hand, one of the main traits of human nature is the propensity for investigating the world we live in. Thus, as for example science has a developed methodology for studying its subjects, a person who aims to