Quantum Phenomena Essay Example for Free

Quantum Phenomena Essay Quantum theory (including subfields such as quantum mechanics and quantum electro and thermo dynamics) is at least to say, is a relatively new field of physics, having been born just over a century ago. It can be described as one of the most powerful theory ever to be proposed in the history of physics, even today our knowledge on this subject is regularly updated with new ideas and as we progress further into this subject we begin to discover basically, the many secrets of our universe. In the early 1900s, mankind had basically been able to answer nearly all of the questions concerning physics with the knowledge gained from giants such as Newton. However 10% were unanswerable, they simply could not figure out what was going on and why certain things did not obey rules set down by classical physics. In order to overcome this problem, scientists had to propose some new radical ideas regarding the relationship between matter and energy. Surprisingly a selection of these many dreamt up ideas worked and so quantum theory was born. As said by one of the forefathers of this theory, Erwin Schri dinger (famous for his thought experiment), I do not like it, and I am sorry I ever had anything to do with it. One from the Great Dane, Niels Bohr, Anyone who is not shocked by quantum theory has not understood it. And lastly one from the Richard Feynman, I think it is safe to say that no one can understand quantum mechanics. Generally quantum phenomena can only be observed in atomic and sub-atomic scale, it is rare to see such observations on a large scale. Of the various interpretations of quantum theory that have been proposed, most physicists accept the Copenhagen Interpretation, however this does not mean it does not have any faults or lead to any paradoxes. This brings us onto Schri dingers cat, a thought experiment which criticises the Copenhagen Interpretation of quantum mechanics, stating that the interpretation would just collapse when applied to objects on a large scale, in his case, a feline mammal. If atoms can exist in a state of superposition then is it reasonable to say that larger bulkier objects can since it is also made from atoms? He points of that such as theory would state that a cat can be dead and alive at the same time, which seems impossible. Now we introduce the observer effect, which makes this problem a little bit disturbing, many have talked about the act of measurement as the moment that causes the collapse of superposition, leading to an outcome. Furthermore some scientists even believe that human consciousness is necessary to trigger the collapse, resulting in questions about the roles of consciousness in our universe. For example, if we turn our back on an object, does that object even exist anymore; was it just a part of our imagination, a virtual reality? However, we are not here to discuss about such philosophical subjects, as I mentioned before, there are some special cases where certain objects can be seen with ones naked eyes obeying the rules governed by quantum theory. Once such example is the rather strange state of matter, BEC or Bose-Einstein Condensates, named after the two people who predicted the existence of such matter. It is regarded as an example of a superfluid, we will talk more about those later. The basic formation of a superfluid involves cooling down a sample such as helium gas (helium IV) just above -217oC or 2. 17K to form helium II. Note that the temperature required for such a formation is just above absolute zero, 0K or 217. 15oC. Absolute zero is the theoretical temperature in which particles have a minimum energy. However at these conditions we can observe odd and strange phenomena that are governed by the rules of quantum mechanics. To cut a rather long story short, when helium IV is cooled down to such a low temperature, every single atom will occupy the lowest energy level resulting in a very strange state of matter due to the fact that every single atom will be identical. The Indian theoretical physicists Satyendra Nath Bose in the 1920s, whilst studying the new idea of light being made from discrete packets (now we know as quanta or photons), proposed some rules which decided whether two photon should be treated as the same particle or differently. This is now known as Bose-Einstein Statistics. Einstein had several roles to play in the events leading up to the proposition of the existence of BEC. Firstly he used his influence to allow Boses papers to be published in certain journals. Secondly but also most importantly, he used Boses rule in the context of atoms, seeing that photons and atoms are relatively the same thing. When these rules were applied to atoms in gases, for most temperatures, the behaviour according to him was pretty much the same as Boses prediction. However when it was applied in near absolute temperatures, near 0K, strange phenomena were predicted to happen. So puzzled was Einstein that he himself was unsure if his predictions and calculations were correct. Both scientists were unable to live long enough to observe the production of BEC, although superfluids were able to be made, it was not until 1995 when the worlds first condensate was made. Made by Eric Cornell and Carl Weiman, both of whom with Wolfgang Kettle, won the 2001 Nobel Prize in Physics for their works on condensates. In order to achieve this feat, they had to cool a gas of rubidium atoms to 170 nanokelvin, equivalent to -273. 14999983oC. Also it should be noted that BEC can only be called a true BEC when bosons, particles that carry a force, are supercooled, otherwise when other particles are used, the BEC can also be called a super atom (due to the fact that all the atoms are identical thus losing their individuality, all forming a single blob). As I have mentioned earlier, BEC can be considered as a superfluid. One very special example of a superfluid is helium II. The boiling point of helium gas was found out to be 4K, therefore when cooled, helium I (normal liquid helium) can be seen boiling and bubbling away. However as the temperaure moves towards absolute zero, 0K, we notice a change in properties. As it nearly approaches 2K, all movement stops, and the helium becomes very still. At approximately 2. 17K, helium I becomes helium II, a superfluid. This point is known as the lambda point due to the shape of the above graph, which looks similar to the greek letter lambda (? ). Here the helium I show some remarkable properties, such as at this point, the viscosity or treacliness of helium duudenly drops by a factor of a million, soon becoming zero. It also has zero entrophy, the measure of randomness of molecules in a system, and infinite thermoconductivity. It can perform two strange feats which can actually be seen with the naked eyes. One is when a beaker is lowered onto a container of helium II and then partially withdrawn, a thin film of helium II (a single atom thick) will form over the entire surface of the beaker. Then depending on the level of helium inside and outside the beaker, it will try and flow into the beaker until both levels are equal. A similar behaviour can be observed when a beaker of heium II is withdrawn completely from a bath of the same substance, it will creep up the sides of a container and try to debeaker itself via flowing over the top of the beaker and down the sides until it combines to form a drop of liquid at the bottom of the beaker, dripping back into the bath. Apparently in both cases, it is an example of the heliums futile attempt to reduce its own energy level, which is theoritically already at its lowest. The other feat I wish to mention is known as the fountain effect or the thermomechanical effect. If a capillary tube is placed in a bath of helium II and then heated, it will cause the liquid to flow up the tube, thus forming a fountain. It actually takes only a small amount of thermal energy to cause this effect, even radiation from visible light is enough to heat it up. One interesting application of superfluid was to trap and slow down the speed of light. In one experiment, performed by Lene Hau of Harvard, the speed of light was managed to be reduced to only 17 metres per second and momentarily stopped via the use of superfluids. Another phenomenon which occurs near absolute zero temperature is the existence of superconductors. This only happens with certain materials, characterized by zero electrical resistance and the expulsion of a magnetic field. Superconductivity can occur in a variety of materials such as simple elements (e. g. tin and aluminium), metallic alloys and some semiconductors. However it cannot occur in noble metals and most ferromagnetic materials. There are two types of superconductor, Type I (conventional superconductors), materials that only exhibits superconductivity at near absolute zero conditions. Secondly in 1986, there was the discovery of high temperature superconductors (Type II). This allows certain materials to undergo superconductivity at a higher temperature than conventional type I, around 77K, the boiling point of liquid nitrogen. The picture below shows a magnet levitating above a Type II superconductor; this is due to the fact that the superconductor can exclude the magnetic field of the magnet, resulting in the formation of an electromagnet that repels the magnet. The basic principles of superconductors can be explained by the visualization of electrical current as a sea of electrons, basically a fluid, which moves across an ionic lattice. Electrical resistance is caused by collisions between the ions and the electrons in the fluid. However, in superconductors, instead of a fluid scattered with individual electrons, it is filled with bound pairs of electrons, known as Cooper pairs. Quantum theory dictates that this fluid becomes a superfluid, resulting in a change in property, such as it cannot exhibit electrical resistance. The characteristics of superconductivity only appears when the termperature of the material is cooled below its critical temperature (Tc), generally Type I temperatures range from 20K to 1K. The graph below shows the relationship between temperature and resistivity of a material, we can see it must be a Type II superconductor due to its relatively high critical temperature.

Change Places Essay Example for Free

Change Places Essay If I get an opportunity to replace myself with any one in the world then I would like to replace myself with Mr. Bush, the president of America. Mr. Bush is responsible for portraying negative image of America as an enemy of humanity by doing wars against Muslims only on the basis of religious discrimination. Mr. Bush is the murderer of nearly one hundred thousand innocent citizens of Afghanistan and Iraq while trying to fight against only two persons Usama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein on one side and thousands of precious lives of our beloved soldiers and the soldiers of collision countries. These soldiers joined the arm forces with the aim to give their priceless lives to serve their respective countries and country men in case of any danger but unfortunately their precious lives went in vain in a cruel plan of Mr. Bushs administration against the humanity. America, the only super power of the world and the place of opportunities to flourish for every one, followed the instructions of Israel to have a war against Muslims and in the process earned disgrace from all over the world. It is a major loss done to America and Americans due to this heinous purposed war. After replacing myself with Mr. Bush, firstly I will order American armed forces to leave Afghanistan and Iraq and made the charge to UN peace keeping forces in these countries. I will order large amount of grants for the purpose of reconstruction of these countries which have been completely destroyed due to exhaustive use of highly dangerous weapons. In case of Iraq, we attacked the country even Iraq was proved innocent by the United Nations nuclear weapons inspection team for not having any kind of dangerous kind of nuclear and chemical weapons and in case of Afghanistan we could not find Usama Bin Laden, so I will make sure that any future American president can not play with the humanity just to obey the orders from Israel. If Laden is the murderer of the few victims of the world trade center tragedy, then in this regard Mr. Bush is the murderer of thousands of people from all over the world so while I will be in place of Mr. Bush as Bush; I will resign from the office of the president of the America and will face the following just allegations against me: 1) Schism in American Society. 2) Invasion on Iraq on fallacious grounds (of having WMD), and killing thousands of innocent people. 3) Creating worse conditions in ME and outside by giving freehand to Israel (for preparing WMD and threatening other nations).

The Dead Mens Path Theme Analysis Religion Essay

The Dead Mens Path Theme Analysis Religion Essay Dead Mens Path is a short story written in 1972 by African Author Chinua Achebe. It is about Michael Obi, a young and energetic man excited about all things modern who is just assigned a position to run a traditional school. Not long into the job, he finds that along with his misguided zeal, ignoring the traditions of his people can have great consequences. Obi is a bright and enthusiastic young man who is excited to find out that he will be the new headmaster of a school that has been in desperate need of help for some time. Obi was considered a pivotal teacher and he and his wife are both forward thinking and eager to share the modern life with everyone. Chinua Achebe shows the Obis modern enthusiasm by writing: We shall do our best, she Obis wife) replied. We shall have such beautiful gardens and everything will be just modern and delightful He also shows Obis views of the traditionalist people by attacking their character referring to them as, these old and superannuated people in the teaching field. Of his two goals for the school, one was to make the grounds a place of beauty. An upcoming inspection was the perfect motivation to begin what he thought to be great improvements. In time the gardens blossomed with beautiful red and yellow flowers. As Obi is admiring his work, he comes across an old woman from the village who walks str aight across the flowers onto what Obe discovers to be an old faint almost unused path. Obi speaks to a teacher and finds out exactly what the path was used for. It amazes me, said Obi to one of the teachers who had been three years in the school, that you people allowed the villagers to make use of this footpath. It is simply incredible. He shook his head. The path, the teacher said apologetically, appears to be very important to them. Although it is hardly used, it connects the village shrine with their place of burial. Obi didnt care about the reason and for fear that the coming inspector may see people on school grounds who didnt belong, demanded that the footpath be closed off immediately regardless of warnings from the teacher. The path was then blocked with heavy logs and reinforced with barbed wire. A priest was sent by the outraged villagers to try and talk some sense into Obi, pressing upon him the significance that the path has not to just the villagers, but also the dead who walk the path.Look here my son, this path was here before you were born and before your father was born. The whole life of the village depends on it. Our dead relatives depart by it and our ancestors visit us by it. But most important, it is the path of children coming in to be born. Obi rejected the priests words and in mocking replied to him Dead men dont walk. he dismissed his ancestry and instead chose the modern way. The path remained blocked and a few days later a village woman died in childbirth. The villagers took that as a sign that if the path remains blocked they would suffer great misfortune. Believing that the mother would be unable to rest in peace and the child unable to walk the path and enter the world, the villagers became agitated and tore down a school building as well as everything used to block the path and the flowers planted to impress the inspector. When the inspector finally arrived, he was presented with grounds that were completely destroyed along w ith a headmaster who thought only about himself and erasing the past to become modern. In the story, with the descriptions of the pretentious headmaster and his lack of respect for the elders and their traditions the narrator clearly has taken sides with the villagers. Chinua Achebe writes, The whole purpose of our school is to eradicate such beliefs as that. Dead men do not require footpaths. The whole idea is just fantastic. Our duty is to teach your children to laugh at such ideas. The main point in question in the story is in reference to the villagers beliefs and customs and the importance it held in their lives. Obi was wrong in his thinking and in his methods, believing that he can just cut the people off from what in our time would be considered a funeral. When it comes to the destruction and rejection of something that was and is important to people such as traditions no matter how old the customs may be, nobody has the right to negate a persons background and nobody has the ability to remove a persons belief and substitute it with their own. An unfamiliar cul tures belief may seem fanciful but to those who believe it, it is as much a vital part of their lives as technology is in ours. The heart of a persons belief is in having faith although what you believe can never be proven. What happens in death is a perfect example of this. Nobody alive can know what happens after death so we are left with our imaginations to hope that our loved ones are in a better place rather than in the ground or left as ashes. People need that faith to carry on because at times the thought of never again seeing those people can be unbearable. Our ancestors traditions and customs are important because the only knowledge we have of things we have no proof on is in the things passed down for generations. Just as the story explained, the villagers were so strong in their beliefs of the path that when it became blocked they attacked the school and everything that was blocking the sacred path: The beautiful hedges were torn up not just near the path but right around the schoolflowers trampledone of the school buildings torn down The importance of a persons culture is more than just the faith of a single person, it connects a group of people who believe alike and allows them to work together with the same end results. As stated in Achebes Dead Mens Path, contemporary community shouldnt do as Obi and try to eradicate the core of a peoples beliefs which, with his mocking reply to the priest is just what he tried to do. Our duty is to teach your children to laugh at such ideas. It is important to remember and to honor traditions. Many people fight to keep their traditions alive, whether its an old woman making her 80th annual pilgrimage to a Mexican cemetery to light a candle at Dona Candelaria de Sapiens grave or Native American tribe members dressed in full ceremonial clothing dancing to celebrate the coming rain. In Achebes story, the people fought to keep the path free so that those who pass on can rest in peace and the traditions of the vill agers can carry on for generations to come, far beyond the lives of the priests, villagers and Obi.

Was Northern Victory in the Civil War Inevitable? Essay -- essays rese

Was Northern Victory in the Civil War Inevitable? Several factors played in to the American Civil War that made it have the outcome that it did. Although the South had better trained officials due to their military school, the North was far more advanced than they. The North had the advantage over the South in several ways. However, the outcome of the Civil War was not inevitable: it was determined as much by human decisions and human willpower as by physical resources, although the North’s resources gave them an edge over the South.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The South seceded in part out of growing awareness of its minority in the nation. The Union held twenty-three states, including four border slave states, while the Confederacy had eleven. Ignoring conflicts of allegiance within various states, which might roughly cancel each other out, the population count was about twenty-two million in the Union to about nine million in the Confederacy, and about four million of the latter were slaves. The Union therefore had an edge of about four to one in potential human resources.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  An even greater advantage of the North was its industrial development. The states that joined the Confederacy produced just seven percent of the nation’s manufactures on the eve of the war. What made the disparity even greater was that little of this was in heavy industry. The only iron foundry of any size in the Confederacy was the Tredegar Iron Works in Richmond, which had long supplied the United States Army. Tr...

Computer Technology Shapes the Future of Education :: Teaching Education Essays

Computer Technology Shapes the Future of Education The accessibility of computer education is stratified between the classes. The higher socio-economic schools, homes, and businesses are able to receive computer education and have daily contact with computers. However, in the lower socio-economic areas the computer usage is very low. To break down the divide many school districts and corporations have begun computer education programs, in lower-socio-economic areas. These advancements can assist the students to reach higher levels of education, which can lead to higher level careers. The advancements of computer use in the education field illustrate the benefits of computers on student’s lives. The requirement of technological knowledge has been raised. The ideal way to educate children on computers is to include computers in their everyday activities. Many schools need extra support from the community to achieve such a high standard. Also, many schools in lower socio-economic areas have experienced a difficulty in merely getting the children to school on time or at all. The lower attendance issues can stem from unreliable transportation to the parent keeping the student home to help with the household (Milone/Salpeter, 46). Therefore with assistance from companies and the community, schools are able to propel the students into school more regularly and to learn more with and about computer technology. Many corporations have assisted in the advancement of the equipment to all students by giving schools computers or payment plans to purchase them. In the fall of 1996, â€Å"Microsoft and Toshiba gave 8,000 students from kindergarten to 12th grade a Toshiba Pentium notebook loaded with Microsoft Office and full modem connectivity (Levin 30).† The computers boosted the school’s attendance to almost one hundred percent. In comparison most of the schools that benefited from this program exhibited a 50% daily attendance average, among the lower socio-economic students (30). Microsoft and Toshiba are not only donating computers, but they have also instated a special lease program for schools. Their plan is modeled after a similar successful program in Australia, and primarily sets it up so that each child pays $35 a month for three years and after that time, they can purchase their computer for one dollar (Levin 30). This program has been very successful because all children in the classroom have access to these computer notebooks. Computer Technology Shapes the Future of Education :: Teaching Education Essays Computer Technology Shapes the Future of Education The accessibility of computer education is stratified between the classes. The higher socio-economic schools, homes, and businesses are able to receive computer education and have daily contact with computers. However, in the lower socio-economic areas the computer usage is very low. To break down the divide many school districts and corporations have begun computer education programs, in lower-socio-economic areas. These advancements can assist the students to reach higher levels of education, which can lead to higher level careers. The advancements of computer use in the education field illustrate the benefits of computers on student’s lives. The requirement of technological knowledge has been raised. The ideal way to educate children on computers is to include computers in their everyday activities. Many schools need extra support from the community to achieve such a high standard. Also, many schools in lower socio-economic areas have experienced a difficulty in merely getting the children to school on time or at all. The lower attendance issues can stem from unreliable transportation to the parent keeping the student home to help with the household (Milone/Salpeter, 46). Therefore with assistance from companies and the community, schools are able to propel the students into school more regularly and to learn more with and about computer technology. Many corporations have assisted in the advancement of the equipment to all students by giving schools computers or payment plans to purchase them. In the fall of 1996, â€Å"Microsoft and Toshiba gave 8,000 students from kindergarten to 12th grade a Toshiba Pentium notebook loaded with Microsoft Office and full modem connectivity (Levin 30).† The computers boosted the school’s attendance to almost one hundred percent. In comparison most of the schools that benefited from this program exhibited a 50% daily attendance average, among the lower socio-economic students (30). Microsoft and Toshiba are not only donating computers, but they have also instated a special lease program for schools. Their plan is modeled after a similar successful program in Australia, and primarily sets it up so that each child pays $35 a month for three years and after that time, they can purchase their computer for one dollar (Levin 30). This program has been very successful because all children in the classroom have access to these computer notebooks.

Henry Ford :: essays research papers

In 1915, in an effort to end World War I, he headed a privately sponsored peace expedition to Europe that failed dismally, but after the American entry into the war he was a leading producer of ambulances, airplanes, munitions, tanks, and submarine chasers. In 1918 he ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate on the Democratic ticket. After weathering a severe financial crisis in 1921, he began producing high-priced motor cars along with other vehicles and founded branch firms in England and in other European countries. Strongly opposed to trade unionism, Ford–who incurred considerable antagonism because of his paternalistic attitude toward his employees and his statements on political and social questions–stubbornly resisted union organization in his factories by the United Automobile Workers until 1941. A staunch isolationist before World War II, Ford again converted his factories to the production of war material after 1941. In 1945 he retired. Other Accomplishments and Controversies His numerous philanthropies, in addition to the Ford Foundation, included $7.5 million for the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit and $5 million for a museum in Dearborn, where in 1933 he established Greenfield Village–a reproduction of an early American village. Ford also wrote, in collaboration with Samuel Crowther, My Life and Work (1923), Today and Tomorrow (1926), Moving Forward (1931), and Edison as I Knew Him (1930). Ford's international reputation made him a natural target for journalists. His libel suit against the Chicago Tribune in 1919 led to an examination by the Tribune attorney, intended to show Ford's lack of education. Anti-Semitic articles in Ford's Dearborn Independent brought further legal controversy; he was forced to apologize for the articles. In the 1930s, Ford was widely attacked for employing Harry Bennett, a former boxer who established a squad of thugs to spy, beat up, and otherwise intimidate union organizers. Ford was also a poor manager who failed to capitalize on his company's early success. In the 1920s he failed to respond to consumer tastes by introducing new models and the company fell far behind General Motors. By the time of his retirement, the company's accounting procedures were so primitive that Ford's managers were unable to accurately tell how much it cost to manufacture a car and the company was losing $9.5 million a month. Later Generations His son, Edsel Bryant Ford, 1893—1943, b. Detroit, shared in the control of the vast Ford industrial interests. He was president of the Ford Motor Company from 1919 until his death, when his father once more became (1943) president of the company.

African American Reconstruction Essay

?Reconstruction in the 1800’s can have a lot of different meanings. For some the reconstruction was the rejoining of the two sides that fought in the civil war, the North and the South. For others in government it was the presidential reconstruction after the death of Lincoln. Most importantly for some reconstruction mean finally being a free man with right and who could vote and provide for his family. The African Americans were a big part of reconstruction, just being freed by the passing of the thirteenth amendment which was adopted on December 6, 1865. This new law stated â€Å"Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, nor any place subject to their jurisdiction. † Being freed was a step in the right direction for the African American, but anything not properly followed through with can end up undoing itself. Unfortunately for the African Americans in the south the progress towards freedom and citizenship and equality had hoped for took a terrible turn for the worse and most of their dreams were crushed. The north removing their army from the south to settle a dispute over who would be president undid what the 14th and 15th amendment were set to do and with no enforcement of them and the black codes life for the average African American remained one filled with difficulties and racism. In 1863 the emancipation proclamation was written to give freedom to all slaves in the rebel states, soon following that the Thirteenth amendment was passed. This Thirteenth amendment took the emancipation proclamation one step further and freed the slaves wherever they may be. Now the mass of newly freed African Americans in the South had to face the difficulties of getting a life started while being surrounded by many angry white Southerners. It granted them their freedom, but did nothing to guarantee them with voting rights, benefits, or the same opportunities as their white countrymen. Imagine you spent your whole life surrounded by people who considered you less than a person. To them you were just a mass of living space that only had the brain capacity to do simple jobs. Once you received a certain document, that says you are a full human being with all the capabilities of others, do you think those people would instantly accept this change and consider you an equal in society? When the civil war came to a close, the White Southerners moved quickly to put an end to the African American’s newfound freedom. They wanted a way to return African Americans back to what they were before the war, which were slaves. In order to do this without getting in too much trouble from the north they had to do it in a way that seemed neutral and fair to all races. Anyone with common sense however could tell that these laws were passed specifically to limit African Americans. These laws started out as what were commonly referred to as the black codes. These were a set of laws that were applied specifically to African Americans to help keep them in a form of slavery. Some of these laws were. â€Å"No person of color shall migrate into and reside in this state, unless, within twenty days after his arrival within the same, he shall enter into a bond with two freeholders as sureties†. â€Å"Servants shall not be absent from the premises without the permission of the master†. â€Å"Servants must assist their masters â€Å"in the defense of his own person, family, premises, or property†. â€Å"No person of color could become an artisan, mechanic, or shopkeeper unless he obtained a license from the judge of the district court – a license that could cost $100 or more. † These laws however didn’t stick around forever and then the Jim Crow Laws were put into place. The Jim Crow laws stated that it is okay for African Americans and whites to be separate as long as they were equal. Even the Supreme Court said that Jim Crow Laws were constitutional even though the stuff that the African Americans got was so much less quality. â€Å"For we colored people did not know how to be free and the white people did not know how to have a free colored person about them. † This quote was stated by the name of Houston Hartsfield Holloway following the passing of the thirteenth amendment. Most of these African Americans didn’t know how to be free and adapting to this new life was extremely difficult. These Freeman had to now face the difficult task of not only dealing with the racism of the white southerners living around then but also needed to get jobs. The freedman bureau was then created to try and help newly freed slaves get on their feet. The freedman bureau created March 3, 1865 main focus was to† provide food and medical care, to help the freedmen to resettle, to ensure justice for the freedmen, to manage abandoned or confiscated property, to regulate labor, and to establish schools. † Now that it was legal for these newly freed men to learn, establishing school in which they could learn was very important. These schools would help them learn trades and skills to help them get jobs. While the freedman’s bureau did not establish schools itself, it coordinated and helped to finance the activities of northern societies committed to black education. It is stated in the Voices of Freedom book written by Eric Foner that by the year 1969 only four years after the thirteenth amendment was passed nearly 3000 schools were established in the south. More impressive than that, these schools have more than 150000 pupils. The bureau was able to give former slaves most of the basics like food, shelter, clothing, and a way to make a living. Without being given the basics there is no way the African Americans would ever be able to take care of themselves and support their families. They needed help adapting to the new freedoms they were given, just as white men had to adapt to them being free, (although most of the time white men still treated them like dirt). The passing of the fourteenth and fifteenth amendments helped to make great strides towards equality for African Americans. This amendment was the â€Å"heart† of Congress’ reaction to Johnson’s reconstruction plan and said that all people born in the United States are citizens. This upturned the 1857 Supreme Court decision in Dred Scott v. Sandford. In this case it stated that persons of African descent were not citizens and therefore not entitled to constitutional rights. On top of that it also prohibited states from revoking â€Å"life, liberty or property† without due process of law. Finally it required states to guarantee equal protection under the law. All states were required to ratify it. It was of course to get some of the southern states to ratify a law like this that on top of giving freedom to African Americans would also give them civil rights. Just because the fourteenth amendment said something, which did not mean that it would be enforced. The Military and Reconstruction Act of 1867 however, was passed to make sure that it was. The funny thing about this act is, on the very last day of session for congress, and the congress that was currently fighting with the current president to the point where they tried to kick him out of office overrode his veto and had it passed. The Ten Confederate States that had refused to ratify the Fourteenth Amendment were divided into five military districts. Each military district was put under the direction of a military governor authorized to appoint and remove state officials. Voters were registered, and suffrage was extended to freedmen. State constitutional conventions were called, and elected delegates were charged with drafting new constitutional provisions providing for black suffrage. Finally, states were required to ratify the Fourteenth Amendment before readmission. The congress didn’t stop here however; they later passed even more military reconstruction acts. â€Å"The new acts directed military commanders to register voters, call conventions, and organize elections, rather than wait for state officials to act. In the face of recalcitrance from Johnson’s executive branch and white southerners attempting to subvert the law, Congress in July 1867 passed a third Reconstruction Act, declaring the existing state governments in the South illegal and subject to military control and the U. S. Congress. † In an attempt to delay the creation of new state governments, some southern whites turned to a provision of the first Reconstruction Act requiring that a majority of registered voters was necessary to ratify a new constitution and called for a boycott of the ratifying election. On March 11, 1868, Congress passed a fourth and final Reconstruction Act that allowed a majority of those voting to ratify a new constitution, regardless of the size of the attendance. President Johnson, being the leader of this nation at the time, worked to delay and obstruct the army from enforcing these laws. The main job of the fifteenth amendment was to give the right of vote to any male of any race. Section two of this article also said â€Å"The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation. † This sounds great at first that the African Americans will not be able to vote with no problems. This, as good as it looked in writing, would ultimately fail in some places due to the terrorist threats that were places upon African Americans who planned on voting. During reconstruction African Americans were brandished political power in the south for the first time. Most of these men were those who either lived in the north or lived abroad, and were educated. Before holding political power most were either lawyers or teachers. Black political power was unfortunately short-lived. Northern politicians grew increasingly conciliatory to the white South, so that by 1872 virtually all leaders of the Confederacy had been pardoned and were again able to vote and hold office. The white men were able to take back the south by putting economic pressure on the blacks and by threatening them. One of the biggest ways in which the blacks were threatened was by the Ku Klux Klan, also known as the KKK. The Ku Klux Klan was originally organized in the winter of 1865-66 in Pulaski, Tennessee as a social club by six Confederate veterans. It started out small and was kept secret at first. When the Klan was first formed they had no violent intentions in mind. After they had a large amount of growth however it turned from a group of people into a terrorist organization. The Klan systematically murdered black politicians and political leaders. It beat, whipped, and murdered thousands, and intimidated tens of thousands of others from voting. The African Americans of course tried to fight back to this injustice at first but because they were outnumbered and had no guns, they didn’t have a chance. â€Å"A 103-year-old woman was whipped, as was a completely paralyzed man. In Georgia, Abraham Colby, an organizer and leader in the black community, was whipped for hours in front of his wife and children. † The KKK’s main objective was white supremacy but President Grant responded to their attacks. In the year 1868 Ulysses S. Grant ran for office and used the slogan â€Å"let us have peace†. After getting the fifteenth amendment passed, the Enforcement Acts were passed, which made it a crime to interfere with registration, voting, office holding, or jury service of blacks. Because of this new law over a 1000 members of the KKK who violated it and interfered were convicted. On top of this act to protect the African Americans there was also the Ku Klux Klan act. These new acts made it so it was okay for the government to interferer and help put a stop against terrorist acts. This act although it did help a little was not greatly enforced. In the year of 1876 was the presidential election of Samuel J. Tilden vs. the Republican Rutherford B. Hayes. In this election Hayes ended up winning the popular vote, but as far as electoral votes went it was a tie. This was a big problem and a hard decision to appease until there was the Compromise of 1877. This Compromise would swing the vote away from the Democrats and to the Republicans in return for the removal of all remaining troops from the south. It was on that day that the period of reconstruction would end and the reconstruction for African American would begin to go backwards in the south. Africans Americans were given a sliver of hope and promised to be free equal man just to have the government not follow up on its promise. With all of the troops now removed from the south there was no one there to help protect them or to enforce the laws in which gave them freedoms and rights. They never did go completely back to the way it was before the civil war, but because of how in those net couple of years segregation and discrimination could have been eliminated it is just as tragic. African American Reconstruction helped lay out a great pathway for African Americans to become truly equal and free men in the United Stated. Unfortunately because of their not being enough support from the government they would get to walk down that path to equality for many years later.