Franklin D. Roosevelt Essay -- essays research papers

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born January 30, 1882. He was the only child. His parents were James Roosevelt and Sara Delano Roosevelt. He was raised very fortunate because his family had a lot of money. Franklin, at age fourteen, attended Groton School. For his undergraduate degree he attended Harvard University. At Harvard he was elected editor-in-chief of the college paper. Franklin looked up to his distant cousin, Teddy Roosevelt. He wanted to be in office just like Teddy was. He ran for his first office in 1910 for New York’s state Senator. With in three years he was chosen Assistant Secretary of the Navy, a highly respected position.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In August of 1921 Roosevelt was paralyzed in both legs due to a disease called polio. This meant that he had to stop swimming and sailing, two of his favorite hobbies. Because of his inability to do the things he loved, he spent more time focusing on his political ambitions. It also helped him become more aware of the problems the people were facing. In 1928, he was elected to the governorship in New York. He was nominated for presidency in 1932. In his campaign he promised that the government would be responsible for the welfare of the people. With fifty-seven percent of the popular vote he was elected President. In his first term he called two emergency sessions, in which he created major acts and administrative bodies of the New Deal.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Roosevelt started by solving the banking p...

Parents :: Relationships Parenting Essays

Parents Pushy parents are a very touchy subject to talk about. When it comes to the well fare of children, people are always ready to jump and point fingers at others without gathering the facts. The parents of theatre, gifted, and talented children get these nasty fingers pointed at them and most are due to the generalization that the media has made portraying these parents as mean, self righteous, and abusive. The honest truth is that parents care for their children and are not pushy, but instead they direct their children in becoming good adults by protecting them, encouraging them, and being dedicated to them. In his review of The Trouble With Perfect/The Successful Child/Positive Pushing (Book), Douglas C. Lord talks about the role of the parent. The role of the parent is to protect their children and provide for them all they can to insure that they have the proper tools in order to be successful in life. These tools include such things as having good morals, strong work ethics, phenomenal character, etc. Providing their kids with the mentioned tools, parents protect their kids from becoming failures in life and give them the option to make something of themselves, which far exceeds the expectations of their parents. Parents have to do these things in order to direct their kids. This is believed to be an â€Å"absolute moral imperative† (Lord). If your parents did not provide you with these tools, where would you be? â€Å"Pageant moms are the worst,† is something that I heard once. This I have to say is false. The moms and dads of the performing art children have to be the most dedicated parents I personally have ever seen. These parents spend all of their time and energy helping their kids exceed and they always remind their kids of how much they love them. These are almost the craziest and most fanatic parents of them all. They follow their children from competition to competition, from performance to performance, from dance class to rehearsals. These parents are always there and are always willing to help.

How to Be a Smart Consumer and Save Your Money Essay

Are you a smart consumer? If the answer is no, let’s turn over to a new leaf. In this borderless world, being a smart consumer is like chocolate chips in our cookies of life. Thus, it is essential for us to spend wisely and save our budget. There are abundant of consumers nowadays love to spend a lot of money on products that do not suffice their budget as well as they are unnecessary. We heard this too many times already. However, how many of us really think deeply and wonder if everything we buy is worth our money? We admit that shopping is fun but sometimes reality really stuck us hard. Question such as do I really need it, is the price right or even such low prices may just make us wonder why it is so! Besides, it is weighty to be a smart consumer as the number of traders, who are trying to cheat us are increasing from day to day. By the way, there are countless ways to be such a smart consumer in order to avoid from being their victims particularly from the profit hungry traders. First and foremost, do you remember those times that you buy items that have a huge discount without even thinking if you need them? To be frank, it is believed that everyone had gone to such situation before. However, we have to keep in mind that in order to save money and be a smart consumer, try to keep to buying necessity items only. Buying too much or things that we do not need is not saving money. Try making a list of items you plan to buy in advance before going for shopping. With this method, you will able to buy everything you need and reduce on buying things you do not need. Apart from that, this is very influential step especially when you are buying clothes. Don’t get fully attracted to the huge discount tags but try paying a little attention to the quality. Somebody used to buy clothes during those insane sales happening in town. They wouldn’t bother those small dots or stains on the clothes as they thought that they will go off after washed. The sad fact is that they didn’t and they were mad at themselves. The moral of the story is, don’t get fooled by those discount tags and always check the quality. It is better spending like a couple of minutes checking the quality rather than going back and regret on it. As the Chinese saying goes, a smart action lead us to a smart lifestyle. Like a case that was experienced by a lady, she tends to go shopping weekly t the local supermarket or wholesalers. One of the items she must buy is milk. There are always those promotional tags saying certain milk products are on discount. One day, it really surprised her that the expiry date was just few days ahead! Yes, the sellers are clearly manipulating using business tactics but are they wrong? No! I am not pointing that the consumers are wrong either. We have to be careful when it comes to such things. For example, dairy products can’t be kept long. Therefore, always check the expiry date regardless of how cheap the items are. The same goes over when buying canned foods and drinks. Avoid buying canned products which are dented as they will become slightly poisonous. Ensure the cans are in good shape before buying to ensure you get the best product. It is substantial for us to compare prices of those wholesalers. You can go to different places to shop. Every time you go to a new place, you need try to compare the prices. As the Australian saying goes, small amount of money you save can lead to a bigger saving. Always remember that discount tags outside are just business tactics. If you can get the same items for less, isn’t that a much bigger saving? The price might be cheap but we must be able to think and consider if it is worth it. Do you see those sales promoters trying to promote something? It is a norm that they will tell you that particular product is good, energy saving or even cheaper. Try asking a few more questions before buying it. Check if it is really a good choice or so. Indeed, simply by asking, we are getting more information and we might even be able to consider if the product is worth for our money. Last but not least, membership for local stores and even frequent visitor card is good as it is an excellent choice to save up more money. One of the best examples I personally encountered was last month where I was shopping for the accessory products. The price was already discounted and when I was at the payment counter, I was shocked and surprised as the cashier told me if I am a member, I will get another discount of 20 percent! The moral of the story is simple and straight forward. We are able to save up tons of money and even shop smarter if we know how to utilize the membership card and benefits. At the same time, membership cards will enable you to collect points and eventually, we are able to redeem items and cash vouchers when we shop. In a nutshell, there is innumerable way for us to be a smart consumer. We need to be together working closely arm in arm and advising each other for being concerned and smart consumers. As the Malay saying goes, many hands make work better. Do not worry as it is assuring you these are simple steps and it will not take you more than one or two minutes to get it done. Hooray! More time to shop! Exclusively prepared by, Nik Aisyah Amalien bt Nik Mohd Asri SMKA Naim Lilbanat.. Class of sirrosdi Question : Write your story beginning with † My heart beat frantically as I made my way to the principal’s office â€Å" My heart beat frantically as I made my way to the principal’s office . My mind could not figure out what would be the possible consequences and punishment from the principal. â€Å"I am guilty and there is no way the principal can forgive me†. I told myself. I felt like I was going to be given a very stern punishment. Then I tried to figure out why I was in this mess. It story started when my mom gave birth to a new baby boy in our family . I was in cloud nine that day as my father told me that I have a new brother . † Wohoo ! † I shouted. I put the phone back to its original place after Ispoke to my dad. I was not really myself that day . I shook hands with all the students in my classroom. I could see they were starring at me with strange faces. Most of my classmates were baffled initially until I told them about this new brother. Then slowly one by one stood up and congratulated me. So I told them I would persuade my dad to throw a small party over the weekend to celebrate this occasion. Everyone was looking forward to this occasion. In my classroom,I was commonly known as a quiet and shy boy. I didn’t talk too much unless someone asked me to. But today, after that good news,I completely change myself. I was just like a character of a â€Å"wood-pecker† as I made a lot of annoying noises in the class . Kring ! Kring !. The bell rang and it was time to go home. I quickly packed all my stuff into my school bag and ran towards the main gate with a fantastic speed . I could not wait to get home to meet my newborn brother . After five minutes,I felt bored. I walked around the school compund . While walking, I could see something that caught my eyes. I picked up five bottles of wood-sprayer in various colour which are commonly used by PMR students for their Life Skill†s carpenting projects. Then,I ran to a new building at a compound nearby. The building was almost completed and most of the classrooms were already used. There was another one room left and the school management wasn’t sure of what should be done to that empty room . Without hesitation, Spurshhhhhhh †¦ ! I started spraying at the main door. It reads,â€Å" Welcome to the world of Arts â€Å"with a combination of two vivid colours in graffity style. It looked catchy as the backround of the door was lily-white . After I had sprayed the main door , then I started to spray the room’s wall. It reads, â€Å"This place is only for talented ones†. The colour matched the wall and it was done beautifully. Out of the blue,I heard some clear footsteps. I could guess that footsteps must be owned by a big size person. My hair stood up and I could feel my heart’s drumbeat. The happiness and excitement that I had just now vanished in no time. The steps were coming closer. I slowly sneaked out to identify who was the owner of the footsteps. . Oh gosh! All I could see was a grumpy tall man cladded with black suit. It was my principal! I tried to find a way out but it was useless. I boosted my mind as the footsteps became nearer. Aha! then an idea struck my mind. When the door opened, I dashed out. He grabbed my school shirt to stop me from running away and I quickly closed his eyes with my palms wishing that he couldn’t see me. I was really panicked and my body was trembling. Without hesitation, I pushed him strongly and he fell down. I ran as fast as a lightning and luckily my dad was in the car waiting for me. I then realized my name tag fell somewhere. No more thinking,I jumped into dad’s car. The next day I went to school as usual and pretended nothing had appenend. Like the usual shy boy that do not talk or entertain to anyone unless someone wanted to say hello, I sat at my place besides Mahaddi,my close friend. I quickly grabbed the assignment on English literature given by Sir Rosdi. I knew that Sir Rosdi was watching me very closely and he suspected that I had a problem to settle. My heart beat faster when my name was called out through the paging system. â€Å" Attention to Fahmi Azan from 5 Amanah, please report immediately to the principal’s room right now! † That was the hoarse voice that I heard before. My blood started to flow faster and I could feel the andrenaline flowing.. All the eyes were straight on me including Sir Rosdi. They were wandering why the principal was making the announcement himself. .I quickly walked to the principal’s office . As I arrived there I knocked the door politely. â€Å"Come in! † . Gulp ! Only God knows how I felt right now. I slowly opened the door and entered the room. The room was so cool as cool as my body. â€Å"Please have a sit†. My principal quipped. After being interoggated for almost half an hour,I felt so calm. I listened attentively and nodded. He told me that he was attracted to my arts and proposed the room that I sprayed being made â€Å"The school art’s room. †What a surprise! I smiled and thanked him. He also proposed an Art’s club and appointed me as the president of the club. I hugged him tightly. He was so shocked but happy with my reactions. I shook his hands and thanked him for his kindness. I never expect this dramatic event took a 360 degree turn. It wasn’t a mess as I thought initially†¦.. Most people would define a good teacher as someone who makes their students excel academically and do well on their tests. I believe that’s almost right, but a little off. I believe that a good teacher doesn’t have one dimension but two. They not only make you excel, but they make you want to go to school. They care about the student’s insecurities and problems, and most importantly they are there to support you. My teacher is like that. Her name is Ms. Young and she’s changed the way I see the world. She isn’t one of those teachers that will give it their all just to be liked by the students. She honestly doesn’t fit in a category of teachers. Although it’s her first year teaching at High Tech Middle she fit in immediately. Normally the project based learning philosophy is hard for new teachers to adapt to, but Ms. Young did it effortlessly. After nine years of switching from town to town, school to school, and teacher to teacher, Ms. Young is by far the best teacher I’ve ever had. She keeps the class in order, yet manages to make it fun at the same time. She’s always there for academic as well as personal help. Honestly for the first time I don’t want to pass the grade. Ms. Young has taught me a lot over the past school year. I’m not only speaking of history, writing, and reading. She has taught me to appreciate the little things, never judge, and be happy about the work I create. I have grown more in this year than any other, and I owe it almost completely to Ms. Young. I used to think I was a good writer. Looking back on my work from just last year, I realize how much stronger my writing skills and vocabulary are. Ms. Young has done a superb job preparing me for high school, for which I am very grateful. I feel that I have developed my writing skills most this year than any other year. Throughout the year Ms. Young has become my role model. I’ve had many people tell me that when they grow up they want to be like her. I believe that becoming half of the teacher she is would be an incredible achievement. I wrote this essay because I believe that she should be recognized. Not only because of her incredible teaching abilities, but because she made a difference in my life. She showed me that hard work pays off, and that I should never give up. These lessons will continue to have an effect on my life throughout high school and college. Thank you Ms. Young. They impart knowledge and skills to our faculty of intelligence. And yet some of us don’t know how to show appreciation to them. It’s indeed that one cannot put a price tag on education, and so does teaching. If there is a category of people who knows how to shape, and furnish young children with useful information without showing any sign of fatigue, and unwillingness; surely teachers belong to that category because of the fact that they know how to push us students, and direct us through the lightning path of success. It is true that they earn a monthly salary for â€Å"teaching;† but I think they deserve more than just a salary. A little bit of appreciation could vitalize them, and encourage them to help us more. I am certainly not a teacher and neither are many other young children, but it is understandable to know how much they work to direct us, and making sure that we students learn the skills that we need to go out in the challenging world. Their job is one of the toughest to take on, and they still manage to do it happily without any apparent dissatisfaction. Most of us know how difficult it is to get an acceptance to college, and for many of us a descent job might be the ultimate target. Teachers are the ones who always make sure that, us students we are organized, prepared, equipped, and ready to strive through our targeted path; and many of them certainly make sure that we are properly expectant of the obstacles that lie on the journey ahead, and with that perception they help us cultivate tactics, and strategies to resist those obstacles. These are some words that I chose on behalf of many students around the world, in order to acknowledge your hard work, dedication, and everything that you [teachers] teach us from academic to real life lessons. Your hard work makes a grandiose impact on our lives as students, and for that I, and many other students would like to express our gratitude in between these quotations; â€Å"Us student, we could not have left this day passed without wishing you a joyous Teachers’ appreciation week. We certainly think that everyday should be a day to celebrate teachers’ hard work. It’s indisputable how hard you [teachers] work to deliver the materials to us, and on top of that you still strive to help us during your free time. How much of a price can one put on that quality? None of us thinks that quality worth a financial value. †

My Most Prized Possession

The segregation that many young African-Americans experience causes them undue stress which has been proven to undermine cognitive development. Even African-Americans from poor inner-cities that do attend universities continue to suffer academically due to the stress they suffer from having family and friends still in the poverty stricken inner cities. Education is also used as a means to perpetuate hyper segregation. Real estate agents often implicitly use school racial composition as a way of enticing white buyers into the segregated ring surrounding the inner-city. The percentage of black children who now go to integrated public schools is at its lowest level since 1968. The words of â€Å"American apartheid† have been used in reference to the disparity between white and black schools in America. Those who compare this inequality to apartheid frequently point to unequal funding for predominantly black schools. With this in mind in the 1950s the blacks had no rights to say that they can have the great equipment that the white children are using. This thought then leaded away many black children from the world of knowledge and mainly meant that they have to take care of there families because of the state of poverty most of them were in. African Americans in the 1950s were considered to be racially segregated because of all five dimensions of segregation being applied to them within these inner cities across America. These five dimensions are evenness, clustering, exposure, centralization and concentration. Evenness is the difference between the percentages of a minority in a particular part of a city, compared to the city as a whole. Exposure is the likelihood that a minority and a majority party will come in contact with one another. This dimension shows the exposure to other diversity groups while sharing the same neighborhoods. Clustering is the gathering of different minority groups into one certain space; clustering often leads to one big ghetto and the formation of hyper ghettoization. Centralization is the number of people within a minority group that is located in the middle of an urban area, often looked at as a percentage of a minority group living in the middle of a city compared with the rest of their group living elsewhere. Concentration is the dimension that relates to the actual amount of land a minority lives on within its particular city. The higher segregation is within that particular area, the smaller the amount of land a minority group will control. In the 1950s African Americans who were within inner cities had to face all five demensions. Poorer inner-cities in the 1950s often lacked the health care that is available in outside areas. That many inner-cities were so isolated from other parts of society also is a large contributor to the poor health that were often found in inner-city residents. The overcrowded living conditions in the inner-city caused by hyper segregation means that the spread of infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis, occurs much more frequently. This is known as â€Å"epidemic injustice† because racial groups confined in a certain area are affected much more often than those living outside the given area. Poor inner-city residents also must contend with other factors that negatively effect health. Research was proven that in every major American city, hyper segregated blacks are far more likely to be exposed to dangerous levels of air toxins. Daily exposure to this polluted air means that African-Americans living in the areas they use to in the 1950s`were at greater risk of disease. In the 1950s the blacks wanted to bring about change basically because the rights were just not fair to them and that they were tired of getting treated this way. Following the reason why blacks wanted change there were the attempts that they use to try to bring about this change. First of all there were sit-ins. the â€Å"sit-in† technique was not new—as far back as 1939, African-American attorney Samuel Wilbert Tucker organized a sit-in at the then-segregated Alexandria, Virginia library. In 1960 the technique succeeded in bringing national attention to the movement. The success of the Greensboro sit-in led to a rash of student campaigns throughout the South. Probably the best organized, most highly disciplined, the most immediately effective of these was in Nashville, Tennessee. On March 9, 1960 an Atlanta University Center group of students released An Appeal for Human Rights as a full page advertisement in newspapers, including the Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta Journal, and Atlanta Daily World. This student group, known as the Committee on the Appeal for Human Rights (COAHR), initiated the Atlanta Student Movement and began to lead in Atlanta with Sit-ins starting on March 15, 1960. By the end of 1960, the sit-ins had spread to every southern and border state and even to Nevada, Illinois, and Ohio. Demonstrators focused not only on lunch counters but also on parks, beaches, libraries, theaters, museums, and other public places. Upon being arrested, student demonstrators made â€Å"jail-no-bail† pledges, to call attention to their cause and to reverse the cost of protest, thereby saddling their jailers with the financial burden of prison space and food. In April, 1960 activists who had led these sit-ins held a conference at Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina that led to the formation of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). SNCC took these tactics of nonviolent confrontation further, to the freedom rides. Freedom Rides were journeys by Civil Rights activists on interstate buses into the segregated southern United States to test the United States Supreme Court decision Boynton v. Virginia, (1960) 364 U. S. that ended segregation for passengers engaged in inter-state travel. Organized by CORE, the first Freedom Ride of the 1960s left Washington D.  C. on May 4, 1961, and was scheduled to arrive in New Orleans on May 17. During the first and subsequent Freedom Rides, activists traveled through the Deep South to integrate seating patterns and desegregate bus terminals, including restrooms and water fountains. That proved to be a dangerous mission. In Anniston, Alabama, one bus was firebombed, forcing its passengers to flee for their lives. In Birmingham, Alabama, an FBI informant reported that Public Safety Commissioner Eugene â€Å"Bull† Connor gave Ku Klux Klan members fifteen minutes to attack an incoming group of freedom riders before having police â€Å"protect† them. The riders were severely beaten â€Å"until it looked like a bulldog had got a hold of them. † James Peck, a white activist, was beaten so hard he required fifty stitches to his head. After the Freedom Rides, local black leaders in Mississippi such as Amzie Moore, Aaron Henry, Medgar Evers, and others asked SNCC to help register black voters and to build community organizations that could win a share of political power in the state. Since Mississippi ratified its constitution in 1890, with provisions such as poll taxes, residency requirements, and literacy tests, it made registration more complicated and stripped blacks from the polls. After so many years, the intent to stop blacks from voting had become part of the culture of white supremacy. In the fall of 1961, SNCC organizer Robert Moses began the first such project in McComb and the surrounding counties in the Southwest corner of the state. Their efforts were met with violent repression from state and local lawmen, White Citizens' Council, and Ku Klux Klan resulting in beatings, hundreds of arrests and the murder of voting activist Herbert Lee. White opposition to black voter registration was so intense in Mississippi that Freedom Movement activists concluded that all of the state's civil rights organizations had to unite in a coordinated effort to have any chance of success. In February 1962, representatives of SNCC, CORE, and the NAACP formed the Council of Federated Organizations (COFO). At a subsequent meeting in August, SCLC became part of COFO.

Immigration Essay

Annie Moore the 1st immigrant to ever go through Ellis Island back when it was first opened. After being accepted and given the right to stay and live in the United States she stayed in New York where there was a large hub of Irish immigrants just as herself. After being the first of many to go through the gates at Ellis Island. Supposedly there were around 4 million other Irish folks who left their shores in Ireland to New York. So when she arrived at 1 7 years of age with her brothers Anthony and Philip and her went looking for their parents who were already here at the time.As she spent more time living there she became more and more American and at one point a citizen. After the 19th Amendment was ratified she was then allowed to vote. All of the women of the United States couldn't be happier, they were finally given what they had fought for, for a very long time. Alcohol and its abolition was a very important matter at the time. People were all debating whether to get rid of it or too keep it. She then later campaigned for the abolition of alcohol because she was now able to vote she decided to make her vote count and voted for the abolition of alcohol and it later was abolished.The problem was that since people still wanted it badly a black market for it began and it was the beginning of organized crime. Later as she grew older she got married and the city at the time was very overcrowded and the living conditions weren't the greatest but they had to cope with it because there was no where else they could live. Also working in the factory that was located on the other side of town she had to travel a lot to work everyday. Not only that but the conditions of work were horrid. The employers didn't care about their well-being just about the job being done. Immigration Essay Annie Moore the 1st immigrant to ever go through Ellis Island back when it was first opened. After being accepted and given the right to stay and live in the United States she stayed in New York where there was a large hub of Irish immigrants just as herself. After being the first of many to go through the gates at Ellis Island. Supposedly there were around 4 million other Irish folks who left their shores in Ireland to New York. So when she arrived at 1 7 years of age with her brothers Anthony and Philip and her went looking for their parents who were already here at the time.As she spent more time living there she became more and more American and at one point a citizen. After the 19th Amendment was ratified she was then allowed to vote. All of the women of the United States couldn't be happier, they were finally given what they had fought for, for a very long time. Alcohol and its abolition was a very important matter at the time. People were all debating whether to get rid of it or too keep it. She then later campaigned for the abolition of alcohol because she was now able to vote she decided to make her vote count and voted for the abolition of alcohol and it later was abolished.The problem was that since people still wanted it badly a black market for it began and it was the beginning of organized crime. Later as she grew older she got married and the city at the time was very overcrowded and the living conditions weren't the greatest but they had to cope with it because there was no where else they could live. Also working in the factory that was located on the other side of town she had to travel a lot to work everyday. Not only that but the conditions of work were horrid. The employers didn't care about their well-being just about the job being done.

Rap Changes Behavior essays

Rap Changes Behavior essays Rap, particularly gangsta rap, is perhaps the most controversial music there has ever been. Stanley Crouch concludes that rap encourage young people toward illiteracy, brutishness, hatred of women, whorishness and mindless materialism, while Authur Lawrence Cribbs, Jr. claims that gangster rap is a violation of the dignity of African-American culture and as exploitation by large record companies making a profit from racial stereotyping. David Samuels believes that rap is a representation of a foreign, sexually charged, and criminal underworld. Rap music offers middle-class white listeners their exotic other in a prepackage, easily consumable form, providing the vicarious thrills of transgression (drugs, guns, and sex) without the risk (270). Based on my observation, I disagree with David Samuels because I think the middle-class white consumers listen to rap music because they can relate to the message of the rap music. Many rappers do rap about drugs, guns, and sex. For example, at the beginning of Tupac Shakur song entitles Changes states that Cop give a damn about a Negro, pull the trigger kill a nigga, hes a hero. Give the crack to the kids who the hell care one less ugly mouth on the welfare. First shipem dope and let em deal the brothers, give em guns step back watch em kill each other (http://lyricspost.com). The song do talk about selling drug to the kids and killing each other, however Tupac Shakur is not encouraging his listener to sell drug or kill anyone. Tupac Shakur is stating the problem what he see is going on in today society. As Tupac go on further in the song, Tupac said that I got love for my brother but we can never go nowhere, unless we share with each other. We gotta start makin changes, learn to see me as a brother, instead of two distant strangers ...

Battle of Fredericksburg in the Civil War

Battle of Fredericksburg in the Civil War The Battle of Fredericksburg was was fought December 13, 1862, during the American Civil War (1861-1865) and saw Union forces suffer a bloody defeat. Having grown angry with Major General George B. McClellans unwillingness to pursue General Robert E. Lees Army of Northern Virginia after the Battle of Antietam, President Abraham Lincoln relieved him on November 5, 1862, and replaced him with Major General Ambrose Burnside two days later. A West Point graduate, Burnside had achieved some success earlier in the war campaigning in North Carolina and leading IX Corps. A Reluctant Commander Despite this, Burnside had misgivings about his ability to lead the Army of the Potomac. He had twice declined the command citing that he was unqualified and lacked experience. Lincoln had first approached him following McClellans defeat on the Peninsula in July and made a similar offer following Major General John Popes defeat at Second Manassas in August. Asked again that fall, he only accepted when Lincoln told him that McClellan would be replaced regardless and that the alternative was Major General Joseph Hooker whom Burnside intensely disliked.      Burnsides Plan Reluctantly assuming command, Burnside was pressured to undertake offensive operations by Lincoln and Union General-in-Chief Henry W. Halleck. Planning a late fall offensive, Burnside intended to move into Virginia and openly concentrate his army at Warrenton. From this position he would feint towards Culpeper Court House, Orange Court House, or Gordonsville before quickly marching southeast to Fredericksburg. Hoping to sidestep Lees army, Burnside planned to cross the Rappahannock River and advance on Richmond via the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad. Requiring speed and guile, Burnsides plan built upon some operations that McClellan had been contemplating at the time of his removal. The final plan was submitted to Halleck on November 9. Following a lengthy debate, it was approved by Lincoln five days later though the president was disappointed that the target was Richmond and not Lees army. Additionally, he cautioned that Burnside should move quickly as it was unlikely that Lee would hesitate to move against him. Moving out on November 15, the lead elements of the Army of the Potomac reached Falmouth, VA, opposite Fredericksburg, two days later having successfully stolen a march on Lee. Armies Commanders Union - Army of the Potomac Major General Ambrose E. Burnside100,007 men Confederates - Army of Northern Virginia General Robert E. Lee72,497 men Critical Delays This success was squandered when it was discovered that the pontoons needed to bridge the river had not arrived ahead of the army due to an administrative error. Major General Edwin V. Sumner, commanding the Right Grand Division (II Corps IX Corps), pressed Burnside for permission to ford the river to scatter the few Confederate defenders in Fredericksburg and occupy Maryes Heights west of the town. Burnside refused fearing that the fall rains would cause the river to rise and that Sumner would be cut off. Responding to Burnside, Lee initially anticipated having to make a stand behind the North Anna River to the south. This plan changed when he learned how slow Burnside was moving and he instead elected to march towards Fredericksburg. As the Union forces sat in Falmouth, Lieutenant General James Longstreets entire corps arrived by November 23 and began digging on the heights. While Longstreet established a commanding position,  Lt. General Thomas Stonewall Jacksons corps was en route from the Shenandoah Valley.   Opportunities Missed On November 25, the first pontoon bridges arrived, but Burnside refused to move, missing an opportunity to crush half of Lees army before the other half arrived. By the end of the month, when the remaining bridges arrived, Jacksons corps had reached Fredericksburg and assumed a position south of Longstreet. Finally, on December 11, Union engineers began building six pontoon bridges opposite Fredericksburg. Under fire from Confederate snipers, Burnside was forced to send landing parties across the river to clear out the town. Supported by artillery on Stafford Heights, the Union troops occupied Fredericksburg and looted the town. With the bridges completed, the bulk of Union forces began crossing the river and deploying for battle on December 11 and 12. Burnsides original plan for the battle called for the main attack to be executed to the south by Major General William B. Franklins Left Grand Division (I Corps VI Corps) against Jacksons position, with a smaller, supporting action against Maryes Heights. Held in the South Beginning at 8:30 AM on December 13, the assault was led by Major General George G. Meades division, supported by those of Brigadier Generals Abner Doubleday and John Gibbon. While initially hampered by heavy fog, the Union attack gained momentum around 10:00 AM when it was able to exploit a gap in Jacksons lines. Meades attack was eventually stopped by artillery fire, and around 1:30 PM a massive Confederate counterattack forced all three Union divisions to withdraw. To the north, the first assault on Maryes Heights had commenced at 11:00 AM and was led by the division of Major General William H. French. A Bloody Failure The approach to the heights required the attacking force to cross a 400-yard open plain which was divided by a drainage ditch. To cross the ditch, Union troops were forced to file in columns over two small bridges. As in the south, the fog prevented Union artillery on Stafford Heights from providing effective fire support. Moving forward, Frenchs men were repulsed with heavy casualties. Burnside repeated the attack with the divisions of Brigadier Generals Winfield Scott Hancock and Oliver O. Howard with the same results. With the battle going poorly on Franklins front, Burnside focused his attention on Maryes Heights. Reinforced by Major General George Picketts division, Longstreets position proved impenetrable. The attack was renewed at 3:30 PM when Brigadier General Charles Griffins division was sent forward and repulsed. Half an hour later, Brigadier General Andrew Humphreys  division charged with the same result. The battle concluded when Brigadier General George W. Gettys division attempted to attack the heights from the south with no success. All told, sixteen charges were made against the stone wall atop Maryes Heights, usually in brigade strength. Witnessing the carnage Gen. Lee commented, It is well that war is so terrible, or we should grow too fond of it. Aftermath One of the most one-sided battles of the Civil War, the Battle of Fredericksburg cost the Army of the Potomac 1,284 killed, 9,600 wounded, and 1,769 captured/missing. For the Confederates, casualties were 608 killed, 4,116 wounded, and 653 captured/missing. Of these only around 200 were suffered at Maryes Heights. As the battle ended, many Union troops, living and wounded, were forced to spend the freezing night of December 13/14 on the plain before the heights, pinned down by the Confederates. On the afternoon of the 14th, Burnside asked Lee for a truce to tend to his wounded which was granted. Having removed his men from the field, Burnside withdrew the army back across the river to Stafford Heights. The following month, Burnside strove to save his reputation by attempting to move north around Lees left flank. This plan bogged down when January rains reduced the roads to mud pits which prevented the army from moving. Dubbed the Mud March, the movement was cancelled. Burnside was replaced by Hooker on January 26, 1863.