Activities Coordinator

Along with the views of Human Motivation, Psychological Behavior, Environmental Factors and Quantitative and Qualitative Strengths, Social Influence and Capabilities play important roles in achieving certain objectives (Brehm, 2004).   Activities intended for social interactions credit a big help in creating personal relationships for the reason that the triggering of an individual’s interest will eventually make it easier for one to be persuaded to adhere with one’s desire and expectation (Cialdini, 1998). Changing the Community’s Lifestyle Take for example having a goal within a community to change the lifestyle, or perhaps the view of people towards a healthy lifestyle.   In order to achieve this certain goal, development psychology clearly defines that change does not happen in an instant.   It follows a step-by-step process, wherein keen observation and analysis on the behavior and interests of the community must be taken consideration on to be able to identify the level of motivation and techniques shall be imposed to (Brehm, 2004). Instilling Physical Activities Benefits Positively The differences of each individual and the complexities of the differences may be hard to specify for in every community, there would always be those who would not conform to the general masses.   Ã‚  Learning psychological strategies to eliminate anyone’s unhealthy beliefs in anyone or anything’s perspective on to realigning values in any area of life, is considered an intellectual way in making the subjects follow (Grottke, 2006). Information Dissemination Indulging the subjects of the advantages and benefits taken from physical education and enlightening them with the disadvantages caused by the opposite or disregarding such way of living will make them realize the essence of the activity. The information can be disseminated in a form of flyers, advertisements and door to door consultations citing people who suffered illnesses and sickness due to inconsistent physical activities.   In that sense, by capturing their sympathy and instilling a form of fear in their minds, it will be easier for them to be persuaded. Fear and Risk Taking Fear, being one of the highest factors in emotion and a bug in motivation, serves motivation strategy to prospects.   Inculcating the horrors of an unhealthy lifestyle will horrify the living daylights of their life (Lieberman, 2005).   Making them realize that taking physical exercises will deprive them from living longer and thus will lose everything which they have sown earlier than those who are healthy.   Eventually, since most are busy in their jobs, they will grab the most efficient way in gaining a healthy lifestyle, which implies that the Center shall gain generous support from those who have been persuaded to help not only their selves, but a deeper sense of sympathy to those who need their assistance. Door-in-the-face Technique A kind of persuasion with an arrogant form of approach which is then most likely not to be accepted, hence, the persuader at hand a slighter and more levelheaded appeal which eventually the real gist of the negotiation.  Ã‚   It is a subliminal way of slightly fooling subjects to have them trapped in one’s desire.   It could be effective, but a feeling of guilt will later lurk in the scene. Foot-in-the-door Technique   A related trick of persuasion, a little similar on the first, but somehow degrading if realized, since that is a kind of method which tends to amaze the receiving party which then makes it hard for him to refuse such offer given that the offer was ascending.   Effective though, but then again, it’s like tricking the receiver still over one’s benefit. Essence of Techniques The use of door-in the face technique, foot-in-the-door technique and the art of persuasion are by study proven to be effective in dealing with social interactions.   The gift of persuasion or influence is considered as the most valuable one, which if further developed and enhanced will not only reach the hearts of those inside the vicinity of the Center’s jurisdiction, but the nation as well. Conclusion Concluding such, in this massive form of competition in the complex world of business, being wise by evaluating effects of every move taken must be clearly specified and analyzed.   Characteristics of an effective Activity Coordinator must know what to take (Williamson, 1995), when to take and how to use effectively what is taken (Hughes Beatty, 2005), what to sacrifice and what to throw away (Straker, 2007), when to commence and when to leave (Segil, 2002) – but never to abandon, instead, to save and develop what had been started (Hesselbein, Johnston, Foundation, 2002; Runde Flanagan, 2006). References: Brehm, S. S. (2004). Social Psychology (6th ed.). New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. Cialdini, R. B. (1998). Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (Revised ed.). New York: Collins. Grottke, R. L. (2006). All I Needed to Know in Life I Learned Selling Door to Door. New York: BookSurge Publishing. Hesselbein, F., Johnston, R., Foundation, T. D. (2002). On High Performance Organizations: A Leader to Leader Guide (1 ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Hughes, R. L., Beatty, K. M. (2005). Becoming a Strategic Leader: Your Role in Your Organizations Enduring Success (Lst Ed ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Lieberman, D. J. (2005). How to Change Anybody: Proven Techniques to Reshape Anyones Attitude, Behavior, Feelings, or Beliefs New York: St. Martins Press. Runde, C. E., Flanagan, T. A. (2006). Becoming a Conflict Competent Leader: How You and Your Organization Can Manage Conflict Effectively. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Segil, L. (2002). Dynamic Leader Adaptive Organization: Ten Essential Traits for Managers (1 ed.). Toronto: Wiley. Straker, D. (2007). Leadership styles (Publication. Retrieved June 28, 2007, from Changing Minds: http://changingminds.org/disciplines/leadership/styles/leadership_styles.htm Williamson, O. E. (1995). Organization Theory: From Chester Barnard to the Present and Beyond (Expanded ed.). New York: Oxford University Press, USA.

How you have experienced social change in Qatar over the last 5 years Essay

How you have experienced social change in Qatar over the last 5 years or so - Essay Example The above changes are largely because Qatar has been hosting numerous sporting events. Mubarak Al Mana, who is the head of the country’s women’s sport committee, has played an important role in supporting women’s involvement in sports. Apart from the increase in the number of women participating in the country’s labor force, most of them tend to focus in certain occupations, particularly teaching and clerical jobs. As the Qatar society started the complex process of implementing social change decade ago, the imbalanced status of women became prominent. It also became a difficult obstacle. Nevertheless, the country has taken vital recognizable steps in the past five years to ensure that women have similar privileges as men. For instance, women have the privilege to vote and contend for any political position during their parliamentary elections (Great Britain, 2004). In 2010, Sheikha Maha Mansour was appointed as the first woman judge in the country. This greatly indicated how Qatar was experiencing a speedy social change. The situation also created an important example to other women who are currently studying different courses previously meant for men. Another recognizable social change is the organization of the family laws. Formerly, resolutions of family problems were dependent on the judge’s understanding of Islamic law. However, this has changed since 2003 when women were given th e privilege to participate in public life and business. In addition, they also have the privilege to travel alone because laws requiring a guardian’s authority for a woman to be given a passport were withdrawn during this

Pedro Paramo by Juan Rulfo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Pedro Paramo by Juan Rulfo - Essay Example Thesis statement: The close examination of the novel Pedro Paramo proves that the writer’s diction is interconnected with his aim to portray the difference between past and present, symbolism is related to the symbols like rain and fertility, usage of imagery is related to air, water and stone, and figurative language is related to the development of magical realism as a specific genre in world literature. Plot summary The novel’s plot is related to the lives of the narrator (Juan Preciado), his father Pedro Paramo, and his (the narrator’s father’s) lover, Susana San Juan. One can see that Comala, the imaginary town, is the background of the novel. In the beginning of the novel, the narrator decides to conduct an expedition to Comala to find out his father. But he did not try to stick on to his decision. Later, he was forced to start his journey to the town of Comala. Within this context, the narrator portrays the present situation in Comala. Now, the situ ation is different because most of the people who live in this town are spirits/ghosts. In the work by Rulfo, Sacabo, and Peden, the narrator made clear that â€Å"Nothing but abandoned houses, their empty doorways overgrown with weeds† (19). ... In the end, the people of Comala were forced to die by starvation. Examination: This section includes topics like diction, which portrays the difference between past and present, symbolism or the usage of symbols in the novel like rain and fertility, the usage of imagery like air, water and stone, and the usage of figurative language which represents the development of the genre of magical realism. A. Diction One can easily identify that the novelist’s ultimate aim in the novel is to make use of the story telling technique (first person and third person narrative technique) to portray the difference between past and present. For instance, the opening of the novel deals with the present condition in Comala, which is described by the narrator. On the other side, after the narrator’s untimely death, the narration suddenly shifts from first person to third person. In this way, Juan Preciado becomes unimportant in the following sections of the novel. From a different angle o f view, both the son and the father are no more and narration is handed over to the novelist. At the same time, this technique does not hinder the development of the plot because the same revolves around Pedro Paramo’s adventures. In this way, the novelist fulfils his aim to portray the difference between past and present. B. Symbolism The symbols like rain and fertility are interconnected because rain is symbolic of life/fertility. In the novel, the element of rain is made use by the novelist to portray the problems faced by the people of Comala. To be specific, the present condition in Comala is related to the lack of rain and the negative attitude of the leader (Pedro Paramo). Here, the leader is symbolic of rain which provides all to the living world. On the other

Its Raining in Mango :: Free Essay Writer

It's Raining in Mango Thea Astley’s It’s Raining in Mango (1987) is a story of Australian history told through five generations of the Laffey family. Astley introduces several issues to the reader that were and still are part of Australian society. Through the use of narrative techniques including characterisation, narrative point of view and naming, Astley is able to position the reader to challenge such societal ideologies, and instead support the thoughts and ideas expressed by the strong and dominant characters in the text. Two issues developed in the text are race and gender. Throughout the text, the white colonists are very racist towards the Aboriginals. Even cattle, horses and white women are placed hierarchically higher in society than the black people. In response to this, Astley constructs all narrations to be written through the eyes of the Laffey family, who are respectful towards Aboriginals, hence not racist, and despise societal ideologies. By making the narration of the text show a biased point of view, readers are provoked to think and feel the same way, foregrounding racism shown in the ideologies of early Australian society, and showing that Aboriginals are real people and should receive the same treatment to that given to white people. â€Å"They looked human, they had all your features.† (pg 27) There was, however, one section in the text whose narrative point of view was not given by a character in the Laffey family. This instead was given by a voice of an Aboriginal woman, when the Aboriginal children were being taken away from t heir families. By giving voice to the Aboriginal society, the reader is able to get a glimpse of their point of view on the matter, which once again shows that society was racist, and Aboriginals were treated harshly. Another narrative technique used to bring forward the issue of race is naming. By using harsh names to describe racist white people, it made Aboriginals seem a far ‘softer’ race. An example of this is Block, the white concreter who began a brawl in a pub in Mango. By using a name such as this, Thea Astley positions the reader to see Block as a hard, cold, strong male, and is also seen as an object instead of a person. Also by showing that Block is a concreter, this reinforces the thought of him being a ‘bad’ person, as he is ‘cold and hard as concrete’.

Belonging creativwe writting Essay

It has been a year since I moved out of home to attend a prestigious school. I have met new people, made new friends, and gotten use to moving around this town since when I first arrived. Although I am extremely happy about where I stand today, I’ve started to get this uneasy feeling, is it because I haven’t been feeling well or is it because I’ve started to dream more about those back at my home town. I’m running late to school again, if mum was here I wouldn’t hear the end of how I’m going to be scolded by the teacher, as much as I hated hearing it I wonder why I’m remembering it now. I got to school 10 min late for the first period. I got scolded by the teacher and got held back in class for the time I lost. I looked out the window and remembered back at school at my home town, always causing mischief and constantly being scolded, I felt a little bit happy and nostalgic mesmerising the past. It was time for roll call. I had to give a note to the teacher explaining why I was late. Rather than being scolded, he gave me short lesson of advice on how to prioritize my time. At some point I looked around the class seeing all my friends talking and laughing, it reminded me back of back at school in my home town. It was the same, although when the teacher would try to give me advice I would argue, and frustrate the teacher. I acted like a child always thinking I was right. It made me giggle a bit of how much mischief I use to get myself into. The teacher asked me if I found anything he said was funny, I apologised for being rude and listened to what he had to say until the bell for recess rung. My close friends weren’t at school today, they had a field trip for biology so I sat by myself on the silver seats in the shade and took out my recess. Watching everyone talk and play made me feel a bit lonely, it reminded me of when I first moved here, I thought I wasn’t going to make any friends and I was too shy and afraid to talk to anyone so I sat by myself at recess. Although now it’s different I have good friends here that make me happy. Then I remembered my childhood friends, all the games we played, all the laughs we had, all the arguments and fights, it felt nostalgic it brought a smile to my face that I haven’t shown in a while and it also hurt me just as much when I remember the day I left to come to this school. I wonder if they still think about me, I wonder how they all are, are they fine, are they doing well, are they still the same even without me being there and causing mischief. I wonder. Recess finished, and now I have my Health and PE class. When I arrived at class, I found a substitute teacher. He announced that our teacher will not be teaching for the rest of the week as they are sick. Instead of giving out the work he allowed us to have PE for both periods, he gave out a range of sports for us to choose form, once we decided we were playing. Everyone was sweating and laughing and enjoying themselves. I remembered back at my old school in my hometown when we would trick the substitute teacher in letting us play for two periods and the ruckus we caused because of it, it made me laugh a little bit and continued to play. ` Class ended, everyone is tired and exhausted. I went down for lunch and saw my friends; they had come back from their trip. I felt a little relieved it let me forget about a little about leaving my old friends. We talked about their trip and what they did, it seemed like they had a lot of fun. As we finished our lunch and headed towards the field and we lie down in our usual spot and relax and talk about what ever came to our mind. Without noticing the lunch bell rang and we stayed, everyone was leaving but we were too busy chatting we didn’t notice. Then a girl came running to tell us we’d be scolded again if we were late again after lunch. As we walked towards class I couldn’t take my eyes off her, I’ve had a crush on her since I came to this school, I don’t know why but it feels as though I’ve known her from somewhere. Then once again I remembered the girl I liked in my old school, I could never talk to her, I was too shy despite my mischievous self. I felt a little down because in the end I never told her before I moved and kept thinking if the same would happen again. During the last two periods I slacked off a little trying to think why I’ve been thinking so much about my old friends, about my home town. I couldn’t come up with an answer, but it hurt, it hurt so much, that I didn’t feel like I belonged here, but why? I’ve made good friends here; I feel at ease, I even have someone I like so why does it hurt so much. The final bell rang and it was time to head home, I didn’t feel like going home so I took a detour and went the longer way around, a longer way than usual that I didn’t know where I was going but kept going. I found myself on top of a hill; there was a small field of grass going down the hill. I took my bag off and sat down. I remembered that when I always felt upset and lonely I’d run off to a secret spot behind the woods of the park in my home town. There would be a grass field just like this. It calmed me down it made me feel like I was back at home, I felt a little relieved. I stayed there for a while, until it started to get dark so I headed back home. On my way I bought a few things to make food at home, on my way home I kept thinking how much I wanted to see my friends and family once again, just once would be enough. I got towards my apartment and saw my light on, I ran, I ran as quick as I could, I swung open the door and said â€Å"Mom, dad I’m home.† I looked around and there was no one; it looks like I forgot to turn off the light before I left again. All these old memories of my home town made my edgy, and showed me just how empty I really was. I finally realised why it hurt so much, and why it wouldn’t go away, and why it kept hurting more and more every time I thought about it. The truth was I was trying to cover up the fact that I truly don’t belong here no matter how much I try my heart and memories are anchored back at home and that’s where they’ll stay.

Reign Of Error The Hoax Of The Privatization Movement...

When imagining a well-rounded school, one might think of a school filled with discussion based English classes, interactive Math classes, exciting labs, and rich History classes; one may also think of an endless list of extracurricular activities and athletic teams. Sadly, many public schools across the country do not have these opportunities. The Diane Ravitch book: Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America’s Public Schools, focuses upon Ravitch’s opinion on this important issue. Since the No Child Left Behind Act was passed in 2001, schools have focused on math and reading scores; because of this, schools have disregarded and cut back on other subjects that they are not being tested on such as†¦show more content†¦Ravitch uses this fact to express to the reader that if a school focuses all of its valuable time on the only subjects they are being tested on and neglects other subjects, they still look like a stellar school on paper while disregarding certain subjects. This also adequately builds her ethos. Using true facts and evidence proves to her reader that she is trustworthy and believable. Nevertheless, these facts effectively build Ravitch’s argument by showing parents that this is not the education that they should desire for their children; it leaves an impact on the reader and makes them think about their own education or the education that their children are receiving. Overall, Ravitch’s use of factual information aids in building her argument. Furthermore, Ravitch’s use of effective organization methods builds the argument presented to the reader. Ravitch uses repetition to express her argument and drive it into the reader s mind: â€Å"Why today are public schools unable to afford the curriculum they once offered? Why is the richest nation in the world unable to provide a full curriculum for all students in public school? Why are budget cuts†¦ so heavily on the public schools?† (Ravitch 108). Repeatedly asking the reader â€Å"Why† leaves a lasting impression in the reader s mind because it makes them think and answer the questions being asked. This prompts the reader to automaticallyShow MoreRelatedThe No Child Left Behind Law1315 Words   |  6 Pages Today the public school system in America is failing to meet the educational standards. The public education is lack of focus to teach their students abilities and skills and is lack of funds, supplies and resources to improve the learning and educational experiences for students. Public schools getting worse and worse according to critics and experts. The United States is being beaten by other nations with higher test scores and the government have being trying to close the achievement gap andRead MoreThe Importance Of Education1813 Words   |  8 PagesEveryone goes through it, and rarely anyone ever enjoys it. Education. The stigma around school and education among students is often not a very pleasant experience. Many students often dread waking up early, only to go to a series of dry and unengaging classes in an over organized system. The idea that our students dread education so much should be a red flag that the system is failing and changes should be made. Our education syst em needs to undergo various changes to create better educated studentsRead MoreOrganisational Theory230255 Words   |  922 Pagesis central to managing, organizing and reflecting on both formal and informal structures, and in this respect you will find this book timely, interesting and valuable. Peter Holdt Christensen, Associate Professor, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark McAuley et al.’s book is thought-provoking, witty and highly relevant for understanding contemporary organizational dilemmas. The book engages in an imaginative way with a wealth of organizational concepts and theories as well as provides insightful examples

What Were the Top 4 Causes of the Civil War

The question â€Å"what caused the U.S. Civil War?† has been debated since the horrific conflict ended in 1865. As with most wars, however, there was no single cause.   Pressing Issues That Led to the Civil War The Civil War erupted from a variety of long-standing tensions and disagreements about American life and politics. For nearly a century, the people and politicians of the northern and southern states had been clashing over the issues that finally led to war: economic interests, cultural values, the power of the federal government to control the states, and, most importantly, slavery in American society. While some of these differences might have been resolved peacefully through diplomacy, slavery was not among them. With a way of life steeped in age-old traditions of white supremacy and a mainly agricultural economy that depended on cheap (slave) labor, the southern states viewed slavery as essential to their very survival. Slavery in the Economy and Society At the time of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, slavery not only remained legal in all 13 British American colonies, but it also continued to play a significant role in their economies and societies. Prior to the American Revolution, the institution of slavery in America had become firmly established as being limited to persons of African ancestry. In this atmosphere, the seeds of white supremacy were sown. Even when the U.S. Constitution was ratified in 1789, very few black people and no slaves were allowed to vote or own property. However, a growing movement to abolish slavery had led many northern states to enact abolitionist laws and abandon slavery. With an economy based more on industry than agriculture, the north enjoyed a steady flow of European immigrants. As impoverished refugees from the potato famine of the 1840s and 1850s, many of these new immigrants could be hired as factory workers at low wages, thus reducing the need for slavery in the north. In the southern states, longer growing seasons and fertile soils had established an economy based on agriculture fueled by sprawling, white-owned plantations that depended on slaves to perform a wide range of duties. When Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin in 1793, cotton became very profitable. This machine was able to reduce the time it took to separate seeds from the cotton. At the same time, the increase in the number of plantations willing to move from other crops to cotton created an even greater need for slaves. The southern economy became a one-crop economy, depending on cotton and, therefore, on slavery. Though it was often supported throughout the social and economic classes, not every white southerner owned slaves. The population of the south was around 6 million in 1850 and only about 350,000 were slave owners. This included many of the wealthiest families, a number of whom owned large plantations. At the start of the Civil War, at least 4 million slaves and their descendants were forced to live and work on the southern plantations. In contrast, industry ruled the economy of the north and less emphasis was on agriculture, though even that was more diverse. Many northern industries were purchasing the souths raw cotton and turning it into finished goods. This economic disparity also led to irreconcilable differences in societal and political views. In the north, the influx of immigrants — many from countries that had long since abolished slavery — contributed to a society in which people of different cultures and classes lived and worked together. The south, however, continued to hold onto a social order based on white supremacy in both private and political life, not unlike that under the rule of racial apartheid that persisted in South Africa for decades. In both the north and south, these differences influenced views on the powers of the federal government to control the economies and cultures of the states. States and Federal Rights Since the time of the American Revolution, two camps emerged when it came to the role of government. Some people argued for greater rights for the states and others argued that the federal government needed to have more control. The first organized government in the U.S. after the Revolution was under the Articles of Confederation. The 13 states formed a loose Confederation with a very weak federal government. However, when problems arose, the weaknesses of the Articles caused the leaders of the time to come together at the Constitutional Convention and create, in secret, the U.S. Constitution. Strong proponents of states rights like Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry were not present at this meeting. Many felt that the new Constitution ignored the rights of states to continue to act independently. They felt that the states should still have the right to decide if they were willing to accept certain federal acts. This resulted in the idea of nullification, whereby the states would have the right to rule federal acts unconstitutional. The federal government denied states this right. However, proponents such as John C. Calhoun — who resigned as Vice President to represent South Carolina in the Senate — fought vehemently for nullification. When nullification would not work and many of the southern states felt that they were no longer respected, they moved towards thoughts of secession. Slave and Non-Slave States As America began to expand — first, with the lands gained from the Louisiana Purchase and later with the Mexican War — the question arose of whether new states would be slave states or free states. An attempt was made to ensure that equal numbers of free and slave states were admitted to the Union, but over time this proved difficult. The Missouri Compromise passed in 1820. This established a rule that prohibited slavery in states from the former Louisiana Purchase  north of the latitude 36 degrees 30 minutes, with the exception of Missouri.   During the Mexican War, the debate began about what would happen with the new territories the U.S. expected to gain upon victory. David Wilmot proposed the Wilmot Proviso in 1846, which would ban slavery in the new lands. This was shot down amid much debate. The Compromise of 1850 was created by Henry Clay and others to deal with the balance between slave and free states. It was designed to protect both northern and southern interests. When California was admitted as a free state, one of the provisions was the Fugitive Slave Act. This held individuals responsible for harboring fugitive slaves, even if they were located in non-slave states.   The  Kansas-Nebraska Act  of 1854 was another issue that further increased tensions. It created two new territories that would allow the states to use popular sovereignty to determine whether they would be free states or slave states. The real issue occurred in Kansas where pro-slavery Missourians, called Border Ruffians, began to pour into the state in an attempt to force it toward slavery.   Problems came to a head with a violent clash at Lawrence, Kansas. This caused it to become known as Bleeding Kansas. The fight even erupted on the floor of the Senate when anti-slavery proponent Charles Sumner was beaten over the head by South Carolinas Senator Preston Brooks. The Abolitionist Movement Increasingly, northerners became more polarized against slavery. Sympathies began to grow for abolitionists and against slavery and slaveholders.  Many in the north came to view slavery as not just socially unjust, but morally wrong. The abolitionists came with a variety of viewpoints. People such as William Lloyd Garrison and Frederick Douglass wanted immediate freedom for all slaves. A group that included Theodore Weld and Arthur Tappan advocated for emancipating slaves slowly. Still others, including Abraham Lincoln, simply hoped to keep slavery from expanding. A number of events helped fuel the cause for abolition in the 1850s.  Harriet Beecher Stowe  wrote Uncle Toms Cabin, and that popular novel opened many eyes to the reality of slavery. The Dred Scott Case  brought the issues of slaves rights, freedom, and citizenship to the Supreme Court. Additionally, some abolitionists took a less peaceful route to fighting against slavery. John Brown and his family fought on the anti-slavery side of Bleeding Kansas. They were responsible for the Pottawatomie Massacre, in which they killed five settlers who were pro-slavery.  Yet, Browns best-known fight would be his last when the group attacked Harpers Ferry in 1859, a crime for which he would hang. The Election of Abraham Lincoln The politics of the day were as stormy as the anti-slavery campaigns. All of the issues of the young nation were dividing the political parties and reshaping the established two-party system of Whigs and Democrats.   The Democratic party was divided between factions in the north and south. At the same time, the conflicts surrounding Kansas and the Compromise of 1850 transformed the Whig party into the Republican party (established in 1854). In the North, this new party was seen as both anti-slavery and for the advancement of the American economy. This included the support of industry and encouraging homesteading while advancing educational opportunities. In the south, Republicans were seen as little more than divisive. The presidential election of 1860 would be the deciding point for the Union. Abraham Lincoln represented the new Republican party and Stephen Douglas, the northern Democrat, was seen as his biggest rival. The southern Democrats put John C. Breckenridge on the ballot. John C. Bell represented the Constitutional Union Party, a group of conservative Whigs hoping to avoid secession. The countrys divisions were clear on election day. Lincoln won the north, Breckenridge the south, and Bell the border states. Douglas won only Missouri and a portion of New Jersey. It was enough for Lincoln to win the popular vote, as well as 180 electoral votes. Even though things were already near a boiling point after Lincoln was elected, South Carolina issued its Declaration of the Causes of Secession on December 24, 1860. They believed that Lincoln was anti-slavery and in favor of northern interests.   President Buchanans administration did little to quell the tension or stop what would become known as Secession Winter. Between election day and Lincolns inauguration in March,  seven states seceded from the Union: South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas.   In the process, the south took control of federal installations, including forts in the region, which would give them a foundation for war. One of the most shocking events occurred when one-quarter of the nations army surrendered in Texas under the command of General David E. Twigg. Not a single shot was fired in that exchange, but the stage was set for the bloodiest war in American history. Edited by Robert Longley