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Impacts of the American Civil War
Impacts of the American Civil War
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Impacts of the American Civil War
The American civil war began on 12th April 1861, when the Confederate ships attacked the Union Army at Fort Sumter. It ended when the Confederate leader, General Lee, surrendered at Appomattox. There were already simmering tension between the Southern and Northern states. It occurred at a point when the American economy was experiencing spectacular growth. The primary cause of the war was the status of slavery. The civil war left a mark o the country and had astounding effects. Aspects of war, slavery, crisis management, and the role of women in war and society are lessons from the war which shaped the country. This essay will emphasize these lessons learnt from the war and explain how they shaped the country’s politics, governance, healthcare, and society post-war to date.
Causes of the War
At the time, slavery was still in existence. Slaves played a vital role in the country’s economy as they worked in the industries and farmlands. The Southern states’ economy was centred around large scale cash crop farming, while the North had a pretty well established industrial sector, and farming was limited to small scale (History.com Editors, 2021). The South utilized the use of slaves more than the North. An abolitionist movement was growing in the North, and the passing of the Kansas-Nebraska Act by congress in 1854 added more fuel to the fire. The South grew in fear that slavery would be put to an end in reaction to the abolitionist movements in the North. They were of the view that their economy was under threat.
The election of Abraham Lincoln, the first Republican President, was the last motivating factor for the war. McPharson (2021) cites that his election was of platform bent on keeping slavery out of the territories, which was not taken lightly by the Southern States. This led to the secession of the following Southern States; South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Texas, Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana. The Northern States refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of the secession, citing it as the discretion of democracy. It would lead to a fragmented country and end the United States’ existence (McPherson 2021). These events led to one of the countries most dreadful wars.
Battles Fought During the War and Consequences of The war
The conflict between the Free and Slave trade began after the confederates raided Fort Sumter and tried to claim as their own. From this event, several battles were waged, with about a million armed men engaged in fierce fights by the end of 1861 ( McPherson 2021). The most significant battles were the First Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), the Battle of Shiloh, Second Manassas, the Seven Days’ Battle, and the Battle of Fredericksburg in Virginia and Antietam, Maryland. These wars led to a change in how the war was viewed, and the goals each side had were changed tremendously by these battles. The death tolls rose, and the battles dragged for longer. Scholars cite these battles as bloody and destructive conflicts that left many bitter memories (Eli et al., 2018). Managing healthcare during the war was a challenge, and it was up to the individual families to figure out how to handle these situations as the country was in turmoil. According to a study, medical care was heavily criticized during the war regarding the number of casualties during the war (Reilly 2016).
The war impacted American society more than any other event in U.S. history. Research cites that at least 620,000 soldiers were killed in the war, 2 per cent of the country’s population 1861 ( McPherson 2017). In the research, McPherson (2017) compares the death tolls of the gruesome conflict to significant events that happened post the civil and the results were astronomical. He cites that if the same percentage of the population were killed in a war in the current times, six million lives would be lost. In a report, it is cited that the number of casualties in the battle of Antietam was so large that it was almost impossible to compile (NPS, 2021), but the following data was collected
Status Union Confederate Total
Killed 2,100 1,550 3,650
Wounded 9,550 7,750 17,300
Missing/Captured 750 1,020 1,770
Total 12,400 10,320 22,720
(Data set on lives casualties in the Battle of Antietam (NPS, 2021)
The numbers alone are proof enough of how bloody this battle alone was. A lot was left to be done to pick up the pieces.
The war dragged longer than expected. The main goal of this war instigated by the South was to fight the North’s agenda of not allowing greater slave territorial reach. Lives got lost, and families were broken. It was generally thought that the war would last for a short period but lasted for four years. Families within which these states of battle and families of those in war faced an even more significant challenge. Grappling with the aftermath of the battles, relocation, dealing with sickness, and the death of loved ones was very tough, especially in times of war. The four years of conflict changed the public’s opinion on war and the government.
The Union victory in the battle of Antietam marked the end of the war. It stopped the Confederates advance in Maryland and had their General, General Lee, retreat into Virginia (History.com Editors, 2021). This meant the North won, and the slavery setup had to change. This also meant that the secession did not succeed, and the United States remained as one. The bloodshed was now over, signalling a new era of change for society and the economy.
The Emancipation Proclamation
A free nation was now set to be the future of The United States after the war. At the end of the war, after the Unions’ victory at Antietam, President Lincoln used the event to make a preliminary, The Emancipation Proclamation, which freed all slaves in the rebellious states (History.com Editors, 2021). Lincoln defined the decision as a wartime measure, so he only freed the enslaved in rebellious states and did not free those in states loyal to the Union. Several battle attempts were waged by the Confederates but did not bear fruit, and finally, Lee decided to surrender (History.com Editors, 2021).
The aftermath of the War and Lessons from The War. The war marked the beginning of the end of slavery. McPherson(2021) cites that “The war resolved two fundamental questions left unresolved by the revolution: whether the United States was to be a dissolvable confederation of sovereign states or an indivisible nation with a sovereign national government.” The secession of the southern states did not happen, and the Kansas-Nebraska act did not go through as it was aimed at, and slaves in some of the Confederate states were freed. This marked the beginning of the end of the slave era in the United States and left lessons for future generations. The racial caste system and slave labour were now set to end as it began with the end of slavery in the Confederate States.
The war set the pace for women’s recognition in times of battle. Even though most women during this time were not educated, their presence in battle cannot be ignored. In a recent thesis, it is noted that women abandoned their domestic roles during the war and joined in the battlefront, assuming several roles (Syamken 2018). These roles included serving in the U.S. Sanitary Commission, Nurses in Hospitals and even female soldiers entering the battlefront. Heroines noted from the war include Clara Barton, Dorothea Dix, the Grimke sisters, Harriet Tubman, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Sarah Joseph Hale, and Julia Ward. Their accomplishments are well praised in journals and history books. They changed the entire public’s opinion on gender roles in times of war.
The war-affected the American citizens’ ideology and mindsets, especially war veterans. During the war, many aligned themselves according to ideologies on enslavement according to their states’ stance, while some did not. The enmity between Union and Confederate veterans influenced Southern to Northern migration. That basis should be used in even considering the migration and settlement of veterans and regular citizens during the Postbellum period (Eli et al., 2018). This ideological alignment influenced their migration then and even after, as the memories were still etched in their minds.
In conclusion, The American Civil War, the bloodiest war in American History, changed the perception around war and enslavement. There is much to take from it as it was the most impactful war in the country to date as no other war ever claimed so many lives before and after the war. There is a need to remind ourselves of the war as the past is often a reflection of the future. Teaching ourselves about the war should remind us how far we have come as a country.
References
NPS. (2021, 19th October). Casualties – Antietam National Battlefield (U.S. National Park Service). Nps.Gov. https://www.nps.gov/anti/learn/historyculture/casualties.htm
History.com Editors. (2021, 13th January). Civil War. HISTORY. https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/american-civil-war-history
Eli, S.et al. (2018). Ideology and Migration after the American Civil War | The Journal of Economic History. Cambridge Core. Retrieved 09–03, from https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-economic-history/article/ideology-and-migration-after-the-american-civil-war/AE78EA9B13858795334D57494DB23F10McPherson J. (2017) Out of War, a New Nation. (2017, 15th December). National Archives. https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2010/spring/newnation.html
McPherson J. (2021) A Brief Overview of the American Civil War. (2021, 24th August). American Battlefield Trust. https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/brief-overview-american-civil-war
Syamken, M. (2018). “A Brave New Woman:” Print Media’s Portrayal of Women in the American Civil War – ProQuest. ProQuest.Com. https://www.proquest.com/openview/7f51d77ec16d3dcfd3f063c6a33af386/1?cbl=18750&diss=y&pq-origsite=gscholar
Impacts of Technological Innovations on the Commercial Real
Impacts of Technological Innovations on the Commercial Real Estate
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Introduction
Over the years, commercial real estate has continued to be the main contributor to the stability of the economy for most countries. Nearly all sectors in the market are linked to commercial real estate either directly or indirectly. The commercial real estate segment is one among three segments of the real estate sector. It consists of properties and spaces used for business purposes only. These property types include office buildings, warehouses, restaurants, malls, medical centers, and retail premises. Commercial real estate has also experienced growth in its lifetime, especially with technological advancements invented by day. It embraces and heavily relies on technology to facilitate its operations. Technological innovations are responsible for some of the biggest operational and supply shifts experienced in the commercial real estate market. An assessment of the commercial real estate sector depicts and outlines the impacts of technology on the sector. This paper aims to research and analyze the impacts of technological innovations on the commercial real estate sector.
Technological innovations have increased the demand for commercial real estate properties by production industries. Technology has enhanced the production of improved and cheaper goods by industries using the CRE properties. According to CBRE (2019), there was an increase in sales volume from 16% in 2017 to 23% in 2018 for production industries. Six hundred billion worth of sales was witnessed between 2017 and 2018. The expansion by retail industries to meet the growing market targets has prompted commercial real estate to restructure its setup, adopt modern space plans, and improve its infrastructure. Commercial real estate also employs modern construction equipment to develop tenants’ desired infrastructure and property construction plans, attracting their attention and maintaining prolonged relevance in the market (Ratcliffe et al., 2021). Technology has also solved the problem of physical proximity through the invention of lifts and elevators. Commercial real estate has benefited from the invention of lifts and escalators because they can now use small land pieces in their property construction. It has allowed for the construction of skyscrapers, termed ideal office spaces (Barkham et al., 2018). The presence of skyscrapers also increases the desirability of property location hence increasing the space’s market value.
The invention of the internet has been one of the most significant technological advances that have strongly impacted the operations of the commercial real estate market sector. A review of the Harvard Business article (2017) revealed that two-tire businesses in commercial real estate that used internet information in their decision-making were more profitable and productive than their competitors. The internet avails vital information about the market conditions, other properties in the market, socioeconomic conditions, and economic indicators to commercial real estate investors who use it to make crucial decisions regarding their projects (Kok et al., 2017). It allows them to study the market, understand their potential clients’ property expectations and preferences, their competition, and the standard rent rates that prevail in the market. Statistics show 66% of executives in the commercial real estate sector have gained a competitive advantage due to data and analytics. It is an improvement from 37%, recorded in 2010 (Zhang et al., 2016). This information helps property owners, and investors cut their transaction costs through efficient decision making. It becomes an added advantage because investors can use internet information on trends in the commercial real estate sector to predict future outcomes and gravitate their construction of projects to fit the trends.
Commercial real estate has also embraced the digitization of property advertisements and viewing. Property owners have adopted virtual means to showcase their property in the market, reaching out to a larger crowd than manual methods. Studies show 53% of companies in the commercial real estate sector have invested in various tech firms (Barkham et al., 2018). With the pandemic’s onset, movement restrictions, and minimal physical contact in the market, digitization has proved convenient and effective. Potential clients can now view properties in the market at the comfort of their houses through virtual showings and open houses. Other technological innovations include omnichannel, augmented and virtual reality, personalized sales, and real-time auctions (Yigitcanlar, 2016). Digitization accounts for three-quarters of the growth experienced in the current commercial real estate sector. 40% of firms in this sector have an established road map for their digital transformation. Property owners have incorporated digital leasing processes and digital sales as well. It has therefore made has work easier for realtors in the industry. Buyers can find their desired space over a short period without unnecessary strenuous, time-consuming movements.
Technological innovations have enhanced the productivity of the intellectual property. Modern transportation systems have rendered economic agents’ physical proximity irrelevant (Kummerow & Lun, 2015). Modern institutional structures characterized by downsizing, outsourcing, and smaller task-driven teams have emerged in the commercial real estate market. Capital-intensive structures have been replaced in low-density sectors by functional cubicle spaces that rely on technology entirely. The office spaces have also been affected because some clients have opted to work from home, thus not needing the office space. According to Deloitte’s commercial real estate outlook (2021) 49% increase in vacancy is expected for second-tier commercial real estate properties. A 47% decrease in rental properties is also expected because of the shift experienced in the market (Gujral et al., 2020). This move downsizes the commercial real estate sector since most spaces are left unoccupied. On the other hand, properties like warehouses continue to gain popularity and attract many clients.
The e-commerce penetration into the commercial real estate sector has seen many retailing firms shift to online distribution of commodities to their customers. Statistics show It has experienced a growth of 37% in 2019 only. This percentage translates to approximately eight hundred billion dollars channeled into E-commerce (Piazolo & Dogan, 2020). Most of them don’t need physical spaces to operate from. Therefore, they rely heavily on warehouses to store their commodities and distribute them using modern transportation systems. For this reason, commercial real estate has shifted its focus and resources to constructing more modern warehouses to meet the niche in the market (Veuger, 2018). The demand for warehouses has shot by 22% in 2021. Approximately one thousand eight hundred tenants needed over 660 million square feet. Individual tenants. Statistics show that third-party logistics leased a minimum of 100,000 square feet of industrial spaces last year only (Barkham et al., 2018). It was equivalent to 31.3% of the market share and one hundred and twenty-two million bulk square feet.
With the health and safety of their clients in mind, Commercial real estate players have built modern and advanced spaces that incorporate technological aspects for functionality. Property owners strive to avail modern facilities essential for their tenants, like a good internet connection (Kok et al., 2017). Research shows 90% of tenants in office spaces consider internet availability before leasing the space. Motion sensors, intruders, and fire alarms have been installed in CRE premises to enhance the security of their clients and their property (Veuger, 2018). In addition, doors with automatic sensors and touchless plumbing fixtures have been used in most properties to make the experience of their tenants unique, satisfactory, and convenient. A 2017 white Paper states that a property’s connectivity and advanced security measures increase its market value by 3.1%. Property owners are more creative than ever and develop spaces that promote their tenants’ good health and wellness. They go for features that enhance natural lighting, reduce congestion and thermal, and increase the comfortability of their tenants. Technology has made it possible for investors to construct properties that have all the necessary and modern features easily and affordably.
Conclusion
Commercial real estate has experienced undeniable progress over time because of technological innovations in various fields in the market. Technology has made its operations easier, faster, and more productive. Property owners boast of meeting the high market standards and the demands of their clients thanks to technology. However, it is also important to acknowledge that some innovations have negatively affected the commercial real estate sector. Players in this market sector should therefore moderate technology incorporation and look out for their employees and wellness. It is expected that more technological innovations will emerge in the future, influencing the changes in the commercial real estate market sector. Therefore, commercial real estate players should stay positive and open to new technological advancements to maintain relevance in the highly competitive markets.
References
Barkham, R., Bokhari, S., & Saiz, A. (2018). Urban big data: city management and real estate markets. GovLab Digest: New York, NY, USA.
Gujral, V., Palter, R., Sanghvi, A., & Vickery, B. (2020). Commercial real estate must do more than merely adapt to coronavirus. McKinsey & Company.
Kok, N., Koponen, E. L., & Martínez-Barbosa, C. A. (2017). Big data in real estate? From manual appraisal to automated valuation. The Journal of Portfolio Management, 43(6), 202-211.
Kummerow, M., & Lun, J. C. (2015). Information and communication technology in the real estate industry: productivity, industry structure and market efficiency. Telecommunications Policy, 29(2-3), 173-190.
Piazolo, D., & Dogan, U. C. (2020). Impacts of digitization on real estate sector jobs. Journal of Property Investment & Finance.
Ratcliffe, J., Stubbs, M., & Keeping, M. (2021). Urban planning and real estate development. Routledge.
Veuger, J. (2018, September). Digitalization real estate on American Real Estate Society 2018. In 2018 CIRRE Conference: 3rd Conference of Interdisciplinary Research on Real Estate (pp. 149-154). Hanze University of Applied Sciences.
Yigitcanlar, T. (2016). Technology and the city: Systems, applications, and implications. Routledge.
Zhang, D., Zhu, P., & Ye, Y. (2016). The effects of E-commerce demand for commercial real estate. Cities, 51, 106-120.
Film shot-by-shot analysis and interpretation
Kai Ming Jason Yuen
Florentia Dalla
Comm 100B
Section: Wednesday 11 a.m.
3/4/2014
Film shot-by-shot analysis and interpretation
The first element of the mise-en-scene, the setting, in the shot is the Paris section within Beijing’s World Park. The opening frames of the shot feature the Arc de Triomphe in the background. Tao and Taisheng have their conversation in one of the Paris-themed walkway in the theme park, where Tao was walking towards at the beginning of the shot. It is nighttime, but the Arc de Triomphe and the walkway are well lit. There is also a store in the walkway, where people could have videos taken of them riding a magic carpet. The second element of the mise-en-scene is costume and makeup. In the shot, Tao is wearing casual clothes, while Taisheng is wearing his security guard uniform. Of note is the similarity in color between Taisheng’s uniform and the jacket worn by Tao. The other people who appear in the shot are wearing casual clothes, as they are presumably theme park visitors. The operator of the blue screen camera in the store is wearing her park uniform. The third element of the mise-en-scene is lighting, and in the shot, only the light from the walkway serves as the lighting. When Tao is walking from the garden to the walkway, there is minimal lighting given that it is nighttime. The fourth element of the mise-en-scene is the movement and staging of the characters. Tao moves towards the camera and the walkway in the opening frames of the shot. Taisheng enters the framing at 27:23 from the left. Tao moves away from the camera and along the walkway at 27:34, stops and turns at 27:41 to the left towards Taisheng, and walks back to Taisheng just as Taisheng moves towards her. Taisheng moves to the right at 28:37 towards the video store. Goes back to the left to grab Tao by the arm at 28:44. The couple moves to the video store together, and have their magic carpet ride.
These elements of the mise-en-scene suggest the alienation between Tao and Taisheng, given that Taisheng had just made an attempt at sex in a previous scene. The two characters do not share the same goals. But they continue to be in a relationship with each other, despite this knowledge. The choice of the setting, an artificial Paris, is fitting as a tool for characterization, as it implies that Tao and Taisheng’s relationship is not real and just for show. Paris is known to be a city of romance, and the romance between the two characters is just as artificial as the setting. The costumes of the characters also reflect their difference in what they want. Taisheng’s uniform suggests his focus on his career—after all, he had previously mentioned that he wanted to be somebody in the world. Tao wears a jacket of similar color to Taisheng as she does have feelings for him. However, underneath the jacket is a brightly colored pink shirt, which suggests that she wants something else for herself. The lighting further serves as a contrast between Tao and Taisheng, especially in the frames from 27:26-36 and 27:51-28:36. In these frames, Taisheng is in the part of the frame where the dark garden can be seen in the background, and he is less illuminated than Tao. Finally, the movement in the shot demonstrates the decision of both characters to continue their relationship despite their recognition that their desires are not parallel to each other and keep up the charade.
Almost the entirety of the shot utilizes a medium shot distance at eye level. The only exception would be the use of a long shot distance at the beginning of the shot, as the entire body of Tao is seen. The framing of the characters vary throughout the shot. At the beginning of the shot, only Tao is framed as she walks towards the camera and walkway. When Taisheng enters at 27:23 from the left, he becomes part of the framing in the left, while Tao’s movement to the right places her to the far right of the frame at 27:28. At 27:36 Taisheng disappears from the framing completely, with the framing focusing on Tao at the right. When Tao moves back towards Taisheng at 27:41, the framing includes Taisheng again, but this time Tao is at the center of the framing and Taisheng remaining at the left. During these frames where the two talk, two male theme park visitors are traversing the walkway into the horizon, at the right of Tao and the framing. Taisheng is then framed to the right at 28:44, when he returns to grab Tao by the arm. At 28:53 the two characters are now framed at the center, with the camera operator at the right. This continues as they ride the magic carpet. The shot concludes with the framing focused solely on the TV screen at the right side of the frame and some balloons at the left.
The composition created through the use of framing and camera position is meant to visually represent the dramatic tension in the shot. The dramatic tension concerns Tao’s decision of whether to leave Taisheng or stay with him in the relationship. The framing of Tao at the center at 27:50, with Taisheng at the left and the two males walking towards the horizon on the right is the climax of this dramatic tension, as Tao could choose Taisheng, or choose the walkway and leaving him. Of note are the two male and female figures sitting on the benches of different distances from the background in these frames as well. It suggests the schism between Tao and Taisheng as well. When Taisheng moves to the right and the framing shifts towards the couple, the decision of Tao to remain in the relationship is emphasized, resolving the dramatic tension.
The depth of field for most of the shot is a deep focus, as objects remain sharp and detailed both in the foreground and background. The exception to this would be the use of shallow focus at 29:14, as the focal plane is on Tao and Taisheng, evident with the blurring of the couple that passes by to look at Tao and Taisheng as the ride the magic carpet. Rack focusing was then used as the camera pans to the TV screen, with the focal plane shifting to the foreground and Tao, Taisheng and the camera operator become unclear.
Since there is only one shot involved, the duration of the second shot in the sequence and scene is 150 seconds, from 27:15 to 29:45. The length of this shot is relatively long. The pacing has both discourse time and story of diegetic time being parallel to each other, which means that the shot is occurring in real time. There were no changes of pacing within the shot.
The dominant camera movement in the shot is panning. The camera pans to the right at 27:25, with a very slight zoom in. The camera pans to the right to follow Tao beginning at 27:34 and stops at 27:37. There is a slight pan to the left at 27:45-46. The camera pans to the right again at 28:46-53 and slightly again at 28:55-29:08. The final slow pan to the right occurs at 29:15-29:36, with the last frames focused on the TV.
All of the sounds in the shot are diegetic and there are no narrations or music to accompany the shot. The diegetic sounds include all the dialogue as well as ambient sounds part of the setting. Most of the sounds are onscreen: the dialogue between Tao and Taisheng, the jingling of the bells in Tao’s jacket, the footsteps of the people walking in the Parisian walkway. There is also a continued presence of the sound of the wind in the background. The last frames of the shot features music, but it is from the TV screen depicting the video being made of them riding a magic carpet in the replica Eiffel Tower of the Beijing World Park. There are some off-screen sounds. The most prominent at the beginning of the shot are the sounds of fireworks in the distance, which is partly a j-cut sound as it establishes the continuity from the previous shot which features fireworks in the night sky above the Beijing World Park and the title “Paris in Beijing Suburb.” The off-screen firework sounds stop at around 28:15. After this, the fireworks sound is replaced by sounds of people talking, presumably park visitors going home. Another early prominent off-screen sound comes from the speakers announcing that the theme park is closing soon. When Tao disappears from the framing at 27:35, him calling out to Tao becomes an off-screen sound. At 28:39, Taisheng calling out to Tao to join him in the magic carpet video is again an off-screen sound, as he has disappeared from the frame. The camera operator at the video store’s voice starts as an off-screen sound at 28:51. Her voice remains as an off-screen sound at 29:28, when the camera focuses on the TV screen. The sound perspective highlights the dialogue and the ambient sound of the wind for most of the shot, with the exception of the last frames focusing on the TV screen where the music accompanying Tao and Taisheng’s video takes primacy.
Since there is only a single shot, there are no transitions within this shot. The transition from the previous scene is a j-cut, with the sound of fireworks establishing continuity. The transition to the scene after the shot is a simply cut, with no dissolve or iris-in and iris-out to facilitate the transition.
The choice of the director in the visuals of the shot is meant to emphasize both narrative and characterization. As discussed earlier, the mise-en-scene establishes characterization through highlighting the difference between Tao and Taisheng. The framing of the scene, which barely places the two characters close to each other in the frames, highlight their alienation to each other. The concluding frames focusing on the TV presents the artificiality of their relationship, along with the mise-en-scene choice of setting the shot in the replica Paris within Beijing World Park. The dramatic tension in the narrative is established through the framing and the mise-en-scene as well, highlighting the choice that must be made by Tao to either leave or stay with Taisheng.
The choices in terms of sound in the shot are meant to establish the atmosphere of the shot. The couple is estranged with each other, hence the primacy of the ambient sound of wind. This creates an atmosphere of loneliness. The repeated off-screen dialogue of Taisheng further highlights this estrangement, as Taisheng does not appear to be part of Tao’s reality. The primacy of the music in the video at the end of the shot emphasizes the artificiality of their continued relationship.
The choice made by the director in terms of pacing is meant to give the shot a strong sense of realism. The parallel between the discourse and diegetic times establish this, and the generally slow pace of the entire scene is indicative of the slow pace of the lives of the characters throughout the film.