1.Do subjects of differing anxiety levels perform equally in front of Literature review

1.Do subjects of differing anxiety levels perform equally in front of an audience 2.Is there an association between anxiety levels, physiological arousal, stature and performance - Literature review Example It can also be looked as a kind of subjectively unpleasant feeling of dread and various kinds of events that are over-anticipated like the feeling of an imminent death. It is important to note that anxiety is not similar to fear (Pertaub, Slater & Barker 2001, 375). Fear is the actual response to real or certain perceived threats in the immediate environment. On the other hand, anxiety refers to the expectation that a certain threat or worse experience will happen in the future. In this case, anxiety can be seen as a special feeling of worry, fear and an uneasiness that is often generalized and also unfocussed as an overreaction to situations that seem to be subjectively menacing. In some cases, anxiety is often associated with restlessness, muscular tensions, fatigue as well as problems and challenges in concentration (Karunakaran 2011, 49; Bailey & Wells 2013, 328). It is important to note that anxiety can be an appropriate action and feeling; however, when it is not managed effectively and goes on for a long time, it can be dangerous to the particular individual by causing anxiety disorders (Crawford 2004, 518). This kind of disorders can affect an individual’s productivity at the work place, family and in personal life, calling for the need to manage it in the most effective and efficient ways. People that often have varying levels of anxiety often do not perform equally in front of their audience. Different people often have various ways in which they manage their stress levels, while some can easily put it under control in order to perform well in various disciplines, others, especially those coming into the sport for the first time like athletes and performers can be broken down by it. For most performers, those that ends up failing to manage stage fright end up having high levels of anxiety, which affects their performance. For athletes, the

Discuss Classic Film Posters Essay Example for Free

Discuss Classic Film Posters Essay Introduction Movie posters today are considered collectibles and rare ones fetch high prices. Great movie posters are hard to find. Historically, most posters are cut and paste jobs that do not sell the movie very well while a great poster could intrigue, shock, inspire as well as excite.   To create sensation and convince viewers, it should be aesthetically beautiful or original as well memorable that a single glance will make the viewer go inside the theatre to watch. According to Kinross (1991), graphic design is the activity that evolved out of what has been known as ‘commercial art’ closely linked to advertising, drawn or painted illustration. The graphic designer is generally acknowledged among themselves as professional designers who are able to work across a range of fields with different media including companies and corporate bodies, book or magazine publishing, exhibition design, signing and architectural graphics, television graphics, posters, among others. Hollis acknowledged that up to the Second World War, artists who are either painters or sculptors such as Kurt Schwitters, Willi Baumeister, and Friedrich Vordemberge-Gildewart. He also added that there had been a crisis in design as computerized designers go off in one direction led by Basel-Wolfgang Weingart and commercially developed by April Greiman and the New Wave of Americans (Kinross, 1991). â€Å"It was something to do with graphic and typographic freedom and with making new images, presenting information as a decorative style†¦ emerged from the new technology of the computer,† Hollis said (Kinross, 1991, p 75). Hollis also believed then that the graphic designer does not control the content of what he or she is designing. He also observed that in postmodernism, there is a large element of eclecticism that borrow past styles and apply them such as what Bruno Mongunzzi, a classic modern typographer and an intelligent designer who is â€Å"not highly original †¦ [with the] notion of â€Å"I don’t want to be interesting, I want to be good,† (p 75). Hollis delineated art as pre aesthetic information while graphics is information which could inevitably become aesthetic. Hollis and Kinross agree that â€Å"graphic design is modernism in the graphic field†¦ the conjunction of image and text† (p 76) of which Hollis emphasized the importance of the relationship between image and text. Lithography (from 1800) was credited to allow joining of image and text laboriously by hand. Likewise, aside from text and image, there was also the conjunction of image and image where photography provided raw material for montage such as John Heartfield’s, and by making surrealism possible images which appeared to be machine-made. Photography was considered as the central generator of graphic design of the modern movement citing the Volkswagen advertisement in particular (Kinross, 1991). Design as also closely linked, if not overlapped with advertising starting the 1960s. Hollis proposed that it was difficult to separate graphics from marketing which is, â€Å"a distinctly bourgeois activity, which has occasionally, probably through pop music, had connections with some sort of mass culture,† (Kinross, 1991, p 79-80). This paper shall try to discuss the organization, design, use of colour, spatial layout, and lettering in the movie posters: The Bridge on the River Kwai, The Guns of Navarone, The Magnificent Seven, and The Great Escape with the above premise. Discussion: The Bridge on the River Kwai. Design This poster uses period book-type design with an obvious elongated presentation. The type spacing or leading is not controlled and seem to take up much space to provide cramped texts that followed, including the movie title. It also uses illustrations in layered format from the smallest image below, a bigger image above it, and the biggest one showing up close in action the lead character. In fact, the rectangle below the introductory four-line texts seem to be a book cover superimposed on the lower small image with the matching text so that the poster seem to have used a book cover itself. Color The use of color is impressive as the classic eye-catching combination of yellow and red are used. A little of blue text complemented the overall mix of colors. Spatial Lay-out As mentioned earlier, there seem to be a followed desire to use a book cover format with introductory catch lines above and supporting details just below the book cover image. The concept, although longer than the usual movie poster, is impressive. Lettering Type fonts were already used in this print but the title â€Å"The Bridge on the River Kwai† is definitely hand-executed in bold, uneven manner which is very prominent. The Guns of Navarone. Design This one uses comics-type illustration and classic poster size to present strong images of the lead characters and the sea. Already, the use of the classic movie poster lay-out is laid and presented making this one in hand-lettering and cut and paste rendition one for the books. Color The use of the yellow/brown and red combination is another notable characteristic of this movie poster. It is catchy with a huge single image in symmetrical balance with the lead credits. However, its catch line superimposed on the image is not very noticeable or striking. Lettering The Guns of Navarone is also hand-executed with uneven yet type-cast style showing ethnic influence in the design and lettering. The bigger presentation of the lead character names overshadow the movie title, showing that the characters are more saleable than the story plot. Or that each could help sell the other. A witty approach towards commercialism. Spatial Lay-out The use of space and overall design of the poster is pleasing and symmetrical. It is also-well-balanced and does not stray the attention away from it. The Magnificent Seven. Design The Magnificent Seven uses the number image as its main design structure showcasing the face of the lead characters. It has a convincing approach to the use of graphics and confining images in a relevant manner so as to emphasize the number. Color Once again, the colors red and yellow are very evident in this poster although the gray, black and white images of the faces and heads confined within the number add a balance that mutes the overwhelming yellow. The use of the neutrals or muted hues is very rational as use of human flesh colors could drown the effect red and yellow provide. However, additional color on the images below the number 7 could have provided more impact, intrigue and variety. Spatial Lay out The lay-out is quite crampy within the confines of the number 7, with much waste on the sides of each space. The limitation could have been the effect of printing graphics at that time. Use of machine is already evident at this poster and the font sizes and the wasted spaces provide a glimpse of experimentation being used. Lettering A combination of hand-executed lettering and machine type, this one shows the limitation of graphic design during the period. The Great Escape. Design Considered the quad poster, this one uses horizontal design to present the entire poster. The balance is achieved through the placement of small catch line on the left and the title and image on the center-right. Color The use of basic red and blue is very effective as black balances the off-white color of the reversed title in big fat fonts. Spatial lay out There is also the experimentation of text size in this poster. While balance is being achieved, there is also the wastage of some space where the catch line could have gained advantage. However, since commercial design was in its adolescent stage, this is forgivable. Lettering Machine seems to be the evident executor at this poster. Every letter size and type are uniformed and the limited use of space made it more obvious. Conclusion The period when photographs are hardly used, comic and book art illustrations were used in movie posters. These posters achieved classic popularity and acceptance due to use of what are typically accepted design concepts at that time; use of basic colors red, yellow and blue which appear striking against one another at the same time catchy in the commercial sense, attainment of balance and symmetry by not tilting the meter of text and photos to only a single side, or plain use of centering. The lay-out and ettering are evidently limited due to time and resources restrictions. However, in a period when posters were used as announcements and not exactly collectible graphic arts, these are acceptable norms for movie posters. Current trends, however, may provide new design concepts that may or may not be considered acceptable in any other given period. Design mutates, and popular taste is conditioned, influenced, as well as acquired. So does design and movie posters. Reference: Kinross, Robin (1992). â€Å"Conversation with Richard Hollis on Graphic Design History.†Ã‚   Journal of Design History 5 (3) 73-93. Hershenson, Bruce (1998). â€Å"A History of Movie Posters.† Reel Classics.

School Vouchers Essay -- Educational Vouchers Scholarships

One of the most important topics in government today is the issue of school vouchers. The two sides have remained deeply entrenched in their rival positions concerning this issue. Some wonder about the practicality of using the vouchers, while others wonder if it is defeating the purpose of the educational system. Educational vouchers can be very beneficial for both the student and even the school districts involved in the program. Many people do not realize the benefits of this program. Educational vouchers are something that many school districts need to implement due to their advantages. The benefits of educational vouchers very much outweigh the disadvantages.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Educational vouchers, also known as scholarships, redirect the flow of education funding, channeling it directly to individual families rather than to school districts. This allows families to select the public or private schools of their choice and have all or part of the tuition paid. These vouchers are funded by either public (government) or private (corporations, foundations) funds. Scholarships are advocated on the grounds that parental choice and competition between public and private schools will improve education for all children (www.schoolchoices.org).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Publicly-funded education vouchers allow families to make private decisions regarding how public taxpayer money should be spent. Therefore, a voucher program hopes to create an educational market where schools must compete for students. Supporters claim market benefits, such as choice and innovation, will improve education. Opponents, on the other hand, say that vouchers will lead to greater inequality and the loss of civic preparation. Current evidence concerning the impact of vouchers is disputed (IBID.).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Zelman versus Simmons-Harris court case that ended on June 22, 2002, is probably one of the most monumental court cases to date on this subject. The United States Supreme Court upheld a Cleveland, Ohio school voucher program by a 5-4 vote. Judges Rehnquist, O’Connor, Kennedy, Scalia, and Thomas were for the decision (www.law.umkc.edu). This case was the latest in a long series of Supreme Court decisions that eroded constitutional requirements for school voucher programs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In order to comply with these constitutional requirements, a constitutional voucher program must take many actions. The prog... ...oney to afford a better school. If the administrators continue to allow this, we are denying our children’s’ rights to a good, quality education. School vouchers are something that can guarantee a parent the right to send the student to any school that would best fit his learning style and values. Voucher programs are perhaps the most effective way to help low-income families become active consumers in the educational marketplace, helping them gain control over their children’s education and encouraging them to become more involved. Educational vouchers are a way of putting the student first†¦which should be the main goal of educational personnel everywhere. By implementing an educational voucher program, schools will better themselves and students across the nation will reap in the benefits. WORKS CITED â€Å"Case Analysis.† Americans United for the Separation of Church and State. www.au.org â€Å"Education Vouchers.† www.ncspe.org . â€Å"School Choices.† www.schoolchoices.org/roo/vouchers.htm . â€Å"So You Wanna Learn About School Vouchers?† www.soyouwanna.com/site/pros_cons/vouchers.html â€Å"Zelman v. Simmons-Harris.† www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/zelman.html .

Martha Graham Essay examples -- Dance Dancing Choreography Essays

Martha Graham Martha Graham was one of the most influential figures in American modern dance, and her techniques and styles are still practiced today. She became widely known throughout all ages and decades. Her first debut was in the 1920's. As time went on, she became more experienced and wiser in the modern dance field. Martha Graham, whose style was considered controversial, became one of the finest choreographers and dancers in the dance world. In 1894 Martha was born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania (Pratt 8). She was the daughter of Jane Beers and George Graham. Her father was a well-known physician who treated mental disorders. After living in Pennsylvania for 12 years, she and her family moved to Santa Barbara, California in 1908 (Harmon et al. 182). This was where she started studying modern dance in her earlier years. Martha's father played a big role in her life. Dr. Graham inspired his daughter to search for the meaning behind people's actions. As she sat in her father's office, she would look at the patients in bewilderment. The patients would blurt out words and move their arms and legs in a wild manner, making her even more curious about people's actions (Pratt 13). Dr. Graham then took his daughter to a performance of Ruth St. Denis in 1911 where she was mesmerized by the dancers (Harmon et al. 182). Martha entered Cumnock School of Expression after graduating from high school. There she trained in dance, drama, and self-expressions. Martha's love to study people's actions was incredibly strong. After Graham graduated from the junior college in 1916, she then enrolled in Denishawn School of Dance (182). She was recognized at the school for her talent and determination, not her potential a... ...d a bad case of pneumonia. Graham died on April 1, 1991 (100). Graham led an exciting and fulfilling life. Although her audiences may have had to get used to her innovative style of modern dance, she accomplished her dreams throughout the years and became a big success. Martha Graham became one of the finest dancers and choreographers in the world. Works Cited Harmon, Justin, et al. American Cultural Leaders. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO 1993. McLanathan, Richard and Gene Brown ed. The Arts. New York: New York Times Company, 1978. Mille, Agnes de and Helene Oblensky. American Dances. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc., 1980. "Modern Dance." Microsoft Encarta. 1997 ed. Pratt, Paula Bryant. The Importance of Martha Graham. San Diego: Lucent Books, Inc., 1995. Switzer, Ellen. Dancers! Horizons in American Dance. New York: Atheneum, 1982.

Shaping Identity Using Social Structure

INTRODUCTION Social structure and social interaction are integral in evaluating a person’s identity. Identities are the sets of meanings people hold for themselves that define â€Å"what it means† to be who they are as persons, as role occupants and as group members (PJB article) People are generally influenced by the norms and beliefs of society. A person’s identity is formed through a combination of factors derived from social structure (macrosociology) and social interaction (microsociology).The self influences society through the actions of individuals thereby creating groups, organizations, networks, and institutions (PJB a soiciological approach to self and identity). Reciprocally, society influences the self through its shared language and meanings that enable a person to take the role of the other, engage in social interaction, and reflect upon oneself as an object. (PJB, a sociological approach to self and identity). This essay explores how components of social structure can be more important in shaping an individual identity than social interaction.PARAGRAPH 1 (Definitions& Context) Social structure refers to the framework that surrounds us, consisting of the relationships of people and groups, which gives direction to and sets limits on behaviour. (Sociology, A Down to Earth Approach SDEA) K Plummer defines social structures as the patterns of predictable human actions that cluster around key problems in living and they vary in all societies. Social structure is all around us and is what helps to dictate our behaviour and keep our life in order.It sets the scene for an individual to behave and act appropriately in different settings at different times. Social structure is made up of culture, social class, social status, roles, groups and social institutions (SDEA). Social interaction is the way that people interact with one another (SDEA). According to K Plummer, human beings engage continually in social action and interaction wi th others – changing their own lives and others. We are never solitary individuals and always depend on others for a sense of who we are (K Plummer).A person’s action is influenced by the actions or awareness of others. Social interaction includes stereotypes, personal space, touching, eye contact, smiling, applied body language, dramaturgy, role performance, conflict and strain (SDEA). The difference between social structure and social interaction is that social structure provides a guide to everyday life and social interaction provides a meaning of sense (ref)? PARAGRAPH 2 Social status refers to a position that someone occupies (SDEA). Statuses can be prestigious or less prestigious and range from mother, daughter, spouse, lawyer to criminal.Most individuals are found to occupy several statuses simultaneously thus giving us the term ‘status set’(SDEA). For example, an individual can take on the status of mother, wife, employee and friend. Out of all the statuses we occupy, there is one significant status that tends to override all the other statuses one may occupy, this is termed as a ‘master status’ (SDEA). Status can be further divided into two types, ‘achieved status’ and ‘ascribed status’. To illustrate ‘achieved status’, Usain Bolt is best known for being the fastest man in the world.We see him as a 26 year old Jamaican track and field athlete, a son and brother, but ever since winning both 100 meter and 200 meter races in the London 2012 Olympics, his achievements has earned him that title. ‘Achieved status’ can be both positive and negative (SDEA). By contrast, factors that are involuntary and inherited such as race, sex, family social class, is known as ‘ascribed status’ (SDEA). These factors are usually beyond our control. As life brings change, so too do our statuses. It is constantly evolving according to changes and stages in life.Despite our state of affairs, it is our status that guides our behaviour. For instance, a colleague may turn up to work one day after facing some difficulties at home, however in a work environment, he would continue to work and behave in a professional manner regardless of his personal situations. In addition, individuals can also reinforce their identity by using status symbols in as part of their appearance. This can be in the form of a work uniform to signify an occupation, or in a fashion sense, the type of clothing worn is a silent statement of what sets you apart from others.PARAGRAPH 3 As Linton states, â€Å"a person holds a status, and performs a role†. Simply put, a status is a position and a role is a set of behaviours. With each status, follows a certain role for us to take part in. People tend to adapt to roles, moving through different roles in fluency as student, son, friend. Because people tend to have many different statuses and therefore, many different roles, conflic t occasionally occurs among the various roles. The concept of role conflict is â€Å"conflict among the roles connected to two or more statuses† (ref).A good example of role conflict lies in the working mother; she must take on the responsibilities of mothering the children at home while taking on the responsibilities of working outside the home, away from the children, in order to earn an income (RR). This kind of conflict involves roles which arise from separate statuses, but the same sort of conflict can occur from the roles of a single status. Role strain, then, is â€Å"tension among the roles connected to a single status†. A teacher, for example, can be friendly with his or her students, but must remain objective in grading them.Roles help to keep our behaviour aligned to our particular status. Roles are an essential component of social structure because they lay out what is expected of people. Role performance is the way in which someone performs a role, showing a particular ‘style’ or ‘personality’ (SDEA). Role performance allows us our own unique individuality to show through. PARAGRAPH 4 â€Å"Knowledge is power, information is liberating, education is the premise of progress in every society in every family†. These famous words quoted by Kofi Annan refer to a few social institutions that are a part of social structure.Social instituitions consist of family, religion, education, economics, medicine, politics, law, science, military and mass media (SDEA). Each one functions separately but together they enable society to maintain order and create a sense of community. The mass media influences our attitudes toward social issues, the ways that we view other people and even our self-concept (SDEA). Information in the media can be extremely persuasive, it can easily alter our perception if we are not careful or have very little experience in the topic of interest. They not only provide information and recreat ion but also mould public opinion and attitudes.The information and knowledge which we accumulate through life from media is part of creating an identity for ourselves. To demonstrate, smoking advertisements have been around to promote awareness and advises us of serious health implications. However, today’s youth may view it differently and partake in it because of peer pressure. On the other hand, media can also bring nations together when there is an important event such as the Olympics, press conferences and so on (RR). The topic of religion is another social institution as it involves patterns of beliefs and behavior that help a society meet its basic needs (steven Burkan).Emile Durkheim (1915/1947) [1] observed long ago that every society has beliefs about things that are supernatural and awe-inspiring and beliefs about things that are more practical and down-to-earth (Durkheim, E. (1947). The elementary forms of religious life (J. Swain, Trans. ). Glencoe, IL: Free Pre ss. (Original work published 1915)). Religion teaches us to practise a way of life that is fulfilling for self and others, thus enabling individuals to become better people. This can also create a meaning of identity for some. The other social institutions such as education, politics, law and the military keeps society safe and in order.They inform us of rules and regulations so that society can function and maintain order. Each social institution establish the context which we live, shaping our behaviour and colouring our thoughts. (SDEA). Social institutions form the pillars of society, they are not only a set of rules, but markers for society to develop an identity that is aligned with culture. CONCLUSION Which is more important in shaping individual identity? Studies of social structure attempt to explain the significance of shaping one’s identity and in combination play a vital role in defining an individual.It is the content, which provides a way of making sense of who we are. This provides development to an identity which individuals are embedded in and therefore understood, communicated, and shared with others in culture. For example, individuals can define their identity upon meeting someone for the first time by describing what they do, where they are from or whether or not they are in a relationship. Social structure as we can see today can shape opinions, attitudes and thought which leads us to our behaviour and thus our identity.

National Novel Writing Month

National Novel Writing Month National Novel Writing Month National Novel Writing Month By Mark Nichol On Tuesday, November 1, a couple hundred thousand people around the world will participate in National Novel Writing Month, which, despite its intuitive name, I’ll explain here: The goal is to write a 50,000-word novel (that’s about 175 manuscript pages, based on a count of approximately 300 words per page) in thirty days. That’s about 1,700 words, or six double-spaced manuscript pages, give or take, a day assuming that you write every day. Insane? More like insanely ingenious. The idea behind this seemingly insurmountable goal is to write for quantity, not for quality to dash off a first draft under the auspices of a worldwide project to distance yourself from the little voice in your head that tells you that you should go back and polish that passage, pare that paragraph, or prune that page. It’s basically hours and hours of feverish, fervent, frantic freewriting a technique for unleashing your creativity by abandoning any pretext of inserting your editorial alter ego into the process. Write, write some more, and just keep on writing, without looking back. The sponsors of NaNoWriMo, as it’s abbreviated, acknowledge that may seem like a risky endeavor. You may limp to a finish at midnight on November 30, only to discover that you have devoted much of your precious time to churning out what? What did you accomplish? The product of a few hundred thousand keystrokes. Is it ready for publication? Hardly. But no novel, no short story, no poem, no article or review or essay or other composition, is print-ready. That’s not the point. The point is that you will have overcome your trepidation at devoting so much time and effort toward crafting a towering achievement in prose, using the novelty of the project as an excuse. And then you will have a first draft of a novel (and then the real work starts). Last year, only a little more than 10 percent of participants reached their goal of producing the first draft of a 50,000-word novel. But nearly 200,000 others staggered away from their computers on the last day of November with at least the start of something satisfying. Sign up at the NaNoWriMo Web site, and explore the site’s features to help you motivate yourself. One of these is a tool that lets you update your word count daily. You can also post excerpts of your work in progress for others to read. So, are you going to give it a shot? Of course you are. Good luck! Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Fiction Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:7 English Grammar Rules You Should Know20 Pairs of One-Word and Two-Word FormsA Yes-and-No Answer About Hyphenating Phrases

Timeline of Events From 1840 to 1850

Timeline of Events From 1840 to 1850 The years from 1840 to 1850 were marked by war, political changes, a gold rush in California, and many other important events in America and around the world. 1840 January 10: Penny postage was introduced in Britain.January 13: In a shocking maritime disaster, the steamship Lexington burned and sank in Long Island Sound. Only four men survived and more than 150 passengers and crew perished.February 10: Queen Victoria of England married Prince Albert of Saxe Coburg-Gotha.May 1: The first postage stamps, Britain’s â€Å"Penny Black,† were issued.Summer/Fall: The 1840 presidential campaign was the first to prominently feature songs and slogans. William Henry Harrison won the presidency thanks to his Log Cabin and Hard Cider campaign, and the slogan Tippecanoe and Tyler Too! 1841 March 4: William Henry Harrison was inaugurated as president of the United States. He delivered a two-hour inaugural address in very cold weather. As a result, he caught pneumonia, from which he never recovered.Spring: A free black New Yorker, Solomon Northup, was lured to Washington, D.C., drugged, and kidnapped into slavery. He would tell his story in the powerful memoir Twelve Years a Slave.April 4: President William Henry Harrison died after only one month in office. He was the first American president to die in office and was succeeded by Vice President John Tyler.Autumn: Land was purchased in Massachusetts for Brook Farm, an experimental farming community frequented by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and other writers and thinkers of the era.November 9: Edward VII of England, son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, was born. 1842 January: The British retreated from Kabul, Afghanistan and were massacred by Afghan troops.August 29: The First Opium War ended with the Treaty of Nanking.November: Showman Phineas T. Barnum tracked down a child in Connecticut said to be peculiarly small. The boy, Charles Stratton, would become a show business phenomenon known as General Tom Thumb. 1843 Summer: Oregon Fever gripped America, beginning mass migration westward on the Oregon Trail. 1844 February 28: An accident with a cannon on US Navy warship killed two members of John Tyler’s cabinet.May 24: The first telegram was sent from the U.S. Capitol to Baltimore. Samuel F.B. Morse wrote, â€Å"what hath God wrought.†August: Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels met in Paris.November: James Knox Polk defeated Henry Clay in the U.S. presidential election. 1845 January 23: The U.S. Congress established a uniform date for federal elections, naming the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November as Election Day.March 1: President John Tyler signed a bill annexing Texas.March 4: James Knox Polk was inaugurated as President of the United States.May: Frederick Douglass published his autobiography Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave.May 20: The Franklin Expedition sets sail from Britain. All 129 men on the expedition were lost during their attempt to explore the Arctic.Late Summer: The Irish potato famine, which would become known as the Great Famine, started with widespread failures of the potato crop. 1846 February 26: American frontier scout and showman William F. â€Å"Buffalo Bill† Cody was born in Iowa.April 25: Mexican troops ambushed and killed a patrol of U.S. soldiers. Reports of the incident inflamed tensions between the two nations.April-August: Francis Parkman traveled from St. Louis, Missouri to Ft. Laramie, Wyoming, and later wrote of the experience in the classic book The Oregon Trail.May 13: The U.S. Congress declared war against Mexico.June 14: In the Bear Flag Revolt, settlers in northern California declared independence from Mexico.December: The Donner Party, a party of American settlers in wagon trains, became stranded in the snow-covered Sierra Nevada Mountains in California and resorted to cannibalism to survive. 1847 February 22: U.S. troops commanded by General Zachary Taylor defeated a Mexican Army at the Battle of Buena Vista in the Mexican War.March 29: U.S. troops commanded by General Winfield Scott captured Veracruz in the Mexican War.June 1: Cornelius Vanderbilt, one of Americas richest and most competitive men, raced a steamboat against rival Daniel Drew in the Hudson River. Many thousands of New Yorkers lined the citys docks to watch the paddle wheelers race.Late summer: The potato famine continued in Ireland, and the year became known as Black 47.September 13-14: U.S. troops entered Mexico City and effectively ended the Mexican War.December 6: Abraham Lincoln took his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. After serving a single two-year term, he returned to Illinois. 1848 January 24: James Marshall, a mechanic at John Sutters sawmill in northern California, recognized some unusual nuggets. His discovery would set off the California Gold Rush.February 23: Former president John Quincy Adams, who served as a U.S. Congressman from Massachusetts after leaving the presidency, died after collapsing in the U.S. Capitol building.July 12-19: A conference at Seneca Falls, New York, organized by Lucretia Mott and Elizbeth Cady Stanton, took up the issue of Womens Rights and planted the seeds of the suffrage movement in the U.S.November 7: Zachary Taylor, Whig candidate and a hero of the Mexican War, was elected President of the United States.December 5: President James Knox Polk, in his annual address to Congress, confirmed the discovery of gold in California. 1849 March 5: Zachary Taylor was inaugurated as the 12th president of the U.S. He was the third, and last, candidate of the Whig Party to hold the office.