The Settling of the Frontier (US History) Assignment

The Settling of the Frontier (US History) - Assignment Example He fought well during the American Civil War and also helped win the Battle of Washita over the Cheyenne. Six years later, in the year 1874, he helped tap gold in the Black Hills and two years later led a force against the Sioux uprising. By the age of 23, he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier-general. â€Å"He was a brave warrior and died a brave man.† (Low Dog, a Sioux warrior). The frontier period was one of the most important phases of American history that lead to the westward expansion of the country through the colonization of the Great West and ended in a war between the states. â€Å"We are great, and rapidly, I was about to say fearfully growing!† (Calhoun, 1817). Hollywood has chosen to glorify and thus distort this period from 1862-1900 as this most â€Å"rapid and effective period Americanization was also the meeting point between savagery and civilization.† (Frederick J. Turner, 2006). To portray the rejection of England in a new light and glorify the victory of America and its success in the double transformation of the society, Hollywood decided who the heroes and who the villains were and projected the frontier period as a pseudo reality. Its nature and mentality is akin to that of the frontier

Organizational Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Organizational Change - Essay Example Such accusations have considerably affected Wal-Mart’s reputation and consequently the company’s bottom line. Wal-Mart had developed a complex system of distribution, which enables customer’s accessibility to stock items. Wal-Mart’s uses scanners at checkout stations to identify and monitor the sale of each item. This also enables Wal-Mart to monitor its supply chain. Wal-Mart is currently seeking to improve its infrastructure to increase the effectiveness of its supply chain management. It also intends to replace bar codes and security tags with Radio frequency identification (RFID) microchip transponders. The elimination of the need for price checks would improve customer satisfaction and lower costs. This paper will discuss systemic nature of Wal-Mart and the changes the company has taken to improve its effectiveness, processes, and employee productivity. Stalk, Evans and Shulman (1992) observed that Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart imparted the culture of service excellence among Wal-Mart’s employees. Employees are motivated to welcome customers at the entrance. Employees are also permitted to have own shares of the organization. Wal-Mart low-price strategy has enabled the company to strike better deals with core shoppers. This has helped save on the merchandizing and advertising expenses. Wal-Mart gigantic stores provide economies of scale and broader alternatives of merchandising. This underscores Wal-Mart relentless efforts at achieving customer satisfaction. Wal-Mart’s use of machines in decoding encoded information enables its efficiency in supply chain management. The rectangular universal code for goods is a scanning system used by Wal-Mart. Packaged products at Wal-Mart are labeled with bar codes. The checkout stations of sales tend to ring up sales and track inventory deductions simultaneously. All Wal-Mart’s global stores are linked to headquarters through a

An Overview Of Victim Support Criminology Essay

An Overview Of Victim Support Criminology Essay Victim Support is the oldest victim organisation with more than 35 years of experience and also the largest worldwide. There three aims are simply to support, help cope with crime and give any sort of information to victims (Marshall, 1999). They have many charity and witness service companies within them. There are many ways in which these programmes process. It can be a victim-offender mediation process, in which the mediators discuss the crime, the aftermath and the next steps towards making things right. Conferencing meeting is the same as the victim-offender mediation except that this meeting involves the family members and community representatives as well. Victim-offender panels take place with other victims and offenders with similar crime situations and the victim assistance support victims as they go through the criminal justice process and help them recover (Marshall, 1999). National Association of the Care and Resettlement of Offenders (NACRO) is one of the most growing charities in the United Kingdom. NACRO trains up to 10,000 learners, helps approximately 20,000 people who call to enquire, assist 10,000 prisoners and work with 11,000 young people. They have about 1000 programmes which work with youths, present and ex-offenders, homeless people and many other disadvantaged groups. NACROs vision is a safer society where everyone belongs, human rights are respected and preventing crime means tackling social exclusion and re-integrating those who offend (NACRO, 1997). This charity program helps find positive alternatives to crime and reduce crime by changing lives. As well as these processes there are many other processes of restorative justice. All provide opportunities for the parties to meet, discuss what happened, the impact it had and what should take place in the future. A mediator prepares the meetings and helps both parties communicate with one an other, but the end solution is made by them only. All of these supporting mediations end with an agreement on how the offender will make amends for the harm they have caused by the crime (Marshall, 1999). In this process, four types of reparation are agreed upon. They are apology, restitution, changed behaviour and generosity. Apologies can be verbal or written. Acknowledgment, affect and vulnerability are three main parts which take place while apologising. The offending acknowledges the fact that he has committed a crime and takes responsibility for it. He also needs to accept he has caused harm to the victim and that the certain individual did not deserve to be hurt (Marshall, 1999). The offender expresses his deep feelings through words or body language and only when he feels regret or guilt will this process be effective. If the offender does feel regret, this could possibly repair and make a victim feel like a whole new person. This is not always possible as the offender may n ot be able to communicate properly even if they are feeling responsible for what has taken place (Marshall, 1999). Finally, vulnerability is in relation with both the offender and victim. The offender commits a crime because he or she has a control over the victim, but when apologising the control gets passes on to the victim. The victim has a choice to whether or not to accept the apology. Before the offender apologises, they have no idea what action the victim will take, so the offender apologizes and gives the power and control to the victim. Apology is one of the four types of reparation. The second type is restitution. Restitution is a sum of money or any other type of compensation for the damage that has been caused by the crime (Marshall, 1999). This can repair the victims damage and can be a method of holding the offender liable for the offence they have done. This is not only ordered by restorative justice mediators but also can be given by a judge. Another way to make an a mendment for the harm they have caused it to show their behaviour will change and they will not commit crimes. Some of the things which are negotiated are the change of environment, peers, and sometimes even schools. They learn new behaviours by using different types of programmes such as anger management classes, educational or drug-treatment programmes. Follow up meetings are scheduled to see the progress of change. Generosity is the last type of reparation where an offender can choose to agree upon. Its a way of showing they are deeply sorry. They agree to community service of any type chosen by the victim (Marshall, 1999). Theories of Restorative Justice There have been many criminological theories that have tried to connect with restorative justice. In 1985, Howard Zehr was the first writer to combine a theory with restorative justice in his book Changing Lenses (Zehr, 1990). He talked about all the advantages victims could receive by this justice system and also what offenders can achieve by accepting responsibility. There were many limitations of this theory as it spoke much about the private problems of the victims and offenders. Nonetheless, Zehrs work was very influential; many other theorists took his ideas and expanded. The main theory which had an impact on restorative justice was Re-integrating Shaming Theory. According to John Braithwaite, this theory summarises Crimes best controlled when members of the community are the primary controllers through active participation in shaming offenders, and, having shamed them, through concerted participation in ways of reintegrating the offender back into the community of law abiding citizens. Low crime societies are societies where communities prefer to handle their own crime problems rather than hand them over to professionals (Braithwaite, 1989). Braithwaite believes shame and punishment can be mainly achieved from the family. Family life helps us maintain relationships and teaches us to respect everyone. According to Bazemore (2007) re-integrative shaming theory does not include victim interests and justices issues which are the main components of restorative justice as a whole. Another theory which was linked to restorative justice was Matzas theory of neutralisation is (Mackay, 1998 cited in Newburn). Matza believes that one of the main reasons why offenders kept on re-offending was due to the positive image they had about what they did. Their actions need to be dismissed and told what is right and wrong. Many offenders responses are he deserved it, they can afford it, or they asked for it. Meeting with the victim makes it hard for the offender and makes them realise the harm they have caused but Marshall argues that no other criminological or justice theory can be held to underpin Restorative Justice (Marshall cited in Newburn, 2009) but some theories can associate with the different steps of Restorative Justice. Restorative Justice vs. Criminal Justice Restorative Justice differs from the contemporary criminal justice system in several ways. The key characteristics of a retributive justice are; that it views the offence against the state, keeps the victim and offender separate, accepting responsibility is not pushed, the harm caused by the offender is given back to him as revenge, focuses more on offender and victims being ignored; offender has no say in decision, offenders relationship with community are weak, the relationship between the offender and victim are not focused on, and forgiveness is not mentioned (Leung, 1999). The outcome of this is a win-lose situation, it does not offer much to our criminal justice system. For a short period of time, it might satisfy some purposes of sentencing. It does not pay much attention to reparation, rehabilitation is left as a last option, clearly shows it has not helped reduce crime by sending the offenders to prison, but the criminal justice system has fulfilled two purposes, which is pu nishing the offender itself, and protecting the public for the time being. On the other hand, the key characteristics of a restorative justice are that it views the offence against the victim and community; victims are allowed to speak up and meet the offender, encouraging responsibility, the victims needs are most essential, offender is asked to solve the problem, focuses on re-integration, and forgiveness is encouraged (Leung, 1999). At the end there is win-win result. Restitution assigns a value to the material losses suffered by the victim and requires that the wrongdoer balance the scale by paying that amount to the sufferer. Restoration, on the other hand, looks beyond the material harm to non-material disruptions, such as the loss of a sense of security or the loss of trust (Leung, 1999). Also, restitution thinks about the damage done to the victim but does not give them a chance to say how they feel by this situation. In contrast, restorative justice tries to tackle the needs of the not only the victim, but also the offender, family members, the community, and others affected by the offence (Leung, 1999). Overall, restorative justice goes beyond the fact that a law was broken, and distinguishes the harm caused by offenders to victims and communities. Giving the situation into the government does not help in any way, all parties related to the crime needed to be included as well. Both systems measure success differently. One measures it by how much punishment is given to the offender and the other measure it by how much harm is fixed. Criticisms and Limitations of Restorative Justice Nothing is perfect, everyone has flaws and weaknesses. One of the major drawbacks of restorative justice is that the system mainly relies on the co-operation of the three parties. If either of them, do not co-operate the aim of this system cannot be achieved. Due to this, the system can be a complete failure. Another limitation which takes place is that is seems to only be applicable to minor offences. Allison Morris lists three criticisms of restorative justice (Morris cited in Newburn, 2009). She believes that restorative justice erodes legal rights as in failing to protect the offenders rights. The second criticism, not only Morris but many other major critics believe that restorative justice does not succeed in making a real change and reducing crime. Thirdly and lastly, restorative justice can cause discrimination issues while the process is taking place but this mainly depends on the location. Not only Morris but many other people have criticised restorative justice. Some other limitations which have been identified are that there is no agreed definition, a sincere apology from an offender is hard to achieve, and restorative justice sometimes lives in a dreamland, it assumes that the victim can openly speak to the offender in a kind manner. This can weaken the process majorly. Many theorists believe both systems should combine their aims and ideas together, so our criminal justice system can perform better and satisfy the purposes of sentencing. Conclusion Punishment as imprisonment should be used only for dangerous offenders. This will not only make it easier for the government, but also reduce the cost and time put into prisons, which can be useful for other developments for offenders and victims. The public is not fully satisfied with the criminal justice system, it seems as they have failed in achieving the goals of fairness between the offender and victim and also by protecting the public. Restorative justice pays attention to victims needs. It ensures the victim questions have been answered and they feel happily secure. Restorative justice help offenders take responsibility and make them understand the harm they have caused. Offenders are forced to feel guilt and shame, therefore this prevents them from committing future crime. By this the community accepts the offender back and helps him/her reintegrate back into society. This process can take place in many settings such as conferencing circles or offender-victim meetings. Every person harmed by a conflict should have the opportunity to resolve it through a restorative justice (Restorative Justice Consortium, 2002). Restorative justice is not perfect but it does offer a positive approach to this world which our current criminal justice system does not. It has shown to reduce crimes within youths in schools and even adults with domestic violence and stealing problems. Many countries have taken this seriously and amended many laws. Restorative justice assures to better social justice to victims, a secure community to all and to reform the offender which will help reduce the number of future crimes. Punishment of offender, the reduction of crime, rehabilitation of offenders, the protection of the public and reparation by offenders are the five main purposes of sentencing. Restorative justice argues they can satisfy these purposes, but for this to be proven, restorative justice needs a chance. The goal of reintegrating offenders into the law-abiding community has a better chance of being achieved if both systems are employed, in a coordinated programme, rather than if we reply upon one to the exclusion of the other (Hirsch, Ashworth Roberts, 2009). A fair and just response can only be determined by these two systems. Restorative justice has many advantages and claims to satisfy the purposes of sentencing hence its weaknesses. It needs to be practised more and the systems need to work together so justice can be determined.

Zora Neale Hurston Essay -- Zora Neale Hurston

On January 7, 1891, Zora Neale Hurston was born in the tiny town of Notasulga, Alabama. She was the fifth of eight children in the Hurston household. Her father John was a carpenter, sharecropper, and a Baptist preacher; and her mother Lucy, a former schoolteacher. Within a year of Zora's birth, the family moved to Eatonville, Florida; a town, which held historical significance as the first, incorporated Black municipality in the United States. In 1904, thirteen-year-old Zora was devastated by the death of her mother. Later that same year, her unaffectionate father removed her from school and sent her to care for her brother's children. A rambunctious and restless teenager, Zora was eager to leave the responsibility of that household. She became a member of a traveling theater at the age of sixteen, and subsequently began domestic work for a white household. It was in this home that Hurston's intellectual spark was discovered. The woman for whom Zora worked, bought Zora her first book and arranged for her to attend high school at Morgan Academy (now known as Morgan State University) in Baltimore from which she graduated in June of 1918. The following summer, Zora held jobs as a waitress and a manicurist. She then enrolled in Howard Prep School, followed by a distracted jaunt at Howard University. Although she spent nearly four years at the esteemed institution, she graduated with only a two-year Associates degree. It was during this time at Howard, that Hurston published...

Lindsey Weightman Electoral Process Conservative

Green Party In groups, research the Political party you have selected: Local Election Follow a 4 year cycle. Not all councils vote at the same time. Councillors are elected ‘by thirds' for a period of 4 years (One councillor being elected per year for 3 years, and no Local election in 4th year). Who can stand for election? 21 years of age or over. British, Commonwealth or Republic of Ireland Citizen. Must be nominated by at least 10 registered electors of that constituency. If representing a party, consent must be gained.If you are not representing a party, you are classed as ‘Independent'.  £500 deposit when registering, refundable if you receive 5% or more of the vote. A prisoner serving 12 months or more in custody can not stand for election. Just for Local: An individual can stand if they are a member of a European Union Nation Candidate Selection Process If standing as an Independent representative, there is no selection procedures. Existing MPs are usually approve d to stand when being re-elected. Political parties generally have more representatives than seats.Political parties vigorously select potential candidates to improve their chances of winning. The selection process is similar to selection for the Uniformed Public Services. Sift of C. V, personal statement, application form and aptitude tests. Local interviews sometimes take place. Shortlists consisting of only women have been known to take place. What do you think about this? Period of an election Mayors typically keep their post for 1 year. Councillors up to 4 years. MP's up to 5 years. After these periods, they must either stand down or be re-elected.Types of voting Polling office, usually a church hall, school or a community centre. ‘First past the post'- an individual steps in to a booth and casts their vote anonymously by making an ‘X' next to the candidate they wish to vote for. Postal voting. Voting by Proxy. Internet voting. In order to be a DEMOCRATIC society, t he representatives who serve on our behalf both Locally and Nationally must be elected by the people of the Nation. General Election Maximum term for a parliament is 5 years, 3 weeks. Tends to occur every 3. 5- 5 years. The Prime Minister decides when the election will be.Local and General 1-5 years depending on the position held: The party in power at the time decides when the election is to be held. (Within a 5 year period). Party in power has the chance to change things just prior to the election- generally things like lowering taxes. Why would they do that? Superior funding for larger parties such as Labour and Conservative. Independents and smaller parties are at a disadvantage. Influence of Political parties Political campaigning TASK Create a Political Poster for your party (Chosen at the start of the session) Other ways of campaigning: Tv Radio Newspapers PostersPersonal interviews Public meetings Leaflet distribution First Past the Post (Westminster and Local Elections) Add itional Member System (Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly and Greater London Assembly) Supplementary Vote (Mayor of London) Single Transferable Vote (Northern Irish Assembly) List System (European Parliament) Different election processes Basis of British electoral system Very clear cut and well defined Candidate with highest number of votes wins FPTP is used in both general and local elections First past the post Advantages of First past the post It allows decisive political change.By providing an outright winner, the system ensures that a party has a mandate to carry out its programme. Easy for the voter to understand. Strong links between MP and constituents, due to single member constituencies. Strong single party governments. The winning Party may not have won the overall majority of votes cast. The chance of anomalous results is increased. Encourages the tactical voting technique, known as ‘compromising’. Disadvantages of Firstpast the Post Voters must rank candid ates on the ballot paper in order of preference If a candidate receives 50% or more of the first preferences, they are elected If not then the candidate with the lowest number of first choices is eliminated and their second choices distributed to other This continues until one candidate has a clear majority The Alternative vote Ensures the winner has a majority Strong bond between candidates and constituents is maintainedRemoves issue of wasted votes Extreme left or right wing parties would be unlikely to get enough support to be elected Does not give parties proportion of seats there votes have earned Time consuming and more complex than FPTP. This is a system which tries to match the proportion of votes cast with the proportion of seats a party receives For example, under PR, if you received 35% of the vote you should get 35% of the seats in parliament Represents wishes of voters as a whole Minority parties end up with fairer share of seats Increases opportunities for independents Can be difficult if no party has clear majorityCan lead to unstable coalition governments Proportional representation TASK 2 As a member of the coalition government you have been tasked by the Cabinet to look at the various electoral processes available after Liberal Democrat election promises to reform the voting system in the UK. The leaflet will then be distributed to the general public. This is a highly controversial subject as Conservatives promised not to reform the voting system whilst Liberal Democrats vowed to make the system fairer. As such your leaflet needs to be as descriptive and in depth as possible so that the public can form their own opinion on which voting system they prefer. In the form of a leaflet you should: Explain electoral processes used in UK elections (P3) andCompare the electoral processes used at different levels of government in the UK (M2). GUIDELINES FOR ASSESSMENT TASK 2 When explaining the electoral process for P3, learners only need to include on e election process and ensure that they clearly identify to which level of government it relates. The explanation should be detailed in its content and will be expected to identify the complete process from the initial application to stand for election to the declaration of the vote, including the voting system that is used. Evidence for M2 must include a comparison of the election process for the elected representatives for at least two levels of government. Lindsey Weightman Electoral Process Conservative Green Party In groups, research the Political party you have selected: Local Election Follow a 4 year cycle. Not all councils vote at the same time. Councillors are elected ‘by thirds' for a period of 4 years (One councillor being elected per year for 3 years, and no Local election in 4th year). Who can stand for election? 21 years of age or over. British, Commonwealth or Republic of Ireland Citizen. Must be nominated by at least 10 registered electors of that constituency. If representing a party, consent must be gained. If you are not representing a party, you are classed as ‘Independent'.  £500 deposit when registering, refundable if you receive 5% or more of the vote. A prisoner serving 12 months or more in custody can not stand for election.Just for Local:An individual can stand if they are a member of a European Union Nation Candidate Selection Process If standing as an Independent representative, there is no selection procedures. Existing MPs are usually approved to stand when being re-elected. Political parties generally have more representatives than seats. Political parties vigorously select potential candidates to improve their chances of winning. The selection process is similar to selection for the Uniformed Public Services. Sift of C.V, personal statement, application form and aptitude tests. Local interviews sometimes take place. Shortlists consisting of only women have been known to take place. What do you think about this? Period of an election Mayors typically keep their post for 1 year. Councillors up to 4 years. MP's up to 5 years.After these periods, they must either stand down or be re-elected. Types of voting Polling office, usually a church hall, school or a community centre. ‘First past the post'- an individual steps in to a booth and casts their vote anonymously by making an ‘X' next to the candidate they wish to vote for. Postal voting. Voting by Proxy. Internet voting. In order to be a DEMOCRATIC society, th e representatives who serve on our behalf both Locally and Nationally must be elected by the people of the Nation. General Election Maximum term for a parliament is 5 years, 3 weeks. Tends to occur every 3.5- 5 years. The Prime Minister decides when the election will be. Local and General 1-5 years depending on the position held: The party in power at the time decides when the election is to be held. (Within a 5 year period).Party in power has the chance to change things just prior to the election- generally things like lowering taxes. Why would they do that?Superior funding for larger parties such as Labour and Conservative.Independents and smaller parties are at a disadvantage. Influence of Political parties Political campaigning TASKCreate a Political Poster for your party(Chosen at the start of the session) Other ways of campaigning: Tv Radio Newspapers Posters Personal interviews Public meetingsLeaflet distribution First Past the Post (Westminster and Local Elections) Additiona l Member System (Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly and Greater London Assembly) Supplementary Vote (Mayor of London) Single Transferable Vote (Northern Irish Assembly) List System (European Parliament) Different election processes Basis of British electoral system Very clear cut and well defined Candidate with highest number of votes wins FPTP is used in both general and local elections First past the post Advantages of First past the post It allows decisive political change. By providing an outright winner, the system ensures that a party has a mandate to carry out its programme. Easy for the voter to understand. Strong links between MP and constituents, due to single member constituencies. Strong single party governments. The winning Party may not have won the overall majority of votes cast. The chance of anomalous results is increased. Encourages the tactical voting technique, known as ‘compromising’.Disadvantages of First  past the Post Voters must rank candidat es on the ballot paper in order of preference If a candidate receives 50% or more of the first preferences, they are elected If not then the candidate with the lowest number of first choices is eliminated and their second choices distributed to other This continues until one candidate has a clear majority The Alternative vote Ensures the winner has a majority Strong bond between candidates and constituents is maintained Removes issue of wasted votes Extreme left or right wing parties would be unlikely to get enough support to be elected Does not give parties proportion of seats there votes have earned Time consuming and more complex than FPTP.This is a system which tries to match the proportion of votes cast with the proportion of seats a party receives For example, under PR, if you received 35% of the vote you should get 35% of the seats in parliament Represents wishes of voters as a whole Minority parties end up with fairer share of seats Increases opportunities for independentsCa n be difficult if no party has clear majorityCan lead to unstable coalition governments Proportional representation TASK 2 As a member of the coalition government you have been tasked by the Cabinet to look at the various electoral processes available after Liberal Democrat election promises to reform the voting system in the UK. The leaflet will then be distributed to the general public. This is a highly controversial subject as Conservatives promised not to reform the voting system whilst Liberal Democrats vowed to make the system fairer. As such your leaflet needs to be as descriptive and in depth as possible so that the public can form their own opinion on which voting system they prefer.In the form of a leaflet you should:Explain electoral processes used in UK elections (P3) andCompare the electoral processes used at different levels of government in the UK (M2).GUIDELINES FOR ASSESSMENT TASK 2When explaining the electoral process for P3, learners only need to include one elect ion process and ensure that they clearly identify to which level of government it relates. The explanation should be detailed in its content and will be expected to identify the complete process from the initial application to stand for election to the declaration of the vote, including the voting system that is used.Evidence for M2 must include a comparison of the election process for the elected representatives for at least two levels of government.

Nigerian Women in Nation Building Essay

Most times, the Nigerian woman is denied her right to womanhood and her dignity but nature made it that a woman holds the highest office in the nature and nurture of man though this is often negated by those men who think women are subservience to them. Women, just like men are created by God in His own image and likeness. That is to say, that they too are endowed with wisdom and knowledge, which men claim to be exclusively theirs. It is for this reason that men, have dominated the world at times, by force thereby, excluding women from nation building and development. Can these men really be afraid? And out of fear cling to power as if it is their prerogative and women have no say or place in it. Well, once a women is sold out in an early marriage, hers is ended as she is left with no other option but to bear children and take care of the home which most times is left ungovernable for her by her fellow women in the likes of her mother in-law and sisters in-law more so, if she fails to bear the desired children. That notwithstanding, when a woman has the opportunity to perform other tasks, she performs them excellently. Existing literatures suggest that even the less educated African woman is more pushy than her more educated counterpart who clings to her husband when it comes to taking charge of situations. WOMEN AS SEEN BY OTHERS: It is rather unfortunate that in spite of the tremendous roles played by women in the development of the nation, some people still believe that they are better seen than heard. However, the popular saying that â€Å"what a man can do a woman can do better† remains a reality and for this singular fact, the male faction are afraid of defeat hence their struggle for dominance. The little chances given to women so far, has proven them to be made of sterner stuff than their male counterparts. Women have always been able to manage their families at times, without the help of their husbands who still see them as weaker sex but the fact still remains that if you train a woman, you train a nation and this saying goes a long way to show the importance and relevance of women in the society. Because the woman is regarded the home maker, whenever the home is stable the credit goes to the woman who supervises the day to day running of the home by taking care of the children  from birth to adulthood while still doing other house chores. It becomes imperative therefore, that the woman helps mould the character of the children as they grow. The husband is not left out of this as the good and cheerful disposition of the man in public or office is attributed to the peace and tranquility he enjoys at home as a result of the woman’s care and love. Sometimes, when the home front is not so rosy, the woman is also, blamed since it is believed that the place of the woman is in the home as a facilitator of domestic activities or as an agent of procreation and for this, it was equally believed that the woman cannot make any meaningful contribution to the growth or development of the community and as such, the development of the country will be much too big for her. Nigeria like in most other African nations, culture and tradition relegated the woman to the background, only recognizing her as a second class citizen who can neither positively impact nor contribute to the growth of the nation and as such, the women is usually not recognize as a member of a family because from her father’s house, she goes to her husband ’s where she is equally not seen as a member of either. Most times in this case, the woman is disinherited as a daughter and as a wife. She has no legal claim to her father’s or husband’s property; at times, she’s deprived her right to vote and be voted for hence the limited number of women in elective positions. The woman bears the brunt when her husband dies especially if he is wealthy, she definitely killed to take possession of his money therefore, must be made to drink the water used in washing the corpse to prove her innocence. If the man dies, the woman is made to shave her hair and wear sack cloth for a designated number of months while the man does whatever it is he wants when the woman dies. The list of oppression faced by the womenfolk is unending but the fact remains that though the woman is always seen as the weaker sex, they are in actual fact, the stronger of the two genders but dominated by culture and tradition. In fact scholars are of the opinion that women share, by virtue of being women, a set of common experiences. These experiences though not derived from biological facts are their common experiences of oppression which come in different forms. In most communities in Nigeria, it is an abomination for a woman to want to take part in discussions on policies about community development. Her place is usually the kitchen so can only be seen and never heard. Most times, she is given limited opportunity  educationally and otherwise and usually sold out in marriage at early age, though this is no longer the case as most of them nowadays are given equal educational opportunity as their male siblings. WOMEN AS DEVELOPMENT AGENTS: Culture and Tradition may be seen as the major causes of the injustices meted out to women but we seem to forget that we are the medium and outcome of what we call tradition. This is because of the fact that though tradition shapes us, we are actually the ones who make tradition. Women though treated roughly by this so called culture and tradition, still remain the light of any nation as those that have not given women their rightful positions in politics and otherwise, still have a long way to go as they have not attained their desired heights. While those nations that have recognized the importance of women and given them the opportunity to function, have attained their full potentials. Countries such as USA and Britain are good examples of this. Women with their doggedness and desire for perfection, will always work to achieve their set goals if given the opportunity, not minding whose ox is gored while their male counterpart will work to gratify self and whoever assisted in putting in the office at the detriment of the masses. Women at the detriment of themselves and their families will work to ensure the safety of the nation she is given the opportunity to serve. Dora Akunyili is a good example, when she was the DG NAFDAC who even at the expense of her own life, was still fighting sub standard drugs unlike her successor (male) who backed down after a few threats to his life. The scriptures say, when the righteous are in power the people rejoice this is the case with women for whenever a woman is in power, there are great positive changes which in turn, makes the people better for it. NIGERIAN WOMEN WHO CONTRIBUTED TO NATION BUILDING: With the 1995 World Women Congress in Beijing, China, a new story began for women as opportunity was given to women especially in the area of education, and today in Nigeria, thirty five percent is claimed to be allotted to women in political and public offices though this is yet to be confirmed. However, the relevance and necessity of the active participation of women in nation building have always been proven as those who had the opportunity of proving themselves did so gallantly. The contributions of women such as Prof (Mrs.)  Grace Alele Williams, former Vice Chancellor of the University of Benin (UNIBEN); Prof (Mrs.) Bolanle Awe of the University of Ibadan (UI); the late Mrs. Jadesola Akande, former Vice Chancellor of Lagos State University (LASU) and those of our own Prof Chinyere Okunna and Prof Azuka Omenugha, of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka (UNIZIK) have turned the wheel of education in Nigeria. Their contributions have to a large extent, proved the capability, relia bility, integrity and dignity of women in nation building. Women, such as Chief (Mrs.) Folake Sholanke, the first woman Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN); Chief (Mrs.) Mariam Aloma Mukhtar the first female Chief Justice of Nigeria have shown themselves worthy of the title and a host of other Nigerian women legal luminaries who have contributed immensely to the protection of human and women rights and these contributions have assisted in ensuring justice for the common man. On the political scene, a lot of women such as the late Chief (Mrs.) Margret Ekpo, the late Adama Nwapa, Alhaja Sawaba Gambo, Leila Dongoyaro, Serah Jubril, Titi Ajanaku, Remi Adikwu-Bakere and a whole lot of others effectively challenged their male counterparts in politics and achieved a lot because it is based on their efforts that the new crop of women politicians presently in the National and State Houses of Assembly came into being. Most of the women who got appointed into political offices also proved their mettle and have continued to be sought after irrespective of the party in power. Women such as Chief (Mrs.) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Obiageli Ezekwesili, Nenadi Usman, Arunma Otteh, Prof Dora Akunyili. These women, though in a male dominated regime, showcased their expertise as managers and were able to distinguish themselves thereby, contributing to the growth of the economy as their contributions were able to bring financial prudence, accountability and due process to public service; no wonder these women were respected and revered outside the shores of the nation and sometimes, regarded as ambassadors of the country. Some Nigerian women also contributed in showcasing the country to the outside world through their different works of art. The women include: Chief (Mrs.) Kuforiji Olubi, Chief (Mrs.) Olakurin, Christy Essien Igbokwe, Onyeka Onwenu, Mabel Segun and Chimamanda Adichie among others who in their various capacities assisted in the development of the country. There are lots and lots of Nigerian women who in one way or the other contributed to the growth of the country in many ways; showing that women  are neither lacking in vision nor leadership qualities but only have not been given the opportunity to showcase their capabilities in taking the country to greater heights. Changes can still happen in the political terrain of the nation, if our women are given equal opportunities as their male counterparts. If women are given more responsibilities in governance and other areas, changes can be achieved in all aspects of the Nigerian economy. If the thirty five percent female representation is religiously upheld, many women of integrity who will transform the country politically, economically and socially will be discovered to help fine tune the wheel of governance in Nigeria. The country may have remained in the doldrums of underdevelopment for the mere fact that our women have not been given the opportunity to help mould the fate of the na tion. CONCLUSION From the foregoing, it will be deduced that Nigerian women have proved their ability to take the country to the next level in both political and economic spheres. We are yet to be there since we still have so much to do before we can beat our chests with pride. The Nigerian woman is yet to be encouraged to participate more in the affairs of the nation. This should be done to enable her contribute her quota to the development of the country at all levels. She should be encouraged to show concern and commitment to the development the nation, as well as, offer themselves for service to their fatherland. The issue of gender equality should be regarded as the priority of the country so as to give Nigerian women equal opportunities to compete with their male counterparts in a more conducive environment. Our women should come together and fight as one for their rights so as to occupy positions of authority in the affairs of the country. They must continue to struggle to achieve their aim and not succumb to the weaker sex syndrome. Women leaders must be focused and they must be women of impeccable character who will be able to lead and perform creditably when given the opportunity. NGOs should be better organized to be able to mobilize for positive actions in every aspect of nation building. Government at all levels should be more disposed to assisting the women of the country in their struggle for emancipation and equality if their activities are in consonance with the norms and policies of the country. These and lots more will assist in  ensuring that the set goals of our great nation be achieved if unity of purpose, determination, solidarity and patriotism become our watchwords.