Showing posts with label history. Show all posts
Showing posts with label history. Show all posts

Thursday, December 9, 2010

History of Thoroughbred Racing in the USA

Settlers from Britain who brought horses and horse racing with them to the American New World, with the original race track laid out on Long Island as early as 1665. Although the sport became a popular local pastime, the burgeoning of organized racing did not turn up until after the Civil War. (The American Stud Book was begun in 1868.) For the next few decades, with the high-speed rise of an industrial economy, gaming on racehorses, and therefore horseracing itself, grew explosively; by 1890, 314 tracks were operational across the country.

The high-speed evolving of the sport without any predominant governing authority led to the domination of many tracks by corrupted elements. In 1894 the nation's most leading track and stable owners met in New York to form an American Jockey Club, modelled on the English version, which soon ruled racing with an iron hand and finished much of the criminality.

In the early 1900s, however, racing in the United States was almost wiped out by antigambling conviction that led almost all states to ban bookmakers. By 1908 the number of tracks had plummeted to just 25. That same year, however, the installation of pari-mutuel betting for the Kentucky Derby signalled a right-about-face for the sport. More tracks opened as countless state legislatures promised to sanction pari-mutuel betting in exchange for a percentage of the funds wagered. At the end of World War I, prosperity and great horses like Man o' War brought spectators flocking to race tracks. The sport prospered until World War II, declined in popularity during the 1950s and 1960s, then enjoyed a resurgence in the 1970s triggered by the immense popularity of great horses such as Secretariat, Seattle Slew, and Affirmed, each winners of the American Triple Crown--the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, and the Belmont Stakes. During the late 1980s, another significant decline occurred, however.

Thoroughbred tracks exist in about half the states. Public engagement in the sport focuses primarily on major Thoroughbred races such as the American Triple Crown and the Breeder's Cup races (started in 1984), which offer purses of up to about $1,000,000. State racing commissions have sole authority to license participants and administer racing dates, while sharing the appointment of racing officials and the supervision of racing rules with the Jockey Club. The Jockey Club retains authority over the breeding of Thoroughbreds.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Immigration Law in the USA - A Brief History

America's Earliest Immigrants

Although he most likely wasn't the first immigrant, Ponce de Leon travelled to what is now Florida in 1513.  His discovery led other Spaniards to travel to The New World that is now America, and their numbers quickly spread throughout the Southwest and the western Coastal areas of what would later become the United States.  Their influence is still felt today in those areas' architecture, customs and cultures. 

The English explorers, seeking a passage to the trade-rich Indies, were sent to America in the 16th century.  King James I established a permanent outpost at Jamestown, Virginia that attracted more adventurers seeking their fortunes in the original colonies of America.  They were naturally followed by those who sought religious and political freedom in the vast, untamed lands of North America. 

People from all over Europe trickled into what would become the United States during the 16th and 17th centuries, providing the base from which our modern population originated.  The country was well on its way to becoming the wonderful "melting pot" that we have today.

The Journey to the Present

Ellis Island is what most modern history students think of when they hear the term "immigration".  In the early 1800's, nearly five million people immigrated from Northern and Western Europe for a variety of reasons, famine chief among them.

In just the twenty short years between 1840-1860, waves of immigrants from Ireland fled to America to escape the potato famine and Germans fled to our shores to escape economic and political unrest and tragedy.  Ellis Island was the landing pad, so to speak, where these immigrants were processed and admitted to the country.  Although they often found prejudice and cruelty, they also found acceptance and freedom and the chance to realize their dreams of personal and financial freedom. 

These immigrants from Europe and other nations eagerly learned the language and customs of America while still treasuring their own traditions and culture.  It wasn't unusual to see an American school child, living and working like all of his friends and classmates, return in the evening to a home that served traditional German food and whose elders spoke their mother tongue-but only in the privacy of their home, never among the general public.  They were, after all, Americans!  This attitude shaped a new United States and strengthened society and the economy more than anyone knew at the time.  

Immigration Today

Today, immigration laws are very confusing to Americans themselves as well as to those who would like to become citizens.  Misinformation and contradictory attitudes contribute to many disappointed families as well as legal trouble for potential citizens.  Since immigration laws are almost constantly changing due to economic or political conditions, it would be a wise move for anyone wanting to immigrate to the United States to consult with or engage and Immigration law firm.

Attorneys that are familiar with immigration laws and their frequent changes are able to guide a person in the correct way to legally become a citizen of America.  Due to misinformation in the countries where immigrants originate, a well meaning person could well walk past the borders on the way to a promised job and citizenship only to be deported at their own expense.  They often find themselves in a much worse position in their original homeland than when they began their journey. 

It's not difficult to engage the services of a law firm that specializes in immigration law.  Consultations are often free or available at a nominal cost and the attorneys will educate their client on exactly what steps they need to take to successfully immigrate.  They will know their limitations, which forms they will need to fill out and where to submit them.  A good immigration attorney will make citizenship much easier and less costly.

America has always welcomed those who want to call her home.  The path to immigration may be confusing these days but to those who truly want to become citizens, it will be worth it.

Saturday, October 2, 2010

A brief history of economic recession in the U.S.

With the economic crisis of today, many people are probably wondering if this recession will end, what caused it to happen and will happen again. This article provides a brief history of U.S. recession, which is responsible for it and some of After Effects. I never thought in my dreams that is almost a recession every decade since the end of 1700 would have been with, said the panic of the first1797th

1797-1800

or effects caused by the deflation of the Bank of England

or considered the first U.S. recession

Or disruption of commercial real estate markets

1837-1843

or allocated to banks in trouble

banks stopped paying in gold and silver

o The people had no confidence in paper money

1893-1896

or caused by the failure of"Reading Railways

or European investors to pull back and let the U.S. financial system in chaos

and exchanges and banks collapse

1918-1921 (also known as the post-war recession)

hyperinflation or Europe, the U.S. had a recession due to proliferation

or loss of production, the disruption is due at the end of the war

Or There was a large influx of workers asTroops returned home, the skyrocketing unemployment

1929-1938 (The Great Depression)

or The Case of the "Great Depression" is a matter of great debate among economists

OR Here are a couple of a depreciation in asset prices and commodity prices, dramatic drops in demand and credit, and disruption of trade

or 30 million Americans with no income what so ever, WW II, similar effects

1973-1975 (oil crisis of the1970)

o The price of oil had quadrupled by OPEC, along with government spending on the Vietnam War

Or OPEC stopped exporting oil to the United States and other Western nations to punish them for supporting Israel

or gas has fallen from 25 cents to a dollar in a few months

1987-1989 (Black Monday)

o The stock markets around the world crash

O Dow Jones has lost 22.61% in aDay

debate on the consequences or continue for many years after, no definitive solution

March 2001 - Nov2001

or terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center "

or collapse of the dot.com bubble

o This is still the United States is now

2007 - Present Day

or caused by reckless and unsustainable credit

o For the first time since 1930 that all majorThe banks fail

o Some people say that this is the worst recession since World War II

Although the causes of the recession, very powerful, as you can see there are new economic phenomena, happen again and again throughout history. Depending on what the cause was at that time could know anywhere from a few months to several years, only that it happened, happens and will happen again in the future.