African Americans and the Prison System Essay Example for Free

African Americans and the Prison System Essay I. The History of Oppression and African Americans? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K.. III. The lasting effects of slavery: continuous oppression? K? K? K? K? K? K? K a. The lost sense of culture and cultural pride: Feeling of inferiority b. No economic foundation c. Unleveled playing field IV. Maintaining oppression? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K. PART 2 : THE NEW AGE SLAVERY: The Prison System I. The Prison Institution? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K II. Race and the Prison System? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K.. III. The lasting oppression? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K.. IV. The effects of oppression? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K a. Demise of the Black family b. Lost political voice V. Solutions? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K. VI. Closing? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K? K I. Introduction In the book the Mugging of Black America, Earl Ofari Hutchinson relays an interesting experience by a reporter. The reporter, who spent two and a half hours watching suspects march before Washington, D. C. Superior Court Judge Morton Berg, noted that all but one of these subjects was Black. He stated, ?  §There is an odd air about the swift afternoon? Xan atmosphere like that of British Africa in colonial times? Xas the procession of tattered, troubled, scowling, poor blacks plead guilty or not guilty to charges of drug possession, drug distribution, assault, armed robbery, theft, breaking in, fraud and arson. According to Hutchinson, the reporter witnessed more than a courtroom scene; he witnessed the legacy of slavery. This paper will attempt expand on Hutchinson?  ¦s theory. It will do so by first describing slavery and its lasting impact then it will attempt to show how the current criminal justice system mirrors slavery. PART 1: Slavery I. The History of Oppression and African Americans The history of the oppression as it relates to African Americans began in 1619. It was this year in which a Dutch ship brought the first slaves from Africa to North America. Following this arrival of twenty Africans in Virginia, white European-Americans created the institution of slavery. Slavery spread so quickly that by 1860 the original twenty slaves turned into nearly four million. In the beginning the legal status of these Africans was undefined. This absent definition created a lack of certainty which allowed for some slaves to become free after years of service. This only lasted briefly. In the 1660s, however, the colonies began enacting laws that defined and regulated slaves and the institution of slavery. One of the most important of these was the provision that black slaves, and the children of slave women, would serve for life. These ?  §breeding laws were just the beginning. Soon, slavery in the United States was governed by a body of laws developed from the 1660s to the 1860s. Even though every slave state had its own slave code and case law, it became universal that slavery was a permanent condition. In addition to slavery being a permanent condition, slaves were also, under these laws, considered property. Slaves, being property, could not own property or be a party to a contract. Since marriage is a form of a contract, slave marriages had no legal standing. Most codes also had sections regulating free blacks. Under these codes blacks who were not slaves were still subject to controls on their movements and employment. These laws served not only as a physical limitation, but an ideological one also. In addition to granting slave owners and white people power over slaves and in some cases free blacks, the laws also granted slaveholders and white-Europeans an intangible source of power. Socially, the institution of slavery allowed white slave owners to believe they had not only physical control, but physical and mental superiority over the slaves. With only a few exceptions, all slaves were Africans. This fact placed the label of inferiority on black skin. The actual institution of slavery as it relates to master and slave lasted up in till the Civil war. The American Civil War was fought, in part, over slavery. During the war, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which ?  §freed all slaves. This seemingly, brought the end of slavery throughout the United States, but unfortunately left a lasting impression. From this point on slavery took on a new form as former slaves being associated with the label of inferiority. II. The lasting effects of slavery: continuous oppression Slavery is defined by Webster?  ¦s dictionary as ?  §The state of being under the control of another person . Aalthough the actual physical control and violence supposedly ended after the emancipation proclamation, The intangible theory of supremacy derived from the institution of slavery resulted in many lasting effects. These effects in and of themselves are a form of force, a form slavery. a. The lost sense of culture and cultural pride: Feeling of inferiority Slave drivers made great efforts to eliminate African culture. For instance Africans were beaten if they were caught speaking their native languages or carrying out native rituals . Therefore, they were not able to effectively pass the languages, stories and traditions on to their children. This forced suppression resulted in the loss of verbal records and a rich legacy of history. It is no secret that there is pride in culture. Taking away the culture takes away the pride and the motivation and results in feelings of worthlessness. b. no economic foundation Slave drivers not only attempted to deprive the Africans of there culture and pride, but they successfully robbed them economically. Slaves were forced to work without pay for years while padding the pockets of the slave owners. This deficit of economics resulted in an inability to establish an economic foundation in the United States. c. Unleveled playing field Along with the deprivation of financial resources, another significant factor concerning the state of African Americans is arrested development. Slaves were deprived of opportunities to learn and become more competitive in many areas of society. Black people were not allowed to read or learn to read, so they could not take advantage of written text. All these lasting effects placed blacks in a severely disadvantaged state when slavery was abolished, led a socioeconomic structure in which white people generally held the highest ranks and Black people generally held the lowest ranks. III. Maintaining oppression In order to maintain this socioeconomic structure, there always seems to be a new form of oppression set in place to maintain ?  §slavery. As if the above detrimental effects of slavery were not enough, the White southerners were anxious to maintain more direct power and control over people with black skin, despite there classification as ?  §free. The White southerners decided to, again, use the law in order crystallize there theory of inferiority and keep black people at the lowest ranks. In 1865, southerners created Black Codes, which served as a way to control and inhibit the freedom of ex-slaves. These historic Codes controlled almost all aspects of life, and prohibited African Americans from almost all the freedoms that had been won during the Civil War. The codes, which were blatantly racist and oppressive, were eventually suspended in June 1866, during the ? §reconstruction era. During this time period in America and despite resistance, African-Americans were slowly becoming part of this nations inclusion. By 1868, the 14th Amendment to the Constitution confirmed the long awaited citizenship for Blacks in America. By 1870, the 15th Amendment was added to the Constitution which made it illegal to deny the right to vote based on race. The Reconstruction era, although short-lived, showed the first real attempts of inclusive freedom for African-Americans since the abolition of slavery. Gains were taking place: Citizenship, Voting, Education, and Politics. But, the underlying desire to have power over those in black skin never subsided. Just like the black Codes, this desire to dominate again manifested itself in another form, Jim Crow Laws. These laws promoted discrimination and the denial of equal protection by law. Just like the codes, they too were eventually abolished. Just like the Codes, Jim Crow laws, the desire of our society to suppress those in black skin will soon take another form. Today that form is the Criminal Justice System. PART 2 The New Age Slavery: The Prison System I. The Prison Institution Prisons are big in the United States. During the past 20 years, the United States experienced a massive increase in incarceration. The prison population increased fourfold, from 330,000 in 1980 to nearly 1. 4 million in 1999, and the incarceration rate increased from about 140 to about 476 per 100,000 resident populations. Today there are more than two million Americans behind bars. But even more startling is the fact that more than one-half of these incarcerated Americans have black skin. Although black Americans only make up about 12% of the US population, they account for more then 30% of all arrests, 44% of all prisoners and 40% of prisoners on death row. II. Race and the Prison System These obvious disparities in the criminal justice system can be attributed to many different things ranging from racial profiling to the lack of opportunity and poor education, but most criminal justice observers believe that these disparities have emerged from the underlying assumptions rooted in slavery. The assumption that slaves were inferior has carried over to today. Currently this theory of inferiority and desire to maintain oppression influences one of the major policies in place attacking African Americans today, the ?  §war on drugs. Most of the shocking disparities in the criminal Justice System as it relates to African Americans in prison can be attributed to the ?  §war on drugs. According to a study by Human Rights Watch, African-Americans comprise 62 percent of the drug offenders admitted to state prisons. In seven states, blacks constitute between 80 and 90 percent of all people sent to prison on drug charges. According to studies of the U. S. Commission on Civil Rights, African-Americans constitute 15 percent of the national drug users, but comprise an amazing one-third of all those arrested on drug charges and 57 percent of those convicted on drug charges. The criminal justice system generally, and contemporary crime and drug policies in particular, serve as a means for White America to control the African Americans like they did in the 1600 . III. The lasting oppression Similarly to the black codes and segregation implemented after the abolition of slavery; restrictions are placed on prisoners after they are released. Once a prisoner is released from prison, parole and the bans on public assistance, public housing restrictions, etc. create barriers and a seemingly doomed cycle of dominance. Since half of the prisoners in prison are African American, these barriers, like the lasting effects of slavery, have a disproportionate effect on our black communities. III. The effects of oppression According to the Department of Justice?  ¦s Bureau of Justice statistics, the number of adults in prison, jail, or on probation or parole reached almost 7 million during 2004. Since Blacks comprise 30 percent of probationers and 41 percent of prisoners. That means around 4,500,000 African Americans are affected directly by the criminal justice system. Unfortunately those African Americans sent to prison or under parole are not the only people affected. The impact on the black community does not stop at the prison door, conversely it goes far beyond. Even after a prisoner is released there are lasting effects to the prisoner, his or her family and the community as a whole. a. Demise of the Black family One effect of the high rate of incarceration of African American males in particular has been the decreasing number of marriageable men in the African American community. Along with high rates of homicide, AIDS-related deaths and other factors, this has created a substantial imbalance in the male-female ratio among adult African Americans. Whereas gender ratios for African Americans at birth are about 102-103 males for every 100 females, by the age range 40-44, this declines to 86 males per 100 females, whereas white rates are 100:100 for this group. b. Lost political voice The impact of the criminal justice system on the black community goes beyond the declining family structure to issues of political influence as well. As a result of laws that disenfranchise felons and ex-felons in various states, an estimated 1. 4 million African American males, or 13% of the black male adult population, is either currently or permanently disenfranchised as a result of a felony conviction. In fourteen states, a felony conviction can result in lifetime disenfranchisement, and in seven of these states, an estimated one in four black males is permanently disenfranchised. Thus, not only are criminal justice policies contributing to the disproportionate incarceration of African Americans, but imprisonment itself then reduces the collective political ability of African Americans to influence these policies. V. Solutions The constant demise in the structure of the black family, lost political influence and seemingly arrested development are all very familiar results of a history of oppression. Since these effects of slavery and disparities in the criminal justice system seemingly steam from hundreds of years ago there is no quick fix. Ideally the answer would lie in the destruction of all prejudice. But, it is impossible to erase the deep seated legacy and resurfacing effects of slavery. Therefore this problem must be attacked from a variety of different angles. Recommendations for change can be considered in the areas of awareness, legislative change, criminal justice officials?  ¦ initiatives, and criminal justice/community partnerships. The following are some suggested that will allow for a beginning to a seemingly circular and endless problem. 1. Legislative Actions Legislation should be pushed to Reconsider Mandatory Sentencing Policies and Equalize Penalties for Crack and Powder Cocaine . 2. Criminal Justice Officials?  ¦ Initiatives ?n Criminal Justice Officials should Expand Drug Policy Options And Expand the Use of Alternative Sentencing 3. Criminal Justice/Community Partnerships. The criminal Justice system and the community should attempt to Increase Community-based Diversion from the Criminal Justice System And Strengthen the Link between Communities and the Justice System VI. Closing Oppression in the form of institutionalization is nothing new to those dressed in black skin; it has been present since 1619. In this year Africans were brought to the United States and forced into the institution of slavery. Even after the abolition of slavery, a series of codes and segregation laws were set in place to maintain the suppression of black people because black skin was stigmatized as inferior. Even though the prejudice and biased codes and laws were eventually abolished themselves, this stigma remains. Because this theory of black inferiority was embedded in the American culture due to slavery, various means of oppression are able to continually resurface in different forms. Today that form is Criminal Justice System, more specifically the drug policies. Practically mirroring the institution of slavery, African Americans are being controlled and dominated by this system. Control by the USCJS includes the probation, parole, imprisonment, lost economic power, struggling communities and lost political voice. In order to end this vicious cycle of oppression, action must be taken. First people must be made aware of the disparities. Next those who are made aware must press for legislative change, criminal justice officials?  ¦ initiatives, and criminal justice/community partnerships. The challenge for the community at large is to engage in broad discussion of the mix of family, community, and government initiatives that can begin to reverse the cycle that has been set in motion in recent years. Let?  ¦s do what Abraham attempted o do in 1877, let?  ¦s end this legacy of slavery.

TIME :: essays research papers

T I M E â€Å"Time, what time is it? Is it time for class already? No, we still have some time.† It is time that we have totally forgotten about, and have taken it for granted for so long. But does time really exist? Does the 24 Hours of the day mean anything? Or does 12 months? Time means different things to different people. According to â€Å"COLLINS COBUILD Learner’s Dictionary† ( ©HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.1996) time is defined as ‘the measurement we measure in minutes, hours, days, and years.’ Seems rediculously simple, but does it have more to it? ‘Time’ actually have a more scientific meaning, which will later be explained. The basic definition of time comes down to â€Å"1. What we measure in minutes, hours, days and years. 2. Time is what we use to specify a certain point in the day or refer to the period which something has been happenining.† (Stephen Bullon – TIME – Collins Cobuild Learner’s Dictionary – 1999 – Pg 1155) From that definition, how long is a day? It is the amount of time taken for the earth to rotate its axis once, containing two 12hour periods. Telling the difference between the two periods, the notations AM and PM are used (Ante and Post Meridiem). We cannot literally see or tuch time, but time seems to be all around us, from waking up with an alarm clock to watching your dinner eaten away. However, reversing this process can be another concept that raises many questions. As we all are living, we are also time travellers, since time goes by as we live our lives day by day. But since this topic seems to capture our vivid imaginations, it has also become the origin of many science fiction books, movies and even cartoons. The idea of time has been thought of for so long yet, but he first evidence of the existence of time appeared in Homer’s Iliad. In this historical Greek epic, Homer stated â€Å"Now Dawn the saffron-robed was spreading over the face of all the earth.† Homer mentioned the start of a new day allowing us to know that the idea of time has been around even before 700BC. In early years, people used to record the beginnings and ends of seasons and noticing that they do come in cycles. With the advancement of astronomy, Ancient Greek started to utilize heavens and stars for designing calendars.

Punishment in the Iliad, the Odyssey, and the Hebrew Bible

Not everyone has the same idea in mind about punishment, and nor did other countries from other times. The following books: The Iliad, The Odyssey, and The Hebrew Bible, entitling instances of cheating, kidnapping and murder, insulting and their punishment. Very rarely would you get away with something unseen because the Gods saw everything, and they could do just about anything known on earth to mankind or even to each other. Anything was punishable whatever time ear it was, and the Gods would cease the chance to take seeked revenge upon another. In many of the Greek based books, there was a lot of cheating going on. In the Hebrew Bible, there are severe punishments for cheating. In book I of The Iliad, Agamemnon had stated: â€Å"the daughter of Chryses. I have set my heart on keeping her in my own house, for I love her better even than my own wife Clytemnestra, whose peer she is alike in form and feature, in understanding and accomplishments. † In this statement, Agamemnon rathers Breisis, over his very wife because she is similar in looks, therefore would cheat instead of going back to his wife over some foolish love for a girl! Within the Odyssey, book III, one example is about how Nestor explains to Telemachus, – â€Å"†¦ ut we were over there, fighting hard at Troy, and Aegisthus who was taking his ease quietly in the heart of Argos, cajoled (consoled? ) Agamemnon's wife Clytemnestra with incessant flattery. † In the Hebrew bible, it states, Leviticus 20:10 â€Å"If a man commits adultery with another man's wife–with the wife of his neighbor–both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death. † So if caught cheating, followed by what the Hebrew bible says to do, you will be put to death. So if you are the one putting someone to death for adultery, doesn’t that make you the murder? To take away a living being’s life? Throughout the Iliad and the Odyssey, there are many points where women are given as prizes. So if the women are given as a prize, is it counted as cheating? In the Iliad, punishment to Agamemnon’s adulterous wife, Agamemnon kills her. In the Odyssey, Clytemnestra tries to take her love, Aegisthus for revenge. Soon enough, he is also put to the death, and she as well. In the Hebrew bible, one quote that represents well is Deuteronomy 22:22 â€Å"If a man is found sleeping with another man's wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from Israel. So the average punishment for adultery, or cheating, was the death penalty. Kidnapping was also a big theme in the Iliad, in which Breisis, daughter of the priest Apollo, was kidnapped by Agamemnon, whom professes his love for her and does not want to give her up for life itself. Helen to was kidnapped by Paris, in order to fulfill their love, but making things worse. In the Odyssey, Persephone is kidnapped by Hades, and brought to the underworld six months of the year. s Exodus 21:16: â€Å"Anyone who kidnaps another and either sells him or still has him when he is caught must be put to death. † So is there a pattern for death at this time back then? Yes, indeed! In the Iliad, many people like Ajax the greater and Ajax the lesser and Agamemnon both insult Achilles for not fighting, but then Achilles also takes his prize of Breisis. Being insulted was part of the shame culture and many of the men would rather die than shame their village or family. In the Odyssey, book XVIII, Cached  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  SimilarYou +1'd this publicly. Undo after suffering enough insults from the servant-girl: Melantho, Odysseus is taunted by Eurymachus, who also hurls a footstool, though missing. Insulting could get charges put on them. When you have insulted someone, due to what the Hebrew bible says, they are to be stoned to the death, even for the first offense. Punishment pretty well was all the same in the Hebrew bible, with even the first violation being stoned to death, but also anything that may not even be a violation tied together with another one. They all come out with the same outcome of death, usually stoning. In the Iliad, many of the punishments too were death, and so to also in the Odyssey. Between these three books, they had just a different timing on things. Now days with cheating or adultery, it is taken pretty well lightly. Kidnapping is still yet not light, but it is taken more serious to find the kidnapped. Insults even now these days doesn’t compare with how minor they may be to any of these books, because they were not taken lightly, but in today’s society, things like that are okay. This is my essay over punishment and the comparison between The Iliad, The Odyssey, and the Hebrew Bible. ttp://messagenetcommresearch. com/myths/bios/pose http://www. fjkluth. com/clytem. html idon. html http://books. google. com/books? id=qdDrwupM0dUC&pg=PA72&lpg=PA72&dq=where+is+there+kidnapping+in+the+odyssey? &source=bl&ots=oaVyOz5jgk&sig=3tsZ-Meye2UftnfMoDMQoMCZYAk&hl=en&ei=14qSToj5MOHJsQLu7Y2LAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CCcQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q&f=false http://ww w. twopaths. com/faq_CapitalPunishment. htm http://ancienthistory. about. com/cs/troyilium/a/helenoftroybasc_2. htm

Karl Marx Essay - 1742 Words

Chose one of sociology’s founding â€Å"figures† and critically assess his or her particular contribution. There are many of sociologys founding figures that have extremely well-built ideas, practices and studies that I could explore, but one renowned philosopher stands out amongst the crowd, and that person is named Karl Marx (1818-1883). In this essay I aim to explore and critically assess his ideas, theories, and studies in his contribution to sociology, and if his ideas, theories and studies are useful to this contribution to sociology. Sociology began in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in Western Europe. Around this time, the political and economic systems in Europe were changing. Things like the Monarchy, (which was the†¦show more content†¦This was the concern for overall human worth. It began to be more equainted with Christian ideals, such as Gods love for all people. Humanitarianism in Religion shunned the idea of politics and did not care about the female rights although it had quite a large following from the female population. It was purely active to prevent human prejudice towards children and to stop other humans suffering, such as the poor. (Hackett, 1995) Marxism regards the social, political, and economic theory that regards history evolving. Marx claimed to have discovered a â€Å"progressive pattern controlling human evolution, which would eventually have society reach a point in the future where it would be a communist classless society. Marx said that people would no longer be oppressed, and the oppression of society would disappear when humans had reached the final stage of human evolution. Since Marx believed that law was an instrument of class domination he recognised that if society was classless, the laws as a whole would have to be abolished. He thought that law stemed from class conflicts and the laws would have to be abolished to fully reach its full potential as a classless communist society. (Augusto Zimmermann, 2009). As Marxs writings were so diverse and had such great variety, the circumstances under which these writings were written are extremely important to understand. The next few points are toShow MoreRelatedKarl Marx Essay922 Words   |  4 PagesKarl MarxKarl Marx was an influencell economist during the 1800s. Marx has his own economic theory, called Marxism. Marx, a radical Communist ideas and philosophies played important roles int the forming of Communist nations during the twentieth century. Marx’s ideas would and have influenced the course of history. Even today, well past his death his philosophies and ideas are still talked about. Marx’s ideas are captured in his book the Communist manifesto. Communism is â€Å"a theory or system ofRead MoreKarl Marx And Karl Polanyi1668 Words   |  7 PagesAdam Smith, Karl Marx and Karl Polanyi are writer of capitalism, that have influenced capitalism in different ways to making capitalism what it is today. Adam Smith known as the father of the political economy, developed the concept of the invisible hand; which explains how self-interest and competition in a free market economy, would allow economy prosperity. Another concept Smit developed is division of labour which say that jobs a business should be specialised, instead of one person having toRead MoreTheories of Karl Marx1427 Words   |  6 PagesINTRODUCTION Karl Marx, also a philosopher was popularly known for his theories that best explained society, its social structure, as well as the social relationships. Karl Marx placed so much emphasis on the economic structure and how it influenced the rest of the social structure from a materialistic point of view. Human societies progress through a dialectic of class struggle, this means that the three aspects that make up the dialectic come into play, which are the thesis, antithesis and theRead MoreEssay on Karl Marx827 Words   |  4 Pages The Life of Karl Marx Karl Marx was one of the greatest thinkers ever. Studying law and philosophy, he became an important social philosopher and revolutionary. He influenced the lives of millions of people in generations well past his. A man of mystery in the democratic societies, Karl Marx led an interesting life of new ideas that would influence millions in the future. Karl Marx was born on May 5th, 1818 (Karl Marx). He was the eldest son of Heinrich and Hennrietta Marx. He was bornRead More Karl Marx Essay1509 Words   |  7 PagesKARL MARX: A CRITICAL PROFILE 1. Contribution Like Charles Darwin (1809-82), his contemporary, Karl Marx (1818-83) has had a profound impact on modern thought. This German philosopher, social scientist, and professional revolutionary formulated a theory of social change that influenced most modern forms of socialism and communism. Marx pioneered conflict theory. Motivated by a belief in human emancipation, he tried to discover a way to free people from the social, political, and economic constraintsRead MoreEssay on karl marx2434 Words   |  10 PagesKarl Marx is one of the most reputed philosophers of the 19th Century. Born in 1818 in a middle class family, Marx studied law in Bonn and Berlin and later plunged deeper into the ideas of Hegel and Feurbach (Wheen, 2007). It is after receiving his doctorate in philosophy in 1841 from the University of Jena that he moved with his family to Paris where he became a radical revolutionary communist and teamed up with Friedrich Engels, another radical philosopher of his time. They coll ectively authoredRead MoreKarl Marx and Marx Weber Essay1141 Words   |  5 PagesKarl Marx and Marx Weber The latter part of the nineteenth century was teeming with evolved social and economical ideas. These views of the social structure of industrial society came about through the development of ideals taken from past revolutions such as the Industrial Revolution which steamed ahead paving the way for growing commerce, and widened the gap between the classes. The developmentRead More The Life of Karl Marx1160 Words   |  5 PagesThe Life of Karl Marx Karl Marx was the co-author of The Communist Manifesto, along with Friedrich Engels. The Communist Manifesto is a pamphlet that was written to let the public know how the working class was being treated, and to try to get rid of the class system that existed at the time. Marx believed that many of the workers throughout England were not being treated fairly and that something needed to be done about it. Marx explains, â€Å"The history of all hitherto existing society is theRead MoreThe Contribution Of Karl Marx Essay1337 Words   |  6 Pagescontribution of Karl Marx to the study of sociology, throughout this essay I will be discussing what Marxism is, how Marxism has affected today’s society as well as academics that did not agree with Marx’s theories. Marxism is the social and economic system based on the theories of Karl Marx and Freidrich Engels. Karl Marx was born in Trier, Germany in 1818, Marx studied law and Berlin University but later changed to philosophy until finally perusing his interest in journalism. When Marx finished hisRead More Karl Marx Essay1110 Words   |  5 Pagesas a bad thing. Karl Marx would disagree. He formed the basic ideas of communism in his writings. He argued that communism was the eventual government that formed out of many unsuccessful governments. Many modern communists either use his ideas or use parts of his ideas to form their own. Karl Marx is the true father of communism. Marx was born in Trier, Prussia on May 5, 1818 (Beales). His family was Jewish, but his father converted the family to Protestantism when Marx was born. When he