Accounting 201 Final Study Guide Essay Example for Free

Accounting 201 Final Study Guide Essay When are expenses recognized? Name the accounting concepts that answer these questions. What are the four financial statements? What is the purpose for each? Does each report for a period of time or for a point in time? Be able to calculate the change in stockholders’ equity for a period based on information contained in the retained earnings statement. What is GAAP? Who is the body currently responsible for establishing GAAP? What governmental agency has oversight authority over the accounting profession? What is an audit? What is the purpose of an independent audit? Who can perform an audit? What is the sequence of the accounting cycle? Define the following terms related to the accounting cycle: -chart of accounts -journal -ledger -trial balance -adjusting entries -adjusted trial balance -closing entries -post-closing trial balance -posting -journal entry -debit -credit -t-account Be familiar with account classification. What are the five major categories of accounts? What is a contra account? Be able to analyze transactions using the debit/credit rules. What is a compound journal entry? How is an account’s balance determined? What is meant by the term normal balance? Be able to calculate an account balance. When are adjusting entries prepared? Why are they necessary? What are some rules that apply to all adjustments? Review the handout you were give regarding adjusting entries. What do the following accounting concepts mean? -going concern -cost-benefit -materiality -consistency -revenue recognition/realization -matching Which of the accounting concepts listed above form the basis for accrual basis accounting? What are the three closing entries? What is the purpose of closing entries? What is the format for a bank reconciliation? Which reconciling items require that a journal entry be made to recognize them? Be aware of the formulas to calculate some of the commonly used financial ratios, including: -current ratio -working capital -quick ratio How are the following items calculated? -net sales -cost of goods sold What is the difference between a periodic inventory system and a perpetual inventory system? What are internal control procedures? What are the four primary reasons for establishing internal controls? What are some common examples of internal control procedures? Define the following terms with regard to notes receivable/notes payable: -principal -interest -maturity date -maturity value Be able to calculate ending inventory and cost of goods sold under the following inventory cost allocation methods: -average costing -FIFO (first-in, first-out) -LIFO (last-in, first-out) Be able to define the following terms related to long term assets: cost -residual value/salvage value/trade-in value depreciable cost -book value -service life/useful life -depreciation -accumulated depreciation -depletion -amortization Be able to calculate depreciation using the following methods: -straight line -units of production -double declining balance How is the cost of a group/bundled purchase of assets allocated? What is the difference between the direct write off method and the allowance method of recognizing bad debts? Which one is p referred by GAAP? Why? Be able to define the following terms related to bonds payable: -bond indenture -debenture -secured bond coupon bond -registered bond -convertible bond -callable bond -term bond -serial bond -sinking fund When will a bond sell at a discount? At a premium? Be able to determine the issue price of a bond based on its market price quote. What are the rights of bondholders? Of common stockholders? Of preferred stockholders? Be able to define the following terms related to stock: -common stock -preferred stock -dividends in arrears -par value -treasury stock -dividend declaration date -date of record -dividend payment date -stock dividend -stock split -book value

Vertical And Horizontal Integration In Tourism.

Vertical And Horizontal Integration In Tourism. Horizontal Integration is when two industries merge together; it is where one business which offers a product takes over another business who offers similar products. An example of horizontal integration is the First Choice Group and this is because they own First Choice Hypermarket as well as First Choice Travel Agency. The reason why they are part of the horizontal integration is because looking at the buying chain they are on the exact same level. Vertical Integration Vertical Integration is when one company expands its business into a variety of different areas; the company buys another similar organisation however it is on a different level of the chain. An example of vertical integration is Virgin Trains which is owned by Virgin Group and also in partnership with the stagecoach. In the travel industry two companies take over one another in order to find out different ways to sell their products and services to their customers. A clear description of the trade and regularity body giving an explanation of their role and how they link to a tour operator: ABTA is the UK travel trade association for tour operators and travel agencies; they have a responsibility which is to help their members grow their business in a sustainable way. ABTA has been around for more than 60 years and it is essential that customers look for the ABTA logo when booking their holidays. The reason for this is because if anything was to go wrong when they are abroad ABTA is there as their security so therefore they will be able to sort out the complaints. Fairness, reliability and expertise is what the ABTA brand stands for and over 1350 companies use ABTA. FTO stands for the Federation of Tour Operators which ensures that UK outbound tour operators are interested in by people as well as providing about 90% of overseas package holidays which are sold in the UK. FTO has become more aware of sustainable tourism and responsible tourism that brings changes in the environment in all areas which are affecting holidays located overseas looking at the safety, hygiene and health requirements. AITO stands for the Association of Independent Tour Operators who offers a high level of customer satisfaction; members who are part of AITO are all small companies which are independent. They all specialise in certain destinations and are owner managed. Tour operators have recently be involved with AITO, their role is to organise activities for different types of holidays including; city breaks, culture, luxury, sports and adventure. CAA stands for the Civil Aviation Authority who is involved with the aviation police keeping charge of all airports; they also make sure that planes are safe before they take off. They ensure that all UK civil aviation standards are achieved and are responsible for four main areas which consists of; economic and airspace policy, consumer protection group, regulation and air safety group. Explain each legal framework and give examples: EU package travel regulations is a package holiday which has to be checked over before selling it to customers to see if it is under the EU law. A package holiday includes; transport, accommodation and excursions for example a trip to the museum or a tour guide. The travel regulations are clearly written so people can understand what cannot and be measured as a package holiday. Trade description act is another law which states that it is wrong to give out false information to customers about a certain product or service. An example of this is a staff working in a travel agency has helped a couple book their honeymoon and has told them that they will be staying at a beach hotel so therefore they walk down the stairs of their room and outside is the path to the beach. The couple get there and does not recognise the area and this is because there is no beach around the area or at the hotel, this is false information about facilities which was given to the customers by a member of staff in a travel agency. Consumer protection act all relates to safety and price, it protects all consumers from false pricing. This Act has three different rules to remember and they are; information must be basic and clear when it is given to all consumers, suppliers must all confirm any purchases made and if a package is wrong and they are not happy with the purchase consumers therefore need to be given a time in order to think and change their mind if it is needed. ATOL licence stands for the Air Transport Operations Licence which is a UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) system which protects all people who have bought a package holiday as well as flights from a tour operator. ATOL protects customers from losing out on any money and offers and also covers accommodation and flights being booked as one. D) A grid showing external influences that could affect Tour Operators with examples: Political An example of this is terrorism, the Bali bombings on 12th October 2002 was a terrorist attack which happened on an Indonesian Island called Kuta. From this attack there were 202 deaths and the number of people that were injured was 240, everyone in Bali from the surrounding areas where the attack occurred shows pictures from the bombings and these have been kept to show others what really happened and how it affected everyone. Tour operators lost out on some money as they had to stop selling package holidays and flights to Bali because of the terrorist attacks, the number of visitors dropped a huge amount. It decreased from 33,000 people to 32,000 and now this year it has increased to 52,000. Economic An example of this is fuel prices from the aircrafts, if this increases then when customers book their holiday tickets this will then therefore increase as well. International Air Transport Association (IATA) updates their website now and again on prices of the jet fuel, prices all vary on where the fuel is bought for example the country and how long a flight will take. Tour operators are allowed to increase their prices as well as advertising new fuel supplements, prices can be adjusted now and again according to charges being made. Customers will be able to see a breakdown of their flight ticket when booking a holiday showing the different prices. Social An example of this is religion which has become really popular in the world today especially holiday trips abroad to religious cities. The most popular religious trip is to Lourdes in France, six million people visit a year to ask for healing either for themselves because they are sick or for family and friends who they love. Lourdes is where miracles can happen, visitors can renew their faith and bathe in the cold water where they go in naked with a towel wrapped around them but come out completely dry. Religious trips to the same country could affect tour operators when they book them because they could get bored after a while booking to the same country for their customers over and over again. However some tour operators may know little about religious trips which can lead to customers being very disappointed and not return back to that travel agent to book their holidays in the future. Technological An example of this is online booking using the internet either at home or at work, this saves customers going to the shop and booking their holiday. Checking in on mobile phones is also acceptable as there are apps which people can download and do everything on there. Check-in must be done at least couple of hours before departure as well as printing out your boarding pass if needed. Tour Operators will earn less money than usual; this means there will be less work for travel agents therefore they will get bored easily as no customers are entering the store. Staff working at the travel agencies will feel it is a waste of time learning basic information for the different countries and they will also give up on decorating their store and shop windows if everyone has decided to book their flights and accommodation using technology. Staff may give up after a while and quit their job if they feel they are not doing anything for a whole day. Environmental An example of this is the volcanic ash cloud which started off from Iceland and slowly expanded across Europe in 2010. British Airways cancelled all their Long Haul and Short Haul flights, Ryanair which is a budget airline cancelled every single flight of theirs to and from the UK and Thomson Airways also cancelled every single flight. Out of 22,000 flights only 5,000 flights were running when the volcanic ash cloud appeared, in result customers were required to call their airline up before departure time to check if their flight was still going ahead. Flights which could no longer go ahead as normal and part of a package deal, it was then the tour operators task to cover every single cost however only if it is protected by Air Transport Operations Licence ATOL. This role can affect all tour operators because they will be getting a number of complaints and calls from customers every single minute, this gives them a high responsibility within the role and a lot of patience. This is ha rd work for them to control by themselves because not every customer is patient and nice so the reason it can affect staff from travel agents because they can also get into trouble if they answer back and act really rude and disobedient towards their customers. E) A factsheet showing the challenges to a tour operator: RESPONSIBLE TOURISM: First Choice offers a green brochure which includes hotels that has been given a Travelife Award for their responsibility of the environment. First Choice staffs are all able to download this brochure from the website to show customers when they enter the store and book a holiday with them because some people are interested in looking after different environments. There are a variety of choices looking at sustainability for travellers; activities and excursions. Projects from the World Care Fund are also included in order to show their ideas and care of the environment, the brochure allows customers to book their package holidays in a simple way when looking for countries abroad that relate to looking after the environment. MAINTAINING THE MARKET SHARE: Thomson Group is one of the popular tour operators which owns a variety of hotels across the world, one of the hotels is called Hotel Annabelle in Paphos. The hotel offers a variety of features; meals, swimming pool, entertainment, activities, facilities and special offers. Thomson also has rights towards transport and accommodation, they offer; private transfers which is a taxi straight to the hotel and reserve seats before departure for every single customer. Check-in before departure to avoid queuing up in the airport and customers are allowed every single benefit option however this can only be allowed if customers have booked a package holiday. Thomson also owns over 50 different aircrafts, they update their website now and again to improve their services and to advertise new products. TRENDS TOWARDS INDEPENDENT TRAVEL: Dynamic packaging which is very similar to a packaged holiday but the only difference is dynamic packaging has more of a variety of choices as an independent traveller. An example of dynamic packaging is as follows: hotel choice + flight choice + airport transfer choice. It is much cheaper in price and this is because everything needed for a holiday is put altogether. Tour Operators can lose out on earning money given by customers after booking their holiday because now everyone prefers to put their own packaged holiday together. If some customers do not know how to do so they can start charging customers who need the help. The way a company runs its business can be affected only when they lose out on money which means fewer customers are booking their holidays in travel agencies.

college info Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Though, as of this point in my life, I do not yet know what career I would like to pursue, or even what general field I would like to study or work in. I do have certain goals that I know I shall work to attain. These goals are fairly common among most people. Such as the goal of financial security, and financial ability to support a family; the goal of continuous intellectual and physical competitiveness; as well as a goal of general well being, and happiness. In America, many people with these goals go to a college or university in order to achieve them. Their path has been proven to be effective, and so I too have chosen to go to college.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I have learned that unfortunately colleges vary to great degrees, and that some will not satisfy me in achieving my goals. Because I must choose one college above another, I have compiled a set of requirements that I would like the college that I attend to fufill. My primary requirement for a college is that it have a broad program base, so that I may best discover and choose a career path that I would enjoy following. As well as a schools course selection, their actual facilities and physical resources are also important to me (such as library, computer rooms, workout facilities and other buildings). Ideally I would like to go to a medium or large sized college, because they generally best fufill this requirement, as well as they often have many career resources and connections. However a well equipped smaller college may also appeal to me. In regards of location, I would like to stay in the Northeast. I enjoy the cooler climate, and winter sports, and I would al so like to be within six hours of home. Not to mention (actually I am mentioning, but whatever) the fact that my girlfriend is probably going to attend a SUNY school, and I would like to have the opportunity to continue our relationship.Though these requirements are rather broad, they are certainly not concrete. The college that I go to may indeed fufill all of these requirements, or may very well fufill none. As of right now these are only ideas of what I am looking for in a college, however a very different college may just find me, and I am very open to that possibility.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One school that I have been seriously considering is Alfred University of upstate New York. The re... ... band shirts and plays his guitar all the time. Despite this striking difference between him and the average rich white polo loving guy, who only dates snobbish supermodel girls who are noted for being extremely prevalent in the school, my brother has found many good friends, and is basically friendly with everyone. I know this because I went to visit him for a long weekend, and saw how he unites his three floor dorm of jocks-1st floor(his floor), hot girls-2nd floor and the more nerdy or individual guys on the 3rd floor. This situation was probably mostly because of the unique person that my brother is, but it shows that the divisions that are prevalent in the school between the â€Å"cool kids† and the â€Å"individuals† can be overcome. I do believe that if I were to attend I would in fact be able to make friends in both categories, and have an all around good time. Oh yeah, and here is a list for the outline: In conclusion, I would like to go to an academically challenging and fulfilling school, which will aid me in selecting and succeeding in a future career. At the same time I want to have a good time in college, which is what many people believe the most important aspect of college.

Sherlock Holmes :: English Literature

Sherlock Holmes What qualities are there in Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories which have sustained their popularity for so many years? Conan Doyle was among the first writers of detective stories and novels in England. The first novel recognised as a detective story was written in 1868, by Wilkie Collins entitled "The Moonstone". Later in 1870, the popular novelist Charles Dickens also tried his hand at writing a detective novel called "The Mystery of Edwin Drood". These early detective stories have not become as famous as Doyle's creation for a number of reasons, one of which is that when Doyle began writing his novels there was a greater demand in general for stories, as more people were becoming educated and were taught how to read. Consequently, when the stories about Holmes were published, there was a growing readership in England, greater than there had been in Dickens' and Collins' time. Furthermore, the fact that dialect was rarely used in any of the Sherlock Holmes stories, unlike other works of the time, made it easier for people to read and understand the content, particularly those who had only recently acquired the basic skill of reading. In addition, as the stories were originally published in the "Strand" magazine, this made them fairly accessible, and therefore they enjoyed a wider social readership. The stories were often shorter than those of other writers, and thus avoided unnecessary detail. Generally, the stories have a distinct and succinct plot structure and were supported by illustrations, which I suggest, played a part in the general success. Because the popularity of his detective stories increased rapidly, yet at the same time Doyle was becoming more and more uncomfortable with his character. He wanted, out of personal preference to devote greater time to other forms of writing. He decided that the best way to do this was to end the life of Sherlock Holmes with a dramatic story involving Holmes' worst enemy, Professor Moriarty. Doyle sent his famous detective and his enemy plunging to their deaths at the Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland. Doyle, however, had underestimated the popularity of his character, because when his followers read "The Adventure of the Final Problem" there was a public outcry over his action. He received many letters from infuriated readers and some men actually marched through London, wearing black crepe bands around their hats, indicating their remorse for the death of their favourite detective. It has been suggested that it was the popularity of Sherlock Holmes, which kept the "The Strand" magazine in business, and when Doyle's stories did not appear in it, there were fewer copies sold, showing the tremendous popularity of the detective.

DNA in the Forensic Science Community Essay -- Biology, DNA collection

This paper explores deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) collection and its relationship to solving crimes. The collection of DNA is one of the most important steps in identifying a suspect in a crime. DNA evidence can either convict or exonerate an individual of a crime. Furthermore, the accuracy of forensic identification of evidence has the possibility of leaving biased effects on a juror (Carrell, Krauss, Liberman, Miethe, 2008). This paper examines Carrells et al’s research along with three other research articles to review how DNA is collected, the effects that is has on a juror and the pros and cons of DNA collection in the Forensic Science and Criminal Justice community. Keywords: deoxyribonucleic acid, United States DNA Collection in the Forensic Science Community and its Effects on Solving Crimes Once a crime has been committed the most important item to recover is any type of evidence left at the scene. If the suspect left any Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) at the crime scene, he could then be linked to the crime and eventually charged. A suspect’s DNA can be recovered if the suspect leaves a sample of his or her DNA at the crime scene. However, this method was not always used to track down a suspect. Not too long ago, detectives used to use bite marks, blood stain detection, blood grouping as the primary tool to identify a suspect. DNA can be left or collected from the hair, saliva, blood, mucus, semen, urine, fecal matter, and even the bones. DNA analysis has been the most recent technique employed by the forensic science community to identify a suspect or victim since the use of fingerprinting. Moreover, since the introduction of this new technique it has been a la... ...race, class and gender differences. In addition, to the inequality, methods of presenting DNA data is sometimes sloppy and has the scrutiny of being dismissed on the grounds of misleading or confusing evidence. Also, the errors in the forensic science community play a role in the high number of exoneration cases because of false identification. Since DNA technology has been used there has been a high number of individuals convicted, linked or found innocent of a crimes. This technology has helped law enforcement catch suspects that may have never been found without the use of this technology. However, the research reflected that there is a need for clearer interpretations of the DNA results, better equality provided for all regardless of race or class and that errors should be reduced to prevent having cases that need to be exonerated.

Practical Demonkeeping Chapter 16-18

16 HOWARD Howard Phillips, the owner of H.P.'s Cafe, had just settled down in the study of his stone cottage when he looked out the window and saw something moving through the trees. Howard had spent most of his adult life trying to prove three theories he had formulated in college: one, that before man had walked the Earth there had been a powerful race of intelligent beings who had achieved a high level of civilization, then for some unknown reason had disappeared; two, that the remnants of their civilization still existed underground or under the ocean, and through extreme cunning and guile had escaped detection by man; and three, that they were planning to return as masters of the planet in a very unfriendly way. What lurked in the woods outside Howard Phillips's cottage was the first physical evidence of his theories that he had ever encountered. He was at once elated and terrified. Like the child who is delighted by the idea of Santa Claus, then cries and cowers behind its mother when confronted with the corpulent red-suited reality of a department-store Santa, Howard Phillips was not fully prepared for a physical manifestation of what he had long believed extant. He was a scholar, not an adventurer. He preferred his experiences to come secondhand, through books. Howard's idea of adventure was trying whole wheat toast with his daily ham and eggs instead of the usual white bread. He stared out the window at the creature moving in the moonlight. It was very much like the creatures he had read about in ancient manuscripts: bipedal like a man, but with long, apelike arms; reptilian. Howard could see scales reflecting in the moonlight. The one inconsistency that bothered him was its size. In the manuscripts, these creatures, who were said to be kept as slaves by the Old Ones, had always been small in stature, no more than a few feet tall. This one was enormous – four, maybe five meters tall. The creature stopped for moment, then turned slowly and looked directly at Howard's window. Howard resisted the urge to dive to the floor and so stood staring straight into the eyes of the nightmare. The creature's eyes were the size of car headlamps and they glowed a faint orange around slotted, feline pupils. Long, pointed scales lay back against its head, giving the impression of ears. They stood there, staring at each other, the creature and the man, neither moving, until Howard could bear it no longer. He grabbed the curtains and pulled them shut, almost ripping them from the rod in the process. Outside he could hear the sound of laughter. When he dared to peak through the gap in the curtains, the creature was gone. Why hadn't he been more scientific in his observation? Why hadn't he run for his camera? For all his work at putting together clues from arcane grimoirs to prove the existence of the Old Ones, people had labeled him a crackpot. One photograph would have convinced them. But he had missed his chance. Or had he? Suddenly it occurred to Howard that the creature had seen him. Why should the Old Ones be so careful not to be discovered for so long, then walk in the moonlight as if out for a Sunday stroll? Perhaps it had not moved on at all but was circling the house to do away with the witness. First he thought of weapons. He had none in the house. Many of the old books in his library had spells for protection, but he had no idea where to start looking. Besides, the verge of panic was not the ideal mental state in which to do research. He might still be able to bolt to his old Jaguar and escape. Then again, he might bolt into the claws of the creature. All these thoughts passed through his mind in a second. The phone. He snatched the phone from his desk and dialed. It seemed forever for the dial to spin, but finally there was a ring and a woman's voice at the other end. â€Å"Nine-one-one, emergency,† she said. â€Å"Yes, I wish to report a lurker in the woods.† â€Å"What is your name, sir?† â€Å"Howard Phillips.† â€Å"And what is the address you are calling from?† â€Å"Five-oh-nine Cambridge Street, in Pine Cove.† â€Å"Are you in any immediate danger?† â€Å"Well, yes, that is why I called.† â€Å"You say you have a prowler. Is he attempting to enter the house?† â€Å"Not yet.† â€Å"You have seen the prowler?† â€Å"Yes, outside my window, in the woods.† â€Å"Can you describe him?† â€Å"He is an abomination of such abysmal hideousness that the mere recollection of this monstrosity perambulating in the dark outside my domicile fills me with the preternatural chill of the charnel house.† â€Å"That would be about how tall?† Howard paused to think. Obviously the law enforcement system was not prepared to deal with perversions from the transcosmic gulfs of the nethermost craters of the underworld. Yet he needed assistance. â€Å"The fiend stands two meters,† he said. â€Å"Could you see what he was wearing?† Again Howard considered the truth and rejected it. â€Å"Jeans, I believe. And a leather jacket.† â€Å"Could you tell if he was armed?† â€Å"Armed? I should say so. The beast is armed with monstrous claws and a toothed maw of the most villainous predator.† â€Å"Calm down, sir. I am dispatching a unit to your home. Make sure the doors are locked. Stay calm, I'll stay on the line until the officers arrive.† â€Å"How long will that be?† â€Å"About twenty minutes.† â€Å"Young woman, in twenty minutes I shall be little more than a shredded memory!† Howard hung up the phone. It had to be escape, then. He took his greatcoat and car keys from the foyer and stood leaning against the front door. Slowly he slipped the lock and grabbed the door handle. â€Å"On three, then,† he said to himself. â€Å"One.† He turned the door handle. â€Å"Two.† He bent, preparing to run. â€Å"Three!† He didn't move. â€Å"All right, then. Steel yourself, Howard.† He started the count again. â€Å"One.† Perhaps the beast was not outside. â€Å"Two.† If it was a slave creature, it wasn't dangerous at all. â€Å"Three!† He did not move. Howard repeated the process of counting, over and over, each time measuring the fear in his heart against the danger that lurked outside. Finally, disgusted with his own cowardliness, he threw the door open, and bolted into the dark. 17 BILLY Billy Winston was on the final stretch of the nightly audit at the Rooms-R-Us Motel. His fingers danced across the calculator like a spastic Fred Astaire. The sooner he finished, the sooner he could log onto the computer and become Roxanne. Only thirty-seven of the motel's one hundred rooms were rented tonight, so he was going to finish early. He couldn't wait. He needed Roxanne's ego boost after being ditched by The Breeze the night before. He hit the total button with a flourish, as if he had just played the final note of a piano concerto, then wrote the figure into the ledger and slammed the book. Billy was alone in the motel. The only sound was the hum of the fluorescent lights. From the windows by his desk he had a 180-degree view of the highway and the parking lot, but there was nothing to see. At that time of night a car or two passed every half hour or so. Just as well. He didn't like distractions while he was being Roxanne. Billy pushed a stool up to the front counter behind the computer. He typed in his access code and logged on. WITKSAS: HOW'S YOUR DOG, SWEETIE? SEND: PNCVCAL The Rooms-R-Us Motel chain maintained a computer network for making reservations at their motels all over the world. From any location a desk clerk could contact any of the two hundred motels in the chain by simply entering a seven-letter code. Billy had just sent a message to the night auditor in Wichita, Kansas. He started at the green phosphorescent screen, waiting for an answer. PNCVCAL: ROXANNE! MY DOG IS LONELY. HELP ME, BABY. WITKSAS Wichita was on line. Billy punched up a reply. WITKSAS: MAYBE HE NEEDS A LITTLE DISCIPLINE. I COULD SMOTHER HIM IF YOU WANT. SEND: PNCVCAL There was a pause while Billy waited. PNCVCAL: YOU WANT TO HOLD HIS POOR FUZZY FACE BETWEEN YOUR MELONS UNTIL HE BEGS? IS THAT IT? WITKSAS Billy thought for a moment. This was why they loved him. He couldn't just throw them an answer they could get from any sleazebeast. Roxanne was a goddess. WITKSAS: YES. AND BEAT HIM SOFTLY ON THE EARS. BAD DOG. BAD DOG. SEND: PNCVCAL Again Billy waited for the response. A message appeared on the screen. WHERE ARE YOU DARLING? I MISS YOU. TULSOKL. It was his lover from Tulsa. Roxanne could handle two or three at once, but she wasn't in the mood for it right now. She was feeling a little crampy. Billy adjusted his crotch, his panties were riding up a bit. He typed two messages. WITKSAS: GO PET YOUR DOGGIE FOR A WHILE. AUNTIE ROXANNE WILL CHECK ON YOU IN A WHILE. SEND: PNCVCAL TULSOKL: TOOK AN EVENING OFF TO SHOP FOR SOMETHING LACY TO WEAR FOR YOU. I HOPE YOU DON'T FIND IT TOO SHOCKING. SEND: PNCVCAL While he was waiting for a response from Oklahoma, Billy dug into his gym bag for his red high heels. He liked to hook the stiletto heels into the rungs of the stool while he talked to his lovers. When he glanced up, he thought he saw something moving out in the parking lot. Probably just a guest getting something from the car. PNCVCAL: YOU SWEET LITTLE THING, YOU COULD NEVER SHOCK ME. TELL ME WHAT YOU BOUGHT. TULSOKL Billy started to type in a modest description of a lace teddy he had seen in a catalog. To the guy in Tulsa, Roxanne was a shy little flower; to Wichita she was a dominatrix. The desk clerk in Seattle saw her as a leather-clad biker chick. The old man in Arizona thought she was a struggling single mother of two, barely making it on a desk clerk's salary. He always wanted to send her money. There were ten of them in all. Roxanne gave them what they needed. They loved her. Billy heard the double doors of the lobby open, but he did not look up. He finished typing his message and pressed the SEND button. â€Å"Can I help you,† he said mechanically, still not looking up. â€Å"You betcha,† a voice said. Two huge reptilian hands clacked down on the counter about four feet on each side of Billy. He looked up into the open mouth of the demon coming at his face. Billy pushed back from the keyboard. His heel caught in the rung of the stool and he went over backward as the giant maw snapped shut above him. Billy let loose a long, sirenlike scream and began scrambling on his hands and knees behind the counter toward the back office. Looking back over his shoulder, he saw the demon crawling over the counter after him. Once in the office, Billy leapt to his feet and slammed the door. As he turned to run out the back door, he heard the door fly open and slam against the wall. The back door of the office led into a long corridor of rooms. Billy pounded on the doors as he passed. No one opened a door, but there were angry shouts from inside the rooms. Billy turned and saw the demon filling the far end of the corridor. It was in a crouch, moving down the corridor on all fours, crawling awkward and batlike in the confined space. Billy dug in his pocket for his pass key, found it, and ran down the hallway and around the corner. Making the corner, he twisted his ankle. White pain shot up his leg, and he cried out. He limped to the closest door. The images of women in horror movies who twisted their ankles and feebly fell into the clutches of the monster raced through his head. Damn high heels. He fumbled the key into the lock while looking back down the hallway. The door opened and Billy fell into the room just as the monster rounded the corner behind him. He kicked the stiletto heel off his good foot, vaulted up and hopped across the empty room to the sliding glass door. The safety bar was set. He fell to his knees and began clawing at it. The only light in the room was coming from the hallway, and suddenly that was eclipsed. The monster was working its way through the doorway. â€Å"What the fuck are you!† Billy screamed. The monster stopped just inside the room. Even crouching over, its shoulders hit the ceiling. Billy cowered by the sliding door, still clawing under the curtains at the safety bar. The monster looked around the room, its huge head turning back and forth like a searchlight. To Billy's amazement, it reached around and turned on the lights. It seemed to be studying the bed. â€Å"Does that have Magic Fingers?† it said. â€Å"What!† Billy said. It came out a scream. â€Å"That bed has Magic Fingers, right?† Billy pulled the safety bar loose and hurled it at the monster. The heavy steel bar hit the monster in the face and rattled to the floor. The monster showed no reaction. Billy reached for the latch on the door and started to pull it open. The monster scuttled forward, reached over Billy's head, and pushed the door shut with one clawed finger. Billy yanked on the door but it was held fast. He collapsed under the monster with a long, agonizing wail. â€Å"Give me a quarter,† the monster said. Billy looked up into the huge lizard face. The monster's grin was nearly two feet wide. â€Å"Give me a quarter!† it repeated. Billy dug into his pocket, came out with a handful of change, and timidly held it up to the monster. Still holding the door shut with one hand, the monster reached down with the other and plucked a quarter from Billy's hand with two claws, using them like chopsticks. â€Å"Thanks,† it said. â€Å"I love Magic Fingers.† The demon let go of the door. â€Å"You can go now,† it said. Before he could think about it, Billy threw the door open and dove through. He was climbing to his feet when something caught him by the leg from behind and dragged him back into the room. â€Å"I was just kidding. You can't go.† The monster held Billy upside down by his leg while it dropped the quarter into the little metal box on the nightstand. Billy flailed in the air, screaming and clawing at the demon, ripping his fingernails against its scales. The monster took Billy into its arms like a teddy bear and lay back on the bed. Its feet hung off the end and nearly touched the dresser on the opposite wall. Billy could not scream; there was no breath for a scream. The monster let go with one arm and placed one long claw at Billy's ear. â€Å"Don't you just love Magic Fingers?† it said. Then it drove the claw though Billy's brain. 18 RACHEL After Merle died and Rachel observed a respectable period of mourning, which was precisely the same amount of time it took the courts to transfer Merle's property to her, she sold the Cessna and the trailer, bought herself a Volkswagen van, and on the advice of the women at the shelter, headed for Berkeley. In Berkeley, they insisted, she would find a community of women who could help her stay off the wheel of abuse. They were right. The women in Berkeley welcomed Rachel with open arms. They helped her find a place to live, enrolled her in exercise and self-actualization courses, taught her to defend herself, nurture herself, and most important, to respect herself. She lost weight and grew strong. She thrived. Within a year she took the remainder of her inheritance and bought a lease on a small studio adjacent to the University of California campus and began teaching high-intensity aerobics. She soon gained a reputation as a tough, domineering bitch of an instructor. There was a waiting list to get into her classes. The fat little girl had come into her own as a beautiful and powerful woman. Rachel taught six classes a day, putting herself through the rigors of each workout along with her students. After a few months of that regimen, she fell ill, waking one morning to find that she had just enough strength to call the women in her classes to cancel, and no more. One of her students, a statuesque, gray-haired woman in her forties named Bella, appeared at Rachel's door a few hours later. Once through the door Bella began giving orders. â€Å"Take off your clothes and get back in bed. I'll bring you some tea in a moment.† Her voice was deep and strong, yet somehow soothing. Rachel did as she was told. â€Å"I don't know what you think you've done to deserve the punishment you are giving yourself, Rachel,† Bella said, â€Å"but it has to stop.† Bella sat on the edge of Rachel's bed and watched while Rachel drank the tea. â€Å"Now lie on your stomach and relax.† Bella applied fragrant oil to Rachel's back and began rubbing, first with long, slow strokes that spread the oil, then gradually digging her fingers into the muscles until Rachel thought she would cry out in pain. When the message was finished, Rachel felt even more exhausted than before. She fell into a deep sleep. When Rachel awoke, Bella repeated the process, forcing Rachel to drink the bitter tea, then kneading her muscles until they ached. Again, Rachel slept. When Rachel awoke the fourth time, Bella again served her the tea, but this time she had Rachel lie on her back to receive her massage. Bella's hands played gently over her body, lingering between her legs and on her breasts. Through the drugged haze of the tea, Rachel noticed that the older woman was almost naked and had rubbed her own body with the same fragrant oils that she used on Rachel. It didn't occur to Rachel to resist. Since Bella had come through the door, she had been giving orders and Rachel had obeyed. In the dim light of Rachel's little apartment they became lovers. It had been two years since Rachel had been with a man. Trading soft caresses with Bella, she didn't care if she was ever again. When Rachel was back on her feet, Bella introduced her to a group of women who met at Bella's house once a week to perform ceremonies and rituals. Among these women Rachel learned about a new power she carried within herself, the power of the Goddess. Bella tutored her in the machinations of white magic and soon Rachel was leading the coven in rituals, while Bella looked on like a proud mother. â€Å"Modulate your voice,† Bella told her. â€Å"No matter what you are saying it should sound like a chant to the Goddess. The coven should be taken with the chant. That is the meaning of enchantment, my dear.† Rachel gave up her apartment and moved into Bella's restored Victorian house near the U.C. campus. For the first time in her life, she felt truly happy. Of course, it didn't last. One afternoon she came home to find Bella in bed with a bald and bewhiskered professor of music. Rachel was livid. She threatened the professor with a fireplace poker and chased him, half-naked, into the street. He exited clutching his tweed jacket and corduroy slacks in front of him. â€Å"You said you loved me!† Rachel screamed at Bella. â€Å"I do love you, dear.† Bella did not seem the least bit upset. Her voice was deep and modulated like a chant. â€Å"This was about power, not love.† â€Å"If I wasn't filling your needs, you should have said something.† â€Å"You are the most wonderful lover I have known, dear Rachel. But Dr. Mendenhall holds the mortgage on our house. That loan is interest free, in case you hadn't noticed.† â€Å"You whore!† â€Å"Aren't we all, dear?† â€Å"I'm not.† â€Å"You are. I am. The Goddess is. We all have our price. Be it love, or money, or power, Rachel. Why do you think the women in your exercise classes put themselves through so much pain?† â€Å"You're changing the subject.† â€Å"Answer me,† Bella demanded. â€Å"Why?† â€Å"They want a sound body. They want a strong vessel to carry a strong spirit.† â€Å"They don't give a rat's ass about a strong spirit. They want a tight ass so men will want them. They will deny it to the death, but it's true. The sooner you realize that, the sooner you will realize your own power.† â€Å"You're sick. This goes against everything you've ever taught me.† â€Å"This is the most important thing I ever will teach you, so listen! Know your price, Rachel.† â€Å"No.† â€Å"You think I'm some cheap slut, do you? You think you're above selling yourself? How much rent have you ever paid here?† â€Å"I offered. You said it didn't matter. I loved you.† â€Å"That's your price, then.† â€Å"It's not. It's love.† â€Å"Sold!† Bella climbed out of bed and strode across the room, her long gray hair flying behind her. She took her robe from the closet, threw it around herself, and tied the sash. â€Å"Love me for what I am, Rachel. Just as I love you for what you are. Nothing has changed. Dr. Mendenhall will be back, whimpering like a puppy. If it will make you feel better, you can be the one that takes him. Maybe we can do it together.† â€Å"You're sick. How could you even suggest such a thing?† â€Å"Rachel, as long as you see men as human beings, we are going to have a problem. They are inferior beings, incapable of love. How could a few moments of animal friction with a subhuman affect us? What we have between us?† â€Å"You sound like a man caught with his pants down.† Bella sighed. â€Å"I don't want you around the others until you calm down. There's some money in my jewelry box. Why don't you take it and go down to Esalen for a week or so. Think this over. You'll feel better when you get back.† â€Å"What about the others?† Rachel asked. â€Å"How do you think they'll feel when they find out that all the magic, all the spiritualism you preach, is just so much bullshit?† â€Å"Everything is true. They follow me because they admire my power. This is part of that power. I haven't betrayed anyone.† â€Å"You've betrayed me.† â€Å"If you feel that way, then perhaps you'd better leave.† Bella went into the bathroom and began drawing a bath. Rachel followed her. â€Å"Why should I leave? I could just tell them. I know as much as you do now. I could lead them.† â€Å"Dear Rachel.† Bella was adding oils to her bath and not looking up. â€Å"Didn't you learn anything from killing your husband? Destruction is a man's way.† Rachel was stunned. She had told Bella about the accident but not that she had caused it. She had told no one. Bella looked up at her at last. â€Å"You can stay if you wish. I still love you.† â€Å"I'll go.† â€Å"I'm sorry, Rachel. I thought you were more highly evolved.† Bella slipped out of her robe and into her bath. Rachel stood in the doorway staring down at her. â€Å"I love you,† she said. â€Å"I know you do, dear. Now, go pack your things.† Rachel couldn't bear the idea of staying in Berkeley. Everywhere she went she encountered reminders of Bella. She loaded up her van and spent a month driving around California, looking for a place where she might fit in. Then, one morning while reading the paper over breakfast, she spotted a column called â€Å"California Facts.† It was a simple list of figures that informed readers of obscure facts such as which California county produces the most pistachios (Sacramento), where one had the best chance of having one's car stolen (North Hollywood), and tucked amid a mlange of seemingly insignificant demographics, which California town had the highest per capita percentage of divorced women (Pine Cove). Rachel had found her destination. Now, five years later, she was firmly set in the community, respected by the women and feared and lusted after by the men. She had moved slowly, recruiting into her coven only women who sought her out – mostly women who were on the verge of leaving their husbands and who needed something to shore them up during the divorce process. Rachel provided them with the support they required, and in return they gave her their loyalty. Just six months ago she initiated the thirteenth and final member of the coven. At last she was able to perform the rituals that she had worked so hard to learn from Bella. For years they seemed ineffective, and Rachel attributed their failure to not having a full coven. Now she was starting to suspect that the Earth magic they were trying to perform just did not work – that there was no real power to be had. She could lead the coven to attempt anything, and on her command they would do it. That was a power of sorts. She could extract favors from men with no more than a seductive glance and in that, there was a power. But none of it was enough. She wanted the magic to work. She wanted real power. Catch had sensed Rachel's lust for power in the Head of the Slug that afternoon, recognizing in her what he had seen in his ruthless masters before Travis. That night, while Rachel lay in the dark of her cabin, contemplating her own impotence, the demon came to her. She had locked the door that night, more out of habit than need, as there was very little crime in Pine Cove. Around nine she heard someone try the doorknob and she sat upright in bed. â€Å"Who is it?† As if in answer, the door bent slowly inward and the doorjamb cracked, then splintered away. The door opened, but there was no one behind it. Rachel pulled the quilt up around her chin and scooted up into the corner of the bed. â€Å"Who is it?† A voice growled out of the darkness, â€Å"Don't be afraid. I will not hurt you.† The moon was bright. If someone was there, she should have been able to see his silhouette in the doorway, but strain as she might, she saw nothing. â€Å"Who are you? What do you want?† â€Å"No – what do you want?† the voice said. Rachel was truly frightened; the voice was coming from an empty spot not two feet away from her bed. â€Å"I asked you first,† she said. â€Å"Who are you?† â€Å"Ooooooooooo, I am the ghost of Christmas past.† Rachel poked herself in the leg with her thumbnail to make sure she was not dreaming. She wasn't. She found herself speaking to the disembodied voice in spite of herself. â€Å"Christmas is months away.† â€Å"I know. I lied. I'm not the ghost of Christmas past. I saw that in a movie once.† â€Å"Who are you!† Rachel was near hysteria. â€Å"I am all your dreams come true.† Someone must have planted a speaker somewhere in the house. Rachel's fear turned to anger. She leapt from bed to find the offending device. Two steps out of bed she ran into something and fell to the floor. Something that felt like claws wrapped around her waist. She felt herself being lifted and put back on the bed. Panic seized her. She began to scream as her bladder let go. â€Å"Stop it!† The voice drowned her screams and rattled the windows of the cabin. â€Å"I don't have time for this.† Rachel cowered on the bed. She was panting and felt herself getting light-headed. She started to sink back into unconsciousness, but something caught her by the hair and yanked her back. Her mind searched for a touchstone in reality. A ghost – it was a ghost. Did she believe in ghosts? Perhaps it was time to start. Maybe it was him, returned for revenge. â€Å"Merle, is that you?† â€Å"Who?† â€Å"I'm sorry, Merle, I had to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Who is Merle?† â€Å"You're not Merle?† â€Å"Never heard of him.† â€Å"Then, who – what in the hell are you?† â€Å"I am the defeat of your enemies. I am the power you crave. I am, live and direct from hell, the demon Catch! Ta-da!† There was a clicking on the floor like a tap-dancing step. â€Å"You're an Earth spirit?† â€Å"Er, uh, yes, an Earth spirit. That's me, Catch, the Earth spirit.† â€Å"But I didn't think the ritual worked.† â€Å"Ritual?† â€Å"We tried to call you up at the meeting last week, but I didn't think it worked because I didn't draw the circle of power with a virgin blade that had been quenched in blood.† â€Å"What did you use?† â€Å"A nail file.† There was a pause. Had she offended the Earth spirit? Here was the first evidence that her magic could work and she had blown it by compromising the materials called for in the ritual. â€Å"I'm sorry,† she said, â€Å"but it's not easy to find a blade that's been quenched in blood.† â€Å"It's okay.† â€Å"If I had known, I†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"No really, it's okay.† â€Å"Are you offended, Great Spirit?† â€Å"I am about to bestow the greatest power in the world upon a woman who draws circles in the dirt with nail files. I don't know. Give me a minute.† â€Å"Then you will grant harmony to the hearts of the women in the coven?† â€Å"What the fuck are you talking about?† the voice said. â€Å"That is why we summoned you, O Spirit – to bring us harmony.† â€Å"Oh, yeah, harmony. But there is a condition.† â€Å"Tell me what you require of me, O Spirit.† â€Å"I will return to you later, witch. If I find what I am looking for, I will need you to renounce the Creator and perform a ritual. In return you will be given the command of a power that can rule the Earth. Will you do this?† Rachel could not believe what she was hearing. Accepting that her magic worked was a huge step, yet she was speaking to the evidence. But to be offered the power to rule the world? She wasn't sure her career in exercise instruction had prepared her for this. â€Å"Speak, woman! Or would you rather spend your life collecting gobs of hair from shower drains and fingernail parings from ashtrays?† â€Å"How do you know about that?† â€Å"I was destroying pagans when Charlemagne was alive. Now, answer; there is a hunger rising in me and I must go.† â€Å"Destroying pagans? I thought the Earth spirits were benevolent.† â€Å"We have our moments. Now, will you renounce the Creator?† â€Å"Renounce the Goddess, I don't know†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Not the Goddess! The Creator!† â€Å"But the Goddess†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Wrong. The Creator, the All-Powerful. Help me out here, babe – I'm not allowed to say his name.† â€Å"You mean the Christian God?† â€Å"Bingo! Will you renounce him?† â€Å"I did that a long time ago.† â€Å"Good. Wait here. I will be back.† Rachel searched for a last word, but nothing came. She heard a rustling in the leaves outside and ran to the door. In the moonlight she could see the shapes of cattle standing in the nearby pasture and something moving among them. Something that was growing larger as it moved away toward town.

Coffin vs Tubman Essay

Though many individuals in the antebellum United States felt slavery was an abomination, few felt so strongly about it that they would risk their livelihood or wellbeing to fight for abolition. Those who sought change most avidly often drew inspiration from personal life-changing experiences or their engrained beliefs. Anti-slavery operations such as the Underground Railroad could not have functioned on such a large scale without the financial and organizational support given by wealthy citizens such as Levi Coffin. Others who had experienced slavery firsthand, like Harriet Tubman, felt that it was their duty to risk all the freedom they had won to help their enslaved family and comrades. In addition to freeing slaves and fighting to end slavery, these individuals became symbols of bravery and fortitude, giving inspiration to other abolitionists and sympathizers. Tubman and Coffin worked primarily in different time periods and geographical locations, but both were motivated to break slavery laws by their religious beliefs and their childhood experiences with the horrors of slavery. Even after the emancipation of the slaves in 1863, there was something within these two that kept them fighting for equality and justice. Levi Coffin grew up in the heart of slave-owning America, on a farm in New Garden, North Carolina. He was born on October 28, 1798 into a devout Quaker family, who believed that slavery conflicted with the teachings of their religion. Clearly his parents’ teachings and the influence of the Quaker community had a lasting effect on Levi, since he knew from a very young age that he was morally opposed to slavery, claiming â€Å"I date my conversion to Abolitionism from an incident which occurred when I was about seven years old.† Working on his father’s farm with no assistance from slave labor, he developed an appreciation for hard work and often found himself interacting with local slaves. He received very little formal education, which is astonishing, given the degree of business success he would experience later in life. Throug h his teenage years he helped his parents by caring for escaping slaves who had sought refuge on their farm. Unfortunately, the toughening enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Act led to public disdain for the Quakers, who defied the government’s laws to pursue what they perceived to be the morally righteous path. To avoid increasing persecution from slaveholders who suspected them of aiding runaways, the majority of Quakers in the Coffins’ community packed up their things and moved northwest to Indiana, in a similar fashion to their relatives who had emigrated from England years ago. Indiana was a part of the Northwest Territory, where slavery had been made illegal with the passing of the Northwest Ordinance in 1787. Therefore, the Coffins could resume their abolitionist work in relative safety. The religious persecution experienced by Levi and his forefathers must have served as a strong reminder of the society’s tendencies to mistreat groups of people and individuals who look, think, or act differently. Levi Coffin gained inspiration from Quaker teachings and used his family’s substantial resources to help those whom he felt could not help themselves, whereas Harriet Tubman drew courage and strength from her experiences as a slave to aid her family and friends. Born into slavery around 1820 in Dorchester County, Maryland, Araminta Harriet Ross would eventually become one of the most famous female abolitionists of all time. Since her mother had duties to attend to in the plantation house of her owner Mary Pattison Brodess and her father was owned by another family, she was often the only one around to look after her younger siblings. She was also sent to work for both her parents’ owners’ families and other local families from time to time. She was put to work in the woods and fields, where she became strong and acquired valuable skills she would utilize later in life. She experienced many unjust and unwarranted beatings at the hands of her owners that would scar her physically and emotionally. Probably the gravest of Tubman’s injuries came in the form of a skull-fracturing blow she received at the age of fifteen from a two-pound metal weight, which had originally been aimed at another fleeing slave. She was slow to recover from this injury, and once she was fit to work again she still experienced seizures, random bouts of sleep, and vivid dreams and visions for the rest of her life. The difficult life she led and the painful memories she carried fueled her desire to never stop fighting for equality for her people. While Tubman and Coffin were born over 20 years apart, they were both subjected to life changing circumstances in their early years that would shape their outlook on society and foster their determination to help others. The Quakers were well known as forerunners in the fight against all forms of bondage and enslavement, both in the United States and Europe, though not every Quaker chose to actively aid escaping slaves. According to H. J. Cadbury, the â€Å"Society of Friends †¦ would surely if slowly become a pioneer moral force in abolishing the accepted and time honored institution of slavery.† For Levi Coffin though, there was no excuse to not help all those that he could. Even as a young boy he realized how terrible it would be to be torn away from his family and forced to work for nothing, just as the slaves he interacted with in his community had been. While Tubman was not a Quaker, her mother told her stories from the Bible as a child, and she quickly developed an unwavering faith in God without the conventions of any particular religious institution. Her abolitionist activities were neither limited by laws of a guiding religious body nor motivated by any incentive besides her own desire to see a world without slavery. Not long after his family and neighbors in North Carolina moved to Indiana to escape persecution for their unlawful acts, Coffin chose to join them. In 1826, two years after marrying his wife Catherine, they settled down in Newport, Indiana with their firstborn son. He farmed a small plot of land and opened a rather successful general store within his first year of living there. He soon learned that there was a community of free African Americans near Newport, which was unfortunately a well-known stopping point for escaped slaves making their way northward along the Underground Railroad. He did not hesitate to approach the black community to let them know that he would gladly harbor these runaways, since his property was far less likely to be suspected of aiding escaped slaves. As his neighbors and others observed the success that Levi was having in helping runaways, they became increasingly willing to offer their assistance in the form of food, clothes, and shelter. With more support, Levi and his supporters were eventually able to develop a secret network of safe locations for fugitive slaves to stop as they were smuggled north to Canada. He continued to help more and more slaves escape to freedom, and his house became known as the â€Å"Grand Central Station of the Underground Railroad,† which was fitting, given the fact that it was the meeting point of escape routes from Madison, New Albany, and Cincinnati. His business initially struggled while the majority of the community disapproved of his illegal activity, but as more citizens who opposed slavery moved into the area he saw increased sales. After becoming the director of the Richmond branch of the Bank of Indiana, he was financially able to increase his contributions to his fugitive aid efforts. He even built an addition on his house where he could hide up runaways from the slave-hunters who constantly checked his house for escapees. Despite public knowledge of his involvement with the abolition movement, Coffin never feared for his safety or the safety of his family and business; claiming, â€Å"If by doing my duty and endeavoring to fulfill the injunctions of the Bible, I injured my business, then let my business go. As to my safety, my life was in the hands of my Divine Master, and I felt that I had his approval.† Tubman eventually married a free man named John, whose last name she took, and around the same time, changed her first name to Harriet. Although marriages between free and enslaved blacks were not uncommon, they did nothing to change the status of the enslaved individual. As Tubman’s value as a slave diminished due to symptoms associated with her head injury, her owner Edward Brodess attempted to sell her, but could not make a sale before he himself died. Brodess’s death all but guaranteed that Harriet would be sold and separated from her family and husband. At this point she decided that she would live in slavery no longer, and made an escape attempt with two of her brothers in September of 1849, despite John’s advice against it. They did not make it far before her brothers got cold feet and she was forced to return with them. It did not take her long after this to make a second attempt at escape, this time with nobody else. She made use of the Underground Railroad to make her way north to Pennsylvania, often traveling by night and using her knowledge of the land to survive. Although she was free in Philadelphia, where she was working odd jobs and saving money, Tubman could not be content while her family and friends were still enslaved in Maryland. Unfortunately though, the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 prompted many escaped slaves living in free states to venture further north to Canada, since they were no longer protected from slave-hunters, and Tubman was once again a fugitive. Upon hearing that her niece was to be sold in Baltimore, she travelled there from Philadelphia to aid in her extended family’s escape. She successfully transported them back to Philadelphia, and was soon returning to Baltimore to free her brother and two others. With her newfound abilities as a strong leader, she made her way back to Dorchester County to attempt to free those whom she cared about most. However, she found that her husband John had remarried and claimed to be happy in Maryland. Rather than make a scene that could result in her capture, Tubman swallowed her pain and decided to aid several other slaves who were anxious to escape. She would make approximately 19 trips into southern states in the next eleven years, guiding as many as 300 individuals north to freedom, including her other brothers and their families. In her time not spent guiding slaves out of Maryland, she helped guide those escaped slaves who had already made it to Pennsylvania further north to the political refuge of Canada. Coffin and Tubman both claimed that their faith in God overpowered any fear they may have had regarding their own safety or wellbeing. They felt as though there was no way they could be punished for doing God’s work. Tubman’s powerful visions and dreams often took on a religious theme, which she interpreted as God speaking to her. While Coffin did not have visions, he had strong faith and varying amounts of support from his community. Their driving forces were similar, yet their means of lending aid were almost exactly opposite. Where Coffin provided lodging, food, and transportation, Tubman acted as more of a shepherd, sharing her knowledge and courage with the runaways she guided. Tubman was reliant on help from anti-slavery activists like Coffin to provide her runaways and her with food and shelter. Allegedly, she received a great deal of help from northeastern Quakers such as Thomas Garret, which demonstrates the Quakers’ aversion to slavery, no matter where they lived. The life of an Abolitionist in the 19th century United States was anything but easy, given the fact that they were battling an age-old institution that was deeply engrained in the culture of the nation. Both Tubman and Coffin faced adversity wherever they attempted to assist escaped slaves, though the obstacles they faced were different given their very different circumstances. Being an escaped slave herself, Tubman was constantly in danger of being recognized and taken back to the south, especially after the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. She could use this to her advantage on her frequent trips into southern states though, often hiding in plain sight by acting like she was busy running errands for an owner. While Tubman acted in secrecy and used her relative anonymity to her advantage, Coffin managed to help thousands of slaves escape to freedom despite his local fame and constant scrutiny from law enforcement and public officials. After public support for his actions increased amongst his community members, he was able to expand his network; endeavoring into the business of transporting runaways along secret routes. Coffin noted that many times, â€Å"people who were not abolitionists were deeply moved by the sight of another human fleeing slavery.† However, the Quakers were a historically unpopular religious faction in both Europe and America, and eventually the leaders of the Quaker’s governing body decided his actions could possibly provoke law enforcement officials and the non-Quaker community to force them to move once more. Using his skills as a leader and organizer, he simply formed his own sect of the Quaker religion known as the Antislavery Friends. One notable quality shared by both Tubman and Coffin was their undying need to help others and willingness to sacrifice everything they had. In 1847, Coffin undertook the unappealing task of moving to Cincinnati to try to promote goods produced from free labor, even though the quality was poor and he saw almost no profits from such goods. He felt as though it was an important business venture to support, and gave no heed to the financial risks. After operating his business rather unsuccessfully for some time in Cincinnati, he began helping escaped slaves again by opening his house as a stop on the Underground Railroad. As emancipation became more likely he began to concern himself with the wellbeing of freed slaves, helping to form the Western Freedman’s Aid Society and petitioning the government to form the Freedman’s Bureau to help freed slaves receive educations and get jobs to support themselves. He would raise over $100,000 for the Western Freedman’s Aid Society after the Civil War, and attended several notable international anti-slavery conventions. Eventually he slowed down in his old age, declaring that he would retire from this stressful lifestyle after the passage of the Fifteenth Amendment, since the abolitionists had won what they had been fighting for all these years. Coffin’s views on such matters conflicted with many other Quakers who felt as though, â€Å"opposing slavery was one thing,† and, â€Å"envisioning the place of free people of color in American society was quite another.† In the years leading up to the Civil War, Tubman took an aggressive stance, advocating the need for definitive action. She helped John Brown recruit volunteers for his attempted revolt at the raid on Harpers Ferry in 1858, though she did not actually participate in the skirmish due to her illness. Throughout the War, she aided the Union as a spy and nurse, and even led an armed raid on several plantations along the Combahee River. However, the whole time she worked for the Union Army she was never paid a regular salary, and did not receive an official pension for her service until 1899. This is why she was especially unique as a leader, because she had experienced both the oppression of slavery and the prejudice of a strongly male-dominant society. This is why she was keen on joining the women’s suffrage movement later in her life, and quickly rose to be a great leader; working alongside Susan B. Anthony. Later on in life, she also contributed a portion of her land in Auburn, New York to be used to build a care center for impoverished elderly African Americans. This was the same land on which she had housed her parents, siblings, and many fugitive slaves, suggesting that she was intent on using her land to aid those for whom she cared. All of her efforts eventually left her in a great deal of debt, despite her status as a folk hero and truly inspirational American patriot, and she would spend her last years living in the rest home named after her. To compare Levi Coffin and Harriet Tubman is difficult due to their differing circumstances and methods for assisting escaped slaves. Tubman could hardly have provided an inconspicuous and consistent hiding place for those she helped on her early missions, due to her fugitive status and lack of steady income. Coffin found that providing the financial backing for a large network was more effective than if he were to have simply guided a few escapees at a time to the safety of Canada. Both Tubman and Coffin had to draw strength from their faith and experiences to become the leaders that they were, and their actions reflected the conviction they felt for advancing the abolitionist movement. To bring about change, there must be individuals who are willing to take the reins and expedite the process through action. These individuals must act with no fear and no regret, with total confidence that their plans will bear the fruit of success. Levi Coffin and Harriet Tubman luckily lived to see the fall of slavery, which they felt justified all of their efforts and any amount of law breaking they partook in over the years. Bibliography Brawley, Benjamin G. Women of Achievement. Women’s American Baptist Home Mission Society, 1919. http://www.unz.org/Pub/BrawleyBenjamin-1919 (accessed November 24, 2012). Cadbury, H. J. â€Å"Another Early Quaker Anti-Slavery Document.† The Journal of Negro History 27 (1942), http://www.jstor.org/stable/2714734 (accessed November 24, 2012). Chism, Kahlil. â€Å"Harriet Tubman: Spy, Veteran, and Widow.† OAH Magazine of History, March 2005, http://www.jstor.org/stable/25163763 (accessed November 18, 2012). Coffin, Levi. 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