Crime Deviance and Society-Free-Samples-Myassignmenthelp.com

Questions: 1.Do you believe Merton's theory, especially the concept of the innovator adequately explains why some people engage in Criminal behaviour. Identifya recent Australian example. 2.What are Moral Panics? Identify a recent Australian example, where you have seen discussed in the Median and Explain how and why this example evolved to become a moral panic. 3.Identify a recent Australian example, where you have seen discussed in the Media and Explain how and why this example supports the statement above Statement. Answers: 1.Merton was an American sociologist who expanded the Strain theory of criminal indulgence. According to the theory provided by him pressure is created by socially accepted goals upon the individuals of a society. Individuals are abetted to operate in the system or become a part of a deviant subculture for the purpose of achieving the goals they want (White, Haines Asquith 2012). This belief provided by Merton became famous as the strain theory. In addition the theory states that when a gap is created between the individuals and the desired goals and their present position because of money related matters the concept of strain originates. When people are subjected to strain there are five ways in which people try to adapt. Firstly they want to pursue their goals via those means which have been approved by the society. They also use innovations which makes them use unconventional or unapproved ways to achieve culturally approved goals. They can indulge in ritualism through which they can achieve more modest goals. Through the process of retreatism they do not want to achieve cultural goals and want to escape it. And through rebellion they do not want the cultural goals and find a way so that they can be replaced. I believe that although the theory does not comprehensively provide a reason as to why people indulge in criminal activities its findings cannot be rejected. It is fact they socially an individual would be want to be a respected in the society and in the contemporary would this only happens when a person is rich. Thus to gain such resources people innovate ways which may either be legal or criminal. One of the examples of the application of the Innovator aspect of the theory has been stated through ABC News (2017). Here four individuals were found to be deal in drugs through social media in South Australia which is a latest innovation. Out of the four arrested 2 were below the age of 25 and the other two were below the age of 30 and it is clear that no t achieving social goals made them innovate criminal activities. 2.A moral panic can be defined as a feeling of anxiety and fear which is spread among a number of individuals in the society with respect to some threat or evil to the societys well-being. According to White, Haines Asquith (2012) social panic is the process which creates worry over problems related to the society. The key payers who disseminate moral indignation are media although they do not apprehend to engage consciously in Muckraking and crusading. Panic, anxiety and concern can be created through the process of simply stating the facts. According to Reid (2015) moral panic takes place when an individual, a group, an episode or a condition is defined as a threat to the values and interest of the society. A few examples of moral panic may include satanic cults indulging in ritual abuse of children and women belief in abduction of children in a large scale by predatory paedophiles and war on drugs. According to The Guardian (2017) stopping boat people to enter Australia has been a necessary measure. Boat people include those groups and individuals who are entering Australia through boats and are asylum seekers. Analyzing the statement of the media in the light of the moral theory it can be provided that a moral panic may be created within the Australian community through the news. I believe this is because the community would be anxious over the Australian national way of life and identity along with fear of concerns of multiculturalism and Asian invasion. The statement of fact made by the media would be enough to create moral panic among the society. They would be concerned about increased crime in the society as well as the increased expenses of the government. Therefore it can be stated that any statement which apprehends to be detrimental to the society can be a cause of moral panic creation. In addition media plays a significant role in creating moral panic. 3.According to Weisburd (2015) crime and deviance is created by the ruling class as they use their powers as a mean of social control according to which if you do not comply you are going to be punished. The ruling class has the power of making law and thus they enact provisions which are primarily for their own interest. These laws may therefore not sever their actual purpose of ensuring peace and justice in the society. The primary concern in relation to such rule class law making is in the area of human rights such as the right of freedom of speech and the right to property. The white collar crimes which are indulged into by the eminent and powerful individuals and groups of the society are ignored by the ruling class. On the other had criminal activities which are committed by less powerful members of the society for social needs such as street crimes and burglary are given increased focus. According to the theory there are different policies for different social classes. Where w hite collar crimes are generally governed under the provisions of civil law, crime like street crimes and theft are governed by criminal law. In civil law those who violate can escape by paying fines and penalties but this is not the case in criminal law. Those who are doing nominal theft are being seriously punished and those who are stealing millions through the process of corporate fraud are roaming free by paying fines and penalties. One of the classic examples I would provide of this is that the breach of directors duties only results in civil penalty provisions. On classic example of the theory is the anti terrorism laws enacted by the Australian parliament (ABC News 2017). The laws apprehend to restrict the freedom of expression and speech so that no voice can be raised against the government. It is therefore clear in this case the government is enacting laws in the favor of the ruling class which is themselves and the detriment of the general public. References ABC News. (2017). Drug deals on social media targeted by SA police. [online] Available at: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-03/drug-dealing-social-media-four-arrests/7684298 [Accessed 30 Oct. 2017]. ABC News. (2017). New anti-terror laws 'could endanger freedom of speech'. [online] Available at: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-10-17/5820558 [Accessed 30 Oct. 2017]. Reid, S.T., 2015. Crime and criminology. Wolters Kluwer Law Business. The Guardian. (2017). Australian immigration and asylum | Australia news | The Guardian. [online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/australian-immigration-and-asylum [Accessed 30 Oct. 2017]. Weisburd, D., 2015. The law of crime concentration and the criminology of place.Criminology,53(2), pp.133-157. White, R, Haines, F Asquith, N 2012, Marxist criminology, in Crime and criminology, 5th edn, Oxford University Press, Melbourne, pp. 118141.

When It Rains It Pours Essays - When It Rains, It Pours, Shine

When It Rains It Pours As I sit here listening to it fall on my window sill I feel a shade of darkness come over me. I walk outside to feel it falling on me. As I life my face towards the heavens to feel it falling on me I have this dark feeling of dred. For me, rainy days and nights make me feel sad inside. I get depressed and want to stay in the house in bed. Whenever it rains I usually come downstairs and look out the window, only to see if my car is still in front of my door. As I stare at the sky, I think to myself, it's going to rain all day. But still, I thought, the sun could shine anyway, bringing with it the spring flowers that smell so lovely, the green grass, the blue sky, and the white clouds. Oh well, just a thought. I close my curtains and go back upstairs, I get back into bed and try to sleep. Sleep eludes me because I am thinking about things like life death, and money. It begins to pour and as the rain falls harder and hevier, I feel myself begining to fall asleep. Rain is like life, it comes and stays a while. Rain is like death, when it's time to stop it knows. Rain is also like money, when you have a lot of it, it pours. I dream of the day when the rain will go away, but until that day, I will listen to its drops on my window pane. Bibliography None needed

New School Essays

New School Essays New School Essay New School Essay I didnt think I would ever fall in love, come to think of it I never thought I would fall for Romeo, my best friend. Lets just say that love gets people in ways which you wouldnt expect.It was a Tuesday morning. It had finally come; the day when I was moving schools. I can still remember what was going through my head that morning. Thank god Im out of that shit hole I sighed, I was so nervous, what if I dont make any friends what if everyone hates me I sighed again. All those negative thoughts where rushing through my head, I was very sure I was gonna punk out but I kept my cool. I had just finished having a bath and I was going to find something to wear.Dont get me wrong I have so many clothes, but trust me its all about the mood the weathers in and the mood Im in. As soon as I opened my wardrobe, clothes came piling out DAMN! I thought I need to do some spring cleaning! I usually take a long time to get ready but seeing as this was my first day at a new scho ol I HAD to take my time. The sun was hitting in through my window so I decided to go ghetto and wear my denim dungarees, white tank top with top gurl written on it, and my dark blue converses.I put on some lip gloss, popped sum chewing gum in my mouth, grabbed my dark blue and light blue Nike Just do it bag and then I ran down the stairs to the kitchen, to find a note on the counter, it was from mum; Honey I have gone to work. Well duh I thought. Ten pounds is in the draw. P.s/make sure youre not late.I scrunched up the note and threw it in the bin. I then headed to the draw, pulled it open and took out the ten pounds that my mum had left for me.Mum works at a bank, I am considering studying law when I go to university. I know it seems like a long time away but youve got to be prepared. I love History and it just seems like a well paying job.My dad died of a liver cancer when I was two. So I guess it wasnt really painful for me at that time seeing as I was still very young and I di dnt understand what was happening. When I was in primary school nearly everyone had a dad I was really confused, it must have been hard for my mum because I kept on asking her where my dad was and shed always tell me that he was in a lovely place. Well Im hurt now because I didnt get to know him, and all I have is a picture of me in his arms when I was a newborn. Mum does date but they just come and go.I took my keys, my ipod, and my phone from the counter, and opened my front door. I realised that I had forgotten something and descended back to my kitchen counter to get my sunglasses. I got out of my house then I locked the door. I then unlocked my garage, and then I unlocked the chains from my electric scooter.The only reason I use an electric scooter is to get around because Im too young to drive a car and Im too young to ride a moped, its all good though. I had to save up and buy it with my own money (no fair) because my mum said she wasnt going to waste good money on an electri c scooter when she could spend it on something else and I said well then what Im I going to do?, she was like take public transport, I was like the bus? OH HELL NAH!!I walked my scooter out of the garage then I locked the garage door. Then I was finally off, I knew the location of the school because I had been there twice to take tests, and might I add that all of the tests I had taken I had passed. It took about fifteen minutes to get there on the scooter.It was the beginning of July, summer; my favourite part of the year, the sun was shining directly into my eyes so I put on my sunglasses. I also turned my ipod on, and it started playing so what by Field Mob ft. Ciara, that was the jam back then, and everyone was playing it.Im 5ft5 1/2; I like to think that thats an average height but people say Im short. I have shoulder length hair. Im a black girl with green eyes, Im 15 years old and Im a Scorpio, I think that zodiac is sick. I might get a tattoo of a Scorpion on my lower back w hen Im a bit older, my mum would kill me I ever got a tattoo done while living under her roof.2Different SceneryWhen I finally got to my new school my nerves returned. WELCOME TO ST. JOHNS where written in big bold black letters on the gate. I turned my ipod off and got off my scooter to chain it, I learnt that nearly half of the school owned electric scooters. Students were entering the school gates. I was told to go to the reception when I arrived. I walked on a long path to get to actual building. Once I got into the building I turned to my first right. There it was the reception just how it was the previous time I had been there to visit. I took off my sunglasses. Students were making their way to their form rooms.May I help you? asked the lady behind the deskShe was a stubby lady, probably over 40 and she looked like she had been working at St. Johns for a long time.Erm. Hi Im Khia Williams I replied in a low voiceNice to meet you Khia, you are the new student starting 10a, rig ht? she askedErm. Yea I answeredWell do not be nervous you will be just fine. You walk through the door just there she said pointing to a green door, she handed me a key with 301 on it that is for your locker, your class is on the second door to the right and you will see 10a written on the door. She explainedOk thanks I said walking off.All those negative thoughts that were rushing through my head earlier that morning were rushing through my head at that precise moment.I finally got to the door which had 10a written on it, it wasnt hard to find, and next to the classrooms were the lockers that the receptionist had given me a key for. I took a deep breath in and a deep breath out. I turned the knob of the door.Ah Khia Williams, I remembered the guy, Mr. Ross; I met him at the meeting with the head teacher the other time. He was so tall and he wore round glasses and his trousers were pulled up so they looked like ankle swingers, I tried not to laugh. Nice to see you again, as you kno w I will be your teacher for the rest of the year and this will be your form for the rest of the yearEverybody was staring at me, some smiling and some looking at me blankly until I heard a voice say:Girl even in dungarees you look sexyBy now all the boys were laughing. I looked to the back of the classroom, where I thought I had heard the voice come from. A boy was rocking on his chair smirking at me, I was sure it was him. He was a black boy with coolly hair; he had it tied up in a pony tail. He was wearing a white t-shirt, denim jeans and white air forces.Ok thats enough said Mr. Ross Khia take a seatBaby you can come and sit on daddys lap if you wantAaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!! all the boys started laughing again.I took no notice of them; I thought to myself he must have been the stupidest boy in the class.I SAID THATS ENOUGH! Said Mr. RossEvery teacher has a strict side, everyone got quite.I started looking around for a seat then I saw him, Romeo, dark brown eyes with tight cornr ows all back but complicated and he had on a white head band, wore baggy denim jeans, white air force ones with a green tick and a white t-shirt, on top of that he had on a green and white Magic jersey. He wore diamond studded earrings on each ear and a sliver chain with a capital R on it. It was right then that I knew his name had to start with the letter R, I can still remember how he looked at me; he just smiled acknowledging me. I smiled back at him.You can sit here if you want he offered, his voice was so deep.For sure I said, eyes still on himSorry on behalf of my boy T hes crazy, dont mind him he apologisedHow sweet I thought, he apologised on behalf of his friend, who mind you was being incredibly obnoxious.I assured him Its all rightI sat next to him and might I add how he smelled mmmmmm cologne I thought he was the cutest boy in the class, and I also thought that we would set it off.Can everyone turn their text books to page 62 now said Mr. RossEveryone did as they were to ld; I and Romeo were sharing a text book. Even though we were told to settle down the room was still noisy, I thought to myself I am gonna fit in this class. I put my head down, and sat in silence.At the end of the math lesson, Mr. Ross handed me a diary and showed me the page were my schedule was. I checked for my next lesson and was disappointed to see that it was German. I had been learning German at my old school and I hated it. It was so boring but it wasnt optional. I put my diary into my bag, got up from my seat and was heading out of the door when I heard Romeo say; So what lesson you got now?I signed I got German from that sigh he could tell that I wasnt happy about it.Dont worry, I got German too and I hate it, but it aint optional, if it was up to me nobody would learning languages trust meI smiled at him. Those words made me feel a little bit better.Do you mind if I walk with you? he askedI answered SureIm Romeo he told me.I liked that name, the letter R I smiled to myse lfIm Khia I told him forgetting that he already knew my nameI know he said, I blushed and with that he smiled. I smiled back at him but that was a smile of embarrassment. So what school did you go to before coming here? he askedDouglas High I answeredCool cool I know people from there, from what Ive heard that schools alrightYea thats what I thought when I first started the schoolSo why did you leave? he askedI thought to myself, isnt this boy nosy. I didnt reply. Sorry for being so inner. We are here now he told meOh dont worry about it I saidHe smiled at that, I didnt really wanna tell anyone why I changed schools and I had my reasons. We were standing outside the class, Romeo decided to change the subject.I like your style he said smilingI like yours too, I said back, I really did like his style, in fact I loved his style.ThanksYour welcomeWe went into the classroom and sat down. We were sat next to each other. We were in complete silence simply because we had nothing to talk abo ut, until he asked me a question about German because he needed help.B-a-c-k-e-r-e-i I answeredFinally the bell went. In Douglas High we had six lessons but in St. Johns we have five lessons so I was quite happy about that. I started packing my books away into my bag.Im gonna meet up with my boys, Ill see you in the cafeteria soon. He said to meAll right see you later I answered backLater he saidThen he winked at me. He was off like a shot.3New FriendsI didnt know where the cafeteria was so I just followed the crowd. When I entered the cafeteria I went to get my food then started to look around for a table.I heard a female voice say; Khia! Right?I turned around to the direction of where the voice had come from. When I saw who it was I answered. The table was half full and everyone was munching.Yea, thats me I said politelyIm Chenelle, and this is Kerisha, Kelly, Shandrea and Chantay She said pointing to each girl We are the girls from 10a, you can jam with us if you want? she asked giving me a friendly smile.

Social smoking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Social smoking - Essay Example Despite that, 21% of adults, 22% of high school students and 8% of middle school students smoke. One in five of all deaths every year in the United States have been credited to smoking, killing more than AIDS, suicide, alcohol, car accidents, homicide, and illegal drugs combined (American Cancer Society, 2004). Smoking socially has become a problem for the social smokers as it has been found that these social smokers are at the same health risks as are the regular smokers. The tobacco companies use the aspect of social smoking to increase their sales which is discussed subsequently. Smoking socially makes it difficult for a smoker to quit even on occasions. These social smokers tend to smoke only when they are in some kind of gathering or party. The social smokers never tend to agree to the fact that they are addicted to nicotine. Most of the social smokers are seen to have started smoking socially in their high school. A social smoker Vickie from New York was stated as saying "If Ià ¢â‚¬â„¢m out drinking, or hanging out with people who are smoking, then I usually get the urge to smoke" (Hainer 2008). People who smoke socially face difficulties in quitting because of various reasons. It has been found that these people do not usually have withdrawal symptoms like regular smokers but they don’t to have a temptation because of which they smoke. After remaining in a company in which individuals smoke a social smoker gets the urge of smoking automatically (Pope 2008). The social smokers do not tend to smoke because of their withdrawal symptoms but rather smoke to induce the psychoactive effect of nicotine. This means that these social smokers are addicted in a similar fashion that the regular smokers are. One of the social smokers stated when asked about quitting â€Å"It’s been difficult† (Hainer 2008). Another reason because of which the social smokers find it difficult to quit is the reason that the friends urge them to smoke every now and th en. Whenever a person is present at an occasion he is tempted by his friends to smoke and this makes it difficult for him to smoke. Moreover the social circle of the smokers also matters because of which the smoker is tempted to smoke. For social smokers to quit it is necessary that they realize the danger that they are facing because of their habits but in real life scenarios it is seen that these social smokers are in a state of denial. The social smokers never agree to the fact that they are addicted to smoking in one way or the other and categorize themselves in the class of non smokers. These are primary reasons because of which the social smokers are in a difficulty to quite the habit of smoking (Schane et al 2009). The tobacco industry has used the platform of social smoking to increase their sales from the very early years. The industry is believed to have been conducting research in the field of smoking earlier than the health professionals which has helped them to increase their sales. Social smoking has been used by the companies as it is the best way through which they can attract a consumer towards the cigarettes (Landman et al 2008). The tobacco companies use social smoking by creating an image for the ciggarrete brands. This brand image refers to a specific crowd or cliques who are involved in social

Healthcare System Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Healthcare System - Research Paper Example The earliest ones only offered coverage against accidents related from travel by rail or steamboat. The plans did, however, pave way for more comprehensive plans covering all illnesses and injuries. The first group policy giving comprehensive benefits was offered by Massachusetts Health Insurance of Boston in 1847. Insurance companies issued the first individual disability and illness policies in about 1890 (www.neurosurgical.com). What we recognize as modern medicine, Cohn writes, began in the 1920s, wherein doctors and hospitals, having only during the previous decade learned enough about disease that they could be reliably helpful in treating sick people, began charging more than most individuals could easily pay (qtd. in Noah). This demand on expensive medical and hospital assistance paved way for the first modern group health insurance plan in 1929. A group of teachers in Dallas, Texas, contracted with Baylor Hospital for room, board, and medical services in exchange for a monthly fee (www.neurosurgical.com). This was well known as the Blue Cross. The Blues were essentially non-profit health insurers who served local community organizations. In exchange for a tax break, Blue Cross organizations kept premiums reasonably low (Noah). As the modernization continued so did the sophistication of medical knowledge and technology. This led to healthcare assistance to cost more and for private insurers to be interested in the business of healthcare insurance. The competition between several insurers broke down the non-profit advantage of the Blues. Private insurers went to a direction where they go for healthier, less risk customers resulting to difficulty for people much in need of the services to afford getting healthcare insurance. There have been many attempts to solve the problems on the cost of healthcare assistance. One of which was the Committee on the Cost of Medical Care or the CMCC. Karen Palmer stated that the committee

Impact of emerging technology to organizations

Impact of emerging technology to organizations PART (A) Discuss the importance and the impact of the emerging technology to an organization You may wonder what the emerging technology is. Emerging technology is an innovative technology that is currently undergoing a large scale testing.   Over time, new topics and method are developed and opened up. Some arise due to theoretical research; others can be due to development and commercial research or new tools and discoveries. These new technologies will be developed over the next five year or even needs a longer like about ten years. If the technology is successful, it will be launch in the demonstrations field. These technologies include information technology, bio-technologies, wireless data communication, man-machine communication, and on-demand printing and also advanced robotics. Because of technologies, business has been able to advance in such ways that allow communication across to travel around the globe without leaving their respective offices and homes. They can send and receive information instantaneously. Consider how emerging technology has impacted in organization in the follow way like web conferencing. As we all know that technology advances at rapid paces each day or maybe every hour. Organization finds that web conferencing is an effective, cost-effective way to handle oversea business. They can hold group meeting, doing a real time training jus by via internet. It helps the organization to save a great amount of money in traveling cost while increasing productivity. Fiber To The Home is also known as FTTH is Fiber Optic cable is being installed from the telephone exchange to the Home. It is used to deliver communications such as telephone, broadband and digital TV. Fiber Optic Cable can be installed to replace the existing copper wire which was normally used to transfer data from the telephone exchange to the home or office. The advantages of the Fiber Optic Cable is, it is able to offer much faster speeds than copper wire and also much more bandwidth than the copper wires are able to cope with. Which is why Fiber Broadband will be the next generation broadband in the future. A report shows that in the UK, the copper wires that is currently installed are only able to offer broadband speeds up to a maximum of 24mb with ADSL2+ technology, the ADSl2+ technology is currently being installed by companies such as BE Broadband. But Fiber Optic allows broadband speeds to be around 100mb. PART (B) Research on the Open Source technology from the internet as well as other sources like journals and periodicals. What is Open Source, basically open source refers to a program or any program whose source code is made available to the general public for use or modification as users or other developers see fit. Open source code is usually created as a public collaborative effort and made freely available. Programmers improve upon the code and share the changes they made within the community. Open source is a development method which allows the software harnesses the power of distributed peer review. Open source is convenient to use as it is a open community that has self help service. The open community assists in skill transfer and it also allows the users to learn at their own pace. Open source need not to be free-of-charge. Vice-versa, free software need not be open source. Although there is large misunderstanding that when it comes to open source, most people refer it as a free ware. Let us see what are the advantages and disadvantages on open source. First, let us talk about what are the advantages in open source. Open source software is mostly high quality software and when u opens the software, the source code is available. It is also well designed and can also be efficiently used in coding. Thus it makes an ideal choice for organizations. Linux and open source solution are easily compressed and portable; it takes less hardware power to function on the same tasks when compared to hardware power on servers. This less hardware power advantage, you can get the desired results even you use cheaper and older hardware. Open source software gives you more freedom unlike those expensive license software as open source has no vendor lock-in. You also no longer need to worry about licenses as open source allows you to install several times and use at any location. With this you can minimize your expenses; you will save on maintenance fees and licensing fees. Most of the organizations that create open source software also provide support and maintenance. Now we talk about the disadvantages of open source. Open source is not highly secure thus anyone knows the code, will be able to hack. Some of the open source software is not reliable, because there is little money put into the development. Anyone can view, edit and redistribute and often no qualified support available. The only support will be from other users or via forums; this makes your open source software to be outdated very quickly. Some of the open sources are not compatible with windows and many other applications. There is a misconception that a lot people thinks that you can save money by switching over to open source. It is because more than 99% of laptops and PC come with window OS preinstalled. The most famous open source licenses are the BSD license, GNU General Public License (GPL), GNU Library or Lesser General Public License (LGPL), and Mozilla Public License (MPL).Using open source software can offers various advantages like the ability to reduce costs and development time. And also to avoid being dependent on a single vendor. Therefore I believed that more and more companies and institutions will start using open source software but there risks on using open source too. After listing out all the advantages and disadvantages of the Open Source. Some of the open sources are useful for organization to use while other is for home user. I believed it is more up to the users to decide whether they want to use the open source and they are going to use it for what purpose. Reference http://www.brownfieldstsc.org/glossary.cfm?lett=E http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/emerging-technologies.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerging_technologies#Debate_over_emerging_technologies http://www.businessknowledgesource.com/technology/impact_on_business_and_society_of_emerging_technology_024012.html http://www.broadbandwatchdog.co.uk/ftth.php http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/O/open_source.html http://www.outsource2india.com/software/articles/open-source-software.asp http://ask.reference.com/information/Computers/Disadvantages-of-Open-Source-Software

The Invisible Black Cowboys :: American America History

The Invisible Black Cowboys For many Americans, the image of the cowboy evokes pleasant nostalgia of a time gone by, when cowboys roamed free. The Cowboy is, to many Americans, the ideal American, who was quick to the draw, well skilled in his profession, and yet minded his own business. Regardless of whether the mental picture that the word cowboy evokes is a correct or incorrect view of the vocation, one seldom views cowboys as being black. The first cowboy I met was from Texas and was black. After he told me that he was a cowboy, I told him that he had to be kidding. Unfortunately, I was not totally to blame for my inability to recognize that color has nothing to do with the cowboy profession; most if not all popular famous images of cowboys are white. In general, even today, blacks are excluded from the popular depiction of famous Westerners. Black cowboys were unheard of for almost a century after they made their mark on the cattle herding trade, not because they were insignificant, but because history fel l victim to prejudice, and forgot peoples of color in popular depictions of the West and Western history. Black Americans were in the West with Lewis and Clark, but this was never seen or published until the 19th century (Ravage 26). California was the section of the west that most blacks settled in before the Civil War. The largest concentration of blacks in the state was in Sacramento County, mainly because of the gold rush. Blacks would ride trade ships to the west coast and then desert, if they were slaves, or leave the ship, if they were free men, to settle there (Savage 12). Examples of early black settlers were two ex-slaves named Bob and Kanaska who came to San Diego in 1816 on the schooner Albatross. Thomas Fisher came to California around 1818 but was captured by pirates in Monterey that year. Another Fisher came to California in 1846 while serving on a whaling ship (Savage 13) Though present from the initial discovery of the West, blacks entered the West in earnest after 1850. Between 1850 and 1910, thousands of African Americans, lured by the promise of land, opportunity, and most importantly, racial justice migrated to the trans-Mississippi West (African Americans). This great migration occurred shortly after the civil war, as thousands of blacks moved West because they were unwanted in the North or South (Dick 30).