My Lai 4 A Book Report Essays - My Lai Massacre, William Calley

My Lai 4: A Book Report On March 16, 1968, "Charlie Company" was sent into a small Viet Cong village called (by the U.S.) My Lai 4. Their instructions by commanding officers were: "... kill every man, woman, child and animal in the village. Burn all the homes .... nothing should be walking, growing or crawling." Orders were followed, and as I read the first 65 pages of this book, I was exposed to the detailed death of 306 civilians, mostly women, small children, and old people. There was no threat to any American GIs ... there were no Viet Cong Solders in the area. I read of the rape of a 14 year old girl by twenty GIs ... in front of the parents. They were all shot after the GIs were "done with their business." This was only one of many. Most of the murders were conducted, BY ORDER OF OFFICERS, to round-up the families from their homes, forced into ditches, and shot. Women dove to cover their children. Later, children just old enough to walk crawled out from under their mutilated mothers' bodies, only to be shot as target practice by the GIs. It is later estimated that approximately 500 civilians were murdered, and (probably) no VC were in the area. I could go into detail about the killing. However, most of the book was devoted to the time before the massacre, and afterward. The officers and GIs of "Charlie Company" were introduced in the beginning of the book: the officers had been social outcasts all their life (LT. Calley Both had decided to devote their life to the military. The GIs were selected for "Charlie Company" specifically because they had all scored too low on the initial exam to be put into a regular battalions. After the massacre, nothing was done. As a matter of fact, "Charlie Company" was praised for having the "most kills" in one day. By late 1969, most of the GIs in Charlie Company were civilians again, and a few began to tell what they had seen (and participated in). A Government Investigation was called against Lt. Calley (who ordered, and participated in the murders). Some of the photographs from the massacre were published. You wouldn't believe what the civilian response was! The overwhelming public response was to drop the charges; they thought that there was nothing wrong with the massacre, OR they didn't believe it really happened. As a matter of fact, Lt. Calley had become a hero as an AMERICAN! There was a hugely- supported donation drive to pay for Calley's legal fees. The final outcome: nothing. Calley was demoted to a Army "Office Job" after the murders were proved. The soldiers of Charlie Company went on with life, most of whom are/were suffering mental disorders from the scaring event. Calley's officer above him (who REALLY gave the initial orders) was never investigated, though it was proven that he also participated in the massacre. The author, Seymour M. Hersh, wrote (I read that book 3 years ago), which is credited with having a major influence on this country's decision to stop production of biological weapons. Mr. Hersh began his journalism career as a police reporter for the city news bureau in Chicago, and later covered the Pentagon for the Associated Press. Mr. Hersh was press secretary for the Senator Eugene McCarthy early in his campaign for Democratic Presidential nomination. He won a special George Polk Memorial Award in February, 1970, and the Worth Bengham Prize in March, 1970, for his reporting on the My Lai 4 massacre. He is married and lives in Washington, D.C. As I have read 2 books by this man, I feel that he provides some really good, controversial information. He has obviously done a lot of studying. From the information I could find on him, I cannot determine if he has had any past occurrences that motivated him to find out about atrocities of war. However, he may be like me .... and has a bit of compassion for others, and hates to see others hurt by unnecessary wars! In the preface of this book, Mr Hersh made a point to outline his sources. Everything

Free Essays on The Importance Of The Boston Tea Party

Alfred Young describes the Boston Tea Party as â€Å"the most revolutionary act of the decade.† Indeed it was a very revolutionary act of the decade and it is considered to be one of the most revolutionary acts ever. To some people, however, the Boston Tea Party was not â€Å"the most revolutionary act of the decade.† This paper will analyze the Boston Tea Party and compare the opinions of Alfred Young and the author of this paper. The Boston Tea Party is a popular name for what took place on December 16, 1773. On the evening of December 16, a group of Boston citizens, led by Samuel Adams and many of them disguised as Indians, boarded the ships that brought the tea from Britain and emptied the tea into Boston Harbor. Although most provisions of the Townshend Acts, taxing imports to the colonies, were repealed by Parliament, the duty on tea was retained to demonstrate the power of Parliament to tax the colonies. The citizens of Boston would not permit the unloading of three British ships that arrived in Boston Harbor loaded with tea. The royal governor of Massachusetts, Thomas Hutchinson, however, would not let the tea ships return to England until the taxes had been paid. When the government of Boston refused to pay for the tea, the British closed the port. British parliament had passed the Boston Port Act in March 1774, in order to punish Boston for the dumping of the tea in Boston Harbor. The Boston Port Act is one of many of the Intolerable Acts. Provisions of the bill included the closing of Boston Harbor to all other business until the tax was paid and stripping the power of the government of the Massachusetts Bay Colony from Boston to Salem and replacing the leader with a crown appointed governor. British soldiers occupied Boston to enforce the new laws, and the harbor was blockaded. The surrounding New England towns also suffered from this because they heavily relied on Boston’s port for their goods and supplies. Towns in New ... Free Essays on The Importance Of The Boston Tea Party Free Essays on The Importance Of The Boston Tea Party Alfred Young describes the Boston Tea Party as â€Å"the most revolutionary act of the decade.† Indeed it was a very revolutionary act of the decade and it is considered to be one of the most revolutionary acts ever. To some people, however, the Boston Tea Party was not â€Å"the most revolutionary act of the decade.† This paper will analyze the Boston Tea Party and compare the opinions of Alfred Young and the author of this paper. The Boston Tea Party is a popular name for what took place on December 16, 1773. On the evening of December 16, a group of Boston citizens, led by Samuel Adams and many of them disguised as Indians, boarded the ships that brought the tea from Britain and emptied the tea into Boston Harbor. Although most provisions of the Townshend Acts, taxing imports to the colonies, were repealed by Parliament, the duty on tea was retained to demonstrate the power of Parliament to tax the colonies. The citizens of Boston would not permit the unloading of three British ships that arrived in Boston Harbor loaded with tea. The royal governor of Massachusetts, Thomas Hutchinson, however, would not let the tea ships return to England until the taxes had been paid. When the government of Boston refused to pay for the tea, the British closed the port. British parliament had passed the Boston Port Act in March 1774, in order to punish Boston for the dumping of the tea in Boston Harbor. The Boston Port Act is one of many of the Intolerable Acts. Provisions of the bill included the closing of Boston Harbor to all other business until the tax was paid and stripping the power of the government of the Massachusetts Bay Colony from Boston to Salem and replacing the leader with a crown appointed governor. British soldiers occupied Boston to enforce the new laws, and the harbor was blockaded. The surrounding New England towns also suffered from this because they heavily relied on Boston’s port for their goods and supplies. Towns in New ...

Role of Family System And Business In Family Business Sustainability Essay

Role of Family System And Business In Family Business Sustainability - Essay Example the family system’s contribution to business enhancement include financial management practices, family functioning style, additional family income, and subjective measures such as functional integrity of the family, satisfaction with the family’s quality of life, and success in achieving the most important family goal. Similarly, other criteria related to family systems that help to improve business processes are reducing family tensions, living in a multi-generation family, undergoing sleep deprivation for devoting additional time to the business, hiring temporary help during hectic periods are other factors that will be taken into consideration to examine their impacts on business revenue. Olson, Zuiker, Danes, et al (2003) state that the family has a greater effect on the business than the business has on the family. The Family Business Research Group developed the Sustainable Family Business (SFB) model which equally recognizes the family and the business, and the dynamics between the two factors in achieving sustainability for both, state Heck, Jasper, Stafford et al (2000). The SFB model of empirical research portrays business system success as a systemic phenomenon. It includes research on several areas including â€Å"business performance, business strategy, subjective measures of business success and effects of the family on business performance† (Olson et al 2003, p.645). The research results will indicate the impact on business success by business characteristics, business owner attributes, and distinguishing features of the family system. Review of Literature The family system performs a â€Å"key integrating role for the business and at the same time meets the needs of the family† (Fletcher 2002, p.11). In this dynamic relationship, the family goals... This report stresses that Family and business are the two subsystems with their inherent and distinctive needs, â€Å"role requirements, rules, values and cultures†. Both subsystems are crucial in determining the extent to which sustainability of family business is achieved. Family types have been identified by characteristics including how a family communicates, resolves conflict and organizes itself, style of leadership and decision-making, and importance of traditions and values†. This paper makes a conclusion that the family system performs a â€Å"key integrating role for the business and at the same time meets the needs of the family†. In this dynamic relationship, the family goals are the most important, and influence business and family decisions. There may be a conflict when a family member’s behaviour calls for firing the person from the business system, yet the person continues to be accepted by the family system. Few family businesses consider firing a child, or other relative. Within family and business systems, individuals have different roles with specific expectations for behaviour. Thus, a child taught in the family system not to argue with the father, may have difficulty in expressing conflicting viewpoints in the business system when as a manager the individual is required to deal with the parent. â€Å"The confusion of roles such as parent/ founder/ owner/ child/ manager/ owner/ non-operating family member/ sibling, and the carryover of roles from one system to the other† are considered as critical sources of tension in the family business.

Jerusalem Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 2

Jerusalem - Movie Review Example Understanding the significance of the history of Jerusalem also creates a deeper understanding of the rooted conflicts and beliefs in religion that are a part of Israel today. The main concept which Jennings approaches when looking at Jerusalem is to identify the 4000 years of history that have been identified through the area. The approach which is taken comes in three segments, each which have an exclusive interview with a Christian, Jewish and Muslim family living in Jerusalem. As Jennings’ traces their history, there is a deeper sense of what has occurred during this time frame through the interviews. More important, there is the ability to create a deeper sense of how religion has affected the region, families and those that hold to specific beliefs in Jerusalem. The facts that Jennings’ provides are brief because of the context and main concept of the news story. The division of stories into 15 minute segments as well as the brief ideologies that are stated before these show a different understanding of the history. However, this is limited to the interviews as well as the main ideologies linked to one aspect of the religion. While the viewer is able to have a brief overview, the inability to tap into 4000 years of history with all the factual information leaves several gaps for those that are interested in the portrayal of Jerusalem. This also limits the historical components that are a part of the series, specifically by identifying one part of Jerusalem through exclusive interviews and brief concepts associated with the building of different religions in the holy land. While there is only a brief overview of what has occurred, there is a balance with the different religions. The report includes different backgrounds and practices that are within Jerusalem. For instance, when speaking with the Muslim family, there is history that is traced back for eight centuries. The generations which are traced back link

Protecting Your Child from Internet Pornography t Research Paper

Protecting Your Child from Internet Pornography - Research Paper Example According to Goessl, one merit of the internet is that it has increased the ease of access to information and news worldwide. With just a click, one can get access to news happening all over the world. One is also able to read newspapers from other countries online. In most cases, the publication of news on the internet is faster than on major media networks. In June 2009 for instance, the government enforced a ban on foreign media in the aftermath of the Iranian election. Through Twitter, however, news of street protests was able to get to the rest of the world. Actually, people were able to upload a video of one protester that the police had shot on you-tube (2). The internet has also positively contributed to the cementing of networking among individuals quickly and efficiently. In the wake of the 1995 Kobe earthquake in Japan, for example, the internet proved very useful in rallying volunteers to assist in evacuations (Nomura, 2). More recently, during the devastating earthquake in Haiti, charity organizations were able to help the victims by giving their contributions online. Additionally, Haitians in the Diaspora were also able to look for missing family members by submitting their names online and waiting for feedback from people on the ground. The internet has also been invaluable to companies and individuals who conduct business. They are able to advertise and sell their products online. A good example is that of the Google search engine, one of the world’s largest companies. Google has optimized the searches that people carry out by matching their searches with corporations that vend similar products. They do this using ad words and when one clicks on any of the adverts, the companies pay Google for that (Historyofthings.com, para8).

Forrest Gump: Marxist and Feminist Analysis

Forrest Gump: Marxist and Feminist Analysis In the 1990s, Paramount Studio produced some box-office hits and one of which, Forrest Gump, is a huge triumph that won the Oscar for Best Picture for 1994 and gained over $677 million dollars of box office throughout the world. The film is based upon the novel by Winston groom and directed by Robert Zemeckis; it portrays the leading role Forrest Gump (played by Tom Hanks), who is a normal American guy, with an IQ of 75 so called as idiot, but successfully getting through his bittersweet childhood, brilliant football career at collage, and brave performance in the army as well as a fortune in his shrimping business. Forrests story truly inspires the entire American with his significant achievements and positive attitudes towards life; in addition, the film reveals a history of America over the past decades in which take numerous historic events, representing the eventual American dream in a land of opportunity. Forrest Gump is wholly masculine film and Forrest Gump is no doubt the protagonist, two important females, his mother Mrs. Gump and his best girl friend ever Jenny, however do present their thoughtful images in the film, making a great impact on Forrests interior world and life. Accordingly, this article would like to concentrate on the above-mentioned women and explore how they influence Forrest with their unique characters and values. Furthermore, a deeper level of examination linked to patriarchal myths and values in social context will be also proposed to demonstrate the status of the 1990s American society. With the intention of arguing these points, some film theories should be certainly applied to the narrative in Forrest Gump. It has been predominant since the 1970s that film critics and scholars have turned from semiotics to psychoanalytical notions that been broadly utilized into the film analysis. Consequently, it is crucial indeed to employ these methods into this article, theoretically addressing feminist debates in terms of the texts in Forrest Gump. Furthermore, it can see through how the hegemony is constructed in a patriarchal society in relation to feminism by the analysis within Marxism discourse. Representations of Women in Forrest Gump The two females are depicted in the film: one is Forrests mother Mrs. Gump (by Sally Field), who makes great contribution to Forrests life; the other one is Jenny Curran (by Robin Wright), as Forrest says about her: she was my most special friend, my only friend. In general, these two females can be identified as stereotypical representations of women with their social, cultural and sexual definition, extremely influencing Forrest into another representation of men in a patriarchal society as Hollows, Hutchings and Jancovich (2000, P230.) states that It is a historical fact that women have formed an important part of the audience for commercial entertainment films. Mrs. Gump appears to be a single mother of Forrest. According to how Forrest values his mum, she is a very smart lady, responsible, brave, and independent. She is good at managing her property inherited from her family, renting all the empty rooms to make a living. Regardless Forrests low IQ, Mrs. Gump still insists on her sons attending public school rather than a special school as she says that my boy Forrest is going to get the same opportunities as everyone else; She tells Forrest that stupid is as stupid does, encouraging Forrest growing up to a normal and confident person. On the other hand, she really understands that life is full of ups and downs, giving Forrest lessons such as life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what youre gonna get. To Forrest, Momma is always an excellent model he learns from. Even though she is dying, Mrs. Gump calmly says to her son its just my time Dont be afraid, death is just a part of life. Its something were all destined to do. I didn t know it, but I was destined to be your momma. I did best I could. Generally, the character of Mrs. Gump is a strong and independent female presence. However, her existence is more than for herself; viewing all the way through Forrests story, Mrs. Gump becomes a signifier of independence which can be seen as answering to male desires and anxieties. Claire Johnston (2000), one of the first film critics to recognize the film text as a semiotic sign system, develops Barthesian semiotic point of view into her feminist inventions that the woman exists as a structure in the text of classical Hollywood films:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Iconography as a specific kind of sign or cluster of signs based on certain conventions within the Hollywood genres has been partly responsible for the stereotyping of women within the commercial cinema in general, but the fact that there is a far greater differentiation of mens roles than of womens roles in the history of the cinema relates to sexist ideology itself, and the basic opposition which places man inside history, and woman as ahistoric and eternal. (2000: 23) In this respect, Mrs. Gump is a sign being considered as a structure or a convention. Whatever Forrest recalls his mother, for example, he always starts with words like Momma always said this or Momma always said that, which emphasis his mothers huge influence on him. The mothers amazing characteristics of perseverance, independence and kindness are taken by Forrest who can overcome any difficulties through his life. It proves a system of exchange in classical films that the representation of women as the ideological meaning is for men rather than women. Hence, as Cook and Johnston (1990) argues: The male protagonists castration fears, his search for self-knowledge all converge on woman: it is in her that he is finally faced with the recognition of lack. Woman is therefore the locus of emptiness: she is a sign which is defined negatively: something that is missing which must be located so that the narcissistic aim of the male protagonist can be achieved. Besides, Jenny presents her distinct aspect of the representation of women in Forrest Gump, who is depicted as an extremely confused character. She spends most of her life finding herself, always expecting that Dear God, make me a bird so I can fly far, far away from here. Young Jenny is abused by her drunken daddy and stays with Forrest just because she is scared of loneliness. After high school, they go to different colleges. In Forrests eyes, Jenny and he are just like peas and carrots since she friendly offers a seat on his first bus to school. However, the film mostly presents the dark, lonely and weak side of Jenny whom is totally unlike strong and independent Mrs. Gump; Jenny makes wrong decisions of being naked model for magazine, singing at a strip club and taking drugs when Forrest sets off his successful life; particularly, a couple of times she wants to suicide. No matter when and where, Forrest always attempts to rescue Jenny out of trouble through her journeys but ends up Jennys running away every time. Jenny is Forrests only love and he really does care about her, trying his best to protect her. Finally, they go together as what Forrest hopes when Jenny decides to settle down and marry Forrest. Mrs. Gump and Jenny play important roles with respect to Forrest but in completely different ways. The semiotic investigation into the myth of women in the film text clarifies the women as a structure and how they works as a signifier of ideology. Psychoanalysis Concepts and Spectatorship Issues Apart from theoretically examining the representation of women in Forrest Gump with the help of semiotics discourses, psychoanalytic theory is necessarily to be taken as a critical tool in order to clearly exemplify womens differences from men in terms of lack and castration as well as discuss spectatorship according to Hollywood classical cinema. According to Janet McCabe (2004), Psychoanalytic theory shifted from a semiotic concern with the text, to consider instead the unconscious processes involved in how the spectator is positioned in and through the film text (p.24). In this instance, Freuds and Lacans psychoanalytic approaches significantly contribute to feminist film analysis in terms of studying sexuality concerns within spectating practices. Drawing on Freudian theory regarding scopophilia, voyeurism and fetishism as well as Lacanian mirror phase, in her article Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema, Mulvey (1975) establishes her point of male gaze and demonstrates that film is structured according to male fantasies of voyeurism and fetishism. In Forrest Gump, the act of gaze employs a complex relationship between the characters, the audience and spectator. For example, during his childhood just before mum tries to enroll him to the public school, Forrest sits on a swing outside the house at night, hearing the principals grunts from inside the house. Forrest then grunts, imitating when the principal steps out, making him feel embarrassed. It is obvious that Mrs. Gump becomes an object for both the principal and her son to view, however, what reflect from them are varied: for the principal, she is an erotic impact and pleasurable looking; for her son, it seems his first time to recognize his mother does not own her penis but he previously assumes that she should have, so he thinks mothers one must have been castrated. The scene demonstrates Mulveys (1989) debate from a feminist perspective: it clearly conveys how male castration anxiety comes to be projected onto the female form, which is then appropriated as a fetish how w oman is represented adorned with phallic shapes (p 8). In addition, Forrests looking at Jenny throughout her journey displays Mulveys (2000) view of male gaze: woman plays a traditional exhibitionistic role her body is held up as a passive erotic object for the gaze of male spectators, so that they can project their fantasies on to her. For instance, Forrests sitting in the rain at night and staring at her kissing with a boy in the car make him in the position of passive voyeur; his another looking over Jennys breasts while she removes her bra in the dorm room presents Jenny herself as erotic spectacle for Forrest, then his active gaze renders her image into an object of sexual fantasy; before being sent to the War, Forrest comes to the night club, sitting in his seat in the same way as the spectator, watching Jenny and sharing with audience in the cinema his anxious gaze when she is topless, sitting on a stool and playing a guitar on the stage. All these Forrests looking over Jenny at his different occasions seemingly oscillates betwee n voyeurism and fetishistic fascination. Marxist Criticism and Cultural Studies Along with psychoanalytical, feminist and cultural criticism, Marxist criticism is an especial approach to expose a collection of hidden meanings in films rather than discussing representations of women or sexuality from a sociological perspective. According to Marxist theory, the film represents the Repressive State Apparatus as Forrest is going through his life: the assassination attempt on George Wallace, and the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Robert Kennedy; the struggles over civil rights and the war in Vietnam. At this point, Lieutenant Dan (Gary Sinise) initially appears as a strong portrayal in the army with a long, great military tradition, but ends up losing his both legs in the war then being encouraged consistently by Forrests plain ideology, viewers thus see he eventually finds the real meaning of the life with his new mental legs, which convey a positive message towards the ideological issue that all the Americans wonder like Forrest Gump: whats my destiny? Regardless its nature of unspoken yet invisible, ideology generally defines the shared beliefs and values held by a culture, it therefore hugely influences upon the culture with its invisible power. To some extent, ideology forms the manners of people think and things look, which is so called hegemony. In the film, either Mrs. Gump positively disciplines Forrest that life is a box of chocolates or Jenny leaves him a negative advice that if youre ever in trouble, dont try to be brave Just run away, Forrest simply takes them at the unconscious level; nevertheless, running becomes his starting point to success and even leads a large group following behind him. Consequently, whatever the representation of women meaning to this male protagonist in the classical narrative cinema, or how he gains the fantasies of voyeurism and fetishism in light of psychoanalysis, it finally appears to viewers that Forrests story asserts possibility and hope even though difficulties, loneliness, and death, as he says that to put the past behind you and move on. Accordingly, behind the images on screen, Forrest Gump reflects positive values that Americans should hold; the main characters more or less, present these ideological state apparatuses in terms of Marxism criticism. The film not only entertains audience with erotic spectacle and pleasure, also offers its suggestion to audience with regard to the society and culture they are positioned. Marxism and feminism examine film studies individually; these discourses in fact have same desire to challenge the power structures in a patriarchal society. Meanwhile, both of them link to each other on the basis of psychoanalytic notions. Studying the main females of the film with feminism theory is certainly useful to explore the ways in which ideology has though been structured in the cultural context. Conclusion To sum up, Mrs. Gump and Jenny, the two females who relate to the protagonist Forrest Gump, have been mostly examined with the mechanism of feminist discourse in the article. By going through the feminism analysis with their representation and sexuality in the film text and ideological implication in terms of Marxism theory, we can conclude the film, as Comolli and Narboni (2000) state: on the one hand it is a particular product, on the other hand, as a result of being a material product of the system, it is also an ideological product of the system. References Comolli, J. and Narboni, P. (2000) Cinema/ideology/criticism[1971], in in Hollows, J., Hutchings, P. and Jancovich, M. (ed.) The Film Studies Reader. London: Arnold Presser. Cook, P and Johnston, C. (1990) The Place of Woman in the Cinema of Raoul Walsh[1974], in Patricia Erens (ed.) Issues in Feminist Film Criticism, Bloomington: Indiana University Press. Hollows, J., Hutchings P. and Jancovich, M. (2000), The Film Studies Reader.  London: Arnold Publisher. P 230. Johnston, C. (2000). Womens Cinema as counter-Cinema [1973], in E.A. Kaplan (ed.) Feminism and Film. Oxford: Oxford University Press, P22-23. McCabe, J. (2004). Feminist Film Studies: Writing the Woman into Cinema. London: Wallflower Press. P24. Mulvey, L. (1989). Fears, Fantasies and the Male Unconscious or You Dont Know What is Happening, Do You, Mr. Jones?' [1973], in Visual and Other Pleasures. Basingstoke: Macmillan. P8. Mulvey, L. (2000). Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema [1975], in Hollows, J., Hutchings, P. and Jancovich, M. (ed.) The Film Studies Reader. London: Arnold Presser. Dongjie Duan

The I&M Canal :: American America History

The I&M Canal "Didn't expect no town" -Early Chicago Settler Mark Beaubien The I&M Canal is universally considered the driving force behind the huge surge of growth that turned the tiny hamlet on the banks of Lake Michigan named Chicago, in to a huge metropolis and bustling center of trade. Ever since Joliet first crossed the portage between the Chicago river and the Des Plaines river in 1673, explorers, investors, politicians, and farmers alike all agreed that constructing a canal across the continental divide that separated the two largest water systems in the United States would not only create a continuous waterway between New York and New Orleans but more importantly, place Chicago on perhaps the most valuable piece of real estate in North America and in the position to become an international player almost overnight. The plans to build the Illinois & Michigan canal began in the newly christened Illinois legislature in 1818. It was driven forward by groundbreaking on work to construct the Erie Canal in New York. Once the Erie Canal was complete only a canal between the Des Plaines and Chicago rivers would be necessary to complete the chain of waterways connecting New York to New Orleans. In 1822, Congress ceded to Illinois a large portion of land on which to not only build the canal, but to sell to raise funds for its construction. The land contained the portage between the two rivers and about 100 miles of land to the south and west of it. It had just recently been coercively and dishonestly purchased from the local Blackhawk Indians in a treaty that ended the Blackhawk War. As soon as the Erie Canal was completed in 1825, eastern investors quickly realized Chicago's huge potential. The land around what would one day be the canal soon became heavily coveted by land speculators. They envisioned a huge city rising around this soon-to-be hub of international trade. Pieces of land offered by the state were bought dirt cheap and sold for many times their original value as investors braced for what they hoped would be a huge windfall after the canal was completed. Many men made fortunes that would last them a lifetime in a matter of months by buying land from the state and then reselling it months and sometimes weeks or days later for up too 5000% profit. After years of planning, ground was broke for the first time on the Illinois & Michigan canal in 1836.