John Jay-(Chief Justice U.S) Essays - John Jay,

John Jay-(Chief Justice U.S) John Jay was born on December 12, 1745 in New York City. He was a descendant of early Huguenot and patrician Dutch settlers, who grew up in a comfortable home. He graduated from King's college in 1764 and four years later he began his career as a lawyer. John Jay married Sarah Van Brugh Livingston on April 28, 1774. John Jay was a distinguished statesman and was known as a respected political figure due to his judgement, fairness, and ability to make decisions that he felt were right but were not always popular. After being accepted as a lawyer, Jay later became a New York delegate to the First and Second Continental Congresses. There he served as president from 1778 to 1779. Following his term as president, Jay was appointed as U.S minister to Spain. After he returned to the United States, he was informed that he had been chosen as secretary of foreign affairs. While working with the European congresses Jay came to realize that the U.S needed a stronger central government. Along with Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, Jay wrote letters to newspapers to urge the ratification of the constitution. In 1789 John Jay was appointed chief justice of the United States by President George Washington. While he was chief justice he traveled to Great Britain to attempt to negotiate settlements of the issues between the two nations. In 1794 George Washington made his last desperate attemt to avoid war when he decided to send John Jay to London. The Jeffersonians were not pleased with this decision. They feared that such a well-known federalist and Britain-lover would "sell out" his country. After his arrival in London, Jay further alarmed the Jeffersonians when at the presentation ceremony he kissed the queen's hand. An American Journal wrote about the so-called betrayal of John Jay to his country, "Hear the voice of truth, hear and believe! John Jay, ah! the arch traitor--seize him, drown him, hang him, burn him, flay him alive! Men of America, he betrayed you with a kiss!" Upon his return to the United States, Jay resigned from his position as chief justice to serve as governor of New York and served two terms. In 1801 he refused further public office and retired to his Bedford, N.Y home, where he died on May 17, 1829. He was one of the last of the revolutionary patriarchs. Many of the procedures adopted by John Jay in his lifetime are still used in todays judicial body.

Comparing the City in the United States and Canada

Comparing the City in the United States and Canada Canadian and American cities may appear remarkably similar. They both display great ethnic diversity, impressive transportation infrastructure, high socioeconomic status, and sprawl. However, when the generalizations of these traits are broken down, it reveals a multitude of urban contrasts. Sprawl in the United States and Canada In contrast, even when controlling for population data from annexed territory, six of the ten largest Canadian cities saw a population explosion from 1971-2001 (the Canadian census was conducted one year after U.S. census), with Calgary experiencing the largest growth at 118%. Four cities did experience population declines, but none to the extent of their U.S. counterparts. Toronto, Canadas largest city lost only 5% of its population. Montreal experienced the steepest decline, but at 18%, it still pales in comparison to the 44% loss incurred by cities like St. Louis, Missouri. The difference between the intensity of sprawl in America and Canada has to do with the countries divergent approaches to urban development. American metropolitan areas are heavily centered around the automobile, while Canadian areas are more focused on public transit and pedestrian traffic. Transportation Infrastructure in the United States and Canada Unlike their neighbors to the south, Canada only has 648,000 miles of total roads. Their highways stretch just over 10,500 miles, less than nine percent of total United States road mileage. Noted, Canada only has one-tenth the population and much of its land is uninhabited or under permafrost. But nevertheless, Canadian metropolitan areas are not nearly as centered on the automobile as their American neighbors. Instead, the average Canadian is more than twice as likely to utilize public transportation, which contributes to its urban centralization and overall higher density. All seven of Canadas largest cities display public transit ridership in the double digits, in comparison to just two in the entire United States (Chicago 11%, NYC 25%). According to the Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA), there are over 12,000 active buses and 2,600 rail vehicles across Canada. Canadian cities also resemble more closely to the European style of smart growth urban design, which advocates co mpact, pedestrian and bicycle-friendly land use. Thanks to its less-motorized infrastructure, Canadians on average walk twice as often as their American counterparts and bike three times the miles. Ethnic Diversity in the United States and Canada Although minority urban development has its similarities in the United States and Canada, their demographic and level of integration differs. One divergence is the discourse of the American melting pot versus the Canadian cultural mosaic. In the United States, most immigrants usually assimilate themselves rather quickly into their parent society, while in Canada, ethnic minorities tend to remain more culturally and geographically distinctive, at least for a generation or two. There is also a demographic dissimilarity between the two countries. In the United States, Hispanics (15.1%) and Blacks (12.8%) are the two dominate minority groups. The Latino cultural landscape can be seen throughout many southern cities, where Spanish urban designs are most prevalent. Spanish is also now the second most widely spoken and written language in the United States. This, of course, is the result of Americas geographic proximity to Latin America. In contrast, Canadas largest minority groups, excluding the French, are South Asians (4%) and Chinese (3.9%). The extensive presence of these two minority groups is attributed to their colonial connection to Great Britain. A vast majority of the Chinese are emigrants from Hong Kong, who fled the island in sizable numbers just prior its 1997 handover to communist China. Many of these immigrants are affluent and they have purchased a great deal of property throughout Canadas metropolitan areas. As a result, unlike in the United States where ethnic enclaves are usually found exclusively in the central city, Canadian ethnic enclaves have now spread into the suburbs. This ethnic invasion-succession has dramatically altered the cultural landscape and galvanized social tensions in Canada. Sources: CIA World Factbook (2012). Country profile: USA. Retrieved from: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html CIA World Factbook (2012). Country profile: Canada. Retrieved from: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ca.html Lewyn, Michael. Sprawl in Canada and the United States. Graduate Department of Law: University of Toronto, 2010