August Belmont Influential Banker in 19th Century New York

The banker and sportsman August Belmont was a prominent political and social figure in 19th century New York City. An immigrant who came to America to work for a prominent European banking family in the late 1830s, he attained wealth and influence and his lifestyle was emblematic of the Gilded Age. Belmont arrived in New York while the city was still recovering from two disastrous events, the Great Fire  of 1835 which destroyed the financial district, and the Panic of 1837, a depression which had rocked the entire American economy. Setting himself up as a banker specializing in international trade, Belmont became prosperous within a few years. He also became deeply involved in civic affairs in New York City, and, after becoming an  American citizen, took a great interest in politics at the national level. After marrying the daughter of a prominent officer in the U.S. Navy, Belmont became known for entertaining at his mansion on lower Fifth Avenue. In 1853 he was appointed to a diplomatic post in the Netherlands by President Franklin Pierce. After returning to America he became a powerful figure in the Democratic Party on the eve of the Civil War. Though Belmont would never be elected to public office himself, and his political party generally remained out of power at  the national level, he still exerted considerable influence. Belmont was also known as a patron of the arts, and his intense interest in horse racing led to one of Americas most famous races, the Belmont Stakes, being named in his honor. Early Life August Belmont was born in Germany on December 8, 1816. His family was Jewish, and his father was a landowner. At the age of 14, August took a job working as an office assistant in the House of Rothschild, Europes most powerful bank. Performing menial tasks at first, Belmont learned the rudiments of banking. Eager to learn, he was promoted and sent to Italy to work at a branch of the Rothschild empire. While in Naples he spent time in museums and galleries and developed an enduring  love of art. In 1837, at the age of 20, Belmont was sent by the Rothschild firm to Cuba. When it became known that the United States had entered a severe financial crisis, Belmont traveled to New York City. A bank which handled Rothschild business in New York had failed in the Panic of 1837, and Belmont quickly set himself up to fill that void. His new firm, August Belmont and Company, was established with virtually no capital beyond his association with the House of Rothschild. But that was enough. Within a few years he was prosperous in his adopted hometown. And he was determined to make his mark in America. Society Figure For his first few years in New York City, Belmont was something of rogue. He enjoyed late nights at the theater. And in 1841 he reportedly fought a duel and was wounded. By the end of the 1840s Belmonts public image had changed. He came to be considered a respected Wall Street banker, and on November 7, 1849, he married Caroline Perry, the daughter of Commodore Matthew Perry, a prominent naval officer. The wedding, held in a fashionable church in Manhattan, seemed to establish Belmont as a figure in New York society. Belmont and his wife lived in a mansion on  lower Fifth Avenue where they entertained lavishly. During the four years that Belmont was posted to the Netherlands as an American diplomat he collected paintings, which he brought back to New York. His mansion became known as something of an art museum. By the late 1850s Belmont was exerting considerable influence on the Democratic Party. As the issue of slavery threatened to split the nation, he counseled compromise. Though he was opposed to slavery in principle, he was also offended by the abolition movement.   Political Influence Belmont chaired the Democratic National Convention held in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1860. The Democratic Party split afterward, and Abraham Lincoln, the Republican Party candidate, won the election of 1860. Belmont, in various letters written in 1860, pleaded with friends in the South to block the move toward secession. In a letter from late 1860 quoted by the New York Times in his obituary, Belmont had written to a friend in Charleston, South Carolina, The idea of separate confederacies living in peace and prosperity on this continent after a dissolution of the Union is too preposterous to be entertained by any man of sound sense and the slightest knowledge of history. Secession means civil war to be followed by a total disintegration of the whole fabric, after endless sacrifices of blood and treasure. When war came, Belmont supported the Union vigorously. And while he was not a supporter of the Lincoln administration, he and Lincoln did exchange letters during the Civil War. It is believed that Belmont used his influence with European banks to prevent investment in the Confederacy during the war. Belmont continued to have some political involvement in the years following the Civil War, but with the Democratic Party generally out of power, his political influence waned. Yet  he remained very active on the New York social scene and became a respected patron of the arts as well as a supporter of his favorite sport, horse racing. The Belmont Stakes, one of the legs of thoroughbred racings annual Triple Crown, is named for Belmont. He financed the race beginning in 1867. Gilded Age Character In the later decades of the 19th century Belmont became  one of the characters who defined the Gilded Age in New York City. The opulence of his house, and the cost of his entertaining, were often the subject of gossip and mentions in newspapers. Belmont was said to keep one of the finest wine cellars in America, and his art collection was considered noteworthy. In the Edith Wharton novel The Age of Innocence, which was later made into a film by Martin Scorsese, the character of Julius Beaufort was based on Belmont. While attending a horse show at Madison Square Garden in November 1890 Belmont caught a cold which turned into pneumonia. He died in his Fifth Avenue mansion on November 24, 1890. The next day the New York Times, New York Tribune, and New York World all reported his death as page one news. Sources: August Belmont.  Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed., vol. 22, Gale, 2004, pp. 56-57.   August Belmont Is Dead. New York Times, November 25, 1890, p. 1.

Twelfth Night Essay The Necessity of Cross-dressing

The Necessity of Cross-dressing Twelfth Night The action of Twelfth Night begins shortly after a damaging tempest shipwrecks the heroine, casting her upon foreign shores. Upon arrival in this strange seaport, Viola--like the Princess Leonide--dons male disguise which facilitates both employment and time enough to orient herself in this unfamiliar territory. Violas transvestism functions as emblematic of the antic nature of Illyrian society. As contemporary feminist and Shakespearean scholars are quick to point out, cross-dressing foregrounds not only the concept of role playing and thus the constructed or performative nature of gender but also the machinations of power. Viola can only make her way in this alien†¦show more content†¦In effect, we experience that state of radical identity-confusion typical of adolescence, when the differences between the sexes are as fluid as their desires for each other.5 Gender identity might well be perceived as fluid in this play, for Viola does not simply impersonate a man but a eunuch, a persona that provides access to the even more compelling privileges of androgyny, as her liminal sexual identity exposes the limitations of masculinity and femininity and allows her to move beyond gender. Just as Viola permeates gender boundaries, Olivia, Toby, Orsino, and Malvolios love interests lead them across class lines--another example of the ways in which standards are relaxed or social codes reversed during Twelfth Night. Olivia spurns the love of her social equal Orsino (who many critics find to be more in love with love than he is with the marble-breasted tyrant) and lights instead on the Dukes page. Sir Toby admires Olivias waiting-gentlewoman Maria rather than favor an aristocratic matron, Orsino is perhaps too fond of his servant Cesario and Malvolio dreams of marrying Olivia. Significantly, it is only the stewards love that is regarded as illegitimate or forbiddingly transgressive while the upper-class individuals are permitted to indulge their socially illicit desire. Elliot KriegerShow MoreRelated Cross-Dressing in Shakespeares Twelfth Night and As You Like It1736 Words   |  7 PagesCross-Dressing in Shakespeares Twelfth Night and As You Like It In Shakespeares plays Twelfth Night and As You Like It both of the lead female characters dress as men. Both plays are comedies and the change in gender is used as a joke, but I think it goes much deeper. A woman can become a man, but only if it is not permanent. The affect of the change cannot be too great because she must change back to female once everything is settled. They are strong female characters, but must becomeRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Twelfth Night1762 Words   |  8 PagesShakespeare wrote the romantic comedy play, Twelfth Night, in the year 1601. Despite being over 400 years old, people have been studying and performing the play continuously. Even though some may argue American audience now cannot understand the significance of social hierarchy in the play nor the lines written in Shakespearean English, Twelfth Night remains popular today as shown by New York Times’ publishing of seven reviews on different performances of Twelfth Night. At the same time, Shakespeare utilizesRead More The Roaring Girl Essay3978 Words   |  16 PagesRoaring Girl Though its primary function is usually plot driven--as a source of humor and a means to effect changes in characters through disguise and deception—cross dressing is also a sociological motif involving gendered play. My earlier essay on the use of the motif in Shakespeares plays pointed out that cross dressing has been discussed as a symptom of a radical discontinuity in the meaning of the family (Belsey 178), as cul-tural anxiety over the destabilization of the social hierarchy

Civilized or Uncivilized Free Essays

Civilized or uncivilized Civilization is a limitless multiplication of unnecessary necessities. —-Mark Twain In Montaigne’s essay on Cannibals, those people living in the uncivilized societies are first referred to as â€Å"noble savages†. However, most Europeans, at that time, believed that the people without â€Å"the benefits of Christianity and civilization† can not be regarded as civilized or advanced. We will write a custom essay sample on Civilized or Uncivilized or any similar topic only for you Order Now Montaigne holds his ideas and specifically illustrates the reasons of the social norm that uncivilized people seem barbarous are that they have received little molding from the human intelligence and are very close to their original simplicity. Montaigne also criticizes the barbarian actions of â€Å"civilized† European society such as torturing prisoners. He also branches out topic to valour and believes that true victory lies the prize of valour, not winning itself. Based on the ideas of Montaigne, â€Å"civilized† world is not as perfect as people thought, and motivate readers to rethink what civilization is about. What I learn from that essay is that civilized people may sometimes have extremely uncivilized behaviors, and uncivilized people also have their civilized aspects. For those â€Å"uncivilized† people, in this essay, it is said that two things are the most important of their life which are â€Å"resolution in battle† and â€Å"affection for their wives†. Although their way of life seems limited, they live happily with their way of life. I admit their life are simple, but not uncivilized or barbarian. Their fighting is noble and disinterested because all they want to do is to show their valour which is also what people living in â€Å"civilized† societies want. However, we label them with â€Å"uncivilized† by reference to the laws of reason and social norms created by completely different cultures of us, and keep doing the barbarian behaviors which are not belong to our â€Å"perfect† society such as killing the innocent in order to develop new territories. The action of judging another culture â€Å"uncivilized† actually shows the weakness of â€Å"civilized† society. Therefore, the difference between both sides are not civilized or not, but the different cultures. All those different cultures make this world more colorful. Montaigne uses Plato’s words in this essay to differentiate various societies or ations,which I agree with most part of those words. It is said that â€Å"all things are produced by either nature, or by chance, or by art; the greatest and most beautiful by one or other of the first two, the least and most imperfect by the last†. I agree that things are produced because of those three reasons, but I don’t think any one is better than another, because everything has its own reason of existing. All the different cultures make up of civilization, therefore, as Mark Twain said, civilization is necessities no matter they are necessary or not. How to cite Civilized or Uncivilized, Papers