u/BluebirdLoose1525

I do my best not to rely on external validation to feel good about myself, but sometimes I can't help but feel awkward and undesirable, especially when I'm with my one friend, who I'll call Ella.

For the record I don't think I'm ugly. I just have a different style that probably deters people (and makes half the people I meet think I'm lesbian, which I'm not), but it's not even that. No guy has actually ever said he'd liked me. There was a brief instance in 4th grade, but that hardly counts since it's so long ago.

Naturally Ella and I have talked about guys we've liked or guys that've liked us. Obviously my list for the receiving end was very short. The guys I've had crushes on were either close friends who I didn't want to risk ruining friendships over or toxic guys who (thankfully) didn't know I exist. Even when I tried, nothing was ever reciprocated. Which is natural, I guess. No one owes me anything. But Ella told me about no less than 5 guys and a girl who have confessed to her. And she still felt unwanted.

She has a boyfriend now. Her second, in fact. They're the kind of couple to cuddle in the middle of class and do stupid mushy lovey dovey shit in front of everyone (it's easy to hate when it's not you, right?). I guess I'm a little jealous. Everyone seems to be getting together into couples now. Everyone's experiencing the kind of teen romance that I can only read about in fictional romance novels. It. makes me feel like it'll never be my turn, especially since I've never even experienced strep one, confession.

The only experience I have is two accounts of assholes pulling the "my friend has a crush on you" and one instance of being creepily catcalled, and getting called "boring" by the last guy I was head over heels for. No genuine, well meant compliments from guys. Ella always gets complimented, always paid attention to. She's always the person guys would rather be around.

And I start to think, maybe I'm doing something wrong. Maybe I don't fit the mold like my bubbly childish sweet friend Ella. But that's hardly a reason since even my other friend, Sarah, who's very withdrawn and introverted seems to have someone who likes her.

I'm outgoing and fairly talkative and energetic. I work hard and have a bunch of hobbies. But I guess I'm a bit awkward sometimes and because of the way I was raised I feel a bit ostracized. Maybe I'm to bossy. Not girly enough. Or maybe I really am unattractive and have a bad personality. I don't know.

Just seeing all these happy couples now makes me feel like I'll never find anyone who'll like me back for who I am and show that I'm worth his time.

I'm tired of hearing the "focus on yourself" be and the "you'll find love when you least expect it"

Finding someone rational and like-minded who reciprocated your feelings in this generation is hopeless. And I've focused on myself enough to feel like a proper narcissist. It's all a bunch of shit people say to make themselves feel better anyway. I'm probably already on track to dying alone.

So my teacher didn't assign LEQs until 2 weeks before the exam and I have no idea if I'm doing them right (she didn't give us feedback or anything). Could someone please tell me if this is a solid LEQ or if I'm just rambling?

Evaluate to the extent to which the Civil War was a turning point in the history of the United States in the period from 1800-1877.

From 1861 to 1865, the Civil War marked a great turning point in U.S. history. Tensions between northern and southern states had been brewing for decades as the two regions had grown increasingly different. Disagreements over the westward expansion of slavery were unable to be solved by attempts such as the Missouri Compromise and Compromise of 1850, and the country was torn in half following the 1860 election of Abraham Lincoln. Although the United States experienced a dramatic economic, societal, and political shift after the Civil War, ideas of white supremacy persisted and African Americans continued to be discriminated against.

Prior to the war, the South had relied heavily on cotton, and by extension, slavery. In contrast, the abolitionist North had rapidly industrialized as a result of an influx of immigration. Their differences in ideals and economy began to show, as the Tariff of 1828, dubbed the Tariff of Abominations by the South, demonstrated the South’s growing mistrust of the North. Westward expansion also sparked debate over the institution of slavery in newly added states, which only grew more bitter in the years leading up to the war. With the abolition of slavery, the New South movement sought to industrialize the South and end economic dependence on “King Cotton.” This allowed the South to diversify its economy, though its industrial power continued to lag behind that of the North.

The societal changes following the Civil War were the most profound. Both the passage of the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment greatly impacted the lives of African Americans by abolishing slavery. Despite this, African Americans still faced violence from white mobs and were prevented from partaking in rights such as voting during the Reconstruction era. Additionally, the reassertion of white supremacy and rise of Jim Crow in the 1870s demonstrated that emancipation did not end the oppression of African Americans. They did not receive equal rights nor equal protection, and many became trapped in the system of sharecropping. While progress had been made, discrimination and disenfranchisement continued.

Finally, the Civil War solidified federal power over the states. Prior to the war, the South had defended slavery and its expansion on the basis of the 10th Amendment, through which they claimed the institution was a state right. When Abraham Lincoln won the 1860 election, the South seceded because they wanted to preserve slavery and believed that Lincoln intended to impede on said state rights. The federal government then reasserted itself over the states with its legal rejection of the secession and its following efforts to pass constitutional amendments promoting civil rights. 

The bloodshed of the Civil War had been the result of growing sectional divides over slavery, economy, and westward expansion. Although the following Reconstruction era ushered in a period of societal, political, and economic change, racial discrimination and disenfranchisement of African Americans remained.