<p>Hello everyone,</p>
<p>I just took a practice SAT this morning- Could you please read over my essay and comment on it? I would also appreciate a score out of 12, just to give me an idea of what number to use when scaling my writing score.</p>
<p>Anyways, here's the essay:</p>
<p>Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.
A colleague of the great scientist James Watson remarked that Watson was always lounging around, arguing about problems instead of doing experiments. He concluded that There is more than one way of doing good science. It was Watsons form of idleness, the scientist went on to say, that allowed him to solve the greatest of all biological problems: the discovery of the structure of DNA. It is a point worth remembering in a society overly concerned with efficiency.
Adapted from John C. Polanyi, Understanding Discovery</p>
<p>Assignment: Do people accomplish more when they are allowed to do things in their own way? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.</p>
<p>Here is my essay: </p>
<pre><code> People often dispute whether higher productivity is attained by working in a conformed group or in an independent manner. Although group work can make a project successful, working independently allows people to accomplish the most because they can work in their own manner. Examples from history and American government support this.
When the Civil War broke out in 1861, the American president Abraham Lincoln appointed numerous commanders to take charge of the Army of the Potomac. These included George B. McClellan, John Pope, and Ulysses "Sam" Grant. McClellan and Pope were commanded by Washington; They had no autonomy in running their army. This prodding from politicians led to McClellan's defeat on his peninsular campaign and Pope's ignominious loss at the Second Battle of Bull Run. However, things changed when General Ulysses "Sam" Grant, a western general, took command. Mr. Lincoln made Grant the second-in-command of the army, effectively freeing him from the attack exhorting politicians. U.S. Grant took his time to seal of the Confederates and ended the war quickly. He accomplished his objective by being allowed to work alone.
Another area where independent decision making is most productive is in the issue of state versus national government. The national government, although very important in defense and other tasks, cannot properly administer the lives of 330 million citizens. It must delegate this arduous task to the individual states, a fact proven in the Bill of Rights (tenth amendment). These states do not always conform to a national standard: They work independently multiple times and it helps them. Take, for instance, the issue on taxes. The state of Massachusetts has a 6.25% sales tax and a moderate property tax. However, the State of New Hampshire has no sales tax but extremely high property taxes. Both states earn a lot of money. However, they do so in different ways: New Hampshire takes advantage of its bucolic mountains while Massachusetts takes advantage of its commercial relationships. Therefore, working independently from a group's standards does allow people to accomplish more.
Finally, the idea that individuals accomplish more when they are allowed to work independently is visible in the heart of this country, the Constitution. The founding fathers inserted a clause in the second article of the Constitution. This clause, commonly called the "Take Care Clause," asserted that the President of the United States shall "Take care that the laws be faithfully executed." This grants the President the authority to enforce major action and protect the people; the president does not always have to conform to Congress. He has independent power. Presidents have used this clause multiple times to protect Americans. One example of such an action is when Franklin Delano Roosevelt declared a bank holiday and shut down all major banks in the nation so he could protect the flagging economy from reaching the nadir it did during the Great Depression. He used this, did not seek congressional consent, and helped restore the United States on a Pathway to Prosperity.
It is easily visible that people accomplish more when they are made independent and allowed to work on things in their own way. Throughout the Civil War, the power of the states, and the "take care" clause in the Constitution, this phenomenon is visible. This individual power is what makes America so successful, and it should always be maintained.
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<p>So, that's it! Thanks for reading! Please leave some comments- they always help me learn! If you would like my feedback, please put that in your post as well. Finally, please also leave a score out of 12 so I have an idea of where I am essay-wise.</p>
<p>Thanks all!</p>