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Posts Tagged ‘life’

“Manage more, supervise less.”
- Bryce’s Law

When I got into the work force back in the mid-1970′s it seemed
everyone dressed in a suit and tie, drank black coffee, smoked
their brains out, and worked their butts off. Today, golf shirts
have replaced suits, herbal tea and bottled water have replaced
coffee, nobody is allowed to smoke, and rarely does anyone work
beyond 5:00pm. More importantly, we used to care about the work we
produced; there was a sense of craftsmanship, regardless of the job.

My Brother-in-law in Cincinnati conducted me on a tour of his company’s
machine-tool shop years ago and showed me how he could take a block of
aluminum and convert it into a high-precision machine tool. It was a
pleasure to watch him work, as it is to watch anyone who knows
what they are doing, be it a waitress, a programmer, a laborer or
a clerk.

Quality and service used to be considered paramount in this
country. If it wasn’t just right, you were expected to do it over
again until you got it right. We cared about what we produced
because it was a reflection of our personal character and
integrity. But somewhere along the line we lost our way and
craftsmanship has fallen by the wayside. Why? Probably because
we no longer care.

In today’s litigious society, employees are acutely aware that it is
difficult to be fired due to poor performance. They know they will
still get paid and receive benefits, regardless of the amount of effort
they put forth. Consequently, there is little to encourage people
to perform better. Money isn’t a motivating factor anymore. People
now expect bonuses, raises and other perks to be paid out regardless
of how well they perform during the year.

We’ve also become a nation content with doing small things. America
used to be known as a powerhouse that could tackle large projects,
such as building skyscrapers, designing innovative bridges and tunnels
spanning substantial bodies of water, engineering transcontinental
railroads and highway systems, conquering air and space travel, and
defending freedom not just once but in two world wars. If you really
wanted something done, you talked to the Americans and no one else. Now
we get excited over iPods, cell phones, and other electronic trinkets.

Many believe Craftsmanship is in decline due to the general apathy found
in today’s society. Maybe. I tend to believe it is due to an erosion
of our moral values. Let me give you an example. Having a child in college,
my interest was piqued recently by an article describing the pervasiveness of
cheating and plagiarism in our schools. It is not my intent to make a
political statement here but many of the students mentioned in the article
rationalized their cheating on the fact that one of our past Presidents
cheated and lied under oath, and got away with it. They figured if it is
okay for the Commander-in-Chief to act this way, it was an acceptable form
of behavior.

Arnold Toynbee, the famed English historian, observed, “Civilizations
die from suicide, not by murder.” If the moral fabric of our society
dies, our story is told as evidenced by other great civilizations that
long preceded us. Our perspective needs to be realigned: Our personal
and professional lives must be viewed as one. As Toynbee remarked,
“The supreme accomplishment is to blur the line between work and play.” By
doing so, we identify more closely with our work and assume a greater
pride in workmanship. We do not need to hear this from our boss, but
rather from within. As strange as it may sound, I see Craftsmanship as
being patriotic in nature; doing a good quality job is part of leading
a good and honorable life and builds on the individual’s esteem, the
company he works for, and the country he lives in.

The biggest problem though is that we have forgotten how to manage
people. The manager’s primary goal is to create the proper work
environment for employees to produce the desired work products. This
is different than a supervisory capacity that directs how each person
performs the various tasks of a job. In fact, I encourage managers to
manage more and supervise less. I cringe when I see a manager try to
“micromanage” either a Fortune 500 company or a non-profit organization.
Yes, people need to be trained in order to properly
perform their work but following this, employees should be mature
enough to supervise themselves. In the old days, management stressed
discipline, accountability, and structure; three ugly words in today’s
workplace.

Understanding Craftsmanship

Some might say craftsmanship is a simple concept that we should
intuitively know. Not true; most people today have no comprehension as
to what makes up a good craftsman; they have either forgotten or it has
simply passed them by. Craftsmanship can be found in any field of endeavor
imaginable, be it in the product sector or service industry. Craftsmanship,
therefore, is universally applicable to any line of work.

Craftsmanship is not “workmanship”, nor is it synonymous with quality,
although the three concepts are closely related. Let’s begin by
giving “Craftsmanship” a definition: “The production and delivery
of quality goods or services from highly skilled workmen.”

Quality relates to the absence of errors or defects in the finished
product or service. In other words, finished goods operate
according to their specifications (customers get precisely what
they ordered). Such products are normally durable and require minimal
maintenance. Craftsmanship produces quality products. In the absence
of craftsmen, a rigorous methodology or assembly line process is
required to produce quality goods using workers without the expertise
of craftsmen. Such processes detail “Who” is to perform “What” work,
“When”, “Where”, “Why” and “How” (5W+H), thereby assuring a quality
product or service is produced. Such is the underlying rationale of
the ISO 9000 certification as used by many companies today. The point
is, quality is not the exclusive domain of the craftsman.

Craftsmanship is also a human trait. Some might argue a computer or
industrial robot can produce quality products and are, therefore,
craftsmen. However, we must remember these devices are programmed by
human beings in accordance with the rules of the craftsman. As such,
they are an extension or tool of the craftsman.

Craftsmanship can be found in either the overall work process or
a section of it. For example, there are craftsmen who are intimate
with all facets of building furniture, such as a table, a chair or
desk, and can implement the product from start to finish. However,
as products grow in complexity, it becomes difficult to find people
suitably qualified to build them from the womb to the tomb. Consider
military weapons alone, such as the complicated ships, tanks, and
airplanes we now use, with thousands or millions of parts to
assemble. Such complexity makes it impossible for a single person
to have the expertise to build the whole product. The same is true
in the service sector where different types of expertise and
capabilities may be required. In other words, craftsmen have a
specific scope of work. The scope of work may relate to other
types of craftsmen through a chain of work dependencies, e.g.,
Craftsmen A, B and C concentrate on separate sub-assemblies which
are eventually joined into a single product.

Attributes

So, what are the attributes of a craftsman? What makes a craftsman a
craftsman? There are three basic attributes described herein:

Possesses the necessary knowledge and skills to perform the work.

The craftsman is an expert in his field of endeavor; so much so that
he could easily serve as an instructor in the subject matter. But the
craftsman is also smart enough to know that education is not a one
time thing, that his world and field evolve as new tools and techniques
are introduced. As such, the craftsman is a student of his profession
and is constantly looking to improve himself. This is exercised through
such things as continued education, routine certification, studying books
and trade publications, and industrial groups. The craftsman willingly
participates in trade groups, often at his own expense, in order to network
with his peers.

It is Important to note that the craftsman does not need to be told
he needs periodic training to sharpen his skills. Instead, he takes the
personal initiative to stay on top of his game. Further, the craftsman
has no problem with a periodic job review; in fact, he welcomes it for
it might bring out a weakness in a skill he needs to sharpen.

Attention to detail.

The craftsman understands and respects the process of building/delivering
a product or service and is acutely aware of the penalties for cutting
corners. Earlier we discussed the need for a methodology that specifies
5W+H. The craftsman is intimate with all details of his scope of work,
so much so, he could probably write the methodology himself. Further,
his intimacy of the work process means he can produce a reliable estimate
of time and costs to perform the work.

Although many of the craftsman’s tasks may be repetitive, it doesn’t
mean he easily falls into a rut. Instead, he is constantly looking
for new tools and techniques to improve the work process. As such,
he plays the role of Industrial Engineer who is normally charged
with such a task.

The craftsman’s attention to detail also means that he demonstrates
patience in his work effort. Again, wary of cutting corners, the
craftsman must possess such patience in order to produce the product
the right way.

Views professional life as an extension of his personal life.

The craftsman identifies with the end product which is where
pride in workmanship comes from. In his mind, the craftsman has
been charged with the responsibility of producing something, and
wanting to satisfy the customer, puts forth his best effort to
produce it. In other words, craftsmen take their work
personally. This is a difficult trait to teach particularly in
today’s society where the focus is more on financial compensation
than on the work product itself. It may sound naive, but the
craftsman believes he will be suitably compensated for
producing superior results.

Years ago, Dick Butkus of the Chicago Bears (NFL) confounded sports
writers who could never understand why Butkus played as hard as he
did year after year for a losing football team. True, Dick loved the
game, but beyond that, the sports writers didn’t understand one thing
about the seven time All-Pro linebacker: Butkus took his job
personally. It was important to him that his opponents know that
they had been tackled by the best player; as he said, “When they
get up from the ground I want them to say ‘it must have been Butkus
that got me’.” Dick Butkus was a craftsman.

The craftsman has a burning desire to produce a superior product/service
because he sees it as a reflection of himself. As such, the lines delineating
their personal life and professional life are blurred. This is a significant
characteristic that clearly separates a craftsman from the average worker. The
craftsman’s work is his life. He does not shirk responsibility, but rather
embraces it with confidence and embosses his name on the finished product.
Conversely, making a work related mistake of any kind pains a true craftsman.

Job titles are normally inconsequential to the craftsman who is more
interested in delivering a quality product/service enjoyed by the
customer. Instead, the craftsman takes pleasure in being touted as
the best in his craft. He appreciates recognition; when someone
makes a compliment about a product, the craftsman views it as a
personal compliment. This too runs contrary to today’s corporate
world where people desperately seek recognition through simple
job titles. Want someone with an inflated ego? Give them a title.
Want something done right? Call a craftsman.

Productivity

“Dependable”, “professional”, and “resourceful” are adjectives that
aptly describe the craftsman. He is not one who fabricates excuses but,
rather, always finds a way to get the job done. The craftsman is typically
your most productive employee. He is mindful of the concept of productivity
that we have touted for years:

Productivity = Effectiveness X Efficiency

Most people fallaciously equate productivity with efficiency, which simply
gauges how fast we can perform a given task. Effectiveness, on the other hand,
validates the necessity of the task itself. There is nothing more unproductive
than to do something efficiently that should not have been done at all. An
industrial robot, for example, can efficiently perform such tasks as welding. But
if you are welding the wrong thing, then it is counterproductive. Going back to
our description of a methodology, effectiveness defines “Who/What/When/Where/Why”,
efficiency defines “How.” The craftsman is well aware of the difference
between the two and knows how to apply both. As such, the craftsman is in tune
with his work environment and corporate culture.

So how do we make craftsmen?

Not easily. Because of the human dynamics involved with the craftsman,
you will need to be a pretty intuitive manager or industrial
psychologist to make it happen. Selecting suitable candidates is the
logical first step. Devise an aptitude test to determine the candidate’s
suitability to become a craftsman. After all, “you cannot make a silk
purse from a sow’s ear.” Aside from specific knowledge and experience
in a given field (e.g., programming, woodworking, construction, accounting,
etc.), here are some other important traits to look for:

Fertility of mind – judge his ability to learn, to adapt to changing
conditions, and to look beyond his scope of work. Evaluate his
professional curiosity.

Confidence – judge how well the candidate knows himself,
particularly how well he knows his own limitations. He
should admit his deficiencies and not fabricate excuses.

Dedication – judge his loyalty and determination to
accomplish something. What is his attendance record?
What outside clubs and organizations does he belong
to and how active is he in them?

Entrepreneurial spirit – judge his personal initiative.
Is he driven to succeed (but not to the point of reckless
abandon)? Does he have a problem with accountability?
This says a lot about assuming responsibility.

Attention to detail – judge his ability to focus on a subject.
Does he have a problem with discipline or organization? A person’s
dress, mannerisms, and speech says a lot about a person.

Reliability – judge his ability to assume responsibility and
carry a task through to completion.

Resourcefulness – judge his ability to adapt to changing
conditions and persevere to see a task through to completion.
The candidate cannot be inflexible; he must be able to find
solutions to solve problems.

Socialization skills – does he work better alone or as a team
player? His position may depend on his answer.

When you have selected suitable candidates, here are three areas to
concentrate on:

Develop their skills and knowledge by allowing such things as:
participation in trade groups, outside certification and on-going
training, subscriptions to trade journals, continued education,
etc. Some companies even go as far as to develop an in-house
school to teach the company’s way of doing things. If the in-house
school is good, it will promote confidence through consistency. Even
if people leave the company, they will recommend your company because
they know the quality of the work produced. Supporting the education
needs of our workers is not only smart, it is good business.

Teach them the need for producing quality work; they should
become intimate with all aspects of their work process (5W+H).
Further, instill discipline and patience in their work effort.

Change their attitude towards development so they become more
focused on delivering a quality end-product. This is perhaps
the most difficult element to teach. However, it can be realized
by having them become intimate with the needs of the customer
(have them visit or work with a customer for awhile – “let them
walk in the customer’s shoes”). It may also be necessary to
change their form of remuneration by going to a reward system
for work produced (as opposed to guaranteed income regardless
of what is produced). Changing the mode of financial compensation
is highly controversial in today’s business world. But, as an
example, can you imagine the change of attitude of today’s professional
athletes if they were paid based on their accomplishments (e.g., runs
or points scored, hits, rebounds, etc.) rather than having a
guaranteed income? Their motivation and attitude towards
their profession and team would change radically.

Candidates must learn to respect their institution, the process
by which they work, fellow human beings, and themselves. They must
also learn not to be afraid to TRY; that they must put their best
foot forward, win or lose. Bottom-line: they must learn that their
work has meaning and worth. If they don’t enjoy their work, they
shouldn’t be doing it.

“There are two things that I want you to make up your minds to: first,
that you are going to have a good time as long as you live – I have no
use for the sour-faced man – and next, that you are going to do
something worthwhile, that you are going to work hard and do the
things you set out to do.”
- President Theodore Roosevelt
Talk to schoolchildren in Oyster Bay, Christmas-time 1898

Certification

Teaching the elements listed above probably cannot be done in one
fell swoop. Further, companies simply don’t have the time or money to
wait for the craftsman to be produced. Instead, they must understand
the human spirit needs to be cultivated and be allowed to grow over
time. Because of this, it is strongly recommended that an in-house
certification program be devised specifying what the candidate should
know and what skills and talents he should demonstrate. This should be
divided into classes of progressive expertise; e.g., apprentice, intermediary,
and craftsman. The ancient builders in Egypt, Rome, and Greece understood
this concept and devised such classes of workmen. Other disciplines and
schools follow similar tactics (the various degrees or belts in martial
arts for example). Each degree is based on specific prerequisites to
master before moving on to the next level.

An in-house certification program has the added nuance of making
people feel special which greatly enhances their self esteem. If
they are made to feel like a vital part of the company, regardless if
their work of a large magnitude or trivial, they will strive to do
what is best for the company overall, not just themselves. Consequently,
their work adds meaning to their life.

There is one pitfall to all of this; today’s “go-go” management
style fails to see how craftsmanship adds value to the company. In
fact, there were companies back in the 1980′s that shut down such
programs simply to reduce costs. As a result, quality suffered,
repeat business was lost, products were more in need of repair,
absenteeism on the job escalated, etc. Want value? How does
a loyal customer base who has confidence in your products or
services sound? And what effect would employee harmony have,
particularly if they believed in the work they were producing? It
would be mind-boggling, all because we had faith in the human
spirit to produce superior results.

A final note: craftsmanship is not a one time thing. After it has
been instilled in people, it has to be cultivated and perpetuated. If
a manager slips even for a moment, it will go right out the window and
it will take time to bring it back to life. As for me, I like to post
motivational reminders kind of like the one recently spotted in the
Hickey Freeman manufacturing facility in New York,
“Excellence is Tolerated.”

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 A very large percentage of the Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors in our country are also Recovering Addicts. This especially pertains to those certified by agencies created specifically to improve the qualifications of those working in a previously hugely unregulated field. This certification became necessary, as so many Addicts inspired by the 12 Step Concept, want to “give back” what they have acquired that changed their lives for the better, and in many cases “saved their life”! 

I can only speak for myself, but approaching 10 years as a counselor, I believe myself to to represent the profile of very many counselors. I definitely have had issues that relate back to childhood personality problems like, shyness, insecurity, and fear. As a child I was very small. I began school, 1st grade, at only 5 years old, in rural Missouri.

My family relocated from there to California whan I was eight. When I graduated from 8th grade I was 4’8″ tall and weighed a mere 78 pounds. I had already spent 2 years in over-achievement, with a great degree of success. In 8th grade I was a starting line member in every sport. A benefit that came with that success, at that time, was that girls approached me, in spite of the fact that I was still so lacking in self-confidence that I could not approach them. So, at 12 years old, in 8th grade I won a popularity test at the annual Carnival and was crowned King of the Carnival. This was a very small rural school, though. My problems really surfaced in the next, or 1st year of High School. I was cut from every sport I entered in my Freshman year. This was a major blow to my somewhat bloated ego. I did still maintain a dominant role in my neighborhood, though. But school was important… very important to me as it is to all children. Thus I began my first associations with an alternative demographic and began drinking and smoking pot as regularly as an average 12 or 13 year old could… mostly Saturday nights. I also started hanging out with people 3 or 4 years old than I was. This period, I feel, set the trend for my life assuming the outcast or outlaw persona! Between my freshman and sophomore years I grew from 5’1″ to 5’8″ and shot up to 145 pounds, which left me sort of with 2 left feet and hands. It was a disappointing time and I began to drink and smoke pot more, usually staying under-the-influence all weekend.

This is in the 1960′s and a lot of social anxiety was going on with the civil rights movement many other societal tensions. The “underground” was forming and I was right there in the middle of it as much as someone my age could be. Remember, I had a tendency to associate with people older than me. My junior year in high school started with a move to a high school that just opened that year. I tried to make it a fresh start. I went to class everyday, which I had not been doing recently. My grades improved and at 5’9″ and 160 pounds I had regained my agility and made the Varsity squad of the wrestling team. Somehow I found the strength to refrain from drinking and smoking pot and cigarettes. I now had two lives that I kept unbelievably well separated from one and other (honing my skills of deceit)! I had my “Jock” friends, and I had my “Hippie” friends. After wrestling season ended, the hippies gradually became my “comfort zone”. As was the course all through high school, I was not very popular with the girls, especially those expected to be in the company of an athlete. This was a real problem that I suppressed and eventually came to accept, on the surface, as not very important, though my libido told me differently. My senior year I went out for wrestling and inflated the seriousness of a minor injury so I could quit. Luckily, my academic performance had so improved that I only had to attend classes for half of the day. Sadly, it gave me more time to pursue my alternative lifestyle choice! I was using drugs more frequently than ever and began involvement in politics, even attending demonstrations against the war in Vietnam, that were in their fledgling state, but would soon dominate the National stage. I graduated from High School at 17 without a clue regarding my future.

In a matter of months the “Draft” would resolve that issue. I knew that my number would come up soon because I would be 18 soon, and everyone in my uncommitted status of life got drafted shortly after turning 18. So, shortly before my eighteenth birthday I went to the Navy recruiter, to avoid the Army Infantry. This was also truly an attempt to change my future as I was certainly headed for drug addiction, already a serious drug abuser, and full-well knew it! Wrong!!! Wrong decision!!! Join the Navy… see the World! Guess what? That big old World out there had better, easier to get, drugs than I ever could have imagined.

 San Diego may very well have been the drug capital of California at that time, rivaled only by maybe, San Francisco. Of course I couldn’t use in Boot Camp; the first four months in the service. But, I stayed in San Diego, in schools, training in electricity and electronics and radio communications. The training schedule was arduous, but I found my first true love as a result… Amphetamines!!! This is an extremely addictive drug and you build tolerance to it rapidly. Starting with about 10 “Bennies” a week, I eventually found myself taking up to 100 per day. I had made a connection across the border in Tijuana and became a drug dealer to help support my enormous habit. In this precarious position, I was headed for an assignment in “Top Secret” classified communications at the Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Fleet Headquarters at Pearl Harbor. Again, I would make an attempt to arrest my drug abuse problem, and it wasn’t too difficult for a while.

At the Communications Center, we worked 12 hours on 12 hours off, seven days a week, for the first ten months I was there. Still, I managed to make some minor drug connections at Pearl Harbor. After that first 10 months we were allocated almost a 50% increase in personnel and I found myself with a lot of free time and also moved off base. It was easy to get Navy pay for off base housing because of their fear of “shop talk” in our off hours at Pearl Harbor. Well, folks, Pearl Harbor, as you know, is in Hawaii. I found myself living only blocks from Waikiki Beach. Now, I was able to return to a very familiar scenario; living a dual life, with my Navy friends and my Civilian friends becoming two separate lives. Somehow, I managed my Navy life. There was no drug testing back then, fortunately for me. Or, maybe unfortunately for me, I don’t know for sure. I made civilian connections and begun selling drugs to a dealer at Pearl Harbor that I had used for my own needs, previously. I also went to a lot of rock and roll music concerts, taking LSD, experimenting with Cocaine, and even getting my first taste of Heroin. I started helping the “Draft” resistance keep people out of the service and even worked with a Church that was a sanctuary for “deserters”. This led to a relationship with some local American Civil Liberties Union people, who offered to help me desert to Canada, but I couldn’t go that route. My love for my parents definitely had something to do with that decision, but truthfully, I was just plain old scared to make a move that big and bold and serious. I still had enough sense to see losing a “Dishonorable Discharge” as too high a price to pay for any reason. My family has a long history of service to this country going all the way back to Charles Carroll of Carrollton signing the Declaration of Independence. Anyway, by the Grace of God, I did get an Honorable Discharge, and make it through the whole ordeal of the United States Military. I may not have indicated it, but I was raised on John Wayne and have always had a true love for and pride in my Country. If not, I never would have seen enlisting as a solution to my drug problem. It’s true that the ‘60′s made me question a lot, but I’m tried and true, red, white and blue, at heart.

The biggest blow to my patriotism came as a result of working in Top Secret communications, though. I am a patriot and will not mention any details of my work, to this day. It must suffice to say that I could confirm that the President of the United States was telling the American public lies, period… outright lies!!! This is what led me to the draft resistance, and became a perfect excuse to become a full-blown Drug Addict. I did some other duty in the Navy but it’s mostly irrelevant right now. Let’s just say that I came home to California, disenfranchised, angry, and a regular dumping ground for drugs. I came home using anything and everything in almost every combination conceivable. On top of that, I had lost all faith, and for many years claimed atheism as my chosen belief.

I drew unemployment compensation the first year I was out, growing my hair and trying to be as much of a “hippie” as I possibly could. I did anything that would distance me far from the military! I have to admit though that right at first I screwed up big time and found myself in jail 28 days after leaving the military. I had a succession of drug arrests until my unemployment checks ended and had to go to work. I got my bearings and after living a dual life in the Military, doing it in civilian life became a piece of cake. From 1974 to 1991 I was what some call a “functioning addict”! I had good jobs and learned the trade of pipe welding and became a Union member with my own portable welding truck. Drug testing still wasn’t very prominent. I made well over a million dollars over that period but by the time of my next drug arrest in 1991, I owned no property, lost my welding truck, had two divorces, and had no money in the bank. I had specific addictions to alcohol, cocaine and methamphetamines. The “Meth” was the closer. From 1991 to 1995 I spent about half of my time homeless or in jail. Between 1985 and 1995 I did a lot of things I am ashamed of to this day. Worst of all was deserting my children, choosing drugs and addicted women over them!

In 1995, at 45, with my last trip to jail, I fell completely apart mentally and spiritually, and no longer had the desire to live, but had come to hope that there was a God. In lieu of a 3 year prison term, and incredibly compassionate Judge looked at my Military Service, my deceiving job history, and I think my obviously apparent declining physical condition and sentenced me to just jail time, and coupled it with a sentence to a drug rehabilitation program. That Judge named “Felice” saved my life, surely under the direction of God and by recommendation from the assistant DA. I now like to say the DA, the VA, AA and NA saved me. During that last arrest, I began praying again. When I got that last sentence I had already come to believe in God. About 10 days after becoming incarcerated, on the eve of my father’s (who was in the hospital) birthday), I had a radical religious experience, and my life was changed from that moment on! You can read about that in one of my articles at EzineArticles.com…  

I did my jail term. Successfully completed a drug rehabilitation program and the VA Hospital in Fresno, CA. Remained clean as a member of AA and NA. Went back to a full-time job (notice that I did not go directly into training for counseling). Went back to school for office skills. Went back to school at Cal-State University Bakersfield, Drug and Alcohol program and became a Certified Counselor through the California Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors (CAADAC) and have worked as a Counselor since. I was working in the field before, and during my schooling, close to 10 years now. This I believe is a very common scenario of personal history for drug counselors, as I stated at the beginning of this article. My total acceptance of the help provided me in “Treatment” helped to make it successful for me. I must mention the loving caring staff at the VA program, too. I hold one person in the highest regard and that is my personal counselor, Sally Belle, who understood me so well. She gave me the initial inspiration and suggestion to become a Counselor.

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Product Description
Here are the life stories of three women who connect us to our national past and provide windows onto a social and political landscape that is strangely familiar yet shockingly foreign.

Berkin focuses on three “accidental heroes” who left behind sufficient records to allow their voices to be heard clearly and to allow us to see the world as they did. Though they held no political power themselves, all three had access to power and unique perspectives on events of their time.

Angelina Grimké Weld, after a painful internal dialogue, renounced the values of her Southern family’s way of life and embraced the antislavery movement, but found her voice silenced by marriage to fellow reformer Theodore Weld. Varina Howell Davis had an independent mind and spirit but incurred the disapproval of her husband, Jefferson Davis, when she would not behave as an obedient wife. Though ill-prepared and ill-suited for her role as First Lady of the Confederacy, she became an expert political lobbyist for her husband’s release from prison. Julia Dent Grant, the wife of Ulysses S. Grant, was a model of genteel domesticity who seemed content with the restrictions of marriage and motherhood, even though they led to alternating periods of fame and disgrace, wealth and poverty. Only late in life did she glimpse the price of dependency.

Throughout, Berkin captures the tensions and animosities of the antebellum era and the disruptions, anxieties, and dislocations generated by the war and its aftermath.

Civil War Wives: The Lives and Times of Angelina Grimke Weld, Varina Howell Davis, and Julia Dent Grant

I have a project where I need to weld an achor ( an aluminum made mushroom shallow water anchor) to an iron made leg…..I am planning on Explosion welding……please tell me if any source is avialble to know the life of the weld if the weld goes successful