LAD #37: Brown Vs. Board of Education

Summary: The court case started with a black elementary school girl from Topeka who had to walk to her low quality school every day even though it was further away than the white school. Her father contacted the NAACP to challenge segregation in court.

The NAACP lost the early battles due to the court's decision to uphold Plessy V. Ferguson, but later on in a review, the court overturned the Plessy case. It was decided in 1954 that the black children were not receiving equal education as the white children and thus separate but equal was not equal by any standards.

Though the victory was groundbreaking for the desegregation of schools, a long journey remained to desegregate the whole United States, including public facilities. Still, the case provided a precedent that gave the NAACP and black people leverage to achieve their ends.

LAD#36: Truman Doctrine

Summary: After the fall of the Axis powers in 1945, a new enemy would dominate U.S. foreign policy. Having recently fought a war on the side of the U.S.S.R., direct confrontation was unlikely, but a new war had begun. Containment was king in this Cold War, a doctrine initiated by Harry S. Truman.
Greece would be the first target of this new doctrine. The impoverished Greeks had been ravaged by war, with an idle U.N. unable to do anything against the threat of Russia in Northern Greece.
 Greece, as Truman stated, was in desperate need of U.S. resources in order to oust communism and rebuild their country.
Turkey was another nation that required aid in order to modernize and democratize. The U.S. was quick to give Turkey such aid. 750 million dollars were sent to Greece and Turkey after the Second World War by the U.S. The doctrine helped the United States affirm what it saw itself as; a promoter of peace and liberty. Granting fledgling nations the resources they needed became a precedent in years to come, as well as the suppression of communism throughout the world.

LAD #35: Executive Order 9066

Summary: Executive Order 9066 granted FDR's secretary of War and other military officials the right to use their power to gain residence in local and foreign areas for U.S. troops. The order supported this by asserting that said residences require adequate food, shelter and transportation for the troops. To maintain control of their areas, the troops are granted support from local police and other agencies.

LAD #34: FDR's Declaration of War

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Summary: December 7th, 1941 was a day that FDR famously said "would live in infamy" due to the ferocious Japanese assault of the U.S. airbase at Pearl Harbor. It was with confidence that he asked Congress to go to war, putting faith in the will of the American people coupled with the power of the armed forces. Letting Japanese aggression go on unabated would create major problems in the Pacific, just as letting Nazi Germany flourish would in Europe. Japan destroyed any hope of peace with their attacks on Peal Harbor, and the time had come to wage a righteous conflict against the aggressive island nation. FDR urged American entry into the war, and by the consent of congress, we won it.

LAD #33: FDR's First Inaugural Address

Summary: FDR makes his first few words crystal clear; We are in peril. After a stock market crash and ensuing economic panic, he faces a long road to recovery. He reassures the people that although it may seem to be a continually looming threat, it wasn't as bad as people believe. Fearing this depression is dangerous, and he asserts that, "The only thing to fear is fear itself". Roosevelt recognizes that, yes, the economy is in shambles and the farmers are rioting and everyone's savings are gone and traders have no hope, but it was his almost reckless hopefulness that characterized his first inaugural.

The problems that led to this Great Depression were selfishness, as evident in the stock traders; problems that could be rectified. The ethics that plague this nation must be reversed in the direction of good will, and the government must join in this fervor, with relief efforts, subsidization and government employment. To cure these ills will allow for greater trade not only within, but internationally.

To dig this great nation out of this depression will take "collectivism" and self sacrifice, evident in the selfless actions of the founding fathers. Roosevelt's rock solid confidence was a beacon of hope to a struggling nation.

LAD #32: Kellogg Briand Peace Pact

Summary: This Act, like W. Wilson, represented a reconciliatory attitude towards post war politics. It was a ubiquitous treaty, signed by Great Britain, Italy, Germany, France, Japan, Poland and Belgium by 1929. The Pact renounced war and, in a way, gave an incentive for nonviolence. Nations that violated the pact and waged war would be renounced and denied any benefits granted by taking part in the treaty. The primary proponent of the Treaty was the Untied States, who not only wanted to prevent war amongst the signees, but the whole world. The United States brokered the Treaty, allowing or disallowing admission. The Secretary of State Frank B. Kellogg, with the support of President Herbert Hoover, wrote the treaty.

Article I Proposes that war be denounced as a tool of foreign policy
Article II Asserts that signees will only use peace to address issues
Article III Outlines the signing and ratification process

Eventually, more than forty nations would enter the pact.

LAD #31: Wilson's 14 Points

Summary: It was obvious to Wilson, being one of the level headed leaders at Versailles, that the suggested Treaty would be far too harsh on the already struggling Germany. One simply had to look back at the Civil War and see the hatred and loathing in the South that came from a harsh Reconstruction Policy. Instead of condemning Germany and forcing her to pay reparations, Wilson sought to follow the path of reconciliation. The attitude of the United States leading up to this point was to "make safe the world for freedom and democracy". The 14 points were bullets aimed at those who would suppress these freedoms. The points included some of the following:
-The outlawing of secret negotiations
-Freedom of the seas
-Reduction of worldwide militaries
-Belgium should be independent
-Self-determination for those in Austria-Hungary
-Independence for Poland
-League of Nations
Europe was left all but eviscerated after this "Great War", and the allies boiled with anger over the alleged German atrocities and damages. The 14 points would've been the keystone in a successful bridging to a safer Europe.

LAD #30 Schenck vs. US case

 

 

 

Summary: American progressivism and the emergence of socialist muckrakers made an impact on the American war effort during the Great War. In March of 1919, an American socialist, Charles Schenck faced the Supreme Court in a battle over the government's suppression of wartime rights. Schenck was known as a radical, working constantly during the war to encourage men to "draft dodge". Progressives believed this draft to be unconstitutional due to the violatoin of the thirteenth amendment, which outlawed involuntary servitude. The Federal government had issued the Espionage Act during the war, which, like the sedition Act, suppressed the citizenry's freedom of speech. The Act was often an excuse to round up and imprison socialists/anti-militarists/anarchists who posed a threat to the war effort. It was for this reason, his attacks on the draft, that Schenck was arrested. Schenck eventually made an appeal to the Supreme Court, which was heard.

The basis of his argument was that the Espionage Act was unconstitutional, violating, as was said, his First Amendment rights.

 

Justice Oliver Holmes articulated the idea that when free speech presents a "clear and apparent danger", especially during war time, freedom of speech is not guaranteed. Schecnk's anti war writings had presented a danger to the U.S. war effort and attempted to incite military insubordination. These "clearly" dangerous actions resulted in the Supreme Court unanimously voting against him. Laws have changed since, but this is the basis of wartime law.

 





LAD #29: Keating-Owen Child Labor Act

Summary: The Act was passed in 1916, but the journey had started earlier with the proposal of Albert Beveridge to fight child labor by using the government's ability to regulate interstate commerce. Robert Owen and Edward Keating sponsored this Act, which banned the sale of products from

-mines that employed children under 16
-factories that employed children under 14
-businesses that made children under 16 work more than eight hours a day

The Act was very effective until judicial review declared it an overstepping of boundaries in 1918, in the Supreme Court case "Hammer Vs. Dagenhart"

LAD #28: Wilson's First Inaugural Speech

Summary: Teddy Roosevelt, the "Hero of San Juan Hill"(also known as "the Man on Horseback", the "Dynamo of Power" and the "Driving Force"), had given up his office to William Taft in 1908, after his promise to relinquish power after his first elected term. Taft won the election in 1908, though his policies conflicted with Roosevelt's original vision. Out of anger, and to prevent Taft from winning again, the Bull Moose formed the Progressive Party and split the Republicans. The tactic worked, but Roosevelt had created an even greater monster, Woodrow Wilson (At least in his eyes).

In his inaugural address, Wilson proclaims that the political tide in the U.S. is shifting towards the Democrats. He states the goods and evils of the institutions of this nations, referring to our people's brilliance and the strength of the government, while juxtaposing this to the awful tide of industrialization and those left bloodied in its wake. The economic expansion had taken a tremendous toll on the people, and it was the government's job to remedy the situation. Wilson declares that change must come, be it in the tariffs, agriculture, industry or banking. These institutions must be reformed to preserve the rights of the modern citizen. Laws must be passed to further their rights, including laws to aid in sanitation and protection against horrendous foods or terrible employers. He is resolute as he finishes, declaring that, "Today is not a day of triumph; it is a day of dedication".

LAD #27: Clayton Anti-Trust Act

Summary: The Sherman Anti-Trust Act of 1890 was ineffective, necessitating the Clayton Anti-Trust Act of 1914. One of the cornerstones of this Act was the assertion that businesses could not charge customers different prices for the same product. This served to limit the monopolistic practices, especially by Rockefeller with the railroads, of charging different customers different prices. It was made clear, though, that this Act would not limit a business's ability to selectively choose customers. Like Rockefeller had done with his shipping rebates and subsequent burdening of competitors, the Act disallowed companies to shift prices and eliminate the weak as easily as before. The last stipulation of the Clayton Act was the outlawing of restrictive mechanisms such as "pyramid business", in order to promote free trade and prevent the lessening of competition.

LAD #26: Martin Luther King Jr. I Have a Dream

Summary: King addressed the masses of Civil Rights supporters on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963. 100 years had passed since the vicious battle of Antietam and ensuing proclamation by Lincoln that ensured the freedom of blacks. This promise would not come to fruition, as 100 years later, the man who was promised freedom would see none of it. King says to the crowd that they are in Washington to cash a check, a check guaranteed to all men living under the constitution and its guarantees. The constitution says that all men are created equal, yet when blacks try to cash their checks, it's always marked "insufficient funds"
King shows profound influence from Ghandi and Thoreau in civil disobedience when he tells the crowd that in pursuit of their ultimate goals, they should never be guilty of wrongful deeds. King commands that their more "creative protest" not degenerate into "physical violence". As can be seen from earlier railroad strikes, violence does nothing for a movement but lower credibility and public support. King wouldn't have it, supporting nonviolent acts such as sit ins and boycotts.
King tells his crowd of "the fiery urgency of now". Man must not be idle to achieve his ends. There is "no time to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism". If the black men and women stay content they will have a rude awakening when America returns to "business as usual".
King said elsewhere that "He who passively accepts evil is as much responsible for it as he who helps to perpetrate it".
His people will never be satisfied if the trends of hate continue and the heavy air of oppression hangs thick. They will never be satisfied while the white man unjustly polices them, segregates them and oppresses their voice.
King begins his famous "I have a dream" sequence, electrifying the crowd and telling them about his dreams for the future and dreams for his children. "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its crees: "We hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi...will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that one my four little children will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."
"Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty we are free at last!"

LAD #25: Dawes Severalty Act

Summary: Indian Policy needed to adapt to the industrial growth of the Untied States in the last third of the 1800's, and the Dawes Act was the answer. The Federal Government gained the power to split up traditional Native lands and redistribute them among the population dependent on, essentially, white ideas of land ownership including age, family statues and gender. The distribution was created to help populate reservations, giving families a "better" system. Family heads received one fourth of property, adults one eight, and minors one sixteenth. It was made sure that Indian land between the tribes stayed constant to prevent conflict. The U.S. government walked all over the Indians and their territories, allowing themselves to use indian land for agriculture, new white populations, irrigation, education, railways, power lines and highways. The Act provided for Indian assimilation, excluding the Chickasaw,  Cherokee, Choctaw,  Creek, Seminole, Fox, Sioux and other tribes that had to deal with Jackson.

LAD #24: William Jennings Bryan

Summary of Speech: William Jennings Bryan would end up becoming a three time democratic candidate for the presidency, and although he never succeeded in his ultimate pursuit, he was wildly popular within the democratic and populist parties. One of the moments that Bryan could attribute his success to would be his electrifying cross of gold speech. At the democratic convention in Chicago, at 2:00 he opened up and delivered what's considered to be one of the greatest pieces of rhetoric in American political history, helping to advance the goals of bimetallism and increase his own popularity. Bryan opens by asserting that he wishes not to make enemies of the Republicans, but take a stand alongside the Democrats for the good of the people. It's in the working man's best interest to maintain a dual metal standard, allowing the lower classes to pay off debtors more easily. Of course the wealthier capitalists wanted nothing to do with it, but this rung on the social ladder than Bryan was fighting. He said that the working men truly deserve legislation in their favor, for if the fields were burned, the cities would grow grass, while the cities quickly rebuild if the farms are operational. Bryan compares his economic stance to Jefferson, soon inquiring about the inconsistencies in the Republican party. Why would they be waiting along with Europe to change metal policies if their platform holds that Gold is the most beneficial? Bryan says that the businessmen wouldn't be interfered with by change, for THEY interfere with the common man. WJB successfully consolidated the Democratic and Populist parties, developing a strong constituency, becoming a chief proponent of bimetallism and turning himself into a widely regarded orator.

LAD #23: Populist Party Platform

Summary: This document starts with, naturally, a preamble. This fiery opening outlines the major issues of the time in the minds of the populists. The dependency on gold currency being the first, and the second being the massive influence of just a few wealthy bond holders.

The document goes into more detail as it unfolds, with more specificity in regards to possible future policy. The major points are as follows.
-"That the union of the labor forces of the United States shall be permanent and perpetual"
-"The interests of rural and civil labor are the same" (wealthy, greedy owners and capitalists)
-"The time has come when the railroad companies will either own the people or the people will own the railroad companies"

The platform goes on to describe financial policies, including
-Coinage of silver, less reliance on gold
-Increased money in circulation
-Graduated income tax
-Limit money-hoarding by government
-Postal savings banks to be established

The document ends with the populists creating a list of resolutions that generally prop up the common man and aim to limit corruption. They resolve to create civil war pensions, direct election of senators, shorter hours for the working man and the reduction of taxes on domestic industries, among others.

LAD #22: McKinley's War Message

Summary: War and struggle erupted in the late 1890's when the Cuban rebels began their fight for independence from the mother country, Spain. The President, who had been neutral until 1898, sent a telegram demanding that Spain create an armistice. Spain accepted, but but the seemingly implacable McKinley still delivered a war address to congress, siding with the Cubans. Days later, congress resolved to go to war.
Generally speaking, McKinley sought to end all conflict between the U.S., the Spanish Colonies and Spain as quickly and painlessly as possible. "In the name of humanity", and more specifically American trade, McKinley found the Spanish and Cuban conflict to be disruptive to all walks of American life. McKinley follows this strong opening by attempting to coerce congress into taking measures to end the strife, whether it be by intervention, compromise or support for one side. McKinley justified intervention by the "irritation, annoyance and disturbance of our citizens" that the Cuban situation engendered. After pondering the issue and citing the loss of the Maine, the president finally requested that Congress secure a war between the U.S. and Spain. He briefly mentions towards the end that Spain had, in fact, accepted the U.S.'s earlier proposals, but this didn't lower the heat in that room.