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.