LAD #37: Brown vs. Board of Education

In the 1950s, schools were separated by race and the schools for black children were significantly inferior to the schools for white children. In Topeka, Kansas, Linda Brown had to walk a mile to get to her "black school" even though there was a "white school" that was only seven blocks from her house. The Browns hired McKinley Burnett as their lawyer to support Linda in her desire to integrate schools. He argued that segregated schools made black children feel inferior to whites, which therefore made segregation separate but not equal. The defense then argued that the segregated schools was good for them because it prepared the kids for the segregated world. The case of Plessy v. Ferguson made it unprecedented to rule in favor of the Browns. The court eventually ruled in favor of desegregating the schools because the segregation went against the 14th amendment. The court then abolished "separate but equal" as a common phrase.

 

LAD #36: Truman Doctrine

President Truman announced his policy of containment of communism in his Truman Doctrine on March 12th of 1947. The document directly spoke about Greece and Turkey, both countries that were located in Eastern Europe and trying to resist Soviet influence politically and economically. Truman wanted to provide military and economic help to countries fighting communism, because he believed that communism threatened the peace of the world and of the US. This belief led to the US sending over four hundred million dollars to these countries to aid them in their struggle. The US did this to protect liberty around the world, and set the policy of containment which would prevail during the Cold War. 

LAD #35: Executive Order #9066

FDR issued executive order #9066 on February 19th of 1942. He claimed that the document was needed to prevent any acts of espionage or any other actions taken that were against the US or its war effort. Roosevelt declared that the Secretary of War and Military Commanders had the power to designate military zones. He granted his support to other federal agencies and bureaus as well in order to supply them with whatever materials they needed. He ordered all federal agencies to support the war effort by using all of their resources, like food, land, shelter, equipment, etc. The executive order led to the establishment of Japanese internment camps in the military zones, in which innocent Japanese-Americans were taken to so to prevent espionage. 

LAD #34: FDR's Declaration of War

Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December of 1941, FDR asked Congress for a declaration of war. The attack caused 2335 deaths, but failed to destroy the American aircraft carriers. Calling it the "date which will live in infamy," he declares that the US was at peace with Japan prior to the attack, and that it was not initiated by the US. He also states that an hour before the attack, the Japanese had a message delivered to the Americans claiming that there was no threat of an attack. FDR also says that the Japanese were attacking islands such as Guam and the Philippines. Roosevelt ended the speech by declaring that the nation will be defended and that America will take a stand against the attacks of the Japanese. He wanted to show the world how strong America really was, and war was declared on the Japanese the next day, and three days later, on Italy and Germany. 

LAD #33: FDR's First Inaugural Address

In his first address, FDR acknowledges that he will commence his presidency while facing a long and difficult journey through the crisis that is the economic depression. He claimed that although the issue loomed over the country, it was not as devitalizing as the people believed. He was confident in his belief that "the only thing America had to fear was fear itself." The hope that was present during his speech was also prevalent throughout his presidency. Although some thought that FDR was foolishly hopeful, he was in fact a realist, and he clearly recognized the poor state of the economy which left families without savings, farmers without markers, industry without trade, and men without any hope of reclaiming the money lost in the stock market crash. Roosevelt did not criticize these men for focusing on personal wealth, but instead insisted that the ethics of the country mut change to benefit many. He followed through on this ideology by employing more people, redistributing the population from overcrowded cities, raising the value of agricultural goods, and reducing the cost of federal, state, and local gov'ts. To finish off his speech, FDR adds on to his policy of collective action and self-sacrifice. He ends his speech with confidence, looking towards  the future with a pragmatic sense of optimism.

LAD #32: The Kellogg-Briand Peace Pact

The pact was the ineffective result of numerous nations being sick and tired of war. Following World War 1, the leaders of many countries were interested in working together to make indefinite peace possible. The US, Great Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Italy, Japan, Poland, and Czechoslovakia were all some of the members to agree to the treaty. These nations agreed to take passive action to resolve problems, claiming that war was a barbaric practice that should not be considered as a strategy of diplomacy. The first Article of the Pact outlawed war to solve any international problems, and the second Article required that all conflicts should be resolved through pacific diplomatic solutions. The third Article stated that the treaty was open to other countries that didn't join originally, in case they decide that they don't want to include war in their foreign policy any longer. Article three also gave the US the responsibility of providing all the agreeing nations with a written copy of the Treaty after it was ratified. 

LAD #31: Wilson's Fourteen Points

President Wilson wrote the Fourteen Points in hopes of establishing world peace. He thought that peace with Russia was an attainable short term goal, and that the reasons for which the Great War was fought were moral and justified. His fourteen points included: open and public treaties, freedom of the seas, removal of economic barriers and equal trade, reduction of weapons, impartial adjustment of colonial claims, an evacuation for Russia, sovereignty for Belgium, correction of the wrong-doings to France by the Prussians, readjustment of Italian borders, development of Austria-Hungary, evacuation of Rumania, Serbia and Montenegro, free passage for Turkish Romanians, creation of a sovereign Polish state, and an association of nations geared towards world peace and protection. The last point that Wilson noted evolved into the League of Nations, and was thought to be the most important by Wilson because he willingly compromised all of his other points for its creation. The Fourteen Points were an attempt to settle the war and prevent further conflicts, although later on this proved to be impossible.

LAD #30: Schenck vs. US

Schenck disliked the enlisting of soldiers under the Conscription Act, so he released a public message that stated that everyone should peacefully resist the Act placed during the Great War. He was charged with violating the Espionage Act for hindering recruitment. Holmes claimed that the First Amendment did not apply to the circumstance and could not protect Schenck's words. He explained that the US was at war, so they could not afford actions like Schenck's because they caused a "clear danger" to the nation. The government was afraid that people would listen to what Schenck said and therefore disobey the government. The case established the Congress as a restrictor of free speech during wartime when necessary.

LAD #29: Keating-Owen Child Labor Act

Congress passed the Keating-Owen Child Labor Act in 1916 after it was proposed by Senator Beveridge. The act controlled child labor in factories by using the federal government to regulate interstate commerce. The act also prevented the sale of products from any company that employed children under the age of 14, and any mine that employed children under the age of 16. Additionally, it banned the sale of products from any business that had children under the age of 16 working the night shift or more than 8 hours per day. Although it was approved by President Wilson, the Supreme Court declared it was unconstitutional due the the Hammer v. Dagenhart case. The public strongly supported child labor reform, but it still took a long time to implement. The Supreme Court didn't revoke its declaration regarding the case until 1941.  

LAD #28: Wilson's First Inaugural

Woodrow Wilson, a Democrat, was elected as a result of the 1912 election, in which there was a split between the Republican Taft and Progressive Roosevelt. In Wilson's Inaugural Address, Wilson discussed the morals of the American people and the necessity for change in society. He mentioned the success of the Industrial Revolution, but also addressed the issues the revolution caused. The corruption present throughout the country had to be fought, human rights had to be established, and government had to stop being used for private purposed. He stressed the need for reform, and promised reforms like laws concerning sanitation, food, and the conditions of labor. Wilson hoped to restore the nation, and even though he stated the nation was in need of improvement, his speech was one full of hope and positivity.

LAD #27: Clayton Anti-Trust Act

The Clayton Anti-Trust Act was passed by Congress in 1914, following the failure of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. The Clayton Act prevented companies from forming exclusive contracts, rebates, inter corporate stock holdings, and price cutting. While it was very similar to the Sherman Act, there was a slight difference; in the Clayton Act, labor unions were not considered to be constraints of the economy. The act was influential because it didn't try to prevent unions from forming or carrying out their plans for reform. 

LAD #25: Dawes Severalty Act

The Dawes Act of 1887 served the purpose of replacing the lands that were previously possessed by Native Americans with individually owned properties. The act relocated Native Americans to reservations that were determined beforehand. The Natives were forced onto sections of land that could be observed at any given time. Each person was given a certain amount of land, and the head of the family was given a quarter of the land. If they weren't granted land on the reservation, they were permitted to live somewhere else in the US. The act was valid for 25 years, and then the President would have to decide whether to continue or end the act. It also gave all Native Americans the benefits of being under American law and equal rights as Americans. The government had the power to use the land for whatever they wanted for 5 years, and then after that point, the Natives were able to keep the land forever.  

LAD #24: Cross of Gold Speech

William Jennings Bryan delivered a speech in 1896 about his opinion of silver currency being in a 16 t0 1 ratio with gold in the American economy. Implementing this policy would help farmers in debt because the inflation would increase the amount of money in circulation. Bryan believed that doing so was the humane and right thing to do for the country. He had no interest in fighting, but he did want to clear the waters. He argued that America was a country established to represent the people, and believed that he was representing the majority of the people when he supported coinage of silver. He also advocated for an income tax, saying that the country was in need of a leader to distribute the wealth to the people. He conceded by saying that many people from cities supported the gold standard, but he let them know that their wealth came from the poor, and the poor needed the coinage of silver. 

LAD #23: The Populist Party Platform

The Populist Party was opposed to big businesses, and was created as a result of industrialization. The party stemmed off the farmer's alliance in the 1800s, and it was independent third party aside from the Democrats and Republicans. It mostly consisted of Southern farmers, who opposed big businesses because they were unable to compete with them. The populists thought that workers were denied their basic rights, and showed their support for workers and the formation of unions. They also were against immigration because immigrants took away jobs from American citizens. The populist party also believed that the government should have an increase in power, establish an income tax, increase the circulation of wealth, and form a permanent union for workers. The populists were basically just standing up for more power for the working class. 

LAD #22: McKinley's War Message

In 1898, President McKinley addressed the Congress and stated his belief that the war between Cuba and Spain should be brought to an end as soon as possible, justifying his argument in the name of humanity, civilization, and the endangered American interests. McKinley thought that the constant battles between the two countries were harmful to America's trade, capital investment, and even frightened the citizens. He worked to convince Congress to end the war using any sort of method, including neutral intervention to propose a rational compromise or blatant endorsement of one side. The one thing McKinley was against was forceful annexation. He came to the realization that a neutral resolution, while more difficult, would be more justified. The first point was the demand that the US end the barbarities in Cuba. The second point was to give the citizens of Cuba protection and indemnity for life and property. The third point was the statement that the failure to intervene would lead to loss of commerce, trade, and business, and destruction of property and land. The fourth point was that war was a threat to the peace and neutrality of America. The last thing he mentions is that Spain had told America that they were planning on ending hostilities, but if they didn't, the conflict in Cuba would remain the same.