LAD #37: Brown vs. Board of Education

Linda Brown had to walk one mile to school and even cross a railroad to get to her black elementary school even though there was a white school seven blocks away from her house. She was refused enrollment into the white school, so with the help of the NAACP's McKinley Burnett and other parents, they challenged the public schools. The argument was that because African American children were segregated at such an early age, the children felt inferior from such an early age that they could not feel "equal". The defense had the Plessy v. Ferguson case of separate but equal that had yet to be overturned. The Court eventually ruled in favor of the Brawns, to desegregate schools, as many other cases were being brought up about the same time. Brown vs. Board, though, did not abolish slavery in other public areas, and did not require the desegregation by a specific time.

LAD #36: Truman Doctrine

 

On March 12th, 1947, President Harry S. Truman, addressing a joint Congress, talked about his plans for the containment of communist. He told of the horrors committed in Greece and Turkey, and how they are fighting for freedom from the chains of Communism but, due to the War, are struggling to remain free from the Soviet Union's influence. He then asks Congress to aid both the countries by giving them $400,000,000 as "an investment in world freedom and world peace".

LAD #35: FDR's Executive Order #9066

In his executive order #9066, FDR dictates that the Secretary of War has the power to choose specific areas and declare them as military areas. Non-military personnel are not allowed to enter that specific area. The Secretary of War, therefore, must also provide basic necessities such as food, water, shelter and transportation.

LAD #34: FDR's Declaration of War

On December 8th, 1941, only one day after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, FDR asked Congress for a declaration of war. He references the "date that will live in infamy", and that the Japanese had hinted at no bad relations earlier. He also says that not even an hour before the attack, did the US receive a message from the Japanese Ambassador with absolutely no reference to the attack. He also says that the Japanese attacked the Wake Islands, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and Midway islands. He ends by saying that we must not only defend ourselves, but also make sure that another attack like this never happens again.

LAD #33: FDR's First Inaugural Address

FDR became President during an extremely hard time in America, the Great Depression. On March 4th, 1933, he gave his 1st Inaugural Address telling the people that they would get out of the tough time, and that "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself". He talks about how he know the conditions of the people, the high taxes and struggles for employment. But, then he tries to make the speech happier, saying that the people are at least not fighting a war, or plagued by disease. He believes that success lies not with material wealth, but in the pride of working hard.  He ends by saying that he will use all his constitutionally given power to create a better life and take people out of the Depression. We must though, stick to our moral values and stay string in our national unity.

LAD #32: Kellogg Briand Peace Pact

The Kellogg Briand Peace Pact aka the Pact of Paris was signed on August 27th, 1928. It was signed between the US, France, Great Britain, Belgium, and Italy to name a few countries. It was signed by President Coolidge. It was a renunciation of war as an instrument of "national policy".

LAD #31: President Wilson's 14 Points

On January 8, 1918, President Wilson delivered his 14 Points speech to Congress. In it he calls for freedom of the seas, no secret treaties/agreements between countries, the countries that accept the treaty will be able to trade with other countries that accept the treaty. He also states that there should be an international reduction of weapons, on top of that, he called for Russia to determine its form of government and the evacuation of troops in Russia. Belgium will also get to choose its own government and be evacuated of troops. Alsace-Lorraine will be restored to France. Austria-Hungary will each get to choose their own governments. Poland will be created and they will choose their own government type as well. The last clause was the creation of the League of Nations to help with peacekeeping.

LAD #30: Schenck vs. US

During the Great War, there was a draft passed for men to join the war, called the Conscription Act. Charles Schenck mailed circulars to the draftees about peacefully resisting the draft.  He was charged with violating the Espionage Act because he was attempting to cause a "clear and present danger" to the US security and Congress has a right to prevent danger. So the First Amendment did not protect Schenck under these circumstances. This meant that actions tolerated during peace was not necessarily tolerated during wartimes, and Congress has a right to limit free speech if it threatens national security.   

LAD #29: Keating-Owen Child Labor Act

The Keating-Owen Child Labor Act was passed in 1916 because, based on the census of 1900, two million children were working across the United States. This Bill was passed based on the power that the government had in regulating interstate commerce. It prevented children of certain ages from working in certain places; like children under 16 could not work in mines and all children under 16 could not work at night or for more than eight hours a day. In Hammer v. Dagenhart (1918), this law was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court because it overstepped the government's purpose of regulating interstate commerce.

LAD #28: Wilson's First Inaugural

Woodrow Wilson delivered his first Inaugural Address on March 4th 1913. He won the election of 1912 as a Democrat. He starts of by noting how life in America has improved and that many people are working hard to lessen pain and suffering, but there will still be suffering. He even notes that the government itself has disregarded human life in its selfish desire for economical advancements. Since the Democrats are in power, Wilson promises to cleanse these practices. Issues that need to be resolved include, the financial system, tariffs on trade, Big Businesses, and workers' rights. Sanitation in order to protect citizens' health is also necessary. He ends by stressing that the people will benefit because of the Democrats taking power.  

LAD #27: The Clayton Anti-Trust Act

The Clayton Anti-Trust Act was passed on October 15th 1914. It stated that products could not be sold for different prices to different people and the quality/grade of a product could not be changed depending on the buyer. The Clayton Anti-Trust Act was created in order to strengthen the previous Sherman Anti-Trust Act passed in 1890.  It was worded better in order to take unions out of the equation; so that they could not be called out for defending their rights as workers.

LAD #26: MLK's 'I Have a Dream' Speech

In 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial, in Washington D.C., Martin Luther King Jr. gave his 'I Have a Dream Speech'. In it he remembers how the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by Lincoln one hundred years earlier and how it became a symbol of hope for all enslaved men at the time. But now, the equality that all freedmen have hoped for, still hasn't come. MLK expresses his hope that one day everyone will be equal, and segregation will not be the law of the land. MLK uses allusions to biblical references in his speech as well as parallelism by saying 'I have a dream...' to emphasize his points for equality.

LAD #25: Dawes Severalty Act

On February 8th 1887, the Dawes Act was passed. It allowed the reservation land where Indians where living to be surveyed and resurveyed in order to spilt the land among each Native American in the land.  Any Native American not living upon a reservation, through this treaty, can get land surveyed or unsurveyed yet as well. This treaty will hold for 25 years, upon which at the end, the current president will decide whether or not to extend the treaty. The land, as seen fit by the Secretary of the Interior, can be sold. Upon completion of the allotments, the Native Americans will have all the rights that American citizens have, and will be subjected to the same laws as them. This law though, will not effect the Cherokees, Creeks, Choctaws, Chickasaws, Seminoles, and Osage, Miamies and Peorias, and Sacs and Foxes.

LAD #24: William Jennings Bryan's Cross of Gold Speech

On July 9th 1896, William Jennings Bryan gave his Cross of Gold Speech at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.  The issue up for debate was whether or not endorsing the coinage if silver at a ration of 16:1 for gold was a good idea. Opening up, Bryan  states that he could run for the democratic nomination and would have possibly won, but he is here for the fight to save humanity. The people debating this issue have turned on their friends and family, man against man. The new generation is fighting for this idea, old leaders are being replaced for their refusal to agree with the idea of silver coinage. He then goes on to talk about workers calling them all businessmen, the people in the West deserve to be considered when this idea is thought about, just as much as the Easterners. The people need someone to stand up for them against what he calls aggregated wealth. The income tax outlawed by the Court should be in effect, it should be constitutional. He then goes into the differences of the Republican idea of the money being controlled by the government.. The Republican Party, who boasted about winning the election, are starting to fear losing.   Because of that, he is confident that his party will win. The Democratic Party will fight the Republicans for the right to coin silver. The people he claims, shall not be crucified on a cross of gold.

LAD #23: Populist Party Platform

The Populist Party formed from the alliances between farmers in the 1870's and 80's. The party emerged in the 1890's and seemed like a possible third party independent of the Democrats and the Republicans. In their platform in 1892, the party gave their views on politics. In their Preamble, they state that the United States is on the verge of complete ruin. The ballot box is corrupt, silver is no longer an accepted form of currency, big businesses are unregulated. They plan on restoring the government to the "plain people".  The United States, they claim, will never move forward until every wrong is righted and equal rights are given to all men and women. The plan for going about this is to make unions legal, the workers get the wealth that they make, the government will take control of railroads, silver and gold will be a usable form of currency, implementation of a graduated income tax, etc. The ballot will be fair and uncorrupted, pensions will be given to ex-Union sailors and soldiers, hours of labor will be shortened, the President and Vice-President will be limited to one term, and no national aid will be given to private corporations.

LAD #22: McKinley's War Message

President McKinley, writes to the Congress of the United States on April 11th, 1898, saying that the war in Cuba should come to an end. The reasons given are that it caused irritation and annoyance to citizens, it is a barbarous and uncivilized practice of warfare, it harms commerce and trade, and a final military victory for either side seems impracticable. He then says that there have been attempts to end war, but neither the Spanish nor the Cubans want to lose. Lastly, he recalls the destruction done to the battleship, the Maine, where 260 men, who were on a mission of peace, were lost in the harbor of Havana cause by a submarine mine explosion. He continue saying that this shows that the Spanish cannot assure the safety of a vessel fighting for peace. He ends his message saying that Spain is planning on suspending hostilities, and that it is America's duty to act and stop the war in Cuba.