LAD #31

Wilson's Fourteen Points were first presented in his speech to the American Congress in 1918. The points stated that there would no longer be any secret governmental agreements that others were unaware of, they would have access to all areas of the sea, all other countries were to decrease their weapons supply, and any decisions directly or indirectly involving American colonies were to be fair and just. It also stated that Germany should be removed entirely from Russia so they are able to build their own empire free of other nations' control, Belgium should be considered independent (as it once was before the war began), France should be freed and allowed to obtain its own areas of land it had lost, those native to Italy are allowed to reside there, self-determination should be created as an achievable mindset for those in Austria-Hungary whereas self-independence is prohibited in the Balkan states, the Turkish people should be governed solely by a Turkish government while non-Turks are to be governed by others, Poland should be named independent and allowed access to the sea, and finally, a League of Nations should be established so that political and territorial independence may be guaranteed to all states.

LAD #30

Schneck began sending circulars around with the letters mailed to drafted men, an act that began the issue within the government. It stated that the draft was bad and only put in place due to the government's own capital greed. It stated that they should not back down but rather find a more peaceful way to reform the Conscription Act. The government saw what Schneck had done as treason and conspiracy, eventually brining him to court. The decision was unanimous--Schneck could not be protected from what he had done and his right to freedom of speech could not be applied to the context of the situation. Holmes stated that every individual does in fact have their own right to freedom of speech, but when that speech presents a "clear and present danger," then those rules do not apply. By creating insubordination among the military ranks, Schneck was found guilty on all charges, unable to be protected by the rights of man any farther.

LAD #29

In the 1900s roughly 2 million children were found working long hours for jobs that paid very little. The Keating-Owen law regulated child labor and made it illegal for a company to sell products when the workers there were under a specific age. For example, children working in factories, shops, or canneries under age 14 and miners under the age of 16. Wilson passed the law and it remained in place until the government named it unconstitutional during the Bailey vs. Drexel Furniture Company court case over the idea that Congress cannot regulate trade. Although the law was removed from existence, the wrongdoings of child labor continued to be argued and regulated over the coming years.

LAD #28

Wilson begins his first inaugural address by stating that there has been a change in government. He elaborates on the history behind there finally being a large population of Democrats within the heart of the government. Wilson considers this, from the Democratic standpoint, to have been a success. Finally a political party was united in government, a fact he thought to be nothing but a positive turning point for the nation. He continues speaking of the past and the blood, sweat, and tears it took Americans to develop a government as mighty and respected as our own, eventually narrowing down his speech to the topic of the lives that had been lost to achieve this country of greatness. Wilson states that Americans became greedy in some sense and began spending, not money, but human lives on the cost of worldly desires. He states that our growth industrially is obviously a good thing, but having too much of it could turn corrupt and evil. Wilson points out that the government had been used for selfish reasons rather than its original purpose--"for the people, by the people, of the people." But he then changed pace and began moving towards the positive side of all the nation is about. He states that seeing the good with the bad is a great thing in order for them to move forward in worldly affairs. Wilson wants to slide one foot into the future while keeping the other planted firmly in the past--meaning he wants to chase the destiny of the growing nation while still keeping in mind the original bases on which it was created. He wants to maintain the ideas of human rights in such a way that remains untouched no matter how many years pass. Wilson understands how the government is the guiding hand for the people, and promises to guide them without failure towards a greater future.

LAD #27

The main purpose of the Clayton Anti-Trust Act was to start to push government back into the economic lives of people and therefore lessen the power of big businessmen throughout the nation. It begins by stating that those involved in commerce are not allowed to discriminate against others' price choices for their goods and services. Rockefeller had a habit of selling his products at cheaper prices in order to destroy his competition and run them out of business, an act that was now considered illegal thanks to the Clayton Anti-Trust Act. It declared monopolies illegal and stopped the shifting of prices in order to weaken opponents. The act worked to promote free trade by no longer allowing companies to purchase controlling stocks and decrease the impact big business has had on the nation since shortly after the civil war.

LAD #26

Dr. Martin Luther Kind Jr begins his famed speech by acknowledging that the march on Washington will be recorded as the greatest demonstration of freedom in American history. He then takes on a Lincoln-type voice as he states "five score and seven years ago" and begins talking of the Emancipation Proclamation signed during the Battle of Antietam by the president himself. He talks of the proclamation finally freeing blacks from the burdening chains of slavery, but a mere century later they are still not free. In this day and age they are bound by the rules of Jim Crow laws and "Whites Only" drinking fountains, restaurants, bathrooms, and more. Negros, despite slavery no longer holding them down, are now shunned and discriminated against in their own homes. They have been backed into a corner of solitude by the society they were thought to be a part of. Martin Luther King Jr continues by saying how America has broken her long standing promise of equality and a new life, therefore giving Negros country-wide a feeling of frustration towards those who put them in the position they are. He says how all black people want is to have the "security of justice" and to eradicate the discrimination among the color barrier. He takes a shot at those who considered their peaceful march to be Negros simply "blowing off steam" and says that they will neither rest nor back down until they are granted the citizenship they rightfully deserve. People asked when the Civil Rights Movement and those involved in it would be satisfied, to which Martin Luther King JR. replied "we can never be satisfied so long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied." He continues to speak of the great injustice the whites had continually forced upon the black man. He then states that he has a dream of his own that is deeply rooted in the American dream to once again establish the connection between Negros and the country built upon the righteous belief of freedom. "I have a dream," he presses on with one of the most famous lines in all of history, "that one day my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not by judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today." He concludes his speech by commanding not only the audience but those listening who opposed his viewpoint to "let freedom ring" and allowing there to come a time when Negros can finally say that they are free at last once more.

LAD #25

The Dawes Act was the removal of Indians in America to preselected Indian reservations. Each Indian would be given a specific spot of land to call their own and do what they wished with. The head of the family was the person who took on the most amount of land, which was to be expected at that time period. The document continued to explain just how much each Indian would be given land-wise. The select number of Indians who did not receive an assigned reservation to live on could journey anywhere in the United States to live, while those already assigned reservations were stuck living there for the next 25 years. After that only those in the seat of president could decide whether or not to allow Indians more time on the reservation they were assigned.