Monday, April 7, 2008
Brown vs. Board of Education LAD #30
Brown vs. Board of Education was a supreme court trial that ultimately ended in a decision that would change America forever. It happened in Topeka, Kansas where, third grader, Linda Brown wished to go to an all white school which was seven blocks away instead of being forced to walk a dangerous long route to get to an all-black school. NAACP supported Linda Brown and they challenged the school board claiming that segregation all though seperate, is not equal. NAACP claimed that segregation in schools and segregation in general was making black children feel inferior to whties. Although the they lost at a local judicial level they ultimately repealed the case all the way to the supreme court. Ultimately Justice Earl Warren ruled that segregation wasn't fair or equal and ordered that from then on public schools be integrated.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Truman Doctrine LAD #29
On March 12, 1947 President Harry Truman gave his address about the Truman doctrine to a joint session of congress.The Truman Doctrine was a new american foreign policy which was created to stop the spread of connumism and give money and other aid to the countries of and near Greece and Turkey. Greece had been invaded by enemys and later was threatened of being overcome by thousands of communists. Greece at the time also lacked natural resources along with other goods because of the previous invasions and so Truman urged Congress to provide 400 million dollars in order to contain communism in Greece and prevent it from spreading to other countries. He also gave money and aid to Turkey, again in an effort to prevent communism from taking over. Naturally the leaders of these nations wanted to maintain democracy but the nations had been destroyed by war and were now feeble, powerless and starving so aid needed to be given. Truman felt that if this was not accomplished then communism would endanger democracy and peace throughout the world.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
FDR's First Inaugural LAD 28
In President FDR's first inaugural address he wished to reassure the nation that the Government hadn't abandoned it's people and that a new deal will soon be given to Americans. FDR urges the American people to trust the government as it will soon bring the nation back on track.He states "let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.” He next states that the causes of the Great Depression have been taken care of by public opinion and now he states that he firmly believes that the primary task to get the American people back to work. He also talks about how internation trade is an important part of American life and economy and before anything gets fixed, domestic trade must be fixed and then international trade after it. He also goes on to say that the New Deal will bring about great changes in government policy and that the days of lassiez fair are over.
Kellogg-Briand Peace Pact LAD 27
The Kellogg Briand Peace Pact was created in order to end war forever. The Pact prohibited countries from utilizing war as a way to settle disputes between them and other nations. The creators believed it was an amazing idea because the "War to end all Wars" had recently ended. The treaty was signed and kept open so that other nations could join. Yet naturally even though the treaty had great intentions they were goals that were unattainable. The treaty stated that any nation who violated the treaty would lose the benefits of the treaty. It was an ironic pact because if a treaty violated the pact by using war as an instrument to settle disputes, the nations in the treaty would have to punish the violating nation through war.
Schenck V. United States LAD 26
Shenck Vs. United States is a decision confirming the earlier decision that Schenck and Baer are to be convicted for conspiring to interfere with the draft during World War 1. The defendants argued that they should be allowed to disperse their red pamphlets because it is their right under the first amendment of freedom of speech, they argued that the Espionage Act violated this first amendment. The court believed that Congress had every right to suspend these rights because it was a time of war and they're job was to protect the country. The defendants were ultimately convicted because the justices compared the defendants actions to falsely shouting fire in a theater which would cause panic and naturally danger for the panicked crowd.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Wilson's Fourteen Points LAD #25
President Wilson listed his fourteen points in a speech given to congress. The speech gave Wilson a position of moral and fair leadership among the european allies as he did not want to punish the surrendering Central Powers. Wilson began the address by stating that the terms that the Germans gave to the Russians were unacceptable as the central powers told Russia that they could have peace while maintaining freedom but in return they would lose all the land that the central powers had occupied during the war. Wilsons point reflect his idea that peace should be made fairly to not make enemies for the future while maintaing liberty. Wilsons points stated that treaties and agreements between countries should be made public, freedom of the seas must be maintained, any barriers of trade that exist in europe should be taken down, protection of soveriegnty and self determination and several other poitns that dealt with maintaing democracy and freedom for all nations in the world.
Clayton Antitrust Act LAD #24
The Clayton Antitrust act was created to fix the problems that the Sherman Anti-trust act had which was that often times it didn't work against trusts but instead hurt unions. In the act is states that any commercial group or industry is not allowed to fix prices or discriminate to make extra profits. Furthermore the antitrust act strengthened the power of groups that were finghting against bad trusts like the Interstate Commerce Commision. If a trust was found to guilty of violating rules from the clayton anti-trust act then a court may order for the trust to be borken. Ultimately the Clayton Anti-trust act stopped the practices of unfair treatment of workes, fixing of prices and other negative issues and problems that were occuring with the corruption going on at the time.
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