LAD #37- FDR's Executive Order 9066

FDR's Executive Order 9066 Relocating Japanese Americans
February 19th, 1942
Summary:


With the United States caught in the hysteria of World War II, President Roosevelt was encouraged to authorize the internment of tens of thousands of Japanese Americans. The Executive Order 9066 authorized the transportation of these citizens to military camps, including Americans of other dominant ethical backgrounds as well.


This Order was meant to protect the country from an espionage or sabotage, and FDR authorized the Secretary of War and Military Commanders to remove and relocate any persons of questionable background, but they were also authorized to provide said people with food, shelter, and any other necessary accommodations. The Order allowed the Secretary and Commanders to use any means to enforce compliance within each Military area.

FDR directed all Executive Departments to aid the Secretary of War and Military in providing "medical aid, hospitalization, food, clothing, transportation, use of land, shelter, and other supplies, equipment, utilities, facilities, and services" to these relocated peoples. The Order would not, however, alter or limit the Executive Order 8972 of December 12th, 1941, the Federal Bureau of Investigation -which may have at times been looking into any acts of sabotage- or the responsibilities of the Attorney General and the Department of Justice.

LAD #36- FDR's Declaration of War on Japan

FDR's Declaration of War on Japan
December 8th, 1941
Summary:


The Japanese Assault on Pearl Harbor took place on December 7th, 1941, targeting airfields and battleships and killing a few thousand people in Hawaii -both servicemen and civilians. The attack was widely broad casted in the United States, sending a shock wave through the nation. the very next day President Roosevelt approached Congress asking them to declare war on Japan, deeming December 7th as "a date which will live in infamy."

He began by stating that the two nations had been at peace with one another, also claiming that the Japanese Ambassador to the United States had left no hint of war or attack, also leading to the thought that the Japanese Government had tried to deceive the United States with its "expressions of hope for continued peace." A great deal of American lives were lost in the attack, and there was the sudden air of hostility between the two nations. FDR asked Congress to declare war on the offensive island nation in order to to protect American lives and safety of the nation.

On December 11th, Japan's allies -the Axis Powers- would also declare war on the United States.

LAD #35- Brown vs. Board of Education, Topeka, Kansas

Brown vs. Board of Education
Topeka, Kansas
1951
Summary:

Schools of the 1950's were widely segregated, despite the fact that they were supposed to be equal. One third-grader, Linda Brown had to walk an extra few miles to the black elementary school even though the white school was only a few blocks away. Her father had attempted to enroll her in the white elementary school, but was refused. As a result Oliver Brown went to the National Associated for the Advancement of Colored People who were eager to challenge the segregation in public schools. Brown's case was brought to trial, and was then known as Brown vs. Board of Education.

The Board of Education testified that segregation already existed everywhere else, so segregation in schools served to prepare black children for what they would face in adulthood, also arguing that these schools posed no harmful threat to the children. The judges partially agreed with the witness, writing that "A sense of inferiority affects the motivation of a child to learn."

However, there was also the precedent of Plessy vs. Ferguson that allowed separate yet equal schools, urging the court to rule in favor of the Board. The NAACP and Brown appealed to the Supreme Court, their case combined with those from other states with similar situations, but the court did not reached a decision. A decision was finally made based on whether black children were deprived equal protection in schools under the law, with the final ruling that the "separate but equal" doctrine was to be down away with, and schools to be desegregated.

The ruling did not abolish segregation in all other areas, but did declare mandatory segregation unconstitutional, along with foreshadowing the eventual desegregation of the nation.

LAD #34- Truman Doctrine

Truman Doctrine
March 12, 1947
Summary:

The national security of the nation would soon become involved in the situations in both Greece and Turkey, as the former of the two had sent an appeal seeking financial aid and assistance, having had to work indefinitely from the beginning to make ends met. President Truman did not believe that his country would turn its back to the Greeks at this time. The Germans had virtually destroyed most of the country during the second World War along with the livestock, leading to inflation in the country. Greece would need aid in importing goods for political and economic recovery.

However Greece was faced with the threat of spreading Communism, something that did not bode well with the United States, and democratic America could end up being Greece's last resort. Turkey was also faced with poor circumstances and required aid, and President Truman concluded that the United States was the only nation that could give that aid.

By aiding both Eastern European nations the United States could free these people from being forced into a Communist regime and assist them in bettering their nations as a whole. Communism went against all American beliefs, and the downfall of Greece to this form of government would lead to the deterioration of the freedoms of surrounding countries.

Truman asked Congress to back his proposal in offering support to both nations to protect both freedoms and to equally share their international responsibilities.

LAD #33- FDR's Inaugural Address

Franklin D. Roosevelt
First Inaugural Address
Saturday March 4, 1933
Summary:

Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed the American people clearly and bluntly with nothing but the truth, for there was no reason to shy from it. "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself," he said, and every nation faces its own dark hour. With this idea, Roosevelt felt that the country must face these difficulties and revitalize its values. The United States was plagued by a number of issues, including but not limited to unemployment, high taxes, inflation, failing industry, and the farmer population's inability to sell its crops. The economy of the nation had been driven by the wealthier, upper class, but with the decline of these businesses, the country dropped with it. Despite this, Roosevelt claimed that true happiness lie within the achievements of the American people rather than money itself.

Roosevelt felt the nation called for action, establishing the need for the people to find courage within themselves to work. He believed that national recovery ought not be simply a nationalistic movement, and that the economy could be revamped by the inclusion of international relations. His foreign policy could also be seen as a 'Good Neighbor' policy to respect their obligations and its agreements. With the task of 'fixing' his nation, Roosevelt claimed that he was prepared to undertake the constitutional responsibilities that came with it, and use national unity in order to do so. "We do not distrust the future of essential democracy. The people of the United States have not failed."

LAD #32- Kellogg Briand Peace Pact

Kellogg Briand Peace Pact
Paris, August 27, 1928-1929
Summary:

The Kellogg Briand Peace Pact was signed by the United States, Japan, and a better portion of Europe in the late 1920's in which each nation recognized its solemn duty to promote the general welfare of mankind. The Pact stated that the renunciation of war ought to be used as a national policy in order to bring about peace and order. With the signing and passage of this pact, any nation that wished to declare war in pursuit of its own interest would be denied the benefits as decreed by the treaty. It was the hope of those who signed the treaty that future generations would follow this example.

The nations involved agreed that they would denounce the resulting causalities of war as a way to solve international disputes. The nations involved would also be open to consultation so long as they adhered to one another. The government of all nations would be recognized and follow the treaty, and all would possess a copy of the treaty and would notify one another if there were to be any alterations.

LAD #31 - Wilson's 14 Points

Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points
Delivered in Joint Session, January 8, 1918
Summary:

President Woodrow Wilson was a pacifist before the Great War, and ever after its armistice he still felt it necessary to obtain some sort of peace. The Central Powers wished to discuss a treaty with Russia in regards to what it would do with its excess land, Wilson stepped up the plate with his own ideas, known as his 'Fourteen Points,' all of which would be used to maintain freedom.

To begin with, he decreed that no international treaty should be private, and that freedom of the seas ought to be an intangible right and enforced. Any economic barriers on trade were to be removed to set equal trading conditions peacefully, and the amount of arms possessed by each nation would be lowered. All acquired land would be returned to its rightful owners, and any war-ravaged nations would be restored to what they had once been along with former borders. Through these points, imperialism could be seen as over and done with, with a sort of 'alliance' formed against those who wished to continue doing so. (One of his main points would be the idea of a 'League of Nations,' though the plan was never followed through.)

Wilson concluded that these actions ought to be followed through peacefully with the goal of freedom in mind, and were attainable through cooperation. In following his Fourteen Points, the integrity of the world would be put to the test, and yet very few points were ever enacted.