LAD #30 - Schneck vs. US Case

Schenck vs. United States; Bear vs. United States
March 3rd, 1919
Summary:

The First Amendment protected the freedom of speech for the American people, yet during the case of Schenck vs. the United States, it was decided that this right could be prohibited when it posed a clear and present danger to the public. The result of these actions would depend on the context of the act, one such example of this being the attempt to persuade men away from joining the army. Schneck, who had a hand in this ordeal, attempting to bring about insubordination in the military forces of the United States through the use of anti-war documents. The defendants were found guilty on all charges, and even Schenck himself did not deny the claims made against them, as he had planned for the circulation of the leaflets. At one point it was said that there was insufficient evidence against him, yet the contrary was quickly proven, as the search warrant stated that the documents weren't even in his possession, yet were printed.

This case was seen as an attempt to "obstruct the recruiting or enlistment service," and urged the public "not to submit to intimidation" and to assert their rights, but with some limitations. Opposition to the draft was allowed to an extent while stating that the people "must do your share to maintain, support and uphold the rights of the people of this country."

With the nation at war, actions taken during times of peace that could be considered a "hindrance to its effort," would not be tolerated and dealt with by the Court.

LAD #29 -Keating-Owen Child Labor Act

Keating-Owen Child Labor Act
1916
Summary:

The Keating-Own Child Labor Act was passed by Congress in 1916 as a way for the government to regulate both child labor and interstate commerce. This Act banned the sale of any goods or products from a facility that employed children. At first this law was deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, as it was thought to overstep the boundaries that the government had set regarding regulation of interstate commerce. The campaign for the ratification of a Child Labor Law Amendment was momentarily stalled by those who opposed it, using the opinions of states' rightists and the idea that this act was a communist-inspired plot. It was not until 1938 that the Anti-Child labor movement was victorious with the Fair Labor Standards Act.

LAD #28 -Woodrow Wilson's First Inaugural Address

Woodrow Wilson's First Inaugural Address
Tuesday March 4th, 1913

Summary:

The Democratic Party had become a majority in the Congress, meaning the the assembling Senate was Democrat as well. As a result, the fate of the President and Vice-President's offices has been put into the hands of the Democrats, leading to some question on Woodrow Wilson's part.

In a sense, the growth of this political party may have also been interpreted as a warning that the Democrats would now be pressing their plans and views on the American people, including such things that had once been forgotten for the most part. Wilson claimed that the country had squandered a great deal of what it had gained, and had not stopped to consider the outcome for nature and the long run. The nation may have been proud of its industrial achievements, yet it had not considered what the cost would be for its population, and the general effects it would have on them. In a way, the government had forgotten its very people in doing so, having been overcome for private and selfish purposes. Wilson stated the bad must be seen with the good, that the duty of the American people was to 'cleanse, reconsider, restore, and correct the evil without impairing the good,' and to purify the processes of their lives without weakening them. He believed that America had been in such a hurry to be great that they had been heedless.

Overall Wilson asked for the country to offer him aid and support in bringing about change and revitalizing the nation, saying that the United States had to make up its mind. The tariff of the nation violated its taxation principles and put the government in the hands of private companies which in essence had the capital in its hands.

Reformation and 'righting the wrongs' was what American needed at the time of Wilson's Inaugural address, and that "We shall restore, not destroy." Wilson summoned all men to come and help him with mustering the forces of the party and humanity and swore that with them at his side, he would not fail.

LAD #27- Clayton Anti-Trust Act

The Clayton Anti-Trust Act
1914

Summary:

The Clayton Anti-Trust Act claimed that competitive price discrimination was illegal in the country, and by doing so this would urge businesses to become competitive in order to remove the monopolies that controlled a great deal of the industries. Despite how these would generally lower the prices of some goods, many people argued that this act would encourage the companies to charge more for their goods, thus dwindling the amount of money people had in their wallets. The Clayton Anti-Trust Act claimed that it itself could not be used in opposition to any organized labor unions, as to what was said in the Sherman Anti-Trust Act in years prior, which blatantly crushed early unions. The Act forbade companies from merging themselves together to create a monopoly, and declared that labor was an extension of commerce rather than an interchangeable mechanism in the system.

LAD #26: Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' Speech

Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream Speech"
March, 1963
Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C.

The audience for Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream Speech" could not have been more astounding. Delivering his speech to over 200,000 civil rights supporters, King shared his message of hope with the dream that one day all would share his vision of equality.

Although Abraham Lincoln had given the Emancipation Proclamation a century prior to this speech, King believed that the Negro population still lived under oppression in the United States, and have suffered for enough time. He called from the Negro to rise and walk with the white man, with the goal that one day they would all live freely and happily together, under the idea that "all men are created equal."

With their journey toward equality already begun, Martin Luther King Jr. claimed that there was no turning back and no giving up. He dreamt that the American nation would one day allow its citizens to live together without segregation or hatred, and that even his children would not "be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."

With a now greater meaning to it, he closed his speech by quoting the Negro spiritual:
"Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty we are free at last!"

LAD #25- Dawes Act

Dawes Act
February 8, 1887

Enacted in 1887, the Dawes Act dealt with the Native American population and their reservations, and allowed them land in said reservations for agricultural and grazing purposes, so long as they were surveyed. The treaty allotted land to any head-on-family Indians and for the most part were to be used for the grazing of livestock. The allotments allowed under this act were to be selected by the Indians withing their families, with the head dividing allotted land between their children. The government agents setting up these allotments were to be in charge of following the rules and regulations as created by the Secretary of the Interior as approved by the President. The land unclaimed or simply not granted to the Indians would then be used for the settlement by non-Indian citizens, as seen fit by the United States government. The Secretary of the Interior could lawfully negotiate with an Indian tribe to purchase land given to them so long as the agreement followed the treaty the reservation was held under, and the Native American tribe could consent to sell on certain conditions, yet the purchase would not be complete unless ratified by Congress. The tribe could maintain religious or educational work within a hundred and sixty acre tract as long as it conformed with the society and was approved by the Secretary of the Interior. This act would not extend to the Cherokees, Creeks, Choctaws, or to even the Seneca Indians of New York, but rather simply pertain to the Native American tribes within Oklahoma. Under the provisions of this act, one hundred thousand dollars would be spent by the Treasury for surveying the land to be allotted, and would be repaid from the sales of land acquired by the Indians. This act would also not allow for the removal of the Southern Ute Indians in Southwestern Colorado to a new reservation without the consent of a majority of the adult men in the tribe.

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

William Jennings Bryan's Cross of Gold Speech
July 9, 1896
Democratic National Convention

William Jennings Bryan began his speech by claiming to have come to speak in defense of the cause of humanity. Believing the country had undergone a great trial on March 4th, 1895 when Congress addressed the Democrats with the issue of money in the country, also asserting that those who supported the free coinage of silver in the Democratic Party had the right to take control of the party's policies. The Democrats in favor of the coinage of silver assembled together and were victorious from time to time, yet were hindered by those among them in the Democratic Party who did not support their ideas.

In his speech Bryan claimed that they did not come together as individuals at the time, but rather as representation for people equal under the law. He and those who supported similar ideals came to speak for the 'boarder class of businessmen' and not as aggressors, declaring themselves to be fighting in defense of their families and posterity and no longer willing to entreat or petition any longer.

The supporters of the silver's coinage deemed the income tax unconstitutional when it was brought to the Supreme Court and even when it was first passed. However, Bryan supported an income tax, and not those who would refuse to pay their dues.

While he and his followers fully backed the idea of silver being the primary form of currency, the United States government had worked to issue the gold standard in the country. William Jennings Bryan heavily supported the use of silver over gold due to the inflation it cause, which would also make it less difficult for the farmers to pay off their debts and to completely reverse the descent of the American economy at the time. At the time Bryan stood by the belief that they would be victorious. The large cities may have been in favor of a gold standard, yet the farms did not share the same ideal.

Bryan dared the government to meet them at a field and defend the gold standard, saying that they would fight with all of the support he had from those with commercial and laboring interests declaring that the government "shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns. You shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold."