LAD #31: Wilson's 14 Points

LAD #31: Wilson's 14 Points


During the Great War, United States President Woodrow Wilson gave an address to Congress in which he stated his Fourteen Points which became his guiding ideology as the moral leader of this war. This address was given following the withdrawal of the great power of Russia from this fight. Wilson both questioned Russia's motives and admired the treaty that they made known as the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. The former jeopardizes the democratic aspect of the latter. He delivers this speech to offer advice, which will hopefully be followed, to keep peace in the world and prevent another world war. He stated fourteen ideological steps to making that positive. Among these are the removal of economic barriers, the evacuation of Belgium, and reduction of armaments. However, perhaps the most famous of these is his advice to build a peace keeping organization in his suggestion of the League of Nations. Unfortunately, these points did not work out because of the failure of the Treaty of Versailles, but these points were also much too idealistic to ever work when human nature is taken into account.

LAD #30: Schenck vs. United States

LAD #30: Schenck vs. United States



During the Great War, or as we know it, World War I, Schenck mailed information to draftees of the war that said the capitalist system was wronging them in having them sign up for the draft. In this, he urged them to help his cause by petitioning the Conscription Act, but not by violent measures. He was thus charged with conspiracy for going against the Espionage Act. Holmes, the justice that spoke for the court's unanimous decision, said that this was illegal despite his rights promised in the first Amendment to the Constitution. This was an exception. His words in this case would have created a "clear and present danger" which could bring the democratic country into termoil. Congress thus had the power to stop him from saying said words. This was mostly because we were now in a wartime so utterances prior allowed in peacetimes were unacceptable.

LAD #29: Keating-Owen Child Labor Act

LAD #29: Keating-Owen Child Labor Act


The Keating-Owen Act in 1916 was based on a previous proposal by Albert Beveridge's proposal 10 years earlier and dealt with the issue of child labor. At this time, over 2 million children were working in places like mines and factories. This bill banned products being sold by companies who employed children that were less than 14 years old, mines with children under 16, or places that made children work for more than 8 hours during the day or at all at night. It also tried to regulate interstate commerce, but, although it was passed by President Woodrow Wilson, was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in the case of Hammer v. Dagenhart. However, it did lead to further acts and laws to regulate and ban certain forms of child labor. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court kept ruling acts unconstitutional and there was little hope for successful legislation. Not until 1938 would there be an action of government that actually helped the children.

LAD #28: Wilson's First Inaugural

LAD #28: Wilson's First Inaugural



When Woodrow Wilson won the presidential election in 1912, his first inaugural address consisted of him talking about the changes that had been occurring in government preceding him. The first thing that he mentioned was that the majority of the capitol were Democrats now. Clearly, this agreement in politics in the capitol would mean that the government would be able to pass new laws because they would agree on them, but Wilson also said that it was good because it was a fresh ideology to run the country by. Then he states that, though we have tried to build our country upon moral values, evil has come along with the good that we have done. While we have done much good for our country by industrializing, we were forgetting a greater evil that was going on. The abuse of a large part of the population was occurring all over, and change was needed. Now, the greater good was starting to realize this and was working to restore the country to its former prestige and value on human rights. We still however, tended to take economic factors into account much more than social factors. Wilson said that we still needed to restore, not to destroy. There was still work to be done. It will not be easy. Wilson concluded by saying that this was a day not of success, but of a need for more dedication and summoned the true honest and patriotic Americans to his side to help him.

LAD #27:Clayton Anti-Trust Act

LAD #27:Clayton Anti-Trust Act


The Clayton Anti-Trust Act of 1914 was a motion of the government against the corruption of big business in American industry. It was enacted to break up and destroy bad monopolies and trusts. One part of it was that it was now illegal to discriminate prices between products or services of similar value if it promoted monopoly and other big business corrupt tactics. It also prevented big businesses and companies that held a large portion of certain fields to drastically change their price with the intentions of driving out other businesses as to create a monopoly. It also made it so that companies could not buy controlling stock of a corporation or business, yet another action against big businesses.