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.

LAD #26: I Have A Dream

LAD #26: I Have A Dream


On August 28th, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a speech in Washington D.C. that would go down in history as one of the most famous speeches of all time. He began by saying that, although the Emancipation Proclamation was signed 100 years ago, the African American was still not free in America. Then he went to a different piece of American rhetoric: the Declaration of Independence. He stated that it said that all men are guaranteed with certain unalienable rights and that included blacks as well as whites, but they were being denied them. This problem was urgent to the citizens of the United States. He said that then was the time for not gradual, but speedy change. However, this equality should not have been done by "wrongful deeds" like violence. Then began the most famous part of this speech. King said "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.'" He goes on to say that he has a dream that someday the country will be truly equal. Only then will everyone truly be able to hear "freedom ring."

LAD #25: Dawes Severalty Act

LAD #25: Dawes Severalty Act


In 1887, the Dawes Severalty Act was passed. This act stated that the President of America could divide land that belonged to Native Americans and divide it up among individual Native Americans. Each head of the family got 1/4 of a section, each adult got 1/8, each orphan got 1/8, and people under 18 years of age got 1/16. To prevent conflict, there were distinct lines between everyone's tracts of land. Native Americans were also allowed to apply to get some land if they were not on a reservation. Unfortunately for the Native Americans, the United States government still had some extent of control over those lands and many transactions possible had to go through them first. This act also allowed Native Americans who cooperated to be granted citizenship in America. However, there were still some gray areas where some groups of Native Americans were not allowed to enjoy the benefits of this act.

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

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


In 1896, William Jennings Bryan gave a speech at the Democratic National Convention in which he addressed his populist party beliefs. In it he spoke upon the question of whether the free coinage of silver should be endorsed. Also, he tells of how he is running in the election not for a party, but rather for the principles in which he believes. Among these are that working men are the true business men and that the government should have more control over money and banking. He also holds true to the fact that he supported an income tax law that was recently declared "unconstitutional." He attacked in this speech the wishy-washy nature of McKinley's views on bimetalism and said he was confident that his party would win the election. He states that if the United States switches to bimetalism, that they would gain much power and become a major leader in the world. He finished with his famous quote that "you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold" and the crowd went wild.