LAD #27

The Clayton Anti-Trust Act was created to regulate commerce and big business and to prevent corruptness.  It was made as a supplement to the Sherman Anti-Trust act and to prevent businesses from becoming too powerful and to protect small businesses.  The law states that companies can't discriminate when selling goods, meaning they can't sell goods to one company for a different price than another company.  It also states that a company can't offer a sale or price deduction if a company buys from them instead of a competitor.  Finally the Clayton Anti-Trust Act regulates the sale of stocks imposing limits on how much stock a company can have of a competitor or another company.

LAD #26

In March 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous "I have a dream" speech.  He began the speech by saying that 100 years ago Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation freeing the slaves.  But he says 100 years later the negro is still not free.  He said the Declaration of Independence gave all men "Unalienable rights" and that this should include black men with the white.  He said that there is no time for gradualism.  He said "now" is the time for brotherhood and equality.  He says that the negro will not rest until he is granted full equality to whites.  He continues to say that most white people are not bad, and that many recognize that their futures and freedoms are tied up with those of the blacks.  He then goes on a string of "I have a dream"s saying that they are for blacks and whites to eat dinner together, for his children to live in a world where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, that Alabama will be integrated and free of racial tensions, and that all those things will happen now, not gradually or in a few years, but now.  He finishes by saying to let freedom ring and let all God's children join hands and sing and dance.

LAD #25

In 1887 Congress passed the Dawes Act to deal with the "Indian Problem".  The act divided reservation land into property for individual Indians over the age of 18.  Indians could chose to either stay on the land or sell it.  The government hope that the land would be used for crops or for animals to graze on.  Indians could choose to apply to become American citizens and also try to work for the government.  The law also provided ways to divide up the reservation if there was not enough land for all the residents.  It also provided ways for Indians who were not on reservations to apply for land grants.  Once and Indian has stayed on their land for 5 years the land is supposed to become theirs for good.  However this was not completely true because the government could just take the land if they wanted it and pay them for compensation.

LAD #24

In 1896 William Jennings Bryan delivered his famous Cross of Gold Speech on the issue of whether or not silver should be coined and circulated with gold.  Jennings was in favor of coining silver and said that it was the duty and the job of the government to circulate money.  He said that America needed another Andrew Jackson to minimize the gap between the rich and poor and increase the standard of living for many people.  He says that a majority of Americans favored it, and from many different environments.  He said that by circulating silver it would lead to a wealthier nation and make almost everybody better off.  This speech would eventually catapult him into becoming the next Presidential Candidate for the Democrats

LAD #23

At the close of the 1800s the Populist Party became a strong third party in the United States.  They were primarily formed in response to the growth of big business.  In July 1892 the Populist Party made a document listing the goals of the party.  The primary goal of the party was to increase the standard of living for the majority of Americans.  They believed that factory workers deserved to be payed more and that the working conditions were far below what they needed to be.  They also believed that big businesses were intentionally trying to lower the value of silver and raise the price of gold to benefit themselves, and that the party was formed to combat this corruption.  They wanted to circulate silver and make it a form of currency, and also wanted to circulate more money into the economy. The party was in support of worker's rights and labor unions and wanted the government to intervene in the railroad industry.  Finally the party also wanted the government to control telephones, hold an open ballot, give pension to veterans, and prevent/limit foreigners from getting jobs.

LAD #22

In 1895 fighting broke out between Cuba and Spain, with Cuba hoping to gain their independence and break away from Spanish rule.  America hoped for Cuban independence, but was hesitant to get involved in the war without good cause.  This cause was created when the U.S.S Maine blew up in a Cuban harbor three years later, giving Americans the cause they wanted.

In his message to Congress McKinley stated that the war was now having a direct impact on the Americans, and that the atrocities committed in this war were incredible.  He also said that it was having a significant impact on the economy as America had much trade with Cuba but it was being slowed by the war.  McKinley then pointed out that the war had been raging for three years and neither side had a clear advantage so America must either act as a neutral nation and help negotiate peace or act on one side to help end the war.  McKinley said that America must enter the war to help Cuba to stop the atrocities by Spain, protect the Cubans, save the trade, and  protect freedom.  McKinley then concluded by urging that America go to Cuba because of the blowing up of the Maine, which was claimed to have been blown up by a Spanish torpedo.