LAD #30

In 1918 Schenck was charged with violating the Espionage Act by mailing out pamphlets to draftees into WWI urging them to protest the draft.  Schenck argued that he was protected by hi First Amendment rights of freedom of speech and petition.  But the Supreme Court, led by Justice Oliver Holmes, ruled that they did not protect him in this case because during war time it posed an immediate danger to the country and said that being during wartime they were evils Congress had the power to protect against.

LAD #29

The Keating-Owen child labor act was created in response to an outcry from the public that the 1900 census revealed over two-million children were employed on the streets, in factories, and in mines.  In 1908 Lewis Hines was hired to photograph children while working, and in 1916 the Keating-Owen Act was passed.  The act prohibited the sale of goods from companies employing children under the age of 14.  However the law was deemed unconstitutional two years later by the Supreme Court because they deemed that the federal government was overstepping its power to regulate interstate commerce.  As a result the government would struggle for a few more years to find an effective way to regulate child labor.

LAD #28

Woodrow Wilson begins his first inaugural address by complimenting the country on its industrial success and political integrity. But he then states that Americans have become wasteful and that the spiritual and physical costs of natural energy and human life have not been effectively evaluated.Wilson is claims that the United States Government is not doing its duties to properly protect its citizens. He says that the great United States government took too long to react and was taken advantage of by few citizens for their own gain.Wilson says that the government must respond to this and fix the problem to help the general public. He reminds the American public that the governments duty is to serve both the humble and the powerful, using both justice and fair play. He says that an unfair tariff, corrupt banks and currency, and misuse of natural resources are all issues that need to be addressed. He concludes his speech by giving a call for patriotism from the American Public.

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