LAD #37

Linda Brown

The background of Brown v. Board of Education was that public schools were segregated, and supposed to be "separate but equal." However, the schools were far from equal, as the white schools were far nicer. In Topeka, Kansas, Linda Brown, a black third grader, had to walk a mile to get to her school, though there was a white school far closer. Brown was denied a position in the white school by the Topeka Board of Education. The NAACP backed Brown and requested the end of public school segregation in Topeka. In court, the NAACP argued that the segregation sent the message to black children that thy were inferior, so the schools were unequal. The Board of Education argued that the segregation prepared black children for the segregation they would face in the future, and that many great African-Americans, like Booker T. Washington and Frederick Douglass, had achieved great things even though their schools were segregated. The court wrote that they agreed the segregation "has a detrimental effect upon the colored children," but also that Plessy v. Ferguson allowed for separate but equal schools, and the Plessy ruling had not been overturned, so they felt "compelled" to rule in favor of the Board of Education. Brown, along with the NAACP, appealed to the Supreme Court, and their case was combined with other similar cases. After two rounds of sides giving their arguments, the court was unsure what to rule. What it came down to was how to interpret the Fourteenth Amendment, which called for equal protection under the law for all people. The court had to decide if  segregation "deprive[s] the children of the minority group of equal educational opportunities." The court decided that it did, and in doing so called for the desegregation of public schools across America.

Homer Plessy

The Brown case is similar to the Plessy case since both involved the phrase "separate but equal." The Plessy case established the phrase as law, requiring public places to be segregated but equal in quality, but the Brown case challenged the phrase and said that though segregated, schools weren't equal, and the outcome of the case was that "separate but equal" was hurting blacks because of the inequity in schools.

LAD #36

President Harry Truman

In the Truman Doctrine, President Truman promised to provide military and economic aid to any nation threatened by communism. Specifically, he looked for the US to provide aid for both Greece and Turkey, citing these nations due to their proximity to the Soviet Union. He acknowledged that the situation in Greece was not great, but it was the country's right to freedom. He discussed the amount it cost to help these nations was a fraction of a percent of what it cost to win World War II, so it was a reasonable request, especially since it would aid in providing freedom.

Secretary of State George Marshall, a leader in the implementation of the Marshall Plan and the man who it was named for.

The Truman Doctrine is similar to the Marshall Plan. Like the Doctrine, the Marshall Plan was designed to combat communism and aid European nations post-World War II. In both instances, the US provided money to European nations to help rebuild and prevent communism.

LAD #35

A photo of Japanese people in an internment camp

By issuing Executive Order 9066 during WWII, President Roosevelt sent Japanese and Japanese-American people to internment camps. The order authorized the Secretary of War and the US military to declare military areas where anyone could be excluded. The order did not specify a nationality or ethnic group that it applied to, but was used to relocate Japanese people in America or Japanese-Americans to internment camps.

Charles Schenck

The order is similar to the Schenck v. United States case during WWI in which Charles Schenck was convicted for sending anti-war messages. In the case, the Supreme Court stated that freedom of speech could be restricted if the speaker is creating a danger to the country. Like Schenck, the Japanese that were sent to internment camps had their civil liberties restricted, as they were forced to leave their homes.

LAD #34

President Roosevelt

In his declaration of war, FDR said that the previous day, December 7, 1941, when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, was "a date which will live in infamy." He stated that Japan and the US were working to maintain peace with Japan, however right after the bombing, the Japanese ambassador to the US gave a message saying that there was not necessary to keep trying to maintain peace, but did not mention any attack or threat. FDR then states that the attack was carefully planned, and discusses the various other attacks made by the Japanese. Given the aggression, there must be measures taken to defend the American people, so he asks Congress to declare war on Japan.


President Wilson

FDR's declaration of war is similar to Woodrow Wilson's declaration of war, which entered the US into WWI. Like the entrance into WWII, the entrance to WWI was provoked by actions from another nation, as the Germans sunk the Lusitania and sent the Zimmerman Telegram, which both threatened the safety of American people.

LAD #33

President Roosevelt

In his first inaugural address, President Franklin D. Roosevelt promised a New Deal for the American people, and told them to face the truth, that the current times were tough. Yet FDR was also optimistic, and delivered his famous line of "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself," telling Americans, in the midst of the Great Depression, not to worry, and that they will get out of their misery, if they maintain hope and support the country's leaders - FDR considered the support essential to rescue the country from its tough times.

President Kennedy

FDR's address is similar to JFK's inaugural address since both contain a famous line (Kennedy's: "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.") and had an uplifting tone that garnered strong patriotic feelings and encouraged the American people to support the country and that everything will be okay as long as people don't worry and work hard for not only themselves, but each other.

LAD #32

Frank B. Kellogg

The Kellogg-Briand Peace Pact, also known as the Pact of Paris, was negotiated by Frank B. Kellogg, President Coolidge's Secretary of State, along with the French foreign minister. The pact made war illegal as a national policy, unless it was in defense (if a country was attacked), and was ratified by 62 nations. Kellogg won a Nobel Peace Prize for his role in negotiating the pact, although it was unrealistic to carry out, since wars could happen without being declared as wars (ex. "invasions").

President Woodrow Wilson, who negotiated the Treaty of Versailles

The pact is similar to the Treaty of Versailles, since like the Treaty of Versailles was useless in preventing World War II, since hatred between the countries involved continued, the Kellogg-Briand Peace Pact was useless in preventing future wars, since people easily got around the pact, by manipulating situations to make it seem like they were being attacked (so the war was defensive), or calling them "invasions," as mentioned before. Basically, the Treaty of Versailles and the peace pact had the same effect, but the effect was more specific for the Treaty of Versailles, since it was useless in preventing a specific war (World War II), while the pact was useless in preventing several future "wars," even if they weren't called wars.

LAD #31

President Woodrow Wilson
 

In his Fourteen Points Speech, President Woodrow Wilson outlined to Congress how he believed the world should achieve post-Great War peace. He expressed his desire for self-determination (freedom to make own government), freedom of the seas, and free trade, among several paybacks for the war. He reached out to Germany, hoping there could be peace instead of hatred after the war, and also discussed how he wanted a better world in which there were no disputes that required wars to solve.

The "Big Four" negotiators of the treaty: David Lloyd George (Britain), Vittorio Orlando (Italy), Georges Clemenceau (France), and Wilson

Wilson's speech is similar to the Treaty of Versailles since both outlined how peace could be achieved after the Great War, and four of Wilson's Fourteen Points are present in the treaty. However, the Treaty of Versailles ended up punishing Germany severely (they were ultimately force to sign it), while Wilson hoped for peace with Germany.

LAD #30

Judge Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.

In the Schenck v. United States case, Schenck sent a paper he wrote to draftees in which he articulated his belief that the draft was wrong, urging the draftees "not to submit to intimidation." He was charged with conspiracy to violate the Espionage Act (law stating it was a crime to mail or print information that inspires a movement against the war effort or promoted enemies), since he encouraged insubordination in the military, and tried to reduce the amount of people in the military (this was the "movement against the war effort" he inspired). Justice Holmes concluded that Schenck is not protected, and his words created a "clear and present danger . . . that Congress [had] a right to prevent. He also said that words that may be tolerable in peacetime can be punished during wartime, since they cause an increased threat in these times - in other words, in wartime, there can be a greater restriction of free speech since there are greater dangers that could happen. In the court's eyes, Schenck's words created a dangerous situation for the US since he discouraged war and tried to weakened the military, so Congress had the right to prevent him from doing so.

John Peter Zenger

This trial is similar to the John Peter Zenger trial since like Schenck, Zenger was trialed for speaking out against the government. Zenger inspired the free speech that Schenck believed he was protected by, however Zenger was acquitted while Schenck was convicted.

LAD #29

Children advocating for their safety

The Keating-Owen Child Labor Act ended the selling of products from factories or shops that employed children under the age of 14, and products from mines that employed children under the age of 16. Also, the sale of products was banned from any workplace that had children under 16 work for more than eight hours per day or at night. In addition, Congress was given the ability to regulate interstate commerce.

The logo for the US Department of Labor, which oversees the enforcement of fair labor laws like the Fair Labor Standards Act.

The Keating-Owen Act is similar to the Fair Labor Standards Act (1938), which also restricted the employment of children to protect them from unsafe conditions, or "oppressive child labor," as it is worded in the act.

LAD #28

Woodrow Wilson

In his First Inaugural Address, President Woodrow Wilson stated his desire for America to be the most charismatic nation, saying America needs "to cleanse, to reconsider, to restore, to correct the evil without impairing the good." He said that America has been heartless in in it's rush to become the greatest nation, and the people have only been worrying about their own well-being. With it's riches, America has become more wasteful and careless, and the government has been selfish as well, forgetting the people it is supposed to serve. But still, life is great for Americans as they have an abundance of wealth and diversity that was built up by the people themselves. He called his election a day of dedication to be good Americans.

Thomas Jefferson

Wilson's address is similar to Jefferson's First Inaugural Address since both stress that their victory was about more than a victory for their party. Wilson stresses how his presidency will be about all people and having good character and being unified as Americans, just like Jefferson advocated for unity when he said "We are all Republicans, we are all Federalists."

LAD #27

Henry De Lamar Clayton Jr., whom the act was named for.

The Clayton Anti-Trust Act added to the Sherman Anti-Trust Act's list of banned practices that restrict trade. Price discrimination, which is selling products at different prices for different people, was banned. Also, interlocking directorates were banned, which is when people serve on the board of trustees for multiple companies in competition. However, labor unions were exempted from being considered trusts, strikes became legal, as did peaceful picketing.

The logo for the Federal Trade Commission, which was established by the act.

The Clayton Anti-Trust Act is similar to the Federal Trade Commission Act (1914) since both outlawed unfair business practices and unfair methods of competition, which could hurt consumers.

LAD #26

King giving his famous speech

In his "I Have a Dream" speech, Martin Luther King Jr. spoke in support of racial justice. King first mentioned Abraham Lincoln, whose memorial he spoke in front of. He referenced the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln's call for the end of slavery, to say that the end of slavery was a step in the right direction, but there is still great strides that need to be taken in the fight for equality. He then discusses how the Declaration of Independence was a false promise for blacks, as they do not have full freedom to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." He calls these freedoms a "bad check" that blacks cannot cash, but are ready to cash in and reap the benefits. However, while equality should be a given right, he said that people cannot sit around and expect justice to happen - now was the time for change. At the same time, however, this fight for justice cannot lead to hatred and violence between races. He added that black people will not stop fighting until they receive equal treatment as white people. Finally, at the end of the speech, he repeats the famous phrase of "I have a dream." He uses this repetition to depict the great things that would happen if black people earned equality. People are judged for their character on the inside rather than the skin color on the outside. And he hopes that black and white people can be kind to each other and not create a divide over the fight for justice.

Sojourner Truth

King's speech is similar to Sojourner Truth's "Ain't I a Woman?" speech. In both instances a person is fighting for equality of a group that experienced injustice - in Truth's case, women, and in King's case, black people. In addition, both speeches are named and recognized for the repetition of a phrase that makes the speech powerful by showing the injustice or what could happen if the injustice was no longer.