Blog #27: MLK, Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" Speech

The Civil Rights Act of 1963 ended segregation in public places and banned employment segregation based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Martin Luther King Jr. was not hesitant to show his support for this Act, and considered it a "second emancipation." He also gives this speech to encourage other African Americans. He says that in their fight for freedom, they must not resort to physical violence, but rather protest with continued hope and faith for the future. He also references the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, pointing out that it states "all men are created equal."

Some of the dreams that MLK Jr. expresses I will list below:
-"my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character"
-"one day in the state of Alabama, whose governor's lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers"
-"one day every valley will be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together"
-"one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood"

Martin Luther King Jr. giving his "I Have A Dream" Speech in Washington D.C. (August 28, 1963)

In a way, MLK Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" Speech can be compared to the Women's Suffrage Movement, because both were in support of greater equality for a group of people (MLK Jr.'s Speech- African Americans; Women's Suffrage Movement- Women and their right to vote).

Blog #30: Wilson's First Inaugural

President Wilson begins his Inaugural Address by stating that the government has become Democratic, and he goes on to describe what this means for the country. He says that with this new party, the Nation will change the practices that it now recognizes as immoral. He uses the example of industrial achievements, and explains that although it produced great success, people forgot to consider the negatives: the people mistreated, the poor, the cruelties of the work place, etc. He says that the government is selfish in cases such as this, and it forgets to consider the vast majority of people. This reflects progressive beliefs, because in the Progressive Era, many reforms were made to correct the wrongs within America. President Wilson is addressing this in a broad sense, stating that there are many things that need to be reformed, which is now being realized because people are becoming aware of both positives and negatives. However, he mentions that we must make these reforms "to correct the evil without impairing the good." In other words, although the Nation should get rid of what is immoral, it should continue what is positive and successful. He finishes by stating that America must fight for the liberty and justice it was founded upon, set aside politics and disagreement, and do what is right.

Woodrow Wilson delivers his First Inaugural Address

The Emancipation Proclamation shifted the Union's purpose during the Civil War from fighting to preserve the Union to fighting to free the slaves. This is similar to Wilson's First Inaugural Address in that it was also part of a shifting viewpoint in America, and people began to realize that there were wrongs in the country that needed to be reformed.

Blog #29: Clayton Anti-Trust Act

The Clayton Anti-Trust Act started when in the 1912 Presidential Election, all three parties agreed that the Supreme Court had been way too lenient on large corporations and that antitrust laws needed to be strengthened. This Act allowed the government to have more power over large companies. They could now prosecute trusts (no more laissez-faire), outlaw price fixing, terminate the ability for a person to own two or more competing companies, prohibit any corporation from owning stock in a competing company, and exempt labor unions from persecution. All of these guidelines helped even the business "playing field," making companies more honest and fair and decreasing problems within the country.

The Clayton Anti-Trust Act ultimately strengthened legislation of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act of 1890. It was far more detailed than the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, yet was similar in that its main purpose was to get rid of trusts. Both Acts called for an end to large corporations that unfairly squashed its competition, and stated that penalties would be given for violators of the Act. However, while the Sherman Anti-Trust Act focused on the broader idea that monopolies were not allowed and would be met with punishment, the Clayton Anti-Trust Act stated the specifics such as what specifically companies were not allowed to do (which I mentioned in the above paragraph). Knowing this, I believe the Clayton Anti-Trust Act had a greater impact than the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, because by giving specific rules that corporations could not violate, it was probably more difficult for companies to find ways around the act. For example, with the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, there was little success in helping labor unions because the Act did not specifically address that issue. However, with the Clayton Anti-Trust Act, this issue could be addressed. Overall, the Clayton Anti-Trust Act made the business world a fair place.

The Clayton Anti-Trust Act is similar to the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice, because both help enforce the laws written in the Clayton Anti-Trust Act. Their job was to regulate unfair or deceptive business practices (without involving courts) in order to make the business world a more honest place.

The Clayton Anti-Trust Act destroyed trusts even more thoroughly than the Sherman Anti-Trust Act did. This political cartoon demonstrates the destruction of trusts by the Federal Trade Commission, which enforced the Act.

Blog #28: Keating-Owen Child Labor Act

The Keating-Owen Child Labor Act was created to address the cruel system of child labor and prevent children from having to work in brutal conditions. It attempted to stop the trade of products made through child labor (specifically from children between the ages of 14 and 16) in order to achieve improved work life for these children. For factories, shops, and canneries, products could not be made if they were made by a child 14 or younger, and for other workplaces, products could not be sold if children under 16 worked more than 8 hours per day.
Although this law had good intentions, it was negative because allowed the government to control what products companies could sell, which took away much of their power. What is worse, this act did not take away the system of child labor, so while children may have had slightly improved working conditions, child labor had not disappeared at all.

Photo by Muckraker Lewis Hines reveals the dangerous conditions children faced in factories, as it pictures two young boys standing on machinery.

Photo by Muckraker Lewis Hines shows two young girls working laboriously in a field.

Photo by Muckraker Lewis Hines pictures a young girl inside of a factory where she is forced to work, and she does not look too happy about being there.