Blog #32: Wilson's 14 Points of Peace

Wilson opens his 14 points by stating that the world should no longer keep secrets from each other, but rather be open to achieve peace. He mentions that the United States entered the Great War to create a world fit to live in, and that the war must immediately be ended. He goes on to list the only ways he believes that peace can be achieved- his 14 points.

I believe that Wilson's 14 Points are somewhat idealistic. For example, his second point mentions that the sea should be free for navigation by all nations in both peace and war. This is not realistic, because during times of war, rules are often bent, and certain forces can take control of parts of the sea or prevent others from going certain places in order to defend themselves. Another example is when Wilson sums up every point by stating that the nations cannot be "separated in interest or divided in purpose." This is not realistic considering that people have varying opinions and often do not agree on how to do certain things.

Point #14 calls for "a general association of nations" that would be useful to form agreements about political independence as well as territorial rights for states. This was later called the League of Nations.

Within the Treaty of Versailles, some of Wilson's 14 Points can be found. Although the Treaty is harsher on the Germans than the 14 Points, there are still many similarities between the two. One of these similarities is the requirement for Germany to give back the territory it had taken, which is also listed in point #8. Another similarity is that Germany was required to join the League of Nations once it proved its peace. This is similar to point #14, which called for an international committee made up of nations that would maintain peace. Finally, point #13 (free sea navigation for Poland) is found in the Treaty of Versailles, because a Polish corridor was built so that Poland could have access to the sea.

This political cartoon represents Wilson's 14 Points.  Many people saw them as the only way to peace.

Wilson's 14 Points remind me of Benjamin Franklin's 13 virtues, because just as Wilson believed his points were the way to peace in the world, Franklin believed his virtues were the way to peace in personal life.

Blog #31: Schenck V. United States

The Schenck V. United States issue began when socialists Charles Schenck and Elizabeth Baer handed out leaflets that said the draft violated the 13th Amendment, which outlaws involuntary servitude. They hoped to urge the public to disobey the draft peacefully. However, Schenck was charged with conspiracy to violate the Espionage Act of 1917, and he argued that such a conviction violated his 1st Amendment right.

Justice Oliver Wendall Holmes responded by saying that during wartime, the courts must obey the government regardless of constitutional rights, a rule that is part of the "clear and present danger doctrine." He compared handing out the leaflets to shouting "Fire!" in a crowded theatre, which is not permitted under the 1st Amendment. In fact, handing out the leaflets posed as a disruption to the drafting process, and therefore it was not deemed legal.

Justice Oliver Wendall Holmes

In Gitlow V. New York, Benjamin Gitlow distributed 16,000 copies of a document that called for a communist revolution in the United States and urged labor strikes/class action to take over the state's power. However, similar to Schenck V. United States, free speech was limited in this situation (it was a "clear and present danger") and Gitlow was arrested for violating New York's "criminal anarchy" law (made it a felony to encourage overthrowing a government by force/violence).

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.

Blog #26: William Jennings Bryan's "Cross of Gold" Speech

William Jennings Bryan made a very famous speech on July 9, 1896 at the Democratic Convention in Chicago. Bryan aspired to be the Democratic nominee for President, so he gave a speech that was so dramatic and passionate that it riled up the crowd quite a bit. In this speech, he addresses the issue of the rising value of gold and the decreasing value of silver. He even mentions that old leaders are being replaced if they show opposition to the coinage of silver. He argues that the gold standard is only destructive to the country, and that it is important to restore bimetallism in order to maintain a prosperous America. He says that the gold standard is worth fighting against, and that this must be done in order to protect the commercial and labor interests of the people. Bryan closes by saying, “you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold” (hence the name of this speech). In other words, he believes it is unjust to implement the gold standard because it only prevents Americans from opportunity that would help benefit the country.

William Jennings Bryan

Jackson implemented the Specie Circular in 1836, which only allowed gold and silver to be used to purchase land rather than paper money. This is similar to the gold standard that Bryan was opposed to, because that was also a change in the value of money.