LAD #37 Brown v. Board of Education

In Topeka, Kansas a third grader, Linda Brown, had to walk a long distance in order to get to her school even though there was a school that was truly in walking distance from her house. However, that school was an all white school which normally would not be a problem except for the fact that Linda Brown was an African American. She wasn't allowed to go to the white school because she was of a different race/skin color. Her father attempted to enroll her at the school, but the principal shot it down so Oliver Brown went to the NAACP. The NAACP argued on the side of Linda Brown and a case was brought to the Supreme Court. The Board of Education argued that going to a segregated school would just prepare the children for the segregation (and discrimination) that they would have to face when they became adults. The judges agreed with the expert witnesses' reports that segregated schools had a detrimental effect on African American children. Chief Justice Earl Warren read the unanimous decision of the court which was to allow Linda Brown to go to school at the white school (basically integrating schools). This shot down the originally upheld Plessy v. Ferguson and ended the "separate, but equal" belief. The verdict, however, did not end segregation in public places, but it was a start considering this is now coming close to one hundred years after the Civil War.

LAD #36: Truman Doctrine

The Truman Doctrine was given in 1947. At this time the United States and the Soviet Union were in a cold war due to differing political ideologies. The United States represented capitalism and Democracy while the Soviet Union represented Communism. The Truman Doctrine marked on the first times that America expressed a policy of containment which was the main goal of the cold war for the United States. The policy of containment is to allow Communism, but to keep it from spreading to any other country. Truman felt the United States was in a position, as a world power, where it needed to interfere in foreign affairs to maintain democracy. Truman, in the doctrine, asked Congress to support Greece and Turkey. Both Greece and Turkey were struggling financially at this time and they were surrounded by the Eastern Communist Bloc in Europe. These countries were at a risk of falling to Communism which Truman hoped, with financial help from the US, would not happen. The thought was that if Turkey and Greece were stable they would have a better chance at fighting off the Soviets. Truman mentioned that Britain was unable to support these countries because they were also struggling to make ends meet. It was America's time to step up and preserve freedom and democracy. In his conclusion, Truman states that if the US does not help Greece and Turkey it could put the country and the rest of the democratic world in danger.

LAD #35 FDR's Executive Order #9066

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the people of the United States were wary of the Japanese. This included Japanese American citizens. Japanese Americans that were living in the United States were especially prone to suspicious stares. This group of people was seen as a threat to national security because the Japanese were responsible for bombing Pearl Harbor and when one group is responsible for a tragic event people generalize that the whole group or race is responsible. The paranoia and fear that occurred as a result of Pearl Harbor caused the executive order #9066 to be put into action. This order allowed the Secretary of War to construct military areas in which "any or all person may be excluded". FDR gave the decision on who should enter these areas over to the Secretary. The order states the Secretary is authorized to provide food, transportation, shelter, and other accommodations for these groups. He grants the Secretary the power to enforce compliance with these laws and grants them the usage of Federal troops. Although no specific group is mentioned it is heavily implied, especially after the Pearl Harbor attack, that Japanese Americans will be the group that is relocated.

LAD #34 FDR's Declaration of War

After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was quick to ask Congress for a declaration of war. Most of the country was in a furor over the attack and demanded that something be done. FDR states that the day of the attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7th 1941 will be "a date which will live in infamy". He then goes on to address that the Japanese government was acting as if everything, including relations with the US was practically alright. In addition, he reports how Japan has attacked numerous areas and is acting in a hostile way in the Pacific. FDR asks Americans to take a stand, declare war and fight against Japan. He wants not only victory for the US, but also to show that America will not be bullied without ramifications to the enemy. America would indeed go to war. The declaration was signed and a few days later Germany declared war on the US. World War II for the US had begun.

LAD #33 FDR's First Inaugural Address

Franklin Delano Roosevelt recognizes that the start his presidency faces a long arduous journey through an economic depression. FDR made sure that he told people that the crisis was not as debilitating as the American people may have believed, even though the Great Depression did loom over the country. One of the most famous quotes of FDR's inaugural address is his "firm belief" that "the only thing [America had] to fear was fear itself." He stated this to the American people while staying resolute. It was this hope that characterized his first inaugural that also was prevalent during his presidency. FDR was not only foolishly hopeful, he was also a realist. He recognized the poor state and the shambles of the economy. The economy left farmers without markets, families without savings, industry without trade, and men without hope of regaining lost sums and without hope that the depression would end. Although FDR did not condemn the men's living styles he did not leave unmarred the practices and the society that focused on self-achievement and personal wealth. Instead, he maintained that the ethics of the nation must change to benefit the many. This was a mentality that he employed in his claim to put people back to work. Some other relief actions that he did included redistributing the population from the overcrowded cities by unifying relief efforts. He also raised the value of agriculture goods, and reducing the cost of Federal, State and Local governments. FDR also realized the urgency of the domestic problems and promised to cure the problems before any restoration of trade from abroad. To end his inaugural address FDR further developed his policy of collective action of self-sacrifice in the tradition of the early days of democracy and the Constitution which has endured through wars, panics and other problems. FDR ended his address with this confidence, looking toward the future with a pragmatic sense of optimism for the coming years.

LAD #32 Kellogg Briand Peace Pact

The Kellogg-Briand Pact began to be written after the Great War. Many countries that had been involved wanted to ensure that indefinite peace would be a possibility. These countries decided to collaborate to make a pact. Some of the consenting members of the treaty were the leaders of the United States, France, Belgium, Canada, the Dominion of New Zealand, Italy, Great Britain, Germany, the free state of Ireland, the Australian Commonwealth, South Africa, Japan, Czechoslavakia, Poland, and others. These representatives/countries chose to abide by the practice of passive action to resolve any problems. They denounced war as a barbaric practice that should be ruled out as a diplomacy measure. The first article of the pact outlawed war to solve international problems. The second stipulated that all conflicts should and could be resolved via other diplomatic solutions. The third article stated that the treaty would remain open for other countries that were not included in the original members. Other countries would be allowed to join should they decide to rule out war as a facet of foreign policy. Article Three also gave the United States the responsibility of providing all of the abiding nations with a written copy of the Treaty after the provisions were ratified in Washington.

LAD #31 Wilson's Fourteen Points

After the Great War, leaders and delgates from many of the nations involved met in Versailles, France on November of 1918 to negotiate terms of peace. The goals of Wilson and the other leaders varied as most European nations wanted to punish Germany for being the aggressor versus Wilson who wanted peace within all the nations. He proposed a plan of 14 points that would hopefully prevent another world war, only one was used in the Treaty of Versailles:
1. No more secret alliances
2. Freedom of the seas
3. No economic barriers
4. Reduction of arms
5. Self-government in colonies
6. Evacuation of Russian territory
7. Evacuation and restoration of Belgium
8. Evacuation and restoration of French territories
9. Readjustment of Italy's Borders
10. Austria-Hungary accorded the freest oppurtunity to autonomous development
11. Romania, Serbia and Montenegro should be evacuated and restored.
12. The Turkish portion of the present Ottoman Empire should be assured a secure sovereignty.
13. Polish Indepence
14. Creation of a league of nations in an attempt to avoid more world wars (only one adopted in Treaty of Versailles).