LAD#31: Wilson's 14 Points

Woodrow Wilson outlined things that he thought should be changed in order to being about world peace once again. He was a pacifist, so he wanted to avoid another world war at any cost possible. These are a summary of the 14 points:

1. No private alliances
2. Freedom of the seas
3. Free trade
4. Restriction of national militaries
5. Equal claims in imperialism
6. Russian freedom of government
7. Repair of Belgium
8. Restoration of French territory
9. Adjustment of Italian Frontier
10. Austria-Hungary would be allowed to govern themselves
11. Balkan states to be given independence
12. Turkey would give its conquered states freedom
13. Poland gives passage of the seas to the world
14. League of nations

LAD#30: Schenck vs. US

On March 3rd in 1919, Charles Schenck filed a case against the United States of America. The trial was based upon the content of mail shipped by the socialist party in the late second decade of the twentieth century. They claimed that this went against the espionage act of 1917. The chief justice claimed that the defendant was trying to cause the insubordination of the United States armed forces during the Great War. Schenck was a secretary of the socialist party and he sent out over fifteen thousand pamphlets that encouraged young men to dodge the drafting process. The judge ruled against the defendant. The defendant did not have the right to express freedom of speech against the draft. This case established the "clear and present danger" test which lasted until 1969.

LAD#29: Keating-Owen Child Labor Act

In 1916, the Keating-Owen Child Labor Act was passed by congress as a way for the government to regulate child labor and interstate commerce. It banned the sale of any items produced in a facility that employed children. In the beginning, this law was deemed unconstitutional because it was thought to overstep the boundaries that the government had set regarding regulation of interstate commerce. The campaign for ratification of a Child Labor Law Amendment was momentarily stalled by those who opposed it, using the opoinions of states' rightists and the idea that this act was a communist-inspired plot. It was not until 1938 that the Anti-Child Labor movement was victorious with the Fair Labor Standards Act.

LAD #28: Wilson's First Inagural

On Tuesday March 4th, 1913, Woodrow Wilson gave his first inaugural address. A majority of congress had become the democratic party. This meant that the fate of the president now rested in the hands of the democrats, leading to some questioning on the part of Wilson. The growth of his political party may have also been interpreted as a warning that the democrats would be pressing the plans and views on the american people. Wilson said that America had squandered a great deal of what it had gained and did not stop to consider the outsome for nature in the long haul. While the nation was very proud of its recent industrial achievements, it disregarded the possible effects on the population. The government had forgotten the people that it was working for, and became private for selfish reasons. Wilson claimed that the job of the typical American was to cleanse, reconsider, restore, and correct the evil without impairing the good. He wished to purify the processes of life without weakening them. America, according to Wilson, had been in such a hurry to be great that they had been heedless. Wilson asked the country to support him and help to bring about change. He wanted to revitalize the nation. The tariff of the nation violated its taxation principles and put the government in the hands of private companies. Reformation was what America needed at this time, not destruction. Wilson summoned all men to come and help him with mustering the forces of the party and humanity and with them at his side, he knew he would not fail.

LAD #27: Clayton Anti-Trust Act

The Clayton Anti-Trust act was designed to try to break up the bad trusts in the United States in the early 1900s. It places many rules and regulations on big business. Businesses could not discriminate against customers. If they did discriminate, the company could be charged. Businesses could also not sell the same item for different prices based upon who was buying it. It was deemed illegal to accept bribes and/or give special deals to select customers or accept a better price. A merchant cannot sell another man's products. If someone is injured on the job, they are allowed to sue the company. If anyone violated these terms,j the could be fined up to $5000 and imprisoned. It was put into effect to decrease the powers of businesses in order to increase the power of the people. It provided for healthy competition and economic prosperity for all.