LAD #37

Brown v. The Board of Education was a monumental court case in which the long-standing "separate but equal" clause was challenged. Linda Brown, an African American 3rd grader, was forced to walk for a mile through a dangerous area in order to get to her segregated African American school, while the nearest white school was only a few blocks away. Brown went to the NAACP for help, and they argued that the segregation sent the message to black children that they are inferior to whites, therefore rendering the segregated schools unequal. The Board made the case that the segregation was an effort to protect black children in that it prepared for them for future segregation. In the end, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Brown, putting an end to the "separate but equal clause".

LAD #36

President Truman delivered a speech before a joint session of Congress, which eventually led to the Truman Doctrine. He speaks of the potential implications of Communist dominance in Greece and Turkey, and the necessary actions the U.S needed to take in order to help prevent. Unlike the past, Truman realized that Communist control in foreign countries could have a dramatic impact on the landscape of the entire world; this is why the U.S was ditching the ideas of isolationism and working to preserve world democracy. As a result, he proclaimed that economic assistance would be given to both Turkey and Greece, as well as any nations in need of aid from authoritarian control. Giving aid to these countries would help prevent political and economic instability, and work towards the goal of world democracy.

LAD #35

Times of war call for acts to better the nation's internal defenses, as FDR does in his Executive Order No. 9066. He begins by stating that a successful war will require the utmost attention to the defenses of America. He then expands the powers of the military; he gives the Secretary of War the ability to ban any citizen within certain areas and have them sent to assembly areas for closer observation. This order was mainly geared towards Japanese-Americans; the country as a whole was wary of anyone of Japanese descent following the attack on Pearl Harbor.

LAD #34

Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on the 7th of December, 1941 ("a day which will live in infamy"), FDR declares war, announcing the U.S's entry into WWII. He speaks of the deceitful ways of the Japanese, who had been feigning peace in preparation of this brutal attack on a critical American naval base. They had not wanted peace in the Pacific as they had implied, and it was because of this that FDR found it necessary and justified to go to war, as they needed to defend themselves. Through a decisive victory, he believed the U.S would never again be threatened as they had in this attack.

LAD #33

Franklin Roosevelt was elected president of the United States amidst tumultuous economic times for the country, and he acknowledged that he would have to manage this problem throughout the course of his term. He attempts to give the American citizens hope, saying that the Depression is something that can and will be defeated. This leads to his famous remark, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." Unlike past presidents, he points out that the problems are due to a lack of competence from people with the ability to control such issues. He addresses his plan of action to go about solving the economic woes, and states the necessary steps to accomplish this. These included a need to instantly find jobs for the unemployed, a redistribution of wealth in the economy, and perhaps most importantly, a new system designed to prevent a future dip into such rough economic territory. He again assures the American people that if the country supports each other, they can see better days soon.

LAD #32

The Kellogg-Briand Pact was originally agreed between three world superpowers: France, the United States, and Germany. These nations agreed on the pact in an effort to prevent war from occurring in the future, and this was to be achieved through providing aid to nations across the world; they wanted countries to realize that war was not the only solution to problems and that there are many other potentially less costly ways to resolve disputes between nations. Even though the three nations were the first to sign the pact, they encouraged many other smaller countries to join in.

LAD #31

Woodrow Wilson's 14 Points were part of a statement he gave at the conclusion of the Great War. He advocated for a lenient agreement, as he believed that peace would be the most effective path. In the points, he includes the end of secret trades/diplomacy, equal trade, a reduction of arms and military, an evacuation of Russia and France, and the formation of the League of Nations. His terms were not accepted by all, however, as the allies of the U.S did not think the restrictions placed upon the Germans were not nearly strict enough. Wilson did what he considered to be sufficient and the best path to peace, but the Allies would not accept it. Eventually, he compromised to keep the Allies content.