LAD #31: Fourteen Points

Wilson believes in treating the losing side fairly.

He wants to use the Treaty of Versailles to further democracy.

Everyone has different opinions on what to do about Germans and German allies.

They entered the war because of democracy and they plan to finish with it.

I. No secret treaties.  

II. Freedom of the seas.

III. No trade barriers

IV. Everyone have less weapons.

V. Settle colonial disputes

VI. Evacuation of troops from Russia.

VII. Belgium restored.

VIII. French territory returned

IX. Change borders of Italy according to nationality of people.

X. Austria-Hungary autonomous.  

XI. Occupied territories restored.  

XII. Ottoman Empire restored.  

XIII. Independent Poland created.  

XIV. League of Nations.

Wilson believes that his plan will succeed and hopefully stop such wars from occurring in the future.

LAD #30: Schenck vs. US

The Committee on Public Information, a collection of leading writers and journalists, effectively functioned as a propaganda arm of the government, distributing some 75 million pieces of literature on behalf of the war effort from 1917 to 1918. But the strict conformity demanded by the government in wartime invited an element of hysteria. Dissenters were often forcibly silenced and jailed for their views. Among the best organized organs of dissent against the war was the Socialist party. Its leader, Eugene V. Debs, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his statement that while the “master classes” caused the war, the “subject classes” would have to fight it. A Butte, Montana, mob dragged antiwar labor-organizer Frank Little through the streets before they hung him from a railroad trestle. In Washington, the House of Representatives refused to allow Milwaukee representative Victor Berger, a Socialist elected in 1918, to take his seat, despite his service in that chamber from 1911 to 1913. Berger, too, had been jailed for his antiwar prtotests.

Charles Schenck was the general secretary of the Socialist Party of America. Socialists believed that the war had been caused by and would benefit only the rich, while causing suffering and death for the thousands of poor and working-class soldiers who would do the actual fighting in Europe. Party officials not only opposed the war, they urged American workers to oppose the war as well.

Schenck participated in many antiwar activities in violation of the Espionage Act, including the mailing of about 15,000 leaflets urging draftees and soldiers to resist the draft. He was arrested and charged with “causing and attempting to cause insubordination in the military and naval forces of the United States” and with disturbing the draft. He was arrested, tried, convicted, and sentenced to prison for violating the Espionage Act of 1917, and he appealed his case to the Supreme Court. Espionage Act was unconstitutional. Schenck and the Socialist party were persecuted for opposing what they felt was an “immoral war.” The 1st Amendment was specifically included in the Constitution to protect political speech, and to prevent a “tyranny of the majority.” The 1st Amendment protections would be meaningless if Congress could choose where and when citizen's rights may be diminished.

LAD #29: Keating-Owen Child Labor Act

The Keating-Own Labor Act was passed in 1916 and helped to curb dangerous and intense child labor in industrial America. It was based on the allowance for Federal intervention on interstate commerce. It says that goods made by children under a certain age cannot be transported in between states, and since businesses rely so much on interstate commerce, they were forced to change their policies for the introduction of the act. It affected only children who worked in factories and mines, not children who worked in agriculture. The laws that were put into place with the Keating-Owen Act are still active and backed up by many state laws. 

LAD #28: Wilson's First Inaugural

Wilson starts by practically apologizing for the recent Democratic shift in government.	1
He then chooses to idealize change as an attempt to restore the spirits of Republicans and his other opposition.	2
He then praises American identity and the American way to start off his address.	3
He then says that the government under him will exist more on behalf of the people than it has before.	4
He puts down the industrial revolution and says that it is a time period behind America now.	5
He then lists the problems with the United States, including unfair tariff laws and big business, which is probably a statement of the Democratic platform.	6
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He then turns more to domestic affairs including poverty and education.	8
He is clearly enamored with the idea of individual rights and talks about this for awhile.	9

He considers the day of his inauguration a day of dedication and promises that the will change America. 

LAD #27: Clayton Antitrust Act

The Clayton Antitrust Act was passed in 1914 following the virtual failure of the Sherman Antitrust Act. Its purpose was introducing many new regulations on trusts and big business in general. It had many effects on trusts and corporations in the United States. First off, businesses could not make prices fluctuate depending on the consumer. This gave a bit of an advantage to the working poor, and was meant to endorse capitalism. It was a step toward economic fairness.  Under the Clayton Antitrust Act, if a company were to do this they would be fined.  This Act also made it officially illegal to bribe other businesses or consumers, again in the name of fair capitalism.  Also, special deals had to be offered to everyone, not just a specific group of customers.  Along with this, if you were to accept a special deal you could also be fined and arrested. This system was meant to lower discrimination between races or ethnicities. This act also made it so that one company could not sell another company's product. Even if there was no patent on the product, copying it was still illegal. To protect workers, if someone were to get hurt on the job, they were now allowed to sue the company they were working under, no matter what. There were severe punishments for every violation, and this was more successful than the Sherman Act at bringing big business down.