LAD #26: Martin Luther King Jr.

    Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech is one of the most well known speeches ever given. In it he describes his dream for racial equality for all those who reside within the United States and that he and the his movement would not stop until the people were given complete and utter racial equality where they could attain the rights promised them by the Constitution (Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness). He begins his speech by declaring that the first significant move toward racial equality began when the slaves were freed under the Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. Since then however, there has been no forward progress at all which King attributes to the lack of freedom of the negro people due to segregation and discrimination. He states that due to those factors the negro people are forced to live in poverty, exiled in their own land. King digs further into America's history citing that since its foundation America was designed that ALL men be equal as stated in the Constitution, but since then they have written the negro people a bad check entitled insufficient funds. Refusing to believe that the Bank of Justice is bankrupt King declares his speech as a way of trying to collect the check and now is the time for the american people to honor it and that he and his movement are not just letting off steam but are here to stay until their demands are met. In regard to his movement King urges that negroes keep thier protests peaceful and to do so without bitterness or hatred ofr whites as their freedom depends on each other. With that statement King calls for an end to the brutality on the part of the white people in regard to the discrimination, lack of sufferage, and the physical violence displayed toward negroes. King concludes his speech stating that his dream is rooted within the American Dream, that whites and blacks will be able to coexist peacefully and that people will be judged by their character and not the color of their skin. With this statement one of the most well known speeches of his era is drawn to a close forever immortalizing Martin Luther King Jr. as one of the best Civil Rights advocates in history.

LAD #25: Dawes Act

The Dawes Act was essentially an idea the U.S. government came up with to further destroy the native indian tribes in their country. The Dawes act was designed to create more land for americans to purchase while destroying a sacred Native American custom. The custom that was destroyed by this act was the idea that the land on which the tribes lives was not personally, but comunally owned. The Dawes Act, sponsered by senator Henry Dawes (for who it was named), gave the government the power to divide up the comunally owned land and dispense it to each individual indian. Whatever land was left over would be sold either to Joe Public or more likely the expanding businesses of the Robber Barons. This act served two interests of the american people which was the assimilation of the indian tribes and another reason to take more indian land. The way land was distributed among the indians was basically heads of a family received the most (about a quarter of a section) then those over eighteen (one eighth of a section) and those under eighteen (one sixteenth of a section). In special cases such as religious buildings would be elgible to receive more land, up to one hundred and sixty acres. In return for their losses indians were given citizenship in the United States and all the protection that the Consitution provides, save those dealt with in the Jackson Administration. This was a program headed by the Secretary of Interior whose administration would resolve any disputes under the act.

LAD #24: Cross of Gold Speech

One of the most famous speeches was spoken by William Jennings Bryans, and it was the "Cross of Gold" speech. Bryan spoke in favor of a highly controversial topic in the United States: Bimetallism, the idea that both gold AND silver should be coined instead of just gold. It was be the speech that would send him into the presidential nomination for the Democratic party. In the speech he says that in no way is this speech an attack on the position of the Republican Party who does not support bimetallism. After,Bryan begins to repel Republican accusations against bimetallism, starting with their claim that it will interfere with the businesses of America. Bryan responded to this claim by saying that Republican practices already interfered with business as the monopololies of the Robber Barons prevented any new businesses from taking root since big business opposed bimetallism. Bryan then responds to another claim that the democratic party passed an illegal  income tax law which he defends on the basis that the law was declared unconstitutional by a single judge and people cannot predict when a judge will change his mind. He concludes his argument by  stating that any man unwilling to pay his fair share to live in our nation that he did not deserve to live here. He goes on to affirm his party's position opposing national Bank just as Andrew Jackson did due to his opposition to the Bank of the United States. Another aspect of the Gold Standard that Bryan makes public is that the gold standard is almost entirely controlled by the Republican party. Bryan then questions Mckinley, who is a Republican and his election on the basis that his platform was to maintain the gold standard until a time at which it could be replaced with bimetallism by international agreement. Bryan closes his speech restating his party's position of opposing the gold standard and gives his famous quote: "you shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns. You shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold."

LAD #23: The Populist Party Platform

The populist movement is the common workingman's reaction to the industrialism of the Guilded Age that had so abused him. Basically their party demands that the govermnet return to supporting the people against the businesses that are abusing them. These businesses they declare are forcing the average american into poverty and corrupting american society while lining the industiral owners pockets. Their party organized their platform into five sections: the Introduction, Finance, Transportation, Land, and their expression of sentiments describing how they advocate for other causes as well as their own. In their introduction they outline their main objections to the current state of affairs in the U.S. and demand their revisions be implemented such as the permanence of labor unions, the current wages of the common workers be improved, and that certain businesses, specifiaclly railroads, be regulated by the government for the benefit of the common man. The second section outlines their demands concerning finance including a safe national currency, free and unlimited coinage of silver, a graduated income tax, an increase in the amount of circulating medium, establishment of postal savings banks run by the government, and increasing attempts to keep all wealth within the hands of the people. Their demands for Transportation were focused mainly on government regulation of the public service industry such as railroad, telephone, and telegraph companies. In the land section the populist party demands that sources of wealth not be monopolized for specuative purposes and that companies should not be run by foreign agents. In the last section, the expression of sentiments causes with which they also support are outlines such as a free, secret ballot system, reduced taxes on domestic industries, pensions for sailors and soldiers, restricted immigration, shorter working hours, abolishment of the Pinkerton system, institution of initiative and referendum, term limits for the President and Vice President, direct election of senators, and no subsidies or aid to private corporations.

LAD #22: McKinley's War Message

William McKinley's War Message focused mainly on the crisis between Cuba and Spain. It addressed how that crisis warranted intervention by the United States due to the sympathy American people have for the Cubans and also the threat the war posed to American business' on Cuba. McKinley's War Message is the main cause of the Spanish American war.  McKinley stated in his address to Congress that Cuban conflict had spread to America, hurting its trade, damaging businesses and horrifying the people. McKinley states that while there is many options that could be pursued regarding the conflict in hopes of finding a solution all of which include intervention on the part of America whether as a neutral party or ally, McKinley leaves the decision up to Congress but not before suggesting the impartial negotiator idea. Mckinley advocates intervention as he feels it is justified for four major reasons which include the fact that the conflict is taking place right outside of american territory, that the citizens of Cuba deserve peace, the fact that the war has harmed U.S. trade in the region, and the fact that a mysterious tradegedy took place within the borders of the conflict area. McKinley declares that in the name of humanity the war must stop. He ends his speech asking congress to grant him the power to utilize the armed forces to cease the conflict between the two nations and to be able to set up a stable government in the region. McKinley concludes and says that the decision is up to Congress now and he hopes a solution will be reached.