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LAD #38: Truman Doctrine

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As Truman found himself in a completely new global stage with the dropping of the atomic bombs and the victory in WW2, he needed a new foreign policy to keep up with the changing environment. On March 12th 1947 this new policy was officially anounced. Named the Truman Doctrine, it called for the containment of communism, the newest threat which had emerged in the rubble of WW2. Specifically he wanted to address Greece and Turkey, 2 nations who were on the verge of falling to communism. Since communism usually thrives on those desperate for even the tiny loaf of bread which was promised for all through communism, Truman felt the best way to prevent the spread of communism would be economic success. He asked Congress for 400,000,000 dollars, one of many donations given to these countries. The people in those countrys were now happy and liked Americans for the free money, and that money bolstered their economies so that they wouldn't have to resort to communism. This was a huge succes

LAD #37: FDR’s Executive Order 9066

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 Executive Order 9066 was a presidential order through which President Roosevelt allowed the Secretary of War to create areas for relocation for people of Japanese descent we fought in WW2. This forced them to relocate to congested internment camps with poor conditions. These areas were often identified as military areas and were the new home for a lot of Japanese Americans. This included Sox and her family from the story "Home Was a Horse Stall", who were Americans which were forced to relocate and leave their lives for horrible internment camps. Executive Order 9066   The travel ban on countries by Trump reminded me of the Executive Order since both were executive orders which were proclaimed by the presidents to secure the US.

LAD #36: FDR’s Declaration of War

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Pearl Harbor was a surprise attack on the US naval base in the Hawaii territory. It was a surprise attack on the US which showed no aggression toward Japan before the attack. It was right after the US embargoed trade of Oil to Japan. It was not expected and as such was a huge a success for the Japanese. Following this attack, FDR had to respond and decide what the US would do. In his response, he calls the date of the attack, December 7th 1941, a "date that will live in infamy." Roosevelt describes the US' efforts to maintain peace with the pacific island, but that this attack on troops and even some civilians was forcing the hand of the US. The US had to respond to this attack and respond to the threat that Japan posed. FDR asked Congress to formally declare war on Japan asa result of Pearl Harbor, and it passed through congress unopposed except for the first female congresswoman, Jeanette Rankin. Because of her stance she was nicknamed Japanette Rankin. FDR's Decl

LAD/Blog #35: Home was a Horse Stall

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Home was a horse stall is a story about a Japanese American named Sox and her family, who were personally affected by Executive Order 9066, and the Civilian Exclusion Order No. 27 which kicked out Japanese American from the West Coast and forced them into internment camos which were governed under Marshall law. The story's name comes from the tiny, crowded living quarter which the Sox's family was forced to live in after their forced move. It was disheartening to see the Land of the Free which gave equal opportunities in the pursuit of happiness wrong this family based on racist ideas and the actions of people on the other side of the world. Another issue I had was the condemnation and widespread awareness of the holocaust and the actions of Nazi Germany, while these atrocities were taking place at the same time at home. That's not to say that Holocaust awareness is a bad thing, I'm just angry that so many other horrible things like this and the Armenian Genocide occurr

LAD/Blog #34: FDR's First Inaugural

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 FDR became president during a very pressing part of US history. During his inauguration speech, the first thing he did was to reassure the Nation that together they would be able to recover, and that "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself".  By identifying the issue that was on everyone's mind and addressing it, he established himself as a leader for the people. He assured that the issues being faced were mostly material ones, and that money is not the sole proprietor of happiness. He then went to criticize the greediness that caused the crash in the first place, and went on to explain how he would fix the Depression and make sure that it doesn't happen again. He acknowledges the high unemployment and its role in the economic slump. He explains that the way to fix it would be expanding the legislative and judicial branches of government and expanding the role of the Federal government, in an effort to pick up where the progressive presidents left off. He also

LAD/Blog #33: Kellogg-Briand Peace Pact

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The Kellogd Briand Peace Pact, also known as the Paris Act, was notable for attempting to make it so nations could not start a war for any reason other than self defense. It was created and named after Frank B. Kellogg, the American secretary of state, and Aristide Briand, the French Foreign Minister of Affairs. Originally signed by 15 nations, notable of which include America, Japan , Great Britain. and others, this list of signatories quickly ballooned to include more than 40 more countries. If this dream of foreign affairs was realized, it would mean the end of global warfare. Unfortunately this dream was shattered in 1931 during the Mukden Incident. During this incident, Japan decided to imperialize to help reduce the economic slump of the Great Depression. Because of vague definitions of "Self Defense" and a lack of initiative from other countries to enforce this pact, the pact failed. KB Peace Pact:   Iran Nuclear Deal The KB Peace Pact after the Paris Peace Treaty

LAD/Blog #32: Wilson's 14 Points of Peace

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Woodrow Wilson was very progressive. As such, when he saw the fighting in Europe, he felt motivated to ensure peace. The Fourteen Points of Peace are an extremely idealized vision for creating global peace. A lot of these points were utilized within the Treaty of Versailles. He envisioned a future after the War which was lenient towards the Germans and Austrians. He also called for open treaties, open seas, self governance for colonies,  help for Russia, development of Austria-Hungary, evacuation of Rumania, Serbia, and Montenegro,  free trade, free passage for all Turks in the Dardanelles, Belgian sovereignty, justice for France as it had been mistreated in Alsace-Lorraine, fixing Italian borders, creation of a Polish nation, and the creation of a League of Nations. The last point, calling for the League of Nations, was designed to ensure that the Great War was the last big war. By having a unifying body among countries, Wilson believed conflicts could be diffused with