AJ’s AP American blog

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...

 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.

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...

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...

 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...

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...

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 diff...

During World War 1, Charles Schenck and Elizabeth Baer were responsible for the distribution of circulars, or leaflets against the military draft. The circulars called out the Conscription Act, and argued that it was in violation of the 13th Amendment. The Courts charged Schenck for violating the Espionage Act of 1917, but Schenck argued that the 1st amendment protected him. Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes made the claim that during wartime, courts had to listen to the Government's rules.  The expanded powers granted to the government during WW1 which was arguably abused reminded me of how Trump threatens to declare a state of emergency to bypass Congress and build the wall.

During his first inaugural address, Woodrow Wilson shows his true progressive beliefs. He commits to making reforms. To do this, he acknowledges the advantage he has as the House and Senate are both Democratic, the same as him. He then talks about how the big businesses and industries have changed the country, but vows to regulate the businesses that have grown out of hand. He also vowed to take into account the wants and needs of the people, over business. Woodrow Wilson being sworn in with a special someone in the middle (old Teddy?) Woodrow Wilson's desires remind me of the progressive New Deal enacted by FDR

The Clayton Anti Trust Act was made as a replacement to the ineffective Sherman Anti Trust Act. The Sherman Anti Trust Act was vague and weak. It was abused by pro business governmental leaders, and was even used as an excuse to attack union strikers. The Clayton Anti-Trust Act on the other hand, accomplished a point for each finger. The 5 points included the restriction of price fixing, unfair tying and dealing practices, giving the power to sue corporations to individuals, allowing unions, and stopping anti competitive mergers. The Federal Trade Commission was also formed in 1914 which created a regulatory body, providing accountability to these big companies. The Anti Trust Division of the US Department of Justice also accomplished this goal. The act was passed during Wilson's Presidency

The Keating Owen Child Labor Act of 1916 was a law created in an attempt by the federal government to limit the interstate commerce of products created with the use of child labor. It specifically limited the sale of products created by children under 14 years of age, or coal produced in mines with workers less than 16 years old. It also limited children form working odd hours. By 1918 the US Supreme Court found it unconstituitonal. Minor Miners Child Labor is still prevalent in foreign countries

To kick off the speech, MLK jr. compares the treatment of African Americans during slavery to the treatment of African Americans in 1963. He then states his many dreams for the future, which include: Having equality for ALL men, just as the constitution states People from ALL races could become friends People would be judged not on their skin color, but instead on their behavior and character   Martin Luther King Jr. giving this legendary speech The civil rights movement reminded me of the women's Suffrage movement, since both movements involved oppressed people moving to remove the rules which constrained them Video This funny video by Key and Peele came out today which spoke to how great Martin Luther King Jr's speech was.

The speech was on July 9th 1896. Its about whether or not coinage should be silver since the exchange rate of silver to gold is 16:1. Bryan wanted the gold standard to be rid of, instead replaced with bimetallism which represented all of the US, especially those in the West. This was because he felt that the rich in the East were the people who were benefiting from the Gold standard, and the bi metal standard would bring prosperity to all of the US.  He also talked about how income tax is justified because of its benefits. To close he makes a comparison between the gold standard to the crucifixion, and says that having the gold standard would be to crucify mankind on a cross of gold, hence the name. William Jennings Bryan reminded me of Nixon, who like Bryan wanted a new form of backing for US money. Nixon successfully cancelled the direct international convertibility of the US dollar to gold, so now US money only was worth what people thought it was worth, and it was no longe...

The Dawes Act was enacted in 1887.  It granted the government the power to redistribute tribal lands from Native Americans. When redistributing, the government would give shares to individuals. Many socioeconomic factors are considered when giving the land, such as age and status. The government was allowed to do this with any land it considered good for farming.  The government was also allowed to sell the land for profit, and build roads, railroads, and other major infrastructure through tribal lands The Homestead Act was another move by the government to try to settle land and offer opportunities for Americans. There was also often friction between Native Americans and settlers, as settlers took over the "unsettled land".

  In the "Gospel of Wealth" Carnegie talks about how having rich AND poor people may actually be a good thing. He states that it is natural for wealth to accumulate in the hands of a few members of society. He talks about how when a few people are very rich, then the standard of living for everyone increases. He then says that if you are rich you can do 3 things with your money. 1) Leave it to your kids. He thinks this is unfair as this is what happened in Europe and that it was a failure there. He also thinks that it wouldn't help society enough. 2) Have the wealth be taxed a lot and then taken by the Government after death. Carnegie says that the idea is ok. 3) Use the wealth for the common good and give it back to the people through philanthropy. This is the idea Carnegie likes the most. It also directly contradicts social darwinism. Bill and Melinda Gates. Bill and Melinda Gates remind me of the ideas set forth by Carnegie. The couple have only promised 10 million...

In the Emancipation Proclamation Lincoln put an end to slavery. It was issued 9/22/1862 and went into effect immediately as 1863 began. All slaves in the US were now free, and the executive branch would ensure that their freedom was protected. He then calls out the confederacy and says states who don't comply are officially in a state of rebellion and as such will be removed from Congress. Lincoln then proceeds to list out states who are in rebellion and then tells the slaves in those states that they are free and that the Union will support them. Lincoln also calls those freed to join the Union army. The Emancipation Proclamation was very similar to the 15th amendment which was passed after the end of the Civil War. In the constitutional amendment African Americans were finally granted equality in terms of voting privileges. This was met with some friction in the South. The Emancipation Proclamation is similar in that it was also met with friction in the ...

  Lincoln begins by saying that there isn't really much news for him to announce, seeing as the general public had the same level of information as him. He then references the first inaugural address he made,  and how it spoke about keeping the country whole and not going to war, but how that didn't change the path of the nation since they were currently at war. He then talks about how slavery played a role in the beginning of the war, and how the war had progressed past the worst outcomes imagined by both sides. He then talks about the religious aspect, and how the confederacy and the union both prayed to God, and how Lincoln believed that God had his own plan. Lincoln then vowed to complete the war, reunite the nation and take care of the soldiers who fought valiantly.  FDR faced a similar predicament as Lincoln as he was faced with a US which was ravaged by the Great Depression. Through his inaugural addresses he combated the Great Depression while Lincoln fought th...

In the landmark ruling on 1857, the Supreme Court ruled at 7-2, that Dredd Scott couldn't sue for his own freedom. The reason for this conclusion was that he wasn't an American Citizen because he was African American, and thus had no rights. Dredd Scott sued after the state in which he resided went from slave to free. It went through multiple levels of court,  until it finally reached the Supreme Court. There the Chief Justice, Robert Taney ruled that the lawsuit brought forth should never have been entertained in the first place, because Scott was not a US citizen. This has been highly criticized as a misinterpretation of the constitution because Taney had a conflict of interest due to his ownership of slaves. This was a landmark decision that was revered in the South but despised in the North. This was just before the civil war, and had a major role in the war. Marbury V Madison  This case was very similar to Marbury Vs Madison in that both cases were very hi...

Sojourner truth begins by stating a fact, that women are equal to men. Then she goes on to describe how despite their equality, women are belittled by men. Sojourner talks about how her experience on the fields hardened her, and through that life how she realized how she performed just the same as a men, despite different beliefs from society. She ends of by bringing the religious aspect of things and speaking about how even though Jesus was a man, he was birthed by a woman. Elizabeth Cady Stanton also fought for Women's rights and was known as the leading figure of the early women's rights movement.

Douglas begins by talking about the bravery of the founding fathers, and then going on to honor them. Then he speaks about slavery, and how it is unjust, and goes against the American spirit. Since the 4th of July celebrated American freedoms, only White Americans got to enjoy the holiday Douglas went on to say. Since African Americans did not receive the same freedoms and even faced slavery, they were excluded from the holiday. Since only a portion of the population were afforded the constitutional rights the country was founded on, the US was being hypocritical. To finish, Douglas enscribed a poem. Douglas's speech was similar to the Seneca Falls convention in that two opressed groups argued for the same rights as other Americans.