Farewell Address of Eisenhower-(January 17, 1961) "post" cold war; warned Americans about the new concept of arms; siad to beware of foreign entanglements -- don't get involved in foreign military, be cautioned against alliances. similar to:
Farewell Address of George Washington- he realized the importat role he'd taken in developing the role of the president; asked the citizens to avoid political involvement between foreign nations (Eisenhower attempted to resurrect this warning).
Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions-(1798/1799) by Jefferson and Madison, respectively; used to nullify the Alien and Sedition Acts as unconstitutional; endorsed only by Kentucky and Virginia -- other states refused to accept the implications.
Nullification Ordinance and Crisis-(1832) Virginia legislatures debated and eventually defeated many emancipation proposals; caused many slave states to tighten their slave codes and prohibit emancipation altogether.
Court Packing Plan-(March 9, 1937) by FDR; a bill to reorganize the judicial branch, legislation that would allow for the appointment of one new justice for each current one over 70, up to 15 new justices; would have allowed Roosevelt to "pack" the courts with people sympathetic to New Deal programs: NOT APPROVED.
Monroe Doctrine-(December 2, 1823) initially a stern warning to the Eruopean powers: a doctrine of noncolonization and nonintervention -- directed mainly at Russia in the northwestern U.S.; closed all the Americas to further colonization.
Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine-(1905) "preventive intervention" -- the U.S. takes over in Latin American countries to prevent Germans/British from possibly invading; U.S. takes over customs houses, pay of debts (as moral obligation).
Dred Scott Decision-(March 6, 1887) one of the opening "paper-gun blasts" of the Civil War; Dred Scott (a slave) sued for freedom on the basis that he resided on free soil (5 years in Illinois/Wisconsin territory); Supreme Court made it a big political issue -- said that slaves are chattel, not citizens, so not only could Scott not sue, he was considered property in any state, free or slave; Compromise of 1820 became unconstitutional.
Kansas-Nebraska Act-(1854) by Senator Stephen A. Douglas; called for the issue of slavery to be resolved by popular sovereignty (according to Missouri Comp. of 1820, slavery illegal in Nebraska [N of 36-30']) in Nebraska and Kansas -- North saw repeal of MO Comp. as a breach of faith; led directly to the Civil War.
Proclamation of 1763-(1763) London government issued out of the blue; prohibited settlement in the area beyond the Appalachians -- not meant to oppress colonists, but to work out the Indian problem failry and prevent another bloody eruption like Pontiac's uprising; people settled there anyway to test British rule.
Northern Securities Co. vs. U.S.-(1902) Roosevelt as trustbuster; Northern Securities, a RR company organized by J.P. Morgan and James J. Hill, sought to achieve a virtual monopoly -- courts said NO; on appeal, Supreme Court upheld the suit; the decision jolted Wall Street and big businesses, but enhanced Roosevelt's reputation.
Schecter Poultry Co. vs. U.S-(1935) Supreme Court shot down the [NRA]-SPC with famed "sick chicken" decision; unanimous decision that Congress could not delegate legislative powers to the executive -- also stated that congressional control of interstate commerce could not apply to local fowl business (ha-ha).
Scopes Monkey Trial-(1925) Bio teacher John T. Scopes indicted in Dayton, TN for teaching children the theory of evolution; defended by William Jennings Bryan, fined $100; increased the number of Christians who reconciled the revelations of religion with the findings of modern science.
Stamp Act-(1765) after Seven Years' War, British thought the Americans should help pay off the debts, so it required stamped paper or a stamp certifying that taxes had been payed on: playing cards, newspapers, diplomas, marriage licenses, other official documents; sparked Revolutionary War.
Marshall Plan-(1947) Marshall invited Europeans to create a European Community; met in Paris (July), called for spending $12.5 billion over 4 years in 16 countries; finally decided by Czechoslovakia's communist coup (Soviet-assisted).
Taft-Hartley Act-(1947) Republican-controlled Congress passed act over Truman's veto; was considered "slave labor law"; outlawed all "closed" (all-union) shops, made unions liable for damages that resulted from jurisdictional disputes among themselves and required a non-Communist oath (for leaders).
Sherman Anti-Trust Act-(1890) forbade combinations in restraint of trade; no distinctions between "good" and "bad" trusts; initally, there were few prosecutions under the SA-TA, but later (1914), more were tried.
Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas-(1954/1955) unanimous rule that "separate but equal" under Plessy vs. Ferguson was a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.
Questions? Comments? E-mail me:
[email protected]
