Reconstruction Era

 

Reconstruction was a period in U.S. history during and after the American Civil War in which attempts were made to solve the political, social, and economic problems arising from the readmission to the Union of the 11 Confederate states that had seceded at or before the outbreak of war. As early as 1862, Pres. Abraham Lincoln had appointed provisional military governors for Louisiana, Tennessee, and North Carolina. The following year, initial steps were taken to reestablish governments in newly occupied states in which at least 10 percent of the voting population had taken the prescribed oath of allegiance. Aware that the presidential plan omitted any provision for social or economic reconstruction, the Radical Republicans in Congress resented such a lenient political arrangement under solely executive jurisdiction. As a result, the stricter Wade-Davis Bill was passed in 1864 but pocket vetoed by the President. After Lincoln's assassination (April 1865), Pres. Andrew Johnson further alienated Congress by continuing Lincoln's moderate policies. The Fourteenth Amendment, defining national citizenship so as to include blacks, passed Congress in June 1866 and was ratified, despite rejection by most Southern states (July 28, 1868). In response to Johnson's intemperate outbursts against the opposition as well as to several reactionary developments in the South (e.g., race riots and passage of the repugnant black codes severely restricting rights of blacks), the North gave a smashing victory to the Radical Republicans in the 1866 congressional election. That victory launched the era of congressional Reconstruction (usually called Radical Reconstruction), which lasted 10 years starting with the Reconstruction Acts of 1867. Under that legislation, the 10 remaining Southern states (Tennessee had been readmitted to the Union in 1866) were divided into five military districts; and, under supervision of the U.S. Army, all were readmitted between 1868 and 1870. Each state had to accept the Fourteenth or, if readmitted after its passage, the Fifteenth Constitutional Amendment, intended to ensure civil rights of the freedmen. The newly created state governments were generally Republican in character and were governed by political coalitions of blacks, carpetbaggers (Northerners who had gone into the South), and scalawags (Southerners who collaborated with the blacks and carpetbaggers). The Republican governments of the former Confederate states were seen by most Southern whites as artificial creations imposed from without, and the conservative element in the region remained hostile to them. Southerners particularly resented the activities. 

World War II

 

World War 2, also known as the Second World War, was a war fought from 1939 to 1945 in Europe and, during much of the 1930s and 1940s, in Asia. The war in Europe began in earnest on September 1, 1939 with the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany, and concluded on September 2, 1945, with the official surrender of the last Axis nation, Japan. However, in Asia the war began earlier with Japanese interventions in China, and in Europe, the war ended earlier with the unconditional surrender of Germany on May 8, 1945. The conflict spilled over into Africa, included a handful of incidents in the Americas, and a series of major naval battles. It was the largest armed conflict in history, spanning the entire world and involving more countries than any other war, as well as introducing powerful new weapons, culminating in the first use of nuclear weapons. However, despite the name, not all countries of the world were involved; some through neutrality (such as the Eire - though Eire supplied some important secret information to the Allies; D-Day's date was decided on the basis of incoming Atlantic weather information supplied from Ireland - Sweden, and Switzerland), others through strategic insignificance (Mexico). The war ravaged civilians more severely than any previous conflict and served as a backdrop for genocidal killings by Nazi Germany as well as several other mass slaughters of civilians which, although not technically genocide, were significant. These included the massacre of millions of Chinese and Korean nationals by Japan, internal mass killings in the Soviet Union, and the bombing of civilian targets in German and Japanese cities by the Allies. In total, World War II produced about 50 million deaths, more than any other war to date. 

David Graham Phillips

 

Phillips was born in Madison, Indiana. After graduating from high school, Phillips entered Asbury College (now DePauw University) -- following which he received a degree from Princeton University in 1887.After completing his education, Phillips worked as a newspaper reporter in Cincinnati, Ohio, before moving on to New York City where he was employed as a reporter for The Sun from 1890 to 1893, then columnist and editor with the New York World until 1902. In his spare time, he wrote a novel, The Great God Success, that was published in 1901. The royalty income enabled him to work as a freelance journalist while continuing to write fiction. Writing articles for various prominent magazines, he began to develop a reputation as a competent investigative journalist. Phillips' novels often commented on social issues of the day and frequently chronicled events based on his real-life journalistic experiences. He was considered a Progressive and a muckraker .Phillips wrote an article in Cosmopolitan in March 1906, called "The Treason of the Senate", exposing campaign contributors being rewarded by certain members of the U. S. Senate. The story launched a scathing attack on Rhode Island senator Nelson W. Aldrich, and brought Phillips a great deal of national exposure. This and other similar articles helped lead to the passage of the Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, initiating popular instead of state-legislature election of U. S. senators.David Graham Philips is known for producing one of the most important investigations exposing details of the corruption by big businesses of the Senate, in particular, by the Standard Oil Company. He was among a few other writers during that time that helped prompt President Theodore Roosevelt to use the term “Muckrakers”.The article inspired journalist Charles Edward Russell to insist to his boss William Randolph Hearst, who had just recently purchased the Cosmopolitan magazine, that he push his journalists to explore the Senate corruption as well. Philips was offered the position to explore more information about the corruption and bring it into the public’s eye. Philips’ brother Harrison and Gustavus Myers were hired as research assistants for Philips. Hearst commented to his readers about Philips starting a series that would reveal the Senate corruption so much, that most Senators would resign. This held true for some of the Senators, such as New York Senators Chauncey M. Depew and Thomas Collier Platt. Philips exposed Depew as receiving more than $50,000 from several companies. He also helped educate the public on how the senators were selected and that it was held in the hands of a few bosses in a tight circle, helping increase the corruption level. As a result of these articles, only four of the twenty-one senators that Philips wrote about were still in office. Philips also had some of the greatest success as a muckraker, because he helped change the U.S. Constitution, with the passage of the 17th Amendment, creating popular election for senators.His talent for writing was not the only thing that helped him stand out in the newsroom. Philips was known to dress in a white suit with a large chrysanthemum in his lapel.



Commonwealth vs. Hunt presented at court in 1842, was an American legal case in which the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled that the common-law doctrine of criminal conspiracy did not apply to labour unions. Until then, workers’ attempts to establish closed shops had been subject to prosecution. Chief Justice Lemuel Shaw asserted, however, that trade unions were legal and that they had the right to strike or take other steps of peaceful coercion to raise wages and ban non-union workers. As well as the case stemmed from a demand by the Boston Journeymen Bootmakers’ Society that an employer fire one of its members who had disobeyed the society’s rules. The employers, fearing a strike, complied, but the dismissed employee complained to the district attorney, who then drew an indictment charging the society with conspiracy. The Boston Municipal Court found the union guilty. Justice Shaw, hearing the case on appeal, altered the traditional criteria for conspiracy by holding that the mere act of combining for some purpose was not illegal. Only those combinations intended “to accomplish some criminal or unlawful purpose, or to accomplish some purpose, not in itself criminal or unlawful, by criminal or unlawful means” could be prosecuted. Shaw, in effect, legalized the American labour union movement by this decision.
The Norris-LaGuardia Act of 1932 and the Wagner Act of 1935 recognized labor's right to organize unions, but unions were not fully recognized as legal until later on. Though judges throughout the decade would become more anti-union, Commonwealth v. Hunt served as a legitimizer for trade unions. When the time to vote presented itself commonwealth recived 23% of the votes while hunt recieved 77% of the votes from a total of 101. votes. As any child might see the clear winner was Hunt.

John Blair

I John Blare was a wealthy lawyer who owned $10,000 in bonds and 26 slaves, I was also a Virginian colleague of James Madison. I was born in Virginia in 1731,on receiving a collegiate education, I entered upon the study of the law, and in a very few years rose to the head of my profession. From eminence at the bar, my course to political distinction was rapid and successful. I was called by the voice of my fellow-citizens to some of the highest and most important trusts, which I faithfully discharged, at a time when the state of the country wore the most gloomy aspect, and by my exertions contributed essentially to its liberty and independence. In 1787, at which time I was judge of the court of appeals, the legislature of Virginia, finding the judiciary system inconvenient, established circuit courts, the duties of which they directed the judges of the courts of appeals to perform. These judges, among whose names are those of Pendleton, and Wythe, and myself remonstrated, and declared the act unconstitutional. In the same year I took my seat in the convention which met at Philadelphia to frame the federal constitution, and was one of its most active members. To that instrument the names of Madison and myself were affixed as the deputies from Virginia. In September, 1789, when the government which I had assisted in establishing had commenced its operations, I was appointed by President Washington an associate judge of the supreme court of the United States. I died September 12, 1800, in the sixty-ninth year of my age. I was an amiable, accomplished, and truly virtuous man.

The Seven Years' War

The Seven Years' War was a "worldwar" that took place between 1756 and 1763. The reason many historian debated whether or not The Seven Years' War truely was a war was because it only involved selected contries due to their economic tethering. These countries were Europe, Africa, India, North America, South America, the Philippine Islands. The war was driven by England and the French resulting since both countries had a desire to trade with the Colonies. As these countries waged war to seek either independence from their sovernt country like the colonies did. Or whether it was a struggle for ressorces or trade routes like many of the other contries did many lives where lost some 900,000 to 1,400,000 people died. In the year 1763 a peace settlement was reached at the Treaty of Hunbertusburg ending the war in central Europe.

The Enlightenment

Through out American History their have been events that have transpired to break those chains that have bound the American Colonies to Mother England. One amongst these is the Enlightenment which occured from 1640's to the 1700's . Though the Enlightenment was a revolutionary act that conjucated many diveres ideas on philosophy which were borrowed from philosiphers such as Brauch Spinoz, John Locke,PierreBayle, Sir Issac Newton and Voltaire. As these revolutionary ideas where applied to situations at that time the colonies where beginning to appose England as their sovernt and began to revolt.