LAD #25: Dawes Severalty Act

Dawes Act

Summary: The 1889 Dawes Severalty Act essentially served as a means of assimilating natives into the white American culture. It gave the President the authority to survey Tribal Lands and divide them up into private allotments for Individual indian owners. If these owners would leave the tribe and live in the white fashion, they would be given the land, and full citizenship. Again, this really just served as an attempt by the Federals to deal with the "Indian Problem" via assimilation.

(To this day, conflicts between Indians and the Government over land usage and ownership exist, as can be seen in the recent Dakota Access Pipeline debacle).

LAD #24: Cross of Gold

Bryan's "Cross of Gold"

Summary: William Bryan's "Cross of Gold" speech was an attempt to convince people to support  the free silver coinage at a 16-1 ratio. Bryan argued that a pure gold standard was unfair to regular people and only benefited the elite, and that by adopting a silver-gold standard, the US could protect the interests of farmers and country folk. It is these interests that Bryan says the nation would starve without, and cannot be allowed to be crucified "on a cross of gold."

(Since 1971, the US Dollar has actually not been backed by anything other than the "promise of the US Government.")

LAD #23: Populist Party Platform

Populist Party Platform

Summary: This platform seems to be an early precursor to socialism/communism. The Populist Party is very in favor of Labor Unions, and wants all wealth to be kept by those who created it (workers). Additionally, the Party supported increased minting of specie, and a graduated income tax. Finally, the party wanted government control of the rails, and all land to be held by American Citizens, not aliens or large corporations who do not need it. This platform was clearly that of common workers, who rightly felt exploited by big business, and ignored by government.

(Similar in platform to the Populist Party of the late 1800's, the US would battle Communists all the way until the collapse of the USSR in the late 20th Century).

LAD #22: McKinley's War Message

Mckinley's War Message

Summary: Mckinley starts his address by outlining the major pieces of the Cuban Insurrection, and how they have negatively affected the US and Cuba. Next the President offers reasoning as to how US intervention is the only way to swiftly end the conflict, and then lists the four main reasons that the US should intervene. (To avoid further barbarities, the lack of a protective government in Cuba, damage to US business on Cuba, and most importantly, the attacks of US vessels and shipping by sides unable to protect neutral ships). To close, he informs Congress that he has done all he can Constitutionally to solve the issue, and he now needs their help. This would result in the following Spanish-American war.

(Half a century after the US granted Cuban independence, we attempted to re-take Cuba from the Communists in the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion).

LAD #21: Carnegie's Gospel of Wealth

Gospel of Wealth

Summary: First off, Carnegie states that the new age of the very rich few and the poor majority is not in itself a bad thing. He argues that in past ages it was simply the very poor and the less poor, and that by having these extremely wealthy moguls (which are themselves the creation of ingenuity and enterprise), society is elevated as a whole. Carnegie then changes course, discussing the "three uses of wealth." Those being: bequeathing it to heirs, giving it to the public upon death, and spending. The tycoon then lampoons the first two, arguing that heirs are often ruined by the large wealth they gain (Europe), and that society may misuse money directly given to it. Instead, Carnegie says that a wealthy man should spend his wealth, essentially stating that by spending he helps the economy as a whole, and thus society as well.

(In this piece, Carnegie also references the newborn Estate Tax, the eradication of which has become a token aspect of Republican politics in the present day).