Topic: The History of Politics in the U.S. | |
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We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies, and competitive values. For a nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.
-John F. Kennedy |
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Yes there was a time when 100,000s would protest in the US!
Students of Democratic Society created in 1962, united college students throughout the country in a network committed to achieving racial equality, alleviating poverty, and most immediately, ending the Vietnam War. |
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Yes there was a time when 100,000s would protest in the US! Students of Democratic Society created in 1962, united college students throughout the country in a network committed to achieving racial equality, alleviating poverty, and most immediately, ending the Vietnam War. Today that would not be possible. The public is too much divided artificially, too lazy, too afraid to unite together for one serious cause. |
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Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757 – July 12, 1804) was the first United States Secretary of the Treasury, a Founding Father, economist, and political philosopher.
The chief of staff to General George Washington during the American Revolution, he was a leader of nationalist forces calling for a new Constitution; he was one of America's first Constitutional lawyers, and wrote half of the Federalist Papers, a primary source for Constitutional interpretation. He was the strongest leader in Washington's cabinet, designing the tax, banking and fiscal policies for the new nation, and to support it he created and led the Federalist Party (United States), the the world's first voter-based political party |
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Fortunately, he was killed by Aaron Burr before he could do any more damage.
Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757 – July 12, 1804) was the first United States Secretary of the Treasury, a Founding Father, economist, and political philosopher. The chief of staff to General George Washington during the American Revolution, he was a leader of nationalist forces calling for a new Constitution; he was one of America's first Constitutional lawyers, and wrote half of the Federalist Papers, a primary source for Constitutional interpretation. He was the strongest leader in Washington's cabinet, designing the tax, banking and fiscal policies for the new nation, and to support it he created and led the Federalist Party (United States), the the world's first voter-based political party |
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President Lyndon Johnson
Signed the Civil Rights Act in 1964 outlawing racial discrimination. Proposed the 'Great Society,' a wide-ranging program that spurred reforms in education, medical care, housing, and voting rights. Sent combat troops to South Vietnam in 1965 and conducted a growing military action against Communist forces there. Forged agreements with the Soviet Union regarding the nonproliferation and use of nuclear weapons. Signed the Medical Care Act of 1965, which established the Medicare program to provide medical insurance to senior citizens. |
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The Alien and Sedition Acts were four bills passed in 1798 by the Federalists in the 5th United States Congress, who were waging an undeclared naval war with France, later known as the Quasi-War. They were signed into law by President John Adams. Proponents claimed the acts were designed to protect the United States from alien citizens of enemy powers and to stop seditious attacks from weakening the government. The Democratic-Republicans, like later historians, attacked them as being both unconstitutional and designed to stifle criticism of the administration, and as infringing on the right of the states to act in these areas. They became a major political issue in the elections of 1798 and 1800. One act—the Alien Enemies Act -- is still in force in 2009, and has frequently been enforced in wartime[citation needed]. The others expired or were repealed by 1802[citation needed]. Thomas Jefferson[dubious – discuss] held them all to be unconstitutional and void[citation needed], and pardoned and ordered the release of all who had been convicted of violating them.
Although the Federalists hoped the Act would muffle the opposition, many Democratic-Republicans still "wrote, printed, uttered and published" their criticisms of the Federalists. Indeed, they strongly criticized the act itself, and used it as one of the largest election issues. It also had enormous implications on the Federalist party after that point, and ended up being a major contributing factor of its demise. The act expired when the term of President Adams ended in 1801. Ultimately the Acts backfired against the Federalists; while they prepared lists of aliens for deportation, many aliens fled the country during the debate over the Alien and Sedition Acts, and Adams never signed a deportation order. Twenty-five people, primarily prominent newspaper editors such as Benjamin Franklin's grandson Benjamin Franklin Bache but also Congressman Matthew Lyon, were arrested. Of them, eleven were tried, Bache died awaiting trial, and ten were convicted of sedition, often in trials before openly partisan Federalist judges. Federalists at all levels, however, were turned out of power, and, over the following years, Congress repeatedly apologized for, or voted recompense to victims of, the enforcement of the Alien and Sedition Acts. Thomas Jefferson, who won the 1800 election, pardoned all of those that were convicted for crimes under the Alien Enemies Act and the Sedition Act. -wiki |
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President Ronald Reagan
Major Events While in Office: • Sandra Day O'Connor named first woman Supreme Court justice (1981) • Attempted assassination (1981) • Granada invasion (1983) • Iran-Contra Scandal (1985-89) • Glasnost with the Soviet Union (1985-1991) • Stark incident in Gulf War (1987) |
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Edited by
smiless
on
Sat 10/24/09 12:35 PM
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Since they were introduced in 1787, more than 300 billion pennies have been produced. Today, there are about 150 billion pennies in circulation, enough to circle the earth 137 times.
Since 1909, Abraham Lincoln has been the star of the penny, but it wasn’t always that way. There have been over 10 different designs, including the popular Indian Head penny introduced in 1859. |
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Edited by
smiless
on
Mon 10/26/09 10:28 AM
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• Prohibition led to a boom in the cruise industry. By taking what were advertised as "cruises to nowhere," people could legally consume alcohol as soon as the ship entered international waters where they would typically cruise in circles. • National Prohibition not only failed to prevent the consumption of alcohol, but led to the extensive production of dangerous unregulated and untaxed alcohol, the development of organized crime, increased violence, and massive political corruption. • The human body produces its own supply of alcohol naturally on a continuous basis, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Therefore, we always have alcohol in our bodies. • Prohibition clearly benefited some people. Notorious bootlegger Al Capone made $60,000,000...that's sixty million dollars...per year (untaxed!) while the average industrial worker earned less than $1,000 per year. • But not everyone benefited. By the time Prohibition was repealed, nearly 800 gangsters in the City of Chicago alone had been killed in bootleg-related shootings. And, of course, thousands of citizens were killed, blinded, or paralyzed as a result of drinking contaminated bootleg alcohol. • The "Father of Prohibition," Congressman Andrew J. Volstead, was defeated shortly after Prohibition was imposed. • Repeal occurred at 4:31 p.m. on December 5, 1933, ending 13 years, 10 months, 19 days, 17 hours and 32.5 minutes of Prohibition. • "What America needs now is a drink" declared President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the end of Prohibition. • Although Prohibition was repealed 75 years ago, there are still hundreds of dry counties across the United States today. |
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Quotes from Thomas A. Edison
Anything that won't sell, I don't want to invent. Its sale is proof of utility, and utility is success. Be courageous. I have seen many depressions in business. Always America has emerged from these stronger and more prosperous. Be brave as your fathers before you. Have faith! Go forward! Being busy does not always mean real work. The object of all work is production or accomplishment and to either of these ends there must be forethought, system, planning, intelligence, and honest purpose, as well as perspiration. Seeming to do is not doing. Discontent is the first necessity of progress. Everything comes to him who hustles while he waits. Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration. |
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Often referred to as the first "dark horse" President, James K. Polk was the last of the Jacksonians to sit in the White House, and the last strong President until the Civil War.
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