Franklin D. Roosevelt - Campaign Address

In Roosevelts Campaign Address, he speaks of the success and prosperity of how the current governement (1936) was doing and how well the economy was doing because of the strength of the government in society. He spoke of every facet of economy saying "Are you in industry? Industrial earnings, industrail profits are the highest in four, six, or even seven years! Bankruptcies are at a new low. Your Government takes some credit for that." He made sure that at every chance, the current government was seen as hero for leading the country out of such a horrible depression. He argued that high finance and people with the wealth in society were dangerous to the rest of the society because they aimed shape the society in a hierarchy with themselves sitting on the top. He also believed the group called "high finance" aimed to take the power of popular governement and discredit the work done by the government. He felt that huge corporations which had monopolies over buisnesses were stealing the wealth of the country and the government had to pump money back into the society for money to generate again. He believed that when it came down to it in this time the government was an almighty hero, while the wealthy were selfish enemies to the society as a whole.

Eugene V Debs - Revolutionary Unionism

Debs felt that people needed to join together when working to advance society. He felt to truly have honesty and an equal society, industry workers need to work together to make society right for everyone. Debs felt that big buisness owners would be unfair to workers and for workers to have a job without being taken advantage of, workers needed to make unions. He felt that workers are being taxed to the point that they are forced to revolt. Debs said that workers are being taxed beyond the point of injustice. He said that people were being taxed without the protection that is promised from these taxes. Debs asked questions of the leaders of workers such as big buisness owners and trying to figure if these people were dishonest men. He asked if these men were true to the working class and if they had the workers interest in mind when they made decisions concerning them. He felt that not only were the leaders of industry dishonest and untruthful but he went as far to say that these men were the enemies of all workers united. He felt that in all history, the current fashion in which industry was being run was the worst it has ever been for the working people. Debs concluded that to change how industry and the relationship between workers and leaders was at that time the people didnt need to follow them but they needed to follow themselves and know exactly what to do for themselves and their individual situation.

W.E.B DuBois - The Souls Of Black Folk

DuBois tried to prove the argument between appearance and essence. He felt that appearane needed to be looked past in the black community to find the essence of each person. Although he believed in his society that both appearance and essence need to exist together for people to survive. He also felt there were problems in the relationship with the individual and society, and with idealism and materialism. DuBois also brought up the dialectic saying ideas interact with each other and that each idea, even when contradicting, must be thought as working together instead of thought about alone. Another idea dialectic brings together is for things to change into their opposite. DuBois also gave the idea of the late industrial society, he believed that there is a fusion between politics and economics, saying that in institutions slowly turn into both a mix of influences of politics and economics. He also felt that at this time, the condition of race relation laws like resagination were contributing to the fact that the color barrier was gaining depth and keeping the black and white communities appart. He felt that in the late industrial society, superficiality became a real problem because people were extremely concerened with the appearance of the life instead of the essence of each person. In his book he also proved that in the south racial barriers were gaining strength because the black people down south were taking jobs from the white because they would take lower pay. Just as the southerners would take jobs from the northerners because they would be ok with taking lower pay as the blacks do in the south.

William Graham Sumner - What Social Classes Owe To Each Other

Sumner felt that each social class owed enough room for each individual to be able to exist and succeed with out the bothering of other classes. He also believed that beause the rich were more prosperous and were surrounded by resources, they had the ability to solve all the problems while the poor had the oppurtunity to make and be the problems while the rich took care of undoing wrongs and problems that the poor create. He also believed that pity is also found in the poor because the problems and faults of the classes are glossed over to make worse and for people to feel even more sorry for stuff that is not as bad as it really is. He felt that because of the fact that people are attributing way to much time trying to correct problems which arent major and are made bigger then what they really are. He said that undoubtedly society is changing and moving for the worse becasue society is beginning to lose its essence or it's "poetry" as he said.

Lincoln

The Gettysburg Address (1863)
Lincolns Gettysburg Adress was a brilliant short, sweet and "to the point." Lincoln decided to tell America that although they were in the middle of a incredibly bloody and long lasting war, they still find themselves honoring those who fought for the peace of the country. Although he says that no one has to dedicate or honor the men there and that the fact that they left their lives on the grounds, there was no need to consecrate the grounds because the blood did it for them. He modestly said that although the world will forget what was said by people at the Address, they can never forget what the people who died there had done for their nation and what they believed. He concluded by saying that because these people died here, the living will carry on their legacy within the Constitution and make sure that the "government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

Civil Disobediance

Henry David Thoreau tried to portray the need of people in society willing to change the status quo by acting and misbehaving against bodies of governement which they felt were unfair. Thoreau felt that men had a concious for a reason and that it was to rise against unfair government. The only reason he felt man had a concious was to have a voice in society and ensure that they avoided being subjects first and men second and that voicing their opinions will give way to them being men within their societies. He felt that the only obligation a man has within society is to do what he feels is right and not what the society or legislature says is correct. Thoreau went as far to say that men within a society that act within the lines and rules of the legislature were the same as "horses and dogs." He felt that obediance was the opposite of manhood and that no real man would follow the unjust law of a majority of others. Thoreau felt that a real just man in society only had one place and that was jail. To stay true to oneself a person in society must break the law and thats exactly what he called for people and readers of his to do.

Online Class Assignment 2

Plessy V. Ferguson

This case is an underrated version of the infamous Rosa Parks incident. A man named Homer Plessy decided to sit down in a Louisiana train after a "seperate yet equal" act was passed. The Seperate Car Act was named for it's rules of allowing train companies in Louisiana to seperate train cars by race and impose a 25 dollar or 20 years in prison fine to anyone who violated sed law. Plessy decided to sit in the white side of the cars. Although only being one-eighth black, Plessy was still arrested for violating the Seperate Car Act. Plessy decided to take the case into higher courts, after being shot down by two lower courts. When taken to the Supreme Court, Plessy's case was again shot down. His arguement based on the idea that the Seperate Car Act violated the thirteenth and fourteenth amendments was quickly picked apart. Based on the thirteenth amendment, slavery and involuntary servitude was to be abolished, and it was fully agreed that neither was taking place in this case being tried. On the side of the fourteenth amendment, where people who are born US citizen should not be under laws which will opress or hold them from pursuing life, liberty, and the pursuit. Plessy lost here also because these laws protect all, although making them seperate, no one was directly oppressed. The idea of seperate yet equal was allowed by the fourteenth amendment in this case, as were serperate schools. The attempt was admirable, although it was later a failure.

Thesis Statement

The views of W.E.B Du Bois with Langston Hughes converged around the potential of the black people in the work place, and in society. They both had strong views pertaining to the advancements of the black community through staying true to remaining more "black" and looking at their race as a blessing and not a "misfortune."

The Constitution: Article III Summary

The third Article in the constitution laid down the law for the Judicial power in the United States. Section 1 explained that in the United States, the power of judgement will lie in "one sumpreme Court"  and other smaller courts in which Congress will later establish. Section 1 also says that judges will hold their position as long as they have good behavior while on the stand, and they will be compensated for it.
Section 2 of this article shows to which the extent the laws reach. This section says that the Judicial power reaches to all cases which have to do with "Law and Equity, arising under this Constituion,..." Not only does the Judicial power rule over common casses but cases of Ambassadors, public ministers, Consuls, Admiral and Maritime cases, and even State versus State or people versus State cases. Basically section 2 is stating that the Judicial Power reaches to all facets of the nation. It also says that in all trails of Crimes except Impeachment, there should be a Jury present, and the trail should be held in the state in which the Crime was commited. Unless the Crime was commited in no state, then the Congress will decide where the case will be held.
Section 3 of this article speaks of Treason and says its definition is "levying War against them [The US], or in adhering to their Enemis, giving them Aid and Comfort." This section says that no person can be convicted unless there are two witnesses of the act or there is a confession in front of the court. The Congress is said to make the punishment for treason and them alone.

The Federalist Papers: Questions

-Hamilton believed that the problems with the government recommended by the constitution were that if the states felt that a law or a rule assigned by the national government was wrong they had the right to be able to disobey it. He also didnt like the idea that states contribution to the national treasury was based off of a quota in each state. He saw problems with the quota system because he felt that in times of emergency there is no way to tell how much forces a state will need the only thing that will be able to tell is the times and how much force it takes to work towards the end. A strong national governemnt solves these problems by assigning universal law.
-Hamilton meant that the people who try to disobey the national government's law are usually those who are being subdued by the rules the national government has made.
-Hamilton believed the use of the union was for Domestic Factions, Navy, Revenue, and Government economy. Weakness like state disobediance and the treasury based on quota will make all 4 of these Union powers weak.
-Shay's rebellion was a rebellion which took place in the 1770s trying to overturn suffocating taxes and debts within the people. The people who followed Shay were trying to overturn certain laws made which made it hard for poor farmers like the "Shayites" to survive. This supported Hamiltons fear because the minority group quickly tryed to rebel against the majority although the lost it was a quick show of what needed to be changed in the article of confederation.
-Hamilton feels in Article 23 that in order for the government to carry out its duty to protect the nation adn utilize it's army how it should it needs to be able to govern the nation as a whole and use the nations fleets all together under one command. Hamilton's main point is there is no way to know how much force we will need to use in war and because each state had it's own relatively strong government there was no way to put out the nations true power if there are limitations to which states will commit and which will disobey. I agree with Hamilton here because in a time of war the nation will need to come together as one to defeat other foes, and if there is limits in war time that will make the country weak, and while we are looking for more forces, other countries will be full ready to continue their attacks.
-I feel Hamilton's quote in Article 78, although accurate, is flawed because although he is trying to assign full power over the constitution to the judicial branch, he is saying nothing of the other branches and their checks upon judicial decisions.

Homework 2: Reflection On Sam Adams "The Rights Of The Colonists

I feel Samuel Adams speach on "The Rights Of The Colonists" was really his way of eloquently voicing the cries of the colonists. His aim was to not only make the natural rights of the colonists law, but to also give freedom to each man as his own. Adams believed that each man should have the right to look out and live for himself. Adams seemed to be the only one of his time who believed that religions should be seperate from all else, and that each other religion should be able to tollerate the practices of another. Adams felt that every man had enough of a conscience to be able to say what is wrong and what is right in society, and allow his view of god govern his actions and govern his punishment if he does anything unlawful. Adams believed that "The natural liberty of man is to be free from any superior power on earth, and not to be under the will or legislative authority of man; but only to have the law of nature for his rule," This is Adams beliefs for society and their relations to rights and laws in a nutshell. There really should be no super power in society ruling over all because nature already rules over all and needs no help. Although these ideas are agreeable in my eyes I feel that in todays society there is no way in hell that this could ever work because of the corruption in todays man. I feel as days progress and the rich get richer and the poor watch the rich and get poorer, corruption flourishes.
One point Adams made that i couldnt agree with was his view that all men are entitled to have servants to protect their "lives, liberty and property." I think this is extremely hipocritical because the fact that natural rights and life, liberty and property are the fundamental points of his speech he is allowing jobs as a servant to be fine as long as it is to protect ones lifestyle. That was one thing Adams said that I was completly opposed to.

Homework Assignment 1: Reflection On Speech Of Choice

I feel that Roger Williams speech The Bloody Tenet of Persecution, Made More Bloody spoke to me the most out of all four speeches. I feel that Roger Williams speaks of a constant tenet throughout his speech to try and convey a certain feeling that this person being described is within us all. He says "a tenet" before a common description of the actions taken by people who label themselves as believers and worshipers, but are problematic to society because of how they are carrying out their practices of belief. For example, Williams speaks of a tenet who "fights against the common principles of all civility, and the very civil being and combinations of men in nations, cities, etc., by coming (explicitly or implicitly) a spiritual and civil state together, and so confounding and overthrowing the purity and strength of both..." This tenet becomes problematic to not only his religion but to society as a whole when he or she begins to mix religion with their civilty, and allowing rules and regulations to reach over to the other, meshing not only a confusion personally but socially. There are examples of this today, when politicians decide to bring their religion into their speech and nonbelievers of another belief will immediately feel offended because it is usually just to keep a split between religion and state. Roger Williams speech is significant to me because I feel its not only relevant to his time especially, but to ours when so much religious freedoms are being challenged due to the actions of the few.