LAD #29- Truman Doctrine

The Truman Doctrine, which was presented to Congress on March 12, 1947, was meant to assist both Greece and Turkey in their problems following World War II. Greece and Turkey were faced with Communist insurgents attempting to take over. These countries, recently liberated from the Germans, had no army, and no infrastructure, and thus were in danger of collapsing. President Truman asked Congress for $400 million to send to these two countries, in the form of aid, to keep them from being taken over. This was Truman’s first demonstration of his policy of containment, which was to contain the spread of Communism to other countries. By providing needed aid to these two flailing countries, Truman ensured they would not become communist. Truman also stated that the United States needed to act quickly, as the United Nations would move too slowly. Truman insisted that it was the very goal of the United Nations to stop countries from being taken over by coercion, and by allowing the Soviets to take over Greece, the charter was being broken.

LAD #28- FDR First Inaugural

He talks about all the negative things happening in America, and that the country is facing many difficulties, although they are mostly about material things. He said that “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” He said the largest task the nation was facing was putting people to work, due to the massive unemployment percentages. It was also the Good Neighbor Policy, and that they would be favorable to other nations.

LAD #27- Schneck vs. United States

This was a Supreme Court decision where the question of whether a person had the right to speak out against a draft during wartime, in accordance with the rights mentioned in the First Amendment. Schneck was a Socialist, and he circulated flyers advocating the question of the draft. In the end, it was proclaimed that people did not have unconditional free speech, citing shouting a “fire in a crowded movie theatre” would go against the rights of the individual citizens.

LAD #26- Kellogg-Briand Pact

It is also known as the Pact of Paris, and it said that war could not be used as a foreign policy to solve problems. However, the pact was contradictory, for if someone broke the pact, war would have to be declared, thus going against its original purpose.