Roe vs. Wade 1973

Roe vs. Wade 1973

Roe vs Wade banned abortions except to save the life of the mother. The court’s ruling was that states weren’t allowed to outlaw or gullet any aspect of abortion during the first trimester, could only abort babies if it affected the mothers maternal health in the second and third trimesters, and could protect the fetus in the third trimester. Roe vs. Wade politically split the nation more than any other debates in its history and is still a continued problems and national divider in the USA today. 

During the time of the Roe vs Wade decision many states restricted and banned abortions. The first challenge of these restrictions were brought up during the 1960’s feminist revolution. in 1970 Linda Coffee and Sarah Weddington challenged the abortion law on behalf of Norma McCorvey (Jane Roe) claiming that the Texas Law violating abortions violated Roe’s constitutional rights. The lawsuit was filed against Henry Wade, Dallas Country District Attorney, thus bringing about the name Roe vs. Wade. The Texas Supreme Court ruled with Roe, that not allowing her to have an abortion was against her constitutional right, though angered by this decision Wade appeal to the US Supreme Court. 

The Supreme Court in a 7-2 decision ruled that the Texas statute violated Jane Roe’s constitutional right to privacy. “The Court argued that the ‘zone of privacy’ was ‘broad enough to encompass a woman’s decision whether or not to terminate her pregnancy.’ This decision involved myriad physical, psychological, and economic stresses a pregnant woman must face” (PBS). The Supreme Court ended up ruling against Roe “protecting all fetuses under this contentious view of prenatal life was not sufficiently important to justify the state’s banning of almost all abortions”

Roe vs. Wade was released in January 1973 and still remains very controversial to this day. This Supreme Court case was the most famous because it brought in controversy from every view of life, ethics, politics, religion, and biology. Abortion laws are still highly controversial today and many states disagree with one another around the laws of abortion. 

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/supremecourt/rights/landmark_roe.html

American Art During the New Deal

In early 1934 the United States was in the depth of the Great Depression and around 25% of people were unemployed. Because of the Great Depression and the horrors of unemployment the government birthed the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP), which for the first four months of 1934 hired 3749 artists and produced 15663 paintings, mural, prints, crafts and sculptures for government buildings. (Smithsonian). The average artist was payed roughly $75.59 per artwork, which was very good money for back then, especially in the time of the Great Depression. 

The purpose and premise of PWAP was to help artists thrive in the Great Depression and show the world that art is just as important as all the other industries struggling in the United States. Artists were recruited through newspaper advertisements, and the program itself was funded and running within weeks of the idea of it. Because of the Depression and the extreme unemployment rate, people stood in the cold and waited outside of government buildings to just apply to get the jobs. 

PWAP was just the beginning of art recognition, it was not the most successful organization but its successor, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) helped bring up and support young artists who would eventually become luminaries. WPA was the most ambitious American New Deal agency, and employed anyone in the arts from painters to architects. WPA created new parks, bridges, and schools around the country and when it peaked provided jobs for 3 million unemployed because of the Great Depression. 

Though WPA was liquidated in June 1943 because of low unemployment rates because of WWII, it provided millions of jobs for unemployed Americans because of the Great Depression for 8 years. Most everyone out of a job was applicable for WPA and earned wage during the horrid times of the Great Depression. 

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/1934-the-art-of-the-new-deal-132242698/?no-ist

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Works_Progress_Administration

Eugenics and Buck vs. Bell

Eugenics is a Pseudoscientific set of beliefs and practices which aims at improving the genetic quality of the human population. Eugenics became negatively popular through the Holocaust in Nazi, Germany, which was the removal of Jewish and other non-German races and the murder of about 12 million people. Eugenics was also popular in America though it was not bought into by most people in the country. 

Eugenics became popular in America through the Buck vs. Bell decision on may 2, 1927. "The United States Supreme Court upheld a Virginia statute that provided for the eugenic sterilization for people considered genetically unfit” (Eugenics Archive). The court’s decision was delivered to the public by Olver Wendell Holmes Jr., who’s famous phrase was “Three generations of imbeciles are enough” (Eugenics Archive). The agreement and upholding of Virginia’s sterilization statute provided for some other 30 states to provide similar laws and about 65000 forced sterilized Americans. 

The most famous case of Buck vs. Bell was Carrie Buck and her mother Emma Buck were condemned to the Virginia Colony for Epileptics and Feeble Minded, they were committed here because they had both birthed children that were not out of marriage. Soon after Carrie’s daughter, Vivian, was born she was condemned as “feebleminded” which completed three generations of imbeciles, allowing Virginia to enact the Eugenic Sterilization Law in 1924. 

The night before their trial Vivian Buck’s doctor said she was moving backwards in growth, though she was only seven months old and they had no real proof for this statement. “The Superintendent of the Virginia Colony, Dr. Albert Priddy, testified that members of the Buck family ‘belong to the shiftless, ignorant, and worthless class of anti-social whites of the South’” (Eugenics Archive). This statement and the previous that Vivian was moving backwards proved and pushed the Supreme Court to force sterilization among the Buck family. 

For roughly 75 years Virginians and the Supreme Court did not acknowledge the fact that Eugenics was a Pseudoscience and that its beliefs were based upon faulty science. But in 2001 the Virginia General Assembly finally did acknowledge these facts and expressed its “profound regret over the Commonwealth’s role in the eugenics movement in this country and over the damage done in the name of eugenics” (Eugenics Archive). 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugenics
http://www.eugenicsarchive.org/html/eugenics/static/themes/39.html 

Teutophobia (Germanophobia) of WW1

In 1914, the river banks of the Marne and the fields of Tannenberg suddenly flooded with the blood of thousands upon thousands of brave French, British, German, Serbian, Austrian, Hungarian, Russian, Canadian, Italian, and... need I go on? Americans, hailing from all regions of Europe, looked with dread towards the conflict that engulfed their previous homeland.

Germany
At the time, nearly a tenth of the nation's population had German heritage making it a significant political and social force in the United States. When the war broke out, firebrands and young German Americans send telegrams to the German-American embassy asking to be sent back to fight for the Fatherland. Jewish immigrants in Cincinnati discussed the idea of raising a militia to fight for the Kaiser against the Russians who had authorized mass violence against Russian Jewish populations in the late 1800's. Those that remained heavily ardently disagreed with the bias of American arms shipping to the Allies and called for complete neutrality. Many Germans could not support the autocracy of the Kaiser or the massacre of civilians in Belgium, but did not like the hypocrisy of the American government in its conduct of foreign affairs. Alongside Irish Americans, mad at the British for denying political liberties, German Americans pushed for complete American neutrality, a kind that was not followed. After the destruction of the Lusitania, German-Americans joined Irish-Americans in massive peace protests in New York City and the Midwest. [1][2][3]

Regardless of this, thousands of Americans feared infiltration and the enemy within the continent leading to drastic laws such as the Espionage Act, many targets of which were ethnic Germans. Reminiscent of the anti-French fervor of the Quasi war in 1796 and the anti-British fervor through most of American history up until the mid 1880's, the anti-German fervor was rampant, violent, and thorough. In Iowa, the German language was banned and around the nation, German was removed from high schools, even in predominant German regions. Cases of violence and fervent wartime suspicion was cast upon vast populations of German Americans. Juries were also affected with these same sentiments and let many accused run free. [1][2]

What did not help was the consistent rumor, and existence, though limited, of a German spy ring that sabotaged the American industry. Although the espionage network was limited and its attacks on the whole unsuccessful, anti-German hysteria kept ramping up. Adding to this was the German recall, and American expulsion of, the German military attaché to the United States, Franz von Papen. Accused of planning attacks upon the United States, specifically the detonation of the Welland Canal in Canada (very close to the American border). Americans were told to report any suspicious activity and the Committee of Public Information funded a massive propaganda campaign against Germans, now branded the Hun. [4][5][6]

The final blow to German culture was the mass renaming of everything German while the fires of Europe raged on. Berlin, Maine was renamed to Marne, Maine alongside many other streets and cities across America. Bismarck Street became Fourth Street, Berlin to Pershing, and Kaiser St. to Gresham St. Germans, fearing for safety and wanting to fit in, changed their names. Schmidts became Smiths, Rau to Rowe, and Wilhelms to Williams. The effects of this are still seen today through the Anglicized names that exist all across America today. [2]

With the war over, American nativism returned in its normal, non-state of war form as seen through massive immigration reductions and restrictions (Although Germany was not as affected by these as other nations). Of course, relaxed anti-German sentiment will not last as a larger conflict with Germany, Italy, and Japan a mere 22 years later will dwarf the paranoia of WW1 Americans had against their own citizens.

[1]http://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/ethnic_minorities_at_war_usa
[2]https://www15.uta.fi/FAST/US1/REF/germ-ww1.html
[3]http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/nchist-newcentury/5764
[4]http://www.npr.org/2014/02/25/282439233/during-world-war-i-germany-unleashed-terrorist-cell-in-America
[5]http://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/papen.htm
[6]http://www.firstworldwar.com/source/dumba_bernstorff.htm

Lochner's Legacy

As early 20th century progressives pushed big dreams of bigger government, they were often fought by a conservative Supreme Court that believed the Constitution existed to protect private property and enterprise. Eventually, SCOTUS joined the tide of progressive reforms, but only after a series of reactionary decisions were passed down.

Against Progressivism and the New Deal

One of the most controversial cases presented to the court of Chief Justice Fuller was the 1905 case Lochner v. New York, where Joseph Lochner, owner of a bakery, violated a New York state law prohibiting the employment of bakers for more than sixty hours per week. When Lochner was fine for breaking the law, he appealed the conviction, and the case eventually found its way to the Supreme Court. In a 5-4 decision, the court ultimately ruled in favor of Lochner and struck own the offending law on the grounds that since baking was not a particularly dangerous profession, the law violated "the right of contract between the employer and employees."(1) Once again, the 14th Amendment's Due Process" clause found itself extended beyond basic civil rights. The decision handed down in Lochner would define an era of court decisions: Lochner set a precedent against labor regulation across the country, and would be used to fight almost all public policies designed to protect workers.(2) Lochner's influence persisted well into the New Deal era, as many of FDR's policies were initially struck down by the Court in the name of "liberty of contract" and small government. Not until 1937 did SCOTUS acknowledge in West Coast Hotel v. Parish that the freedom of contract was "a qualified, and not an absolute right" under the 14th Amendment, and Lochner was consigned to infamy just as Dredd Scott and Plessy were.(3)

Lochner and the First Amendment

As the new century ushered in new ideas and new tensions, the right of freedom of speech came under fire as well. In 1912, feminists Margaret Sanger was arrested for giving a lecture on birth control; in 1919, Socialist Charles Schenck was arrested for distributing anti-war material; and in many cases, people were arrested simply membership in "radical" groups.(4) Conflict over freedom of speech was ignited mostly by WWI and the Espionage Act, which called for the arrest of those who spoke against the war effort. The case of Schenck, who distributed leaflets denouncing the draft, was taken to the Supreme Court, where the court made a unanimous decision of his guilt. Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, who dissented in Lochner, concurred with the majority and created the idea of "clear and present danger," as things like the act of "shouting fire in a crowded theater" posed a danger and thus could not be protected by the First.(5) Whether or not Schenck's actions actually posed such a threat to national security is debatable, but free speech was dealt a significant blow regardless. While cases like Schenck are not usually categorized as part of the Lochner era, scholars have begun to find links between First Amendment decisions and the logic of Lochner. Elizabeth Sepper, Associate Professor at Washington University, explains that cases reminiscent of Lochner paint rights like freedom of religion as part of the ability to contract, and that in many cases, forms of free speech are linked directly to private economic interest.(6) The logic behind the Schenck decision would seem to fall more with the former.

The influence and infamy of the Lochner case extends well beyond private enterprise, and is often invoked as a warning today. The precedent of the case itself may be gone, but its status as constitutional bogeyman endures nontheless.

(1) http://www.pbs.org/wnet/supremecourt/capitalism/history2.html
(2) http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/the-lochner-litmus-test
(3) http://www.pbs.org/wnet/supremecourt/capitalism/landmark_westcoast.html
(4) https://www.aclu.org/freedom-expression-0
(5) http://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/zinnwarhea14.html
(6) http://columbialawreview.org/free-exercise-lochnerism/

Chicago World’s Fair 1933

The World’s fair originally began with the French Industrial Exposition of 1844 which was held in Paris, France. The purpose of this fair was to put light to the new inventions in France and to show the public how they were useful. This exposition was soon followed by many other national exhibitions in Europe, and eventually became a worldwide event. These World Fair’s were used to bring country’s together in one place to show off their new technology, mostly for trading purposes. Some of the most important inventions of the century were presented at World’s Fair, for example the telephone. 

A Century of Progress International Exposition was held in 1933 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the city itself. The purpose of this fair was to show the world the newest and greatest inventions and show off why they are so great and useful. This fair was held on Lake Michigan, which was immediately South of Chicago’s downtown area. "This fair was open from May 27, 1933-November 12, 1933, originally only meant for one season but was extended for another year, reopening on May 26, 1934, and closing on October 31, 1934. This extension was due in part to the fair’s public popularity, but mainly as an effort to earn sufficient income to retire its debts” (Chicago HS) The world’s fair was very expensive though it brought it a lot of revenue for the city itself but the United States as a whole as well. This money was very important because the United States was beginning their initial climb out of the stock market crash of 1929 and the Great Depression. “In the early planning stages, $171,400 was raised by the sale of Founder and Sustaining Memberships” (Chicago HS). The reason this fair or Century of Progress got so much outside funding was because the US government was still fighting and dealing with the Depression, though they did “fund appropriately $1,725,000” (Chicago HS).

The Century of Progress was a huge success, “A Century of Progress took place in a ‘golden age’ of world’s fairs. The grand total of attendance for the two years was 48,769,227” (Chicago HS). A Century of Progress took place in the heart of the Great Depression, and through that difficulty became one of the most famous, successful, world’s fairs. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World%27s_fair

https://www.chicagohs.org/history/century/centbibl.html

Us and the 20's: The Language

Slang: Similarities and Differences Between Almost a Century

Almost everybody on earth uses slang to communicate, and when you think about how often new slang words arise, it is interesting that we can look back on the slang from about a century ago and comprehend what most of the words mean. Understanding the slang, and how people spoke in history can give you a better understanding of the people in history and why they make their decisions. Slang changes a lot, but almost 100 years later and we still use and understand the majority of the slang from the 1920's. We can even see some of the slang we use today, was adapted from the 1920's. For example people nowadays often use the word "wet" to describe something good, and a common way to describe someone or something good in the 1920's was to say "all wet. 'He's all wet!'"Some of the words are exactly the same, such as when two people had a complaint or problem it would be called beef, and today you will often hear people say "they have beef about..." However as it was 95 years ago they also used slang that would never be heard anywhere today. "Copacetic" was the term to describe something wonderful, fine, or alright. Similarly in the 1920's you might heard the phrase "What's your dick doing," meaning what task did you give your private investigator, while it would mean something else today. In some cases we use the same terms as in the 1920's but they mean different things now. The term "slay," as in " you slay," today means your fierce, perfect, or on point, while in the 20's it meant your funny.

It is easier to connect, relate, and sympathize with people of history knowing something you have in common, such as slang words. History can often be hard to understand because you don't have things in common with these historical figures and therefore can't see the reasoning behind their actions. Knowing the slang of an era can help you understand the people of the era, and you can then make educated assumptions for the reasoning behind their actions.

http://local.aaca.org/bntc/slang/slang.htm