LAD #31: Wilson's 14 Points

The conclusion of the Great War left many open options regarding how to handle the aftermath. Wilson's 14 points supported a more lenient policy to be placed upon Germany. France, Italy, and Britain believed that Germany should pay off a colossal amount of debt, but Wilson saw this as unrealistic due to the state of destruction that Germany was in. Wilson pointed out that the land in Russia that the German Military incorrectly claimed to be theirs was occupied by other ethnicities. Wilson's 14 points were: no more secret treaties, freedom of the seas, the removal of economic barriers, reduction of weapons, adjustment of colonial claims in the interest of the natives and colonizers, evacuation of all Russian territory, Belgium should be independent, France should be ultimately liberated and allowed to recover Alsace Lorraine, all Italians have the right to live in Italy, self-determination granted to Austria-Hungarians, self-determination granted to Balkan states, Turkish people should be governed by Turkish government, Poland should be independent and have sea access, and the League of Nations should be created.

LAD #30: Schenck vs. US

In the time period leading to WWI, a socialist advocate named Charles Schenck took action in hope of destroying the draft policy implanted by the government. He stated that the draft violated the 13th Amendment because it supported the concept of "involuntary servitude." Due to his attempt at the prevention of recruitment by draft, he was charged with violation of the Espionage Act. Schenck stated that the 1st Amendment supported his right of Freedom of Speech, and believed that what he was doing was not unconstitutional. Holmes declared that the words used by Schenck would bring out a "clear and present danger." Holmes believed that Congress had the right to prevent evils that would have derived from the ideas and words of Schenck, by limiting the power of the 1st Amendment.