Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin D. Roosevelt was a New York state Senator, an assistant secretary of the navy during World War I, and the Democratic vice presidential candidate in 1920. He introduced the New Deal Program, an economic recovery program that resulted from the Great Depression. It was a significant part of the American history. It was an way to reform the economic system of the United States. He determined to preserve both popular support and the essence of the existing economic system. This program also provided people with jobs such as building homes, works on roads, construction of dams, and parks. It also came up with the Social Security Act. With this idea of the "New Deal" Roosevelt was able to rebuild the growth of the economy. 

Eugene V. Debs

Eugene V. Debs helped to form the American Railway Union and became its president in 1893. He also was the founder of the Social Democratic Party 91897) and the Socialist Party (1900). In addition, he supported the formation of of the International Workers of the World. He was also a lecturer for socialism and the working class. In "Revolutionary Unionism" (1905), Debs said "to accomplish its mission the working class must act together; they must assert their combined power, and when they do this upon the basis of the class struggle, then and then only will they break the fetters of wage slavery." In this quote he explained that it is important for the workers to be united to see changes in their wages. In our society there are the capitalists and the working class. Just like in Marx's Alienated Labour, the laborers work for the capitalists and in return receive a lower wage or a cut in their budget. That's why Debs thought unionism was extremely important between workers to help the working class.

 

W.E.B. DuBois

W.E.B. DuBois was a powerful and leading black thinker in the American history. He sought to connect American blacks with the African heritage, finding an way to end American racism. According to him, there was a color barrier in the 20th century; he believed that race was a problem. People judged others based on their race and appearance which he thought was unfair. He believed more in equality. He wants a man to be both Negro and American without closing all the possible opportunities for them. In his speech The Souls of Black Folk (1903), DuBois said that "to be poor man is hard, but to be a poor race in a land of dollars is the very bottom of hardships." He feels that it is okay to be poor or compete with the rich but it was hard to be judged as "negro" by the Americans. He explained what it feels to be judged by others.

Social Darwinism

Social Darwinism is the theory of natural selection to social, political, and economic issues. The term "survival of the fittest" also evolves from Social Darwinism where the humans struggle to successfully survive in the society [especially the poor]. In "Wealth", Andrew Carnegie wrote that those people who donate money to organizations are most likely to climb the economic ladder. He did not believe in personal wealth. Carnegie himself also donated money to organizations, libraries, scholarships, etc. His idea was to enlarge the gap between the rich and the poor.

Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln was the president in 1860 who wanted political and economic equality. He was against slavery. In the speech on Dred Scott Decision, he talks about bringing slavery to an end. Dred Scott was an African American slave who was moved from a slave state to a free state where he lived for a long time. He then was brought back to the slave state. After his master's death, he sued for his freedom to allow him to be free. He brought the case to  the United States Supreme Court. After that a decision was made that the Congress couldn't free slaves because it violated the 5th amendment. However, after the Northern anti-slavery leaders said that the Southerners wanted to extend slavery and rule the nation, that's when the court decided that the Congress had no right to prohibit slavery and eventually approved the Dred Scott Decision.

Civil Disobedience

Henry David Thoreau was an outspoken critique of slavery. He peacefully tried to make an impact. He also believed in individuality. Thoreau refused to pay taxes. According to Thoreau, the "government is best an expedient" when it serves the people. He was not a fan of government and said that if the government is not acting right then you have to make it right. He said, "fix it by civil disobedience". The government needs to serve the people, if not civil disobedience. 

U.S. Supreme Court - Brown v. Board of Education

In the Kansas case, Brown v. Board of Education brings out the issue of "segregation of public schools" to the U.S. District Court. The District of Kansas permits but not requires the separate school facilities for Negro and white students. As an outcome of this, several students were denied to get accepted to a white school based on their race. For example, one lady send her daughter to a faraway school while having a school near by her house. She couldn't get her daughter admitted because it was a white school and so she had to take her to a distanced school.  Event though they had the same accommodates as the white children, they were separated from each other. However, this supreme court case brings out the fact that segregation was unconstitutional based on the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Event though these children have the same services, the separation can still effect their mind. It can make them question why they were different from others. It might not also motivate them to learn. Bringing the case to the court benefited the prevention of this segregation. The court favored the Board of Education. It understood the affects the segregation might have on these children. Event though bringing change to this case was difficult, it brought the country more to the democratic ideas.