220 years ago, Congress passed the first of what would become known as the Alien and Sedition Acts. The government argued that these measure became necessary for national security. War with France seemed imminent and 25,000 French refugees came to America. When a group of French scientists wanted to visit the country, President Adams opposed …
On July 12, 1810, a trial of trade unionists began in New York City. In 1794, Philadelphia shoemakers organized the “Federal Society of Journeymen Cordwainers.” Similarly New York bootmakers joined. In 1805, the union struck in Philadelphia for higher wages. The New York bootmakers were found guilty and fined one dollar. The law stated that “Even to do a …
I restarted this blog last year to try to focus some nervous energy and sadness into something positive. I wanted to showcase what liberty and American values should look like. Through that research, I have seen a lot of darkness in our history that my education bypassed. We treated immigrants poorly from the beginning. Native …
My Country – You Don’t Have to Salute the Flag On June 3, 1940, the Supreme Court held that a Jehovah’s Witness must salute the flag if required by statute. In Pennsylvania, a state law required school children to salute the flag. A child claimed that doing so would violate his religious beliefs. We discussed …