Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Team Boss

TEAM BOSS

Caroline Passalacqua 
Olivia Lindgren
Katharine Larson
Annie Varellas
Allie Figueredo
Roni Marrone

Norman Schwarzkopf 
  • Purple HeartVery strategic mind, went to the prestigious West Point military academy when he later volunteered to participate in the Vietnam War.  He was a hard working individual who earned a degree in engineering
  • Although many may argue that being a military hero has its losses (at what costs are there hero’s …) Sch. balanced his military involvement through challenging Bush by disagreeing with his decision for the invasion of Iraq.  Clearly, he understood what battles were worth fighting
  • During the Vietnam War he gained a multitude of awards including (3 silver stars a bronze star and a purple heart)
  • Despite undergoing back surgery, he lead Operation Desert Storm (liberating Kuwait from the control of Saddam Hussain)
  • He also received a knighthood from Elizabeth the second
  • Being able to balance all aspects of life, Lee also supported a number of different charities ( children's organizations, environmental groups- conserving grizzly bears and campaigning awareness about prostate cancer)
  • An exemplary American


Schwarzkopf speaks with troops

Elizabeth Cady Stanton
helped organize the first women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls, NY (1848)
Helped create the Declaration of Sentiments, which advocated for women’s suffrage
Fought for women’s political and economic equality through speeches and journalism
the Woman Suffrage Parade president of the National Woman Suffrage Association and the National American Woman Suffrage Association

Helped edit the Revolution, a radical feminist magazine.
Motivated to organize women together to fight for equality after witnessing the segregation at the international slavery convention in London she attended
“The best protection any woman can have… is courage.”



Alexander Hamilton
The Federalist PapersDespite the fact that Hamilton was slightly arrogant by believing that the rich should have superiority over the poor, his political actions stand place to prove why Hamilton is one of the most influential Americans. He was the First US secretary of the Treasury and was instrumental in developing the party known as the Federalists. Working hard in his early years as an American, Hamilton became established at the side of Washington through the American Revolutionary War.  His affluence in the world came through his writings in “The Federalist” papers.  Not to mention, his establishment and support of the bank of the United States, what our country depends on today, is all thanks to his work, not the disapproval from old folk like Jackson.  He was intelligent and wise to understand that a centralized government was the only way for prosperity.  He was an eloquent speaker and a participant in the Constitutional Convention. Despite the fact that Hamilton expanded the federal government and supported “unpopular taxes”, he was key in saving the economy and inputting his view of the role government should have in society.
Virginia, 1781[edit]



Robert E Lee
Robert Edward Lee.jpg·       Lee’s credentials: Military officer in the US army and a West Point commander and general of the Confederate forces during the Civil War
    Pros·       Although Lee did not want the South to succeed from the Union, he supported his country by sticking with them despite his own beliefs (showing his loyal and admirable qualities) His kind hearted nature is shown when he wrote a letter to his former commander, Winfield Scott, explaining his thanks and remorse as Lee had to resign his position in order to help his hometown of Virginia with succession.
·       Lee was a major contributor in finding the ways around Mexican defense in order to gain the desirable land
·       Lee’s successful battles:
·       Gaines Mill and Glendale: Saved 933 acres of 3 battlefields
·       Malvern Hill: Saved 952 acres
·       Second Manassas, Antietam and Fredericksburg: Saved a total of 654 acres of land
·       Chancellorsville and Gettysburg: Saved 1,295 acres of land
·       (Just some examples of the victories Lee achieved and lead through his valiant efforts and commands)
Left: The Battle of·       Lee was a success in his credentials.  His work in his early years of school demonstrate his hard work and ambitions.  At West Point Military Academy, Lee was one of 6 cadets that graduated without receiving a single demerit.  He also had perfect scores in artillery, infantry and cavalry.  He is known for his tactical brilliance.
·       His most well known battle victory was the “Defeat of Joseph Hooker at Chancellorsville”
·       Cons
Arguments may be made on behalf of Lee’s support of the South as a war general from their succession from the union (Negatives of the south succeeded from the union - their motivations for succeeding)
·       Negatives of the Mexican American War (ie : details)
·       Lee’s failures as a war general, having too complicated of plans, and ultimately losing to the North in the Civil War


Martin Luther King Jr


Martin Luther King has proved himself to be one of the most influential people in all of history for a variety of important and valuable reasons. In his 13 years of leading and campaigning for the civil rights movement, he was able to get closer to achieving racial equality than all of the previous people combines in the past 350 years. He was very firm in the belief that violence should not be utilized by any means necessary to achieve their goal. He strictly believed in nonviolent protest and was able to accomplish professedly unattainable goals, without breaking his faith a single time. This reality is a further testimony to his power of speech and his immense influence in that he was able to achieve this goals while sticking with his morals. He led the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955, a boycott that lasted 381 days, and resulted in a supreme court ruling against any kind of segregation of transportation. In 1957, he became the leader of the SCLC, a leadership role that would prove him to be the most influential leader of the modern civil rights movement. He set out to Birmingham Alabama in 1963, possibly the most segregated town at the time, and still led a series of nonviolent civil rights protests. In 1963, he also was an enormous help in the “march on washington” where he gave his famed “I have a dream speech” and was ultimately named Time Magazine’s “Man of the year”. In 1964, he received the nobel peace prize at the age of only 35, the youngest person ever to do so. In 1964, congress passed the civil rights act eliminating all segregation and discrimination in regards to certain aspects of life such as hiring and in the work force, a decision of which was at least in part due to the march on washington, which was again lead by MLK. In 1965 congress proceeded to pass the voting rights act which eliminated all remaining barriers for African Americans, and this decision was in fact DIRECTLY a result of MLK's leadership and work with the AL march. He also continued to fight for other movements and rights he felt important such as the “poor people's campaign” which was aimed at repairing economic problems and supporting international peace.


Andrew Carnegie



  • came from rags - brought to America at age 13 by his impoverished parents in 1948
  • only became successful through hard work.
  • he wasn't handed anything but instead rose up from the bottom to the top through hard work, doing extra chores, and cultivating influential people
  • After he made some money he went to Pittsburg to join the steel business.
  • In 1889 Carnegie established Carnegie Steel Company
  • He had successful business tactics such as eliminating many middle men and choosing his associates wisely
  • not a monopolist
  • against monopolies and disliked trusts
  • simulated economy with big business but was into philanthropy
  • by 1900 he was producing 1:4th of nations Bessemer steel
  • Profits from his company in 1900 were 40,000,000 and Carnegie personally had a share worth 25,000,000
  • Sold his company to J.P. Morgan in 1901 for 250,00,000
  • Carnegie didn't want to die with so much wealth so he dedicated the end of his life to giving away money for public libraries, pensions for professors, and other charitable purposes. In total he gave away 350$ million dollars.


  • “Surplus wealth is a sacred trust which its possessor is bound to administer in his lifetime for the good of the community.” - Carnegie

In 1889 he wrote an article about the gospel of wealth in the North American Review. He depicted the need for rich men to give away some of their money to charity and said that they have a duty to give away money for “the improvement of mankind”  



Henry Clay

-secretary of state under John Quincy Adams
-speaker of the house longer than anyone else in the 19th century
-most influential member of the senate during its prime
-one of most adored politicians
-nationalist
-devoted to Economic development
-disapproved of slavery as a system
-advocated gradual emancipation
-stood up for native Americans
-held good relations with Latin America
-created the American System (protective tariff, national bank-fed gov and private stockholders, fed internal improvements)
Henry Clay=the great compromiser
-helped with 1820 Missouri compromise, Tariff comp 1833, and comp of 1850
-wanted to avoid civil war


Thomas Paine
  • Without Paine, America could arguably not exist. Let that sink in.
  • Wrote “Common Sense” in 1976, a pamphlet that boldly and openly advocated the revolution
  • “Common Sense” influenced many colonists to break away from the distant centralized government through its certain way of speaking to people through pure “common sense”
  • Through this pamphlet, Paine had a serious effect on people and their sense of righteous and justified equality
  • “Common Sense” sold 150,000 copies in 1776, showing Paine’s immense persuasiveness and ability to electrify people with ideas of revolution. It is arguably the first real Declaration of Independence. He had the ability to comfort and excite people with this words.
  • Thomas Paine’s goal in reaching the majority was through simplicity in his writing. He wanted everyone to be able to understand what was going on around them, and so he created a pamphlet that not only the wealthy could understand. In fact, his main argument was that it only took common sense to understand politics
  • “Common Sense” marked an era of democratic revolutions, giving the masses motivation for political participation
  • Paine continued his influence during the revolution through his “Crisis” papers, which had the effect of bolstering the morale of the revolutionary army.
  • Not only did Paine positively affect North America, but he also was a huge advocate of the French Revolution, and proved this advocacy with his “The Rights of Man”. “The Rights of Man” defended a new goal of a republican state to assist with social welfare, progressive taxation, and other benefits to the mass, such as public employment.
  • He gave “The Rights of Man to every state in the union, and it sold no less than 100,000 copies.


Franklin D Roosevelt

  • Caught polio in 1921, but was elected in 1933 - shows his perseverance from the start, regardless of struggles
  • Broad overview - led the U.S. through the Great Depression and World War II (two of the hardest times in the history of the nation) - immense amounts of pressure but led the nation through
  • Was invited at age 28 to run for New York State Senate
  • Ran as a Democrat, regardless of the fact that the state had been Republican for 32 years, showing his boldness
  • FDR was known as energetic and efficient
  • In his First 100 Days he showed his dedication through his economic reform. He called this the “New Deal”
  • Formed a “Brain Trust” to help create the alphabet agencies that had the goal of spreading economic, social, and political benefits to as many Americans as he could
  • A few of these amazing and effective agencies are the AAA (Agricultural Adjustment Administration) to support farm prices, the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps), which employed young men and the NRA (National Recovery Administration) which helped with regulating wages and prices
  • He helped a vast amount of people throughout the nation during these trying times
  • 1935 - allowed people to organize and collectively bargain
  • His “fireside chats” comforted people of the nation while using new technology to efficiently communicate.
  • By 1936, gross national production was up 34%
  • Unemployment decreased from 25% to 14%... TEN PERCENT
  • Helped with some foreign affairs as well… He established the Good Neighbor Policy with Latin America - the good neighbor respects LA with non-intervention and cooperation
  • FDR was able to understand that Japan and Germany were threatening the freedoms of his American citizens, and tried to stay out of the war while still aiding the nation’s allies with the Lend Lease Act.
  • FDR stayed out of WWII until he truly had to interfere after the attack on Pearl Harbor in December of 1941
  • FDR was a huge part in the United Nations and believed that the world could become more secure and peaceful
  • By 1945, the U.S. had increased its global power and responsibility
  • He worked hard until the stress of the war had an immense effect on him and he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage
  • So influential that an FDR Memorial was created in Washington D.C. on a 7.5 acre site. Congress voted $42.5 million to fund six waterfalls, an 800 foot wall, and other amazing qualities that depict FDR’s effect on this nation.
Thomas Edison
  • Edison was interested in mechanics and chemistry at an early age
  • Enjoyed independent self instruction 
  • Had only 3 months of formal education but he didn’t let this hold him back
  • Rose from humble beginings, and exemplifies the driven attitude of Americans -- “Genius was 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration.” --exemplary figure of chasing after the American dream
  • Learned about the emerging technology of telegraphy during the Civil War
  • Developed serious hearing problems which prompted him to quit telegraphy and pursue inventing products
  • Light bulb, phonograph, motion picture camera, improved stock ticker (first invention)
  • The invention of the light bulb has changed human existence and paved the way for modern life today- by illuminating the night,  people were able to work longer hours into the night allowing an increase in productivity; today our world is filled with electric powered devices  
  • Founded the first modern research laboratory 
  • Has over 1,093 patents- most issued to any person 
  • Has made America a world industrial power
  • Contributed in World War 1 by working on several projects, most notably a submarine detector and gun-location techniques
  • Encouraged Henry Ford to use gasoline to power his automobile model
  • Known as the “Wizard of Menlo Park” 
  • By turning failure into success, Edison also emerged as a savvy businessman
  • By many he is considered one of America’s leading businessmen because he contributed to building the economy during America’s early vulnerable years







Boss Tweed

  • Known as one of the most ruthless politicians in American history
  • A 300 pound leader of New York City’s corrupt Tammany Hall political organization during the 1860s and early 1870s
  • corruption was commonplace in his era of the Gilded age
  • Boss and his “Tweed Ring”  encouraged judicial corruption by bribing judges and officials, rigged elections by openly buying votes, dominated New York City politics, and extracted millions from city contracts
  • He falsified government expenses and had contractors pad his bills on construction projects→ $45 and $200 million in stolen city funds (equivalent to $2.4 billion today)
  • made little attempt to hide his fraudulence--> bought huge amounts of property in Manhattan, dined in New York city’s finest restaurants and wore a 10-and-a-half carat diamond on his shirtfront
  • The Boss and the Tweed ring hoped the criticism would blow over but it didn't thanks to the efforts of opponents such as political cartoonist Thomas Nast
  • Boss Tweed served time for forgery and larceny and other charges but in 1875 escaped from prison and traveled to Cuba and Spain
  • In 1876, he was arrested by Spanish police, who reportedly recognized him from a famous Nash cartoon depiction→ returned to prison 
  • Famous quote that exemplifies Tweed's corruption: “I don’t care who does the electing, so long as I get to do the nominating”

WonderWomen

WonderWomen

Franklin October 18, 1785 – November 5, 1788

  1. He ran the Pennsylvania Gazette (newspaper) and also published Poor Richard's Almanac. Poor Richard's Almanac was very popular because it made predictions about the future and had wise sayings.
  2. Established American Philosophical Society, a group devoted to the sciences and other scholarly pursuits. Franklin also organized the Pennsylvania militia, raised funds to build a city hospital and spearheaded a program to pave and light city streets. Additionally, Franklin was instrumental in the creation of the Academy of Philadelphia, a college which opened in 1751 and became known as the University of Pennsylvania in 1791.
  3. Ben Franklin also invented the Franklin stove, lightning rod, bifocals (eyeglasses), and started America's first library. He is probably best known for his kite experiment which proved electricity could be harnessed from lightning.
  4. In 1776, Franklin helped Thomas Jefferson write the Declaration of Independence. Two years later, he went to France and convinced the French to help America in the war against England.
  5. He also negotiated the 1783 Treaty of Paris that ended the Revolutionary War (1775-83). In 1787, in his final significant act of public service, he was a delegate to the convention that produced the U.S. Constitution.
  6. Benjamin Franklin is the only founding father to have signed all four of the key documents establishing the U.S.: the Declaration of Independence (1776), the Treaty of Alliance with France (1778), the Treaty of Paris establishing peace with Great Britain (1783) and the U.S. Constitution (1787).
  7. Franklin invented a musical instrument called the glass armonica. Composers such as Ludwig Beethoven (1770-1827) and Wolfgang Mozart (1756-91) wrote music for Franklin’s armonica


Madison (March 16, 1751- June 28, 1836)




  1. Co-Authored the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions
    During John Adams' presidency, the Alien and Sedition Acts were passed to supress certain forms of political speech. Madison joined forces with Thomas Jefferson to create the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions in opposition to these acts.
  2. served on the committee in charge of writing Virginia's constitution, he worked with George Mason on the draft. One of his special contributions was reworking some of the language about religious freedom.
  3. Madison's "Virginia Plan" became the blueprint for the constitution that finally emerged, eventually earning him the revered title, "Father of the Constitution."
  4. He established, once and for all, respect for American rights on the high seas and emerged from the war with more support than he had when he was first inaugurated in 1808.
  5. Along with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay, he published the Federalist Papers, a series of articles arguing for a strong central government subject to an extensive system of checks and balances.
  6. Madison served as secretary of state, supporting the Louisiana Purchase and the embargo against Britain and France. Indeed, Madison shaped foreign policy during Jefferson's administration, emerging from behind the scenes in 1808 to succeed him as the fourth President of the United States.


Walt Disney (1901-1966)
  • Had a modest family life, one of five kids
  • Pioneer of cartoons
  • Created Disneyland
  • In a very short time the park was entertaining tourists from around the world
  • won 22 Academy Awards during his lifetime
  • began drawing, painting and selling pictures to neighbors and family friends at a young age
  • When Disney was 16, he dropped out of school to join the Army but was rejected for being underage. Instead, he joined the Red Cross and was sent to France for a year to drive an ambulance.
  • Disney and his brother Roy soon pooled their money and moved to Hollywood
  • Walt as the voice of Mickey, the cartoon was an instant sensation.
  • n 1933, The Three Little Pigs and its title song "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?" became a theme for the country in the midst of the Great Depression.
  • Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the first full-length animated film, premiered in Los Angeles. It produced an unimaginable $1.499 million, in spite of the Depression, and won a total of eight Oscars
  • Disney was also among the first to use television as an entertainment medium
  • Disney's last major success that he produced himself was the motion picture Mary Poppins (1964), which mixed live action and animation
  • Plane Crazy Mickey Mouse Classic Walt Disney 1928 Sound Cartoon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCZPzHg0h80

  • Disney produced propaganda films for the U.S. government during World War II

disney propaganda 2

  • Disney studio also made training films for the American military, and created, free-of-charge, more than a thousand insignia for military units
  • Disney holds the record for most individual Oscar wins (22) and nominations (59)

John D Rockefeller

1839-1937
Co-Founder of Standard Oil Company
  • First great U.S. Business Trust
  • Revolutionizes petroleum industry, along with other Titans such as Carnegie
Philanthropist
Most philanthropic work was through his church
Became the world’s richest man through his business of kerosene and oil
At his peak, he controlled 90% of all American oil
At his death, in 1937, his fortune was 1.4 billion dollars
Lived in a retirement estate for his last 40 years
Lived in New York
Founder of Rockefeller University and Chicago University, funded the Central Philippine University in the Philippines
Faithful to Erie Street Baptist Church
Stayed abstinent from alcohol and drugs for his whole life
Supporter of capitalism
Supporter of social Darwinism
Considered a Titan of industry







Al Capone
(1988-1947)
-dropped out of school in the sixth grade and joined the Five Points Gang in Boston
- later joined the Colosimo Mob also known as the South Side Italian gang, recruited by Johnny Torrio.
-1925 Capone became boss when Torrio was shot, but not killed in an assassination attempt
-St. Valentines massacre 1929, ordered by capone and carried out by his mob. Seven men were gunned down by four men from the Colosimo mob. Two of the members dressed as police as to avoid any suspicion, news papers named him “Public enemy number 1”
-He ran illegal brewing, distilling and distribution of beer and liquor
-payed the mayor and police force to keep himself safe from law enforcement
-payed mayor William Hale Thompson to announce he would like to reopen illegal saloons with a generous donation of $250,000
-with the police in his pocket he was able to use more brutal force to get what he wanted
-due to pay offs with local law enforcement the FBI were not able to charge him with murder so they got him on taxes and scamming
-Capone ordered his bomber target opponents of Thompson killing over 15 people in voting booths
-refusal from a store to buy his liquor would end in their store being blown up, at least 100 people were killed in these bombings
-$100 million a year, the largest portion from bootlegging, followed by gambling, prostitution, racketeering and other illicit activities
-Huge tensions with the northside gangs lead to shoot outs and civilian casualties
-Took over Cicero with bribery and widespread intimidation
-due to pay offs with local law enforcement the FBI were not able to charge him with murder so they prosecuted him for tax evasion in 1931, a federal crime during the era. The judge admitted as evidence Capone's admissions of his income and unpaid taxes during prior (and ultimately abortive) negotiations to pay the government any back taxes he owed. Capone was convicted and sentenced to 11 years in federal prison
-Capone was one of the first criminals sent to Alcatraz to serve his sentence




Cesar Chavez
b. 1927
d. 1993

-His family lost their farm due to back taxes and had to become migrant farm workers to make a living
-After the 8th grade Cesar Chavez became a full-time farm worker
-He saw how badly people were being treated and decided to do something about it.
-In 1962 he co-founded the United Farm Workers Association with Delores Huerta
-They used non-violent ways to protest like boycotting or fasting.
-By the time Cesar Chavez died, he had won many rights for the migrant farm worker: he got them better wages, better housing, and safer working conditions
-confounded American Farm Workers Association
-originally a Mexican American farm worker
-both a Latino rights activist and an American labor movement leader
-March 31 (birthday) celebrated as a state holiday in California, Texas, and Colorado

Eleanor Roosevelt
  1. She was part of the Junior League, a group of elite class women who were interested in reform efforts to improve the lives of the impoverished in their living and working conditions.
  2. She was part of the National Consumer’s League, which was created by women supporting milliners in sweatshops.
  3. She joined the Women’s Trade Union League in 1922, and the Women’s Division of the New York Democratic Party in 1923.
  4. During World War I, she worked for the Red Cross, International Congress of Working Women, and Women’s International League of Peace and Freedom.
  5. In 1924, the Democratic National Committee asked her to chair its committee on women’s issues, in which she and other women leaders forced the convention to let women appoint women delegates and alternates.
  6. She worked with other women to create the She-She-She Camps, making sure women were included in the National Youth Administration and Federal Arts Program.
  7. She brought a large number of women activists with her to Washington when franklin Roosevelt became president. She assembled a list of women qualified for executive level appointments, and when not taken seriously, she took the list to Franklin Roosevelt.
  8. During press conferences focused on informing women voters, she only allowed women reporters in the room.
  9. At a meeting in Birmingham, Alabama, she deliberately stood in the aisle that separated the black and white segregated seating sections in opposition to segregation and racial discrimination. She also promoted women’s equality in her involvement with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the National Council of Negro Women.
  10. She is famously known to be the most active First Lady in history, changing the role from the wife in the background who handled domestic matters to an important political figure in American Society.
  11. After her husband died, she was appointed delegate to the United Nations General Assembly, by President Truman. She served in this position from 1945 to 1953.
  12. She became chair of United Nation’s Human Rights Commission and helped write the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
  13. President Kennedy re-appointed her delegation to the United Nations in 1961, and later appointed her to National Advisory Committee of the Peace Corps. He also made her chair to the President’s Commission on the Status of Women, after she insisted that he appointed more women to his administration.
  14. Eleanor Roosevelt had her own column called “My Day”, urging women to become more involved in politics and unite as one group to be seen as professionals in industry.
  15. She was also an accomplished writer with This Is My Story (1937), This I Remember (1949), On My Own (1958), and Autobiography (1961).

Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964)
Douglas MacArthur
  • Douglas MacArthur was an American general best known for his command of Allied forces in the Pacific Theater during World War II
  • After high school, MacArthur enrolled in the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he excelled
  • The early period in his military career was marked by frequent promotions and led to posts in countries around the world
  • From 1919 to 1922 Douglas MacArthur served as the superintendent of West Point and instituted a variety of reforms intended to modernize the school
  • In 1930, MacArthur was promoted to general and selected as the Army chief of staff
  • In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt chose MacArthur as his military adviser to the Philippines and sent him there to establish a defensive military force
  • MacArthur launched a number of successful offensive operations against the Japanese military in the region
  • MacArthur was placed in charge of the formal surrender of Tokyo, and for the next six years, he remained in Japan to command the occupation forces there and to oversee the rebuilding of the country
249932

Taft
Extremely versatile, only person to hold office as President and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
Continued Roosevelt’s “trust-busting” and broke up nearly twice as many trusts as his predecessor
Strengthened the Interstate Commerce Commission and its ability to negotiate rates with railroads
Undertook civil service reform and improved the performance of the postal service
Passed the Sixteenth Amendment codifying the federal government's authority to tax income without apportioning it among
Promoted "Dollar Diplomacy," which involved the US coordination of loans for infrastructure improvements abroad, to further the economic development of Latin American and Asian nations
Dispatched troops to safeguard U.S. citizens and property when revolution threatened in Honduras and Nicaragua, and decided not to interfere with revolutions taking place in Mexico and China
Before Presidency, Taft improved the Filipino economy and infrastructure, and expanded opportunities for governmental participation for Filipinos while serving as Governor General of the Philippines under McKinely
Imposed a corporate income tax which raised national revenue more than $13mil
supported Booker T. Washington's initiative to "uplift" African-American citizens, endorsed free immigration as well as a presidential veto on a congressional law imposing a literacy test on unskilled laborers.
Took time after the outbreak of WWI to co-found the League for Enforced Peace the League to Enforce Peace -- a precursor to the League of Nations -- with Alexander Graham Bell and other prominent Americans.

Wilson
Passed a slew of domestic reforms, including the Federal Reserve Act (creating the Federal Reserve), Federal Trade Commission Act (stopping unfair trade practices), Clayton Antitrust Act (making certain business practices illegal), Federal Farm Loan Act (providing issuance of low-cost long-term mortgages to farmers), Adamson Act (imposing 8-hour workdays for railroads) and an income tax
Became a major advocate for women's suffrage
Led the US into WWI (the Great War) in 1917
Passed the Espionage Act and Sedition Act to shore up wartime support and suppress anti-war opinions
Frequently exercised military force in Latin America, including seizing the port of Veracruz to aid Mexican counterrevolutionaries and maintaining troops in Nicaragua, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic
Sponsored the League of Nations following WWI and introduced his Fourteen Points address outlining an organization with a stated goal of helping to preserve territorial integrity and political independence among large and small nations alike

Walt Whitman
-Poet and journalist Walt Whitman was born on May 31, 1819 in West Hills, New York
-Considered one of America's most influential poets, Whitman aimed to transcend traditional epics and eschew normal aesthetic form to mirror the potential freedoms to be found in America
-In 1855 he self-published the collection Leaves of Grass; the book is now a landmark in American literature, though at the time of its publication it was considered highly controversial
-Whitman later worked as a volunteer nurse during the Civil War, writing the collection Drum Taps (1865) in connection to the experiences of war-torn soldiers
-Having continued to produce new editions of Leaves of Grass along with original works, Whitman died on March 26, 1892 in Camden, New Jersey.