Articles by Steven Gilchrist

The Taft-Hartley Act, also known as the Labor Management Relations Act of 1947, is a federal law in the United States that restricts the influence of labor unions.  Despite being vetoed by U.S. President Harry S. Truman, t he Act was passed into law on June 23, 1947. The legislation was initially introduced by U.S. Representative Fred A. Hartley, Jr. (R-NJ) on April 10, 1947. The Taft-Hartley Act amended the 1935 National Labor Relations Act (NLRA).  According to the National Labor Relations Board: "The Taft-Hartley Act made major changes to the Wagner Act. Although Section 7 was retained intact in the revised law, new language was added to provide that employees had the right to refrain from participating in union or mutual aid activities except that they could be required to become members in a union as a condition of employment. Taft-Hartley defined six additional unfair labor practices, reflecting Congress' perception that some union conduct also needed correction. The Act...

During the 1800s, the United States was a major importer of Hawaiian agricultural products. Queen Lili'uokalani was the last monarch of Hawaii. On January 17, 1893, she was overthrown during a bloodless coup led by the "Committee of Safety" and John Stevens - the U.S. Minister to Hawaii. The "Committee of Safety" was a group of non-native U.S. citizens with interests in the sugar industry. Most native Hawaiin's were opposed to the coup. The United States Congress passed the Newlands Resolution on July 7, 1898. The resolution known as House Joint Resolution 259, 55th Congress, 2nd session, was signed into law by President William McKinley.  The Newlands Resolution was written by Francis G. Newlands (D-Nevada). The resolution created a five-member commission to study the laws that would be necessary to govern Hawaii.  The Newlands Resolution annexed the Republic of Hawaii.  In 1900, Congress designated Hawaii as a U.S. territory. On August 21, 1959, President ...

On April 11, 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968. Title VIII of the Act is also referred to as the Fair Housing Act. The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination by direct providers of housing regarding the financing, rental, and sale of housing based on disability, family status, gender, race or color, religion, and national origin. Direct providers of housing include: banks, homeowners insurance companies, landlords, local governments, and real estate companies.  The Fair Housing Act of 1968 was an additional legislative act that followed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Fair Housing Act was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate shortly after the assassination of civil rights leader Dr. Marting Luther King, Jr. In 1988, the U.S. Congress passed the Fair Housing Amendments Act which enhanced the Fair Housing Act to include prohibiting discrimination in housing based on disability or family status.  The Fair Housing Act...

In October 2009, U.S. President Barack Obama signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. According to the United States Department of Justice this legislative act offers funding and technical assistance to local, state, and tribal jurisdictions for investigating and prosecuting hate crimes.  Matthew Wayne  Shepard (December 1, 1976 - October 12, 1998) was a University of Wyoming student who was pistol-whipped, tortured, and left to die after being tied to a barbed-wire fence in Laramie, Wisconsin on October 6, 1998. In May 1995, Matthew Shepard graduated from the American School in Switzerland (TASIS). While at the American School he participated in theater classes and took German and Italian classes as well. James Byrd, Jr. (May 2, 1949 - June 7, 1998) was murdered on June 7, 1998 in Jasper, Texas after being dragged behind a pickup truck along an asphalt road. James Byrd graduated from Jasper Rowe High School in 1967 and later became a vacuum s...

In December 2021, the United States Congress passed H.R. 55 also known as the Emmett Till Antilynching Act. Originally introduced by U.S. Rep Bobby L. Rush (D-Illinois) this legislation would make lynching a federal hate crime. The H.R. 55 legislation would be the first time in American history where lynching would be considered a federal hate crime. According to research from the Equal Justice Initiative, from 1865 to 1950 more than 6,500 African Americans were lynched in the United States. Regarding the passage of the Emmett Till Antilynching Act, Representative Rush said: "It has been more than 120 years since the first antilynching bill was introduced in Congress. Despite nearly 200 attempts since then to codify lynching as a federal crime, it has never been done. The Emmett Till Antilynching Act would correct this historical injustice and ensure that the full force of the United States federal government is always brought to prosecute those who commit the monstrous act of lyn...

The Employment Act of 1946 is a federal law in the United States.   President Harry S. Truman signed the bill into law on February 20, 1946. The act legislated that it is the responsibility of the federal government to: “coordinate and utilize all its plans, functions, and resources… to foster and promote free competitive enterprise and the general welfare; conditions under which there will be afforded useful employment for those able, willing, and seeking to work; and to promote maximum employment, production, and purchasing power.” Originally, the bill was named the Full Employment Bill of 1945.   The bill was introduced in the House of Representatives as HR 2202 and in the Senate as S. 380.   The Act requires the President to establish an annual economic report within ten days of submitting a national budget that forecasts the future state of the economy.   The Act also created the Council of Economic Advisers – an appointed board that advises the Presi...

The Fair Housing Act was established as Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968.  The Act is enforced by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.  The purpose of the Fair Housing Act is to prevent unlawful discrimination for people seeking to rent or buy in the housing market. The act declares that it is unlawful to refuse to negotiate with, rent to, or sell to anyone because of that person’s inclusion in a protected class.  The Housing Act seeks to create a fair and equitable housing market.  The Housing Act was signed into law one week after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. Source:     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_Housing_Act

May 6, 2017 marked the 135th anniversary of the Chinese Exclusion Act.  On May 6, 1882 the Chinese Exclusion Act was signed into law by President Chester A. Arthur.  The law was established to suppress Chinese immigration to the United States and to prohibit Chinese immigrants from becoming legalized citizens of the U.S.  "The Chinese exclusion law was the very first time in American history that immigrants were barred because of their race and class.  In 1882, when Congress passed the law, there were 39,600 men and women from China who arrived in the U.S.  Just three years later, there were only 22...," writes National Public Radio reporter Kat Chow in a May 5, 2017 article.  Chinese immigrants were drawn to the west coast after the Gold Ruse of 1849.  Chinese immigrants were instrumental in the construction of the Central Pacific railroad system from 1864 to 1869. The Chinese Exclusion Act, the first major law restricting immig...

On June 9, 1998, the Transportation Equity Act for the 21 st Century (TEA-21) was enacted by the federal government as Public Law 105-178.   This Act was authorized by the federal government to create various transportation projects from 1998-2003.   TEA-21 was allowed to lapse since Congress could not agree on funding levels for the bill.   TEA-21 mandated that seven planning directives should be included in regional transportation plans.   The planning directives included: 1. Support the economic vitality of metropolitan area transportation needs. 2. Increase the safety and security of transportation systems for motorized & non-motorized users. 3. Increase accessibility options for individual users and freight transportation. 4. Protect the environment by promoting energy conservation. 5. Improve the connectivity of transportation systems. 6. Promote efficient transportation system management. 7. Emphasize efficient preservation of existin...

On July 26, 1948 President Harry S. Truman signed Executive Order 9981.   This legislation declared the elimination of racial discrimination in the United States Armed Forces and established a precedent for the equal treatment and opportunity of all uniformed services members.   A section of Executive Order 9981 states: “It is hereby declared to be the policy of the President that there shall be equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion or national origin.   This policy shall be put into effect as rapidly as possible, having due regard to the time required to effectuate any necessary changes without impairing efficiency or morale.” Enforcement of the Executive Order did not take effect until the Eisenhower administration.   The last all black military units were disbanded in September 1954.