Grover Cleveland (1885-1889 & 1893-1897) & Benjamin Harrison's (1889-1893) Presidency Flashcards
1
Q
The 1884 Election
A
- Muddiest in American history
- Republican candidate, James Blaine, was scorned during the campaign due to charges of corruption involving railroad interests
- Republican opponents of Cleveland (Democrat) used the fact that he allegedly fathered an illegitimate child as a source of attack
- Cleveland’s margin of victory was 25,000 votes out of 10 million cast and 37 electoral college votes out of 401
2
Q
Republican Mugwumps
A
- Republican reformers unhappy with the high levels of corruption in government
- Abandoned their Republican candidate, James Blaine, during the campaign and were then known as ‘Goo-goos’
- Claimed they would prefer to support an honest Democrat (Cleveland) than a corrupt Republican
3
Q
Cleveland’s Civil Service Reforms
A
- Cleveland announced that he would not fire any Republican who was doing his job well, and would not appoint anyone solely on the basis of their party loyalty
- Used his appointment powers to reduce the number of federal employees
- Previously, many departments had become bloated overtime with people being given unnecessary jobs simply to reward their political friends
- Later, fellow Democrats began to complain about being excluded, Cleveland began to replace some Republican officeholders with Democrats
- Appointments were partly based on party and heavily based on meritocracy
4
Q
Cleveland’s Vetoes to Limit Government
(1st administration)
A
- Believed in a very limited role for federal government
- As a Democrat, Cleveland faced a Republican-dominated Senate, often resorted to using his veto powers
- Vetoed hundreds of private pension bills for Civil War veterans
- Beloved that if the Pension Bureau already rejected the requests, then Congress shouldn’t attempt to override their decision
- Angered Civil War veterans, formed ‘GAR’
- Congress passed a bill granting pensions for disabilities not caused by military service, Cleveland vetoed that too
- Cleveland would soon upset Big Business by supporting free trade, opposed tariffs
- This would cost Cleveland the 1888 Election
5
Q
Cleveland’s Vetoes to Limit Government
(2nd administration)
A
- Cleveland’s second presidency was dominated by the 1893 Depression and the rise of populism
6
Q
The Grand Army of the Republic
A
-Angry war veterans who represented their interests of getting pensions, initially vetoed by Cleveland
- Harrison’s presidency was marked by his determination to reward his supporters, GAR and Big Business
- Veterans received pensions and special hospitals
- The rewards are an example of pork-barrel politics
7
Q
The 1890 McKinley Tariff Act
A
- Support received from Big Business was rewarded with this act
- Passed by congress in 1890
- Named after William McKinley, future President
- Resulted in putting tariffs up higher than ever before
- Another example of pork-barrel politics
8
Q
The Billion Dollar Congress
A
- Called this due to enormous sums spent in soldiers’ pensions and business
- First time, except war, Congress appropriated a billion dollars
- When critics attacked, Speaker Thomas Reed replied, “This is a billion dollar country”
- Many Americans, particularly farmers, viewed Republican-controlled White House and Congress as wasteful and to closely aligned with the nation’s wealthy elite
9
Q
The 1890 Silver Purchase Act
A
- Traditionally, US followed the Gold Standard
- Pressure from the silver industry led to the Silver Purchase Act
- Meant that the government would use silver in the production of coinage
- 1896: Cleveland removed this measure
- Believed that the confidence of the business community had been lost due to the use of silver in the coinage
10
Q
The 1890 Sherman Anti-Trust Act
A
- 1890: greater awareness of nature and the extent of political corruption, beginning of backlash against it
- Pressure to reform politics, power of big businesses, excess ‘robber barons’
- Demands for reform and tighter regulations
- Pushed Congress to pass the Sherman Anti-Trust Act
