Presidents from 1877-93: Cleveland (1885-89) Flashcards
What political party was Cleveland under?
Democrat
What was significant about Cleveland being President?
There had not been a Democrat President since 1868
Who opposed Cleveland in his attempts to reduce corruption?
Republicans
What did Cleveland promise when he was elected to be President?
To keep tariffs low and bring an end to the spoils system
Who were Mugwumps?
People who were anti-corruption and supported Cleveland, instead of James Blaine
Who was the Republican Candidate for Presidency in the 1884 election?
James Blaine
Why did many people not support James Blaine?
He had been involved in a corruption scandal over the interest of railroad businesses
Which groups of the USA did Cleveland’s promises appeal to?
The South and Immigrants
What was the result in the popular vote for the election?
Cleveland won with a slim majority of 25,000 votes
What was significant about the small majority for Cleveland in the popular vote?
Even though the Republicans had a candidate who seemed corrupt, there was still large support for Blaine
What was the only claim the Republicans had against Cleveland which could have damaged his campaign?
He had allegedly fathered an illegitimate child but this was not proven
What was successful with the way Cleveland reduced the scale of the spoils system in firing people?
He made sure that all people who were efficient at their jobs kept their jobs
What was significant about Cleveland being careful when choosing who to fire who had been employed under the spoils system?
It showed he was a careful President and he wished to take his time with this, potentially to gain some more popularity
What did Cleveland want for the federal government role over states?
He wanted to keep it quite limited
Why was Cleveland opposing federal intervention in the South a success?
Because it meant the South could stay happy and continue to recover from the Civil War in peace
What was the dominant party in Congress during Clevelands Presidency?
Republicans
What bills did Cleveland continuously veto which Congress wanted?
Bills which would allow for pensions to be given to Civil War Veterans and those who had disabilities
What reasoning did Cleveland have for vetoing Congresses Pension bills?
He said that if the Pension Bureau did not allow for them, then Congress should also not allow them
What seed bill did Cleveland veto?
The 1887 Texas Seed Bill
What would the 1887 Texas Seed Bill have done?
Allowed for $10,000 to be spent by Congress for new seeds to be grown by farmers
What issue did Cleveland have with Western States? Why?
He had to get new Western States to settle land disputes as people had claimed land which they did not legally own
What did the 1887 Dawes Act do?
Allowed the President to break up land owned by Native Americans to now be owned by the USA
How could the 1887 Dawes Act have been susceptible to corruption?
Large businesses could bribe the government to get more land
What did the 1887 Hatch Act do?
Provided funding to state agricultural experiment stations
What did Congress create to regulate railroads?
Interstate Commerce Commission
How can the founding of the ICC be seen as a success?
It would reduce the amount of abusing of existence of monopolies
Who became President after Cleveland?
Benjamin Harrison
