Reconstruction Part 2 Flashcards
Who was Seward?
Grant’s Secretary of State who brought Alaska for $7.2 million from Russia. It was called Seward’s Folly.
Ulysses S. Grant
Former military general and national hero. Won the presidency in 1868, and won again in 1872. Despite believing Reconstruction was a major issue, his presidency was surrounded by scandal for 8 years.
Who was Belknap?
Grant’s secretary of war who forced traders to pay him in order to trade with Indians on army posts.
Horace Greeley
He was the former editor of the New York Tribune who ran for president in 1872 as a liberal republican. Wanted to purify the country and party. He thought he could save the country.
Election of 1872
Candidates were Ulysses S. Grant and Horace Greeley. Grant ran solely on his popularity as a national hero. Greeley was upset with Grant’s corruption, and wanted to purify the party and the country. He called for amnesty for the south.
The campaign got ugly, and Greeley was reported to be an atheist, communist, a “free love proponent”, and a vegetarian. He was also reported to have signed the bail bond for Jefferson Davis saying that Davis would not flee the country. He never recovered, lost the election in a landslide, lost his wife, got fired, had a nervous breakdown, put in an institution, and died.
Who was Boss Tweed?
Became the leader on Tammany Hall, where the Democrats held meetings, and dominated city and state politics. He peddled, bribed, and received kickbacks while cheating the public out of $40-200 million. He was convicted of fraud in 1873, and fled to Spain, but was caught and brought back where he died in prison after serving 2 years of his sentence.
What is the Bloody Shirt Tradition?
It came when an Ohio tax collector was beaten by the KKK. Since most KKK members are believed to be democrats, the republicans used the bloody shirt of the tax collector to gain votes saying that if you support the democrats, you support the KKK.
What are greenbacks?
Greenbacks are paper money that was printed during the Civil War. The lost favor in 1873 and were replaced with gold coins.
What was the Whiskey Ring?
In 1875, Orville Babcock robbed the United States Treasury millions by siphoning taxes on whiskey from the government. In all, about $3 million was recovered in taxes. Babcock was Grant’s personal secretary.
Depression of 1873
After the Civil war, the United States went into a slump. The wartime economy came to an end, and factories didn’t need to continue making guns, uniforms, and other war materials. Therefore, profits go smaller and people were laid off. Banks then recalled their loans to regain some profit. In New York City, 5,000 businesses went bankrupt. In the streets, unemployed workers fought the police to get government attention. At this time, the government did not believe their job was to help the people, so they just ran the country. Finally, people wanted real money, not paper, so greenbacks lost favor to gold coins. In fact, in 1874, Grant vetoed a bill to print money and just hand it out because it would cause inflation. Finally, the Resumption Act was passed that would start paying in gold.
The Resumption Act
In 1875, a bill was passed to pull greenbacks from circulation. By 1879, all money was in gold.
Grant’s 8 years of scandal
Grant’s presidency was known for scandals within his cabinet. This was mostly due to the people he hired. He hired most of his buddies to run the country, which proved costly. However, the entire presidency was not a negative:
- Reconstruction is almost over - North and South slowly coming together.
- Westward Expansion is in full swing and industry will begin to boom after the depression, partly due to the railroads being built up.
- Even though he had the most dishonest people working for him, Grant pushed for Civil Service Reform. - This presidency made future presidents careful in who they picked to work in their administration.
What was the most important event during this time period and what? (Backup)
The most important event was the start up of the railroad. This is because it would become the first big business in America, setting pace for economic development. It also allowed for the country to bounce back after the Depression of 1873 because it allowed companies to expand and it started westward expansion. In conclusion, the railroad boosted the economy by being the first big business and influencing the country’s make up for years to come.
