Period one
Andrew Johnson |
Andrew Johnson released Edwin Stanton, a high member of the cabinet, without Congress' vote. Johnson's move violated the Tenure of Office Act of 1867. Since this was a violation of the constitution, Congress felt this was enough to punish him, thus making Andrew Johnson the first American president to be impeached. The cartoon to the left shows that Johnson used too much power from his constitutional rights and got punished for it.
Johnson was president when the Treaty of Fort Laramie was signed, which was the agreement to relocate the Plains Indians to Black Hills, South Dakota. This forced the Indians to assimilate into American society, making them forget all of their beliefs. The treaty began the removal of Indians in America. After Abraham Lincoln's assassination, Johnson took office and began to finish what Lincoln started. Johnson didn't want to severely punish the South, but many in the North didn't agree. Congress sent bills to the president, but he vetoed many of them, which made Congress upset. When Johnson removed Stanton from the cabinet, Congress used that move to impeach Johnson. |
With this map that shows the final votes of the 1869 election, we can see that Ulysses S. Grant won the presidency. Also, we are able to learn which states had the majority vote for each candidate. Viewing the map, we can see that most of the states had voted for Grant, over opposing Horatio Seymour. With twenty-six states voting for Grant, he only lost eight states, New York being the biggest loss.
With Grant being a victorious general in the Civil War, he was well known in America. After the Union victory over the Confederacy, African-Americans began to be free of slavery in the South. The south didn't like the new rules, so they kept treating the ex-slaves poorly. Soon after, African-Americans began to reform and help make the American South treat them equally. The fifteenth amendment was ratified during Grant's presidency, which gave African-Americans the right to vote. This was a big step forward for them, although, the election officials began to enforce literacy tests and poll taxes. Grant had many states favor him, especially in the South. The North sent Union troops into the South during the elections to enforce the fifteenth amendment. Many African-Americans were able to vote without tests or taxes due to the troops throughout the South. Ulysses believed the role of the president was to carry out the laws, which appealed to many American voters. |
Ulysses S. Grant
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Rutherford Birchard Hayes |
This political cartoon was made to show that the Electoral College made the election unfair. Many people were upset about the outcome of the 1877 election between Rutherford B. Hayes and Samuel Tilden. The significance of this cartoon is to show that Congress "gave" the presidency to Hayes. The photo displays feet kicking around the ballot box like it's a ball, with a caption "A national game that is played out." This caption gives the viewer the feeling that Congress doesn't take voting seriously and think it's a "game."
Many presidents are voted in without a problem, but this election, the race was very close, forcing the Electoral College to do something about it. They gave Hayes the win by awarding him twenty contested electoral votes. This was known as the Compromise of 1877, one of the most argued about elections in American history. Thomas Nast, the creator of the political cartoon, was also the one who exposed Boss Tweed. Nast was a cartoonist who would expose the corruptions of the government. He was well known for taking down the political machines, like Tweed. Thomas Nast illustrated this cartoon to show that Congress messed with the legitimacy of the election. The election of 1877 was similar to the election between Andrew Johnson and John Adams. Both were accused of being corrupt and taking sides of just one candidate. |
The painting displays the assassination of James A. Garfield, who was shot by Charles J. Guiteau. The event was the second assassination of an American president. Garfield was less than four months into his term when he was shot in the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station.
The picture demonstrates how James was shot. He was out in a public building, with American citizens around him. Garfield was shot from behind, when he wasn't expecting it. The people around the scene was shocked and stunned. James fell forward onto the floor. James A. Garfield was in the office for a short amount of time, but he completed many important tasks. One of which was energizing America's navy powers. Another was purging the corruption in the post office. The Star Route Scandal was a major issue he had to deal with. This was where the post office was excepting bribes in exchange for postal delivery contracts. Garfield lived the longest after the event of the four presidents to be assassinated. He lived on for eleven weeks, in critical condition. After he passed, Chester Alan Arthur took over the office. |
James Abram Garfield
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Chester Alan Arthur |
The painting shows Chester Alan Arthur in front of many other politicians. The politicians were upset with him because of the signing of the Pendleton Act. This meant that "common men" couldn't hold a position in the government any longer.
The Pendleton Act gave more restrictions and tests to people who wanted to become a politician. With the act in place, it made it to where the government would only consist of high class, intelligent people. The exams would make sure that the people would know many things about the American government. Presidents after Arthur would have to follow the new act. No longer would common people be able to enter governmental issues. This lead to many of the people to be upset. Many problems for citizens wouldn't be solved due to the Pendleton Act. Common Men were able to join the government and help fix the problems the citizens were having. |
This illustration displays the wedding of Grover Cleveland and Frances Folsom. The wedding was the first one to take place in the White House. It took place on June 2, 1886, just fourteen months into Cleveland's first term. Folsom became the youngest First Lady of the United States at twenty-one years of age.
Many presidents had wives that would help them carry out the American laws. First ladies would also encourage change for America. For example, Frances supported the Women's Christian Temperance Movement's "Hope and Help" project. She also helped to establish the Washington Home for Friendless Colored Girls. Folsom also endorsed products for companies. She would model for the companies to help advertise their product. First Lady Frances Folsom helped reform movements for women in America. Many reforms were going on during the Progressive Era, especially for women. With help from Folsom, it was easier for women to reform and fix the problem. |
Grover Cleveland
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Benjamin Harrison
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Benjamin Harrison was the twenty-third president of the United States of America. He had many accomplishments while he was in office, one of them signing the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890.
Signing this act disallowed Congress to regulate interstate commerce. This kept trusts between monopolies from forming. Monopolies were becoming powerful companies. They were mistreating their employees to gain money. With the government using the Lassiez-faire technique, the monopolies were able to gain more money, faster. Since Harrison signed the Antitrust Act, Monopolies had to stop creating trusts with other companies to gain even more money. This kept businesses from growing and becoming powerful. This act helped to solve a major problem from the Gilded Age. |