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//Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837- June 24, 1908) Democrat Terms of Office: 1885-1889; 1893-1897 Vice Presidents; Thomas A. Hendricks; Adlai E. Stevenson//

Grover Cleveland was a man who always did what was right, not what was popular. He acheived his goals, and helped stop corruption. Cleveland had a tough time making the right decisions when thrown into harsh situations, such as financil panics. I think Grover Cleveland deserves a C for his two terms as presidency. The good and the bad balance out to make him a failry average president.

Heading into office, Cleveland hoped to fight political corruption and big money interests. He also wanted to back away from the silver standard. Cleveland was able to put an end to big money interests with the Interstate Commerce Act. He fought political corruption by maintaining a strong hold over congress, and making sure the executive brance had enough power. Cleveland was able to back away from the silver standard when the Panic of 1893 came about. He repealed the Sherman Silver Purchase Act. By reading this, one would say that Cleveland was successful in his goals. But, after further inquiry, one will see that his achievements were not always popular.

Cleveland and Congress had a pretty rocky relationship. During his first term as president, they did not see eye to eye. Cleveland vetoed most of the bills that congress tried to pass. They mostly disagreed on the pensions of Civil War soldiers. Cleveland did not seem to think the veterans needed pensions. Although, this was a little rocky, Cleveland did pass legislation, such as the Dawes Severality Act, that he and congress agreed on. In his second term, the republicans became the majority in congress. With Cleveland being a democrat and his sketchy descisions on how to handle the panic, this did not bode well. Overall, Cleveland could have done a better job of compromising with congress to reach agreements.

Grover Cleveland's most positive decisions lie in his dealings with foreign policy. Cleveland was able to, for the most part, keep America neutral and out of harms way during his presidency. He did not get involved with Cuba and Spain, and he did not take on Hawaii because he felt America was not yet ready. Cleveland did, however, get involved in the Venezuela- Britain dispute. The dispute was over boundary lines. Cleveland insisted that it be arbitrated, and Britain accepted. In doing this, America came to be on good terms with Britain. He also brought the Monroe Doctrine back to life, which would prove to be useful down the road.

The most negative decision Cleveland made during his presidency was to repeal the Sherman Silver Purchase Act. Although reverting back to the gold standard seemed good on paper, Cleveland could not have forseen the divisions he would cause. Because of this decision, southern and western silver forces bound together. This caused some division among the nation. This decision also split the democratic party. Cleveland now had very few supporters. The Sherman Silver Act repeal was not a good way to deal with the Panic of 1893. Because of this poor choice, republicans became the majority in Congress. When Cleveland left office in 1897, he left feeling betrayed by his own party.

A decision that Grover Cleveland made that influenced future administrations was to pass the Interstate Commerce Act. This act created the Interstate Commerce Commission. They were an agency designed to adress the problems of discrimination and abuse by the railroad companies. It made sure that all rates were reasonable and published, there were no more secret rebates, and there could be no price discrimination against smaller companies. This act was important because railroad companies were becoming so large and discriminative towards the "common folk" of America. This was the first act that attempted federal control of the railroads. This set the precedent for other acts such as, anti-trusts acts. It led to a future where large companies could no longer discriminate and abuse smaller companies.

In conlusion, I do not feel that the country was better off after Cleveland's second term as president. He should have just quit while he was ahead, after his first term. He left the nation in a financial slump because of the Panic of 1893. Although his second term did not end well, he did a fair job as president during his first. He made good decisionsa and kept the nation moving forward. For these reasons, I stand by my grade of a C for Mr. Cleveland. In the end, he didn't do anything above, or below average.

"American President: Grover Cleveland: A Life in Brief." //Miller Center of Public Affairs//. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2010. . "Grover Cleveland | The White House." //The White House//. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2010. . "Grover Cleveland - President of the United States (POTUS)." //POTUS -- Presidents of the United States//. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2010. . 