Kurt+-+GC+-+F08

Grover Cleveland Birth: March 18, 1837 Death: June 27, 1908 Political Party: Democrat Vice Presidents: - Thomas A. Hendricks - Adlai E. Stevenson Grover Cleveland was a man of many firsts in the White House. He was the first to serve two non-consecutive terms and also the first to marry while in office. Along with this he was a stern leader and stuck by his guns which he displayed in the vetoing of numerous bills. Despite the fact he was a tough leader what he did in my opinion was for the betterment of the country which is why I will award him a grade of a B+. The goals that Cleveland had in mind when he embarked upon his presidency were pursuing a policy of not favoring any one economic group. Other goals he set out to accomplish were regulating the railroads, reduce the high protective tariff, getting rid of the Free Silver Policy. He was very successful in accomplishing these tasks through acts such as the Interstate Commerce Act, which attempted to regulate the railroads, and also repealing the Sherman Silver Purchase Act, which got rid of the Free Silver policy and set us back on course with the gold standard. Cleveland did not have a very ¨peachy¨ relationship with Congress so to speak. He was famous for his vetoing of numerous bills and angered some people of the Congress. An example of one of the things he vetoed during his terms were things such as private bill pensions to Civil War veterans. Some legislation passed during his presidency were the Interstate Commerce Act and the repealing of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act. With legislation such as this he was able to keep our nations economy heading in the right direction. The action that I think was the best made by that of Cleveland and his administration was the treatment of the railroad strikers. When the railroad workers in Chicago were creating an uproar he threatened to use the Army to strike them down and return them to their place. He would take no crap from anybody and would not let the railroad companies try to take advantage of the government. The most negative thing I think he and his administration did was his dealing with the Venezuela Boundary dispute. His statement that Britain should not be involved in the dispute and that the United States would keep the situation under control did not go over well with everybody outside of Congress. I think what Cleveland did during his presidency did have a lasting effect on future presidents. The Venezuela border issue has been disputed as recently as 2000 and that he was able to strengthen the power of the Executive Branch both display that his presidency was successful and set a good example for future presidents. I would have to say that the country was heading in the right direction after Cleveland’s presidency. Although we are heading into a future dispute with the Latin Americas and Philippines, the work of Cleveland in restoring a functioning economy were very beneficial which is why I would have to award him a B+.

Sources:

1. "Biography of Grover Cleveland". White House. November 20, 2008 .

2. American Pageant : Advanced Placement. Boston: Houghton Mifflin College Division, 2001.

3. "Grover Cleveland". NYISE History. November 20, 2008 .