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Stephen Grover Cleveland
Democrat Born: March 18, 1837 Died: June 24, 1908 Term one: March 4, 1885-1889 Term two: March 4, 1893-1897 Vice Presidents: Term one: Thomas A. Hendricks Term two: Adlai E. Stevenson

As a man of honesty, integrity, and attitude toward liberalism, Grover Cleveland deserves a B. He accomplished many great things. He helped to get our country out of the economic crisis that it was in. Therefore, he deserved the letter grade of a B.

Cleveland had many goals coming into his presidency in 1885. His overall main goal was to keep the country stable, by all means. When he became president, he first had to appoint people to fill all of the government jobs. Cleveland did not like the spoils system. However, he saw no harm in keeping republicans in their positions if they were doing their jobs well. Although some decisions of positions were made based on party concerns, most of his decisions were made based on merit. Another goal of Cleveland was to make the country one that was backed by only gold. Cleveland tried to enforce this with the Bland-Allison Act. This act reduced the amount of silver that the government was allowed to coin. This act failed so the silver issue was once more, put off. Cleveland also hoped to reduce the protective tariff, and he was completely against expansion and imperialism, so none of his goals included policies for expansion or imperialism. Cleveland wanted a lower tariff because the tariff had been so high since the civil war, that they now had a surplus. The tariff issue never got really far and it ended up dying in the conference committee. So, this problem would carry on until the next election. In 1887, Cleveland also singed a bill which created the Interstate Commerce Commission. The ICC was responsible for regulating the railroads, ensuring fair rates, and eliminating rate discrimination.

Cleveland's relationship with congress was not the best. The Democrats especially didn't appreciate the fact that he went against the spoils system. He was also was dealing with a Republican senate, which led him to using his veto power. He vetoed several hundreds of private pension bills for civil war veterans because he thought that if their pensions had already been denied, congress shouldn't challenge that decision. He vetoed more bills than any US president up until that time. His most famous veto was the Texas Seed Bill. A drought had ruined several areas in Texas and congress suggested that $10,000 go towards purchasing seed grain for farmers. However, Cleveland vetoed this bill. Another problem in congress was the tariff issue. The republicans favored a high tariff to protect American industries, but democrats wanted a lower tariff. It was difficult because there was a Republican senate and a Democratic house, so they often disagreed and it was harder to get things accomplished.

The most positive action that came of Cleveland's presidency was the repealing of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act. The Panic of 1893 hit the stock market hard and was made worse by the shortage of gold due to the free coinage of silver. With the repeal it place, the treasury's gold reserves were stable again. This helped to better the economy and eventually led to the ending of silver being a backing for American currency.

The worst action that occurred during Cleveland's presidency was the veto of the Texas Seed Bill. As one of the most famous vetoes of Cleveland, it was a pretty important bill. Cleveland denied farmers much needed money to buy seed grain when times were tough. He said that he didn't want the country to have to depend on the government so much.

The action the affected future presidents the most dealt with an interpretation of the Monroe Doctrine. It ensured America's involvement in any matter in the hemisphere. Britain and Venezuela disagreed over boundary of Venezuela and British Guiana, so Cleveland pressured Britain into signing an agreement. In the end, this improved the United States' relationship with its southern neighbors and also made good relations with Britain.

Overall, Cleveland was a good president. He made some mistakes, like isolating the country and overusing his veto power, which it why he doesn't deserve an A. However, he did many things to better the country and help it be more economically stable. He did great things by repealing the Sherman Silver Purchase Act and he did a great job despite his complicated relationship with congress. So, overall Cleveland deserves a B for his efforts as president.

Bibliography: Bailey, Thomas, Lizabeth Cohen, and David Kennedy. __The American Pageant.__ New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002. "Grover Cleveland." //The White House//. 2009. 15 Apr 2009 . "Grover Cleveland." //Wikipedia//. 14 April 2009. 15 Apr 2009 .