TG2: TARIFFS
Maddy Crocker and Tyra Bell
THE TARIFFS OF GROVER CLEVELAND
Industrialists wanted higher tariffs and a gold
based “sound” money system
 Farmers wanted cheaper tariffs and inflation so
they could pay their debts off with produce
 Cleveland wanted tariffs to be reduced, beecause
the government had a surplus of money. But
when brought up to the public about tariff
reduction


Congress rejected it
GROVER CLEVELAND

Served as a sheriff

Mayor of Buffalo

Governor of New York

Became President in 1885
Served two terms, not right after each other
 Won in 1884 and 1892

ELECTION OF 1888
Benjamin Harrison (Rep)
Grover Cleveland (Dem)
WHO HATED CLEVELAND
Politicians who
opposed Civil Service
Reform
 War Veterans disliked
the veto of pension
legislation
 Industrial leaders who
disliked tax reduction
 Farmers who hated
his support of the gold
standard

ELECTION OF 1888

Nominating Convention- Chicago

Electoral Vote- 233 (Harrison) to 168 (Cleveland)

Popular Votes- 5,534,488 (Harrison) to 5,443,892
(Cleveland)
ELECTION RESULTS
HARRISONS PRESIDENCY
Elected in 1888
 Elected at the age of 55
 Republicans held majority in both houses of
Congress during the first half of his term



Resulted in the enactment of Harrison’s legislative
program
Democrats won control of the House of
Representatives in election of 1890
Republican majority reduced to six
 Reflected public disapproval of the funds spent by
Congress, which reached almost one billion dollars

MCKINLEY TARIFF OF 1890

Act of US Congress

Became law on October 1, 1890


Raised average duty on imports to almost fifty
percent
Designed to protect domestic industries from foreign
competition
BILLION DOLLAR CONGRESS
Passed the Pension Act of 1890
Provided pensions for all Union Civil War Veterans who
served for 90 days and were no longer capable of
manual labor
Solved dilemma of excessive surplus
SHERMAN ANTI-TRUST ACT
Named after John Sherman
 Outlawed monopolistic business practices
 Made to regulate interstate commerce
 Passed the senate vote 51 to 1 and the house by
242 to 0
 Signed by Benjamin Harrison
 Trusts became dominant part in industry


Destroyed competitions
ANNEXATION OF HAWAII

Big businesses wanted the annexation of Hawaii


Natives however didn’t want to be annexed due to the
fact that they were a sovereign, independent nation
Harrison rushed a treaty of annexation before
the end of his term

Cleveland won presidency and withdrew treaty
Business elite unfairly pressured the President to
annex Hawaii
 Hawaii was annexed on July 7th, 1898

STATES ADMITTED TO UNION BY
PRESIDENT HARRISON

Admitted 6 states

North and South Dakota 1889

Montana 1889

Washington 1889

Idaho 1890

Wyoming 1890