Test 2- Lincoln through Wilson
public opinion baths
long hours Lincoln spend in the White House listening to any visitor who same to talk with him -practice during his presidency that kept him in close touch with the people and helped with his reelection during the election of 1864
Congress at the start of the Civil War
was in recess -Lincoln had special powers because congress was in recess -he did not appeal to congress, or call congress into session, he acts unilaterally in starting the war and only later asks for the approval of congress
Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address
was meant to help heal and restore the country after four years of civil war -the 1st inaugural address to be photographed -Benjamin Brown French (account of inaugural) was that Booth tried to assassinate Lincoln at the address but the crowd was too large
Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882
law that suspended Chinese immigration into America. -The ban was supposed to last 10 years, but it was expanded several times and was essentially in effect until WWII -the first significant law that restricted immigration into the United States of an ethnic working group. Extreme example of nativism of period -Vetoed by Chester A. Arthur
War Democrats
the name given to the faction of Democrats during the Civil War that patriotically supported the Lincoln administration
Gettysburg Address
(1863) a speech given by Abraham Lincoln after the Battle of Gettysburg, in which he praised the bravery of Union soldiers and renewed his commitment to winning the Civil War; supported the ideals of self-government and human rights -Lincoln dates the Union's conception back to the Declaration of Independence (the letter to King George III) (4 score and 7 years age/87 years ago) NOT the Constitution (ignoring the articles of confederation) as to suggest that the power of the state governments are illegitimate, recognizing only the national government in his address -he also says that "all men are created equal" to allude to the fact that slaves were equal -the great purpose of the war was the American "nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom."
Maria Halpin Affair
(Ma! Ma! Where's my Pa [republicans] Gone to the White House Ha! Ha! Ha! [democrats]) She was committed and Grover Cleveland took in her child because he was the only unmarried man hooking up with her (child may or may not have been his) -or It may have been a cover up -He admitted this as governor of New York and his supporters praised his honesty -Cleveland was the first/only president to recognize an illegitimate child
Civil War Amendments to the Constitution
(embodied Lincoln's celebration of the Declaration) not only abolished slavery (13th) but also guaranteed all Americans the privileges and immunities of citizenship, due process, and equal protection of the law against encroachment by the states (14th) and promised African Americans the right to vote (15th) -changed the course of conditional development -the first 12 amendments to the Condition restricted the power of national government and six of the next seven (including these amendments) expanded the power of the national government -immediate consequences of these amendments were limited -the reforms of Civil War were tightly bounded by deep ingrained racial prejudice and the nation's long-standing commitment to private property, limited government, and administration decentralization
Andrew Johnson's Presidency
-39th congress is out of session when he assumes Lincoln's Presidency so he has a lot of power -sympathizes with the Southern states and wants to pave the way for their readmission to the union -he feuds with the Radical Republicans in the 39th Congress -he vetos a lot of civil rights bills, and the Freedman's Bureau -white supremacist and strict constructionist ideology led him do many of the things he did during his presidency -made many proclamations while congress was not in session which led congress to pass limits in the 39th session to cap his power -president during reconstruction: black codes and Jim Crow laws -first president to be impeached over his violation of the Tenure of Office Act and Edwin M. Stanton
The Aftermath of the Civil War
-Before the war, American was a union, after the war it was a nation (a collection of states versus a collective body) -The US was formally referred to as a PLURAL noun but was converted to a single noun that we use today -The war was cohesive, as a mechanism for unity
Ex Parte Vallandigham
-Democratic Sen. Clement L. Vallandigham of Ohio found guilty for violating Army orders against public expressions of Confederate sympathies -President Abraham Lincoln banished Vallandigham to rebel territory (Tennessee) -He returned and appealed the action in the Supreme Court. -The Court held, unanimously, that it had no jurisdiction over appeals from military courts (i.e. military courts only had jurisdiction over military and civilian courts only had jurisdiction over civilians) -found acceptable the arrest and sentencing of a prominent antiwar agitator who was detained for a speech that he gave in Mount Vernon, Ohio
Importance of Fort Sumter
-First shots of the Civil War -strategic geography: near a major port meaning which ever side had control of the port would have a major advantage as it would control traffic into Charleston -Lincoln refuses to surrender the fort because that would recognize the legitimacy of the Confederacy as a country -structural win for Lincoln because Jefferson Davis' order for an attack on the fort before provisions could reach and supply the soldiers was an open act of rebellion and rebellion (terror or insurgency) or act of war by another state justified Lincoln calling for war -4 more states succeeded and northerners join the Union Army
Some theories about Lincoln's Assassination (in the late 1860's)
-Johnson was involved -Booth organized it on his own -It was a confederate plot -International bankers were behind it -It was the Roman Catholic Church in 1886 -Secretary of War Edwin M Stanton was the mastermind -Copperheads, Radical Republicans, and the Knights of the Golden Circle, even Mary Todd Lincoln
White House Security
-Millard Fillmore had guards (a guardhouse) screen people before entering the White House (at this time everyone was allowed in the White House) -Franklin Pierce removed the Guardhouse and replaced it with two watchman acting as security -Lincoln removed all of the security measures, had no watchmen, and only one unarmed attendant to show that he was not afraid (Lincoln received many death threats and was shot at before)
Grant's Goals as President
-Wanted a canal linking Caribbean and Pacific (Panama Canal idea created by Grant) Wanted to purchase Santo Domingo in order the build the canal (but congress did not allow him) -Treaty of Washington: treaty with Britain -Established the Civil Service Commission
Lincoln's Position on Taxes
-as a Whig, he favored tariffs which were in the interests of the North/Industries which supported Lincoln's campaign (without the Northern states Lincoln would not have won the election again proving that the South did not matter and the North could determine the outcome of the election of 1860 without them) -Lincoln promoted the interests of those on the East Coast -pasted the second Morrill Tariff
Powers invoked by Lincoln
-at the start of the Civil War, Congress was in session giving Lincoln more powers -Lincoln enlarges the military (unclear if he/the president has the power to do this or if congress does) in 1861 beyond its legal limit -he suspends Habeas Corpus -he blockades ports that belong to the Confederacy to stop the flow of provisions to the South leading to the prize cases in the Supreme Court (you do not blockade ports of your own, you close them if they are of no use to you. You blockade foreign ports). The issue grew when the US started seizing ships (act of piracy) -Lincoln argued that the Constitution gave him the power to declare war which contrasted his initial view of the War with Mexico and his limited view of government/strict interpretation of the Constitution -during the war, Lincoln sponsored new Loyal or Unionist governments in Virginia, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Arkansas -Lincoln used his strong executive powers after the civil war as well: he assumed the right to reorganize the South and guide it back into the Union as Commander-in-chief (reconstruction)
Post-War Society and Reconstruction: Southern Economy
-in turmoil after the war and emancipation -southerners needed to reestablish a work force through sharecropping and wage work -south once criticized the north for cruelty of wage work but eventually thrived off of it -congressional leaders tried to recreate the antebellum period that economically transformed the north in the south by restoring cotton as the nation's leading export, leading to sharecropping and cash crop plantations
Grant's Presidency
-served two terms -had the most corrupt administration -was not the first choice for president -when he entered the office, most Civil War issues were resolved already: the 14th amendment was ratified and the 15th was sent out to the states -he was expected to run the office without Partisanship because he was a military man -reformers wanted to see a government of experts not a party of those who got the job due to party loyalty (loyalists vs experts) -promised not to impose his own policies, he was a good administrator of other's policy (he took a hands off approach) which weakened the presidency
Events During Cleveland's Presidency
-terminated tenure of office act -period of goldbacks versus silverbacks -Texas seed bill -most serious labor strike in the country's history over an 8 hour work day -He used federal troops to end boycott on trains -panic of 1893 occurred -Maria Halpin Affair
Abraham Lincoln
16th President of the United States, elected to two terms -political career was shaped by his upbringing in small towns of the Ohio River Valley -born to two yeoman farmers that moved from state to state -branched away from subsistence farming and became a store clerk -as a law student and member of the New Salem Debating Society, Lincoln gained entry into middle class society -longtime admirer of Henry Clay, joined the Whig party and served four terms in the Illinois legislature and in 1846 he won election to congress -thought slavery was unjust but did not believe the federal government had the jurisdiction to change it -took brief hiatus from politics but was drawn back in by the Kansas Nebraska Act and Senator Douglas' position on popular sovereignty -with his renewed political career, Lincoln strengthened his discontent for slavery and believed that it was cancerous to the Union -emerged as the Republican forerunner in the election and was pitted against Douglas -was elected twice and oversaw the Civil War -was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth (southern sympathizer) on April 14, 1865 in Ford's theatre after the surrender at Appomattox courthouse but before the official/formal end of the civil war
Andrew Johnson
17th President of the United States, a Southerner from Tennessee and former slave owner (he was the only senator from a seceding state that remained in Congress) -was an indentured servant/tailor -He was Lincoln's running mate (for Lincoln' re-election) in an attempt by Lincoln to gain support from democratic voters and those in border states and to promote cohesion during the reconstruction years -Lincoln was elected over Sherman and he became Vice President -As V.P. when Lincoln was killed, he became president. "accidental president" -strict constructionist -white supremacist who was ok with black codes and Jim Crow laws -he wanted an easy pathway for the confederate states to rejoin the Union and clashed with the 39th Congress -He opposed radical Republicans who passed Reconstruction Acts over his veto. -The first U.S. president to be impeached, he survived the Senate removal by only one vote. He was a very weak president. -impeached for his official removal of Edwin M. Stanton from office (violation of Tenure of Office Act) -tried to kill the Freedman's Bureau and Civil Rights Act of 1866 -outright racist which barred cooperation from Congress composed of Republicans and Radical Republicans -lacked moral and political judgment
Ulysses S. Grant
18th President -General of the Union Army -Drinker, Cigar smoker, general and somewhat prissy -hates dirty jokes, would cry in public, bathed in a closed tent, hated foul language -cried as President when he found out his personal secretary was involved in a scheme to defraud the government of liquor tax revenue -his brother Orvil ran a scam to get kickbacks from the trading post out west and the gold market -he had the most corrupt administration in US history -a great general but bad president -was not the first choice for president but he was well respected -he was expected to run office without partisanship because he was a military man -the US has a tendency to look to Military leaders for stability in rough times
Rutherford B. Hayes
19th President, ended reconstruction by removing federal troops, disputed election of 1876 resulted in the Compromise of 1877 -thwarted by Congress -his election was highly controversial -First president since Andrew Jackson to use federal troops to end labor disputes in Virginia -inherited a weak presidency, rapid social economic changes, corruption throughout government (corrupt New York Custom House) -replaced loyalists with experts when Congress went out of session and Congress kept his appointment when it went back into session: one way that he expanded/established executive independence though he inherited a weak presidency -like Grant, he attempted Civil Service Reform
James Garfield
20th President -more affective as a dead president than he was alive -his assassination promoted civil service reform: led to the Pendleton Act (merit based civil service) -assassinated by Charles Guiteau and succeeded by Chester A. Arthur
Chester A. Arthur
21st President -Was a large part of the Corruption in NY machine/custom house during Hayes' presidency -they made him Garfield's Vice President to keep him out of the hands of corruption but he ended up president after Garfield was assassinated and he turned out to be a decent president, not corrupt like many predicted and even helped fix some corruption -he was appalled by Garfield's assassination -he did not fill his cabinet with Cronies/loyalists -he signed the Pendelton Act into law (Civil service reform was attempted by Grant and Hayes but wasn't made into law until Arthur) -he helped remove corruption in bureaucratic jobs through the Pendelton Act -an overall responsible president -his vetoes were overruled by congress/had a weak presidency -Congress was at the peak of power during his presidency/Congress had the most power during his administration and it was an all time low power of the Presidency in relation -had a tranquil accidental presidency -had Bright's disease and died soon after the end of his term -only worked 6 hours a day -he didn't receive much credit but he also wan't blamed for the state of the nation -he vetoed the Chinese Exclusion Act by taking 10 years instead of 20 years to become citizens -remarkable dress, president when the prime meridian was established
Grover Cleveland
22nd and 24th president -ONLY non-consecutive president -considered the most able and important president between Lincoln and T. Roosevelt -his job as he viewed it: to keep hurtful things from happening rather than making good things happen -before he was president (14 years earlier), he was the "hangman" of Erie County, NY (he hanged two men) -he had cancer of the moth and had part of his upper jaw removed and replaced with a rubber jaw to improve his speech: no one could tell and 9 years later the public found out that it was true that he had cancer and a rubber jaw -social conservatives began popping up during his presidency -first/only president to acknowledge an illegitimate child of Maria Halpin -hated paternalism in government/didn't believe in social welfare or government hand outs -first president to veto freely and made veto a policy tool rather than simply a check on legislative powers -terminated the Tenure of Office Act
Johnson's Impeachment
6 week long trial -11 counts were brought up against him involving violation of the Tenure of Office Act -(they also accused him of bringing Congress into disrepute and failing to carry out reconstruction) issues at hand: Did Johnson actually violate the Constitution? He broke a law (the tenure of office act) but did Congress have the right to enact the law and take away the Presidents power? impact: -caused some issues in the senate: some sided with Johnson (even though they did not like him) because they believed that the removal of the president from office would undermine the other branches (as Johnson was the first president to me impeached) outcome: Johnson was impeached but he was NOT removed because some feared what the Ultra-radical Benjamin Wade of Ohio would do as Johnson's next in line to president -one vote -Johnson promised not to mess with Reconstruction again because he knew he was almost removed from office. He agrees to not interfere and Congress chose the secretary of war -ended Johnson's political career but made him popular in Tennessee and he returned to the Senate in 1875 -the impeachment however, was significant in that it showed that just because the Senate hated the president, it could not simply remove him.
Ex Parte Merryman
A Supreme Court case that Chief Justice Taney's ruled that the suspension of habeas corpus was unconstitutional without an act of Congress -Lincoln openly defied the ruling by suspending it for the arrest of anti-Unionists during the Civil War **This shows how a president can sometimes overstep their power. (John Merryman wanted Maryland to secede from the Union, as a southern sympathizer, so Lincoln ordered the military to arrest him in defiance of the writ of Have as Corpus Taney issued Merryman) -Chief Justice Roger B. Taney ruled that ONLY Congress could suspend the writ of heaves corpus -Lincoln ignored the order
Pendleton Act
A law enacted in 1883 that established a bipartisan civil service commission to make appointments to government jobs by means of the merit system -merit based civil service reform -removed corruption from bureaucratic jobs -passed by Chester A Arthur -prompted by assassination of Garfield by Guiteau *Civil service reform was attempted by Grant and Hayes but wasn't made into law until Arthur -introduced by George Hunt Pendleton -competitive examinations for federal jobs and a ban on political assessment, that Arthur originally opposed but he signed the act when Congress passed it *laid a solid foundation on which to build the civil service in succeeding decades
The Confederate States of America
A republic formed in February of 1861 and composed of the eleven Southern states that seceded from the United States -first seven to leave by Lincoln's inaugural address: South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas -last four to leave after Lincoln's first inaugural: Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina -not recognized as a separate entity from the U.S. but instead viewed as rebellious states leading an insurrection
The Civil Service Commission
A system of hiring and promotion based on the merit principle and the desire to create a nonpartisan government service -Not funded by Congress -Civil Service Board Exams abolishes in 1875 when congress adjourns -The commission fails during Grant's presidency
Radical Republicans
After the Civil War, a group that believed the South should be harshly punished and thought that Lincoln was sometimes too compassionate towards the South -Disgusted when all the southern states reconstructed by presidential proclamation rejected the Fourteenth Amendment after enacting racially discriminatory Black Codes, the voters routed the president's followers and gave the Radicals firm control of both houses of Congress. -With every southern state except Tennessee still barred by Congress from choosing representatives and senators, all but 53 of the 226 members of the House were Republicans, as were all but 9 of 54 senators. -Particularly damaging to Johnson was that he had encouraged the southern states to reject the Fourteenth Amendment. They butted heads with Johnson and curses power struggles with the 39th Congress which sought to control and limit Johnson's presidential powers -Lincoln's landslide reelection in November 1864 took the wind out of the Radical Republicans' sails, but their strength was restored after he was assassinated -considered any Reconstruction policy that did not impose some degree of black suffrage on the southern states as tantamount to the perpetuation of "an Oligarchy of the skin -led by Thaddeus Stevens and Senator Sumner
Conscription
After the first two years of war, the war effort was depleting -the Confederate army was first to to impose the legally binding military draft in American history -required existing soldiers serve for the duration of the war and mandated three years of military service From all men between the ages of 18 and 35 (moved to 45 after all the casualties in Antietam) -had two controversial loop holes: 1st-exempted one white man, the planter, son, or an overseer; 2nd-draftees could hire substitutes -by 1864 Confederate Congress closed the loop hole but the price of substitutes where $300 in gold -some southerners refused to serve -Lincoln suspended Habeas Corpus and imprisoned 15,000 southern sympathizers -The Union initiated conscription with the Enrollment Act of 1863 and got a lot of opposition from Irish and German immigrants (led to draft riots by poor white immigrants)
New York Custom House Ring
Alleged corruption ring at the New York Custom House under two of Grant's appointees -a lot of corruption during Hayes' presidency especially with Chester A. Arthur (political party hack who was Garfield' vice president because the VP didn't do anything but Garfield dies/was assassinated and he become president who was surprisingly not corrupt)
Battle of Fort Sumter (details)
April 12-14, 1861 First battle of the Civil War in South Carolina -Lincoln attempts to resupply the fort, sending provisions/food for hungry men, as a peace effort for the American army (he claimed he was solely restocking them with food and resources not arms/weapons) -In response, Jefferson Davis (the president of the Confederacy) orders the fort to be destroyed before the provisions can reach the soldiers which opens an act of rebellion allowing Lincoln to call for war Confederate victory: -confederates attack the fort (a union fort in confederate territory) -Beauregard takes Charleston Federal fort -many believed that the civil war was over because there was no way the South could resist the overwhelming superiority in manpower, industry, and finance but the south emerged victoriously -however by the end of 1862 the war was resembling a bloody stalemate and was deathly to lives and property
Lincoln's Death
April 15, 1865 his body was laid to rest but did not receive much rest -When he died, his body goes on a train from Washington to Springfield, IL -in IL, his body is moved 12 times before it is laid to rest until he gets re-identified and re-boxed in iron coffin -Then there was a plot to kidnap Lincoln's body out of the grave (It was a felony to sell a cadaver in IL (but not to take a body from a grave); The kidnappers get caught but they didn't try to sell the body they stole it, so they are charged of stealing a coffin ($75)) -Lincoln was then hidden in the walls of the monument but they monument had to be rebuilt so -Lincoln's body had to be removed and was later placed 10 feet underground, under 20 inches of concrete (at the request of his last surviving son) -His body was well preserved but the embalming fluid leaked and gave him a bruise on his face
Cleveland's view of government
Cleveland had limited power (Congress was very powerful and this was there period of the height of political machines which thrived off of immigration and this was a high period of immigration) but viewed his position as watchdog -he hated paternalism in government -he resisted the idea of government providing aid to citizens in distress like social supports and social welfare -he did not believe it was constitutional for the government to provide social support (like Coolidge, they believed that social welfare was the responsibility of the state not the national government) -he did not want to give government hand outs from the national government
Credit Molbilier
Corruption during Grant's Presidency Republican congressman ran a railroad bribery scheme -part of why Grant's administration was the most corrupt
Salary Grab
Corruption during Grant's Presidency The scandal where the senators raised their salaries/Congress retroactively increased their pay -this is illegal now, due to the 27th Amendment -part of why Grant's administration was the most corrupt
14th Amendment
Declares that all persons born in the U.S. are citizens and are guaranteed equal protection of the laws -states cannot deny life, liberty, or property without due process -states cannot deny a person equal protection under the law
Development of the Solid South
During Grant's Presidency -Grant tried to reach out to Southern Democrats after the 1871 election but the South was not interested -The Southerners were angry about civil rights cases for Blacks -Southern attempts to keep blacks from voting in the polls with Paramilitary groups -The North starts becoming critical of the military engagement of the south -Grant realizes that he cannot stop the takeover of democratic governments in the south
Legacy/Significance of the Johnson Presidency and Impeachment
For 130 yers, no other president was impeached on merely token grounds -strengthened the anger in those in the South who would eventually resist and attempt to overthrow Reconstruction -the South viewed the North as putting the screws to the South and this gave them momentum to fight against Reconstruction -the presidency lost power -significant in that it showed that just because the Senate hated the president, it could not simply remove him.
Compromise of 1877
Ended Reconstruction -Republicans promise to 1) Remove military from South, 2) Appoint Democrat to cabinet (David Key postmaster general), and 3) allot Federal money for railroad construction and levees on Mississippi river -this deal was got Hayes the Presidency over Tilden
Johnson's Proclamation of Amnesty
Gave a general pardon to everyone, except officers and southerners with $20K+ in property who had to get a presidential pardon before they could vote or hold office; each state government had to ratify the 13th amendment before sending representatives to Congress, never went into effect
Corruption in the Grant administration
Gold Market: Jim Fiske & Jay Gould tried to corner gold market in 1869, persuaded Grant to order federal Treasury to stop selling gold. Fiske and Gould then bid price of gold upward. Treasury finally released gold and the bubble burst in 1869. Like the Crash of 1929 with over-speculation and inflated stock values -This undermines the people's confidence in Grant Whiskey Ring: His personal secretary was involved in a scheme to defraud the government of liquor tax revenue; Evidence of corruption in Treasury- trading bribes for tax payoffs, operated out of St. Louis but expanded (there were bribes from officials at every step of whiskey production) Credit Mobilier: Republican congressmen ran a railroad bribery scheme Salary Grab: Congress retroactively increased their pay Grant's brother Orvil ran a scam to get kickbacks from the trading post out west -Significance: people were able to manipulate the government to get what they wanted/to get ahead
The Lincoln Assassination
In Ford's Theater, April 14, 1865, John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Abraham Lincoln, as well as trying to assassinate Ulysses S. Grant, and other politically powerful figures (with "friends"). -Booth shot Lincoln then pulled out a dagger, jumped from the balcony, shattered his led, and ran off on his horse. -the bullet entered behind Lincoln's left ear and got logged behind his right eye, he was paralyzed and died 9 hours later -Booth's accomplice Lewis Payne attacked Willian Seward (the Secretary of State) but Steward did not die -The assassin in charge of Killing Vice President Johnson got too drunk to kill him, but there was an attempt on his life the same night The theory is that, because the three men attempted to kill the president (#1), Vice President (#2), and Secretary of State (#3) that ti was a conspiracy to take down/demolish the Union
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis President of the Confederacy -had less success harnessing southern resources because the eleven states of the Confederacy remained suspicious of centralized rule and souther yeomen grew increasingly skeptical of the war effort
black codes
Laws denying most legal rights to newly freed slaves; passed by southern states following the Civil War -prohibited Blacks from voting -led to the creation of the 14th amendment
Jim Crow Laws
Laws designed to enforce segregation of blacks from whites -like the Black codes but were reformed after the passage of the 14th amendment to allow Blacks to vote but made them jump through hoops to do so: like literacy tests, poll taxes, grandfather clauses
27th Amendment
Limits the power of Congress to increase its own salaries -Passed in 1992, 202 years after it was proposed by the first congress in 1789 -Passed due to UT student Watson
1860 Election
Lincoln did not have a mandate to resolve the moral crisis created by the slavery controversy -he was a minority president who received almost NO votes in the South -the old Whig and Democratic Party coalitions were supplanted by sectional politics -the election was a fragmented contest among four candidates: Lincoln, Douglas, Breckinridge, and Bell -the northern vote was split between Lincoln and Douglas -the southern electorate was divided between John C Breckenridge (Kentucky) and John Bell (Tennessee) -a decisive Electoral College victory for Lincoln by sweeping every northern state but New Jersey -54% of the North's popular vote virtually shut out the South in the electoral despite the fact that he had less than 40% of the popular vote -led to threats of secession
The Civil War?
Lincoln does not want to officially declare war on the Confederacy because doing so would acknowledge it as a legitimate country -if he were to recognize their legitimacy, he would have lost power due to state to state negotiation and Jefferson Davis would become a legitimate president
Lincoln and the Declaration of Independence
Lincoln used the Declaration to justify the emancipation of slaves -he referred to the Declaration rather than the Constitution in his second inaugural address and the Gettysburg Address -all men are created equal -Lincoln's celebration of the Declaration was embodied in the Civil War amendments to the Constitution which not only abolished slavery (13th) but also guaranteed all Americans the privileges and immunities of citizenship, due process, and equal protection of the law against encroachment by the states (14th) and promised African Americans the right to vote (15th)
Four score and seven years ago
Lincoln's famous first words in the Gettysburg Address -traced America's founding to 1776 (87 years before the Gettysburg address) NOT 1787! -it elevated the Declaration of Independence (NOT the Constitution) as the original founding document, the source of a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal
Border States
Maryland, Delaware, Kentucky, and Missouri; these slave states stayed in the Union and were crucial to Lincoln's political and military strategy. He feared alienating them with emancipation of slaves and adding them to the Confederate cause. -the emancipation proclamation did not free the slaves in these four states -all four states remained in the Union although most supported the Confederacy -important because they had a large white population and held the majority of Southern industry so the Union did not want them
Treaty of Washington 1871
Much celebrated agreement between England and America that led to resolution of the Alabama Claims and set a precedent for international arbitration as opposed to war as a way of resolving disputes between nations. Reason for the treaty: Britain was anti-slave (although it supplied the south during the Civil War) and had no slavery. Britain's food and aid to the south prolonged the Civil War result of the treaty: -The treaty settled damages: $15 million dollars was paid to the US by Britain -First international dispute settled by an international panel of arbitrators; preacefully Set a precedent for world powers: settlement rather than going to war; peacefully
Clement Vallandigham
Notorious Copperhead, convicted of treason (for violating General Order No. 38), who ran for governor of Ohio while exiled to Canada -He intentionally violated General Order No. 38 to gain sympathy for his campaign for governor of Ohio, is convicted of treason days later and is tried two days after his arrest. Instead of imprisoning him, Lincoln exiled him to the Confederacy where he fled to Canada to run his Campaign as close to Ohio but he does not win the election -he dies when he shoots himself in the stomach while defending his client
Civil Rights Act of 1866
Passed by Congress on 9th April 1866 over the veto of President Andrew Johnson. -The act declared that all persons born in the United States were now citizens, without regard to race, color, or previous condition -The act declared formerly enslaved people to be citizens and granted them equal protection and rights of contract, with full access to courts
Power Shifts in Presidency from Lincoln to Mckinley
Power shifted from the president to congress LINCOLN: *Lincoln consolidated presidential power and after his assassination, Congress acted forcefully to weaken the presidency* -the powers that Lincoln was willing to accumulate as commander in chief during the Civil War freed him to use the executive office energetically BUT the end of hostilities led to a counterrevolution of sorts which shoed that Lincoln's stewardship had NOT expanded presidential power in a way that could survive peacetime -"By 1875, you would not know that there had been a war or a Lincoln -enter the nadir period for presidential power following Lincoln JOHNSON: the 39th Congress headed by Radical republicans deprived Johnson of control over Reconstruction and stripped his office of its authority to conduct the affairs of the executive branch -presidential power was limited by congress through the passage of the Tenure of Office Act, Congress immediately calling the 40th congress into session following the 39th to remove the special recess powers of Johnson, overriding most of Johnson's proclamations and vetos and passing the Military Reconstruction Act -The struggle against Johnson had reached the point that neither settled precedents nor explicit constitutional proscriptions deterred Radical Republicans from undermining the presidency for the sake of punishing the president Congress overrode fifteen of his vetoes, the most of any president in history McKINLEY: -Congress did not enact legislation to determine the civil rights and political status of America's first colony. Instead, the legislative branch authorized the executive to create a military government in the Philippines, which enabled McKinley, a wartime president, to capitalize on a foreign crisis and its aftermath to expand the powers of the presidency beyond the limits that constrained his predecessors
Emancipation Proclamation
Proclamation issued by Lincoln (on January 1, 1863), freeing all slaves in areas still at war with the Union -it did NOT free the slaves in the Union and the Border States (i.e. it only freed those in Confederate States) -constitutionally, not morally -Lincoln used his constitutional power to remove the tools of the enemies to wage war (the slaves were used by the Confederacy to wage war against the union) -used the commander in chief power to seize war property -discouraged the intervention by Britain -used the Declaration of Independence NOT the constitution to declare that all men are created equally freedom was ironic and not what slaves expected -legislation did not do enough to provide with necessities like land, housing, shelter, and food -many had no choice but to work for former slave owners on cotton plantations as sharecroppers -black codes retarded process in the south by discrimination -lawmakers left emancipated slaves in a condition of semi-citizenship with no voting rights -the 13th amendment was necessary to freeing the slaves in all states not just those at war with the Union -Lincoln claimed the proclamation was a war power and was a fit and necessary war measure for suppression rebellion -breakthrough although it was limited in scope -critical part of Lincoln's war strategy *neither condemned slavery as immoral nor guaranteed that it would be abolished after the war was over
The Prize Cases (1863)
Questioned/Investigated the constitutionality of Lincoln's conduct as president -the union navy had been capturing ships for violating the president's executive orders which imposed a blockade along the southern coast (shipping interests argued that a war begins only when Congress declares war but Lincoln viewed the Civil War as a domestic rebellion/insurrection NOT a war against another nation so the blockade was not legally valid according to the plaintiff) -Expanded powers of executive as commander-in-chief -Supreme Court supported Lincoln's blockade of Confederate ports -the Court ruled that you do NOT have to acknowledge a place as a different country to declare war against it -The court ruled that legislation from Congress was NOT necessary -Ruled that the President cannot declare war but it can declare rebellions and insurrections RULING: The Taney Court ruled that the President has the authority to order a blockade and impound ships, even without a formal declaration of war **significant because it showed that the President can stretch the Constitution in times of crisis and can use power to act more swiftly at home than in a war engaged with a foreign government (Bush used the power from these cases when declaring War on Al Qaeda)
Wade-Davis Bill (1864)
Radical Republican plan for Reconstruction that required 50% of a state's 1860 voters to take an "iron clad" oath of allegiance and a state constitutional convention before the election of state officials -included sweeping emancipation and reconstruction measures that Lincoln believed the federal government had no constitutional authority to impose over the states -disenfranchised all high-ranking Confederates -stipulated that 50% of the voters in a revel state must take a loyalty oath before elections could be held -made the abolition of slavery a condition for readmission to the Union -pocket-vetoed by Lincoln
Tenure of Office Act (1867)
Radical attempt to further diminish Andrew Johnson's authority by providing that the president could not remove any civilian official without Senate approval -Johnson violated the law by removing Edwin Stanton as secretary of war, and the House of Representatives impeached him over his actions -said that if you need senate approval to hire, you must receive approval by the senate to fire appointees -this act was passed by the 39th congress as a way of limiting Johnson's power -the constitutionality of this act has been disputed and was discussed during Johnson's impeachment... did congress have the right to limit the Presidents power to fire appointees? in violating the act was Johnson acting unconstitutionally? -terminated by Government Cleveland
Morrill Tariff Act (1861)
Raised tariff rates to increase revenue and protect American manufacturers; high protective tariffs to project industrialists -highest tariff of the time which angered the south and also was a factor in leading up to the Civil War -passed by Lincoln
Edwin M. Stanton
Secretary of war appointed by Lincoln and dismissed by Johnson. -Johnson replaced him with Ulysses S. Grant causing Johnson to be impeached
Freedman's Bureau, 1865
Set up to help freedmen and white refugees after Civil War. Provided food, clothing, medical care, and education -First to establish schools for blacks to learn to read as thousands of teachers from the north came south to help. -Lasted from 1865-72 -Encouraged former plantation owners to rebuild their plantations, urged freed Blacks to gain employment, kept an eye on contracts between labor and management, etc -Agency set up to aid former slaves in adjusting themselves to freedom. It furnished food and clothing to needy blacks and helped them get jobs -during Reconstruction -Johnson attempted to kill it
Secession
South Carolina was the first state to leave the Union on December 20, 1860 -echoed the ordinance of nullification it issued during the 1832 tariff controversy -SC claimed that secession was each state's constitutional right -by the time of Lincoln's inauguration, 6 additional Deep South states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas) seceded -As soon as secession became violent and irrevocable, Lincoln believed, his oath to "preserve, protect and defend" the Constitution and his responsibility to "take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed" allowed, even compelled, him to take extraordinary measures to restore the Union, ultimately including emancipating the slaves
Factors leading to the Civil War
States right (umbrella term) -slave issue -taxation (Morrill Tariff) -the lack of interest in the Southern States
Ex Parte Milligan
Supreme Court decided that the suspension of habeas corpus was unconstitutional because civilian courts were still operating, and the Constitution of the United States (according to the Court) only provided for suspension of habeas corpus if these courts are actually forced closed. -In essence, the court ruled that military tribunals could not try civilians in areas where civil courts were open, even during wartime. (Milligan, a civilian, tried to steal Union weapons and invaded POW camps. He was arrested, tried, and sentenced to death in military courts) -the court declared illegal the use of military tribunals to try civilians in places were remote from fighting
Military Reconstruction Act
The Act replaced the southern state governments that Johnson had approved with military districts led by military commanders, who were granted almost complete independence from presidential direction -deprived Johnson of control over Reconstruction and stripped his office of its authority to conduct the affairs of the executive branch It divided the South into five military districts that were commanded by Union generals. It was passed in 1867. It ripped the power away from the president to be commander in chief and set up a system of Martial Law enacted in March of 1867 -divided the South into five military districts each under the command of a US general -mandated that in order to to reenter the Union, former Confederate states had to grant the vote to freedmen and deny ti to leading ex-confederates -each military commander was required to register all eligible adult males, black and white, supervise state constitutional conventions, and ensue that new constitutions guaranteed black suffrage -Congress would readmit a state to the Union once the conditions were met and the new state legislature ratified the 14th Amendment -vetoed by Johnson but Congress overrode his veto -also used to keep an eye on Johnson, keeping him in DC **Congress declared that Reconstruction was a legislative, NOT an executive, function and rejected Lincoln's terms as too lenient and refused to seat legislators from an seceding state but Tennessee, which had been the first to fall to Union forces
Peace Democrats (copperheads)
The Democrats split into two factions over continuing the war. They wanted a constitutional convention to restore peace. -The National Union Party coined the term "copperhead", as if they were snakes with treacherous plots.
Election of 1864
The Republican Party was Split: Radicals nominated General John C. Fremont Democrats nominated George B. McClellan Lincoln and Johnson run on a joint ballot (but are not popular due to the union's failures in the Civil War and the amount of death; there is a lot of character assassination against Lincoln and Johnson) -Lincoln wants to unite North and South -McClellan wants war to end if he's elected, citizens of North are sick of war so many vote for McClellan -Lincoln runs with Andrew Johnson to gain democratic votes and changes the Republican Party to the National Union party Lincoln ends up winning when Fremont drops out of the race and the Union starts winning battles which increased Lincoln's popularity among voters
Draft Riots of 1863
The draft law of 1863 focused on conscription but exempted the wealthy who could pay $300 for a substitute; led to riots in New York City where for three days, Irish working-class gangs vented their anger on blacks until federal troops arrived to and the looting and lynching; showed that whites were unwilling to risk their lives for what they perceived as a Black cause -due to conscription immigrants who had just become citizens were eligible to be drafted whereas wealthy white citizens were able to pay a fee (300$) to pay for someone else to take their place in war and African Americans were exempted because Dred Scott Court Case denied them citizenship -i.e. conscription led to the drafting or poor white immigrants and allowed African Americans to take their jobs/replace them in society -caused by racial tension and patronage/the spoils system -sparked the greatest civil disorder in the nation's history (aside from the Civil War itself) *resistance to the draft convinced President Lincoln that military justice and the suspension of habeas corpus were necessary where the war was being fought AND in certain peaceful regions
Alexander Stevens
Vice President of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War -nominated to the US congress by Johnson
Lincoln (early presidency/beginning)
Whig/16th President -believed Polk was wrong about war with Mexico -believed that war making powers belong solely to Congress NOT the president -strict interpretation of the Constitution -did not believe in slavery and wanted new territories to be annexed as free states but did NOT think the government had the power to emancipate slaves -all of this changes throughout his presidency, he become an active and expansive president -the Kansas-Nebraska Act changes his attitude toward slavery
Enrollment Act of 1863
a controversial act passed to provide new recruits to the Union Army. -highly controversial and required the enrollment of every male citizen, and those immigrants who had filed for citizenship between 18-35, in the draft
Whiskey Ring
a scandal, exposed in 1875, involving diversion of tax revenues in a conspiracy among government agents, politicians, whiskey distillers, and distributors during Grant's Presidency -Evidence of corruption in Treasury- trading bribes for tax payoffs, operated out of St. Louis but expanded -part of why Grant's administration was the most corrupt
George B. McClellan
a union general that allowed General Robert E. Lee (and the confederate army) to surrender in the Battle of Antietam -privately criticized by Lincoln for his military judgement (nit fighting Lee to the bloody end) -prior to the war he left his military career to work as an engineer for Illinois Central Railroad -he replaced McDowell as union general because McDowell and his army lost to the Confederates in the Battle of Bull Run -instead of "striking a blow" he advanced his troops towards Richmond where they were attacked by Confederates -failed to exploit the Confederates' losses and was ordered to withdrawal by Lincoln -was twice removed by Lincoln from the military due to his cautious military policy and opposition to emancipation -he was later nominated by the Democratic Party in the election of 1864/ran against Lincoln but lost -a war democrat -criticized by the National Union Party -repudiated the Peace Democrat's platform
Oneida Community
a utopian society established by John Noyes, where he defined gender roles and sexuality differently from popular culture -the member of the community considered themselves to be married to one another -flourished on silverware production -later abandoned their system of complex marriage but upheld their system of cooperation and unity
Habeas Corpus
a writ requiring a person under arrest to be brought before a judge or into court, especially to secure the person's release unless lawful grounds are shown for their detention -suspended by Lincoln leading up the civil war to stop confederate spies -non-delegated power of the constitution (when congress was not in session, Lincoln assumed all the non-delegated powers for the executive) -Lincoln suspended it over the objections of Chief Justice Taney's ruling in EX parte Merryman
13th Amendment
abolished slavery and involuntary servitude unless it is as punishment for crime
Charles Guiteau
assassinated President James and made civil service reform a reality -He shot Garfield because he believed that the Republican Party had not fulfilled its promise to give him a government job He was thrown out of the Oneida community many times (possibly had syphilis) and then he shifted his focus to politics, he wrote a speech to grant that was never delivered. He wanted an ambassadorship to France but he is declined and moved to D.C. to harass them to hire him but they don't give him the job so he wanted to kill the president (Garfield) -He shot Garfield from behind, with a derringer, while Garfield was waiting for a train and Garfield died 11 weeks later -he wrote his autobiography from jail and didn't think he killed Garfield; he thought he was going to get out of jail free but in 1882 he was convicted and hung
19th Century Tradition
candidates did NOT campaign
Dred Scott v. Stanford
controversial case, decided by the Taney Court, challenged Congress' constitutional authority over slavery -Dred Scott was a slave from Missouri, belonging to an army surgeon whom he lived with in Illinois (a free state/slavery was prohibited by the Missouri Compromise) -after he returned to Missouri he filed a suit claiming that his residence in a free state made him a free man -he lost in Missouri court, so he filed a new suit in federal court but his master argued that no slave could be a citizen according to Article III of the Constitution -President Buchanan opposed Scotts suit and coerced two supreme justices to rule against Scott -the case concluded in a seven to two decision for Sanford, upholding that the Missouri Compromise violated the Fifth Amendment -the majority ruling treated Scott as property, rather than a person significance: the ruling overturned the Missouri Compromise, was not taken seriously/or legitimized by Republicans and declared that no African American could be a US citizen *led to the exemption of African American's from Conscription
Lincoln's second campaign for presidency
during the Civil War -war made him unpopular: the Union was losing a lot of battle and there was a high death count -his party turned abasing him because of this -beat McClellan, after Union victories increased and Fremont dropped out of the race
Johnson Strikes Back
following the passage of the Tenure of Office Act in 1867 by the 39th Congress many of Johnson's cabinet members, from Lincoln's administration, started to resign except Secretary of War Stanton -Stanton (who hated Johnson) stayed as a strategic/divisive move -many in congress (namely the radical republicans) were fed up with having a Southerner as President because he was interfering with Reconstruction and decided to impeach him How it went down: -Johnson suspended (instead of fired him as not to violate the tenure act) Stanton and appointed Grant as Secretary of War (Grant takes a hands off-policy and allows Stanton to continue working as Sec of War though he was technically suspended) but the senate kept trying to remove the suspension and reinstate Stanton which frustrates Johnson so much so that he straight up fires Stanton in violation of the Act -this leads to his impeachment trial -congress essentially baited Johnson to violate the act
General Order No. 38
forbade the expression of sympathy for the enemy (the Confederates)
Lincoln's Legacy
his ability and his desire to lead the nation would have been severely constrained, aside from the Civil War -he and the Republican Party (former Whigs) were dedicated to reversing the executive aggrandizement of the Jacksonians *Lincoln consolidated presidential power and after his assassination, Congress acted forcefully to weaken the presidency -the powers that Lincoln was willing to accumulate as commander in chief during the Civil War freed him to use the executive office energetically BUT the end of hostilities led to a counterrevolution of sorts which shoed that Lincoln's stewardship had NOT expanded presidential power in a way that could survive peacetime -his indictment of slavery spawned a new, more positive view of liberty, in which government has an affirmative obligation to ensure equality under the law
Radical Reconstruction
in 1867 when Republicans gained control of both houses in congress wanted to punish the south -removed governments in states not ratifying 14th Amendment -made 5 military districts, state must write a new constitution - required the ratification of the 14th Amendment and to allow African Americans to vote -Reconstruction Act of 1867
Grant's Hands Off Policy
made for a weak presidency (opposite of Trump who wants to be head of state) -Blew up in September 1869 with the corruption scandal --Gold standard: (removed by Nixon) at this time, american currency was backed by gold Two speculators tried to corner the gold market (buy up all the extra gold in the market) which kept prices from going up. They attempted to get Grant's brother, Orvil, to withhold gold in order to jack the price of gold up so they could sell off all of their gold and get rich; At the very last minute Grant sells the goal and the market goes crazy -This undermines the people's confidence in Grant and the power of the president Hands off policy of the Cabinet Departments was not so good and led to an inconsistent administration *Result: Liberal republicans start aligning with the Democrats due to severe fractures bringing up civil war issues once again (leads to fusion parties: republicans that fractured into different sections and fused together) -Republicans broke into pieces and the different factions started aligning together in elections -Fusions are illegal in most states because they are a temporary alignment only for the sake of an election -Established the Civil Service Commission but failed -passes anti-KKK legislation in March 1871 which was the leading factor in his reelection/he won the favor of some republicans -However: He strengthened the presidents power of veto, vetoing 93 times and only have 4 of his vetos overridden
1864 Election
marked the free and full party competition that further demonstrated that Lincoln did not conduct the war in an unnecessarily dictatorial manner -the Democrat's charged that the war was hopeless: the Union army was losing battles and the confederacy was persisting in rebellion because Republicans were electing blacks over whites and the nation over the states -rumors spread that if Lincoln was defeated, he would refuse to accept the verdict of the people and instead try to ruin the government Outcome: -Lincoln got 55 percent of the popular vote and an overwhelming Electoral College majority and defeated McClellan -Lincoln's landslide reelection in November took the wind out of the Radical Republicans' sails, but their strength was restored after he was assassinated (Tecumseh Sherman's capture of Atlanta, Sheridan's victories in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, and the effective Republican captain which accused the Democrats of seeking to return the hopeless imbecility and rapid progress of national dissolution turned the tide in the president's favor)
Joint Committee of Fifteen on Reconstruction
member of the house and senate formed this committee established by Congress to Limit Johnson's powers -Six senators and nine representatives drafted the 14th Amendment and Reconstruction Acts. -The purpose of the committee was to set the pace of Reconstruction. Most were radical Republicans.
Election of 1876
one of the most disputed presidential elections in US history -Tilden (D) outpolled Ohio's Rutherford B. Hayes (R) in the popular vote, and had 184 electoral votes to Hayes' 165, with 20 votes uncounted due to problems in three states (Florida, Louisiana, and South Carolina). -The 20 disputed electoral votes were ultimately awarded to Hayes after a bitter legal and political battle, giving him the victory on the condition that Hayes would remove remaining federal troops from the South, marking the end of Reconstruction and the beginning of Jim Crow segregation. -led to the Compromise of 1877
Kansas-Nebraska Act
passed during Pierce's presidency crafted by Senator Stephen A. Douglas in 1854 -Created Nebraska and Kansas as states and gave the people in those territories the right to chose to be a free or slave state through popular sovereignty. -his initiatives were opposed by many southern politicians who wanted to extend slavery throughout the Louisiana purchase and wanted the transcontinental railroad to end in a southern city which caused him to revise the act -1,600 petitions against it -tore apart the American Second Party System by releasing a political storm -Anti-Nebraska Democrats were appalled believe the act was a small part in a large scheme to end slavery perpetually -led the the overnight demise of the Whig Party creating the Republican Party -led to violence and bloodshed -changed Lincoln's attitude towards/about slavery -overturned/repealed the Missouri Compromise -party lines were drawn in reaction to this
Election of 1860
the tipping point of the Civil War, proving to be a catalyst for the rift between the North and South -the Democratic Party was splitting apart but republicans were gaining momentum in the North and Midwest regions -four candidates: John C. Breckenridge (democratic), John Bell(democratic), Stephen Douglas (democratic), and Abraham Lincoln (republican) -Lincoln and Douglas emerged as the forerunners and argued their beliefs in as series of seven debates in which Douglas maintained his stance on white supremacy -Lincoln gained more votes by appeal to farmers and wage earners' egalitarian visions -Lincoln received less than a percent of the popular vote in the south but won every northern and midwestern state with the exception of New Jersey -wins 40% of the popular vote -the election showed the south that they were not necessary for electing the president and was very polarizing -immediately after the election South Carolina adopted an ordinance that officially removed it from the Union in a unanimous legislative vote
Lincoln's public letter
took the form of a reply to a private letter challenging his leadership -Lincoln caused these changes to be widely published in newspapers throughout the country -practice Lincoln used during his presidency to keep close with the public and helped with his reelection in the election of 1864 -characterized by a remarkably spirited, even strident, campaign in the midst of military hostilities -McClellan himself granted that Lincoln's claim to a second term was untainted
Lincoln's Inaugural Address (1860)
tried to unify the north and south -alluded to Federalist 51: "better angels of our nature" -sought to reassure the South that his would be a policy of forbearance, not coercion -he pointed out that there was no reasonable cause for him to threaten the property, peace, and personal security of Southerners -he said that congress could not prohibit slavery in the territories -by this time, 7 states had succeeded the union -Lincoln, like Jackson, used his address to pronounce that secession was unacceptable -he declared that he would enforce federal laws in all the states, as the Constitution enjoined them to do -his appeal for a peaceful resolution of the slavery controversy was quickly rejected by secessionist leaders
Martial Law
type of rule in which the military is in charge and citizens' rights are suspended -established by Lincoln in many areas of the country gave Lincoln: 1) power to shut down anti-war newspapers 2) power to arrest individuals who protested the war 3) expanded power as it took power away from Congress who truly has the power to suspend Habeas Corpus and enact Martial Law 4) the power arrest 13,000 people In 1862, Lincoln issued an executive order declaring that all revels and insurgents and all persons who discouraged enlistment in the Union army, resisted the fraud, or engaged in any disloyal practice were subject to marginal law and to trail but either a court-martial or a military tribunal ex parte: -Jerry Merryman -Lambdin Milligan -Clement Vallandigham
39th Congress
went back in session in December 1865 (was out of session from May to December ~7 months) giving Johnson the power to act unilaterally (recess appointments and other special powers of the president during congressional recess) -Radical republicans comprised a minority of Congress and Johnson could have gained favoritism and pull with the moderate Republicans but his strict constructionist and white supremacists views led to differences that could not be over come -the Clerck of House, Thaddeus Stephens, refused to call names of Southern Representatives (refused to seat them as a power of congress) which angered Johnson who believed that laws should not be passed if the south is not represented -established a Joint Committee of 15 on Reconstruction -set congressional limits on President Johnson: 1) Tenure of Office Act 2) immediately called the 40th congress into session following the 39th to remove the special recess powers of Johnson 3) Overrode most of Johnson's proclamations and vetos 4) passed the Military Reconstruction Act
