Introduction
Just like his grandfather who was the ninth president of the U.S, Benjamin Harrison followed the in the footsteps on how his grandfather governed the country during his tenure from 1889 to 1893 as the 23rd president of the America. His election gave a confirmation that the White House demands a great personal skill and political expertise (Moore & Hale 13). Not meeting these attributes would stimulate a short-lived reign. During Benjamin’s administration, there wasendorsement of the protective tariffs that resulted in the increase of the consumable goods and considerably triggered the country’s economic despairs. Benjamin’s bold need of the foreign policies and objectives for the country, which included his proposal to amass the Hawaiian Islands showed his escalated aim of the obligation to the country in the creation of good global affairs and relations.
Benjamin Harrison’s Domestic and Foreign Policies, And Economic Agenda
In his rule, the revealing impacts on the economic depression resulted in the need and concern for great nation’s legislation. He was viewed as a protectionist, and it is through this that Harrison endorsed the passing into law of the McKinley Tariff Act of 1890. Eggleston notes that, “For a first time, the Congress passed the approval of a billion dollar in Harrison’s reign. This faced a lot of criticism from the citizens who had the view that the president together with the Republican Congress advocated too much for the interest of the rich in the country (82)”. Eggleston continues to affirm that, “Nonetheless, Harrison gave his support to the Sherman Silver Purchase Act, which required the state to buy 4.5 million worth of silver on a monthly basis. It is noted that the then president conceded to the pressure of the reformers and gave a presidential approval of the Sherman Antitrust Act, which was geared to do away with industrial contributionsand trusts (85). Harrison also went on not only with his backing for the value of the veterans but also his sanctioning of forest preservation and conservation and the expansion of the military base.
On foreign policy, during Harrison’s reign, there was a showcase of an increasing influence on the global relations. The First Global Conference of the American States occurred in 1889, at the county’s capital. Also, Harrison’s State Department victoriously negotiated with the U.K and Germany to come up with conditions for the U.S. territory of the Samoan Islands. Moore & Hale note that “The country also disregarded U.K and Canada for the sake of hindering overharvesting of seals in the Bering Sea. Unfortunately, Harrison was not successful in his aims to convince the Congress to be in support of the construction of the Nicaraguan Canal, and also his attempts to take control over Hawaii in 1893 (48)”.
In the issue of the economy, Harrison’s saw the passing into law of the McKinley Tariff Bill, which resulted in a severe impact on the economic state of the country and stimulated the reelection of Cleveland after two years. Also according to the work of Moore & Hale, they state that,“Harrison advocated for the 1890 Sherman Silver Purchase Act, which demanded the state to purchase almost all of the silver that was being mined in America. Eventually, Harrison made constituted the Sherman Anti-trust Act, and it was an important instrument for prohibiting the trusts that existed in the Roosevelt reign ten years later (37)”.
Laws Passed during Harrison’s Time That Had Economic Impact on The Country
1890 McKinley Tariff Act
This law created the minimum ad valorem tariff standard on the importation of goods to America at a 48.4% level, and this resulted in the protection of the agricultural sector in the economy of the country (Eggleston 79). Harrison bore the thought that the protective bill should be regulated and reasonably imposed on the farm goods and similarly in the stores. The bill was also criticized and opposed by the people. Eggleston states that, “Some people had the thought that then bill permitted for reciprocal trade sanctions with countries of interest which made the bill to lose its sense. On the other hand, Harrison sternly proposed for the draft law as it enhanced good relations with the other nations (29)”.
1890 Sherman Antitrust Act
This bill was the first one to have control in the monopolies of companies in the country. The passing of this act was an attainment of Harrison’s campaign promises. This bill was an important one and is attributed to the significant criticism by the people on the focus of economic influence in the large enterprises and combination of trusts. Regardless of the several attempts of the various states constitute the same laws, these states were limited on interstate trading. Conversely, the Sherman Act was established under the rule and authority of the constitution of the Congress to control the trading between the states. The law enabled the government to do away with the trust. According to Eggleston, “Any contract, combination in the manner of confidence, if not, or betrayal of commerce in the various states, or with foreign governments, is regarded as unlawful.” Also, the bill created penalties for the individuals who undertook the combinations. The punishment in case of a company was a fine not more than $10,000,000 and for an individual, the penalty was set at $350,000. Either, the person could be imprisoned for a period, not more than three years (105)”.
Moore & Hale note that, “Recently, the application of the Sherman Act was seen in the first quarter of the 20th century in the disintegration the monopoly of the American Telephone and Telegraph (AT&T). The breakup was agreed in 1982 and became official in 1984. This endorsement had significant impacts not just in the telecommunications sector by in the economic state of the country as a whole (102)”.
Analysis of the success and failures of Benjamin’s Administration
Successes
Harrison’s administration saw the transformation of the presidential campaign through his historical determinations in 1888 (Eggleston 67). He did not have personal appeal, but rather he was a good speaker. He was well-travelled during his reign with an average of seventy speeches annually. He used the events to promote and advocate for the policies that he proposed and as a ‘values’ leader, he often instilled ideals of patriotism, equality, civic rationality and the notion of being republics. The rule of Harrison marked a crucial time in the creation of a ‘new era’ in the American foreign relations. Eggleston says that, “Together with the Secretary of State, Mr. Blaine, they showcased a new effort in the explanation and defense of the interests of the nation and the need for foreign influence, particularly in the commerce and other economic prospects (92)”.
Harrison’s effort can be seen when during his first half as the president, he had the majorities of the support and during this time, he enacted a series of legislations such as the McKinley Tariff, the Sherman Anti-trust each and much more. During his administration, the 51st Congress during that time, enacted 531 laws, recording the highest achievement unmatched up to the second term of Roosevelt’s reign (Moore & Hale 96). Also, the appointment of Frederick Douglass as the Haitian Ambassador was anotherexample of his great accomplishments. Frederick was one of the famous African American in the history of the nation.
Failures
Benjamin’s administration was not without any challenges and failures. The occurrence of the Sioux Indians at Wounded Knee took place in his presence, and he did not succeed to obtain enough objection from the presidential seat. Eggleston work reveals that, “With the continual promotion of tariff protection, accompanied by the traded exchange, with a sound currency, as the pillars of the country’s success, Benjamin failed to acknowledge the critics of the workers who were not satisfied (124)”. Also, this resulted in the industrial strikes and unrest which was caused by the farmers. Similar to the several other presidents of the country in the nineteenth century, Benjamin realized that his dealings with the patronage were not enough to establish a relation with the veterans in the party across the nation.
Conclusion
As the 23rd president of the Free World, and with leadership skills in his blood, Harrison Benjamin was a sound leader, who performed his public duties to the latter with the prospect of building a better nation. The bills passed, which was also historical showed the effort that the president put into work. The domestic policies that he oversaw such as the forest conservation, and the Sherman Silver Purchase Act, but just to name a few resonated well in its efforts to create an economy that was conducive for everybody. Benjamin’s administration marked an era of safe and serene foreign relations, and through the international relations trade was encouraged. However, the rule faced a lot of criticism not only from the fellow legislatures but also from the public and the other nations. One of the greatest failures of Benjamin was his lack of acknowledging and meeting the wants of the civil workers which significantly resulted to the industrial unrests.
Works Cited
MooreA. C., HaleH. Anne.,Benjamin Harrison: Centennial President. Nova Publishers, 2006.Print.
Eggleston, Edward. A First Book of American History. Start Publishing LLC, 2013. Print.
