Hanna: Maker of Presidents

Hanna: Maker of Presidents

Introduction:

President McKinley was elected to the presidency in the year 1897, and was assassinated in 1901. He became president in a critical time, and managed to defeat a popularly supported silverite candidate, by the name of William Jennings Bryan. However, McKinley owes a large part of his victory to one man, Marcus Alonzo Hanna. After reading briefly about Hanna in the American Pageant, I developed an interest in the so called, “president maker.”

Who was Hanna?

The textbook gives very little information about Hanna, telling us that he was an industrialist, had intimate feelings for McKinley, and was a Hamiltonian. However, the true character and life of Marcus Alonzo Hanna goes far deeper. Hanna was a prosperous industrialist, owning an incredibly rich Cleveland coal and iron enterprise. Like Morgan and Vanderbilt, he soon expanded into other industries, that helped to add to his immense fortune. Hanna, a firm Hamiltonian and Republican, believed that the prosperity of the Republican party depended on business, a laissez faire economy, and a helpful government. Hanna, once getting his friend into the presidency, soon became interested in politics himself, and became a senator until his death.

What was the significance of Hanna?

Hanna was the first in a long line of “political kingmakers,” or a person who is responsible for getting someone into a position of power through their own influence. Hanna, besides giving hundreds of thousands of dollars to McKinley’s campaign, was also responsible for managing the first costly campaign. McKinley’s total budget, or war chest, at the time was around 3.5 million dollars, and to put that in comparison in today’s time, today’s political organizations and other groups spend around 5 billion dollars for their candidate. Prior to the election of 1896, no candidate had ever amassed such a war chest, and through Hanna’s successful running of it, politicians would be spending more and more on their campaigns. Additionally, Hanna was able to use his vast influence and resources to create posters, pamphlets, and other forms of propaganda in favor of McKinley and against Bryan. According to the textbook, McKinley’s campaign had both money and mud. Finally, Hanna represented the key perception of big businesses at the time, that they had too much power and too much influence in the government. The political bosses brought their local regions into a new realm of corruption, famous industrialists like Morgan were able to save the federal government on more than one occasion, and Hanna, and those like him, were able to put their friends in power to further themselves.

Conclusion:

Whatever one makes of Hanna, it is apparent that he is a key historical figure. Additionally, Hanna represented the epitome of the power big business had, and set the stage for a long dynasty of political campaign norms.

Source:

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mark-Hanna

American Pageant, 11th Edition

An Analysis of Andrew Carnegie through his Quotes

Andrew Carnegie was a man of great power and many words.  He was one of the first millionaires in America and a golden example of a man who rose from rags to riches.  Here is an analysis of his most famous quotes.


"The first man gets the oyster, the second man gets the shell."  

Carnegie was a predecessor in every way.  After noticing that rusted iron could be treated with cool air to remove impurities, he exploited the new material and invested in its success.  Many companies tried to follow in his success, but failed miserably.

"No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself, or to get all the credit for doing it."

Interestingly, Carnegie received all the credit for his steel empire but didn't take part in the backbreaking labor.

"People who are unable to motivate themselves must be content with mediocrity, no matter how impressive their other talents." 

As a young boy, pleasing his mother was one of Carnegie's biggest motivations.  She didn't want him to turn out to be a failure like his father had been.  This was impressive, considering the fact that he was still motivated after serving grueling 12 hour workdays when he was a young boy.

"The emigrant is the capable, energetic, ambitious, discontented man." 

Being a scottish immigrant, Carnegie understood the hardships immigrants faced.  He and many other businesses didn't discriminate, but welcomed immigrants into their factories.  The city dwellers were another story.  Many of them believed that the new immigrants were trying to steal away their rights and ruin society.  As a result, immigrants who didn't speak English were ousted out of society.

"Do your duty and a little more and the future will take care of itself." Some might argue that Carnegie didn't fulfill his duties managing the steel mills because he had terrible working conditions.  This is only partly true.  If he hadn't cut corners at every opportunity and paid his workers the minimum wage, his business might not have been profitable, and he would have less to donate to charity.  Say what you will about Carnegie, but he was a man who achieved remarkable, unparalleled success.

The Pullman Strike

Founder and President of the Pullman Palace Car Company,  George Pullman organized his company in 1867. Early on in his company, he decided to create a city to house all of his workers. Anyone who wanted to work for him was required to live in this three-thousand-acre city. Because he controlled everything in his city, the workers were subject to his decisions on wages, rents, prices, and everything in between.

In 1893, Pullman decreased the wages 25% due to a depression, but he kept the rent prices the same. Because of this, the expenses of the workers stayed the same but their incomes were not sufficient to support them. When many workers went into debt due to this change, Pullman took the money they owed him out of their paychecks, perpetuating the issue of money.

Then, on May 11, 1894, a "wildcat" strike erupted in Pullman City. Three thousand workers went on a strike without authorization of their union, which was the American Railroad Union for most. Then in June, some of these Union members barred trains with Pullman cars to move, besides the mail cars.

When a group of 24 railroads, the General Managers Association, tried to end the strike, and said they would fire anyone who did not move cars. The union then countered that threat, saying that if someone was fired for this, all union members would walk away from the job. When the end of June came, fifty thousand men quit, fights broke out, and the railroads were barren of movement west of Chicago.

The calling of federal troops required permission from President Cleveland, but at this time, he was not willing to send them without consent of the Governor. John Altgeld did not want to agree to sending federal troops to stop the strikes because he believed in workers rights and equality to the rights of their bosses.

Attorney General Richard Olney was on the side of the General Managers Association, and he favored President Cleveland sending troops into Chicago to end the strike. When Olney received an injunction from a federal court labeling these strikes illegal, Cleveland had to send in troops to end the strike, and violence broke out in the streets as the angry cries of the people that the federal government was intervening were heard.

The ringleader of the union workers, Eugene Debs, was arrested along with several other union leaders. After this, he realized his efforts were useless with the federal troops present, and so most workers went back to work. Several were blacklisted, meaning no railroad could ever hire them.

The importance of the Pullman Strike was that it helped people realize how bad employers could really be. No longer was George Pullman a figure of hope for factory workers, but people saw him as greedy and someone who treated his workers poorly.

This strike, one of the 4 major strikes during this time period, which alongside the Great Railroad Strikes of 1877, the Haymarket Square Strike, and the Homestead Steel Strike, helped people notice workers rights and the importance that individuals had to the industrial system.



Source: http://www.lib.niu.edu/1994/ihy941208.html

The Transcontinental Railroad Race

In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Pacific Railroad Act. It signified the green light for the production of the Transcontinental Railroad: a railway that runs from the Mississippi River through the Pacific Ocean. The incentives were enticing, as generous bonds and land grants were given to each respective company for each mile of track they laid down. There was a goal that the final meeting place would be near the middle of where the two companies began: Utah. What ensued was essentially a race between the Central Pacific Railroad Company- the one from California- against the Union Pacific- the one from Missouri.

The Union's route would start at the edge of Missouri, go through Nebraska and Wyoming, and finally end in Utah. The main investor for the Union Pacific was Thomas Clark Durant, who would become the Vice President of the company. They would make good progress until they ran into the Native Americans.








On the other side was the Central Pacific Railway. It was lead by the governor of California Leland Stanford. The Central's route would start in California, then go through Nevada and finish in Utah. Although from a geographical standpoint it seemed like the Central had much less ground to cover, they had other factors they had to deal with. The Central had it found completing construction quickly difficult because because it had to deal with the treacherous Sierra Nevada Mountains. To get through this, the state found immigrant works- mainly Chinese workers- expendable and sent them to work in blasting through mountains.








The Aftermath:
When the Union and the Central started to approach each other in January 1868, both sides were exhausted. They agreed to meet at Promontory Summit, Utah. The union of the two railroads would be official after Stanford drove in the final golden spike. By the time both companies finished construction, they were hard pressed for money. Between the two the Union Pacific was in more need, though. The tactics were scrutinized by the Public and Press, and the quality of the railroads was below standard. In terms of distance, the Central built far more- 1,000 mile as compared to 700 miles for the Union. The problem was that the Union, although called "Transcontinental", only reached from the far west to the central, not exactly the east of the United States.

Sources:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/general-article/tcrr-race/

A look into laborer lives

  According to Mark Twain, the "Gilded Age" of the late 1800s was a time where America was being portrayed as a country that was rising economically due to the many new innovations that came about from the Industrial Age, yet in reality, the country had several flaws, especially in social class aspects, underneath what most people came to see America as- a land of prosperity.
     The problem of debt in farmers was particularly caused by their needs of land and tools that would be used for running their agricultural business. Farmers often had to loan money from banks in order to have land for growing their crops and buy machines that would make the process of harvesting their agricultural products more efficient, as well as avoid hiring additional workers, because this would make the farmers have to take away some money to pay their employees. Another factor that resulted in farmers was that they did not have the power to be able to control the price of their products. Railroad companies took advantage of this, so they started increasing their fees for transporting farmers' products while decreasing their sale prices, therefore decreasing farmers' overall profit.
   Another group of laborers, the factory workers, faced harsh working conditions. For example, Andrew Carnegie, a powerful businessman of steel, forced his workers to work for long hours under unpleasant working conditions. The fact that people were operating dangerous machinery to manufacture goods while being in an environment full of high concentrations of smoke and dust led to severe injuries and even deaths among the workers. Despite all their great efforts to provide for the industry, the average factory worker's salary ranged from 400 to 600 dollars per year - just barely enough to get past the basic necessities of life.
       Both groups of laborers got angrier about the unfair lives they had, since it made them feel a greater difficulty of being able to rise to a more elite social status. This made them feel isolated, so they decided to start new ways of getting politicians to become aware of the problems that were giving the laborers a harsh life. As a solution to their problems, farmers and factory workers started going on labor strikes and created worker unions. For farmers, they worked together to pass the "Granger Laws," which would help set more affordable railroad shipping rates. Eventually, their ideas spread to other farmers across the South; this resulted in the Farmers Alliance, an organization that aimed to better the lives of laborers by using co-ops, and later on when the plan failed, the Farmers Alliance's founders started a large political movement called the Populist Movement with a goal of raising the power of all workers.
For factory workers, Samuel Gompers established the American Federation of Labor, which focused on giving workers (only skilled) safer work environments as well as increasing their salary while decreasing their work shifts.

A Look at American Government: Impeachment

The U.S. Constitution states that "The President, Vice President and all Civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors."  But what is impeachment?  Let's break down this concept:

The impeachment trial of Bill Clinton (1999)

What is impeachment?
Impeachment is the act of charging a public officeholder with misconduct, such as treason or bribery.  Presidents aren't the only ones that can be impeached, even though we hear about presidents' impeachments the most; all civil officers are able to become impeached.

How does impeachment work?
The House of Representatives and the Senate are the two main bodies that oversee and enact impeachments.  Once an officer has been accused of misconduct, the impeachment process goes first into the House of Representatives.  The House decides whether or not to impeach the official.  If they are impeached, it does not necessarily mean the officer is out of office–the impeachment process then goes to the Senate, which serves as the court of the impeachment trial.  There, if an officer is convicted and fully impeached, he or she is then removed from office and is disqualified from holding future office.  Afterward, other civil courts may charge the former officer with fines and potential jail time.

When has impeachment been used in the U.S.?
In the history of the U.S., only sixteen officers have been impeached; that is, their crimes were acknowledged by the House, but not all of them were convicted by the Senate.  Some of the more famous officers impeached include President Andrew Johnson (who was later acquitted, or did not get evicted from office) for violating the Tenure of Office Act, Secretary of State William W. Belknap (acquitted after his resignation) for graft/corruption, and Bill Clinton (acquitted) for perjury and obstruction of justice.

Hope this provides some clarification about the process of impeachment!

Sources:
http://history.house.gov/Institution/Origins-Development/Impeachment/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impeachment_in_the_United_States#Federal_officials_impeached
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Senate_in_session.jpg

William Henry Vanderbilt

William Henry Vanderbilt: Robber Baron or Captain of Industry?

Introduction:

During a class lecture on robber barons and captains of industry, our class learned about Cornelius Vanderbilt. However, as the video progressed an interesting fact was mentioned. Cornelius Vanderbilt’s son, William Henry, was able to double the fortune his father had amassed, a significant amount in itself. Hence, the purpose of this blogpost is to determine whether or not William Henry was a robber baron or captain of industry when creating this incredibly large fortune.

Early Life:
William Henry was born in the springtime of 1821, in New Jersey. He was one of the many children produced by Cornelius Vanderbilt, and his wife, Sophia Johnson. Towards the 1840s, William Henry started taking an interest in the Long Island Rail Road, which had Cornelius on the Board of Directors.

Long Island Rail Road Years:
William Henry soon proved his worth and was able to become a major executive at the Long Island Rail Road. However, when his father, Cornelius, died in 1877, William Henry had inherited the entire Vanderbilt industry. William continued his work in the railroad company, helped many major transportation projects in New York flourish, and was able to control numerous railroad companies, which had a direct influence on major cities, such as Chicago and Indianapolis.

Robber Baron Qualities:

William Henry Vanderbilt, like many contemporaries at the time who were in charge of large businesses, did not pay his workers well, made them work long hours, and did not care for the laboring conditions. Additionally, he had hundreds of dissatisfied workers who frequently striked on railways. Vanderbilt also used his power and influence to get Congressmen to not pass certain legislation, and introduce others that would benefit him, and other powerful wealthy capitalists. These actions were often at the expense of the poorer classes. It was even said that William Henry said that, “The public be damned!” when confronted about his influence over politicians and legislation.

Captain of Industry Qualities:

Despite some of his more unscrupulous actions, William Henry had skill as an entrepreneur. In 1857, he managed to put Staten Island Railroad back into business, and made it a profitable venture. In 1864, he became a Vice President at New York and Harlem Railroad, and the Hudson River Railroad. He was able to use company stocks and techniques such as vertical combination to control a vast portion of the railroad industry, and become very successful at it, as well. An interesting fact about William Henry is that unlike his father, he was not very philanthropic, and only gave small donations to the now titled Vanderbilt University. As stated previously, William Henry managed to increase his family wealth by two times as much, making the total Vanderbilt fortune a value of 200 million.

Conclusion:

William Henry, despite his amazing success in the railroad industry, is believed to be a robber baron. However, he still did do positive things in the business industry, helping shape the American economy today.

Sources:

http://www.biography.com/people/william-henry-vanderbilt-21010571

https://prezi.com/edl7tooik5mu/william-vanderbilt/