Transcript Document

2013-14 AGLOA Local Presidents
Jr/Sr #1-24
Local Presidents Questions
Junior/Senior Divisions
#1-24
2013-14 AGLOA Local Presidents
Jr/Sr #1-24
#1
Range:
7-17
(6 points) Although I was a slaveholder, I said that slavery was an
evil institution. My political position was that individual states should
determine whether slavery should exist within their borders. In my
will, I left all my slaves to my wife and, upon her death, to be freed.
But she lived more than 30 years after my death. So my will was
overridden by the Emancipation Proclamation.
(4 points) I didn’t get along with my successor, who was my lead
general in Mexico. I also didn’t trust his second in command,
Winfield Scott (pictured). Both men belonged to the opposition
party, and I suspected that they wanted to capitalize on their
military success to run for president.
(2 points) As it turned out, I didn’t run for reelection because of
poor health. Many historians consider me one of the best presidents because I fulfilled all my campaign promises. I was the first
president to have “Hail to the Chief” played when I entered a
room. Some say my wife Sarah started this tradition because I
was short. The music would tell people I had arrived even if they
couldn’t see me through the crowd.
2013-14 AGLOA Local Presidents
Jr/Sr #1-24
#2
Range:
1-11
(6 points) I drafted my native state’s Statute for Religious Freedom which the legislature enacted into law nine years later. In my
writings, I was strongly influenced by John Locke, an English
author of the 17th century. He argued against the divine right of
kings and believed in natural law – that power should reside ultimately in the people.
(4 points) During my first term as president, James T. Callender wrote in a Richmond newspaper that I had fathered several children by one of my slaves, Sally
Hemings. My political opponents adopted the story and published it in newspapers
in a number of states. I never made any public response to Callender’s attacks.
(2 points) My popularity took a hit in my second term when I signed the Embargo
Act. This law tried to keep the U.S. completely out of the conflict between Great
Britain and France. It forbade foreign trade with either country. While banning
trade was unpopular, it did lead to the creation of more textile mills and other
industries in the U.S. I lifted the embargo shortly before leaving the White House.
Our conflicts with Great Britain would finally come to a head during my successor’s administration.
2013-14 AGLOA Local Presidents
Jr/Sr #1-24
#3
Range:
1-11
(6 points) A major financial crisis broke out during my second term as president.
Also, the people of the Missouri Territory applied for admission to the Union as a
slave state but were rejected by Congress. An amended bill for gradually eliminating slavery in Missouri started two years of bitter debate in Congress.
(4 points) During my presidency, Lucretia Mott moved to
Philadelphia and became known for her speeches against
slavery. Congress demanded high subsidies for internal
improvements. I vetoed the Cumberland Road Bill, which
provided for yearly improvements to the road, because I
believed it to be unconstitutional for the government to get
involved in a matter that belonged to the states.
(2 points) In foreign affairs, I proclaimed the policy that
bears my name. I responded to the threat that governments in Europe might try to aid Spain in winning back her
former Latin American colonies. I did not begin to formally
recognize the young sister republics until later. I wished to
avoid trouble with Spain until it had ceded Florida to the
U.S.
2013-14 AGLOA Local Presidents
Jr/Sr #1-24
#4
Range:
14-24
(6 points) Perhaps one of the biggest political challenges I faced in my administration was the so called “Battle of the Riders.” Democrats captured control of
both houses of Congress in mid-term elections. The Democrats, in an effort to
strengthen their chances in later elections, began adding riders – pieces of
legislation that “ride” to passage on another bill - to necessary appropriations
bills. The Democrats’ riders targeted federal election enforcement laws that prevented fraud and voter intimidation. Determined not to give in, I vetoed the bills
with the riders, citing that every citizen has the right “to cast one un-intimidated
ballot and to have his ballot honestly counted.”
(4 points) My goal was to “depoliticize the civil service” without “destroy[ing]
Republican party organizations.” Braving the political climate, I issued an
executive order that forbade federal office holders from taking part in party
politics and protected them from receiving party contributions.
(2 points) As president, I won praise for my honesty, independence, and integrity. But all anyone wants to talk about is
my election victory over Samuel Tilden. So I’m labeled as the
president who entered the White House because of a back
room deal that gave my party all the disputed votes in three
Southern states.
2013-14 AGLOA Local Presidents
Jr/Sr #1-24
#5
Range:
1-11
(6 points) One of the laws passed by Congress during my administration
made it a crime to publish “false, scandalous and malicious” writings against
the U.S. government. Many, including my vice president, opposed this law and
others as an invasion of state rights and a violation of individual freedoms.
(4 points) During my administration, I referred
to three agents, Jean Conrad Hottinger, Pierre
Bellamy, and Lucien Hauteval, by three letters
that still describe the unfortunate bribery
incident they were involved in.
(2 points) My vice president succeeded me and became the first president to
live a full term in the White House.
2013-14 AGLOA Local Presidents
Jr/Sr #1-24
#6
Range:
11-21
(6 points) While I was president, the 15th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified. It granted the right to vote to all male citizens regardless of race. I also signed
into law the Ku Klux Klan Act, which sought to reduce violence against blacks.
(4 points) You want scandals? You got them in my administration. First there was “Black Friday,” also known
as the “Gold Panic.” This was an attempt by Jay Gould
and James Fisk to corner the price of gold. They gave a
bribe of $10,000 to an assistant secretary of the treasury
in exchange for inside information. They also tried to
convince me to stop the Treasury Department from selling gold. They didn’t tell me that their plan was to buy as
much gold as they could and watch its value rise. But I
didn’t agree to their proposal, and eventually their
scheme collapsed. In the meantime, though, stock prices
fell and many people lost a lot of money.
(2 points) Another scandal was the Star route postal ring whereby people bribed
postal clerks to be granted the contract to deliver mail in rural areas. But my worst
embarrassment was called the Whiskey ring. Whiskey distillers bribed Treasury
Department agents to help them avoid paying taxes.
2013-14 AGLOA Local Presidents
Jr/Sr #1-24
#7
Range:
2-12
(6 points) While I served as Secretary of State, I was the defendant in a case
that is still studied in Constitutional Law classes. The president ordered me not to
deliver the commissions of some of the judiciary appointments that his predecessor had made. So a man named William Marbury sued to have his commission delivered. Chief Justice John Marshall ruled that the law allowing Marbury’s
appointment was unconstitutional.
(4 points) While I was president, William Henry Harrison
negotiated the Treaty of Fort Wayne giving three million
acres of Indian land to the U.S. His troops also defeated
Tecumseh’s forces at the Battle of Tippecanoe.
(2 points) Another future president, Andrew Jackson, led a
group of militia and others against British forces in the Battle
of New Orleans while my wife Dolley and I lived in the White
House.
2013-14 AGLOA Local Presidents
Jr/Sr #1-24
#8
Range:
1-11
(6 points) While the American people held a high opinion of me, I often had a
rocky relationship with Congress. This was illustrated when I approved a
treaty named for my Secretary of State that tried to normalize relations with
Great Britain. In return for pulling its troops out of forts across the West and
providing compensation for seized merchant ships, the British were given
favored-nation trade status. This provoked outrage from the party led by my
former Secretary of State, who repeatedly accused me of treason.
(4 points) I was the only prominent, slave-holding Founding
Father to emancipate his slaves. “There is not a man living
who wishes more sincerely than I do, to see a plan adopted
for the abolition of slavery.” During my presidency, Sojourner
Truth was born Isabella Baumfree into slavery in New York
state.
(2 points) I was the first president to receive 100 percent of
the electoral votes.
2013-14 AGLOA Local Presidents
Jr/Sr #1-24
#9
Range:
14-24
(6 points) Soon after taking office, I faced the task of filling numerous government
jobs. These were typically filled under the spoils system, but I said I would not fire
anyone who was doing his job well and would not appoint anyone solely on the
basis of party service. I also used my appointment powers to reduce the number
of federal employees, as many departments had become bloated with political
time-servers. During my first term in the White House, I signed into law the Interstate Commerce Act, which created a commission to regulate railway rates.
(4 points) Two scandals marred my public life. Both came to
light during my first run for the presidency. Because I was the
chief support of my mother and sisters, I hired a substitute to
serve in my place in the Civil War. This was perfectly legal
but brought me criticism when I ran for office. The other
involved a child that I allegedly fathered out of wedlock while
I served as sheriff of Erie County.
(2 points) During my first successful presidential campaign, my supporters chanted: “Blaine! Blaine! James G.
Blaine! Continental liar from the state of Maine!”
2013-14 AGLOA Local Presidents
Jr/Sr #1-24
#10
Range:
11-21
(6 points) One of my most famous acts as president made
William Lloyd Garrison extremely happy. Shortly after my
presidency, he stopped publishing his newspaper Liberator
after 35 years and 1,820 issues.
(4 points) A minor scandal during my administration involved
Secretary of War Simon Cameron, who resigned due to corruption charges. Although we met in a Northern state, my wife
hailed from the South.
(2 points) One of my statements was, “I hold that, in contemplation of universal
law and of the Constitution, the Union of these States is perpetual. Perpetuity is
implied, if not expressed, in the fundamental law of all national governments.”
2013-14 AGLOA Local Presidents
Jr/Sr #1-24
#11
Range:
10-20
(6 points) While I was president, Mississippi and other Southern
states enacted what were called “Black Codes.” These laws restricted the rights of African Americans to own property, conduct
business, and move freely in public areas. I ran for reelection but
didn’t lead on any of the ballots at my party’s national convention.
Eventually, Horatio Seymour became the nominee.
(4 points) The Republicans in Congress passed the Tenure of
Office Act over my veto. The act restricted the president from
relieving any member of his Cabinet without the agreement of the
Senate. The person Congress had in mind when passing the law
was my Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, who had been appointed
by my predecessor.
(2 points) When I removed Stanton from his position, the House of Representatives impeached me. But the Senate fell one vote short of convicting me. So I
stayed in office.
2013-14 AGLOA Local Presidents
Jr/Sr #1-24
#12
Range:
14-24
(6 points) I was considered incorruptible but not my campaign
manager, Matt Quay. Quay commented once that there were a
lot of men who approached “the gates of the penitentiary to
make him (me) president.”
(4 points) During my term, a number of populist groups met in
St. Louis and formed the People’s Party that wanted among
other things: an eight-hour work day and a federal income tax.
Also Ellis Island opened as a new processing station for immigrants. My election
changed the party in control of the Executive Branch of the Government.
(2 points) It took eight ballots to nominate me to
run for president. My slogan was “Grandfather’s
Hat Fits.” My campaign matched my dull personality. I only made speeches to those who came to
visit. Some called me the “human iceberg.”
2013-14 AGLOA Local Presidents
Jr/Sr #1-24
#13
Range:
5-15
(6 points) I believed the United States would create an “empire for Liberty” from
the Atlantic to the Pacific. I used a term coined by magazine editor John L
O’Sullivan, “manifest destiny,” to justify taking new territories. Since Texas was
annexed during my predecessor’s term, I set my sights on the Oregon Territory.
(4 points) Women’s rights activist, Amelia Bloomer,
introduced a new comfortable style of dress during my
term which was considered scandalous. It featured loosefitting trousers worn under a knee length skirt. These pants
were known as bloomers. Also during my term, the
women’s rights movement was founded at a convention in
Seneca Falls, N.Y.
(2 points) The Mexican War ended with the signing of the
treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo in the last year of my presidency.
During my campaign, I promised to serve only one term. I
kept my promise and wrote in my diary on the last day of my
term: “I am sure I will be a happier man in my retirement…” I
died three months after my successor’s inauguration.
2013-14 AGLOA Local Presidents
Jr/Sr #1-24
#14
Range:
11-21
(6 points) As president, I strengthened Federal authority over the New York
Customs House, stronghold of Senator Roscoe Conkling, who was a dispenser of
patronage in New York. When I submitted to the Senate a list of appointments
including many of Conkling’s friends, I named Conkling’s archrival, William H.
Robertson, to run the Customs House. Conkling contested the nomination, tried to
persuade the Senate to block it, and appealed to the Republican caucus to compel
its withdrawal. But I would not submit: “This ... will settle the question whether the
president is registering clerk of the Senate or the Executive of the United States ...
shall the principal port of entry ... be under the control of the administration or under
the local control of a factional senator.”
(4 points) I became the first man ever to be elected to the presidency straight
from the House of Representatives and was, for a short period, a sitting representative, senator-elect, and president-elect. After the election, Conkling began
making demands of me as to appointments, and my vice president–elect supported his longtime patron against his new boss. According to Ira Rutkow’s recent
biography of me, I disliked my vice president and would not let him into my house.
(2 points) I was the second president to be assassinated.
2013-14 AGLOA Local Presidents
Jr/Sr #1-24
Answers
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
#11 James Polk
#3 Thomas Jefferson
#5 James Monroe
#19 Rutherford B. Hayes
#2 John Adams
#18 Ulysses S. Grant
#4 James Madison
#1 George Washington
#22/24 Grover Cleveland
#16 Abraham Lincoln
#17 Andrew Johnson
#23 Benjamin Harrison
#11 James Polk
#20 James Garfield
Range:
1-24