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Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln held the Union together and restored the Union after the Civil War. Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation freeing slaves in the 10 states of rebellion. Also, during his presidency he passed the Homestead Act. -
Andrew Johnson
Johnson took office after Lincoln was assassinated. During his time in office he passed the 13th and 14th amendments which freed the slaves and extended their rights. Andrew Johnson was almost impeached after dismissing his Secretary of War. The Senate voted against removing him by one vote. -
Ulysses S. Grant
Grant's Secretary of the Treasury, William A. Richardson gave special agent John D. Sanborn the job of collecting delinquent taxes allowing Sanborn to keep 50% of what he collected. Also, many distillers and federal agents were keeping money that was being paid as liquor taxes. Grant called for punishment but protected his own personal secretary. Finally, Grant's Secretary of War W. W. Belknap was taking money from traders selling at Indian posts. -
Benjamin Harrison
During his time in office the Sherman Anti-Trust Act was passed, which tried to stop monopolies. In 1890, he signed into law the Dependent and Disability Pensions Act which provided money for veterans and their dependents if they were disabled from nonmilitary causes. Also, The Sherman Silver Purchase Act was passed in 1890. -
William McKinley
Mckinley was in office when the U.S annexed Hawaii, and we won the Spanish-American War taking control of Cuba, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippine Islands for 20 million dollars. Also, he passed the Gold Standard Act. The Secretary of State called for an Open Door Policy in China so all nations could trade equally. -
Theodore Roosevelt
America aided Panama in gaining independence from Colombia. The U.S. then created a treaty with the newly independent Panama to gain the canal zone in exchange for $10 million plus annual payments. During his time in office, over 125 million acres in national forests were set aside under public protection. He also established the first national wildlife refuge.From 1904-05, the Russo-Japanese War occurred. Roosevelt was the mediator of the peace between the two countries. -
William Howard Taft
In 1909, the Payne-Aldrich Tariff Act passed. This changed the tariff rates from 46 to 41%. Taft continued to enforce antitrust laws. He helped bring down the Standard Oil Company in 1911. Also during Taft's term in office, the sixteenth amendment was passed that allowed the U.S. to collect income taxes. -
Woodrow Wilson
One of the first events of Wilson's presidency was the passage of the Underwood Tariff. This reduced tariff rates from 41% to 27%. In 1914, the Clayton Anti-Trust Act was passed to help labor have more rights. It allowed important labor tools like strikes, pickets, and boycotts. Wilson tried to keep America neutral in WWI, but eventually joined the Allies. -
Warren G. Harding
There were several scandals during Harding's time in office. The most significant scandal was that of Teapot Dome. Secretary of the Interior Albert Fall secretly sold the right to oil reserves in Teapot Dome, Wyoming to a private company in exchange for $308,000 and some cattle. Even though America did not ratify the Treaty of Paris ending World War I, Harding did sign a joint resolution officially ending the state of war between Germany and America. He opposed joining the League of Nations. -
Calvin Coolidge
In 1924 and 1926, taxes were cut that had been imposed during World War I. In 1924, the Veteran's Bonus passed through Congress despite Coolidge's veto. It provided veterans insurance redeemable in twenty years. In 1927-28, Congress tried to pass farm relief bills where the government would buy crops to support farm prices. Coolidge vetoed this bill two times.
