>> AMERICA AFTER THE CIVIL WAR
WAS A TRAUMATIZED COUNTRY IN
DESPERATE NEED OF LEADERSHIP. THE PRESIDENT WHO HAD SEEN THE
NATION THROUGH ITS MOST DIVISIVE
CONFLICT WAS DEAD, LEAVING NO ROADMAP FOR PEACE. OVER THE NEXT THREE DECADES, A
SERIES OF WEAK PRESIDENTS WOULD
LACK ANY VISION FOR THE FUTURE AND SHOWED LITTLE
INTEREST IN REAL LEADERSHIP. EACH SUCCESSIVE MAN WOULD TAKE
A BACKSEAT TO CONGRESS AND TO
CAPTAINS OF INDUSTRY. AND THE PRESIDENCY WAS ABOUT TO
HIT ROCK BOTTOM. IT IS THE OFFICE OF THE
PRESIDENT THAT MOST EMBODIES
THE HOPES AND ASPIRATIONS OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. IT'S A POSITION INVESTED WITH
GREAT POWER THAT IS DEFINED BY
CHALLENGES AND CRISES, BY THE BURDEN OF THE PAST AND
VISIONS OF THE FUTURE, AND BY
THE PERSONALITIES OF THE 43 MEN WHO HAVE BECOME PRESIDENT. THE STORY OF AMERICA CAN BE TOLD
THROUGH "THE ULTIMATE GUIDE
TO THE PRESIDENTS." >> ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S SECOND
INAUGURAL DAWNED WITH RAIN AND
HAIL IN WASHINGTON, D.C. THE CAPITAL WAS LESS A CITY THAN
A COLLECTION OF VILLAGES. AND ITS UNPAVED STREETS WERE
CAKED IN MUD 10 INCHES DEEP. STILL, THOUSANDS TRUDGED TO THE
CAPITOL TO WITNESS THE
PRESIDENT'S INAUGURAL ADDRESS. LINCOLN'S NEW VICE PRESIDENT,
TENNESSEE DEMOCRAT ANDREW
JOHNSON WAS SWORN IN FIRST IN FRONT OF CONGRESS. HIS SPEECH THAT DAY WOULD MAKE
AN IMPRESSION THAT WOULD
UNCANNILY REFLECT HIS UNEXPECTED PRESIDENCY JUST SIX WEEKS LATER. >> JOHNSON DRANK SEVERAL GLASSES
OF WHISKEY BEFORE HE WENT TO
TO BE INAUGURATED. SO HE GIVES A SPEECH IN WHICH
HE'S SLURRING HIS WORDS AND
LOSING WAY, IT WAS HUMILIATING. >> HE BEGAN TO GIVE A DRUNKEN
HARANGUE ABOUT HOW HE WAS A
PLEBIAN, A MAN OF THE COMMON PEOPLE. HE BEGAN TO REFER TO MEMBERS OF
THE CABINET THERE. AND HE COULDN'T REALLY REMEMBER
THEIR NAMES. HE EVEN HAD TO BE PULLED DOWN BY
HIS COATTAILS BY ANOTHER MEMBER
OF THE CABINET. THIS IS NOT PROMISING MATERIAL. >> AS THE ONLY SOUTHERN SENATOR
TO REMAIN IN THE UNION DURING
THE CIVIL WAR, JOHNSON WAS CHOSEN AS VICE PRESIDENT TO
FORGE A NATIONAL UNITY TICKET
WITH LINCOLN. BUT THE STRATEGY BACKFIRED WHEN
JOHN WILKES BOOTH'S FIRED THAT
SHOT IN FORD'S THEATER. ANDREW JOHNSON WAS SUDDENLY THE
LEADER OF A COUNTRY STILL
DIVIDED BY WAR AND A GOVERNMENT DIVIDED BY PARTY. >> ANDREW JOHNSON WAS
ESSENTIALLY AT THE HEAD OF A
REPUBLICAN ADMINISTRATION. BUT HE WASN'T A REPUBLICAN. HE WAS AS DEMOCRAT. >> SO HERE YOU'VE GOT A
PRESIDENT WHO HAS BEEN ELECTED
BY ONE PARTY, BELONGS TO ANOTHER WITH A CONGRESS VERY MUCH IN THE
OPPOSITE PARTY FROM HIMSELF. HE'S GOING TO HAVE PROBLEMS,
DEEP PROBLEMS. >> ANDREW JOHNSON WAS NO
STRANGER TO STRUGGLE. THE DIRT POOR BOY FROM TENNESSEE
HAD TAUGHT HIMSELF TO READ AND
WRITE AND WORKED HIS WAY UP FROM AN INDENTURED SERVANT TO A
BACKWOODS TAILOR TO U.S. SENATOR
TO THE 17TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. BUT THE UNCOMPROMISING ATTITUDE
HE DEVELOPED ALONG THE WAY
PROVED ILL-SUITED FOR THE HIGHEST OFFICE IN THE COUNTRY. >> HE HAD NO TACT. HE WAS A FRONTIER BRAWLER. THAT'S WHAT HAD GOT HIM TO WHERE
HE WAS. PEOPLE WHO BECOME PRESIDENT OF
THE UNITED STATES TEND TO THINK
IT'S BECAUSE I HAVE THESE TRAITS AND I'VE BEEN DOING THESE SORTS
OF THINGS MY WHOLE LIFE. SO THEY'RE NOT GOING TO CHANGE
THEIR WAYS. >> FOLLOWING ABRAHAM LINCOLN
WOULD HAVE BEEN A VIRTUALLY
IMPOSSIBLE ACT FOR ANY PRESIDENT. LINCOLN WAS OUTSIZED IN TERMS OF
HIS EMOTIONS, HIS KINDNESS, HIS
AFFABILITY, HIS GOOD NATURE, AND HIS POLITICAL SAVVY, WHICH WAS
VERY, VERY GREAT. SO JOHNSON DID HAVE A PROBLEM. >> THE NATION WAS DESPERATE FOR
A STRONG LEADER WHO COULD BRING
BACK THE UNITED TO THE UNITED STATES. IT WOULD BE A NEAR IMPOSSIBLE
TASK. 15% OF THE NATION HAD TAKEN UP
ARMS AGAINST EACH OTHER. MORE THAN 600,000 SOLDIERS HAD
DIED. THE WAR LEFT THE SOUTHERN
ECONOMY IN RUINS AND
MORE THAN HALF OF ITS TOWN WERE OCCUPIED BY UNION TROOPS. >> ANDREW JOHNSON WANTED TO
BRING THE STATES OF THE SOUTH
BACK INTO FULL FLEDGED MEMBERSHIP OF THE UNION AS
RAPIDLY AS POSSIBLE. HE DIDN'T WANT THEM TO PAY ANY
PARTICULAR PRICE. SO JOHNSON WAS ON A DIFFERENT
TRACK FROM CONGRESS. AND SO IT WAS RIFE FOR BATTLE. AND THERE WAS BATTLE. >> JOHNSON GRABBED THE REINS OF
POWER QUICKLY AND SET HIS PLANS
IN MOTION WHILE CONGRESS WASN'T IN SESSION. >> THE SESSIONS WERE VERY SHORT. MEMBERS CAME IN FOR A RELATIVELY
BRIEF TERM. FIVE MONTHS. MET FROM DECEMBER TO MAY. THEY ADJOURNED BEFORE D.C. GOT HOT. >> SO JOHNSON IS IN CONTROL OF
WHAT THE FIRST MONTHS OF
RECONSTRUCTION ARE GOING TO BE LIKE. AND WHAT HE DOES IS HE
SAYS THAT WHEN THE FORMER
CONFEDERATES ASK FOR PARDONS AND ARE PARDONED BY ME, THEN THEY
CAN COME BACK INTO THE UNION. >> ANDREW JOHNSON WAS PREPARED
TO LEAVE A LOT OF AUTONOMY TO
THE SOUTHERN STATES. HE BELIEVED THAT THEY SHOULD
PRETTY MUCH RECONSTRUCT
THEMSELVES. >> JOHNSON ISSUED ORDERS FOR THE
SECEDED STATES TO HOLD ELECTIONS
AND ANNOUNCED TWO SIMPLE CONDITIONS FOR THE SOUTHERN
STATES TO BE READMITTED TO THE
UNION AND CONGRESS. >> THE SOUTHERN STATES MUST
AGREE THAT SECESSION HAD
BEEN ILLEGAL, NULL AND VOID. AND THEY MUST ESSENTIALLY ACCEPT
THE 13TH AMENDMENT. THEY MUST AGREE THAT SLAVERY WAS
OVER AND OVER FOR GOOD. THOSE WERE THE CONDITIONS THAT
WERE SET. BUT THE NORTH HAD
WANTED SOMETHING MORE THAN THAT. >> THE RADICAL REPUBLICANS IN
CONGRESS WANTED REALLY TO STICK
IT TO THE SOUTH. AND THEY DID BELIEVE, AS A MATTER OF
POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY, THAT
AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE SOUTH SHOULD ACHIEVE SOMETHING MUCH
CLOSER TO EQUAL RIGHTS THAN THEY
HAD. >> THE PASSAGE OF THE 13TH
AMENDMENT AT THE END OF 1865 HAD
FREED MORE THAN 4 MILLION SLAVES. IN OPEN DEFIANCE, THE SOUTHERN
STATE LEGISLATURES RESPONDED BY
ENACTING WHAT WERE CALLED THE BLACK CODES. >> A BLACK OUT THERE WITHOUT A
JOB CAN IMMEDIATELY BE PUT TO
ANY KIND OF LABOR YOU WANT. ANY BLACK KID CAN BE TAKEN AWAY
FROM HIS FAMILY AND CAN BE
APPRENTICED. AND THEY COULD BE SOLD FOR UP TO
A YEAR OF THEIR LABOR. WHAT DOES THAT SOUND LIKE? DOES IT SOUND LIKE SLAVERY TO
YOU? >> THE REPUBLICAN DOMINATED
CONGRESS WAS FURIOUS, SEEING
THESE STATE LAWS AS A PLOY TO KEEP THE OLD SLAVERY SYSTEM IN
EFFECT. A FULL SCALE POLITICAL WAR
ERUPTED BETWEEN JOHNSON AND
CONGRESS, WHO THOUGHT THE PRESIDENT WAS LETTING THE SOUTH
OFF EASY. >> JOHNSON SAYS, THIS IS
BASICALLY A CONTINUATION OF THE
WAR POWERS. I CAN DO WHAT I WANT TO DO. AND CONGRESS SAYS, NO YOU CAN'T. >> THERE WAS NO LONGER A WAR. SO CONGRESS DID NOT NEED TO
DEFER TO HIM. BECAUSE IT WAS NO LONGER AN
EMERGENCY SITUATION. AND SO IT DID EVERYTHING THEY
COULD TO ACTUALLY TAKE BACK
POWER AND TO MAKE CONGRESS THE CENTER OF POLICYMAKING. >> WHEN JOHNSON VETOES THE CIVIL
RIGHTS ACT, THERE IS THIS
SUDDEN REALIZATION THAT THIS MAN CAN'T BE TRUSTED. THEY VIEWED JOHNSON AS GOING
BEYOND LINCOLN'S POLICIES. >> FOR ONLY THE EIGHTH TIME IN
THE NATION'S 90-YEAR HISTORY,
CONGRESS OVERRODE THE PRESIDENT'S VETO. THE CIVIL
RIGHTS BILL PASSED. OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS,
JOHNSON ISSUED 21 VETOES--MORE
THAN GEORGE WASHINGTON, JAMES MADISON, ANDREW JACKSON, AND
ABRAHAM LINCOLN COMBINED. CONGRESS OVERRODE 71% OF THEM,
THE HIGHEST FOR ANY PRESIDENT. >> JOHNSON DID NOT LIKE TO
NEGOTIATE. HE DID NOT LIKE TO CONSULT. HE JUST WANTED TO ACT. AND SO JOHNSON WAS NOT AN
EFFECTIVE PRESIDENT. AND THE REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS
GOT THEIR WAY. >> THE BATTLE NEXT MOVED INTO
THE 1866 CONGRESSIONAL
ELECTIONS. JOHNSON SET A PRECEDENT BY
BECOMING THE FIRST PRESIDENT TO
ACTIVELY CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE OPPOSING POLITICAL PARTY. HE WENT ON A WHISTLE STOP TOUR
HE CALLED "THE SWING AROUND THE
CIRCLE." >> ANDREW JOHNSON WENT FROM
WASHINGTON UP TO NEW YORK AND
THEN ACROSS NORTHWEST ALL THE WAY TO CHICAGO,
ADVOCATING HIS POLICY OF
RECONSTRUCTION AND ATTACKING RADICAL REPUBLICANS AT EVERY
TRAIN STOP. IT WOULD PROVE TO BE A DISASTER. IT WAS THE MOST
COUNTERPRODUCTIVE EXERCISE IN
PRESIDENTIAL SPEECHMAKING IN AMERICAN HISTORY. REPUBLICANS WON THE
CONGRESSIONAL ELECTIONS OF 1866
OVERWHELMINGLY. >> A COMBINATION OF RADICAL
REPUBLICANS AND MODERATE
REPUBLICANS HOLD A 2/3 MAJORITY IN CONGRESS. SO THAT ANY VETO
THAT JOHNSON MIGHT
HAVE APPLIED TO THEIR MEASURES, THEY COULD OVERTURN BECAUSE THEY
HAD ENOUGH POWER. >> A TUG OF WAR BETWEEN THE TWO
BRANCHES QUICKLY ENSUED. >> THEY PASSED A RECONSTRUCTION
ACT THAT REVERSES MUCH OF WHAT
HE HAD DONE. AND THEN THEY COME UP WITH THE
TENURE OF OFFICE ACT, WHICH
DOESN'T ALLOW JOHNSON TO FIRE ONE OF HIS CABINET MEMBERS
WITHOUT THE SENATE REVIEWING IT. >> ANDREW JOHNSON WANTED QUITE
NATURALLY TO BE ABLE TO FIRE THE
PEOPLE WHO WORKED FOR HIM. AND CONGRESS SAID, "NO, YOU
CAN'T." >> JOHNSON WAS NOT GOING TO GIVE
UP ANY OF HIS EXECUTIVE
AUTHORITY. DEFYING THE REPUBLICAN CONGRESS,
HE FIRED SECRETARY OF WAR EDWIN
STANTON, A REPUBLICAN AND A LINCOLN HOLDOVER. >> CONGRESS IMMEDIATELY SEES
THIS AS THE FIRST STEP TO USE
MILITARY FORCE TO TAKEOVER THE WAR DEPARTMENT SO THAT YOU CAN
CONTROL THE ARMY AND YOU CAN USE
IT FOR GOODNESS KNOWS WHAT KIND OF PURPOSES. >> IT'S NOT TERRIBLY SURPRISING
THAT HE WOULD BECOME THE FIRST
PRESIDENT TO BE IMPEACHED. THE LEVEL OF DISTRUST AND
HATRED WAS, WAS EXTREME DURING
THIS PRESIDENCY. >> ON FEBRUARY 24, 1868,
CONGRESS, FOR THE FIRST TIME,
IMPEACHED A SITTING PRESIDENT ON 11 COUNTS OF HIGH CRIMES AND
MISDEMEANORS. JOHNSON'S FATE WOULD BE DECIDED
IN A TRIAL BY THE SENATE 3 1/2
MONTHS LATER. >> NO ONE KNOWS FOR SURE HOW THE
VOTE IS GOING TO GO. IT'S VERY NARROW. A FEW SENATORS--
THERE'S A FEELING THAT THEY
MAY GO ONE WAY OR THEY MAY GO THE OTHER. IT'S NOT CLEAR. IMAGINE A DAY WHERE YOU GOT
ONE OF THE SENATORS DEATHLY ILL,
BEING CARRIED IN ON A CHAIR TO VOTE. >> IT WOULD TAKE A 2/3 VOTE IN
THE SENATE TO CONVICT. AT THE TIME, THAT MEANT 36
VOTES. AND THERE WERE 45
REPUBLICANS IN THE SENATE. >> THE VOTE WAS 35 VOTES TO
CONVICT, 19 TO ACQUIT. JOHNSON GOT OFF BY ONE VOTE. >> THEY THOUGHT THAT IT WOULD
PROBABLY PERMANENTLY WEAKEN THE
PRESIDENCY, THAT IT WOULD TIP THE BALANCE TOO FAR IN THE
DIRECTION OF CONGRESS. >> BUT JOHNSON'S VICTORY WAS A
HOLLOW ONE. HE HAD NO POWER AND HE HAD
DAMAGED THE OFFICE OF THE
PRESIDENT. >> THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE JOHNSON
ADMINISTRATION IT'S
FUNDAMENTALLY A STRUGGLE BECAUSE IT'S ABOUT RECONSTRUCTION--
OF WHO HAS POWER? THE PRESIDENT OR CONGRESS? AND COMING OUT OF THIS IT'S VERY
CLEAR THAT CONGRESS IS THE
WINNER IN THIS STRUGGLE. >> NOT SURPRISINGLY, THE
DEMOCRATS DIDN'T NOMINATE
JOHNSON FOR REELECTION IN 1868. THE NEXT PRESIDENT, REPUBLICAN
ULYSSES S. GRANT, WON WITH THE
CAMPAIGN SLOGAN "LET US HAVE PEACE." BUT HIS EIGHT YEARS IN
OFFICE WOULD BE ANYTHING BUT
CALM. >> ULYSSES S. GRANT,
THE UNION GENERAL WHO
CONQUERED VICKSBURG AND ACCEPTED ROBERT E. LEE'S SURRENDER WAS A
TRUE HERO IN HIS TIME. AT AN 1864 WHITE HOUSE RECEPTION
GIVEN BY PRES. LINCOLN, THE
5'8" OFFICER HAD TO STAND ON A COUCH FOR AN HOUR SO EVERYONE
COULD GET A GOOD LOOK AT HIM. FIVE YEARS LATER, HE'D AGAIN
BE THE CENTER OF ATTENTION AS
THE 18TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED >> AS A WAR HERO, HE WOULD BE
THE NATURAL CHOICE FOR PRESIDENT
IN 1868, LIKE DWIGHT EISENHOWER STATES. LATER ON IN THAT SAME RESPECT. WITH ALL THAT SAID, AS PRESIDENT
GRANT, WAS IN OVER HIS DEPTH. HE
WAS NOT A GOOD PUBLIC SPEAKER. HE WAS NOT REALLY A SHOWMAN IN
ANY SENSE OF THE WORD. >> THE 46-YEAR-OLD GRANT
INHERITED A NATION IN THE MIDDLE
OF A HUGE REMODEL. THE FIRST TRANSCONTINENTAL
RAILROAD WAS NEARING COMPLETION. HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS PILED IN
WAGON TRAINS, HEADING FOR NEW
LAND OUT WEST. AND OVER 100,000 NEW FACTORIES
HAD SPRUNG UP, CREATING MILLIONS
OF NEW JOBS. BUT WHILE SEVEN OF THE 11
SECESSIONIST STATES HAD BEEN
READMITTED TO THE UNION, THE SOUTH WAS STILL IN RUINS
ECONOMICALLY. AND WHITES WERE WAGING A WAR
AGAINST NEWLY FREED SLAVES. >> A LOT OF FORMER SLAVE HOLDERS
FORMED THE KKK. THREATENING AFRICAN AMERICANS
WOULD PUT THEM BACK IN THEIR
PLACE AFTER THE ABOLITION OF SLAVERY. >> IT'S NOT A DECLARED WAR. BUT IT'S A WAR IN THE VILLAGES,
IN THE FIELDS TO PREVENT BLACK
PEOPLE FROM VOTING. THE KLAN BLEW UP CHURCHES,
BURNED DOWN SCHOOLHOUSES, GO
AFTER BLACKS WHO HAVE DONE THE CRIMINAL ACT OF BECOMING
LANDOWNERS. >> THE WHITE SOUTH SHOWED FAR
MORE COMMITMENT, FAR MORE WILL
TO PROMOTING WHITE SUPREMACY THAN IT DID TO CONFEDERATE
INDEPENDENCE. >> THE KLAN HAD FREE REIN OVER
MUCH OF THE SOUTH. BY 1870 THE
NUMBER OF FEDERAL TROOPS STATIONED THERE HAD
DROPPED FROM 20,000 TO 6,600
NOT NEARLY ENOUGH TO PROTECT FREED BLACKS WHO WERE SPREAD OUT
OVER A MILLION SQUARE MILES
BELOW THE MASON-DIXON LINE. >> IT BECOMES A VERY MESSY
TRANSITION. IT CAME TO AN ALL OUT GUERILLA
WAR IN WHICH WHITE SUPREMACIST
TERRORISTS DO ALL THEY CAN TO REGAIN POWER IN THE AMERICAN
SOUTH. >> WHEN VIOLENCE AGAINST AFRICAN
AMERICANS TAKES PLACE TO PREVENT
THEM FROM VOTING, CONGRESS RESPONDS BY PASSING A FORCE ACT,
AN AUTHORIZATION OF FORCE
AGAINST DOMESTIC TERRORISTS. >> AS GEORGE BUSH DID AFTER
9/11, GRANT ASKED FOR THE
EXECUTIVE POWER TO SUSPEND THE CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS OF
SUSPECTED TERRORISTS. OVER 100 KEY KLAN LEADERS WERE
ARRESTED AND A SURGE OF FEDERAL
TROOPS DISPERSED THE REST. >> BY THE EARLY 1870S THE KLAN
HAD BEEN LARGELY SCATTERED TO
THE FOUR CORNERS. AND THE KLAN IN FACT DID NOT
EMERGE AGAIN UNTIL THE 20TH
CENTURY. SO IN THAT RESPECT, GRANT'S
POLICIES AND ACTIONS WERE
SUCCESSFUL. GRANT'S ELECTION BECAME ALMOST
AUTOMATIC. >> AFRICAN AMERICANS WANTED TO
SHOW THAT THEY WERE CITIZENS OF
THIS COUNTRY. AND UNDER GRANT, NOW THEY HAVE A
PLACE WHERE THEY CAN GO EXERCISE
THEIR MANHOOD AND THEIR CITIZENSHIP RIGHTS BY VOTING. >> HAVING ADDED TO HIS
POPULARITY IN THE NORTH, WITH
NEW SOUTHERN SUPPORT FROM FREED MEN, GRANT EASILY WON REELECTION
IN 1872, MORE THAN DOUBLING HIS
FIRST MARGIN OF VICTORY. THROUGHOUT HIS ENTIRE
PRESIDENCY, THOUGH, GRANT SEEMED
TO BE ON CRUISE CONTROL IN THE OFFICE. ENDING HIS DAY AT 3:00, HE WOULD
OFTEN TAKE RIDES IN HIS HORSE
AND BUGGY, PLAY BILLIARDS, OR TAKE IN THE NEW GAME THAT WAS
CATCHING ON ACROSS THE NATION--
BASEBALL. BUT GRANT'S DAYS OF LEISURE WERE
ABOUT TO COME TO A GRINDING
HALT. >> THE COUNTRY WAS
INDUSTRIALIZING VERY RAPIDLY. AND AS IT WAS INDUSTRIALIZING,
STATE GOVERNMENTS WERE
SPONSORING LOTS OF RAILROAD CONSTRUCTION. TENS OF MILLIONS
OF DOLLARS WERE DRAINED TO PAY
THESE CONSTRUCTION CREWS. >> WHEN ONE OF THE BANKS BACKING
A SECOND TRANSCONTINENTAL
RAILROAD WENT BANKRUPT, ECONOMIC PANIC SWEPT THE NATION. >> SO THERE'S A MAJOR
DEPRESSION, FIRST IN 1873. THAT DEPRESSION IS CATASTROPHIC. IT SHAKES OUR FAITH IN AMERICAN
CAPITALISM TO ITS CORE. >> THE PANIC CREATED WHAT BECAME
KNOWN AS THE LONG DEPRESSION. 20% OF THE COUNTRY'S BUSINESSES
FAILED, 1/4 OF THE RAILROADS
SHUTDOWN, AND UNEMPLOYMENT NUMBERS REACHED HIGHER THAN EVER
BEFORE. 14%. >> BUT THE ABILITY OF THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IN THESE
YEARS TO ACTUALLY DO ANYTHING ABOUT THESES CRISES WAS
REMARKABLY LIMITED. I MEAN
THERE WAS NO STIMULUS PLANS. THERE WAS NO SUCH THING AS
UNEMPLOYED INSURANCE. >> AT THAT TIME, PRES. GRANT
SAYS, "WELL, WHY DON'T WE THINK
ABOUT PUTTING PEOPLE TO WORK ON PUBLIC WORKS?" AND HE'S TOLD BY
A FUTURE PRESIDENT, JAMES
GARFIELD, THAT'S THE STUPIDEST IDEA THAT ANYONE HAD COME UP
WITH. >> CONGRESS'S SOLUTION WAS TO
INTRODUCE AN INFLATION BILL
THAT WOULD INJECT MORE PAPER MONEY INTO THE ECONOMY. THE FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE GRANT
RESPONDED WITH A VETO. AND THE RESULT WAS A POLITICAL
AND ECONOMIC STALEMATE. >> ONE OF THE THINGS THAT GRANT
DISCOVERED--NO PRESIDENT CAN
ORDER CONGRESS AROUND. AND SO PRESIDENTS WHO HAVE BEEN
GENERALS ALMOST ALWAYS BECOME
FRUSTRATED BY THIS. >> GRANT WAS EXPECTED TO BRING
TO THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
THE SAME TENACIOUS, STUBBORN ACUMEN AND FOCUS ON GOALS THAT
HE CLEARLY BROUGHT TO HIS ROLE
AS COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE UNION FORCES DURING THE CIVIL
WAR. AND UNFORTUNATELY FOR THOSE
WHO EXPECTED THAT, THAT WAS NOT THE GRANT PRESIDENCY. >> GRANT COULDN'T EVEN CONTROL
HIS OWN TEAM. WHILE AVERAGE AMERICANS WERE
SUFFERING, MEMBERS OF HIS INNER
CIRCLE WERE CAUGHT LINING THEIR POCKETS. >> THE GRANT PRESIDENCY WAS
MARKED BY A SERIES OF SCANDALS,
THE MOST NOTABLE BEING THE CREDIT MOBILIER SCANDAL--WHERE
THERE WERE RAILROAD PAYBACKS TO
MEMBERS OF GRANT'S ADMINISTRATION. >> HIS SECRETARY OF THE NAVY
MADE A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF
MONEY ON A VERY SMALL SALARY. HOW DID HE MANAGE TO GET A BANK
ACCOUNT--PERHAPS $500,000--ON A
SALARY OF $4,000 A YEAR? >> GRANT HIMSELF WAS NEVER
ACCUSED OF CORRUPTION. IN FACT, HE HAD GIVEN UP A
LUCRATIVE MILITARY PENSION TO
TAKE THE JOB OF PRESIDENT AND, SHORTLY AFTER LEAVING OFFICE,
WAS NEARLY BANKRUPT. >> IT'S A MISTAKE TO ASSUME THAT
ULYSSES S. GRANT HAD NO
POLITICAL SKILL. NO ONE GETS TO WEAR THE FOUR
STARS OF A GENERAL IN THE ARMY
AND NOT HAVE SOME POLITICAL SKILL. BUT IT WAS A PARTICULAR KIND OF
BUREAUCRATIC SKILL OF LEARNING
TO WORK WITHIN THE SYSTEM. >> GRANT BECAME PRESIDENT AT A
TIME WHEN AMERICAN POLITICS WERE
MORE COMPLICATED AND MORE FRUSTRATING THAN PROBABLY EVER
BEFORE OR EVER AFTERWARD. BY 1876, THE END OF GRANT'S
SECOND TERM, THE COUNTRY HAD
BEEN TRYING TO FORCE CHANGE ON THE SOUTH FOR 25 YEARS. AND AMERICANS IN THE NORTH
FINALLY JUST SAID, "ENOUGH. LET
THE SOUTH DO WHAT IT'S GONNA DO" >> AS GRANT'S TENURE IN THE
WHITE HOUSE SLOWLY TICKED AWAY,
A NEW POWER PLAYER WAS ABOUT TO RISE UP--THE INDUSTRIALIST--JUST
IN TIME FOR THE OFFICE OF THE
PRESIDENT TO FADE FURTHER INTO THE BACKGROUND. >> IN 1876 VISITORS TO
PHILADELPHIA'S WORLD'S FAIR
GAWKED AT FUTURISTIC WONDERS LIKE ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL'S
TELEPHONE AND THE CORLISS STEAM
ENGINE, THE LARGEST THE WORLD HAD EVER SEEN. BUT WHILE THE FUTURE SEEMED
BRIGHT, THE PRESENT STATE OF
AMERICA WAS NOT. THOUGH ALL THE SOUTHERN STATES
WERE BACK IN THE UNION,
RECONSTRUCTION HAD NOT FORMALLY ENDED AND THE COUNTRY WAS MIRED
IN A DEEP ECONOMIC DEPRESSION. >> THERE HAD BEEN A SEVERE
FINANCIAL CRISIS IN 1873, WHICH
THE COUNTRY WAS ONLY BEGINNING TO RECOVER FROM. AND IT LARGELY WAS BECAUSE THE
GOVERNMENT ITSELF WAS A SMALL
INSTITUTION RELATIVE TO CAPTAINS OF INDUSTRY, PARTICULARLY IN THE
HEAVY INDUSTRIES--STEEL AND
RAILROADS. >> AS SMALLER INDUSTRIAL
COMPANIES FAILED, RICH
BUSINESSMEN LIKE ANDREW CARNEGIE AND JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER BOUGHT
THEM OUT AT FIRE SALE PRICES. THE HAVES BUYING OUT THE
HAVE-NOTS AND BECOMING EVEN
BIGGER THAN BEFORE. >> THE GILDED AGE, AS PEOPLE
CALL IT, IS SEEN TO BE THIS AGE
OF CONSPICUOUS CONSUMPTION. >> THESE TITANS OF INDUSTRY WERE
SHORING UP THEIR POWER BY TAKING
ADVANTAGE OF THE WEAK ECONOMY AND PREPARING TO ASSUME
LEADERSHIP WHERE THE PRESIDENT
WOULDN'T. THE ELECTION OF 1876 WOULD PROVE
TELLING AS THE OPEN WOUND OF
RECONSTRUCTION SHOWED JUST HOW WEAK THE PRESIDENCY WAS
BECOMING. >> THE ELECTION OF 1876 GOES
DOWN AS ONE OF THE MOST
CONTROVERSIAL IN AMERICAN HISTORY. RUTHERFORD B. HAYES
IS A COMPROMISE CANDIDATE. HE'S SEEN AS A VERY UNACCEPTABLE
BUT RELIABLE REPUBLICAN. HE'S RUNNING AGAINST A MAN NAMED
SAMUEL J. TILDEN OF NEW YORK. >> ON ELECTION NIGHT, TILDEN
WINS THE POPULAR VOTE. HE'S WAY AHEAD IN THE ELECTORAL
VOTE. 184-165. BUT THERE ARE THREE SOUTHERN
STATES THAT ARE BEING CONTESTED. AND THOSE STATES ARE GOING TO
DECIDE WHO'S GOING TO BE THE
NEXT PRESIDENT. >> FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 1824
WHEN JOHN QUINCY ADAMS DEFEATED
ANDREW JACKSON, THE ELECTION WOULD HINGE ON THE ELECTORAL
COUNT, NOT THE POPULAR ONE. IN THE SHADOW OF CIVIL WAR,
THE RESULT WOULD PROVE
ESPECIALLY PRECARIOUS. >> THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY HAD
SEIZED CONTROL IN ALL BUT THREE
SOUTHERN STATES--LOUISIANA, SOUTH CAROLINA, AND FLORIDA. IN THOSE THREE STATES, THE
ELECTION RESULTS WERE DISPUTED. >> WERE BLACK VOTES REALLY
COUNTED FAIRLY? WAS THERE ELECTION FRAUD? HOW MANY VOTES SHOULD COME FROM
EACH OF THESE STATES? SO CONGRESS HAS TO FIGURE OUT
WHAT DO YOU DO? >> WITH THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE
RESULTS BEING CHALLENGED,
CONGRESS CREATES AN ELECTORAL COMMISSION. THE COMMISSION AWARDS ALL THREE
CONTESTED STATES TO HAYES. SO THAT HAYES IS ELECTED
PRESIDENT BY ONE ELECTORAL VOTE. IF JOHN TYLER WAS KNOWN AS HIS
ACCIDENCY, HAYES WAS KNOWN AS
HIS FRAUDULENCY. >> THE DISPUTE WAS RESOLVED BY
AN INFORMAL DEAL KNOWN AS THE
COMPROMISE OF 1877, A BARGAIN THAT WOULD EFFECTIVELY END
RECONSTRUCTION. REPUBLICANS AGREED TO REMOVE THE
LAST FEDERAL TROOPS IN THE
SOUTH, WHICH WERE KEEPING THEIR PARTY IN POWER IN THE SAME THREE
STATES WHERE THE VOTES WERE
DISPUTED. >> THE COMPROMISE ALLOWS THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY TO ABANDON WHAT
HAD BEEN ITS SIGNATURE ISSUE-- THE RECONSTRUCTION OF THE SOUTH. THEY HAD BEEN TAKING POLITICAL
HITS FOR THIS. SO IN SOME WAYS, NOT ALL
REPUBLICANS ARE UNHAPPY WITH THE
COMPROMISE. >> ONE REASON WHY WE HAVE A
NUMBER OF VERY UNASSERTIVE,
DRIFTING PRESIDENTS IS BECAUSE OF THE MEMORY OF ANDREW JOHNSON. GRANT'S ADMINISTRATION IS A
SATURNALIA OF CORRUPTION, A
CARNIVAL OF DEBAUCHERY. IT GIVES AN IDEA OF THE CALIBER
OF MEN THAT YOU HAVE IN OFFICE. THE RESULT IS FOR MANY PEOPLE,
PRESIDENTS ARE BEST WHEN THEY
STAY NICE AND QUIET AND DON'T INVOLVE THEMSELVES IN THINGS. >> AT 54 RUTHERFORD B. HAYES
WAS SWORN IN AS 19TH
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES IN A PRIVATE CEREMONY HELD IN
THE WHITE HOUSE. IT WAS A LOW-KEY KICKOFF TO A
SERIES OF INEPT PRESIDENTS. >> WHAT'S REMARKABLE ABOUT
HAYES'S FOUR YEARS IN OFFICE IS
HOW LITTLE THERE IS TO SAY ABOUT HAYES'S FOUR YEARS IN OFFICE. >> AS HAYES INTRODUCED THE
TRADITIONAL EASTER EGG ROLL AT
THE WHITE HOUSE, THE MEN WHO HAD ALREADY BEEN SHORING UP THEIR
POWER ECONOMICALLY--
THE CAPTAINS OF INDUSTRY-- STARTED TO DICTATE THE COURSE
FOR THE COUNTRY. BY 1878, ANDREW CARNEGIE
HAD STARTED A STEEL EMPIRE,
ONE THAT WOULD EVENTUALLY BE WORTH $400 MILLION. JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER CONTROLLED 1/3
OF THE NATION'S OIL BUSINESS
HISTORICALLY, THEIR AMOUNT OF WEALTH WOULD MAKE THEM THE
RICHEST MEN IN THE WORLD... AND OF ALL TIME. >> IT'S ALSO A TIME WHEN MANY
MORE AMERICANS ARE BECOMING MUCH
MORE DISSATISFIED WITH THE PROMISE OF THEIR COUNTRY BECAUSE
THEY'RE NOT REALIZING IT. >> SO IN 1877, THERE WERE A
SERIES OF CRIPPLING RAILROAD
STRIKES THAT REALLY BROUGHT COMMERCE TO A HALT AND CREATED
MASSIVE SOCIAL UNREST. >> BIG BUSINESS CUT DEALS WITH
DESPERATE RAILROADS FOR LOW
SHIPPING RATES, FURTHER INCREASING THEIR POWER, WHILE
PUTTING THE PINCH ON THE WORKING
MAN. A FEW MONTHS AFTER HAYES'S INAUGURATION, THE PENN RAILROAD
COMPANY CUT WORKERS' PAY BY OVER
20%. THE TRAINMEN CALLED A GENERAL STRIKE. HAYES'S RESPONSE SET A
PRECEDENT. FOR THE FIRST TIME, A PRESIDENT
SENT IN FEDERAL TROOPS TO BREAK
A STRIKE. >> THE USE OF FEDERAL TROOPS TO
RESTORE ORDER WAS HIGHLY
CONTROVERSIAL. BUT HAYES DEFENDED THIS ON THE
GROUNDS THAT IT REALLY WAS A
CHOICE OF THE BREAKDOWN OF SOCIAL ORDER FOR A BRIEF PERIOD
OR THE RESTORATION OF IT. >> ON ALL THE BIG SOCIAL ISSUES
OF THE 19TH CENTURY, WHETHER
IT'S WORKERS FIGHTING FOR BETTER CONDITIONS, WHETHER IT'S FARMERS
WHO ARE CRUSHED BY DEBT OR BY
RAILROAD FEES, THE PRESIDENT USES THE POWER OF THE OFFICE TO
SIDE WITH BIG BUSINESS. >> HAYES HAD PLEDGED TO ONLY
SERVE ONE TERM. SO IN 1880, ANOTHER CLOSE
ELECTION, SPLIT EVENLY
BETWEEN THE NORTH AND SOUTH, GAVE THE KEYS TO THE WHITE
HOUSE TO 49-YEAR-OLD REPUBLICAN
JAMES GARFIELD. >> GARFIELD WAS A FORMER OHIO
CONGRESSMAN WHO COULD WRITE
LATIN WITH ONE HAND AND GREEK WITH THE OTHER, SIMULTANEOUSLY. THE 20TH PRESIDENT HAD GREAT
POTENTIAL. 200 DAYS IN, HIS TERM CAME TO AN
ABRUPT END. >> GARFIELD DECIDES TO GO OFF TO
A COLLEGE REUNION. GOT AS FAR AS THE WASHINGTON
RAILROAD STATION. AND THERE, STANDING NEXT TO
SECRETARY OF STATE JAMES G. BLAINE, WAS SHOT TWICE IN THE
BACK BY AN OFFICE SEEKER NAMED
CHARLES GUITEAU. HE BELIEVED THAT HE HAD BEEN
DENIED THE THRONE OF ENGLAND BY
QUEEN VICTORIA. HE WAS A SERIOUS LOON. >> GARFIELD'S HOSPITALIZATION AT
THAT TIME--THREE, FOUR MONTHS--
REALLY RESULTED IN LITTLE IMPACT ON THE U.S. GOVERNMENT. IT GIVES YOU A SENSE AS TO THE
ROLE OF THE PRESIDENCY THAT
PRESIDENTIAL RESPONSIBILITY HAS DROPPED A GREAT DEAL. >> AFTER GARFIELD'S LONG,
LINGERING DEATH BY GANGRENE, HIS
VICE PRESIDENT, 51-YEAR-OLD CHESTER ARTHUR, TOOK OVER. BUT HE WAS NO ONE'S FIRST CHOICE
FOR THE OFFICE. >> HE HAD NOT BEEN A CONGRESSMAN
HE HAD NOT BEEN A SENATOR. HE'D BEEN A MEMBER OF THE SPOILS
SYSTEM. HE WAS A LOW POLITICIAN
BY ANYBODY'S IDEA OF IT. AND THE IDEA THAT THIS MAN WOULD
ASCEND TO THE PRESIDENCY--
THE AMERICAN PUBLIC HAD A SENSE OF REVULSION. >> NO ONE EXPECTED HIM TO BE
ANYTHING OTHER THAN EITHER
CORRUPT IN OFFICE OR COMPLETELY INEFFECTIVE. IT'S TRUE THAT VERY LITTLE
ACTUALLY WENT ON IN HIS
PRESIDENCY JUST AS NOT MUCH HAD GONE ON IN THE PRESIDENCY OF
RUTHERFORD B. HAYES. >> ARTHUR'S MAIN CONTRIBUTION AS
THE 21ST PRESIDENT WAS GIVING
THE WHITE HOUSE A MUCH NEEDED OVERHAUL. >> WHEN MARY LINCOLN HAD TAKEN
OVER IN 1861, SHE HAD SPENT
EXTRAVAGANTLY TO TRY TO BRING THE WHITE HOUSE NEW FURNISHINGS,
CURTAINS, DRAPERIES, RUGS,
FURNITURE. BUT BY THE EARLY 1880S THE WHITE
HOUSE AGAIN IS IN DISREPAIR. >> THE BUILDING WAS SO DECREPIT
THAT ARTHUR ORIGINALLY WANTED TO
TEAR IT DOWN AND START FROM SCRATCH. BUT WHEN THAT IDEA MET WITH
RESISTANCE FROM CONGRESS, ARTHUR
SETTLED FOR RENOVATIONS. NEW PLUMBING THROUGHOUT, THE
FIRST PRESIDENTIAL ELEVATOR, AND
A NEW SENSE OF STYLE FOR THE MANSION. >> ONE OF ARTHUR'S LASTING
LEGACIES AS PRESIDENT WAS
BRINGING LOUIS COMFORT TIFFANY TO THE ATTENTION OF THE WORLD. THIS WAS BEFORE TIFFANY BECAME
TIFFANY. >> ARTHUR JUST DIDN'T HAVE MUCH
ZEAL OR ENERGY EXCEPT FOR
HUNTING AND FISHING AND FANCY DINNERS. >> THE NATION HAD LITTLE
INTEREST IN A SECOND ARTHUR
TERM. AND NEITHER DID HE. FALLING ILL FROM A FAILING
KIDNEY, HE PUT NO EFFORT INTO
GETTING RENOMINATED. THE NATION'S ATTENTION WOULD
INSTEAD TURN TO A CAMPAIGN SO
RIFE WITH PARTISAN PERSONAL ATTACKS THAT BOTH CANDIDATES
SEEMED EQUALLY REPUGNANT. >> 1884. 20 YEARS AFTER THE END OF THE
CIVIL WAR, MOST AMERICANS SHARED
ONE THING IN COMMON-- THEY WERE READING NEWSPAPERS. THE
CIRCULATION FOR MAJOR PUBLISHING
FIRMS WAS FIVE MILLION AND THERE WERE SMALL DAILIES AIMED AT THE
NEW IMMIGRANT POPULATION. AND THEY WERE ALL COVERING THE
UPCOMING PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. >> THE MEDIA IN 1884 WAS PRETTY
MUCH STRICTLY PARTISAN. THERE WERE DEMOCRATIC PAPERS AND
THERE WERE REPUBLICAN PAPERS. >> THERE'S ALSO MORE AND MORE
INQUIRY INTO PRESIDENTS' PRIVATE
LIVES. AND CERTAINLY ONE OF THE MOST NOTABLE EXAMPLES OF THIS
HAPPENS IN 1884. >> TWO WEEKS AFTER THE DEMOCRATS
ELECTED THEIR PRESIDENTIAL
NOMINEE, NEW YORK GOVERNOR GROVER CLEVELAND--A MAN FAMED
FOR BATTLING POLITICAL
CORRUPTION IN HIS HOME STATE--REPUBLICAN PAPERS BROKE A
STORY ALLEGING THAT HE HAD
FATHERED A CHILD OUT OF WEDLOCK. >> GROVER THE GOOD, THE
ANTI-CORRUPT POLITICIAN KNOWN
FOR BEING PUG UGLY HONEST, WAS INVOLVED IN PERHAPS THE MOST
NOTORIOUS SEX SCANDAL IN
PRESIDENTIAL HISTORY WITH THE EXCEPTION PERHAPS OF BILL
CLINTON AND MONICA LEWINSKY. >> CLEVELAND'S OPPONENT,
REPUBLICAN JAMES G. BLAINE,
DIDN'T FARE MUCH BETTER. >> IT WAS AN UGLY CAMPAIGN. >> THOSE PEOPLE THAT BELIEVED
THAT BLAINE WAS A CROOK, WHICH
HE PROBABLY WAS, WERE SAID TO HAVE GONE THROUGH THE
STREETS CHANTING "BLAINE! BLAINE! JAMES G. BLAINE! CONTINENTAL LIAR FROM THE STATE
OF MAINE!" >> CLEVELAND SQUEAKED INTO
OFFICE. HE TOOK THE PIVOTAL STATE OF NEW
YORK BY A MERE 1,049 VOTES. BUT THE BRUISING CAMPAIGN LEFT A
DEFINITE MARK ON THE OFFICE. >> FROM THE 1884 ELECTION ON,
CLEVELAND HATED THE PRESS. HE CONSIDERED THEM TO BE
LOWLIFES. HE TIGHTENED UP WHENEVER THEY
WERE AROUND HIM. AND IT REALLY IMPACTED THE WAY
HE RAN THE COUNTRY. >> HE'S NOT TERRIBLY EFFECTIVE
AS A PRESIDENT. IN FACT, HIS PRESIDENCY IS MORE
REMEMBERED NOW THAT THIS
BACHELOR PRESIDENT OF IMMENSE PHYSICAL PRESENCE
MARRIED THIS VERY YOUNG WOMAN
FRANCIS FOLSOM. >> EVEN THOUGH CLEVELAND WAS THE
FIRST DEMOCRAT ELECTED SINCE THE
CIVIL WAR AND HIS OWN PARTY CONTROLLED CONGRESS, THE 22ND
PRESIDENT INTRODUCED ALMOST NO
NEW LEGISLATION, ACTING NOT AS AN INSPIRING LEADER, BUT AS A
FEDERAL SPENDING WATCHDOG... >> HE VETOED GIVEAWAY PENSION
BILLS. HE VETOED HIGH SPENDING BILLS TO
PROVIDE SEED FOR FARMERS IN THE
DROUGHT-STRICKEN AREA OF THE WEST WHOSE CROPS HAD FAILED. >> CONGRESS WAS REALLY SETTING
THE AGENDA. IT WASN'T A SITUATION LIKE WE
HAVE NOW WHERE YOU EXPECT A
PRESIDENT TO HAVE A LEGISLATIVE AGENDA. IN THIS CASE, PRESIDENTS WERE
FREQUENTLY REACTIVE. >> WHEN CLEVELAND RAN FOR
REELECTION IN 1888, HE WON THE
POPULAR VOTE BY 100,000 BUT LOST IN THE ELECTORAL
COLLEGE COUNT TO REPUBLICAN
BENJAMIN HARRISON, WHO WAS SUPPORTED BY SPECIAL INTERESTS
WITH DEEP POCKETS AND A CAMPAIGN
THAT TARGETED KEY SWING STATES WITH HIGH NUMBERS OF DELEGATES. >> IT ALL DEPENDS ON WHERE YOU
PUT THE VOTES. CLEVELAND DIDN'T
CARRY INDIANA. HE DIDN'T CARRY NEW YORK. THAT'S WHAT DECIDED IT. >> CLEVELAND WAS DEFEATED. BUT INTERESTINGLY AS HIS FIRST
LADY WAS PACKING UP, SHE
ACTUALLY TOLD A WHITE HOUSE USHER--"MAKE SURE YOU DON'T
BREAK ANYTHING. BECAUSE WE'RE COMING BACK IN
FOUR YEARS." >> HARRISON, THE GRANDSON OF
FORMER PRESIDENT WILLIAM HENRY
HARRISON, CERTAINLY DID NOT BECOME THE 23RD PRESIDENT BASED
ON PERSONAL CHARISMA. >> THERE'S A STATEMENT THAT WAS
MADE ABOUT BENJAMIN HARRISON. AN EMPTY CARRIAGE ROLLED UP AND
BENJAMIN HARRISON GOT OUT. >> HARRISON IS NOT THE KIND OF
GUY YOU WANT TO BE TRAPPED ON A
DESERT ISLAND WITH. HE WAS FORMAL. HE WAS RIGID. HE DIDN'T HAVE MANY FRIENDS. IN FACT, HE HAD THE NICKNAME THE
HUMAN ICEBERG. >> HARRISON BECAME LITTLE MORE
THAN A RUBBER STAMP FOR
CONGRESS, WHO WERE MORE THAN EAGER TO TAKE THE REINS OF A
COUNTRY WITH A HUGE SURPLUS. >> IT'S THE BEGINNING OF THE
TIME WHEN THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES BECOMES A LAWMAKING MACHINE. THE REPUBLICANS ARE ABLE TO
EXPAND DRAMATICALLY CIVIL WAR
PENSIONS. THIS RESULTS IN A BILLION
DOLLARS BEING PAID OUT TO THESE
VETERANS. WHEN THIS IS POINTED OUT TO
SPEAKER REED, HE JUST SHRUGGED
HIS SHOULDERS AND SAYS, "WELL, IT'S A BILLION DOLLAR COUNTRY." >> THE LEGISLATURE BECAME KNOWN
AS THE BILLION DOLLAR CONGRESS. BUT THE 55-YEAR-OLD HARRISON
SEEMED TO HAVE LITTLE INTEREST
IN GOVERNING, WORKING UNTIL NOON AND SNEAKING OUT OF WASHINGTON
TO GO HUNTING AS OFTEN AS
POSSIBLE. >> CARTOONISTS IN 1888 DREW
BENJAMIN HARRISON UNDER A HAT
MUCH TOO BIG FOR HIM. OVER THE COURSE OF THE
PRESIDENCY THAT HAT GOT BIGGER
AND BIGGER AND HARRISON GOT SMALLER AND SMALLER AND SMALLER. UNTIL FINALLY ON ELECTION DAY
WHEN HE WAS DEFEATED FOR
REELECTION THERE'S A PICTURE OF UNCLE SAM SAYING, "WHERE IS HE?" >> WITH THE BAD TASTE OF
BENJAMIN HARRISON STILL
LINGERING IN THEIR MOUTHS, THE AMERICAN PUBLIC DID SOMETHING
UNPRECEDENTED. THEY TURNED BACK TO A PREVIOUS
PRESIDENT, MAKING FRANCIS
CLEVELAND'S PROMISE TO RETURN REALITY. >> IN THE ELECTION OF 1892,
CLEVELAND WAS REELECTED AND
BECAME THE FIRST AND ONLY PRESIDENT TO SERVE TWO
NON-CONSECUTIVE TERMS IN OFFICE. AND PART OF THE REASON FOR HIS
REELECTION WAS THE INFLUENCE
THAT FRANCIS, HIS FIRST LADY, HAD OVER THE AMERICAN
ELECTORATE. >> THE PUBLIC'S FASCINATION WITH
THE NOW 24TH PRESIDENT ALSO
EXTENDED TO HIS INFANT DAUGHTER, BABY RUTH, SAID TO BE THE
INSPIRATION FOR THE CANDY BAR. BUT CLEVELAND RESPONDED BY
BITING THE HAND THAT FED HIM,
CLOSING THE GROUNDS OF THE WHITE HOUSE FOR THE FIRST TIME TO KEEP
CROWDS AWAY. HE WANTED TO FOCUS ON POLITICS. BUT HE SOON REGRETTED THAT
DECISION. >> IN THE LAST WEEKS OF
HARRISON'S PRESIDENCY, THE
ECONOMY TANKS AND IT HAS A STOCK MARKET CRASH AND IT LEADS
TO A GREAT DEPRESSION JUST AS
GROVER CLEVELAND'S COMING IN WITH A DEMOCRATIC MAJORITY. >> RAILROAD OVERBUILDING HAD LED
TO ECONOMIC DISASTER. MAJOR BANKS HAD FAILED,
NEARLY 1/3 OF FARMERS HELD
MORTGAGES WHICH FORECLOSED AT RECORD RATES, UNEMPLOYMENT
REACHED A NEW HIGH OF 18.4%. ALL CLASSES WERE HIT HARD. >> CLEVELAND HAS NO REAL
RESPONSE TO AN ECONOMIC
DEPRESSION. HE DOESN'T BELIEVE IN GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE. AND IT BASICALLY DAMAGES THE
DEMOCRATIC PARTY QUITE SERIOUSLY
AND IT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY THE CLEVELAND ADMINISTRATION
FALLS APART. >> CLEVELAND WAS SO IRRELEVANT
THAT WHEN HE DISAPPEARED FOR
THREE WEEKS FOR SURGERY ON A CANCEROUS JAW, THERE WAS VERY
LITTLE PUBLIC OUTCRY. >> IN 1896, THE REPUBLICANS NEED
A POPULAR CANDIDATE TO BEAT THE
DEMOCRATS. THOUGH FRANKLY IF THEY HAD
NOMINATED A STATUE OF GEORGE
WASHINGTON, THE DEMOCRATS WOULD HAVE COME IN SECOND. >> THE REPUBLICANS' CHOICE WAS
WILLIAM MCKINLEY. >> HE'D BEEN A CONGRESSMAN FROM
OHIO. AND LATER ON HE HAD BEEN A
GOVERNOR TWICE. HE HAD A CLEAN REPUTATION. MCKINLEY WAS AFFABLE, POLITICAL,
CHARMING, SUAVE. HE WAS LIKEABLE. BUT HE WAS ALSO QUITE
INTELLIGENT. >> MCKINLEY'S OPPONENT IN 1896
WAS WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN, A
FIERY LIBERAL DEMOCRAT. >> WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN WAS
KNOWN AS A TREMENDOUS ORATOR. WHEREVER HE WENT, A CROWD WOULD
COME OUT JUST TO HEAR HIM SPEAK
NO MATTER WHAT THE WORDS MIGHT BE. >> WHILE BRYAN TRAVELED OVER
18,000 MILES BY TRAIN SEARCHING
FOR VOTES, MCKINLEY SPENT HIS MONEY ON POSTERS, PAMPHLETS, AND
SIGNS, AND CAMPAIGNED FROM THE
FRONT PORCH OF HIS CANTON, OHIO HOME. >> A PRESIDENT TODAY COULD NOT
GET AWAY WITH THE FRONT PORCH
CAMPAIGN THAT WILLIAM MCKINLEY RAN IN 1896. PEOPLE WOULD SAY, "WHO DOES HE
THINK HIS IS? HE DOESN'T HAVE TO GET OUT AND
WORK FOR THE JOB?" >> MORE THAN 13.5 MILLION VOTERS
TURNED OUT ON ELECTION DAY. NEARLY 80% OF THE ELECTORATE. AND THOUGH IT WAS CLOSE,
MCKINLEY'S STRATEGY WORKED. AND HE PULLED OUT THE VICTORY
WITH JUST OVER HALF OF THE
POPULAR VOTE. THE NEWEST PRESIDENT WOULD LEAD
THE NATION INTO THE 20TH
CENTURY, PROSPERITY, AND ITS FIRST WAR WITH A FOREIGN
COUNTRY IN 50 YEARS. >> 1897. THE NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT WAS ON
THE NEWLY MINTED 25TH PRESIDENT,
WILLIAM MCKINLEY. HIS INAUGURATION BECAME THE
FIRST TO BE RECORDED BY A MOVIE
CAMERA. AND HE SOON PROVED TO BE A
MASTER OF MEDIA, STROLLING
THROUGH WASHINGTON, POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHS WITH THE PUBLIC. THERE WERE NOW MORE THAN 13,000
NEWSPAPERS, MORE THAN TRIPLE THE
NUMBER SINCE THE CIVIL WAR, AND THE SAVVY 54-YEAR-OLD PRESIDENT
WAS THE FIRST TO UNDERSTAND THE
VALUE IN CULTIVATING GOOD RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE PRESS. >> YOU SEE MUCH MORE ACTIVE
PRESS MANAGEMENT FROM THE
EXECUTIVE BRANCH AND PEOPLE LIKE MCKINLEY WHO UNDERSTAND THAT IF
YOU USE THE PRESS CORRECTLY, YOU
CAN PROJECT YOUR VIEWS MUCH MORE SKILLFULLY. >> MCKINLEY WAS A VERY LOVED
MAN. HE KNEW HOW TO HANDLE THE PRESS. HE KNEW IN FACT SOMETHING ABOUT
THE HIDDEN HAND OF THE
PRESIDENCY. THAT IF YOU WANT A PRESIDENT TO
HAVE POWER, YOU HAVE TO NOT MAKE
IT LOOK AS IF THE PRESIDENT IS THE ONE PULLING THE STRINGS. >> BUT THE DRUMS OF WAR WERE
ABOUT TO SPOIL MCKINLEY'S
WELCOME PARTY. IN 1898, SPAIN'S GLOBAL EMPIRE
WAS DWINDLING, BUT THEY STILL
MAINTAINED A COLONY IN CUBA, RIGHT AT AMERICA'S DOORSTEP. AND NOW CUBAN REBELS WERE TRYING
TO OVERTHROW SPANISH RULE ONCE
AND FOR ALL. >> MANY AMERICANS WANTED TO SET
THE PEOPLE OF CUBA FREE, MAYBE
SET THEM FREE TO BECOME COLONISTS IN A NEW AMERICAN
EMPIRE. >> WILLIAM MCKINLEY WAS THE LAST
OF THE PRESIDENTS WHO HAD SERVED
DURING THE CIVIL WAR. AND HE SAID, "I HAVE SEEN THE
BODIES PILED LIKE CORDWOOD." AND HE WASN'T ABOUT TO LAUNCH ON
A WAR UNLESS IT WAS ABSOLUTELY
NECESSARY. >> BUT MCKINLEY EVENTUALLY BOWED
TO UNYIELDING PRESSURE FROM
HAWKS IN CONGRESS, AND WAR MONGERING MEDIA MOGUL WILLIAM
HEARST, AND SENT A BATTLESHIP TO
HAVANA HARBOR, THE "USS MAINE." >> CERTAINLY SENDING A
BATTLESHIP INTO SOMEONE ELSE'S
HARBOR AT A TIME WHEN THERE'S AN INCIPIENT CUBAN REVOLUTION GOING
ON AND HAD BEEN FOR QUITE SOME
TIME, IS A PROVOCATIVE MOVE. MCKINLEY HAD RATHER AMBITIOUS
WAR PLANS READY TO GO
>> 160 ACTIVE U.S. NAVAL SHIPS WERE ON ALERT ALL OVER THE
GLOBE. IN THE CARIBBEAN, THE
MEDITERRANEAN, AND IN THE PHILIPPINES. WHEN
THE "USS MAINE" EXPLODED UNDER
MYSTERIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES, KILLING 250 AMERICANS. >> IT WAS ATTRIBUTED TO SPANISH
PERFIDY. AND THE ADVOCATES OF WAR SAID,
"WE MUST AVENGE THE DEATHS OF
AMERICAN SAILORS ABOARD THE MAINE." >> THE MEDIA TURNED INTO A
DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD FOR MCKINLEY,
PUSHING PUBLIC OPINION TOWARDS WAR. >> JOURNALISM WAS A DIFFERENT
BEAST BACK THEN. THE JOURNALISTS OF THAT ERA
WERE AGGRESSIVE. >> A PRESS THAT MORE AND MORE
THINKS IT HAS A ROLE TO PLAY IN
POLITICS AND INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING IS REALLY TAKING OFF. >> THE HEADLINES: "REMEMBER THE
MAINE AND TO HELL WITH SPAIN"
BLARED FROM HEARST-OWNED NEWSPAPERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. MCKINLEY, STILL HAUNTED BY HIS
MEMORIES OF THE CIVIL WAR,
HESITATED TO MAKE THE FINAL DECLARATION. >> HE LARGELY LEFT THE DECISION
IN THE HANDS OF CONGRESS WHEN IT
WAS CLEAR THAT THEY WOULD GO TO WAR NO MATTER WHAT HE WANTED. >> ON APRIL 25, 1898, CONGRESS
DECLARED WAR ON SPAIN AND
MCKINLEY SIGNED IT. AS ONE PARTICULAR COLONEL,
THEODORE ROOSEVELT,
LEAD HIS SQUAD OF ROUGH RIDERS INTO BATTLE ON
CUBA'S SAN JUAN HILL, MCKINLEY
BROUGHT THE WHITE HOUSE INTO THE 20TH CENTURY. >> MCKINLEY CREATES THE
SITUATION ROOM. THE SITUATION
ROOM IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT HAS THIS NEW INSTRUMENT, THE
TELEGRAPH, WHICH ALLOWS HIM TO
GET REAL TIME UPDATES OF WHAT'S TAKING PLACE ON THE BATTLEFIELD. >> THE SPANISH AMERICAN WAR
LASTED 10 WEEKS, WITH FIGHTING
TAKING PLACE IN THE CARIBBEAN AND THE PACIFIC. THE U.S. WOULD EMERGE VICTORIOUS
AND TAKE ON A NEW ROLE--COLONIAL
POWER. >> THE UNITED STATES DID, AT THE
END OF THE WAR, ANNEX THE
PHILIPPINES AND PUERTO RICO. AND MCKINLEY WAS CRITICIZED BY
THOSE PEOPLE WHO CONTENDED THAT
THE UNITED STATES SHOULD NOT BECOME AN EMPIRE. BUT THE PHILIPPINES, HE SAID,
CANNOT GOVERN THEMSELVES. AND IF THE UNITES STATES HAD NOT
STAYED, THE GERMANS MIGHT HAVE
TAKEN THE PHILIPPINES. THE JAPANESE MIGHT HAVE TAKEN
THE PHILIPPINES. >> THE SPANISH AMERICAN WAR IS
IMPORTANT BECAUSE AMERICA
EMERGES FROM THE WAR AS A GLOBAL POWER. AND IN DOING SO, IT ENHANCES THE
POWER OF THE PRESIDENT AS
COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF. >> MCKINLEY ADDED TO AMERICA'S
GLOBAL EXPANSION WITH THE
ANNEXATION OF HAWAII IN 1898. AND HIS POPULARITY SOARED. IN 1900, WITH NEW RUNNING MATE. THEODORE ROOSEVELT
MCKINLEY WON AN EASY
REMATCH AGAINST WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN
BUT LESS THAN A YEAR INTO
HIS TERM, WHILE VISITING THE PAN-AMERICAN EXPO IN BUFFALO,
NEW YORK, HIS FONDNESS FOR
PRESSING THE FLESH PROVED FATAL. >> WILLIAM MCKINLEY IS IN A
RECEIVING LINE, SHAKING HANDS. A FELLOW COMES UP. HIS HAND IS WRAPPED. AND INSIDE THE WRAPPING IS A
HANDGUN. MCKINLEY'S SHOT, LINGERS, AND
THEN DIES,
MAKING THEODORE ROOSEVELT THE FIRST PRESIDENT TO COME INTO
OFFICE IN THE 20TH CENTURY. >> THE ASSASSIN, AN ANARCHIST
NAMED LEON CZOLGOSZ, BELIEVED
THAT BY TAKING OUT THE PRESIDENT HE WOULD MAKE A STRIKE
AGAINST THE POWER OF THE WEALTHY
OVER AMERICAN SOCIETY. INADVERTENTLY, HE ACCOMPLISHED
HIS MISSION AS HIS TWO BULLETS
BROUGHT A MAN TO THE WHITE HOUSE WHO WOULD FINALLY TAKE ON THE
POLITICAL DOMINANCE OF BIG
BUSINESS, AND FOREVER CHANGE THE MEANING OF PRESIDENTIAL POWER.
