US History - Section 1 Laissez - faire dominance and its consequences

How did the majority of people come across the federal government officials ?

Through officials who delivered mail

Whats an example of the federal government doing little to conduct foreign affairs and diplomacy ?

No federal legislation against child labour

What did President Hayes believe about Congress and give an example and what did e feel after ?

• Congress should be responsible for the solving the nations problems, not the president - he was concerned abut the treatment for African - Americas in the south and supported civil service reform

• Felt his role was done after having sharing concerns with Congress

What did President Arthur urge Congress to do in a near issue to this and what did the federal government do ?

• He urged Congress to reduce tariffs but did little to press the issue

• However, the federal government did act on this from time to time (often at the instigation of Congress)

In President Harrisons time in office (1889 - 1893) what legislations did he spend $1 Billion on (3) ?

• Raising tariffs to an all time high, particularly with the McKinley tariff of 1890 - this increased tariffs on imported manufactured goods by almost 50 % while making imports (like sugar and coffee) tax free. This protected the interests of US manufacturers and US agricultural interests abroad while making manufactured goods more expensive for US consumers

• Passing anti - trust measures

• Committing the government to buying, through the Silver Purchase Act of 1890 - 4.5 Million ounces of silver each month to produce more money in circulation

What did the legislations show ?

• The may have been in response to presser from specific groups but showed Laissez - Faire was not all embracing

What did Congress seem primarily to support and what happened to it ?

• Industrial and wealthy interests - E.g. it had a few ‘qualms’ about imposing high tariffs to protect industry but quickly abolished the graduated income tax introduced during the civil wars (briefly introduced in1894)

• It was abandoned the following year with barely a debate

Who was James Bryce and what did he argue about congress ?

• British political scientist

• Argued that Congress was oblivious in new developments in society which were changing in the USA (such as growth of urbanisation and its attendant social problems or agricultural concerns

How did Congess respond to the deep unpopularity oft trusts ?

One jury acquitted the kidnapper of the son of.a prominent member of the Beef Trust while influential writers such as Henry George were exposing plentiful examples of unfair practices and corruption

What did the Interstate Commerce Act (1887) state ?

• Said all railroad charges should be fair and set up Interstate Commerce Commission to supervise them

• Railroads were meant t publish their rates ; they had been overcharging smaller - scale firms and offering rebates to larger ones

• While the government wasn’t empowered to set rates, it did set an important break with Laissez - Faire in its supervisory role

What did the Sherman Antitrust Act (1890) state ?

• Any trust that restricted trade between states or the USA and foreign nations was declared illegal

• While this seemed impressive, it was vague

When was the Sherman Antitrust Act (1890) weakened and how ?

• 1895

• Weakened by a hostile Supreme Court ruling - Court judged that the American Sugar Company did not violate the law by taking over a number of competitors : eve though the company controlled 98 % of all sugar refining in the USA, the Court held that it did not disrupt trade in that industry