19th Century American History

19th Century American History

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19th Century American History

1.    Discuss the evolution of federal Indian policy during the entire 19th century. Toward the end of the century, the American government decided to adopt a system that has been described as “Kill the Indian, Save the Man.” Explain what that means and be sure to provide examples of what the government did to carry out that policy.

 This was the formal U.S government policy to the education of Indian children for decades. It was a proposal of a great general in the U.S army, Capt. Richard H. Pratt, who argued that the only good Indian is a dead one and that great endorsement of his destruction has been an enormous factor in upholding Indian massacres. The Indian boarding schools were set up in a way such that the Indian children were separated from their families, the communities and traditional beliefs. Because the government thought the only way to make the Indian what they believed he should be actually to kill the Indian in him.

2.   What were the primary characteristics of the American government in the late 1870s and 1880’s? Be sure to include the development of party politics during the period as well as results of the elections of the period as well as the distribution of power between the three branches of govt. Also, what the third party emerged in the 1890’s? Who made up that party’s ranks? What was its platform? What were election results for the party?

In the 1870s and 1880s American elections, the Democratic policy varied only by degrees from the Republican. Over the years, both political parties exercised the corrupt administration of giving out civil service jobs to party runners, while on the other hand calling weakly for the change of the system. Also, while the Democrats advocated for tariffs for revenue only as the Republicans favored high taxes. The Republican seat won the 1870 elections with Ulysses S. Grant as the president. The 1874 and 1875 United States Senate elections had the Democratic Party acquire nine seats in the United States Senate from the Republican Party, the party of incumbent President Ulysses S. Grant who however remained in the majority with Rutherford B. Hayes's winning the elections (Mokyr et al. 2015). During the 19th century, conferring to the policy of separation of powers the American Constitution allotted the power of the centralized government among these three branches as well as building a scheme of checks and balances to make sure that no individual chapter could become too powerful.

In the early 1890s, The Populist Party emerged as an essential force in the Western United States and the Southern United States. However, the party distorted after it nominated Democrat William Jennings Bryan in the United States presidential election of 1896. The origin of the party was in the Farmers Alliance, an agricultural association that encouraged cooperative financial action by farmers.

3.    Historians have described Theodore Roosevelt as both a 19th Century man and a 20th Century figure. Describe how TR bridges the gap between the two centuries and be sure to include as much about his life and career as you can. When TR became president in 1901 the power of the presidency was at a low point. How did he change that and transform the position into a more powerful office. Finally, in your opinion, was TR more a figure of the 19th or 20th Century and why.

Theodore Roosevelt was born in 1858 to a wealthy family in New York City. He was born weak with poor eyesight and could spend much of his time reading. Unfortunately, Theodore was involved in a fight with the other two boys, but since he was weak, he could not fight them. This incident became a turning point in his life. He then opted for hard work and exercise so that he would overcome physical weakness. He ran long distances, lifted weights, and learned to be a boxer while he was at Harvard University. After college, Theodore Roosevelt married Alice Lee and came back to New York. He then got active in the Republican Party where he was nominated to the state legislature when he was just twenty-three years old. Roosevelt later became a renowned politician who condemned all forms of corruption in government.

In 1897, President William McKinley declared Theodore the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, after which the United States went to war against Spain a year later. Since he wanted to participate in the war actively, he later resigned from the Navy and joined the army. Some months after Roosevelt was sworn-in as the vice president, William McKinley was dead. Theodore Roosevelt became president due to the assassin's bullet. He then assured the party leaders that he would continue with McKinley's strategies. In his first statement to Congress, President Theodore Roosevelt propounded a few new proposals. He called for a Department of Commerce and Labor to handle technical hitches (Mokyr et al. 2015). He asked for a more solid Navy and limits on immigration. He then proposed for construction of a canal in Central America to connect the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Through Roosevelt’s excellent leadership skills he was able to lead America into the 20th Century.