WEBVTT

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Welcome to the deep dive. We often celebrate

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the presidents whose stories are etched into

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our national memory, right? The big names. The

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iconic ones. But what about those quiet architects

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of change? The figures whose impact, maybe less

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heralded, laid crucial groundwork for the future.

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Yeah, the ones who don't always make the highlight

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real. Exactly. Today we're taking a deep dive

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into the life of Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd

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president of the United States. Ah, Harrison.

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You might mentally slot him into that Gilded

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Age president category, you know? Perhaps one

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of those often labeled average leaders of the

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late 19th century. Right, that's the common perception.

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sort of stuck between the giants. But what if

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we told you Harrison was far more than average?

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A pivotal bridge between two eras, really. A

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president who, in many ways, pointed directly

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to the modern American presidency we recognize

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today. That average label is, well, it's truly

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conventional wisdom, isn't it? Often chalked

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up to the supposed uneventful nature of his term.

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Right. Nothing major happened, supposedly. But,

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you know, when we actually strip away those assumptions

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and dig into the sources, a very different picture

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emerges. a really different picture. Okay, tell

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us more. We uncover an administration rimming

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with innovative legislation. I mean, groundbreaking

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antitrust laws, significant shifts in monetary

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policy, those high protective tariffs. Big economic

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stuff. Huge. And a surprisingly proactive, even

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you could say aggressive foreign policy. And

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we can't forget his passionate fight for civil

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rights, though ultimately unsuccessful. It's

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a fascinating contradiction that really demands

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a closer look, don't you think? Absolutely. So

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our mission today is to unpack this paradox for

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you. We want to go beyond the quick summaries,

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the textbook lines. Get out of the meaty -goody.

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Exactly. Reveal the specific moments and policies

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that underscore Harrison's true significance.

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We'll explore his surprising stances, his deep

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personal commitments, and the echoes of his decisions

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that still resonate in American governance today.

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Yeah, how those ripples are still felt. to challenge

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what you thought you knew about the 23rd president.

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Where do we even begin to peel back the layers

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on this fascinating figure? His roots, maybe?

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I think that's the perfect place to start. His

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background tells us a lot. Okay, so... To truly

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understand Benjamin Harrison, we have to start

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at his roots. And this wasn't just a Harrison,

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right? He was steeped in American political aristocracy.

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Absolutely. Comes from serious lineage. Born

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August 20, 1833, North Bend, Ohio. Grandson of

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the ninth U .S. president, William Henry Harrison.

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And the great grandson of Benjamin Harrison,

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the fifth of Virginia Planter, a founding father,

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signed the Declaration of Independence. Serious

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stuff. Definitely a name that carried weight.

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Expectations, too, I imagine. For sure. Now,

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while this lineage certainly carried a certain

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expectation of public service, maybe distinction,

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it didn't mean his parents were wealthy. Not

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at all. Right. His father, John Scott Harrison,

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was a congressman, but they were, well, farm

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owners, not landed gentry in the same way. And

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their family, entirely English ancestry, had

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been in America since the early colonial period.

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Deep roots. Very deep. Despite their modest resources,

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his father, John Scott Harrison, the two -term

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congressman, he made education a top priority,

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really focused on it, often spent a significant

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chunk of his farm income on the kids' schooling.

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That says something, doesn't it? investing in

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education like that back then. It does. Young

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Benjamin's early education began in a log cabic

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school near home, then private tutoring for college

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prep. A classic 19th century path. At just 14

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in 1847, Benjamin and his older brother Irwin

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enrolled in farmers college near Cincinnati,

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and that's where he met his future wife, Caroline

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Carey, Lavinia Scott. Ah, Carrie. Her father

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was a science professor there, a Presbyterian

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minister too. Right. Benjamin later transferred

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to Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Graduated

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in 1852. He joined Phi Delta Theta Fraternity,

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a network he'd definitely leverage later on.

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Those connections mattered. And he was profoundly

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influenced by his history and political economy

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professor, Robert Hamilton Bishop. You can see

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how these experiences laid the groundwork, right?

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For his intellect, his commitment to public discourse.

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Yeah, those formative years were clearly crucial.

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They shaped his moral compass, his sense of duty.

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Like his mother, he became a lifelong Presbyterian

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during college. A deep faith. A very deep faith.

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It influenced his personal integrity, his whole

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belief in public service, as a moral calling.

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It wasn't just politics for him. After graduating,

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he studied law. admitted to the Ohio Bar early

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1854. Later that year, he used an inheritance

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$800, which is a pretty decent sum then. Yeah,

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like almost $28 ,000 today. Right. He used that

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to move his family to Indianapolis, Indiana.

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And there he quickly established himself, not

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just as a prominent attorney, but also as a respected

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Presbyterian church leader. Building his reputation.

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Exactly. Became a founding member and first president

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of the University Club, the Phi Delta Theta Alumni

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Club there. This early dedication to both his

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profession and his community, it gives us a powerful

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insight into the kind of character he was building.

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Okay, so from the quiet focus of the courtroom,

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Harrison was soon called to something completely

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different. The chaos of the battlefield. The

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Civil War. A huge turning point for him and the

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nation. 1862, President Lincoln issues a call

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for more Union Army recruits. Harrison, now a

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successful lawyer, a father, he feels this strong

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personal pull to enlist. Even though we worried

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about his family financially. Absolutely. Governor

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Oliver Morton, facing recruitment shortages in

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Indiana, specifically asks Harrison to help.

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And Harrison doesn't just accept some political

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appointment, he actually recruits an entire regiment

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himself. That's the one. And initially, he declined

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command, said he lacked military experience.

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Humility, maybe. Or just practicality. Could

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be. But he was commissioned as a captain in July

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62, then colonel by August. This wasn't just

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a career move, you see. It felt like a deeply

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personal commitment in a time of just profound

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national crisis. He stepped up. He did. For much

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of its first two years, the 70th Indiana did

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crucial, if maybe less dramatic, work. Reconnaissance,

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guarding railroads in Kentucky, Tennessee. Important

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stuff. Holding the line. But then, May 1864,

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the stakes just dramatically escalate. Harrison

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and his regiment join General William T. Sherman's

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Atlanta campaign. Army of the Cumberland. Straight

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into the thick of it. Moving directly to the

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front lines, where the fighting was fierce, relentless.

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This is where it would really be tested. No more

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guarding railroads. No kidding. By January 1864,

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his leadership had already earned him a promotion.

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Command of the First Brigade, First Division,

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XX Corps. So he's moving up quickly. Based on

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merit, it sounds like. Yeah, it seems so. This

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put him squarely in the crucible of some of the

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war's most brutal, most strategically important

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fighting. He commanded the brigade at major engagements.

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Resica, New Hope Church, Lost Mountain, Kennesaw

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Mountain, Marietta, Peachtree Creek, Atlanta.

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A real tour of the Western Theater's toughest

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battles. He truly rose through the ranks, not

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just because of his family name, but it seems

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because of demonstrable bravery and tactical

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skill under extreme pressure. He had to prove

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himself on the ground. And he quickly earned

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a reputation, not merely as a strong leader,

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but as an officer who genuinely cared for his

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men. There's this memorable anecdote, right?

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from a really cold winter encampment near Nashville.

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Oh yeah, the coffee story. That's it. Harrison

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personally prepared coffee, brought it out to

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his freezing soldiers at night, reportedly always

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saying, come on boys, as he led them through

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the cold. This really humanizes him, doesn't

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it? It shows us he wasn't just a general giving

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orders from way back. He was someone who was

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in the trenches, literally with his troops, sharing

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their hardships, looking out for their welfare.

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This glimpse into his personal leadership style.

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It's a powerful aha. Yeah, it reflects a deep

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sense of responsibility for those under his command

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Suggested for Harrison leadership was always

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about duty and care not just about personal glory

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or ambition. Let's focus on one particularly

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Illustrative moment of that leadership the Battle

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of Rasaka May 15th 1864 Okay, Harrison's Brigade

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faced Confederate Captain Max Vanden Corpitt's

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artillery battery heavily fortified. This wasn't

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just some small position. It was an 80 -yard

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deep redoubt, protected by infantry and rifle

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pits, more in main trenches. A tough nut to crack.

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Coormittable defense. Harrison, personally leading

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the 70th Indiana, masses his troops in a ravine

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opposite. Then he leads a direct assault right

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over the artillery parapet, capturing the battery

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in intense hand -to -hand combat. Wow. Leading

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from the front. It was described as a furious

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struggle. His unit was exposed to intense gunfire.

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but they secured those cannons. What this tells

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us is that Harrison was a hands -on commander,

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willing to take direct action, significant tactical

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risks to achieve an objective. Yeah, that direct,

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meticulous approach to problem -solving, even

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under fire. You can almost see how that translates

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later, right? Building the Navy, tackling trusts.

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It's like a direct lineage, isn't it, battlefield

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to the Oval Office? It really seems so. Another

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pivotal moment, the Battle of Peachtree Creek.

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July 20, 1864. OK, another big win in the Atlanta

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campaign. Harrison's brigade, Illinois, Ohio,

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his own Indiana regiments deployed right in the

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center of the Union line, tasked with stopping

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a fierce assault from Confederate forces. High

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pressure situation. And here's a critical detail,

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something that really speaks to his ingenuity,

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his resourcefulness under pressure. Ammunition

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was running dangerously low. Oh, boy. nightmare

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scenario. So Harrison orders his officers, Captain

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Scott and others, to cut cartridge boxes from

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the Rebel dead within our lines to resupply as

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soldiers. Wow. Talk about thinking on your feet.

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Grim, but incredibly practical. Right. In the

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face of death, just finding a solution. That

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detail is absolutely remarkable. Demonstrates

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incredible resourcefulness under the most extreme

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pressure imaginable. And, you know, in his report

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on the battle, Harrison attributed his brigade's

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very slight losses, partly to the enemy firing

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too high. Huh. Interesting detail. It offers

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a fascinating insight into battlefield dynamics,

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but also his sharp observation skills. It shows

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a commander who is not only brave, but also highly

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adaptable, analytical, even in the chaos of battle.

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That kind of meticulous observation, that problem

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solving, it's a thread we'll definitely see woven

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throughout his later political career. And he

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clearly recognized the lasting significance of

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these places. He later supported creating an

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Atlanta National Military Park, honoring the

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history made on those battlefields where he fought.

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connecting the past to the future. After Atlantis

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falls September 2nd, 1864, General Sherman himself

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offered high praise, said Harrison served with

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foresight, discipline and a fighting spirit.

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High praise indeed from Sherman. He briefly campaigned

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for Lincoln's reelection, but soon returned to

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command. led his brigade at the decisive Battle

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of Nashville in December. Still in the fight.

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And for his achievements at Resica and Peachtree

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Creek, Lincoln nominated him for Brevet Brigadier

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General. Which is like an honorary rank, right,

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for distinguished service. Exactly. Recognizes

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bravery, but doesn't grant permanent higher command.

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The Senate confirmed it in February 1865. He

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finally mustered out with the 70th Indiana in

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June 65, participated in the Grand Review in

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Washington D .C. at the war's end, a real hero's

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sendoff. The significant military career, no

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doubt. But what's truly intriguing here, despite

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these memorable achievements, the praise. Harrison

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apparently held a dim view of war. Really? After

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all that? Yeah. Considered it a dirty business

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that no decent man would find pleasurable. That

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perspective is crucial. because it deeply informs

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his later foreign policy decisions. How so? Well,

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in 1888, the year he won the presidency, he declared,

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We Americans have no commission from God to police

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the world. Wow, that's a surprisingly cautious

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stance for a decorated civil war general. It

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is, isn't it? Especially one who showed such

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tactical skill and bravery. It points to a preference

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for diplomacy, for commercial reciprocity over

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just jumping into military intervention. It highlights

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a deeply thoughtful rather than, you know, hawkish

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approach to global affairs. Very interesting

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contradiction. OK, so the war ends. Harrison

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comes home. What next? Back to law. Immediately.

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He wasted no time reestablishing his civilian

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life, resuming his law practice in Indianapolis,

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quickly became known again as one of the state's

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leading lawyers. His reputation preceded him,

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it seems. And cemented it. In a testament to

00:13:04.820 --> 00:13:06.620
his standing, he was even elected reporter of

00:13:06.620 --> 00:13:08.820
the Indiana Supreme Court while still technically

00:13:08.820 --> 00:13:11.830
serving in the army. How does that work? Well,

00:13:11.929 --> 00:13:14.549
the position wasn't overtly political. It involved

00:13:14.549 --> 00:13:16.690
preparing and publishing court opinions, which

00:13:16.690 --> 00:13:19.289
he then sold to the legal profession, provided

00:13:19.289 --> 00:13:21.730
a steady income, solidified his place in the

00:13:21.730 --> 00:13:25.190
legal community. Smart move. Any big cases? A

00:13:25.190 --> 00:13:28.750
few high profile ones. His successful prosecution,

00:13:29.210 --> 00:13:31.870
though it was ultimately twice overturned on

00:13:31.870 --> 00:13:34.230
appeal of Nancy Clem for the Cold Spring murders

00:13:34.230 --> 00:13:38.230
of 1868. That got him significant public attention.

00:13:38.509 --> 00:13:41.190
A sensational case, I bet. Oh, yeah. He also

00:13:41.190 --> 00:13:43.070
represented the federal government in Milligan

00:13:43.070 --> 00:13:46.350
v. Hovey. That was the civil suit following the

00:13:46.350 --> 00:13:48.769
landmark Supreme Court case ex parte Milligan

00:13:48.769 --> 00:13:51.389
about wartime civil liberties, federal power.

00:13:52.169 --> 00:13:54.750
Complex stuff. So he's building his legal credentials.

00:13:55.029 --> 00:13:57.889
Absolutely. Showcased his legal acumen, his ability

00:13:57.889 --> 00:14:01.110
to navigate really complex issues. But politics

00:14:01.110 --> 00:14:03.419
was clearly calling to. He quickly transitioned

00:14:03.419 --> 00:14:05.480
fully into politics, right? Joined the Republican

00:14:05.480 --> 00:14:08.759
Party pretty early on, 1856. Shortly after it

00:14:08.759 --> 00:14:10.600
formed, he'd grown up in a Whig household, so

00:14:10.600 --> 00:14:12.759
it was a natural shift. Right. The Whigs were

00:14:12.759 --> 00:14:14.940
collapsing. He was elected Indianapolis city

00:14:14.940 --> 00:14:18.440
attorney back in 1857. His first taste of public

00:14:18.440 --> 00:14:20.419
office. Pissed in the waters. Made a run for

00:14:20.419 --> 00:14:23.240
governor of Indiana in 1872, unsuccessfully.

00:14:23.440 --> 00:14:25.860
Another run in 1876 where he actually replaced

00:14:25.860 --> 00:14:28.259
a scandal -plagued nominee. Still didn't win,

00:14:28.259 --> 00:14:30.639
but he was building his state profile, becoming

00:14:30.639 --> 00:14:34.269
a known quantity. laying the groundwork, persistence.

00:14:34.990 --> 00:14:38.230
And then the great railroad strike of 1877 hit

00:14:38.230 --> 00:14:41.860
Indianapolis. He took decisive action. gathered

00:14:41.860 --> 00:14:44.659
a citizen militia, mediated an agreement between

00:14:44.659 --> 00:14:47.120
workers and management, helped prevent wider

00:14:47.120 --> 00:14:49.980
unrest, showed some real pragmatic leadership

00:14:49.980 --> 00:14:52.559
skills there. The bridging divides, keeping order,

00:14:53.220 --> 00:14:55.779
important qualities. His path to the U .S. Senate

00:14:55.779 --> 00:14:58.580
wasn't exactly smooth sailing, though. After

00:14:58.580 --> 00:15:01.419
Senator Oliver Morton died in 77, Harrison was

00:15:01.419 --> 00:15:03.460
nominated for the seat, but he couldn't get a

00:15:03.460 --> 00:15:06.789
legislative majority. Remember, state legislatures

00:15:06.789 --> 00:15:09.250
elected senators back then. Ah, the old system.

00:15:09.490 --> 00:15:12.070
Political maneuvering. But he kept at it. Led

00:15:12.070 --> 00:15:14.830
Indiana's delegation at the 1880 Republican National

00:15:14.830 --> 00:15:17.190
Convention, gained national prominence giving

00:15:17.190 --> 00:15:19.970
speeches for Garfield, and finally, in 1881,

00:15:20.029 --> 00:15:22.549
he was elected to the U .S. Senate. Despite rivalry

00:15:22.549 --> 00:15:24.690
with his old nemesis, Judge Walter Q. Gresham.

00:15:24.970 --> 00:15:26.929
Exactly. And here's something interesting. He

00:15:26.929 --> 00:15:29.289
even declined a cabinet position from the newly

00:15:29.289 --> 00:15:31.230
elected President Garfield to stay in the Senate.

00:15:31.730 --> 00:15:33.549
Shows his commitment to the legislative branch,

00:15:33.570 --> 00:15:36.299
maybe? or perhaps seeing the Senate as a better

00:15:36.299 --> 00:15:39.259
platform for his own ambitions. During his six

00:15:39.259 --> 00:15:42.820
-year term, 1881 to 87, he chaired important

00:15:42.820 --> 00:15:45.740
committees, transportation routes, territories.

00:15:46.019 --> 00:15:48.500
Getting involved in national issues. Definitely.

00:15:48.980 --> 00:15:51.460
He tackled the persistent budget surplus of the

00:15:51.460 --> 00:15:54.500
era, something we can hardly imagine today by

00:15:54.500 --> 00:15:57.320
advocating for generous Civil War veterans' pensions.

00:15:57.519 --> 00:15:59.539
Which aligns with his personal history, too.

00:15:59.779 --> 00:16:02.559
And his party's stance on spending for internal

00:16:02.559 --> 00:16:05.220
improvements. It reveals a consistent thread

00:16:05.220 --> 00:16:08.059
in Harrison's thinking. A deep commitment to

00:16:08.059 --> 00:16:10.820
fulfilling what he saw as moral obligations of

00:16:10.820 --> 00:16:13.480
holding constitutional principles, even when

00:16:13.480 --> 00:16:15.559
it put him at odds with some within his own party.

00:16:15.860 --> 00:16:17.539
And here's where we really start to see those

00:16:17.539 --> 00:16:19.980
early cracks in the simple conservative label,

00:16:20.220 --> 00:16:23.200
right? Hints of the modernizer to come. He controversially

00:16:23.200 --> 00:16:26.059
opposed the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. Which

00:16:26.059 --> 00:16:28.600
his own party overwhelmingly supported. Because

00:16:28.600 --> 00:16:31.059
he believed it fundamentally violated existing

00:16:31.059 --> 00:16:33.279
treaties with China. That was a truly progressive

00:16:33.279 --> 00:16:35.419
stance for his time, wasn't it? A commitment

00:16:35.419 --> 00:16:38.240
to international law, human rights, over popular

00:16:38.240 --> 00:16:42.200
xenophobia. Remarkable, really. He also unsuccessfully

00:16:42.200 --> 00:16:44.720
championed federal aid for education, particularly

00:16:44.720 --> 00:16:46.980
for African -Americans in the South, believed

00:16:46.980 --> 00:16:49.340
it was crucial for their political and economic

00:16:49.340 --> 00:16:52.360
equality. These were bold, forward -thinking

00:16:52.360 --> 00:16:54.419
positions that didn't always win him friends.

00:16:55.039 --> 00:16:57.440
No, and unfortunately partly due to democratic

00:16:57.440 --> 00:17:00.019
gerrymandering, that lovely practice of drawing

00:17:00.019 --> 00:17:02.639
electoral districts to favor one party. Still

00:17:02.639 --> 00:17:05.460
relevant today, sadly. Harrison was narrowly

00:17:05.460 --> 00:17:08.420
defeated for reelection in 1887, a temporary

00:17:08.420 --> 00:17:10.940
setback in his political career. He went back

00:17:10.940 --> 00:17:13.140
to his law practice, but he stayed highly active

00:17:13.140 --> 00:17:16.180
in state and national politics, clearly not ready

00:17:16.180 --> 00:17:19.119
to step away from public service entirely. This

00:17:19.119 --> 00:17:21.519
setback, you could argue, only fueled his ambition

00:17:21.519 --> 00:17:23.839
for higher office. Setting the stage for 1888.

00:17:24.029 --> 00:17:26.769
OK, so the stage was set for the 1888 Republican

00:17:26.769 --> 00:17:29.190
nomination, and the initial favorite, the big

00:17:29.190 --> 00:17:32.049
name, was James G. Blaine. Right, the Plumed

00:17:32.049 --> 00:17:34.369
Knight. He'd narrowly lost to Grover Cleveland

00:17:34.369 --> 00:17:38.009
in 84. Huge figure in the party. But Blaine repeatedly

00:17:38.009 --> 00:17:40.789
and pretty emphatically withdrew his name from

00:17:40.789 --> 00:17:43.970
contention. He even, get this, left the country

00:17:43.970 --> 00:17:46.470
to avoid being drafted, went to Scotland. Did

00:17:46.470 --> 00:17:49.230
want a repeat of 84, perhaps? Or maybe playing

00:17:49.230 --> 00:17:52.690
hard to get? Could be. But his withdrawal fractured

00:17:52.690 --> 00:17:55.309
his supporters. They scattered among other candidates,

00:17:55.690 --> 00:17:58.150
like Senator John Sherman of Ohio and Harrison's

00:17:58.150 --> 00:18:01.130
old rival, Walter Q. Gresham. Creating an opening.

00:18:01.410 --> 00:18:04.250
Chaos is a ladder, as they say. Exactly. And

00:18:04.250 --> 00:18:06.829
Harrison, in true strategic fashion, marshaled

00:18:06.829 --> 00:18:09.630
his troops. He worked to prevent Gresham from

00:18:09.630 --> 00:18:12.910
controlling the Indiana delegation while simultaneously

00:18:12.910 --> 00:18:15.920
presenting himself as, you know... An attractive

00:18:15.920 --> 00:18:18.740
alternative. A safe pair of hands, perhaps. He

00:18:18.740 --> 00:18:21.259
navigated that fractured party landscape very

00:18:21.259 --> 00:18:24.480
carefully. It was a chaotic convention. Seventeen

00:18:24.480 --> 00:18:26.839
candidates vying for the nomination. Harrison

00:18:26.839 --> 00:18:29.460
placed fifth on the first ballot. Not exactly

00:18:29.460 --> 00:18:31.599
a front -runner initially. No, but what's fascinating

00:18:31.599 --> 00:18:34.160
is how he gradually gained support. He became

00:18:34.160 --> 00:18:37.220
essentially everyone's second choice. Ah, the

00:18:37.220 --> 00:18:39.970
compromise candidate. That demonstrates a unique

00:18:39.970 --> 00:18:42.509
ability to unite disparate factions, doesn't

00:18:42.509 --> 00:18:45.549
it? Shows his capacity for compromise, his broad

00:18:45.549 --> 00:18:48.470
appeal, even if it wasn't fiery enthusiasm. And

00:18:48.470 --> 00:18:51.650
it turns out Blaine had privately endorsed Harrison

00:18:51.650 --> 00:18:55.150
way back in March, wrote that the one man remaining

00:18:55.150 --> 00:18:57.970
who, in my judgment, can make the best one...

00:18:57.950 --> 00:19:00.650
is Benjamin Harrison. Interesting. Behind the

00:19:00.650 --> 00:19:02.569
scenes maneuvering. Blaine's eventual public

00:19:02.569 --> 00:19:04.430
support after he came back from Scotland where

00:19:04.430 --> 00:19:06.369
he'd been staying with Andrew Carnegie, by the

00:19:06.369 --> 00:19:07.809
way, that helped seal the deal for Harrison,

00:19:08.869 --> 00:19:10.809
cleared his path. So Blaine ultimately passed

00:19:10.809 --> 00:19:13.089
the torch. I just like it. And Harrison had the

00:19:13.089 --> 00:19:16.109
perfect slogan ready. Lacking a strong, established

00:19:16.109 --> 00:19:19.250
power base, he declared his candidacy, dubbing

00:19:19.250 --> 00:19:22.009
himself a living and rejuvenated Republican.

00:19:22.450 --> 00:19:25.470
Rejuvenated Republicanism. Catchy. That phrase

00:19:25.470 --> 00:19:28.410
became his campaign slogan. Reflected a fresh,

00:19:28.650 --> 00:19:31.630
dynamic take on traditional party ideals. Signaled

00:19:31.630 --> 00:19:34.589
a new chapter, maybe. Vigor. Forward momentum.

00:19:34.869 --> 00:19:37.650
And the Republican platform for 88 was remarkably

00:19:37.650 --> 00:19:41.309
clear. Very forward looking. Laid out a specific,

00:19:41.509 --> 00:19:44.410
ambitious agenda. Or the key points. Well, they

00:19:44.410 --> 00:19:47.069
extolled Lincoln, naturally, condemned the suppression

00:19:47.069 --> 00:19:49.269
of the ballot by a criminal nullification of

00:19:49.269 --> 00:19:52.029
the Constitution, a direct shot at Southern voting

00:19:52.029 --> 00:19:54.210
rights issues. A major theme for Harrison later.

00:19:54.609 --> 00:19:58.049
Absolutely. And most importantly, they advocated

00:19:58.049 --> 00:20:00.829
fiercely for the American system of protection

00:20:00.829 --> 00:20:04.509
through high tariffs, explicitly protesting Cleveland's

00:20:04.509 --> 00:20:06.910
proposals for lowering them. That was the central

00:20:06.910 --> 00:20:09.630
economic fight. What tariff battle. And they

00:20:09.630 --> 00:20:12.519
pushed for admitting new Western states. anticipated

00:20:12.519 --> 00:20:16.440
a significant expansion of the union, the platform

00:20:16.440 --> 00:20:18.900
actually foreshadowed the admission of six new

00:20:18.900 --> 00:20:21.420
states, all of which joined during Harrison's

00:20:21.420 --> 00:20:24.299
term. These highlights show a party and a candidate

00:20:24.299 --> 00:20:27.619
with a very specific, ambitious agenda that Harrison

00:20:27.619 --> 00:20:29.980
would then pursue with that characteristic determination.

00:20:30.200 --> 00:20:32.720
All that strategic maneuvering paid off. Harrison

00:20:32.720 --> 00:20:34.779
secured the nomination on the eighth ballot,

00:20:35.119 --> 00:20:37.500
544 votes. Took some work, but he got there.

00:20:37.680 --> 00:20:40.220
For his running mate, the party chose Levi P.

00:20:40.339 --> 00:20:42.940
Morton of New York, a banker, former U .S. minister

00:20:42.940 --> 00:20:45.799
to France, formed what many considered a formidable

00:20:45.799 --> 00:20:48.200
ticket against the Democratic incumbents, Grover

00:20:48.200 --> 00:20:51.119
Cleveland and Senator Alan G. Thurman. The rematch

00:20:51.119 --> 00:20:53.640
was officially set. High stakes. Cleveland versus

00:20:53.640 --> 00:20:56.079
Harrison, round two, sort of. In the campaign

00:20:56.079 --> 00:20:58.319
against Cleveland, Harrison did something interesting.

00:20:58.559 --> 00:21:01.579
He took a page from presidential history, revived

00:21:01.579 --> 00:21:04.559
the traditional front porch campaign. Ah, staying

00:21:04.559 --> 00:21:07.900
home in Indianapolis. Mostly, yeah. A style largely

00:21:07.900 --> 00:21:11.000
abandoned by his immediate predecessors. He received

00:21:11.000 --> 00:21:13.799
visiting delegations at his home, made over 90

00:21:13.799 --> 00:21:15.519
pronouncements right there from his hometown,

00:21:16.140 --> 00:21:18.039
effectively bringing the campaign to the people

00:21:18.039 --> 00:21:20.079
rather than barnstorming the country himself.

00:21:20.579 --> 00:21:23.359
Controlled environment, controlled message. Smart,

00:21:23.500 --> 00:21:26.539
maybe. Could be. Allowed him to control his message.

00:21:26.730 --> 00:21:29.329
engaged directly with voters who came to him,

00:21:29.750 --> 00:21:32.190
carefully cultivate his image. And the Republicans

00:21:32.190 --> 00:21:34.930
campaigned heavily and pretty successfully on

00:21:34.930 --> 00:21:37.910
that protective tariff issue, mobilized protectionist

00:21:37.910 --> 00:21:40.210
voters in crucial industrial states up north.

00:21:40.309 --> 00:21:43.369
Where the votes were. Exactly. The election focused

00:21:43.369 --> 00:21:46.329
intensely on swing states, New York, New Jersey,

00:21:46.730 --> 00:21:48.369
Connecticut and Harrison's home state of Indiana.

00:21:48.589 --> 00:21:53.509
Voter turnout was astonishing 79 .3%. Wow, people

00:21:53.509 --> 00:21:57.930
were engaged. Nearly 11 million votes cast. Reflects

00:21:57.930 --> 00:22:00.250
intense public interest in the campaign. The

00:22:00.250 --> 00:22:02.470
significant policy differences. It was truly

00:22:02.470 --> 00:22:05.210
a high stakes election driven largely by those

00:22:05.210 --> 00:22:07.750
economic concerns. And here's where we see the

00:22:07.750 --> 00:22:10.250
unique, sometimes controversial nature of the

00:22:10.250 --> 00:22:12.369
American electoral system really come into play

00:22:12.369 --> 00:22:16.230
again. Harrison won the Electoral College. 233

00:22:16.230 --> 00:22:19.390
votes to Cleveland's 168. What? Despite receiving

00:22:19.390 --> 00:22:22.789
90 ,000 fewer popular votes than Cleveland. Ah,

00:22:23.029 --> 00:22:27.289
another Electoral College inversion. 1876 and

00:22:27.289 --> 00:22:30.630
much later, 2000, 2016, highlights how the system

00:22:30.630 --> 00:22:33.609
can diverge from the popular vote. Always controversial.

00:22:34.049 --> 00:22:35.609
Definitely. And this election wasn't without

00:22:35.609 --> 00:22:38.049
its own controversies. Allegations of irregular

00:22:38.049 --> 00:22:41.029
ballot practices emerged, notably the blocks

00:22:41.029 --> 00:22:42.970
of five incident. Oh, yeah. Tell us about that.

00:22:43.250 --> 00:22:45.849
An Indiana newspaper published a letter supposedly

00:22:45.849 --> 00:22:47.809
from Harrison's friend and supporter, William

00:22:47.809 --> 00:22:50.490
Wade Dudley. It seemed to offer bribes to voters

00:22:50.490 --> 00:22:52.910
in groups of five to ensure Harrison's election

00:22:52.910 --> 00:22:56.259
in Indiana. Yikes. blatant vote -buying allegations.

00:22:56.500 --> 00:22:58.740
How did Harrison handle it? He neither defended

00:22:58.740 --> 00:23:01.819
nor repudiated Dudley. Just stayed silent on

00:23:01.819 --> 00:23:04.200
it publicly. Though it's telling, perhaps, that

00:23:04.200 --> 00:23:06.559
he reportedly never spoke to Dudley again after

00:23:06.559 --> 00:23:09.319
the election. Showcased his careful navigation

00:23:09.319 --> 00:23:11.720
of potential political scandal without directly

00:23:11.720 --> 00:23:13.859
addressing it. Swipped it under the rug, maybe?

00:23:14.680 --> 00:23:17.779
A pragmatic politician's move? Could be. Anyway,

00:23:18.160 --> 00:23:20.619
Harrison earned the nickname Centennial President

00:23:20.619 --> 00:23:23.579
because his inauguration celebrated the 100th

00:23:23.579 --> 00:23:26.079
anniversary of George Washington's first inauguration.

00:23:26.559 --> 00:23:29.039
A rather fitting title, would you say? For a

00:23:29.039 --> 00:23:31.759
man poised to lead America into a new century,

00:23:32.259 --> 00:23:34.420
bridging the past and future. It was certainly

00:23:34.420 --> 00:23:37.720
grand timing. But his victory, like any hard

00:23:37.720 --> 00:23:40.339
fought election, came with political posts and

00:23:40.339 --> 00:23:42.400
frankly, some deep resentments within his own

00:23:42.400 --> 00:23:44.980
party. Ah, the patronage battles began. Boss

00:23:44.980 --> 00:23:47.980
Matthew Quay of Pennsylvania, a powerful Republican

00:23:47.980 --> 00:23:50.579
operative, was famously rebuffed for a cabinet

00:23:50.579 --> 00:23:52.779
position despite his support during the convention.

00:23:53.019 --> 00:23:56.180
Ouch. Expected a reward. And he quipped rather

00:23:56.180 --> 00:23:58.660
bitterly that Harrison would never know how close

00:23:58.660 --> 00:24:00.799
a number of men were compelled to approach the

00:24:00.799 --> 00:24:03.740
penitentiary to make him president. Wow. That

00:24:03.740 --> 00:24:06.440
highlights. The pervasive patronage system, doesn't

00:24:06.440 --> 00:24:09.960
it? The quid pro quo expectations. A system Harrison

00:24:09.960 --> 00:24:12.539
often battled, but couldn't entirely escape.

00:24:13.380 --> 00:24:15.660
You have to wonder how much that internal party

00:24:15.660 --> 00:24:18.420
friction undermined his potential impact later

00:24:18.420 --> 00:24:23.140
on. Good question. So March 4th, 1889, Benjamin

00:24:23.140 --> 00:24:25.980
Harrison is sworn in by Chief Justice Melville

00:24:25.980 --> 00:24:29.299
Fuller. His inaugural speech was notably brief.

00:24:29.640 --> 00:24:32.220
Less than half a length of his grandfather's

00:24:32.220 --> 00:24:34.220
which still holds the record for the longest

00:24:34.220 --> 00:24:36.079
ever. Getting straight to the point perhaps?

00:24:36.140 --> 00:24:38.400
In his speech he credited the nation's growth

00:24:38.400 --> 00:24:41.660
to education and religion, urged continued industrial

00:24:41.660 --> 00:24:44.079
development, promised to maintain that protective

00:24:44.079 --> 00:24:46.839
tariff, and he made a pointed remark about corporations

00:24:46.839 --> 00:24:49.019
that really still resonates today. What did he

00:24:49.019 --> 00:24:51.680
say? If our great corporations would more scrupulously

00:24:51.680 --> 00:24:54.420
observe their legal obligations and duties, they

00:24:54.420 --> 00:24:56.460
would have less call to complain of the limitations

00:24:56.460 --> 00:24:58.700
of their rights or of interference with their

00:24:58.700 --> 00:25:00.740
operations. Hmm, an early warning shot about

00:25:00.740 --> 00:25:03.259
corporate responsibility. Foreshadowing the Sherman

00:25:03.259 --> 00:25:05.339
Act, maybe? Definitely seems like it, a theme

00:25:05.339 --> 00:25:08.059
that would define his economic policies. Indeed.

00:25:08.700 --> 00:25:11.259
And his inaugural address laid out a clear vision,

00:25:11.619 --> 00:25:14.960
both domestic and foreign, advocated for early

00:25:14.960 --> 00:25:17.700
statehood for the territories, reaffirmed his

00:25:17.700 --> 00:25:20.059
commitment to generous pensions for Civil War

00:25:20.059 --> 00:25:22.940
veterans, got enthusiastic applause for that.

00:25:23.079 --> 00:25:25.759
Connecting with that base. In foreign affairs,

00:25:26.240 --> 00:25:28.460
he staunchly reaffirmed the Monroe Doctrine.

00:25:28.589 --> 00:25:32.069
called for rapid modernization of the Navy, promoted

00:25:32.069 --> 00:25:34.049
international peace through non -interference.

00:25:34.609 --> 00:25:37.089
These themes directly foreshadowed many of his

00:25:37.089 --> 00:25:39.769
administration's key initiatives, showed a president

00:25:39.769 --> 00:25:41.509
hitting the ground running with a well -defined

00:25:41.509 --> 00:25:43.950
agenda, despite all the political maneuvering

00:25:43.950 --> 00:25:46.109
that got him there. And as for White House life

00:25:46.109 --> 00:25:49.240
itself, Harrison made a rather prophetic observation,

00:25:49.240 --> 00:25:51.559
didn't he, about the lack of separation between

00:25:51.559 --> 00:25:53.759
the president's office and private apartments?

00:25:54.000 --> 00:25:56.460
Yeah, he noted there was only a door one that

00:25:56.460 --> 00:25:58.619
is never locked between the president's office

00:25:58.619 --> 00:26:01.160
and what are not very accurately called his private

00:26:01.160 --> 00:26:03.299
apartments. He even suggested there should be

00:26:03.299 --> 00:26:05.660
a separate executive office building, a vision

00:26:05.660 --> 00:26:08.079
that eventually came true, just not under him.

00:26:08.240 --> 00:26:10.400
Ahead of his time on office design, too. And

00:26:10.400 --> 00:26:12.339
here's a fun fact for you. Speaking of modernization,

00:26:12.920 --> 00:26:15.319
Harrison had electricity installed in the White

00:26:15.319 --> 00:26:18.460
House for the first time. Edison General Electric

00:26:18.460 --> 00:26:21.380
Company did the work. Wow. Bringing the White

00:26:21.380 --> 00:26:24.140
House into the electric age. But, and this is

00:26:24.140 --> 00:26:26.839
great, he and his wife were reportedly so afraid

00:26:26.839 --> 00:26:28.980
of getting electrocuted that they refused to

00:26:28.980 --> 00:26:30.920
touch the light switches, often went to sleep

00:26:30.920 --> 00:26:33.339
with the lights on. No way. That's hilarious.

00:26:33.480 --> 00:26:35.710
It's almost charming, isn't it? Imagine that.

00:26:35.950 --> 00:26:38.509
The leader of a nation on the cusp of the 20th

00:26:38.509 --> 00:26:41.130
century still hesitant about flicking a light

00:26:41.130 --> 00:26:44.230
switch. It certainly symbolizes a nation grappling

00:26:44.230 --> 00:26:46.710
with truly transformative technologies, doesn't

00:26:46.710 --> 00:26:49.410
it? Where even the most powerful people are still

00:26:49.410 --> 00:26:52.269
figuring it all out. Shows a certain groundedness,

00:26:52.410 --> 00:26:54.849
perhaps, or a cautious nature that permeated

00:26:54.849 --> 00:26:57.450
even their embrace of progress. And it highlights

00:26:57.450 --> 00:26:59.970
how incredibly quickly technology was advancing

00:26:59.970 --> 00:27:02.970
and how everyone, even presidents, were adapting

00:27:02.970 --> 00:27:05.779
to a rapidly changing world. Okay, so beyond

00:27:05.779 --> 00:27:08.259
the quirks of White House modernization, Harrison

00:27:08.259 --> 00:27:11.259
faced the huge task of forming his cabinet, and

00:27:11.259 --> 00:27:13.579
he notably acted quite independently in picking

00:27:13.579 --> 00:27:16.039
his team. Which really rubbed the party bosses

00:27:16.039 --> 00:27:18.559
the wrong way, right? They expected the usual

00:27:18.559 --> 00:27:21.009
patronage appointments. Payback time. Exactly.

00:27:21.390 --> 00:27:24.049
He even strategically delayed James G. Blaine's

00:27:24.049 --> 00:27:26.769
presumed nomination as Secretary of State, didn't

00:27:26.769 --> 00:27:29.230
want Blaine dominating the administration's formation

00:27:29.230 --> 00:27:31.970
from the get -go. A lesson learned from Garfield's

00:27:31.970 --> 00:27:34.250
presidency, maybe? Smart move, asserting his

00:27:34.250 --> 00:27:36.410
authority. Yeah. But yeah, it definitely came

00:27:36.410 --> 00:27:39.430
at a cost. Oh, so? Well, this independence streak,

00:27:39.750 --> 00:27:42.950
while showing Harrison's resolve, also prematurely

00:27:42.950 --> 00:27:45.069
compromised his political power within his own

00:27:45.069 --> 00:27:48.349
party. He alienated pivotal Republican operatives,

00:27:48.569 --> 00:27:52.170
New York, Pennsylvania, Iowa guys, who felt their

00:27:52.170 --> 00:27:54.710
loyalty wasn't being rewarded. Made enemies early.

00:27:54.970 --> 00:27:57.730
Pretty much. Senator Shelby Cullum's comment

00:27:57.730 --> 00:28:00.410
sums it up perfectly. Whenever he did anything

00:28:00.410 --> 00:28:02.710
for me, it was done so ungraciously that the

00:28:02.710 --> 00:28:05.069
concession tended to anger rather than please.

00:28:05.369 --> 00:28:07.789
Ouch. Not exactly winning friends and influencing

00:28:07.789 --> 00:28:09.750
people. It tells us a lot about the political

00:28:09.750 --> 00:28:12.650
climate, the expectations of party loyalty then,

00:28:13.210 --> 00:28:15.809
and Harrison struggled to balance his, maybe,

00:28:16.190 --> 00:28:18.470
reformist ideals with the entrenched realities

00:28:18.470 --> 00:28:21.319
of political patronage. A tough spot. And civil

00:28:21.319 --> 00:28:23.819
service reform was a big issue, wasn't it? Harrison

00:28:23.819 --> 00:28:26.119
had campaigned as supporter of the merit system,

00:28:26.519 --> 00:28:28.839
moving away from the old spoils system. Yeah,

00:28:29.019 --> 00:28:31.039
getting rid of to the victor belong the spoils.

00:28:31.240 --> 00:28:33.839
But facing a deeply divided Congress and party,

00:28:33.940 --> 00:28:36.259
he actually did very little to significantly

00:28:36.259 --> 00:28:38.880
further civil service reform during his term,

00:28:39.380 --> 00:28:41.500
often delayed decisions on political appointments.

00:28:42.279 --> 00:28:44.859
The issue became, as one famous cartoon depicted

00:28:44.859 --> 00:28:47.569
it, a political football. kicked around by both

00:28:47.569 --> 00:28:50.190
sides. The caption was something like, what can

00:28:50.190 --> 00:28:52.829
I do when both parties insist on kicking? That

00:28:52.829 --> 00:28:55.069
really highlights the immense pressure presidents

00:28:55.069 --> 00:28:58.230
face, right? Balancing reform ideals with political

00:28:58.230 --> 00:29:01.970
realities, the insatiable demands of party loyalty.

00:29:02.269 --> 00:29:04.569
A constant tightrope walk. And the controversies

00:29:04.569 --> 00:29:06.670
didn't stop there while he did appoint reformers

00:29:06.670 --> 00:29:09.230
like Theodore Roosevelt to the Civil Service

00:29:09.230 --> 00:29:12.240
Commission. PR. Getting to start. Other appointments

00:29:12.240 --> 00:29:15.279
raised eyebrows. Postmaster General John Wanamaker,

00:29:15.319 --> 00:29:17.980
for instance. He and several friends purchased

00:29:17.980 --> 00:29:20.920
a large new cottage at Cape May Point for Harrison's

00:29:20.920 --> 00:29:23.779
wife, Caroline. Hmm. It looks a bit fishy, doesn't

00:29:23.779 --> 00:29:26.839
it? Like a bribe for a cabinet post. Then he

00:29:26.839 --> 00:29:29.980
thought so. Appeared improper, Harrison eventually

00:29:29.980 --> 00:29:32.950
paid $10 ,000 for it himself. Maybe a little

00:29:32.950 --> 00:29:35.490
late to avoid suspicion. Damage control. Then

00:29:35.490 --> 00:29:38.849
there was James S. Clarkson, an assistant postmaster

00:29:38.849 --> 00:29:42.210
famous for decapitating a fourth -class postmaster

00:29:42.210 --> 00:29:45.849
every three minutes. A real spoils system guy.

00:29:45.970 --> 00:29:48.349
Not exactly a reformer. Clarkson expected a full

00:29:48.349 --> 00:29:51.130
cabinet position, didn't get it, and basically

00:29:51.130 --> 00:29:53.589
sabotaged his own appointment. Openly stated,

00:29:53.670 --> 00:29:56.170
he was simply on detail from the Republican committee

00:29:56.170 --> 00:29:58.829
and most anxious to get through this task and

00:29:58.829 --> 00:30:01.650
leave. He eventually resigned. Just underscores

00:30:01.650 --> 00:30:04.410
the constant patronage battles within the administration.

00:30:04.890 --> 00:30:06.910
Constant infighting. Must have been exhausting.

00:30:07.230 --> 00:30:08.809
Okay. Beyond the political maneuvering, let's

00:30:08.809 --> 00:30:11.470
talk economics. This was huge in Harrison's presidency.

00:30:11.910 --> 00:30:14.430
Tariffs. For decades, America had been locked

00:30:14.430 --> 00:30:16.430
in this fierce debate over tariffs. Oh yeah.

00:30:16.630 --> 00:30:19.009
The dominant political issue since before the

00:30:19.009 --> 00:30:22.190
Civil War, really, became the absolute defining

00:30:22.190 --> 00:30:25.450
issue of the 1888 election. And Republicans,

00:30:25.650 --> 00:30:28.349
under Harrison, were firmly in the high protective

00:30:28.349 --> 00:30:31.190
tariff camp. They enacted significant legislation.

00:30:31.869 --> 00:30:34.289
Under Representative William McKinley, yes, that

00:30:34.289 --> 00:30:37.130
McKinley and Senator Nelson W. Aldrich, they

00:30:37.130 --> 00:30:39.809
framed the McKinley tariff. Which the highest

00:30:39.809 --> 00:30:42.210
average rate in American history up to that point.

00:30:42.829 --> 00:30:45.609
Some rates were intentionally prohibitive, designed

00:30:45.609 --> 00:30:48.349
to keep foreign goods out entirely. A massive

00:30:48.349 --> 00:30:50.950
shift, doubling down on the idea that the federal

00:30:50.950 --> 00:30:53.890
government could and should actively engineer

00:30:53.890 --> 00:30:56.630
national prosperity, basically putting up a keep

00:30:56.630 --> 00:30:59.009
out sign for many foreign goods to help American

00:30:59.009 --> 00:31:01.769
industries. Exactly. Fundamentally protect American

00:31:01.769 --> 00:31:04.890
industries by limiting competition. But it also

00:31:04.890 --> 00:31:07.509
played a huge role in creating that large federal

00:31:07.509 --> 00:31:10.390
budget surplus and contributed to the image of

00:31:10.390 --> 00:31:12.690
the billion dollar Congress. The first time federal

00:31:12.690 --> 00:31:15.089
spending hit that level in peacetime. That's

00:31:15.089 --> 00:31:17.190
right. So this wasn't just about taxing imports.

00:31:17.329 --> 00:31:19.630
It fundamentally changed how people saw a government's

00:31:19.630 --> 00:31:23.170
power moving from a passive referee to an aggressive

00:31:23.170 --> 00:31:26.970
economic shaper, a real precursor to the interventionist

00:31:26.970 --> 00:31:29.190
policies we recognize today. Did they try to

00:31:29.190 --> 00:31:31.670
soften it at all? Well, Harrison, Secretary of

00:31:31.670 --> 00:31:34.430
State Blaine's urging, tried to add reciprocity

00:31:34.430 --> 00:31:36.970
provisions. The idea was the president could

00:31:36.970 --> 00:31:39.150
reduce rates if other countries did the same

00:31:39.150 --> 00:31:41.269
for American exports. A bit of carrot and stick?

00:31:41.849 --> 00:31:45.759
Sort of. And they removed tariffs on raw sugar,

00:31:46.180 --> 00:31:48.920
but gave U .S. sugar growers a two cent per pound

00:31:48.920 --> 00:31:52.599
subsidy to compensate. Showcased a nuanced attempt

00:31:52.599 --> 00:31:55.559
to balance various economic interests, even within

00:31:55.559 --> 00:31:57.859
that protectionist framework. But it wasn't just

00:31:57.859 --> 00:32:00.279
tariffs dominating the economic landscape. His

00:32:00.279 --> 00:32:02.779
era was also seeing the unprecedented rise of

00:32:02.779 --> 00:32:05.799
these powerful industrial trusts, monopolies.

00:32:05.940 --> 00:32:08.960
The Rockefellers, the Carnegie's. the Gilded

00:32:08.960 --> 00:32:11.039
Age Titans. And this is where Harrison really

00:32:11.039 --> 00:32:13.539
steps into the modern presidency, arguably, with

00:32:13.539 --> 00:32:15.720
an act that would define federal regulation for

00:32:15.720 --> 00:32:18.680
a century, the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890.

00:32:18.819 --> 00:32:20.900
Truly groundbreaking. Members of both parties

00:32:20.900 --> 00:32:23.059
were deeply concerned about the growing power

00:32:23.059 --> 00:32:25.559
of these trusts. They were dominating industries,

00:32:26.039 --> 00:32:28.579
stifling competition. This was one of the 51st

00:32:28.579 --> 00:32:31.299
Congress's first big acts. Sponsored by Senator

00:32:31.299 --> 00:32:34.160
John Sherman, passed with wide margins in both

00:32:34.160 --> 00:32:36.960
houses, and Harrison swiftly signed it into law.

00:32:37.079 --> 00:32:39.740
This was revolutionary, seriously, the first

00:32:39.740 --> 00:32:43.099
federal act of its kind, marked a new, albeit

00:32:43.099 --> 00:32:45.519
initially cautious, use of federal government

00:32:45.519 --> 00:32:47.859
power to regulate big business, prevent anti

00:32:47.859 --> 00:32:49.759
-competitive practices. Did Harrison believe

00:32:49.759 --> 00:32:52.400
in it? Oh, yeah. He approved wholeheartedly of

00:32:52.400 --> 00:32:55.059
its intent. And his administration did successfully

00:32:55.059 --> 00:32:57.940
conclude a case against a Tennessee coal company,

00:32:58.559 --> 00:33:01.380
United States Vigilico Mountain Coal, initiated

00:33:01.380 --> 00:33:03.799
several others against trusts during his term.

00:33:03.920 --> 00:33:06.880
So actual enforcement, not just symbolic. Some,

00:33:07.019 --> 00:33:10.319
yes. This act, though later modified, remains

00:33:10.319 --> 00:33:12.920
a cornerstone of American economic law today,

00:33:13.480 --> 00:33:15.819
represents a critical step toward federal regulation.

00:33:16.259 --> 00:33:18.200
It shows Harrison's willingness to use federal

00:33:18.200 --> 00:33:20.900
power to address societal problems that individual

00:33:20.900 --> 00:33:23.259
states just couldn't handle. Very modern approach,

00:33:23.259 --> 00:33:25.960
really. OK, tariffs, trusts. What about the money

00:33:25.960 --> 00:33:27.740
itself? The currency question was huge then,

00:33:27.880 --> 00:33:30.000
too, right? Oh, one of those volatile economic

00:33:30.000 --> 00:33:32.759
debates of the 1880s, cut sharply across party

00:33:32.759 --> 00:33:35.400
lines. Should the nation's money be backed by

00:33:35.400 --> 00:33:37.720
both gold and silver by metalism, or just gold,

00:33:37.720 --> 00:33:39.839
the gold standard? Why was it so contentious?

00:33:40.180 --> 00:33:43.140
Well, it wasn't just abstract economics. Because

00:33:43.140 --> 00:33:45.299
silver was actually worth less than its legal

00:33:45.299 --> 00:33:48.140
equivalent in gold, backing currency with both

00:33:48.140 --> 00:33:50.680
led to a depletion of the nation's gold supply.

00:33:51.559 --> 00:33:54.079
People hoarded the gold, spent the silver, created

00:33:54.079 --> 00:33:56.720
significant economic instability. Gresham's law,

00:33:56.839 --> 00:33:59.720
basically. Bad money drives out good. Exactly.

00:33:59.960 --> 00:34:02.500
and it deeply affected incomes and debts across

00:34:02.500 --> 00:34:06.079
the country. Debtors, farmers, the poor. They

00:34:06.079 --> 00:34:08.519
generally called for increased silver coinage,

00:34:09.179 --> 00:34:11.480
an inflationary measure, hoping it would ease

00:34:11.480 --> 00:34:13.980
their burdens amidst global deflation. Make it

00:34:13.980 --> 00:34:17.480
easier to pay off fixed debts. Right. While creditors,

00:34:17.659 --> 00:34:19.739
folks in the Northeast, generally favored the

00:34:19.739 --> 00:34:21.860
stability of the gold standard, it was deeply

00:34:21.860 --> 00:34:24.780
polarizing, reflected fundamental class and regional

00:34:24.780 --> 00:34:27.489
divides. Harrison had to walk a very, very tight

00:34:27.489 --> 00:34:29.710
rope. Where did he stand? He reportedly favored

00:34:29.710 --> 00:34:32.769
a bimetallist position, personally. And his appointment

00:34:32.769 --> 00:34:35.050
of a silverite treasury secretary, William Wyndham,

00:34:35.230 --> 00:34:37.130
certainly encouraged the free silver supporters.

00:34:37.389 --> 00:34:39.590
Sending mixed signals. Maybe trying to find a

00:34:39.590 --> 00:34:42.670
middle ground. He advocated for free coinage

00:34:42.670 --> 00:34:45.809
of silver. But crucially, at its market value,

00:34:46.389 --> 00:34:49.269
not at a fixed ratio to gold. That was a critical

00:34:49.269 --> 00:34:51.889
distinction. Trying to compromise. Ultimately,

00:34:52.190 --> 00:34:54.630
Senator Sherman, same guy as the Antitrust Act,

00:34:55.150 --> 00:34:57.070
achieved passage of the Sherman Silver Purchase

00:34:57.070 --> 00:35:00.489
Act in July 1890, another attempted compromise.

00:35:01.050 --> 00:35:02.929
The Treasury had to buy a certain amount of silver

00:35:02.929 --> 00:35:05.530
each month. Did it work? Did it calm things down?

00:35:05.710 --> 00:35:07.929
Harrison signed it into law, hoping it would

00:35:07.929 --> 00:35:10.190
finally end the contentious currency controversy.

00:35:10.909 --> 00:35:13.070
But the effect of the bill was actually an increased

00:35:13.070 --> 00:35:16.030
depletion of the nation's gold supply. It exacerbated

00:35:16.030 --> 00:35:18.429
the very problem it was meant to solve. Oh, wow.

00:35:18.610 --> 00:35:21.969
Unintended consequences. Big time. So despite

00:35:21.969 --> 00:35:24.329
Harrison's intentions, this act actually made

00:35:24.329 --> 00:35:27.010
the gold supply problem worse. It's a powerful

00:35:27.010 --> 00:35:29.889
lesson, isn't it? Sometimes political compromise,

00:35:30.230 --> 00:35:33.190
especially on complex economic issues, can inadvertently

00:35:33.190 --> 00:35:36.030
worsen the very problems it aims to solve. A

00:35:36.030 --> 00:35:38.070
challenge leaders face even today when trying

00:35:38.070 --> 00:35:40.650
to balance competing interests. Highlights how

00:35:40.650 --> 00:35:42.989
complex, how unpredictable economic policy could

00:35:42.989 --> 00:35:46.219
be. It really makes you think. When we look at

00:35:46.219 --> 00:35:48.599
today's debates about government regulation,

00:35:49.219 --> 00:35:51.760
economic stimulus, the role of the Federal Reserve,

00:35:52.199 --> 00:35:55.199
you can clearly see the deep historical roots

00:35:55.199 --> 00:35:58.539
right here in Harrison's era. Absolutely. These

00:35:58.539 --> 00:36:00.800
were the fundamental questions shaping America's

00:36:00.800 --> 00:36:03.300
economic future. And his administration was right

00:36:03.300 --> 00:36:05.780
at the center of grappling with them, often setting

00:36:05.780 --> 00:36:07.980
precedents we still deal with. OK, let's shift

00:36:07.980 --> 00:36:09.840
gears slightly, but still related to spending

00:36:09.840 --> 00:36:12.340
veterans pensions. This was clearly an issue

00:36:12.340 --> 00:36:15.099
close to Harrison's heart. Definitely tied to

00:36:15.099 --> 00:36:18.199
his own Civil War service and a huge political

00:36:18.199 --> 00:36:20.940
constituency for the Republicans, the Grand Army

00:36:20.940 --> 00:36:23.530
of the Republic of the GAR. He'd championed generous

00:36:23.530 --> 00:36:25.909
pensions in Congress, and as president, he saw

00:36:25.909 --> 00:36:28.750
it enacted. The Dependent and Disability Pension

00:36:28.750 --> 00:36:31.989
Act of 1890. What did it do? Provided pensions

00:36:31.989 --> 00:36:34.170
to disabled union veterans, regardless of the

00:36:34.170 --> 00:36:36.110
cause of their disability. Didn't have to be

00:36:36.110 --> 00:36:38.730
war related anymore. And importantly, it also

00:36:38.730 --> 00:36:40.730
helped deplete some of that troublesome federal

00:36:40.730 --> 00:36:43.409
budget surplus. Addressed two issues at once,

00:36:43.929 --> 00:36:46.630
veteran welfare and managing federal funds. Killing

00:36:46.630 --> 00:36:49.289
two birds with one stone, politically speaking.

00:36:49.610 --> 00:36:52.869
But the spending was massive, wasn't it? Unprecedented.

00:36:53.309 --> 00:36:56.989
Pension expenditures reached $135 million under

00:36:56.989 --> 00:37:00.250
Harrison, equivalent to nearly $4 .7 billion

00:37:00.250 --> 00:37:03.090
today. That's not just a number. It represents

00:37:03.090 --> 00:37:05.429
the first major instance of the federal government

00:37:05.429 --> 00:37:08.190
essentially creating a massive social welfare

00:37:08.190 --> 00:37:10.949
program. This billion -dollar Congress wasn't

00:37:10.949 --> 00:37:13.909
just about tariffs. It was also about this burgeoning

00:37:13.909 --> 00:37:16.230
sense of federal responsibility to its citizens.

00:37:16.489 --> 00:37:19.070
But it wasn't without problems. No. It was prone

00:37:19.070 --> 00:37:21.510
to the challenges of scale, potential for corruption.

00:37:21.949 --> 00:37:24.250
The problem got worse under Pension Bureau Commissioner

00:37:24.250 --> 00:37:26.710
James R. Kanner. His expansive interpretation

00:37:26.710 --> 00:37:29.710
of the laws led to accusations of lavish and

00:37:29.710 --> 00:37:32.349
illegal handouts, prompted an investigation by

00:37:32.349 --> 00:37:35.030
the Secretary of the Interior. So mismanagement

00:37:35.030 --> 00:37:37.630
and potential fraud. Exactly. It demonstrates

00:37:37.630 --> 00:37:40.539
that classic tension. fulfilling a moral obligation

00:37:40.539 --> 00:37:43.360
to veterans versus managing the fiscal implications

00:37:43.360 --> 00:37:45.559
and the potential for corruption that such large

00:37:45.559 --> 00:37:48.400
-scale programs inevitably present. How did Harrison

00:37:48.400 --> 00:37:50.860
handle Tanner? Well, Harrison privately thought

00:37:50.860 --> 00:37:53.300
appointing Tanner was a mistake due to his loose

00:37:53.300 --> 00:37:56.260
management style. He asked Tanner to resign,

00:37:56.619 --> 00:37:58.719
replaced him with Green B. Round. Round solved.

00:37:58.900 --> 00:38:02.329
Not quite. Round also faced accusations. accepting

00:38:02.329 --> 00:38:04.590
loan payments in return for expediting pension

00:38:04.590 --> 00:38:07.429
cases. Oh boy, more scandal. Harrison accepted

00:38:07.429 --> 00:38:10.110
a dissenting congressional Republican investigation

00:38:10.110 --> 00:38:13.030
report that exonerated Ram and allowed him to

00:38:13.030 --> 00:38:15.670
stay in office. It's a complex situation, isn't

00:38:15.670 --> 00:38:18.170
it? Reveals that constant balancing act between

00:38:18.170 --> 00:38:21.010
political loyalty, public perception, and the

00:38:21.010 --> 00:38:23.769
desire for honest governance. A challenge for

00:38:23.769 --> 00:38:26.650
any president then and now. Hashtag, tag, tag,

00:38:26.650 --> 00:38:30.010
tag, V visionary or out of touch social and environmental

00:38:30.010 --> 00:38:33.059
policies. OK, let's turn to social policy, particularly

00:38:33.059 --> 00:38:35.460
civil rights. After Republicans regained control

00:38:35.460 --> 00:38:37.599
of Congress, Harrison, along with some others

00:38:37.599 --> 00:38:40.079
in the party, made a real effort to pass legislation

00:38:40.079 --> 00:38:42.219
protecting African -Americans' civil rights.

00:38:42.559 --> 00:38:44.119
This was something he'd long supported, right?

00:38:44.440 --> 00:38:47.440
Absolutely. A consistent theme for him. His attorney

00:38:47.440 --> 00:38:50.119
general, William H .H. Miller, used the Justice

00:38:50.119 --> 00:38:52.460
Department to order prosecutions for voting rights

00:38:52.460 --> 00:38:56.639
violations in the South. That was a direct, significant

00:38:56.639 --> 00:38:58.679
effort by the federal government to enforce the

00:38:58.679 --> 00:39:00.920
15th Amendment. trying to make the vote real

00:39:00.920 --> 00:39:03.559
for black men. But unfortunately, the reality

00:39:03.559 --> 00:39:06.760
on the ground was harsh. White juries in the

00:39:06.760 --> 00:39:09.219
South often failed to convict or even indict

00:39:09.219 --> 00:39:12.780
violators, severely limiting the impact of these

00:39:12.780 --> 00:39:15.960
federal efforts. So federal will versus local

00:39:15.960 --> 00:39:19.219
resistance. A familiar story, sadly. But that

00:39:19.219 --> 00:39:21.239
direct action by the Justice Department, even

00:39:21.239 --> 00:39:23.719
with limited success, was a significant attempt

00:39:23.719 --> 00:39:26.519
to confront systemic injustice. It makes the

00:39:26.519 --> 00:39:28.820
resistance and failure to convict even more stark.

00:39:29.019 --> 00:39:31.420
Harrison's commitment here was truly groundbreaking

00:39:31.420 --> 00:39:34.460
for his era. He was passionate about it. He urged

00:39:34.460 --> 00:39:37.320
Congress to pass legislation that would secure

00:39:37.320 --> 00:39:39.519
all our people a free exercise of the right of

00:39:39.519 --> 00:39:41.360
suffrage and every other civil right under the

00:39:41.360 --> 00:39:44.940
Constitution and laws. And most notably, December

00:39:44.940 --> 00:39:48.679
3rd, 1889, he delivered this powerful address

00:39:48.679 --> 00:39:51.579
to Congress, directly questioning state civil

00:39:51.579 --> 00:39:54.320
rights records. He passionately declared, and

00:39:54.320 --> 00:39:56.960
this is worth quoting, The colored people did

00:39:56.960 --> 00:39:59.139
not inshrew themselves upon us. They were brought

00:39:59.139 --> 00:40:02.019
here in chains. When and under what conditions

00:40:02.019 --> 00:40:04.599
is the black man to have a free ballot? When

00:40:04.599 --> 00:40:07.000
is he in fact to have those full civil rights

00:40:07.000 --> 00:40:10.400
which have so long been his in law? Every constituency

00:40:10.400 --> 00:40:14.119
in the union is wronged. Wow. That's incredibly

00:40:14.119 --> 00:40:17.179
powerful. Calling out the hypocrisy, the injustice.

00:40:17.800 --> 00:40:19.719
Pushing for federal action when the states clearly

00:40:19.719 --> 00:40:22.019
failed. holding the nation accountable to its

00:40:22.019 --> 00:40:24.559
own ideals. It really was. And what's truly remarkable

00:40:24.559 --> 00:40:27.440
here is this sheer breadth and boldness of Harrison's

00:40:27.440 --> 00:40:29.840
proposals on civil rights, especially given the

00:40:29.840 --> 00:40:31.960
prevailing racist attitudes at the time, even

00:40:31.960 --> 00:40:33.920
within his own party sometimes. What kind of

00:40:33.920 --> 00:40:35.679
proposals? He endorsed the federal elections

00:40:35.679 --> 00:40:38.519
bill of 1890, sponsored by Henry Cabot Lodge

00:40:38.519 --> 00:40:40.960
and George Frisbie Hoare, specifically aimed

00:40:40.960 --> 00:40:43.139
at protecting voting rights through federal supervision.

00:40:43.639 --> 00:40:45.760
But it was defeated in the Senate, filibustered,

00:40:46.019 --> 00:40:47.900
actually. The force bill, opponents called it.

00:40:48.119 --> 00:40:51.519
Right. He also supported Senator Henry W. Blair's

00:40:51.519 --> 00:40:53.960
bill for federal funding to schools, regardless

00:40:53.960 --> 00:40:57.460
of race, a radical idea for the era, and even

00:40:57.460 --> 00:41:00.119
back a constitutional amendment to overturn the

00:41:00.119 --> 00:41:02.260
Supreme Court's ruling in the civil rights cases

00:41:02.260 --> 00:41:05.219
of 1883, which had severely limited federal power

00:41:05.219 --> 00:41:07.460
to protect civil rights and public accommodations.

00:41:07.780 --> 00:41:10.260
He was really going for it, trying multiple avenues.

00:41:10.599 --> 00:41:13.150
Absolutely. These were the last significant attempts

00:41:13.150 --> 00:41:15.510
to protect civil rights through federal legislation

00:41:15.510 --> 00:41:18.789
until the 1930s. It makes him a true, if ultimately

00:41:18.789 --> 00:41:22.179
unfulfilled pioneer in this crucial area. His

00:41:22.179 --> 00:41:24.440
commitment was undeniable, even in the face of

00:41:24.440 --> 00:41:26.659
determined congressional resistance. Okay, shifting

00:41:26.659 --> 00:41:30.599
from civil rights to environmental policy, another

00:41:30.599 --> 00:41:32.820
area where Harrison maybe seems surprisingly

00:41:32.820 --> 00:41:35.480
forward -thinking. Definitely. In a truly bipartisan

00:41:35.480 --> 00:41:38.019
effort, Congress enacted and Harrison signed

00:41:38.019 --> 00:41:40.920
the Land Revision Act of 1891. What was significant

00:41:40.920 --> 00:41:43.840
about that? Crucially, Section 24 was added at

00:41:43.840 --> 00:41:46.039
Harrison's behest, pushed by his Secretary of

00:41:46.039 --> 00:41:48.489
the Interior, John Noble. It granted the president

00:41:48.489 --> 00:41:50.909
the power to set apart and reserve public lands

00:41:50.909 --> 00:41:53.570
bearing forests as public reservations. The birth

00:41:53.570 --> 00:41:55.710
of the national forests, essentially. Pretty

00:41:55.710 --> 00:41:57.829
much. This was a pivotal moment for conservation

00:41:57.829 --> 00:42:00.670
in the United States, an act of foresight that's

00:42:00.670 --> 00:42:03.710
often overshadowed by, say, Teddy Roosevelt later

00:42:03.710 --> 00:42:06.809
on. So Harrison acted on this new power. Immediately.

00:42:07.889 --> 00:42:10.409
Within a month of the act's passage, he authorized

00:42:10.409 --> 00:42:13.070
the first forest reserve right next to Yellowstone

00:42:13.070 --> 00:42:16.219
National Park in Wyoming. By the end of his term,

00:42:16.639 --> 00:42:19.360
he had designated an impressive 22 million acres

00:42:19.360 --> 00:42:23.780
as public forest reservations. 22 million acres.

00:42:23.960 --> 00:42:25.920
That's huge. It's an area larger than the state

00:42:25.920 --> 00:42:28.360
of Maine. He also became the first president

00:42:28.360 --> 00:42:31.019
to give a prehistoric Indian ruin federal protection

00:42:31.019 --> 00:42:34.059
Casa Grande in Arizona. Setting another precedent.

00:42:34.300 --> 00:42:37.599
Exactly. This established a precedent for conservation

00:42:37.599 --> 00:42:39.820
that would become a hallmark of later presidencies.

00:42:40.059 --> 00:42:43.280
But Harrison truly laid the groundwork, showing

00:42:43.280 --> 00:42:46.159
a nascent federal concern for natural and historical

00:42:46.159 --> 00:42:49.420
heritage, a remarkably forward -thinking environmental

00:42:49.420 --> 00:42:52.280
legacy for a 19th century president. Harrison's

00:42:52.280 --> 00:42:54.300
administration also saw some important labor

00:42:54.300 --> 00:42:56.760
reforms, didn't it? Yes, several significant

00:42:56.760 --> 00:43:00.900
steps. An act passed in 1891 prohibited convict

00:43:00.900 --> 00:43:03.760
labor. outside prisons, or in machine production

00:43:03.760 --> 00:43:06.500
of commodities. Addressed a big concern about

00:43:06.500 --> 00:43:08.840
fair labor practices and competition. Taking

00:43:08.840 --> 00:43:11.400
on prison labor. And the same year, the first

00:43:11.400 --> 00:43:13.500
federal legislation governing safety standards

00:43:13.500 --> 00:43:15.619
and inspection practices in America's coal mines

00:43:15.619 --> 00:43:18.380
was enacted. A crucial step toward protecting

00:43:18.380 --> 00:43:20.900
workers in incredibly dangerous industries that

00:43:20.900 --> 00:43:23.519
had been largely unregulated before then. Addressing

00:43:23.519 --> 00:43:26.780
worker safety. What else? These are quiet but

00:43:26.780 --> 00:43:28.920
substantial steps towards addressing worker welfare

00:43:28.920 --> 00:43:31.900
and urban conditions, demonstrating a growing

00:43:31.900 --> 00:43:34.760
federal role in social justice. For example,

00:43:34.860 --> 00:43:38.440
in 1892, Congress allocated $20 ,000, a decent

00:43:38.440 --> 00:43:40.949
sum. then for the Commissioner of Labor to make

00:43:40.949 --> 00:43:43.369
a full investigation relative to what is known

00:43:43.369 --> 00:43:46.230
as the slums of cities with populations over

00:43:46.230 --> 00:43:48.349
200 ,000. So the government's starting to study

00:43:48.349 --> 00:43:51.170
urban poverty. Exactly. Signaled a recognition

00:43:51.170 --> 00:43:52.929
that the federal government had a responsibility

00:43:52.929 --> 00:43:55.710
to understand and maybe begin to address poverty

00:43:55.710 --> 00:43:58.130
and substandard living conditions in the nation's

00:43:58.130 --> 00:43:59.829
burgeoning cities. And there was something about

00:43:59.829 --> 00:44:03.769
the workday. Yes, significantly. In August 1892,

00:44:04.289 --> 00:44:06.510
an eight -hour workday was introduced for all

00:44:06.510 --> 00:44:08.409
mechanics and laborers working for the federal

00:44:08.409 --> 00:44:10.449
government. government, including public works

00:44:10.449 --> 00:44:13.349
contractors, set a really important precedent.

00:44:13.590 --> 00:44:16.190
Eight hours for federal workers. And a Railway

00:44:16.190 --> 00:44:19.889
Safety Appliance Act, followed in 1893, aimed

00:44:19.889 --> 00:44:22.769
to protect railway workers from harm by mandating

00:44:22.769 --> 00:44:24.809
things like automatic couplers and air brakes.

00:44:25.550 --> 00:44:27.469
These initiatives were quietly foundational,

00:44:28.190 --> 00:44:30.210
showed a president who, despite that conservative

00:44:30.210 --> 00:44:32.929
label, was willing to use federal power for social

00:44:32.929 --> 00:44:35.940
progress and worker protection. laying more groundwork

00:44:35.940 --> 00:44:38.300
for future reforms. Okay, now we need to address

00:44:38.300 --> 00:44:40.420
a much darker chapter during Harrison's term.

00:44:40.659 --> 00:44:42.960
Native American policy, specifically wounded

00:44:42.960 --> 00:44:46.260
knee. Yes, a truly tragic event. During Harrison's

00:44:46.260 --> 00:44:48.760
term, the Lakota Sioux, confined to reservations

00:44:48.760 --> 00:44:51.659
in South Dakota, grew restless, partly due to

00:44:51.659 --> 00:44:53.780
harsh conditions, broken treaties, and the influence

00:44:53.780 --> 00:44:56.420
of Wafoka. The Paiute medicine man who encouraged

00:44:56.420 --> 00:44:59.300
the ghost dance movement. That's right. A spiritual

00:44:59.300 --> 00:45:01.760
movement, preaching renewal, the return of the

00:45:01.760 --> 00:45:04.079
buffalo, the eventual disappearance of white

00:45:04.079 --> 00:45:07.340
settlers. It offered hope in desperate times.

00:45:08.119 --> 00:45:11.300
But many in Washington, in the military, mistakenly

00:45:11.300 --> 00:45:13.500
viewed this primarily religious movement as a

00:45:13.500 --> 00:45:16.039
sign of increased resistance, potential uprising,

00:45:16.199 --> 00:45:18.320
fear and misunderstanding, leading to a heightened

00:45:18.320 --> 00:45:20.880
military presence on the reservations, increased

00:45:20.880 --> 00:45:23.420
tension. And this misinterpretation tragically

00:45:23.420 --> 00:45:25.980
culminated in the Wounded Knee Massacre, December

00:45:25.980 --> 00:45:30.199
29, 1890. A horrific event. The U .S. Army's

00:45:30.199 --> 00:45:32.820
7th Cavalry Regiment, Custer's Old Regiment,

00:45:33.260 --> 00:45:36.400
perpetrated a massacre of over 250 Lakota men,

00:45:36.420 --> 00:45:38.860
women, and children at the Pine Ridge Reservation

00:45:38.860 --> 00:45:41.079
near Wounded Knee Creek. It happened following

00:45:41.079 --> 00:45:43.860
a botched attempt to disarm Bigfoot's Band. Mostly

00:45:43.860 --> 00:45:46.300
unarmed people killed, buried in mass graves,

00:45:46.480 --> 00:45:49.099
a terrible stain on American history. Absolutely

00:45:49.099 --> 00:45:52.679
horrific. In response, Harrison directed Major

00:45:52.679 --> 00:45:54.900
General Nelson A. Miles to investigate the incident.

00:45:54.989 --> 00:45:57.690
He also promptly deployed three to five hundred

00:45:57.690 --> 00:46:00.570
U .S. troops to South Dakota, effectively suppressing

00:46:00.570 --> 00:46:03.269
the ghost dance movement through military force.

00:46:04.170 --> 00:46:07.329
Wounded Knee is widely considered the last major

00:46:07.329 --> 00:46:10.070
engagement, though massacre is more accurate,

00:46:10.429 --> 00:46:13.250
of the American Indian Wars, a deeply painful

00:46:13.250 --> 00:46:15.949
end to that era. What was Harrison's broader

00:46:15.949 --> 00:46:19.070
policy towards Native Americans? His general

00:46:19.070 --> 00:46:21.230
policy, consistent with many reformers at the

00:46:21.230 --> 00:46:23.489
time, was to encourage Native American assimilation

00:46:23.489 --> 00:46:26.139
into white society. break up tribal structures,

00:46:26.380 --> 00:46:28.300
promote individual land ownership. The Dawes

00:46:28.300 --> 00:46:30.840
Act approach. Exactly. And despite the Wounded

00:46:30.840 --> 00:46:33.280
Knee Massacre, Harrison publicly believed this

00:46:33.280 --> 00:46:35.239
assimilation policy was generally successful.

00:46:35.840 --> 00:46:37.840
However, this approach embodied in the Dawes

00:46:37.840 --> 00:46:40.239
Act, while perhaps well -intentioned by some,

00:46:40.679 --> 00:46:42.780
ultimately proved detrimental to Native Americans.

00:46:42.840 --> 00:46:45.619
They often ended up selling their allotted individual

00:46:45.619 --> 00:46:48.739
lands at low prices to white speculators, leading

00:46:48.739 --> 00:46:51.719
to significant land loss, erosion of tribal culture,

00:46:51.840 --> 00:46:55.130
and continued poverty. It's a complex and painful

00:46:55.130 --> 00:46:57.710
chapter, reflecting the prevailing, though often

00:46:57.710 --> 00:47:00.670
misguided and ultimately destructive, attitudes

00:47:00.670 --> 00:47:03.170
of the era regarding Native American policy.

00:47:04.090 --> 00:47:06.469
Assimilation was seen as progress, but it often

00:47:06.469 --> 00:47:08.940
meant cultural destruction. Okay, let's shift

00:47:08.940 --> 00:47:11.320
to Harrison's impact on America's place in the

00:47:11.320 --> 00:47:14.099
world. His era saw significant technological

00:47:14.099 --> 00:47:16.920
advances, and here's a fascinating detail. We

00:47:16.920 --> 00:47:19.019
actually have a recording of his voice. Really?

00:47:19.039 --> 00:47:22.179
From 1889? Yeah, a 30 -second recording made

00:47:22.179 --> 00:47:24.960
on a wax phonograph cylinder by Gianni Battini.

00:47:25.400 --> 00:47:27.340
It's the earliest surviving recording of a U

00:47:27.340 --> 00:47:29.780
.S. president made while he was actually in office.

00:47:30.000 --> 00:47:32.340
That's incredible. Hearing a voice from that

00:47:32.340 --> 00:47:35.360
long ago. A literal voice from the past, ushering

00:47:35.360 --> 00:47:37.900
in the future. Amazing, isn't it? And beyond

00:47:37.900 --> 00:47:40.159
that remarkable audio snippet, one of Harrison's

00:47:40.159 --> 00:47:42.699
most significant yet often overlooked achievements

00:47:42.699 --> 00:47:45.260
was his leadership in marshaling the country's

00:47:45.260 --> 00:47:47.579
burgeoning industrial and technological capabilities

00:47:47.579 --> 00:47:51.239
to build a credible modern naval power. The Steel

00:47:51.239 --> 00:47:53.739
Navy. Exactly. When he took office, the U .S.

00:47:53.800 --> 00:47:57.760
Navy was, well, pretty pathetic. Only two commissioned

00:47:57.760 --> 00:48:00.619
warships worth mentioning. His inaugural address

00:48:00.619 --> 00:48:03.320
explicitly called for rapid construction of warships.

00:48:03.480 --> 00:48:06.739
He prioritized it from day one. Absolutely. His

00:48:06.739 --> 00:48:09.760
secretary of the Navy, Benjamin F. Tracy, spearheaded

00:48:09.760 --> 00:48:12.099
this ambitious effort. Within just a year, they

00:48:12.099 --> 00:48:14.119
got congressional approval for building battleships

00:48:14.119 --> 00:48:17.119
like the USS Indiana, Texas, Oregon, and the

00:48:17.119 --> 00:48:19.739
cruiser Columbia. Serious firepower. And with

00:48:19.739 --> 00:48:21.579
the help of companies like Carnegie Corporation

00:48:21.579 --> 00:48:24.800
providing the steel. By 1898, no fewer than 10

00:48:24.800 --> 00:48:27.920
modern warships, steel hulls, greater displacement,

00:48:28.559 --> 00:48:30.639
advanced armaments had transformed the U .S.

00:48:30.679 --> 00:48:33.079
into a legitimate naval power. What's really

00:48:33.079 --> 00:48:34.980
striking is that seven of these crucial ships

00:48:34.980 --> 00:48:38.179
were initiated during Harrison's term. Wow, that's

00:48:38.179 --> 00:48:40.260
a huge investment and a rapid transformation.

00:48:40.619 --> 00:48:43.219
It was a deliberate strategic effort to project

00:48:43.219 --> 00:48:46.000
American power globally, protect expanding commercial

00:48:46.000 --> 00:48:48.900
interests. It truly set the stage for the naval

00:48:48.900 --> 00:48:51.500
might of the 20th century, a fundamental shift.

00:48:51.840 --> 00:48:54.639
When it came to foreign policy itself, Secretary

00:48:54.639 --> 00:48:57.440
of State James G. Blaine and Harrison, well,

00:48:57.440 --> 00:48:59.159
they didn't always have the warmest personal

00:48:59.159 --> 00:49:02.269
relationship, did they? No. famously a bit frosty

00:49:02.269 --> 00:49:05.150
at times. Blaine was a huge figure, expected

00:49:05.150 --> 00:49:07.250
deference maybe Harrison wasn't willing to give.

00:49:07.309 --> 00:49:10.570
But they were remarkably aligned on policy, specifically

00:49:10.570 --> 00:49:13.210
an aggressive foreign policy promoting commercial

00:49:13.210 --> 00:49:15.710
reciprocity. Yes, on the big picture stuff, they

00:49:15.710 --> 00:49:18.329
were largely in sync, pushing American interests

00:49:18.329 --> 00:49:21.250
abroad. And here's where Harrison's hands on

00:49:21.250 --> 00:49:24.250
approach really came into play. Blaine had frequent

00:49:24.250 --> 00:49:26.969
medical problems, bouts of illness, right? Lumbago,

00:49:27.070 --> 00:49:28.869
other issues, which often meant that Harrison

00:49:28.869 --> 00:49:32.250
himself took a more direct personal role in conducting

00:49:32.250 --> 00:49:34.750
foreign policy, drafting diplomatic demands,

00:49:35.050 --> 00:49:37.590
setting strategy. He wasn't just delegating.

00:49:37.909 --> 00:49:40.969
He was deeply engaged in global affairs. A hands

00:49:40.969 --> 00:49:43.949
-on foreign policy president. Very much so. In

00:49:43.949 --> 00:49:46.789
1891, while on a tour across the US, Harrison

00:49:46.789 --> 00:49:49.809
proclaimed a new epoch of trade. He emphasized

00:49:49.809 --> 00:49:52.030
that an expanding Navy would not only protect

00:49:52.030 --> 00:49:54.949
American oceanic shipping, but also significantly

00:49:54.949 --> 00:49:57.369
increase American influence and prestige abroad.

00:49:58.039 --> 00:50:00.460
directly connecting domestic industrial power

00:50:00.460 --> 00:50:03.599
to global reach. A clear statement of America's

00:50:03.599 --> 00:50:06.039
rising ambition on the world stage. Definitely.

00:50:06.460 --> 00:50:08.440
And you saw this vision in action at the first

00:50:08.440 --> 00:50:10.420
International Conference of American States,

00:50:10.760 --> 00:50:14.000
which met in Washington in 1889. Harrison set

00:50:14.000 --> 00:50:16.579
an incredibly aggressive agenda. Pushing for

00:50:16.579 --> 00:50:18.559
customs integration, currency integration across

00:50:18.559 --> 00:50:20.840
the Americas, Pan -American living. Had it work?

00:50:21.079 --> 00:50:23.559
Not entirely. No major diplomatic breakthrough

00:50:23.559 --> 00:50:25.460
occurred at the conference itself. There was

00:50:25.460 --> 00:50:27.159
suspicion, particularly from the Argentinian

00:50:27.159 --> 00:50:30.619
delegation, about US dominance. But it did successfully

00:50:30.619 --> 00:50:32.659
establish an information center that eventually

00:50:32.659 --> 00:50:35.139
became the Pan -American Union. So a starting

00:50:35.139 --> 00:50:38.000
point for inter -American cooperation. A crucial

00:50:38.000 --> 00:50:41.300
first step. Fostering solidarity and commercial

00:50:41.300 --> 00:50:44.570
ties. And following that, Harrison and Blaine

00:50:44.570 --> 00:50:46.849
pivoted diplomatically and successfully concluded

00:50:46.849 --> 00:50:49.929
eight reciprocity treaties with various Latin

00:50:49.929 --> 00:50:52.449
American nations, showcased their commitment

00:50:52.449 --> 00:50:54.630
to expanding American commercial interests in

00:50:54.630 --> 00:50:56.469
the hemisphere. They also tried to get a naval

00:50:56.469 --> 00:50:58.969
base in the Caribbean. Yes, Harrison sent the

00:50:58.969 --> 00:51:01.269
esteemed Frederick Douglass as ambassador to

00:51:01.269 --> 00:51:03.719
Haiti. Part of the mission was an unsuccessful

00:51:03.719 --> 00:51:06.280
attempt to negotiate the lease of Mole St. Nicholas

00:51:06.280 --> 00:51:10.019
for a naval base. Didn't work out, but it demonstrated

00:51:10.019 --> 00:51:12.639
a clear strategic interest in a Caribbean naval

00:51:12.639 --> 00:51:15.219
presence. Crucial for projecting naval power.

00:51:15.340 --> 00:51:17.239
And things were heating up in the Pacific too,

00:51:17.679 --> 00:51:21.280
right? Samoa? Oh yeah. In 1889, the U .S., the

00:51:21.280 --> 00:51:23.480
United Kingdom, and the German Empire were locked

00:51:23.480 --> 00:51:25.780
in this tense dispute over control of the Samoan

00:51:25.780 --> 00:51:28.400
Islands. Three warships from each nation were

00:51:28.400 --> 00:51:31.239
actually facing off in Apia Harbor before a typhoon

00:51:31.239 --> 00:51:33.860
hit and damaged them. Close to conflict. Very.

00:51:34.280 --> 00:51:36.079
What's fascinating here is Harrison played a

00:51:36.079 --> 00:51:38.539
key role in the subsequent Berlin conference

00:51:38.539 --> 00:51:41.519
determining the status of Samoa. He took a firm

00:51:41.519 --> 00:51:44.980
stand on every aspect of the negotiations, insisted

00:51:44.980 --> 00:51:47.960
on the selection of a specific local ruler, refused

00:51:47.960 --> 00:51:50.420
to allow an indemnity for Germany, and pushed

00:51:50.420 --> 00:51:53.179
for the establishment of a three -power protectorate.

00:51:53.659 --> 00:51:56.179
That was a first for the U .S. Sharing power,

00:51:56.380 --> 00:51:59.079
but asserting influence. Exactly. This arrangement

00:51:59.079 --> 00:52:01.599
was crucial because it facilitated future U .S.

00:52:01.840 --> 00:52:04.219
dominance in the Pacific, a significant step

00:52:04.219 --> 00:52:07.239
in America's emergence as a global player, showing

00:52:07.239 --> 00:52:09.659
Harrison's willingness to project power even

00:52:09.659 --> 00:52:12.219
in distant corners of the world. Harrison's administration

00:52:12.219 --> 00:52:14.179
also had to deal with international trade wars,

00:52:14.380 --> 00:52:16.400
didn't it? The pork issue. Ah yes, the Great

00:52:16.400 --> 00:52:19.800
European Pork Embargo. Throughout the 1880s,

00:52:20.079 --> 00:52:22.820
various European countries, led by Germany, had

00:52:22.820 --> 00:52:25.630
banned the importation of American pork. The

00:52:25.630 --> 00:52:28.269
official reason was unconfirmed concerns about

00:52:28.269 --> 00:52:30.909
trigonosis. But maybe protectionism was the real

00:52:30.909 --> 00:52:34.030
motive. Very likely. This was a huge economic

00:52:34.030 --> 00:52:36.789
issue for American farmers. Impacted over a billion

00:52:36.789 --> 00:52:39.050
pounds of pork products annually worth 80 million

00:52:39.050 --> 00:52:41.449
dollars back then. That's like 2 .8 billion dollars

00:52:41.449 --> 00:52:44.650
today. Harrison vigorously engaged his ministers

00:52:44.650 --> 00:52:47.590
in France and Germany to get these crucial exports

00:52:47.590 --> 00:52:50.590
restored without delay. What tools did he use?

00:52:51.150 --> 00:52:54.250
Diplomacy. but also leverage. To counter accusations

00:52:54.250 --> 00:52:56.769
of product compromise, Harrison persuaded Congress

00:52:56.769 --> 00:52:59.949
to enact the Meat Inspection Act of 1890, provided

00:52:59.949 --> 00:53:02.050
federal inspection and certification. Building

00:53:02.050 --> 00:53:04.230
trust in the product. And crucially, he partnered

00:53:04.230 --> 00:53:06.730
with his agriculture secretary, Jeremiah Rusk,

00:53:07.130 --> 00:53:10.329
to threaten Germany with retaliation. They initiated

00:53:10.329 --> 00:53:12.710
a U .S. embargo on Germany's highly demanded

00:53:12.710 --> 00:53:15.210
beet sugar if the pork ban wasn't lifted. Playing

00:53:15.210 --> 00:53:18.489
hardball, tit for tat. Absolutely. An early example

00:53:18.489 --> 00:53:21.039
of aggressive trade diplomacy. using economic

00:53:21.039 --> 00:53:23.320
leverage to protect American industries. And

00:53:23.320 --> 00:53:26.800
it worked. By September 1891, Germany relented.

00:53:27.079 --> 00:53:29.260
Denmark, France, Austria -Hungary soon followed

00:53:29.260 --> 00:53:32.079
suit. A significant diplomatic and economic victory

00:53:32.079 --> 00:53:34.500
for Harrison's administration showed a willingness

00:53:34.500 --> 00:53:36.519
to fight for American commerce on the international

00:53:36.519 --> 00:53:39.179
stage. He faced another crisis over fishing rights,

00:53:39.519 --> 00:53:42.260
too, this time near Alaska. Yes, disputed fishing

00:53:42.260 --> 00:53:45.400
and sealing rights off the coast. Canadian claims

00:53:45.400 --> 00:53:47.320
regarding rights around many of the Aleutian

00:53:47.320 --> 00:53:49.960
Islands violated U .S. law, according to the

00:53:49.960 --> 00:53:53.039
Harrison administration. This led the U .S. Navy,

00:53:53.440 --> 00:53:55.800
acting as basically a police force, to seize

00:53:55.800 --> 00:53:58.579
several Canadian sealing ships. Raising tensions

00:53:58.579 --> 00:54:01.719
with Britain, presumably? Canada was still part

00:54:01.719 --> 00:54:05.079
of the empire. Big time. In 1891, the administration

00:54:05.079 --> 00:54:07.460
began negotiations with the British, eventually

00:54:07.460 --> 00:54:09.980
led to a compromise over the rights after international

00:54:09.980 --> 00:54:12.480
arbitration. The British government ended up

00:54:12.480 --> 00:54:15.940
paying compensation in 1898. Just goes to show

00:54:15.940 --> 00:54:18.280
you the sheer range and complexity of international

00:54:18.280 --> 00:54:20.719
issues he dealt with, often far from the public

00:54:20.719 --> 00:54:23.960
eye. Boundary disputes, resource conflicts. Sounds

00:54:23.960 --> 00:54:27.599
familiar, right? Very. But perhaps the most dramatic

00:54:27.599 --> 00:54:30.380
international incident of his term was the Chilean

00:54:30.380 --> 00:54:33.739
Baltimore Crisis of 1891. Oh, that was a close

00:54:33.739 --> 00:54:36.619
call. A major diplomatic crisis erupted in Chile.

00:54:36.760 --> 00:54:39.179
fueled partly by the U .S. minister there, Patrick

00:54:39.179 --> 00:54:41.739
Egan, granting asylum to Chilean leaders who

00:54:41.739 --> 00:54:44.219
had lost Chile's civil war. Taking sides, basically.

00:54:44.440 --> 00:54:46.500
Which didn't endear him to the new Chilean government.

00:54:46.960 --> 00:54:49.139
The crisis escalated dramatically when U .S.

00:54:49.340 --> 00:54:52.079
sailors from the cruiser USS Baltimore took shore

00:54:52.079 --> 00:54:55.019
leave in Valparaiso. A brawl broke out and they

00:54:55.019 --> 00:54:57.880
were attacked by a Chilean mob. Two American

00:54:57.880 --> 00:55:00.840
sailors were killed, nearly 20 injured and three

00:55:00.840 --> 00:55:03.559
dozen arrested. A serious international incident.

00:55:03.920 --> 00:55:06.500
How did the U .S. respond? The ship's captain,

00:55:06.739 --> 00:55:08.840
Winfield Schley, insisted the Chilean police

00:55:08.840 --> 00:55:11.340
had actually participated in the attack, even

00:55:11.340 --> 00:55:13.900
bayoneting sailors without provocation, demanded

00:55:13.900 --> 00:55:16.980
an apology. And Harrison. With Blaine temporarily

00:55:16.980 --> 00:55:20.199
incapacitated by Lombego again, Harrison personally

00:55:20.199 --> 00:55:22.219
drafted a strong demand for reparations from

00:55:22.219 --> 00:55:25.280
Chile. He took the lead. Yes. When Chile's foreign

00:55:25.280 --> 00:55:28.219
minister, Manuel Mata, replied defiantly, calling

00:55:28.219 --> 00:55:30.639
Harrison's message erroneous or deliberately

00:55:30.639 --> 00:55:33.829
incorrect, tensions escalated dramatically. push

00:55:33.829 --> 00:55:36.269
the two nations right to the brink of war. Really?

00:55:36.429 --> 00:55:39.449
War with Chile? It was close. Harrison threatened

00:55:39.449 --> 00:55:41.809
to break off diplomatic relations unless the

00:55:41.809 --> 00:55:45.170
U .S. received a suitable apology. He forcefully

00:55:45.170 --> 00:55:48.670
stated, and this shows his resolve, if the dignity

00:55:48.670 --> 00:55:50.650
as well as the prestige and influence of the

00:55:50.650 --> 00:55:53.170
United States are not to be wholly sacrificed,

00:55:53.489 --> 00:55:56.170
we must protect those who in foreign ports display

00:55:56.170 --> 00:55:59.650
the flag or wear the colors. The Navy was placed

00:55:59.650 --> 00:56:03.130
on high alert. So a real showdown. Ultimately.

00:56:03.230 --> 00:56:05.690
Facing the threat of the modernized U .S. Navy,

00:56:06.030 --> 00:56:08.449
Chile obliged. They offered an apology and paid

00:56:08.449 --> 00:56:11.809
reparations. War was averted. Fidel Roosevelt

00:56:11.809 --> 00:56:14.389
later applauded Harrison for his decisive use

00:56:14.389 --> 00:56:16.670
of the big stick in this matter. Interesting.

00:56:17.010 --> 00:56:19.550
Using PR's famous phrase about Harrison. Exactly.

00:56:19.710 --> 00:56:21.469
It perfectly illustrates Harrison's assertive

00:56:21.469 --> 00:56:23.570
foreign policy, his willingness to use the threat

00:56:23.570 --> 00:56:26.550
of force, foreshadows America's growing willingness

00:56:26.550 --> 00:56:29.369
to project power on the world stage, a truly

00:56:29.369 --> 00:56:31.710
modern approach to diplomacy, even if risky.

00:56:31.849 --> 00:56:34.070
OK, one more major foreign policy issue right

00:56:34.070 --> 00:56:36.750
at the end of his term, Hawaii. Yes, the Hawaiian

00:56:36.750 --> 00:56:39.150
annexation attempt. In the very last days of

00:56:39.150 --> 00:56:40.730
his administration, Harrison dealt with this

00:56:40.730 --> 00:56:43.329
complex issue following a coup d 'etat against

00:56:43.329 --> 00:56:46.010
Queen Liliuokalani. Largely engineered by American

00:56:46.010 --> 00:56:49.130
business interests there. Indeed. Hawaii's new

00:56:49.130 --> 00:56:51.489
provisional government, led by Sanford Dole,

00:56:51.670 --> 00:56:54.590
yes, related to the Pineapple family, quickly

00:56:54.590 --> 00:56:57.309
petitioned for annexation by the United States.

00:56:57.530 --> 00:56:59.769
Presented Harrison with a significant decision

00:56:59.769 --> 00:57:02.199
right as he was heading out the door. Was he

00:57:02.199 --> 00:57:04.500
interested? He was keenly interested in expanding

00:57:04.500 --> 00:57:07.579
American influence in Hawaii, and specifically

00:57:07.579 --> 00:57:09.940
in establishing a naval base at Pearl Harbor,

00:57:10.559 --> 00:57:13.239
crucial for Pacific power projection, even though

00:57:13.239 --> 00:57:15.260
he hadn't previously expressed a strong opinion

00:57:15.260 --> 00:57:18.559
on actually annexing the islands. So the coup

00:57:18.559 --> 00:57:22.079
created an opportunity. It seems so. The U .S.

00:57:22.219 --> 00:57:24.079
Consul in Hawaii recognized the new government

00:57:24.079 --> 00:57:27.860
on February 1st, 1893, forwarded its annexation

00:57:27.860 --> 00:57:30.889
proposals to Washington. With just a month left

00:57:30.889 --> 00:57:33.250
before leaving office, Harrison signed a treaty

00:57:33.250 --> 00:57:35.989
of annexation on February 14th, submitted it

00:57:35.989 --> 00:57:38.170
to the Senate the very next day with his recommendation.

00:57:38.389 --> 00:57:41.550
Cutting it close. Did the Senate act? No. They

00:57:41.550 --> 00:57:44.090
failed to act before Harrison left office. And

00:57:44.090 --> 00:57:46.030
President Cleveland, upon taking office shortly

00:57:46.030 --> 00:57:48.449
after, was suspicious of the coup and promptly

00:57:48.449 --> 00:57:50.889
withdrew the treaty. So annexation failed then?

00:57:50.989 --> 00:57:54.610
For the time being. But this near annexation

00:57:54.610 --> 00:57:57.610
reveals Harrison's forward -looking and some

00:57:57.610 --> 00:58:01.260
might say imperial. ambitions. Even if unfulfilled

00:58:01.260 --> 00:58:04.079
during his term, it set the stage for future

00:58:04.079 --> 00:58:06.539
American expansion and geopolitical maneuvering

00:58:06.539 --> 00:58:08.820
in the Pacific. Another sign of him pointing

00:58:08.820 --> 00:58:11.320
towards a more global American role. Beyond foreign

00:58:11.320 --> 00:58:13.800
policy and the Navy, Harrison also left his mark

00:58:13.800 --> 00:58:15.900
on the judiciary and the very map of the country,

00:58:16.019 --> 00:58:18.659
didn't he? Absolutely. He appointed four justices

00:58:18.659 --> 00:58:21.420
to the Supreme Court, David Josiah Brewer, Henry

00:58:21.420 --> 00:58:24.159
Billings Brown, George Shearis, and Howell Edmonds

00:58:24.159 --> 00:58:26.539
Jackson. Four appointments is significant. It

00:58:26.539 --> 00:58:29.679
is. And he even strategically selected Jackson,

00:58:30.019 --> 00:58:32.179
a respected Tennessee Democrat, at the very end

00:58:32.179 --> 00:58:34.619
of his term. He knew the incoming Senate would

00:58:34.619 --> 00:58:37.159
be controlled by Democrats, so bicking a Democrat

00:58:37.159 --> 00:58:39.019
increased the chances his nominee wouldn't be

00:58:39.019 --> 00:58:42.000
rejected. Clever political move to secure a lasting

00:58:42.000 --> 00:58:44.679
impact on the federal bench. What's key here

00:58:44.679 --> 00:58:47.360
isn't just the number, but that Harrison, through

00:58:47.360 --> 00:58:50.300
these four additions, subtly steered the court

00:58:50.300 --> 00:58:53.099
towards a more business -friendly, yet constitutionally

00:58:53.099 --> 00:58:56.019
-grounded interpretation of federal power, setting

00:58:56.019 --> 00:58:58.360
the stage for future corporate regulation debates.

00:58:58.840 --> 00:59:00.900
And the map. Perhaps one of the most tangible,

00:59:00.900 --> 00:59:03.880
enduring legacies of his administration was the

00:59:03.880 --> 00:59:07.000
admission of six new states to the union. Six.

00:59:07.219 --> 00:59:09.420
That's a lot. More than any other president.

00:59:09.769 --> 00:59:12.769
North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Washington's

00:59:12.769 --> 00:59:15.730
all came in November 1889, followed by Idaho

00:59:15.730 --> 00:59:19.250
in July 1890, and Wyoming also in July 1890.

00:59:19.289 --> 00:59:22.210
Wow, reshaping the West. Fundamentally reshaping

00:59:22.210 --> 00:59:24.550
the map of the United States, ushering in a new

00:59:24.550 --> 00:59:27.489
era of Western expansion and influence, bringing

00:59:27.489 --> 00:59:29.949
those territories fully into the nation. This

00:59:29.949 --> 00:59:32.010
truly highlights his impact on the physical and

00:59:32.010 --> 00:59:34.010
political landscape of the country. Hashtag,

00:59:34.050 --> 00:59:36.610
hashtag, hashtag seven, the exit and enduring

00:59:36.610 --> 00:59:39.880
legacy. So after all that activity, The economic

00:59:39.880 --> 00:59:42.139
legislation, the foreign policy assertiveness,

00:59:42.260 --> 00:59:43.860
adding states you think Harrison would be set

00:59:43.860 --> 00:59:46.980
for reelection in 1892. But the conditions weren't

00:59:46.980 --> 00:59:49.300
great, were they? Far from ideal. That treasury

00:59:49.300 --> 00:59:51.320
surplus, which had been a political issue itself,

00:59:51.639 --> 00:59:53.920
had evaporated. And the nation's economic health

00:59:53.920 --> 00:59:56.519
was noticeably worsening. Clear precursors to

00:59:56.519 --> 00:59:59.440
the big panic of 1893 that would hit soon after

00:59:59.440 --> 01:00:02.639
he left office. Bad timing. Very. The congressional

01:00:02.639 --> 01:00:05.159
elections in 1890 had already gone against the

01:00:05.159 --> 01:00:07.820
Republicans, a fine of public dissatisfaction.

01:00:07.929 --> 01:00:10.530
and Harrison faced growing discontent within

01:00:10.530 --> 01:00:13.730
his own party. Those alienated party bosses again.

01:00:13.869 --> 01:00:16.690
Yep, still frustrated by his adamant refusal

01:00:16.690 --> 01:00:18.809
to grant patronage appointments the way they

01:00:18.809 --> 01:00:22.110
wanted. They quietly organized what they actually

01:00:22.110 --> 01:00:25.809
called a grievance committee to initiate a dump

01:00:25.809 --> 01:00:28.789
Harrison offensive. Trying to deny him renomination?

01:00:28.989 --> 01:00:31.510
It was clear he wouldn't be renominated unanimously,

01:00:31.949 --> 01:00:33.929
a significant challenge for an incumbent president.

01:00:34.119 --> 01:00:36.280
Even though Blaine announced he wasn't a candidate

01:00:36.280 --> 01:00:39.320
back in February 92, some party leaders still

01:00:39.320 --> 01:00:42.019
hoped to draft him, especially after Blaine dramatically

01:00:42.019 --> 01:00:44.519
resigned as Secretary of State in June, just

01:00:44.519 --> 01:00:47.000
weeks before the convention. Adding to the drama.

01:00:47.400 --> 01:00:49.579
Despite this significant opposition, the internal

01:00:49.579 --> 01:00:52.199
party maneuvering, Harrison ultimately prevailed.

01:00:52.519 --> 01:00:54.760
One renomination on the first ballot to the Minneapolis

01:00:54.760 --> 01:00:57.039
convention, but it was a hard fought victory

01:00:57.039 --> 01:00:59.460
that really showed a fractured, unhappy party.

01:00:59.639 --> 01:01:02.110
And who did the Democrats nominate? Grover Cleveland,

01:01:02.289 --> 01:01:05.369
of course, setting up a rematch of the 1888 election.

01:01:05.789 --> 01:01:08.030
Harrison versus Cleveland, part two. And the

01:01:08.030 --> 01:01:10.750
political winds had shifted. That high McKinley

01:01:10.750 --> 01:01:13.610
tariff, which had made imported goods expensive

01:01:13.610 --> 01:01:16.289
for average Americans, had pushed many voters

01:01:16.289 --> 01:01:19.070
towards the Democrats' reform position, favoring

01:01:19.070 --> 01:01:21.730
lower tariffs. Locket book issues. Always powerful.

01:01:22.079 --> 01:01:24.960
Plus, many traditional Republican voters out

01:01:24.960 --> 01:01:27.960
west defected to the new populist party candidate,

01:01:28.300 --> 01:01:31.179
James Weaver. The populist surge. Weaver promised

01:01:31.179 --> 01:01:34.199
free silver, generous veterans' pensions, and

01:01:34.199 --> 01:01:36.900
eight -hour workday, pulling votes Harrison needed.

01:01:37.519 --> 01:01:39.280
And the violent suppression of the Homestead

01:01:39.280 --> 01:01:41.360
strike that summer, though the federal government

01:01:41.360 --> 01:01:44.760
didn't directly intervene, also negatively impacted

01:01:44.760 --> 01:01:47.119
the Republicans in the eyes of labor voters.

01:01:47.610 --> 01:01:49.750
tarnished their image. A lot of factors working

01:01:49.750 --> 01:01:52.269
against him. And then adding immense personal

01:01:52.269 --> 01:01:54.590
tragedy to the political challenges. Harrison's

01:01:54.590 --> 01:01:56.750
wife Caroline had been battling tuberculosis.

01:01:56.889 --> 01:01:59.190
His wife Carrie, who he met back in college.

01:01:59.349 --> 01:02:01.809
That's right. She tragically died just two weeks

01:02:01.809 --> 01:02:04.369
before the election on October 25th. Oh, that's

01:02:04.369 --> 01:02:06.610
devastating. Right before the vote. A profound

01:02:06.610 --> 01:02:09.650
personal loss. This, coupled with the fact that

01:02:09.650 --> 01:02:11.409
both candidates had already served in the White

01:02:11.409 --> 01:02:14.050
House, led to a remarkably low -key campaign

01:02:14.050 --> 01:02:17.030
in the final weeks. Neither candidate actively

01:02:17.030 --> 01:02:19.710
campaigned personally out of respect. A somber

01:02:19.710 --> 01:02:22.369
end to a hard fought political chapter. What

01:02:22.369 --> 01:02:24.730
was the result? A decisive defeat for Harrison.

01:02:25.670 --> 01:02:28.530
Cleveland won the election pretty easily. 277

01:02:28.530 --> 01:02:32.190
electoral votes to Harrison's 145 secured a clear

01:02:32.190 --> 01:02:35.289
popular vote victory to over 380 ,000 votes.

01:02:35.449 --> 01:02:37.389
A clear mandate for Cleveland. It was the most

01:02:37.389 --> 01:02:40.309
decisive presidential election in 20 years. Marked

01:02:40.309 --> 01:02:42.329
a clear rejection of the Republican platform

01:02:42.329 --> 01:02:44.530
and perhaps Harrison's more aloof leadership

01:02:44.530 --> 01:02:46.969
style. He became the first president to be succeeded

01:02:46.969 --> 01:02:49.409
in office by his immediate predecessor. Wow,

01:02:49.489 --> 01:02:51.889
that's rare. Cleveland served non -consecutive

01:02:51.889 --> 01:02:54.969
terms. Exactly. Highlights the turbulent transitional

01:02:54.969 --> 01:02:57.409
nature of the era back and forth between the

01:02:57.409 --> 01:02:59.610
parties. So Harrison leaves office. What does

01:02:59.610 --> 01:03:03.320
he do next? Go back to Indianapolis. Yes. After

01:03:03.320 --> 01:03:05.679
leaving office, he returned to his private life

01:03:05.679 --> 01:03:08.860
and law practice in Indianapolis. He made appearances,

01:03:09.219 --> 01:03:12.519
gave lectures, even did a stint at teaching constitutional

01:03:12.519 --> 01:03:16.079
law at Stanford University in 1894. Lived out

01:03:16.079 --> 01:03:18.380
in San Francisco for a few months. Kept busy.

01:03:19.159 --> 01:03:21.760
Did he try for a comeback? Some friends of the

01:03:21.760 --> 01:03:23.639
Republican Party tried to convince him to seek

01:03:23.639 --> 01:03:26.539
the presidency again in 96, but he declined.

01:03:27.139 --> 01:03:29.579
Instead, he campaigned for William McKinley,

01:03:29.900 --> 01:03:31.639
remaining an influential voice in the party,

01:03:31.960 --> 01:03:34.440
just from a different platform, elder statesman

01:03:34.440 --> 01:03:36.860
role. And he had that big international law case,

01:03:36.860 --> 01:03:39.880
right? Yes. In 1898, he gained significant international

01:03:39.880 --> 01:03:42.780
renown, served as the lead attorney for Venezuela

01:03:42.780 --> 01:03:45.280
in its boundary dispute with Great Britain over

01:03:45.280 --> 01:03:47.360
the border with British Guiana. Taking on the

01:03:47.360 --> 01:03:49.690
British Empire in court. He filed an impressive

01:03:49.690 --> 01:03:53.369
800 page brief, spent over 25 hours arguing Venezuela's

01:03:53.369 --> 01:03:56.690
case in court in Paris. Though Venezuela ultimately

01:03:56.690 --> 01:03:59.269
lost the case on most points, his legal arguments

01:03:59.269 --> 01:04:01.929
garnered him huge international respect, showed

01:04:01.929 --> 01:04:04.369
his sharp legal mind was still very much active.

01:04:04.730 --> 01:04:07.210
Still engaged on the world stage. He also attended

01:04:07.210 --> 01:04:09.889
the first peace conference at the Hague in 1899,

01:04:10.610 --> 01:04:12.570
continued his engagement with global affairs,

01:04:13.010 --> 01:04:15.710
international law, diplomacy, even after his

01:04:15.710 --> 01:04:19.000
presidency. showcased a mind consistently dedicated

01:04:19.000 --> 01:04:21.579
to those principles. Now, Harrison was often

01:04:21.579 --> 01:04:25.539
described then and now as a conservative, nicknamed

01:04:25.539 --> 01:04:28.500
the conservative president. Herbert Hoover even

01:04:28.500 --> 01:04:31.639
apparently called Calvin Coolidge a real conservative,

01:04:31.900 --> 01:04:34.239
probably the equal of Benjamin Harrison. High

01:04:34.239 --> 01:04:36.699
praise from that wing. True. That label stuck.

01:04:37.380 --> 01:04:39.460
But it's crucial to understand, as we've seen,

01:04:39.820 --> 01:04:42.480
that Harrison was not simply an advocate of laissez

01:04:42.480 --> 01:04:44.400
-faire, the idea that government should just

01:04:44.400 --> 01:04:47.019
leave the economy alone. Right. Sherman Act,

01:04:47.139 --> 01:04:49.699
pensions, inspections. That's not hands off.

01:04:49.820 --> 01:04:52.639
Not at all. He firmly believed and said that

01:04:52.639 --> 01:04:55.119
the national government has a duty to provide

01:04:55.119 --> 01:04:57.719
work, employment, comfort to the American working

01:04:57.719 --> 01:05:00.579
man. Argued this responsibility went beyond just

01:05:00.579 --> 01:05:02.960
local government. A federal responsibility for

01:05:02.960 --> 01:05:05.579
worker welfare? Yes. He also passionately spoke

01:05:05.579 --> 01:05:07.960
about workers earning a living wage. And get

01:05:07.960 --> 01:05:10.739
this, he advocated for a Social Security fund,

01:05:10.820 --> 01:05:13.619
his words, to provide coverage for old age, accidents

01:05:13.619 --> 01:05:16.639
and sickness. Wow. That's incredibly progressive

01:05:16.639 --> 01:05:19.239
for the 1890s, decades ahead of the New Deal.

01:05:19.860 --> 01:05:22.739
Absolutely. Demonstrating a surprisingly progressive

01:05:22.739 --> 01:05:25.420
vision for social welfare that was far ahead

01:05:25.420 --> 01:05:28.260
of his time. It really challenges that simple

01:05:28.260 --> 01:05:31.320
conservative label and speaks to his nuanced,

01:05:31.760 --> 01:05:34.760
maybe evolving approach to federal power and

01:05:34.760 --> 01:05:37.219
social responsibility. And speaking of evolving

01:05:37.219 --> 01:05:40.409
views... His stance on imperialism changed too,

01:05:40.530 --> 01:05:42.610
didn't it? It did. Though he had supported the

01:05:42.610 --> 01:05:45.530
annexation of Hawaii during his presidency, Harrison

01:05:45.530 --> 01:05:48.110
later grew to oppose further imperialism under

01:05:48.110 --> 01:05:51.050
President McKinley, particularly after the Spanish

01:05:51.050 --> 01:05:53.889
-American War. What prompted that shift? He was

01:05:53.889 --> 01:05:56.309
disturbed by the idea of ruling territories like

01:05:56.309 --> 01:05:59.010
Puerto Rico without granting them full constitutional

01:05:59.010 --> 01:06:01.650
rights. In response to tariffs being imposed

01:06:01.650 --> 01:06:03.630
on Puerto Rico, despite it being part of the

01:06:03.630 --> 01:06:06.469
U .S., he declared, and this is powerful, a government

01:06:06.469 --> 01:06:09.739
of unlimited and executive power is not an American

01:06:09.739 --> 01:06:12.260
government. If the act of annexation does not

01:06:12.260 --> 01:06:14.179
carry the Constitution, I can think of nothing

01:06:14.179 --> 01:06:16.599
else that does. Applying constitutional principles

01:06:16.599 --> 01:06:19.820
universally. This is a profound statement. Showcasing

01:06:19.820 --> 01:06:22.400
a president whose views continue to evolve, who

01:06:22.400 --> 01:06:24.199
kept thinking critically about the fundamental

01:06:24.199 --> 01:06:26.099
principles of American governance and its role

01:06:26.099 --> 01:06:28.480
in the world, especially as the nation grappled

01:06:28.480 --> 01:06:31.880
with new imperial ambitions. He was pushing for

01:06:31.880 --> 01:06:34.739
a constitutionalist view, even when it contradicted

01:06:34.739 --> 01:06:37.869
the political currents of the time. really crystallizes

01:06:37.869 --> 01:06:40.190
his commitment to bedrock American principles.

01:06:40.610 --> 01:06:43.449
So how did his life end? Benjamin Harrison died

01:06:43.449 --> 01:06:47.849
on March 13th, 1901 at the age of 67. Complications

01:06:47.849 --> 01:06:50.429
from influenza that turned into pneumonia. His

01:06:50.429 --> 01:06:52.789
last reported words were poignant, asking about

01:06:52.789 --> 01:06:55.750
his doctors. Are the doctors here? Doctor, my

01:06:55.750 --> 01:06:58.530
lungs. A quiet end for a sometimes quiet president.

01:06:58.860 --> 01:07:01.699
He was buried in Indianapolis's Crown Hill Cemetery

01:07:01.699 --> 01:07:04.340
next to his first wife, Caroline, leaving behind

01:07:04.340 --> 01:07:07.239
this legacy that was for a long time really underestimated.

01:07:07.440 --> 01:07:09.420
For sure. While scholars have generally ranked

01:07:09.420 --> 01:07:12.500
him as average, often, as we said, due to a lack

01:07:12.500 --> 01:07:15.739
of eventful major wars or maybe a lack of personal

01:07:15.739 --> 01:07:18.840
charisma, recent historical analysis, particularly

01:07:18.840 --> 01:07:21.300
by Charles Calhoun, fundamentally challenges

01:07:21.300 --> 01:07:24.050
this. Calhoun gives Harrison major credit for

01:07:24.050 --> 01:07:27.050
that innovative legislation, antitrust, monetary

01:07:27.050 --> 01:07:29.969
policy, tariffs, argues Harrison was actually

01:07:29.969 --> 01:07:32.710
even more responsible than Secretary Blaine for

01:07:32.710 --> 01:07:35.949
the success of trade negotiations, that crucial

01:07:35.949 --> 01:07:39.230
steel Navy buildup and America's overseas expansion,

01:07:39.690 --> 01:07:41.849
emphasizing the Monroe Doctrine. And throughout

01:07:41.849 --> 01:07:43.889
its career, Harrison maintained a widespread

01:07:43.889 --> 01:07:46.110
reputation for personal and official integrity,

01:07:46.530 --> 01:07:49.650
even as critics usually admitted that. So a reassessment

01:07:49.650 --> 01:07:52.889
is underway. I think so. His economic policies,

01:07:53.230 --> 01:07:55.510
controversial as they were, sometimes contributing

01:07:55.510 --> 01:07:58.989
to instability were undeniably significant. His

01:07:58.989 --> 01:08:01.190
robust support for African -American voting rights

01:08:01.190 --> 01:08:03.590
and education, those are the last major attempts

01:08:03.590 --> 01:08:05.469
to protect civil rights through federal means

01:08:05.469 --> 01:08:08.670
until the 1930s. His tenacity in foreign policy

01:08:08.670 --> 01:08:10.869
was clearly emulated by figures like Theodore

01:08:10.869 --> 01:08:13.489
Roosevelt. Harrison's presidency, though squarely

01:08:13.489 --> 01:08:16.350
in the 19th century, really clearly pointed the

01:08:16.350 --> 01:08:18.310
way to the modern presidency that emerged under

01:08:18.310 --> 01:08:20.609
William McKinley and T .R. And his legacy is

01:08:20.609 --> 01:08:23.050
still visible, right? Memorials, place names.

01:08:23.369 --> 01:08:26.250
Oh yeah, far from forgotten. Honored on six U

01:08:26.250 --> 01:08:29.050
.S. postage stamps, featured on $5 national bank

01:08:29.050 --> 01:08:31.810
notes back in the day, a presidential $1 coin

01:08:31.810 --> 01:08:34.069
more recently. There's the Benjamin Harrison

01:08:34.069 --> 01:08:36.350
Memorial Statue in Indianapolis. His home there

01:08:36.350 --> 01:08:39.590
is now a library and museum. Fort Benjamin Harrison

01:08:39.590 --> 01:08:42.789
in Indiana. Halls named after him at Miami University

01:08:42.789 --> 01:08:45.789
in Purdue. His impact is still felt, even if

01:08:45.789 --> 01:08:48.050
not always widely recognized or fully understood.

01:08:48.689 --> 01:08:50.649
So after digging deep, what does this all mean

01:08:50.649 --> 01:08:53.430
for Benjamin Harrison? We've seen a man of, well,

01:08:53.550 --> 01:08:56.729
deep conviction, a decorated Civil War general

01:08:56.729 --> 01:08:59.090
who famously led his troops with a simple, come

01:08:59.090 --> 01:09:02.569
on boys, a senator who pushed for civil rights,

01:09:02.710 --> 01:09:04.689
even when it was unpopular, even within his own

01:09:04.689 --> 01:09:07.710
party, and a president who signed truly groundbreaking

01:09:07.710 --> 01:09:10.510
legislation like the Sherman Antitrust Act, created

01:09:10.510 --> 01:09:12.909
the nation's first national forest reserves,

01:09:13.590 --> 01:09:15.590
aggressively modernized the Navy and American

01:09:15.590 --> 01:09:17.689
foreign policy. He tackled some of the most complex

01:09:17.689 --> 01:09:20.109
issues of his time, didn't he? Tariffs, currency,

01:09:20.590 --> 01:09:23.340
the very definition of civil rights. often with

01:09:23.340 --> 01:09:26.119
a quiet determination that maybe belied his profound

01:09:26.119 --> 01:09:28.760
impact. He was a president who, despite often

01:09:28.760 --> 01:09:31.720
being called average, oversaw more states admitted

01:09:31.720 --> 01:09:34.760
to the union than any other, initiated America's

01:09:34.760 --> 01:09:38.380
rise as a legitimate global naval power, even

01:09:38.380 --> 01:09:40.340
made the first presidential voice recording.

01:09:40.460 --> 01:09:44.079
Yeah. And his earnest, almost academic approach

01:09:44.079 --> 01:09:47.399
to governance. It often alienated the political

01:09:47.399 --> 01:09:49.640
machine, right, the party bosses who expected

01:09:49.640 --> 01:09:52.300
patronage, but maybe also allowed him to pursue

01:09:52.300 --> 01:09:55.180
policy with a clearer sense of duty and principle.

01:09:56.279 --> 01:09:58.640
Prioritizing long -term vision over short -term

01:09:58.640 --> 01:10:01.300
political gain sometimes. His impact feels foundational,

01:10:01.539 --> 01:10:03.640
a true bridge to the 20th century. I think that's

01:10:03.640 --> 01:10:05.819
right. So this deep dive into Benjamin Harrison

01:10:05.819 --> 01:10:09.159
really asks us, and asks you, to reconsider what

01:10:09.159 --> 01:10:11.640
average truly means in the context of leadership.

01:10:12.220 --> 01:10:15.140
Is it all about charisma, grand gestures, the

01:10:15.140 --> 01:10:17.779
sheer volume of immediate celebrated legislation?

01:10:17.920 --> 01:10:20.300
Or is it sometimes about the quiet, consistent

01:10:20.300 --> 01:10:23.199
work, building institutions, expanding federal

01:10:23.199 --> 01:10:25.670
power carefully to protect rights? the environment,

01:10:25.909 --> 01:10:28.310
workers, setting the course for the future, even

01:10:28.310 --> 01:10:30.449
if those efforts aren't immediately met with

01:10:30.449 --> 01:10:32.529
public acclaim or even fully successful right

01:10:32.529 --> 01:10:35.710
away. Harrison's impact was often subtle, foundational,

01:10:36.149 --> 01:10:38.109
perhaps all the more enduring for it, shaping

01:10:38.109 --> 01:10:39.989
America in ways we're still grappling with today.

01:10:40.609 --> 01:10:42.710
So what will you look for when you next evaluate

01:10:42.710 --> 01:10:45.409
a leader's legacy, the loudest voice and maybe

01:10:45.409 --> 01:10:46.750
the quiet modernizer?