<@Lokar> Anyway since the topic has been raised: who's up for some obscure US Presidental facts?
<@Lokar> For tonight's outing we're are going to through the cartaker Presidents of the late 19th century
<@MW> http://i.imgur.com/30Yrg5k.png
<@Lokar> After the US Civil War and the Assassination of President Linclon by souther sympathize John Wilkes Booth the US Presidency went to Andrew Johnson who was selected as Linclon's running mate because he was A. a Democrat and B. from the state of Tennesse which was in the south but functionally had two governments, one that went with the CSA and one that remained in the Union and was quickly occupied by Union forces early on in the war
<@Lokar> Johnson continued policies set forth by Lincoln which promised "With Malice towards none and Justice for all which clashed with the so-called "Radical Republicians" of the era who wanted to see the South punished for the civil war. The matter eventually came to head with the impachement effort against Johnson which failed.
<@Lokar> It was during the term of Johnson that America would gain the current prison of my evil clone and namesake of one of SB's insufferable mods, Alaska in what was known as Swerd's Folly named after the Sect of State who both pushed for and negoiated
<@Lokar> at the time Russia thought it was a steal as fur (which the region had been known for) was tapped out
<@Lokar> it wasn't until years latter than minor amounts of gold and then later oil was discovered there
<@Lokar> Following Johnson was U.S. Grant hero of the civil war who's tactics at the end were the show runner for the horrors of the First World War. His administration was known to be rife with corruption leading to several scandels and to this day he remains one of the worst PResidents in American history. However it should eb noted that he was also the first president to travel to Japan after his term ended and met with Bismarck as he did a world tour.
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<@Lokar> Now we get to some juicy controversy with Ruthford Hayes and the election of 1876
<@Lokar> During the timefram of Johnson and Grant several southern states were deemed sufficent enough to be allowed back into the Union with full rights (which included voting in national elections). In 1876 a deadlock was reached between Hayes and the Democrat Samuel Tidlen which went to the House.
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<@Lokar> In return for accepting Hayes the Congressional Republicians voted to end Reconstruction which led to the rather quick implitation of the "Jim Crow" laws which would remain in place until the Civil Rights Acts nearly 100 years later.
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<@Lokar> His term is remembered for little outside of that save for using troops to put down some railroad strike and some cleaning of of the rife politicial corruption I mentioned earlier. One of those figures was a Chester A Arthur who will return to the story a little latter.
<@Lokar> Because of the continious nature of how he came to power he was known as RutherFRAUD Hayes. Thankfully he kept one of his campagin promises and served only one term.
<@Lokar> Next comes James Garfeild of which much was hoped but it was cut short as he was shot by a derranged man who, I kid you not, shot Garfeild because he claimed he promised the Ambassadorship to Peru.
<@Lokar> Interesting it was not the actual shot which killed Garfeild but rather infection from all the doctors sticking their fingers in the wound in an attempt to find the bullet
<@Lokar> In another interesting note: Thomas Edison was called in to use a primative metal detector which he invented to find the bullet.
<@Lokar> He was succeeded by his VP... Chester A Aruther
<@Lokar> Who was forced out of the US Customs office in NY by Hayes.  In another note before he was VP he had successfully defended a Black woman who sued a trolley company for forcing her to mvoe to give up her seat and move to the back on account of her race. This did not involve Southern Conservatives or the South at all but rather this was NYC which was welcoming to all immigrants (to see HOW welcoming they were I recommend that wonderful period film, The Gangs of New York).
<@Lokar> What Arthur can best be known for is the fact he modernized the US Navy into an all iron/steel hull navy.
<@Lokar> Moving on we have Grover Cleavland of New York who best known for the fact he remains the only President to win office, loose office, and then regain office. He fact a contraverse when his ward was found to be pregeant and while there were several men who ould've been the father of the child (including Cleavland) he took the honorable road and married her.
<@Lokar> oops sprry
<@Lokar> mispoke
<@Lokar> he did not marry the woman
<@Lokar> He did pay child support tho
<@bidoof2> at least he isn't donald trump
<@Lokar> During the election the cry of the Republicans (Cleaveland was a Democrat) was "Ma ma where's my pa!"
<@Lokar> But what sunk their chances was when the Blaine  the Republician canidate lambasted the Irish and the Democratic party as being that of "Rum, Romanism, and Rebellion."
<@Lokar> We're going to get back to the Irish in a bit
<@Sarpedon> didnt arthur
<@Sarpedon> also do the Chinese Exclusion acts
<@Lokar> But safe to say Anti-Catholicism was strong in US history.
<@Lokar> Shit forgot about that
<@Lokar> yes
<@Lokar> (thank you Snarp I thought was during harrison)
<@Lokar> When the railroads were finally compelted after the Chinese hung from wicker baskets off the sides of mountains with lit stick of dynmite and the Irish moved accross the flat plains of the west killing all the buffulo, Indians and open range ranchers they came across east and west were finally linked.
<@Lokar> And therefore the Irish moved into the west coast where they found the cheap labour market already dominated, by people who were willing to work for even less which was an outrage.
<@Lokar> So they did what anyone of time did, they acted out in violence and then put pressure on the political machines which in turn put pressure on the politicans which lead to the Chinese Exlusion Act of 1882 which remained in effect until the middle of World War 2
<@Lokar> As mentioned before Blaine (Sect of State for Arthur IIRC) due to afordmentioned comments on the Irish.
<@Lokar> This was of course all in accordance with the American Revolution and it principles and not Southern Conservativism.
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<@Lokar> Cleveland was a believer in free silver, high tarrifs, subsidies to businesses who treated their workers like shit and seeked rent as well as anyone today and imperialism
<@Lokar> He also intervened on the side of the railroads during the Pullsman strike of 1894 and appoligise but since there is a gap time gets a little wonky here
<@Lokar> duing his time we also stat to see more steel hulled vessels which included battleships (pre-dreads ofcourse)
<@Lokar> He was replaced for a term with Benjamin Harrison who was the grandson of William Hnery Harrison our shortest serving Prsident
<@Lokar> His term as president gave us some of the highest tariffs ever as well as the Sherman Anti-Trust act
<@Lokar> In additon we see the begining of Nation Forsts which later gets expanded
<@Lokar> The US starts getting technolical advances and Harrison becomes the first President to get his voice recorded as well as see electricty installed in the White House. The afford mentioned battleships are also laided down during his term.
<@Lokar> Harrison also proceeded with an aggressive foreing policy in Latin America which would see Fredirck Douglas as ambassador to Haiti, clashed with both Britian and Germany over the Samoan Island (US would evntually prevail) and the Annexation of Hawaii in his last days.
<@Lokar> Pretty all of the northern mid west would become states during this period as well
<@Lokar> After Cleaveland's second term which would see the Panic (read Depression) of 1896 (which some say was worst than the Great Depression of the 1930s) the political landscape would see a splintering and Progressivism and Greenback party rise as would a young firebrand name William Jenning Bryan
<@g_g> cross of gold man
<@Lokar> However, the election of 1896 would lead to election of William McKinly as the aforementioned depression and cancer killed all their chances
<@Lokar> During his term the height of US imperialism would be reached in the Spanish-American wAR
<@Lokar> McKinley would die at the hands of Anarchist as he was shot while shaking hands at an event
<@Silence> howdy ho
<@g_g> In Buffalo wasn't it?
<@g_g> Further proof that it should be avoided.
<@Lokar> he in turn would be successed by the man who would kick off the 20th century and beging of America's rise to Dominance: Theordore Roosevelt
<@Lokar> yup
<@Lokar> the Pan-American Exposition
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<@Lokar> his downfall was that he loved being with the public
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<@Lokar> Of interesting notes: The majority of the Presidents during this period were either from New York or Ohio espically Ohio which lead to the phrase: "Somemen are born to wealth, some to greatestness and some men are born in Ohio"
<@Exhack> lol
<@Lokar> and IIRC they all served in the US Civil War at regimental or brigade ranks
<@Lokar> During this period you also saw the first "Billion Dollar" Congress as in tariffs and taxes neted Congress a billion dollar which they now spend in the time it took me to type this
<@Lokar> McKinley's assassination also promoted Congress to offically charge the Secert Service (who were mostly involved in anti-counterfitting operations) to protect the President
<@Lokar> hope you guys didn't mind seizing the chat the chat