The significance of the individual roles played by specific presidents within the years 1815 to 1917 was important in ensuring that the USA developed positively as a nation. The impact of the individual presidency on American society and its political stance globally, was greatly reliant on the ways in which policies and the overall democratic system was handled at the time of each individual presidential term. Though the impact of each individual president differed depending on the influence their leadership made on the USA as a whole, it also depended on the reforms made regarding economic, social or political instabilities at the time. Many presidents can be said to have made a significantly positive difference while in office like that …show more content…
When understanding the significance of William McKinley and his developments in the economic maintenance of US society we come to appreciate the great advancements made by him in regards to the uplifting of American economy at the time. Once he had presumed the responsibilities of office, McKinley immediately turned his attention to measures for assuring economic recovery. McKinley was particularly passionate about keeping American investment within the country. It led to the Dingley Tariff Act of 1897 that protected manufacturers and factory workers from foreign competition and gave stability to the economy through the idea of ‘Protectionism’. The tariff continued for up to twelve years and became the highest tariff in American history. A second measure put forth by McKinley regarding the improvement in economic recovery involved carrying out the Republican Party’s pledges to secure an international agreement on ‘Bimetallism’. Bimetallism was the monetary system in which the value of currency was based upon two metals in this case gold and silver. McKinley favoured this idea because it promised that the combination of the two metals would provide a greater amount of financial reserves for the United States. Additionally the fact that most of the world's leading nations were on a Bimetallic standard in …show more content…
Banks failed and unemployment reached record highs leading to the currency to fall rapidly and the public protesting his presidency. The way in which Buren handled his political power can be said to have influenced the backlash that he received by the public who branded him ‘Martin Van Ruin’. The way in which he stood by policies like the ‘free market’ theory used by his predecessors was in fact a downfall to his term in office and due to this inability to construct improvements for society allowed for American economy to plummet. The idea that Buren had in relation to the ways in which government was run can be said to mirror that of James Buchanan the fifteenth president of America from 1857 to 1861. Buchanan preferred the concept of self-government and considered the central of an effective self-government to be constructed on restraint. He believed that government should be run respectively by representatives of the public view not just the ‘arbitrary’ decisions by government authority. This idea can be said to have been a great deal of improvement to that of Buren’s presidency however, Buchanan made neglected decisions in relation to tariffs and the economic well-being of America as a whole. Buchanan decided that tariffs should be banned as they neither benefitted the country or the individual inclined to pay the tax. Even though it could have benefited, as Buchanan declared that tariffs neither helped the trader nor the customer, it affected the