Who Was Grover Cleveland? Part 2

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

Grover Cleveland was president twice, but there was another president (Benjamin Harrison) who served between his two terms. Check out the Elephango lessons in the right-hand sidebar about President Cleveland's first term (Related Lessons) and President Harrison's term (Additional Resources).

This is the only time in history (as of 2023) when that happened.

During his second term as president (the 24^th presidency), he used federal troops in a dispute with the train strike that interfered with the mail system and delivery. (A strike is when workers stop working to fight for what they believe is right and fair, usually a higher salary.)

This angered many Americans because they believed this was too bold a move by the president.

The use of federal troops is a topic for debate among Americans because of the inherent belief that, when troops are called, it can create an even more hostile environment.

For example, the military is called upon for war purposes, and most soldiers carry weapons. This creates an image of negative interaction (or war). When the military is deployed in any capacity, it causes a bit of concern — and often times panic — among the citizens.

The president has the right to use federal troops (stated in the Constitution) to facilitate peaceful re-consolidation and compromise between two groups of people. In history, federal troops are often deployed to either peacefully solve an issue or aid in the protection or need of the people (The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878).

Read about the Posse Comitatus Act and create a fact sheet regarding how it can, and has been, used. Be sure to include examples of how it has been used in the past.

Remember, this is a fact sheet and not an opinion piece. You are to just bullet-point the facts about the act, and how it has been used in the past.

Deploying military personnel is a power the president has, and in the history of the Posse Comitatus Act, this power has been executed many times.

• Do you believe it is something the president SHOULD be able to do?

In the Got It? section, explore the other contributions president Cleveland made to the U.S. in his second term as the 24^th president.