This pioneering work of photojournalism by Jacob Riis focused on the plight of the poor in the Lower East Side, and greatly influenced future "muckraking" journalism. Riis mostly attributed the plight of the poor to environmental conditions, but he also divided the poor into two categories: deserving of assistance (mostly women and children) and undeserving (mostly the unemployed and intractably criminal). He wrote with prejudice about Jews, Italians, and Irish, and he stopped short of calling for government intervention. Still, the catalyst of his work was a genuine sympathy for his subjects, and his work shocked many New Yorkers.
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Benjamin Harrison was the grandson of the ninth President of the United States, William Henry Harrison. The Republican was appointed Senator from Indiana in 1881. In 1888, he was tapped by the party as a scandal-free candidate to run against Grover Cleveland. The main issues of Harrison's single presidential term were his signing of the McKinley Tariff bill into law and its impact on the economy, and an aggressive foreign policy.
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Grover Cleveland was elected to the presidency a second time, four years after the conclusion of his first time. The main issues & events of his second term included the economy, the Pullman Strike, race and gender issues, and a revitalization of the Monroe Doctrine in foreign policy. Cleveland's record-breaking use of the presidential veto as the "guardian president" enabled him to establish equilibrium between the executive and legislative branches.
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The election of 1896 is often seen as a realigning election, and one of the most complex in American history. The main campaign issue in 1896 was a debate with William Jennings Bryan over the use of gold and silver in the coining of money. It resulted in a Republican coalition and control over the White House for 16 years.
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