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Not all of our people are happy and prosperous; not all of them are virtuous and law-abiding. But on the whole the opportunities offered to the individual to secure the comforts of life are better than are found elsewhere and largely better than they were here one hundred years ago. Inaugural Address

Inaugural Address

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Legacy

Before becoming president, Harrison served as a U.S. senator, where he advocated for the rights of Native Americans, homesteaders, and Civil War veterans. As president, Harrison signed the Dependent and Disability Pensions Act that compensated veterans who had been disabled from nonmilitary causes.

Harrison is also well remembered for his efforts in shaping foreign policy and regulating business. The first Pan-American Congress met in Washington in 1889, which sought to establish a forum discussing regional solidarity of the American continents. This group became permanently known as the Pan-American Union in 1910. Harrison also signed appropriation bills to strengthen the Navy in order to expand U.S. influence in Central America and the Pacific.