American Presidents

Chester A. Arthur
“Since I came here I have learned
that Chester A. Arthur is one
man and the president of the
United States is another.”
—Chester A. Arthur

Pre-Reading
A. Warm-Up Questions

1. What do you know about the 21st president,

Chester A. Arthur?

2. What does the term “spoils system” mean?

3. Do you know what the term “bon vivant” means?

4. Who becomes president after a president is assassinated?

B. Vocabulary Preview

Match as many meanings and words as you can before you read.
Check this exercise again after seeing the words in context on page 2.

1. principal a)  support

2. protégé b)  dishonest, broken
3. backing c)  the head of a school
4. ardent d)  not mentally stable, irrational
5. corrupt e)  to disallow entrance
6. deranged f)  one who trains under an experienced guide’s expertise
7. veto g)  capable of getting something done
8. bar h)  to use one’s authority to block a new rule or law
9. elegant i)  stylish
10. competent j)  passionate, intense

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 Chester A. Arthur
American Presidents

Reading
1. Chester A. Arthur was the 21st president of
the United States. He was born in Vermont in
1829. His father was a Baptist minister. In 1848,
Chester graduated from Union College in New York.
After college, he became a teacher and then the
principal of an academy. He also became a lawyer.
He practiced law in New York City.
2. During the first part of the Civil War, Arthur served
as quartermaster general of the state of New
York. He also held the rank of brigadier general.
In 1862, he went back to the practice of law. In
New York, Arthur became a protégé of Roscoe
Conkling, a powerful Republican senator and
political boss. With Conkling’s backing, Arthur
was appointed Collector of the Port of New York
by President Grant.
3. In his position as Collector, Arthur became even
more powerful. He was known as “Boss Arthur.”
Although Arthur was honest in his job, he still
believed in the spoils system, a system that gave
jobs to members of his political party to thank
them for their support. In 1878, President Hayes,
an ardent reformer, fired Arthur. Although Arthur
was not dishonest, he had become a symbol of the
corrupt spoils system.
5. Most of the Arthur administration’s reforms were
positive. Some, however, were not. The Chinese
Exclusion Act of 1882 aimed to bar Chinese people
from immigrating to the United States. Arthur
vetoed the original Chinese Exclusion Act, which
proposed to stop Chinese immigration for 20 years.
However, after Congress reduced the number of
years to ten, Arthur supported the law.
6. During his time in office, President Arthur was
known more as a bon vivant than a great president.
He seemed to be more interested in elegant
clothes, fine food and wine, and parties than in
government business. However, historians agree
that although he was not an outstanding president,
he was an efficient and competent one. Still, the
Republican Party did not nominate Arthur for a
second term in office. He returned to New York
where he died of kidney disease in 1886. He was
57 years old.

4. In 1880, Arthur ran for vice president on

the Republican ticket. James Garfield was
the presidential candidate. In July of 1881,
Garfield was shot by a deranged lawyer. In
September of 1881, Garfield died. One day
later, Chester A. Arthur became president.

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 Chester A. Arthur
American Presidents

Comprehension
A. True or False?

Read the statements below.

If the statement is true, write T beside the sentence.
If it is false, write F and correct the information in your notebook.

1. Chester A. Arthur came from a religious family.

2. After college, Arthur worked in the field of education.

3. Arthur was a colonel in the Civil War.

4. Arthur believed in the spoils system.

5. Arthur was a protégé of President Grant.

6. According to the reading, President Hayes fired Arthur for being dishonest.

7. Arthur eventually supported the Chinese Exclusion Act.

8. President Arthur was the second president to die in office.

B. Ask & Answer

Practice asking and answering the following questions with your partner.
Then write your answers in complete sentences in your notebook.

1. Where did Chester A. Arthur practice law?

2. How did Arthur become the Collector of the Port of New York?

3. What was Chester A. Arthur’s nickname?

4. How did Arthur become president?

5. Who was barred from immigrating to the US under an 1882 act of Congress?

6. Why was Arthur known as a bon vivant?

7. Why didn’t Chester A. Arthur run for a second term as president?

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 Chester A. Arthur
American Presidents

Vocabulary Practice
A. Definitions

Choose the word or phrase with the closest meaning to

the underlined word or phrase in the following sentences.

1. Chester A. Arthur was the principal of an academy.

a) lead teacher
b) head of the school
c) best student in the school

2. Arthur practiced law in New York City.

a) worked as a lawyer
b) studied law books
c) took the bar exam many times

3. Arthur became a protégé of Senator Conkling.

a) someone who is a good friend of a powerful person

b) someone who receives support from a powerful person
c) someone who is critic of a powerful person

4. Good positions were given to loyal party members.

a) jobs
b) locations
c) ranks

5. Arthur succeeded in his career with the powerful senator’s backing.

a) support
b) knowledge
c) protection

6. The spoils of political success used to

be government jobs for party members.

a) dishonesty
b) garbage
c) rewards

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 Chester A. Arthur
American Presidents

Vocabulary Practice cont.

7. After becoming president,
Arthur wanted to reform the civil service system.

a) destroy forever
b) change for the better
c) maintain stability

8. People competed for a government job by taking an exam.

a) tried to do better than someone else

b) cooperated fully with someone else
c) accepted help from someone else

9. A deranged lawyer, who was know for

being unstable, shot President Garfield.

a) famous
b) insane
c) angry

10. Arthur also tried to stop corruption in the US postal system.

a) low salaries
b) careless mistakes
c) dishonest practices

11. The Chinese Exclusion Act aimed to bar

Chinese people from immigrating to the US.

a) try to stop
b) want to scare
c) intend to help

12. President Hayes was an ardent reformer

who wanted to change the civil service system.

a) annoying
b) half-hearted
c) enthusiastic

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 Chester A. Arthur
American Presidents

Vocabulary Practice cont.

B. Antonyms

Match each word on the left to its antonym on the right.

1. powerful a)  increase

2. dishonest b)  oppose

3. fire c)  ineffective

4. support d)  unstylish

5. reduce e)  truthful

6. elegant f)  weak

7. veto g)  hire

8. efficient h)  approve

Discussion
1. Do you think that the spoils system still exists in the US? Explain and
discuss examples. Does the spoils system exist in your native country
or other countries? If so, explain and discuss examples.

2. The story mentioned the Chinese Exclusion Act. Why do you think
certain ethnic groups are targeted for acts of discrimination and
hatred? Are there economic, political, social, or religious reasons for
discrimination against certain groups? Does discrimination against
certain groups exist in your country? Explain and discuss some
examples for each question.

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 Chester A. Arthur
American Presidents

Answer Key
LESSON DESCRIPTION: LEVEL: Int – Adv

In this lesson, students read a short biography about the 21st
president of the United States. They review new vocabulary and
learn about the spoils system and the Chinese Exclusion Act.
TIME: 1–2 hours
TAGS:  C
 hester Arthur, US presidents, American, history, politics,
spoils system, Chinese Exclusion Act, immigration, China

Pre-Reading Comprehension

A. WARM-UP QUESTIONS A. TRUE OR FALSE?

1. Answers will vary. 1. T

2. The spoils system is the practice of rewarding political party 2. T
members by giving them government jobs and union jobs. 3. F – He was a quartermaster general and a brigadier general.
3. A bon vivant is someone who likes parties, good food, and wine. 4. T
4. The vice president becomes president until the next election. 5. F – He was a protégé of Roscoe Conkling.
Four vice presidents have become president after the 6. F – Hayes fired Arthur because he
assassination of a US president: Andrew Johnson (on the was a symbol of the corrupt spoils system.
assassination of Abraham Lincoln in 1865); Chester Arthur 7. T
(on the assassination of James Garfield in 1881); Theodore 8. F – He died in 1886, one year after his presidency.
Roosevelt (on the assassination of William McKinley in 1901);
and Lyndon B. Johnson (on the assassination of John F. B. ASK & ANSWER
Kennedy in 1963). 
1. Arthur practiced law in New York City.
2. With Senator Conkling’s backing, Arthur
B. VOCABULARY PREVIEW
was appointed to the job by President Grant.
1. c 3. a 5. b 7. h 9. i 3. Arthur’s nickname was “Boss Arthur.”
2. f 4. j 6. d 8. e 10. g 4. He was President Garfield’s vice president
and became president when Garfield died.
5. Chinese people were not allowed to
immigrate to the US under the 1882 act.
6. Arthur enjoyed elegant clothes,
fine food and wine, and parties.
7. His party, the Republicans, didn’t
nominate him fora second term.

(continued on the next page...)

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 Chester A. Arthur
American Presidents

Answer Key cont.

Vocabulary Practice

A. DEFINITIONS

1. b 3. b 5. a 7. b 9. b 11. a
2. a 4. a 6. c 8. a 10. c 12. c

B. ANTONYMS

1. f 3. g 5. a 7. h
2. e 4. b 6. d 8. c

Discussion

Use these questions for writing or speaking practice. For writing

practice, you can assign one to each student or allow students to
choose one. For speaking practice, discuss in groups or as a class.

SPELLING NOTE:

This lesson shows the American spelling of the word Practice.

Most other English-speaking countries spell this word this way:
Practise (when used as a verb; Practice when used as a noun).
Make it a challenge for your students to find this word in the
lesson and see if they know the alternate spellings.

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