Transcript The Gilded Age - Social Studies

The Gilded Age
1865-1900
An Overview &
The Political Machines
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Why is this called
the “Gilded Age”?
• Mark Twain
– In a satirical novel written with Charles D.
Warner, The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today
1873, Twain engages in social commentary
concerning the state of our fast changing
cities.
– Twain refers to this as a “Gilded,” as
opposed to Golden, Age, meaning the
prosperity and culture that is seen is only on
the surface and major problems lurk beneath
the surface.
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Mark Twain
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Age of Prosperity
(for some)
• The Age of the Robber Barons:
– Entrepreneurs & Industrialists were able to
build great fortunes.
• Vanderbilt, Carnegie, Rockefeller, etc.
• The government created policies to
support the industrialist.
– High Tariffs kept foreign goods out, so
consumers could only buy domestic goods.
– Government supported owners over workers
in labor disputes!
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Ups and Downs of the Economy
• In the period from 1865-1900, the US
economy went through periods of growth
and depressions, due to tariff and currency
policies.
• Major depressions occurred in 1873 and
1893.
• Farmers were especially hard hit. Since
the US put high tariffs on imports, Europe
refused to buy our agricultural products.
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Wage Discrepancy
• While wealth and affluence were growing
and the new middle class was rising, the
number of poor were also growing.
• The poor (immigrants, minorities, unskilled
laborers) flooded to the cities looking for
work in the factories.
• Farmers were greatly impacted by
increased production (which seems like a
good thing), but it drove prices down.
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Changing Economy means
changing Social Structure
• As the Industrial Revolution evolved into
the factory system which created mass
production of consumer goods, families
and communities had to adjust to the
changing economy.
• Children entered into the workforce in
order to provided for the family.
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Rise of Mass Media
• New Technologies in printing allowed
newspapers to increase their circulation.
• The Muckrakers! People who wrote to
expose the evils in society and
businesses.
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Other Topics
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•
•
•
•
Race Relations and Segregation
Indian Policy and Westward Expansion
2nd Industrial Revolution and Urbanization
Immigration
Political Machines and corruption in
government.
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The Political Machine
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The Political Machine
The political machine consisted of three
elements:
1. Bosses or a county committee, which
governed the party machine and controlled
the politicians;
2. Election district captains who mobilized and
organized support at the neighborhood level;
and
3. Party loyalists who supported the machine
with votes and financial support in return for
jobs, favors, etc.
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How it worked?
• The “Political Machine” mobilized the
voters to get their candidates elected.
• In return for the “Political Machine” getting
them elected, the politicians would have to
vote and create policies to support the
goals of the machine.
• The “Political Machine” ran on
“patronage” or securing jobs for
supporters.
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Layers of the Political Machine
• While the County Committee or Boss dealt with
the government officials, businessmen, and,
sometimes, the criminal elements, the precinct
captains mobilized the voters in the area by
forming relationships with families.
• The Precinct Captains could help family
members get jobs and often ran a small social
service organization, providing food and shelter
for needy constituents. They also could get
cheap immigrant labor for businesses that
supported the Political Machine.
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Thomas Nast
• As a political cartoonist for Harper’s
Weekly, Nast attacked the Tammany Hall
(Democratic) political machine that ran
New York City in 1870 .
• Along the way, Nast created the
Democratic Donkey, Republican Elephant
symbols (he did not like the Democrats),
the Tammany Tiger and even Santa
Claus.
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Thomas Nast
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Boss Tweed
"Stop them damn
pictures. I don't
care what the
papers write
about me. My
constituents can't
read. But, damn it,
they can see the
pictures."
Picture from Boss Tweed Page
http://www.polaris.edu/iltli/Tchrpgs/Tweed.htm
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Political Machines Today
• Few political machines are still in
operation;
– The Republican Party of Nassau County, New
York, for example, retains control of more
than 20,000 patronage jobs in the county.
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