Transcript Gilded Age Politics - Thomasville High School

Gilded Age Politics
CHAPTER 23
Essential Question?
 In what ways did the politics of the Gilded Era reflect
the laissez-faire attitude of the federal government?
 What events brought about the end of
Reconstruction?
1868 Election
 Democrats nominate Horatio Seymour
 Platform: End military reconstruction, circulate more money
 Republicans nominate General Ulysses Grant
 “Waved the bloody shirt”: ignited feelings of resent against
Democrats for Civil War
 3 southern states not allowed to vote
 Grant wins 214 to 80, largely thanks to vote from
freedmen
1868 Election
President Grant’s Timeline
 1869: Wyoming grant’s
 1873: Panic of 1873
women suffrage
 1870: 15th Amendment
 1871: Tweed scandal in
NY
 1872: Credit Mobilier
Scandal
 1875: Whiskey Ring

Reelected
scandal
 1876: Bell invents
telephone
 1877: Compromise of
1877
President Ulysses Grant
 Serves 2 terms
 Not very political or
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culturally intelligent
Rode success of military
strategy in Civil War into
White House
Very much a hands off
president, will lead to
corruption in cabinet and
Congress
Personal friend of Mark
Twain
Smoking and drinking will
lead him to an early death
Corruption Abounds
 Two entrepreneurs
nearly succeed in
monopolizing the gold
market
 Grant is involved, but
Congress doesn't
impeach, only call his
actions “stupid”
Political Machines
 Political machines are
organizations that use
corruption and
intimidation to secure
power.
 Most common in cities
and states.
 Most infamous:
Tammany Hall in NYC,
led by Boss Tweed
 Tweed bilked $200
million out of NY tax
payers
 When someone
questioned his tactics,
their taxes increased
 Tweed was finally
brought down by
Thomas Nast, a
cartoonist who bravely
stood up to Tweed
threats
Nast’s Cartoons
Credit Mobilier Scandal
 Railroad company that
inflated their prices.
 Federal government
agrees to pay high prices
because Congress was
being bribed.
 Vice President also
accepted bribes.
 http://www.youtube.co
m/watch?v=HRacLgdPJs
Whiskey Ring Scandal
 Members of Grant’s own
cabinet created a scheme
to steal revenue from the
whiskey tax.
 Grant promised the
public that he would
“punish all”, in reality he
aided them in their
defense and exoneration.
 Other scandals polluted
the reputation of Grant.
1872 Election
 Republicans re-nominate
 Lots of mud-slinging and
Grant
 Liberal Republicans call
for changes
name calling
 Grant easily wins: 286 to
66
 Liberal Republicans fade
away, but Congress
completes their two
goals.


Amnesty to former
Confederates
Reduction of tariffs
 Democrats nominate
Horace Greeley, a long
time Republican
journalist
1872 Election
Panic of 1873
 Railroad and factory production was moving too fast for
the economy
 When these ventures failed many banks also failed.
 Freedmen, whom had begun to exercise economic
independence were hit hard, many AA learn to distrust
banks.
 Real problem laid in the lack of money



Paper money was issued in the Civil War, but now that it was over
most wealthy individuals wanted to see it taken out of circulation and
replaced with gold.
Government adopts this policy, but only rich have gold, hence only
rich have $
Many begin to clamor for currency based on gold and silver
(bimetallism)
Gilded Age
 Name coined by Mark Twain: refers to the surface
of American looking calm and prosperous, while in
reality it was confusing and impoverished.
 Very few differences between the Democrat and
Republicans from 1876 to 1896.
 Patronage (Spoils System) ruled the day; winning
candidates would reward their supporters with jobs
they were often unqualified for.
Election of 1876
 Republicans nominate Rutherford Hayes, largely
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because he had been gov. of Ohio, a politically
important state.
Democrats nominate Samuel Tilden.
The election was close, no candidate received a
majority.
Also, the returns from 4 states were contested, with
both Rep. and Dem. Claiming election fraud.
An extreme constitutional dilemma loomed; and the
Democrats controlled the House
Compromise of 1877
 To avoid partisan politics an electoral commission
was created with Senators, Representatives, and
Supreme Court Justices.
 This group secretly worked out a deal: Hayes (Rep)
would receive the votes from the 4 disputed states
and would become president.
 In return, the Democrats would get a withdrawal of
troops from the South, patronage positions, and a
southern transcontinental RR.
 Deal agreed upon on 3 days before the inaguration.
Compromise of 1877
President Rutherford Hayes
 1877

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Reconstruction Ends
Railroad strike
 1879
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Edison invents electric
light
Dumbbell Tenements
introduced
Birth of Jim Crow
 With the military and
Republicans gone from the
south, the Democrats could
regain control
 African Americans suffered
by loosing jobs, homes, and
rights.
 Freedmen were forced into
Sharecropping or
Tenant farming, often
for their old masters.
 This new system closely
resembled slavery: a poor
AA constantly found
themselves indebted to the
landlord.
 Southern states passed
laws creating segregation
de jure, and also
disfranchised AA
through literacy tests,
poll taxes, and the
grandfather clause.
 AA also fall victim to
lynchings in growing
numbers.
Plessy v. Ferguson
 1896
 Supreme Court fules
 Homer Plessy defies
against Plessy.
 Finds segregation
constitutional on the
basis of “separate, but
equal”
 Justifies years 60 more
years of legal(de jure)
segregation.
state law by sitting in the
white section of a train.
 Case goes to the Supreme
Court, on the claim that
the 14th Amendment
(Equal protection) was
violated
Great Railroad Strike
 1877 RR owners lowered
wages.
 Enraged workers
organized a nationwide
strike.
Transportation and
commerce halted.
President Hayes calls
federal troops to break
the strike.
Over 100 killed.
Nativism Returns
 Many Chinese men came
to US to work in gold
rush and railroad
building.
 White workers feared
completion from
Chinese, most were
willing to work for lower
wages.
 Violent nativists often
assaulted and murdered
Chinese.
 1882: Chinese
Exclusion Act- 1st US
law to stop immigration
 - prohibited all new
immigrants from China
 Us v. Wong Kim Ark:
established the principle
of birth on US soil = US
citizenship.
 Principle has helped
countless immigrant
children become citizens.
1880 Election
 Republicans dump
Hayes, favor James
Garfield with VP
Chester Arthur.
 Duo defeat Dem
candidate Winfield
Hancock 214 to 155.
 Garfield is for civil
service reform
(ending Spoils
System), while Arthur is
against (Stalwart)
Assassination of Garfield
 Garfield refused to give
jobs to people that
supported him unless
they were qualified.
 A disappointed office
seeker shot Garfield,
several months later he
died.
 Many believed that new
president Arthur would
continue with the Spoils
System.
 Arthur and many others
saw the need to reform,
passed the Pendleton
Act which ended the
Spoils System.
 Ended patronage from
individuals, but laid the
groundwork for
corporate financing of
political campaigns.
Garfield Assassination
President Arthur Timeline
 1881
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Garfield Assassination
Booker Washington heads
Tuskegee Institute
 1882

Chinese Exclusion Act
 1883
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Pendleton Act
 1884

Twain publishes
Huckleberry Finn
1884 Election
 Rep nominate James
Blaine, but he was tied to
political scandals that
hurt his election.
 Dems nominate Grover
Cleveland, NY governor
 Campaign was perhaps
the dirtiest in history,
Rep uncovered the fact
that Cleveland had an
illegitimate son.
 Rather than lie,
Cleveland confessed.
 Election came down to a
group of Rep called
Mugwumps: they
supported Cleveland and
sought to extend reforms
throughout federal
government.
 Cleveland won 219 to 182
 Only Dem pres elected
1860 to 1912
President Cleveland Timeline (1st Term)
 1886: Haymarket Square
Riot
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Wabash v. Illinois
AFL founded
Statue of Liberty erected
 1887
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Interstate Commerce Act
Dawes Severalty Act
Cleveland as President
 Favored laissez-faire
 Cleveland also attacked the
policies (“the government
should not support the
people.”)
 Helped reunite the nation
by naming several former
Confederates to Cabinet.
 Said he favored civil
service, but fired many
Republicans and replaced
them with Dems.
high tariffs of the day.
 Knew that low tariffs = low
prices for consumers = less
$ for monopolies.
 Big business supported
higher tariffs, so they also
supported the Republican
party.
1888 Election
 Dems nominate Cleveland
 Rep nominate Benjamin Harrison, grandson of
Pres. William Harrison.
 The issue of the tariff proved decisive, and Harrison
won 233 to 168.
President B. Harrison Timeline
 1889: Jane Addams
founds Hull House
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Oklahoma Land Rush
 1890: Sherman Antitrust
Act
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Populist Party founded
Battle of Wounded Knee
 1892: Homestead Strike
Billion Dollar Congress
 Congress spent money
like never before.
 Passed a new tariff,
highest to that point in
history.
 Tariff forced poor,
including farmers, to buy
high priced goods from
American
manufacturers, poor
suffered, especially
farmers.
 Farmers’ Alliance
formed to fight for
farmer rights.
Rise of the Populists
 Backed by struggling
farmers, the Populist
Party was created.
 Omaha Platform
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Bimetallism
Income tax
Direct election of
senators
Initiative and
referendum
Shorter workday
Immigration restrictions
 All of these measures
would eventually be
enacted.
 The Populists were
hindered by constant
strikes.
 1892: Homestead
Strike- Carnegie’s steel
plant, 10 dead; federal
troops called in.
 Eastern mill workers and
southern whites did not
support the Populist
because of calls for racial
equality.