The Gilded Age

Era of Change The Gilded Age gets its name from a book by Mark Twain, criticizing political leaders of the day Formative days of the US- in both politics and business Massive agricultural expansion into the west= influx of goods and materials which fed expansion in the cities

Presidents 1876-1881 Rutherford B. Hayes- disputed election marked the official end of Reconstruction Refused to take part in the spoils system, but did withdraw federal troops Promised to only serve 1 term James Garfield- “dark horse” candidate- elected by only 10,000 popular votes Fought against factionalism and patronage Shot on July 2, 1881- lingered until Sept. 19th and died of infection

Politics in the late 19th Century Attempts to scale back government spending actually led to further corruption Government became an agent of change through reform movements

Politics in the late 19th Century Cont. End of the spoils system Patronage- the power to control appointments to certain offices In the past, Presidents would appoint supporters to executive offices President Chester A. Arthur supports the Pendleton Act in 1883 Government positions must be awarded based on merit

Party Positions in the Gilded Age Republicans- largely in control from 1868-1900 National unity, economic modernization and moral reform Protective tariffs to encourage industry Democrats Supported economic progress but feared that heavy taxes benefited businesses not people

President Grover Cleveland Only President ever to be elected to 2 non-consecutive terms First election involved scandal- child out of wedlock- acknowledged but still won First term- worked to regulate business, provide no favors to specific groups Defeated because he lowered tariffs "What is the use of being elected or re-elected unless you stand for something.” Faced the financial crisis of the 1890s in his second term

Exit Ticket Please pull out a sheet of paper and answer the following questions in complete sentences What does ‘Gilded’ mean? Why do you think this name was given to this era? What do you think are/are going to be the key differences between the Gilded Age and the Civil War era based on what we’ve studied so far?