The Gilded Age: Politics, Parties, Patronage, and Presidents Americans in the nineteenth century mistrusted hierarchical power and believed that everyone could benefit form an economy free of government interference After the gigantic splits after the Civil War, the two political parties each drifted back to center and avoided controversy None of the gilded age presidents served two terms or distinguished themselves in any huge way

Politics in the Pivotal 1890s: Important Issues Civil War veteran’s pensions: easily approved by Congress with little debate Trusts: the Sherman Anti-Trust Act passed with only one nay vote Tariffs: after many amendments and debate, American protective tariffs were raised higher than ever Money: after much debate, the gold standard remained secure.

Depression and Election 1893 saw the worst national economic depression up until that time. Wall Street crashed as the small gold supply was demanded by thousands of depositors in exchange for their paper money. The election of 1896 boiled down to the single issue of free and unlimited coinage of silver, which many believed would solve all the problems of the country in short order.

Middle-Class Reform: Wealth and Social Darwinism For most Gilded Age Americans, Christianity as well as science supported the notions of class divisions and the moral superiority of the wealthy. Andrew Carnegie, “The Gospel of Wealth” (1889) Carnegie’s ideas were drawn from social Darwinism, based in turn on the scientific works of Charles Darwin and the natural laws of selection.

Settlements and Social Gospel Jane Adams founded Hull House in Chicago in 1889 to “aid in the solution of the social and industrial problems which are engendered by the modern conditions of life in a great city.” She committed her life to reduce the suffering of the poor. The settlement house movement blended the idioms of idealism and practicality

Reforming the City Urban government was the structure most in need of reform in the nineteenth century. Disease, waste, pollution, cholera, filth and inefficiency were everywhere in the large cities. Beautification was one solution: parks and public spaces

The Struggle for Women’s Suffrage Women’s rights advanced very slowly after the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848. Before 1890 only the territory of Wyoming allowed women full political equity. Three central arguments emerged: Women needed the vote to pass self-protection laws Women’s role as social housekeepers could only be enhanced by political participation Protestant, white women needed the vote to counterbalance the hordes of immigrants coming into America.