The Gilded Age Unit Objective To learn the impact of the Gilded Age and political machines and assess the positives and negatives

What did “Gilded Age” mean?

A REFERENCE TO THE GREED AND CORRUPTION OF THE LATE 1800’S (MARK TWAIN)   Examples of the greed and corruption of the late 1800’s -Factory owners who made huge profits at expense of workers -Trust owners who put small businesses out of business as they built their own companies -Robberbarons (wealthy railroad owners who had a reputation for being greedy and corrupt) -Political Machines that ran big cities

Political Machines Political organizations that took over major cities Goal: Make profit through corruption Positives: Did provide jobs, housing, food, heat, police and fire protection in cities that had a hard time providing them due to the unexpected rapid growth of cities during the Industrial Revolution Negatives: They only provided these things in exchange for votes, they used bribery and other corrupt means to make money, and it all led to mediocre city officials instead of having the best people in those jobs  

-Tammany Hall (Boss Tweed): MOST FAMOUS POLITICAL MACHINE TOOK CONTROL OF NEW YORK CITY BOSS TWEED LED IT IN 1860’S AND 70’S TWEED WAS FINALLY ARRESTED FOR CORRUPTION IN 1874

Grant Scandals (U.S. Grant Presidency, 1869-77) Grant was a good man and a good president in many ways, but he often delegated responsibility to people who turned out to be corrupt   

Whiskey Frauds:   BRIBES PAID TO TREASURY OFFICIALS TO KEEP TAXES ON WHISKEY LOW

Corruption in the Veteran’s Bureau Credit Mobilier: RAILROAD COMPANY MADE SHADY DEALS TO GET GOVERNMENT CONTRACT FOR BUILDING A RR LINE TO THE PACIFIC (BRIBES)

Patronage (giving political appointments or jobs to friends, family, or contributors to your campaign instead of the most qualified person for the job) was also common System had its roots in the “Spoils System” of Andrew Jackson (“To the winner goes the spoils”—replace all of the previous administration’s people with your own people)   Eventually many people pushed for a “merit system” for government positions (jobs would go to the most qualified)

Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-81): FOUGHT HARD FOR CIVIL SERVICE REFORM He was opposed by the Stalwarts (people who wanted to keep patronage) who waged political war against him throughout his term resulting in his decision not to run for a second term

James Garfield (1881): CONTINUED REFORM EFFORT WAS ASSASSINATED BY A STALWART   Chester A. Arthur (1881-85): SURPRISED EVERYONE (HAD BEEN A STALWART) BY CONTINUING REFORMS -Pendleton Act (1883): Allowed the president to determine which federal jobs would be filled according to Civil Service Commission rules and only after taking a civil service exam

Hayes, Garfield, Arthur

Impact of the Gilded Age: PEOPLE TRUSTED GOVERNMENT LESS LED TO SEVERAL REFORM MOVEMENTS (MERIT SYSTEM, GET RID OF CORRUPT POLITICIANS) LED TO THE RISE OF THE POPULISTS (WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN)