Politics and Government: AP United States History West Blocton High School Mr. Logan Greene

Chapter Objectives How were the campaigns run in the late 1800’s and what role did partisan politics play? How effective was the federal government in addressing the problems of America’s industrializing economy? What were the main policy issue of the 1880’s and the 1890’s? What was the platform of the Populist Party?

Campaigns and Elections During the era of the Gilded Age politics turned to a new style of lavish grand campaigns In part this led to huge voter turnout, averaging 80% in the elections of (2008 election: 57%) This was also due to party practices of “ensuring” registered voters who had supported them in the past continued to vote through bribes or “encouragement”

Partisan Politics During the period the Democratic and Republican parties were essentially evenly split for electoral support It was extremely rare for a party to control both Congress and the Presidency leading to little real progress The swing states of Indiana, New York, New Jersey, and Ohio gained massive attention during elections

Partisan Politics Republicans controlled the North and Midwest Democrats controlled the South and parts of the urban Northeast Republicans were for nationalism and the idea of larger national government Democrats argued for traditionalism and small government Both parties used “political machines” to control votes and run campaigns

Third Parties Despite the control of the two parties numerous third parties appeared at the time Populist: By far the strongest, advocated for farmers and workers Prohibition: Argued for the total prohibition of alcohol in America Greenback: Argued for paper money allowing for inflation to temporarily help debtors

Associational Politics People not involved in party politics also fought for change to assist their members in Associational Politics Granger Laws in the Midwest to benefit farmers are an excellent example Mugwumps argued for a return to honest and efficient government National American Women Suffrage Association argued for the vote for women The Women’s Christian Temperance Movement argued for a control of alcohol

The Weak Presidency The era between the death of President Lincoln and the ascension of William McKinley in 1896 was defined by exceptionally weak Presidents Presidents made no effort to exert control and offered few initiatives Presidents completely bowed to Congress and rarely listened to the public

The Inefficient Congress Despite controlling every facet of the Federal government the Congress of the Gilded Age was terribly inefficient Arguments, a chaotic chamber, and completely ridiculous procedural rules kept Congress from enacting needed business Even as the growing economy called for a busier legislature the Congress was slow to reform

Federal Bureaucracy and the Spoils System The federal bureaucracy was limited at this time as the Federal Government only employed about 50,000 Most were hired through the spoils system, or rewarding supporters with federal government jobs As the spoils system took hold critics accused it of being corrupt and destroying the idea of fairness

Public Policies: Civil Service Reform Reforming the spoils system became the prominent issue of the nation during the Hayes administration Reformers wanted exams and tests to determine the worthiness of a candidate with the hopes of improving the government Eventually after the assassination of President Garfield by an angry supporter the Pendleton Civil Service Act was passed requiring hires on a merit basis

Tariffs Tariffs or taxes on imported goods were one of the most important federal government issues Republicans championed protective tariffs so industry at home could charge higher prices while Democrats wanted tariffs removed to achieve the lowest price for farmers and workers By 1890 triumphant Republicans passed the McKinley Tariff raising tariff rates to all time highs

Federal Regulation As large corporations spun out of control in the late 1800’s the government began to regulate The Interstate Commerce Act of 1887 set standards for prices that railroads could charge The Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 made trusts that restrained trade or commerce “illegal”

The Money Question Currency at the end of the 19 th century was a mess of different policies Many creditors and bankers wanted to limit the supply of paper money, they called this “sound money” Farmers and workers wanted to expand the money supply Sound money won out as some greenbacks were withdrawn in 1875

The Money Question As the greenback issue died down silver took center stage In 1873 the government put America on a “Gold Only Standard” making silver “worthless” Despite this the government “passed” a law to purchase silver but rarely met its minimum amount and people across the country who needed silver coinage suffered

1890’s Farmers Protest As the 1880’s saw falling prices and issues with agriculture many farmers came together to protest the issues Farmers formed the Farmers Alliance and protested against issues with banks, credit, railroad charges, and the growing influence of big business

The Populist As farmers grew angrier the Populist Party emerged to advocate for workers and farmers The Populists quickly gained momentum and won several state legislatures The Populists formed the Omaha Platform which called for reforms to help farmers and workers and an end to Laissez Faire economics

The Depression of 1893 A harsh and lengthy depression struck in 1893 forcing 20 percent of the labor force into unemployment State governments offered little relief to struggling citizens Instead of helping the Federal government strengthened bonds with business hoping the economy would bounce back, this enraged everyday citizens

The Election of 1896 The election of 1896 pitted Republican William McKinley versus Democrat/Populist backed William Jennings Bryan The silver issue became huge as Bryan advocated allowing silver into the monetary system to rescue the economy in his “Cross of Gold” speech McKinley won as Bryan became to bogged down in the silver issue

Chapter Objectives How were the campaigns run in the late 1800’s and what role did partisan politics play? How effective was the federal government in addressing the problems of America’s industrializing economy? What were the main policy issue of the 1880’s and the 1890’s? What was the platform of the Populist Party?