Ch. 23 PPT Politics in the Gilded Age 1869

Gilded Age Term from Mark Twain: gilded - something covered with gold. Actually: corruption in politics and businesses, but appearance of civility Marked by: bank failures, labor disputes, underhanded business deals, currency controversy, and corruption on large scale Gilded Age starts in 1869 with Pres Grant Election of 1876: one of the worse elections ever Political system refused to deal with monetary and agricultural reform, labor race, and economic issues

Compromise of 1877 Unwritten deal settling the disputed 1876 Presidential election, (2nd “Corrupt Bargain“),1876 Presidential election Ended Congressional "Radical" Reconstruction. Republican Rutherford B. Hayes awarded presidency over Democrat Samuel J. Tilden IF Hayes removed federal troops that were propping up Republican state governments in South Carolina, Florida and Louisiana.Rutherford B. HayesDemocratSamuel J. TildenSouth CarolinaFloridaLouisiana When troops left, many Republicans also left (or became Democrats) and the "Redeemer" Democrats took control.DemocratsRedeemer Legislation to help industrialize the South, plus construction of another transcontinental railroadtranscontinental railroad

TMWK CH Map pg 510 Which presidential candidate did most Northerners vote for? And the South? 2. Pg 511 Chart Which political party had an advantage in the Electoral Commission?

Compromise of 1877 Officially marked end of Reconstruction and Civil War era White Democrats regained political power in South Slavery becomes “sharecropping” Caused South to plummet economically It made the South “win the Civil War”

TMWK 3. Pg 512 Diagram Describe 3 differences between a Southern plantation pre-Civil War and post-Civil War. 4. Pg 513 Picture Describe what is happening in the picture. 5. Pg 513 Chart Share & write down two trends or patterns that you see in the chart.

African Americans: Post Reconstruction Experienced unemployment, eviction, physical harm. Many forced into sharecropping and tenant farming – former masters became their landlords and creditors. Crop Lien system: storekeepers gave credit to small farmers for food/supplies in exchange for a lien on their harvests. South enacted literacy requirements, voter registration laws, and poll taxes (tax to vote) to ensure Blacks couldn’t vote = disfranchisement.

1890 N. Carolina Sharecropped Farms

1896 Plessy v. Ferguson Case Jim Crow Laws: Legal codes of segregation (separation) Supreme Court validated South’s segregationist ways: “Separate, but equal facilities” were constitutional under “equal protection” clause of 14 th Amendment. But the facilities were not equal. Segregation: schools, railroad cars, buses, theaters, restrooms, drinking fountains, restaurants, hotels, etc.

Credit Mobilier Scandal  1872 Credit Mobilier Scandal: involved Union Pacific Railroad and Crédit Mobilier, a construction company in building of 1st Transcontinental Railroad.Union Pacific RailroadCrédit Mobilier Transcontinental Railroad  Crédit Mobilier would use these checks to buy stock and bonds in the Union Pacific at par value (face value), then sell them on the open market to make huge profits.bondspar value  Distribution of Crédit Mobilier shares of stock by Congressman Ames along with cash bribes to congressmen took place in 1868 (Andrew Johnson’s presidency). The uncovering of the congressmen who received cash bribes or shares in Crédit Mobilier took place in 1872 (Pres. Grant’s administration).shares of stockAmesAndrew JohnsonGrant The Union Pacific made contracts with Crédit Mobilier, paid by check, to build the Union Pacific railway. Crédit Mobilier would use these checks to buy stock and bonds in the Union Pacific at par value (face value), and then sell them on the open market to make huge profits. These construction contracts brought huge profits to the Crédit Mobilier, which was owned by Durant and the other directors and principal stock holders of the Union Pacific. The Crédit Mobilier would split these huge profits with the stockholders.Union Pacificbondspar value DurantUnion Pacific

Whiskey Ring 1875 Whiskey Ring: scandal involving diversion of tax revenues in conspiracy among govt agents, politicians, whiskey distillers, and distributors. Whiskey Ring began in St. Louis but was also in Chicago, Milwaukee, Cincinnati, New Orleans,Peoria.whiskeySt. Louis ChicagoMilwaukeeCincinnatiNew OrleansPeoria Before caught, group of Republican politicians siphoned millions of $$ in federal taxes on liquor; scheme involved extensive network of bribes involving distillers, rectifiers, gaugers, storekeepers, and internal revenue agents.Republicanliquorbribes 110 convictions were made; over $3 million in taxes recovered.

Horace Greeley Horace Greeley: American newspaper editor, founder of Liberal Republican Party, reformer, politician, outspoken opponent of slavery.Liberal Republican Party Crusading against corruption of Grant's Republican administration, he was the new Liberal Republican Party's candidate in 1872 U.S. pres electionGrantLiberal Republican Party1872 U.S. pres election Only presidential candidate to die prior to counting of electoral votes. (his wife died, shortly after -he did also)

Panic of 1873 Collapse of banks and businesses