By: Ms. Susan M. Pojer Horace Greeley HS Chappaqua, NY with Additional Slides by Bob Daugherty By: Ms. Susan M. Pojer Horace Greeley HS Chappaqua, NY with Additional Slides by Bob Daugherty

Gilded Age The term Gilded Age comes from Mark Twain as the title of one of his books On the outside the wealth might have looked like gold but in reality was only a thin layer of gild Politics of time is of little substance Forgettable presidents who rarely serve two terms Politicians and parties avoided taking stances Problems were largely ignored

1. A Two-Party Stalemate

Two-Party “Balance”

2. Intense Voter Loyalty to the Two Major Political Parties (brass bands, flags, campaign buttons, picnics, free beer!) 80% of voters turned out! 2. I ntense Voter Loyalty to the Two Major Political Parties (brass bands, flags, campaign buttons, picnics, free beer!) 80% of voters turned out!

3. Well-Defined Voting Blocs Democratic Bloc Republican Bloc  White southerners (preservation of white supremacy)  “Solid South”  Catholics  Recent immigrants (esp. Jews)  Urban working poor (pro-labor)  Most farmers  Northern whites (pro-business and pro-tariff)  African Americans  Northern Protestants  Old WASPs (support for anti-immigrant laws)  Most of the middle class

4. Very Laissez Faire Federal Govt.  From  Govt. did very little domestically.  Supreme Court opposed efforts to regulate business  Main duties of the federal govt.:  Deliver the mail.  Maintain a national military.  Collect taxes & tariffs.  Conduct a foreign policy.  administer the annual Civil War veterans’ pension.

Last Civil War Widow (and Pensioner) Alberta Martin She married a Confederate veteran in 1927 when she was 21 years old. He was 81. He died four years later. They had a son! She died in 2004 at age 97 (and was still collecting her pension).

5. The Presidency as a Symbolic Office  Party bosses Blaine and Conkling ruled.  Presidential candidates should avoid offending any factions within their own party.  The President just doled out federal jobs. Blaine of the “Halfbreeds” Conkling of the “Stalwarts”

6. Patronage  Politics meant getting elected, holding office and rewarding party faithful with government jobs  1865  53,000 people worked for the federal govt.  1890  166,000  Conkling controlled New York Customs House jobs Senator Roscoe Conkling Leader of the Stalwart Republicans

1880 Presidential Election: Republicans Half BreedsStalwarts Sen. James G. Blaine Sen. Roscoe Conkling (Maine) (New York) James A. Garfield Chester A. Arthur (VP) compromise

1880 Presidential Election: Democrats

Inspecting the Democratic Curiosity Shop

1880 Presidential Election Garfield won by a mere 10,000 votes!

1881: Garfield Assassinated! Charles Guiteau: “ I Am a Stalwart, and Arthur is President now!” Shot by disappointed (really insane) office seeker named Charles Guiteau Garfield lived for eleven weeks Doctor's unsanitary practices contributed to his death

Chester A. Arthur: The Fox in the Chicken Coop?

Chester A. Arthur: “A Pleasant Surprise” Chester A. Arthur: “A Pleasant Surprise” Most expected very little from Arthur Distanced himself from Conkling and the Stalwarts by refusing to hire Garfield's picks He began building the US Navy that would win the Spanish-American War Redecorated the White House (by Louis Tiffany) Supported Civil Service Reform (“Only Nixon could go to China syndrome”) Did not get nominated for own term as president as a result Died of Bright's Disease shortly after term

Pendleton Act (1883)  One good thing that comes out of Garfield’s assassination  Civil Service Act.  The “Magna Carta” of civil service reform.  1883  14,000 out of 117,000 federal govt. jobs required civil service exams  1900  100,000 out of 200,000 civil service federal govt. jobs required them Civil Service employees could not make political campaign donations Politicians would depend on the rich and party workers to get elected

Republican “Mugwumps”  Reformers who wouldn’t re-nominate Chester A. Arthur.  Reform to them  create a disinterested, impartial govt. run by an educated elite like themselves.  Social Darwinists (the reason that some succeed and others fail is due to their character)  Laissez faire government to them:  Favoritism & the spoils system seen as govt. intervention in society.  Their target was political corruption, not social or economic reform!

The Mugwumps “Men may come and men may go, but the work of reform shall go on forever.”  Will support Cleveland in the 1884 election.

1884 Presidential Election Grover Cleveland James Blaine * (DEM) (REP)

A Dirty Campaign Republicans: “Ma, Ma…where’s my pa?” Democrats: ”Gone to the White House, ha… ha… ha…!” Cleveland had possibly fathered a child out while single Could have been one of several other men but he accepted responsibility and helped take care of the child financially

Little Lost Mugwump Blaine in 1884

Bravo, Señor Clevelando!

“Rum, Romanism & Rebellion!”  Led a delegation of ministers to Blaine in NYC.  He made this remark in reference to the Democratic Party.  Deeply offended NY Democrats  Blaine was slow to repudiate the remark.  Cost Blaine the election [Cleveland won NY by only 1149 votes!]. Dr. Samuel Burchard

1884 Presidential Election

Cleveland’s First Term  The “Veto Governor” from New York.  First Democratic elected since 1856!  Motto: “A public office is a public trust!”  Did pass a. Interstate Commerce Act (1887), the first attempt to regulate business b. Dawes Act (broke up reservations and can plots of lands to individual lands)  His laissez-faire presidency:  Opposed bills to assist the poor as well as the rich.  Vetoed over 200 special pension bills for Civil War veterans!

The Tariff Issue  After the Civil War, Congress raised tariffs to protect new US industries.  Big business wanted to continue this; consumers did not.  1885  tariffs earned the US $100 mil. in surplus!  Mugwumps opposed it  Tariffs became a major issue in the 1888 presidential election.

“Filing the Rough Edges” Tariff of 1888

1888 Presidential Election Grover Cleveland Benjamin Harrison (DEM) * (REP)

Coming Out for Harrison

The Smallest Specimen Yet

1888 Presidential Election

Disposing the Surplus First “ billion-dollar” Congress. Did so by: 1.Extra Civil War pensions 2.Increased purchases of silver

McKINLEY TARIFF (1890) 1.Based on the theory that prosperity flowed directly from protectionism. 2.Increased already high rates another 4%! 3.Hurt farmers since they had to but protected high prices American goods but had to sell crops in competitive unprotected internat’l mkts.

Changing Public Opinion  Americans began to want the federal govt. to deal with growing soc. & eco. problems & to curb the power of the trusts:  Interstate Commerce Act – 1887  Sherman Antitrust Act – 1890  Rep. Party suffered big losses in 1890 (even McKinley lost his House seat!) due to anger over tariff

1892 Presidential Election Grover Cleveland Benjamin Harrison again! * (DEM) (REP)

1892 Presidential Election

Cleveland Loses Support Fast!  The only President to serve two non- consecutive terms.  Blamed for the 1893 Panic.  Defended the gold standard.  Used federal troops in the 1894 Pullman strike.  Refused to sign the Wilson-Gorman Tariff of  Repealed the Sherman Silver Purchase Act.