1. The Gilded Age ( )

2. 5 themes of the Gilded Age:

3. 1. Politics: high voter turnout, hard vs
1. Politics: high voter turnout, hard vs. soft money ('70s & '90s); tariff ('80s); corruption due to greed, patronage & trusts (throughout late 19th c.)

4. 2. 2nd Industrial Revolution - new industries (railroad, steel, oil) Making US the most powerful nation economically by the end of 19th century.

5. 3. Urbanization and “New” Immigration – United States turning from an agrarian nation into an urban nation between 1865 and 1920.

6. 4. Rise of labor unions and plight of farmers – attempt organize to fight injustices of the industries

7. 5. Last West – defeat of Indians and Western industry (mining, ranching, farming)

8. POLITICS IN THE GILDED AGE

9. Era of “Forgotten Presidents”
Hayes Garfield Arthur Cleveland
-did very little to leave a legacy…
Harrison Cleveland

10. A Two-Party Stalemate

11. Voter turnout highest in American history
Most politically competitive era in US history
All presidential elections close
House of rep. Switched 6 times between
Social differences among parties, not much economic differences

12. Democratic Bloc Republican Bloc
Party Support
Democratic Bloc
Republican Bloc
White southerners (preservation of white supremacy)
Catholics
Recent immigrants (esp. Jews)
Urban working poor (pro-labor)
Most farmers
Northern whites (pro-business)
African Americans
Northern Protestants
Old WASPs (support for anti-immigrant laws)
Most of the middle class

13. Laizzes Faire attitude of the Federal Government
From  Govt. did very little domestically.
Main duties of the federal govt.:
Deliver the mail.
Maintain a national military.
Collect taxes & tariffs.
Conduct a foreign policy.
Exception  administer the annual Civil War veterans’ pension.

14. Senator Roscoe Conkling
Presidency becomes a symbolic office (forgotten presidents)
Party bosses ruled.
Presidents should avoid offending any factions within their own party.
The President just doled out federal jobs.
1865  53,000 people worked for the federal govt.
1890  166,000 “ “ “ “ “ “
Senator Roscoe Conkling

15. Election of 1868 –President Ulysses S Grant (R)
-presidency marked by major scandals/corruption:
Fiske and Gould scandal - attempt to “corner” the gold market
Credit Mobiler Scandal – railroad construction scandal
Whiskey Ring – robbed millions of dollars of excise –tax revenue (LET NO MAN ESCAPE!)
Belknap Scandal – stealing money meant for Indians
What followed was the election of 1872 and split in the Republican Party (Liberal Republicans)—Grant won despite this….

16. What followed was the panic of…1873
Causes:
Overproduction of railroads, mines, factories and farm products.
Bankers made too many risky loans to finance growth.
Many loans went unpaid and the banking system collapsed  
          
15,000 businesses went bankrupt.

17. Panic of 1783 brought about the issue of money (hard v. soft money):
Democrats believed more greenbacks should be printed
Grant persuaded by hard money advocates to veto the bill
Attempt to use silver refused by Republicans (“Crime of 1873”)
Specie Resumption Act of further withdrawal of greenbacks
Bland Allison Act of 1878 – gov’t agrees to buy $2-4 million silver per month
1878-birth of Greenback Labor Party

18. Election of 1876 - Hayes v. Tilden results in Compromise of 1877

19. Sen. James G. Blaine Sen. Roscoe Conkling (Maine) (New York)
Election of 1880: Republicans
Half Breeds
Stalwarts
Sen. James G. Blaine Sen. Roscoe Conkling (Maine) (New York)
compromise
James A. Garfield Chester A. Arthur (VP)

20. 1880 Presidential Election results

21. 1881 Garfield assassinated!
Charles Guiteau: I Am a Stalwart, and Arthur is President now!

22. Chester A. Arthur – A fox in a chicken coup?

23. Pendleton Act (1883) Civil Service Act (Civil Service Commission) .
The “Magna Carta” of civil service reform.
1883  14,000 out of 117,000 federal govt. jobs became civil service exam positions.
1900  100,000 out of 200,000 civil service federal govt. jobs.

24. Election of 1884 – The Republican Revolt
Some Republicans (Mugwumps) would not re-nominate Arthur nor vote for Blaine
Instead voted for Cleveland-ex governor of New York (seen as reformer)
Mugwump support won the presidency for Cleveland (a Democrat)!
“Men may come and men may go, but the work of reform shall go on forever.”

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

26. A “Dirty Campaign”
Ma, Ma…where’s my pa? He’s going to the White House, ha… ha… ha…!

27. Rum, Romanism and Rebellion!
Led a delegation of ministers to Blaine in NYC.
Reference to the Democratic Party.
Blaine was slow to repudiate the remark.
Narrow victory for Cleveland [he wins NY by only 1149 votes!].
Dr. Samuel Burchard

28. 1884 Presidential Election Results

29. Cleveland’s First Term
The “Veto Governor” from New York.
First Democratic elected since 1856.
A public office is a public trust!
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! (Grand Army of the Republic - GAR)

30. Bravo, Senor Clevelando!

31. 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  WHY???
President Cleveland’s view on tariffs????
Tariffs became a major issue in the 1888 presidential election.

32. 1888 Presidential Election
Grover Cleveland Benjamin Harrison (DEM) * (REP)

33. Coming Out for Harrison

34. The smallest specimen yet

35. 1888 Presidential Election Results

37. Changing Public Opinion
Americans wanted 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
McKinley Tariff – 1890
Based on the theory that prosperity flowed directly from protectionism.
Increased already high rates another 4%!
Rep. Party suffered big losses in 1890 (even McKinley lost his House seat!).

38. 1892 Presidential Election
Grover Cleveland Benjamin Harrison again! * (DEM) (REP)

39. 1892 Presidential Election

40. 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 1894.
Repealed the Sherman Silver Purchase Act.