1. All that glitters is … gold?
7.3 Gilded Age Politics
All that glitters is … gold?

2. Political Machines
Large cities’ political machines ran like a business (…of corruption)
“bosses” made the big decisions
Their neighborhood captains would bribe people (especially immigrants) for their votes and support
Groceries, gifts (esp. alcohol) would be provided on election day

3. Political Machines Political Machines weren’t all bad
All immigrants had to do was vote with the machine and they would get food, shelter, etc.
Some of the money they acquired would be used to fund parks, sewer systems, and other developments for cities

4. Thomas Nast
Political Cartoonist who built public anger towards big businessmen and corrupt politicians

5. Civil Service Reform
Traditionally, people gained govt. jobs by knowing the guy who was elected (patronage)
Q: What effect would that have on govt. workers?
Civil service reform suggested giving govt. jobs who scored the highest on a test
Let the best job-candidate win!

6. Civil Service Reform
Rutherford B Hayes (1877, Repub.) pushed civil service reform to clear out corruption
James A Garfield (1881, Repub) tried to balance those wanting reform with those wanting patronage
He was assassinated 3 months into office, his VP (Chester A. Arthur) became Pres.

7. Civil Service Reform
Arthur continued to push for reform, signed Congress’s Pendleton Civil Service Act in 1883
To get a govt. job, you needed to score high on the Civil Service test.

8. Big Business & the Govt.
Remember, this is a time of big businesses and the govt. being very close
Businesses would fund political campaigns, politicians allowed business owners to do what they wanted
Businesses’ biggest concern was keeping tariffs (taxes on imports) high
High tariffs meant foreign goods would be expensive (so “Buy American!”)

9. Big Business & the Govt.
1885 Grover Cleveland (Democ.) became president, wanted to lower the tariff
1889 Benjamin Harrison (Repub.) beat Cleveland in a close election
Harrison agreed to raise tariffs even higher (McKinley Tariff Act)
1892 Cleveland wins again!
1896 ____________ wins and tariffs increase again.