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The Politics of the Gilded Age,

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Presentation on theme: "The Politics of the Gilded Age,"— Presentation transcript:

1 The Politics of the Gilded Age, 1877-1900
Period 6 ( ) Ch.19 AP U.S. History

2 Third Party System (1860-1896) Platform Democrats Republicans Platform
Antebellum and Post War Issues( ) Slavery and Emancipation Reconstruction policies Post Reconstruction Issues ( ) Civil Service Reform Tariffs and Protectionism Gold Standard and Silver Democrats Platform Pro-slavery States’ rights; laissez-faire Factions Bourbon Democrats Pro-business Democrats Supported civil service reforms Redeemer Democrats Southern wing of Democrats White supremacists Coalition White Southerners, Catholics, Lutherans, Jews, Immigrants, working class Solid South Republicans Platform Radical Reconstruction Pro-business; tariffs; protectionism Factions Stalwarts Preserve spoils system and machine politics Half-Breeds Pursued civil service reform Mugwumps Independents discouraged with corrupt GOP Coalition Business, upper-class, middle-class, Northern WASPs, reformers, blacks, scalawags, carpetbaggers Northeast and West

3 Political Machines and Boss Politics
Definition “in U.S. politics, a party organization, headed by a single boss or small autocratic group, that commands enough votes to maintain political and administrative control of a city, county, or state” Patronage and spoils system Tammany Hall (New York City) William “Boss” Tweed

4 Rutherford B. Hayes (R) (1877-1881)
Compromise of 1877 Civil service reform

5 Election of 1880 James A. Garfield (R) Winfield S. Hancock (D)
Halfbreed—pursue reform Protective tariffs Winfield S. Hancock (D) Lower tariffs 79.4% voter turnout

6 James A. Garfield (R) (1881) Challenged political machines and spoils system (halfbreed) Assassination July 2, 1881 Charles J. Guiteau “a disgruntled office-seeker” Death September 19, 1881 Chester A. Arthur assumes presidency

7 Civil Service Reform Corruption during Grant administration called for reform Stalwarts Supported machine politics and spoils system Roscoe Conkling Half-breeds Pursued civil service reform James G. Blaine Garfield’s assassination Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act (1883) United States Civil Service Commission Federal employees based on expertise, civil service exams Prohibited federal employees making campaign contributions

8 Chester A. Arthur (R) (1881-1885)
Assumed office after Garfield’s assassination Pendleton Act (1883) Despite being a Stalwart Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882

9 Election of 1884 77.5% voter turnout Grover Cleveland (D)
James G. Blaine (R) Campaign “Blaine, Blaine, James G. Blaine. Continental liar, from the state of Maine” “Rum, Romanism, and Rebellion” “Mama, mama! Where’s my pa?” “On to the White House, HA HA HA” 77.5% voter turnout

10 Grover Cleveland (D) (1885-1889)
Interstate Commerce Act (1887) Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) Pursued tariff reform

11 Election of 1888 79.3% voter turnout Benjamin Harrison (R)
Protective tariffs Grover Cleveland (D) Lower tariffs Against war pensions Won the popular vote 79.3% voter turnout

12 Benjamin Harrison (R) (1889-1893)
Sherman Antitrust Act (1890) Billion Dollar Congress Sherman Silver Purchase Act (1890) Free Silver/Silverites McKinley Tariff (1890) Homestead Strike (1892)

13 The Populist Movement Origin and Evolution of Populist Party
Granger Movement -> Farmers Alliance -> Populist Movement -> People’s Party/Populist Party West and South Omaha Platform (July 4, 1892) Coinage of silver Direct election of Senators Graduated income tax State laws through referendums/initiatives Government regulation/ownership of infrastructure 8-hour workday Bank/Loan reforms Civil service reform

14 Bimetallism Coinage Act of 1873—establishes gold standard
For Silver and Gold Inflationary effect “If a farmer owes $3,000 and can earn $1 for every bushel of wheat sold at harvest, he needs to sell 3,000 bushels to pay off the debt. If inflation could push the price of a bushel of wheat up to $3, he needs to sell only 1,000 bushels.” Free Silver/Silverites For Gold Standard “Sound money” Banks and businesses preferred gold standard Stable economy and prevents inflation Sherman Silver Purchase Act (1890) Increases the coinage of silver; but too little to satisfy farmers

15 Election of 1892 74.7% voter turnout Grover Cleveland (D)
Lower tariffs Gold standard Benjamin Harrison (R) Protective tariffs Bimetallism James B. Weaver (Pop) Coalition of farmers and labor unions 74.7% voter turnout

16 Grover Cleveland (D) (1893-1897)
Panic of 1893 Repeals the Sherman Silver Purchase Act

17 Panic of 1893 Causes Impact Overexpansion Railroad speculation
Pennsylvania and Reading Railroad bankruptcy Silver Purchase Act repealed as a result Impact Unemployment to 18.4% 16,000 businesses and 500 banks bankrupt/failed Pullman Strike (July 1894) Coxey’s Army (1894) March on Washington by unemployed workers and farmers; demanded $500 million for job creation Dispersed by federal troops J.P. Morgan and the Treasury Cleveland and U.S. borrowed $65 million in gold

18 William Jennings Bryan (D)
Election of 1896; Bryan adopts Populist idea as a Democratic candidate Populists didn’t nominate a candidate “The Great Commoner” Appealed to farmers, working class, middle class “Cross of Gold” Speech “If they dare to come out in the open field and defend the gold standard as a good thing, we shall fight them to the uttermost, having behind us the producing masses of the nation and the world. Having behind us the commercial interests and the laboring interests and all the toiling masses, we shall answer their demands for a gold standard by saying to them, you shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns. You shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold.”

19 Election of 1896 William McKinley (R) William Jennings Bryan (D)
Mark Hanna Outspent Bryan 5 to 1 Benefited from recovering economy William Jennings Bryan (D) Populist rhetoric Campaign Bryan’s traveling speeches McKinley’s “front-porch” Realignment election End of the Populist Party, but their ideals live on Marks the end of stalemate that characterized the Gilded Age Ends Third Party System Begins Fourth Party System Republican domination Progressivism Imperialism

20 Fourth Party System (1896-1932)
Democrats Coalition Solid South, western farmers, urban immigrants, working class Laissez-faire policies New Freedom Socialist Party of America German and Jewish immigrants, unionists, former Populist farmers, Progressive social reformers Elections Two members of U.S. House Dozens of state legislators, mayors, council members Eugene V. Debs Ran in , 1912, 1920 Received over 900,000 votes in 1912 and 1920 Republicans Dominated the federal government during this era Coalition Industrialists, corporations, upper-class, fundamentalists, Northeast Nationalists and Imperialists Bull Moose Party aka Progressive Party New Nationalism


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