Ch. 23: Political Paralysis in the Gilded Age

1. The “Bloody Shirt” Elects Grant

Election of 1868 Grant was a Civil War hero (in

the north ;) Elected because fellow

Republicans “waved the bloody shirt”- meaning they revived country's violent memories of Civil War deaths.

Unexperienced in politics- his presidency is considered a failure due to scandals among his staff/friends and his inability to fire them.

2. Era of Good Stealings

Scandals of the Grant administration Jim Fisk and Jay Gould tried to corner

the gold market. Grant’s brother-in-law was bribed 25k .

Boss Tweed controlled the Democratic political machine in New York City until his bribes, intimidation, and fraudulent elections were uncovered.

Thomas Nast’s political cartoons helped dismantle Tweed’s empire and put him in jail, where he later died.

Boss Tweed: Can the law reach him?

2. Era of Good Stealings

More scandals of the Grant administration! 1872 Union Pacific Railroad

formed a construction company named Credit Mobilier and paid themselves a ton of extra cash.▪ 348% dividends!

Whiskey Ring avoiding federal taxes involved Grant’s secretary.

Secretary of War accepted bribes and resigned. Grant accepted his apology “with great regret.”

3. Depression, Deflation, and Inflation

Hard Money

Backed in gold

Rich/industrial leaders

Preferred by creditors because they wanted to be paid back with the currency worth the most money.

Soft Money

Greenbacks/Silver Backed Poor Westerners, farmers

Preferred by debtors because it would make it easier to pay back debts

3. Depression, Deflation, and Inflation

Hard money policies were supported by Grant and the Republican party. Backlash: Democrats won the House in

1874, and the Greenback Labor party was formed.

4. Characteristics of Political Parties During The Gilded Age

A Two-Party Stalemate

Intense Voter Loyalty and Turnout

Well-Defined Voting Blocs Well-Defined Voting Blocs

DemocraticBloc

RepublicanBloc

White southerners(preservation ofwhite supremacy)

Catholics

Recent immigrants(esp. Jews)

Urban working poor (pro-labor)

Most farmers

Northern whites(pro-business)

African Americans

Northern Protestants

Old WASPs (supportfor anti-immigrant laws)

Most of the middleclass

Laissez Faire Federal Government

From 1870-1900 Govt. did verylittle 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.

Presidency As a Symbolic Office

Party bosses ruled.

Presidents should avoid offending anyfactions within theirown party.

The President justdoled out federal jobs. 1865 53,000 people worked for the federal govt.

1890 166,000 “ “ “ “ “ “

Remember these forgettable Presidents? Yeah, me neither.1. Rutherford Hayes2. James Garfield3. Chester Arthur4. Grover Cleveland5. Benjamin Harrison6. Grover Cleveland

5. Compromise of 1877

Presidential Election of 1876 Hayes vs. Tilden was too close to call.

Compromise allowed Republican Hayes to win the presidency in exchange for removing federal troops from the South.

Resulted in loss of African American civil liberties in the South.

6. African Americans in the Post-Reconstruction South

Without federal troops, southern Democrats were able to infringe upon the rights of African Americans.

Jim Crow Laws promoted discrimination against blacks and segregation in public places.

Lynchings were acceptable. Blacks forced to sharecrop. Literacy tests, poll taxes were

designed to keep African Americans from voting.

Grandfather clauses kept whites exempt from these requirements.

7. Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) Segregation was considered

constitutional by the Supreme Court as long as facilities were “equal” to those of whites.

Catch phrase of the case: “Separate but equal”

8. Chinese Immigration

Chinese immigrated to work in gold mines, construct railroads, and complete least desired work. 9% of California’s population

Faced major discrimination especially by Irish and poor laborers who accused them of stealing jobs.

Result: Congress passed Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 which prohibited any Chinese immigration. (Ended in 1943)

9. 1880 Presidential Election:9. 1880 Presidential Election:

Half Breeds Stalwarts

James A. Garfield (Rep) vs. Winfield Scott Hancock (Dem)

compromise

Pretended to want reform

Openly favored a spoils system

10. President Garfield’s Assassination

Charles Guiteau:”I Am a Stalwart, and Arthur is now President of the United States!”

11. Pendleton Act (1883)11. Pendleton Act (1883) Civil Service Reform

Act

The “Magna Carta” of civil service reform.

1883 14,000 out of117,000 federal govt.jobs became civilservice exam positions.

1900 100,000 out of

200,000 civil service federal govt. jobs.

12. Grover Cleveland Wins Election of 1884

First Democrat elected since Buchanan 28 years prior.

Supported lowering the tariff rate, which divided the two parties and got him kicked out in 1888.

Replaced by Benjamin Harrison… but he’ll be back.

13. Benjamin Harrison and the Billion Dollar Congress

For the first time Congress appropriated one billion dollars in spending mostly on: Civil War Pensions Purchased Silver

14. The Populist Party

1892, the Populist Party (aka People’s Party) formed.

Most support came from frustrated farmers in the West and South.

Party Platform: Demanded inflation through silver

coinage Graduated income tax Government ownership of railroads,

telegraph, telephone Direct election of Senators One term limit for President Shorter workday Restrictions on immigrationPopulist ideas appealed to blacks, so the Southern Democrats tightened discrimination further.

15. Cleveland and Depression

Populists too weak, Republicans discredited, so Grover Cleveland wins his second term in 1892. Depression hits in 1893. Looking for help, Cleveland accepts a

loan of $65 million in gold from banking guru J.P. Morgan.

It helps the country’s economy, but the loan from Wall Street was condemned by many in the public.