Lesson 12The Politics of the Gilded Age

Objective• To show students that the politics of the Gilded

Age supported the rise of big business and en-couraged the development of monopolies

NotesThe term "Gilded Age" is often used to de-

scribe the period between 1876 and 1900 becausethe facade of wealth and prosperity supposedlymasked the corruption and decay of American po-litical life. Control of government by big businesswas a dominant theme of the time. The highly-publicized and unethical tactics of Boss Tweedmade Tammany Hall, the Democratic headquar-ters in New York City, the symbol for graft andbusiness control of government throughout thenation. The failure of the national government toregulate business practices before the passage ofthe Interstate Commerce Act of 1887 gave wealthyindustrialists opportunities to devise ways to influ-ence political leaders.

With the exception of Cleveland's two termsas President, the Republicans dominated the pres-idency during this period. However, in no electiondid the winning candidate receive more than 50.8percent of the vote. Republican policies during theperiod stemmed from the business-oriented planksin the 1860 platform: Homestead Act, high tariff,government support for railroads, and nationalcontrol of banking. The Half-Breed and Stalwartsplit in the Republican party created a need forcompromise. This fact may have influenced theoutcome of elections and subsequent concessionsto big business.

In this lesson, students use four political car-toons as the basis for examining business controlof government during the Gilded Age.

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U.S. History: Book 2Lesson 12-Handout 15 (page 1)

Name _ Date _

Cartoons of Politics In the Gilded Age

Cartoon A

Thomas Nast

Albert Paine, Thomas Nast: His Period and His Pictures(Gloucester, MA: Peter Smith Publishers, 1974), p. 196.

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U.S. History: Book 2Lesson 12-Handout 15 (page 2)

Name _ Date ~------

Cartoon B

Merle Curti and Lewis Paul Todd, Rise of the American Na·tion (New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1972), 474.

The Bosses of the Senate

Cartoon C

Allan Nevins and Frank Weiten Kampf (eds.), A Century ofPolitical Cartoons (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1944),161.

A Hydra that Must Be Crushed and the Sooner the Better

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U.S. History: Book 2Lesson 12-Handout 15 (page 3)

Name _ Date _

Cartoon D

Horace TaylorThomas C. Blaisdell Jr., Peter Selz and Seminar, The Amer-ican Presidency in Political Cartoons 1975-1976 (Berkeley:University Art Museum, 1976), 133.

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