gilded age politics
DESCRIPTION
Gilded Age Politics. 1870 - 1900. A Two Party Stalemate. Few economic differences between Democrats and Republicans. Well-Defined Voting Blocs. Democrats. Republicans. Northern Protestants Anti-Immigration Nativists Middle-Class. White Southerners Catholics Recent Immigrants Urban - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Gilded Age Politics1870 - 1900
A Two Party Stalemate
Few economic differences between Democrats and Republicans
Well-Defined Voting BlocsDemocrats
White Southerners Catholics Recent Immigrants Urban Pro-Labor Farmers
Republicans Northern Protestants Anti-Immigration Nativists Middle-Class
This caused high voter turnout and partisan voting!
Laissez-faire Federal Government 1870 - 1900
Accomplished little domestically Main duties of the Federal Government
Delivered Mail Maintained Military Collected Taxes and Tariffs Conducted Foreign Policy Administered Civil War Veteran’s Pension
Issues Monetary Policy Regulation of Big Business Tariff Policy Railroad Regulations Labor Regulations Women’s Suffrage Farm Problems Civil Service Reform American Imperialism
Presidency as Symbolic Office Party bosses
ruled! President
should avoid offending factions within their own party.
Doled out federal jobs.
“The President should merely obey and enforce the law.” –Senator John Sherman of Ohio
How was it that leaders who failed to address the ‘real issues’ of the day presided over the most highly organized and politically active electorate in American history?
No chief executive between Lincoln and T. Roosevelt could be described as a strong president!
1865- 53,000 people worked for the federal government
1890 – 166,000 people worked for the federal government
1876 Election- one of the most disputed and
controversial elections in US History
Hayes Prevails
Sammy Tilden—Boo-Hoo! Ruthy Hayes’s got my Presidency, and he won’t give it to me!
Rutherford B. Hayes (R)
1877 - 1881
“Compromise of 1877” -end of Reconstruction
“Party of Morality”
Limited Vision of Government’s Role
Great RR Strike of 1877
1878 --> Bland-Allison Act
Lemonade Lucy
Split within the Republican Party
Stalwarts Sen. Roscoe
Conkling (New York) Wanted Grant for
3rd Term Favored Machine
Politics/ Spoils System
Half-Breeds Sen. James Blaine
(Maine) Support for Civil
Service Reform
James A. Garfield (R) 1881 compromise
candidate assassinated
Chester A. Arthur (R) 1881 - 1884
1882 --> Tariff Commission
1883 --> Pendleton Act (Civil Reform)
Grover Cleveland (D)1885 - 1888
“Ma, Ma, where’s my Pa? Gone to the White House, ha, ha, ha!”
laissez-faire Democrat
attacked tariffs
1886 --> Haymarket Riot
1887 --> Interstate Commerce Act
MUGWUMPS
Election of 1888 Tariffs major issue of election
Benjamin Harrison (R)1889 - 1892
1889 --> Farmers Alliance
curbs on big business (1890): 1. Sherman Anti-Trust
Act 2. McKinley Tariff Act 3. Sherman Silver
Purchase Act
1892 --> Homestead Strike
TARIFFS
Billion Dollar Congress
Grover Cleveland (D)1893 - 1896
Panic of 1893 [BIG depression!]
1894 --> Pullman Strike
1894 --> Wilson-Gorman Tariff
1895 --> E. C. Knight Co. v. US
POPULISM
William McKinley (R)1887 - 1901
1898 --> Spanish-American War
1899 --> Gold Standard Act
1899 --> Open Door Policy
1900 --> Boxer Rebellion in China
1901 --> assassinated
BIMETTALISM