The Gilded Age (1877-1900)

Hannahs, Lindsey and Virginia

Populism

During the Gilded Age industrializing corrupted politics, harmed farming and pressured people into the formation of the populist party.

Civil Rights• Federal troops were removed from the

South• Political leaders were white• Jim Crow Laws: Kept blacks and whites

apart• Whites were able to make loopholes to

get around the different amendments • Grandfather clause: allowed someone to

vote only if their grandfather had voted in the past

• African Americans fought back for their rights

Chinese and Mexican Segregation

• Chinese Immigration:– Segregation from whites• Had their own schools• Tried to protect their rights

• Mexican Americans – Wanted more rights– Las Gorras Blancas: Cutting holes in barbed wire

fences and burning houses of rich landowners

Women Segregation• Wanted to get more rights• Formed different unions – Women’s Christian Temperance Union – Unions were not successful

• Susan B. Anthony: Formed movement to try and gain more rights for women

Corrupt Politics

• Industries—industrialists– Hard working conditions—no minimum wage or

insurance

• Bribes• Civil service

• Trusts—monopolies• William Tweed

Economic Issues• Critical Things during the Gilded Age

– Tariff and monetary policy• Tariff issue

– divided the Democrats and Republicans– Created to protect new industries

• The monetary policy – Gave rise to independent political parties

• Gold Standard– Meant that government would use gold as the basis of the nation’s currency

• Taxes– The Federalists and Jeffersonians and the Democrats and Whigs divided because of their

differences over the tariffs

• Greenbacks– Federal paper money

Farmers

• Received low prices for their crops – had to pay high prices on railroads to transport materials

• Began to cost more to produce food than they could by selling it – Many farmers went into debt

• Southern Farmer’s Alliance – “sub treasuries”

Populism

• Aka People’s Party• In American History, it became one of the

largest 3rd party movement in American History • Group of Farmers – Wanted low prices on transportation

• Wanted “free silver” – Wanted to receive higher prices for what they sold

• Fell apart in 1896

Primary Source

Works Cited• Lapsansky-Werner, Emma J., Peter B. Levy, Randy Roberts, Alan Taylor.

United States History. Boston, Massachusetts: Pearson Education, Inc, 2008

• "Gilded Age." American History. 2009. ABC-CLIO. 12 May 2009 <http://www.americanhistory.abc-clio.com>

• http://www.eurekacityschools.org/ehs/perryr/GLWeb/PicJimCrow.jpg• “Gilded Age Politics.” The Gilded Age & the Progressive Era. 2009. Spark

Notes. http://www.sparknotes.com/history/american/gildedage/section1.html

• http://americanrefugee.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/jimcrowprotest.jpg• http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/prohibition-7.jpg• "William Marcy Tweed." American History. 2009. ABC-CLIO. 12 May 2009

<http://www.americanhistory.abc-clio.com>.