Get out your Notes from Yesterday....

Get out your Notes from Yesterday.... • With your France partner... • Share your summary and explain the pictures you drew on your notes from yesterday.

Gilded Age politics Talk about corruption...

Today we will... • Discuss the causes & consequences of Gilded Age politics & economics • Evaluate political machines, major scandals, civil service reform

Pictures of Gilded Age Houses You've gotta see this...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Spgdy3HkcSs Crash Course is the best...

With your Germany partner... • Summarize what you learned in the Crash Course Video • Make sure you have 2-3 points to share with the class

Politics of the gilded age • Presidency = low power & influence, & congress was corrupt • The "Forgettable Presidents": • Andrew Johnson – impeached and almost removed from office • Ulysses S. Grant - naïve to how politics worked & relied heavily on his advisors, who were mostly corrupt, to help make important decisions – his presidency = full of scandals • Rutherford B. Hayes – many considered his election a fraud • James Garfield – was assassinated only 4 months into his presidency • Chester Arthur – VP to Garfield – lost republican nomination because of the Pendleton Civil Service Act

The Forgettable Presidents Ms. Keller proudly presents...

Politics, politics, politics • Era of Congressional Supremacy – Republican party dominated Presidency & Congress (full of representatives owned by big business • Major Political issues of the Gilded Age: • High tariffs – there were high, protective tariffs • Currency reform – the amount of $ in circulation determines its worth – the more $, the less it is valued; free silver was an idea • Spoils System – awarding government positions to loyal political supporters

With your China Partner • Explain to each other what the three major political issues of the Gilded Age were. Write down questions if you have any.

Political machines • Corruption in politics was commonplace; bribing politicians was the norm • Laissez-faire approach to regulating business = big business had a lot of power • What does that mean? • Tammany Hall • Most infamous example of machine politics – headquarters of Democratic Party in NYC • Dominated NYC politics starting 1934 • Founded 1786 as a social organization but eventually became political

Boss tweed • Leader of New York's corrupt Tammany Hall 1860's & early 1870's • "Tweed Ring" - openly bought votes, encouraged judicial corruption, extracted millions from city contracts, and dominated NYC politics • 1871 – peak corruption year – remodeled City Court House – blatant embezzelment • Most Tammany Hall members were arrested in 1871 for corruption...but Tweed escaped

Thomas Nast • American Cartoonist • Best known for his attac k on the political machine of William M. Tweed in the 1870s • His cartoons were published in Harper's weekly

Credit Mobilier • SCANDAL – 1872-73 – damaged careers of several Gilded Age politicians • Major Stockholders – Union Pacific Railroad – formed company = Credit Mobilier of America • Gave contracts to build the RR • Sold shares in this construction to influential congressmen, who approved federal subsidies for the cost of the RR construction w/o paying attention to cost... • RR builders were making the big bucks • Scandal exposed 1872

Whiskey Ring • SCANDAL – exposed 1875 • Group of whiskey distillers who conspired to defraud the federal government of taxes • Bribed IRS officials & accomplices in DC in order to keep liquor taxes for themselves... • Rumors that this money was going to be used for Republican Party's national campaign for reelection of Grant • It did not end well for them (238 indictments (formal charges) and 110 convictions

Corruption and Scandals and assassination...??? http://www.history.com/news/the-assassination-of-president-james-a-garfield

With your America Partner... • What Questions do you have? Answer each other's questions if you can; if you can't, ask me!

Get out your Notes from Yesterday....