Politics in the Gilded Age

1. Politics in the Gilded Age

2. A. The Gilded Age Samuel Clemens “Mark Twain” Charles Dudley Warner

3. 1.Gilding: coating something in a thin layer of gold. 2. The nickname “The Gilded Age” was coined by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner in their fictional book The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today (1873). It referred to the period of time in American history stretching from roughly 1870 – 1900…

4. 3. What made it Gilded? a. America, despite its appearance of promise and prosperity, was plagued with corruption and scandal. b. Two themes caused dissention: i.Laissez Faire – “hands off” ii. Government gained new authority and power at all levels- especially local level. http://us.history.wisc.edu/hist102/lectures/lecture04.html

5. 4. Democrats & Republicans a. After the Civil War, both parties appeased special interest groups. b. Neither party had clear control of the government i. Republicans maintained the presidency from 1868-1912 (except for Cleveland’s presidencies) ii. Democrats controlled Congress and most state legislature c. Each struggled to find clear platforms

6. d. When all else failed, Republicans quickly jumped waving “The Bloody Shirt”, reminding voters of the South’s dishonor of seceding and causing the Civil War (Southern states were Democrat). *This tactic painted all Democrats as traitors.

7. Political Parties of the Gilded Age DemocraticBloc RepublicanBloc • Northern whites(pro-business) • African Americans • Northern Protestants • Most of the middleclass • White southerners(preservation ofwhite supremacy) • Catholics • Recent immigrants(esp. Jews) • Urban working poor (pro-labor) • Most farmers

8. 5. Political Machines a. As city officials gained more power, they increased taxes to pay for city up-keep. Competition among groups for control of city government grew intense. b.Political machines: unofficial city organizations designed to keep a particular party or group in power (arose due to clashing interests among groups of politicians)

9. c. Most political machines were headed by a powerful “boss” who may or may not have actually held a public office. d. Kickback: promising a job contract to a company, hiking the price of the job, and then receiving a portion of the earnings, which would be known as graft – funds illegally acquired through dishonorable behavior.

10. e. Most political bosses were corrupt; however there were a few honest leaders. i. Ex. George Cox (Republican) who won election to Cincinnati’s city council in 1879 aa. He used his machine to guarantee victories and business contracts to party faithfuls, but… bb. He also worked with local reformers to improve the quality of the police forceand city services.

11. I don't care who does the electing, so long as I get to do the nominating. -Boss Tweed f. Most notoriously corrupt political boss was William “Boss” Tweed of NYC. i. Led Tammany Hall in the early 1870s ii. Grew rich off kickbacks/graft from the city’s construction jobs, which were padded with fake expenses iii. Tweed was arrested in 1873 and died in jail.

12. Analyze Nast vs Boss Tweed Cartoon

14. Political Machine Basics • WHAT??? • Political parties that controlled local and state government in late 1800s • WHY?? • Cities were growing fast! • City government disorganized with few reliable services (police, fire, welfare) • Immigrants wanted protection, help

15. The Dwarf and the Thief by: Thomas Nast Can The Law Reach Him ?

16. B. Election of 1876 1. Rutherford B. Hayes(OH)- Repub a. Promised “home rule” in the South and civil/ political rights for all (contradictory). 2. Samuel Tilden (NY)- Democrat 3. Tilden won popular vote, but electoral college votes from SC, FL, & LA were disputed. 4. Each party claimed they won.

17. Election of 1876

18. C. The Compromise of 1877 1. An electoral commission was set up to determine who would be awarded the disputed votes; Congress also had to approve their decision. 2. Republicans and Democrats agreed that if Hayes won the election he would remove federal troops from the south.

19. 3. As a result of the compromise, Democrats regained control of SC, LA, & FL andReconstruction in the South officially ended on May 1, 1877.4. A political cartoon byThomas Nast ofHarper’s Weeklyused a sports analogy for the Compromise of 1877.

20. *A brief FYI: Nast created today’s symbols of the Republican (Elephant) and Democrat (Donkey) Parties (Dec. 27, 1879).

21. After the removal of the troops from the South after Reconstruction, whites are again free to discriminate against African-Americans (thus, the passage of Jim Crow laws…).

22. Analyze Election of 1877 Map

23. D. Political attitude of the late 19th century… 1. With few exceptions, Washington (that means federal politicians) generally ignored the social consequences of industrialization. 2. However, others throughout the country forced the issues.

24. E. Stirrings of Reform… 1. With the presidency of Hayes came the first stirrings of government reform. 2. The use of public offices as rewards for political party work is known as the "SpoilsSystem." This system cycled in and out of government through presidencies from Jefferson to Grant.

25. 3. Hayes’s presidency marked the beginning of Civil Service Reform. a. Civil service jobs: government jobs held by non-elected workers. b. Hayes tried to appoint qualified political independents to Cabinet posts and fired employees that were not needed; however, Hayes did not have Congressional backing in this endeavor and angered many politicians.

26. 4. Because of differences over civil service reform, the Republican party split into two factions: a. Stalwarts: conservative Republicans whoopposed Civil Service Reform b. Half-breeds: moderate faction of Republicans who supported Civil Service Reform(which began under Rutherford B. Hayes) 5. This split caused confusion over who to choose as the presidential candidate in 1880!

27. F. Election of 1880 1. Incumbent (current holder of office) president Rutherford B. Hayes planned to retire at the end of one term, which opened wide the door of opportunity! 2. Candidates for the Election of 1880: a. Democrat: Winfield S. Hancock (P) William English (VP) b.Republican: James Garfield (P) Chester A. Arthur (VP)

28. G. Republicans and the 1880 Election Half Breeds Stalwarts Conflict! Compromise! James A. Garfield (P) Chester A. Arthur (VP)

29. H. Issues of the Election 1. Only the tariff question divided the parties ***Tariff = tax on imported goods, used primarily to protect young American industries a. Democrats: Supported tariff for revenue only (what would pay for the cost of gov’t) b. Republicans: Supported a high tariff to help protect industry in the North (make Americans buy American products!!!)

30. Election Results? Garfield wins!!! Solid South: term which describes the voting bloc of the South from 1876 to 1960

31. I. The 2nd Presidential Assassination

32. 1. July 2, 1881, 9:30 a.m., Wash, D.C.- President Garfield was shot by Charles Guiteau. a. Guiteau stalked the president for weeks and had backed down three previous times. b. Fired a .44 British Bulldog at the back of the president in the waiting room of the railway station. *2 shots: one grazed the arm, one entered his back

33. ***Random info*** Alexander Graham Bell invented a metal-detecting device he thought would find the bullet in Garfield’s body. The results of the experiment were inconclusive as there was a humming sound no matter where the wand was placed on the president’s body. Bell was unaware that the White House bed had a coil spring mattress (a new invention). If Bell had moved Garfield off the bed, the apparatus would have detected where the bullet was and, knowing this, the surgeons may have saved Garfield’s life.

34. 2. Garfield’s Death a. The bullet didn’t kill him- the doctors did!!! (Doctors stuck their un-sanitized fingers and un-sterilized instruments into the open wound) b. In the end, the doctors had taken a three-inch wound and turned it into a twenty-inch gouge that was massively infected. On September 15, 1881, symptoms of blood poisoning appeared. On September 19, after a few hours of unconsciousness, he died.

35. c. At the autopsy, examiners determined that the bullet had lodged itself some four inches from the spine in a protective cyst.  Their conclusion?  Garfield would have survived if the doctors had left him alone!!!  (At his trial, Guiteau argued that he did not kill the President – the doctors did.  That argument might get you off today but not in the 1880's.) d. Guiteau was hanged a year later.

36. 3. Why did Guiteau shoot the Pres? “His death was a political necessity” “It will unite the Republican party” ~Guiteau – written on the morning of the assassination a. He thought civil service reform would end under Arthur. b. Will be classified as a disappointed office seeker – yep, he was crazy!

37. 4. Significance of Garfield’s death a. Pushed Congress to change the Spoils System b. Arthur changed course and focused on creating a modern civil service system c. Result? Pendleton Act of 1883 i. Provided for open, competitive exams for applicants of government civil service jobs ii. Banned practice of requiring political contributions from civil servants

38. 5. Effect of the Pendleton Act?? • 1883  14,000 out of 117,000 federal govt. jobs became civilservice exam positions. • 1900  100,000 out of 200,000 civil service federal gov’t. jobs. • Much more accountability in gov’t!

39. J. Arthur as President • Pendleton Act is his most lasting legacy • The tariff issue came to the forefront. • Wanted to lower the tariff • Congress’ compromise: Mongrel Tariff (1883) reduced the overall tax by less than1.5 %- satisfied no one! c. Beginning of the 2 parties’ tariff struggle: i. Repub  high tariff ii.Dem  free trade

40. From the map, omit the following: I. #1. • Whole section • letters b & c • Whole section