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Vowell due tonight by midnight!
 Back to you by Tuesday
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Exam #1 – 2/27 – study group @ 415
 Notes and study guide on website
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Begin reading Riis (Due 3/5)
 Writing activity out on Wednesday
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“Gilded Age” – Mark
Twain
 Corruption and
patronage
 Weak presidents – “DoLittles” or “Do Nothings”
 Turned blind eye towards
cities
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Roots in:
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Social Darwinism
Laissez-faire economics
Loose interpretation of govt. regulations
Weak laws passed by the govt.
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Democrats:
 Began to attract Jewish
and Catholic immigrants
 Many believed in states
rights
 “Maintain the status quo”
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Republicans – “waving
the bloody shirt”
 “Lincoln was shot by a
Democrat”
 Brass bands, free beer,
picnics
 Pro-business attitude
 The North likes this

Main objectives:
 Gain office
 Hold office
 Provide jobs to party
faithful
 Get reelected as much as
possible
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Rutherford B. Hayes
 Won disputed election of
1876
 Withdrew troops from
South
 Honest government
 “Lemonade Lucy”
 Vetoed certain
immigration bills
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James A. Garfield
 Republican
 Won Election of 1880
 Running mate – Chester
A. Arthur
 Patronage – 100,000 jobs
 1881 – Assassinated
 Arthur becomes president
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Chester A. Arthur
 Better than expected
 Developed modern Navy
 Questioned tariffs
 Republicans went crazy!
 Not reelected in 1884
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Civil Service Reform
 Pendleton Act of 1881
 Federal applicants
 Tested and competed for
jobs
 Tried to eliminate
patronage
 Applied to 10% of all
federal employees
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Money Question:
 Should we expand the money supply?
 Increased tension
 “Haves” – rich, industrialists
 Cash backed by gold
 “Have nots” – farmers, workers
 Lower interest rates
 Pay off loans with inflated money
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Farmers
 The Grange (1868)
 Oliver H. Kelley
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Social outlet for farmers
1873 – Grange in every state
Set up farmer cooperatives
Made it illegal for RRs to fix
prices
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Farmers (cont.)
 Interstate Commerce Act
(1886)
 Rates must be “reasonable
and just”
 Set up the Interstate
Commerce Commission
 Actually helped RRs, not
farmers
 Made rates stable in favor
of RRs
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Farmers (cont.)
 National Alliance
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Direct election of Senators
Lowered tariffs
Graduated income tax
New banking system
Increase money supply
 Gave rise to the Populist
Party
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Greenbacks
 Issued during Civil War
for emergency funds
 1875 – Specie
Resumption Act
 Withdrew greenbacks from
circulation
 Greenback Party
 James B. Weaver – Iowa
 Election of 1878 – 1 million
votes
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Election of 1888
 Grover Cleveland (D)
 Protested high tariffs
 Wanted lower interest rates
 Appealed to farmers and
workers
 Benjamin Harrison (R)
 High tariff
 Pro-business
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McKinley Tariff (1890) –
Raised taxes on imports
to 48%
Increased pension to
CW veterans
Wanted to protect
black voting rights
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James Weaver –
Populist
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Grover Cleveland –
Democrat
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Benjamin Harrison Republican
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Railroad overbuilding –
AGAIN!!!
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Money not backed by
strong currency
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Worst depression in
U.S. History
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1894 – Jacob Coxey
 Led thousands of
unemployed to DC
 Demanded jobs
 $500 million for public
utilities jobs
 Trespassing and arrested