Unit 10 – The Gilded Age to the Early 1900s
I.
Politics in the Gilded Age
**Gilded Age** a term coined by Mark Twain to describe the postReconstruction Era. What does it mean?
A. The Business of Politics
1. Laissez-faire Politics
 French phrase (allow to be) that says that government should play a
limited role in business; keep “hands off” and business will help country.
 Where was this theory of economics explained?
 Most Americans in the late 1800s accepted this theory, but would accept
government intervention if it helped them. DEFINE subsidy.
2. Credit Mobilier Scandal
 Credit Mobilier was the name of the company that built the tracks for the
Union Pacific railroad, which was granted loans and land to build the RR
 What were the basics of the scandal? Who was involved?
3. The Spoils System
 Elected officials appointed friends and supporters to government jobs,
regardless of their qualifications.
 The Gilded Age was characterized by dishonest, unqualified govt workers

Why did both parties use this system?
4. Opposing Political Parties
 During the Gilded Age, the Democrat and Republican parties had the
same number of supporters. Did differ on supporters and issues.
 Republicans
 Democrats
B. Reforming the Spoils System
1. Hayes Fights the Spoils System
 After his election in 1877, he refused to use the patronage system and
appointed qualified independents to Cabinet positions and fired others.
 By these actions, he reformed the civil service (non-elected workers)
2. Garfield’s Term Cut Short
 James A. Garfield (Republican) won a close race over General Winfield
Hancock (Democrat) but was assassinated on July 2, 1881.
 EXPLAIN the assassination of Garfield.
3. Arthur Reforms the Civil Service
 Vice-President Chester Arthur took office and used the assassination to
reform the civil service.
 What was the Pendleton Civil Service Act (1883)?
4. Democrats Take Power
 Grover Cleveland became the 1st Democrat to win the White House since
1856 with his victory in 1884. EXPLAIN the election.
C. Regulating the Railroads
 Many complaints of unfair practices used by railroads. DEFINE rebates
 Munn v. Illinois – Supreme Court case that allowed states to regulate
railroads with their borders.
 What about trains that crossed state lines?
D. Depression to Prosperity
1. Focus on Tariffs
 Republican Benjamin Harrison defeated Cleveland in 1888 by focusing
on the tariff issue (he promised to raise it to help businesses)
2. Cleveland’s Second Term
 Wins the election of 1892 (only president to serve non-consecutive terms)
 2nd term marred by huge economic depression.
 Who was Jacob Coxey?
3. McKinley wins in 1896 and 1900
 Republican William McKinley wins two elections with help from urban
workers and businesses
 Pushed for higher tariffs and Gold Standard
 EXPLAIN his assassination
II.
People on the Move
 For immigrants, the chance to come to America was a golden opportunity.
 Between 1865 and 1920, close to 30 million people entered the country
A. The Immigrant Experience
1. Immigrants Hopes and Dreams
 Some dreamed of wealth, free government land, or personal freedom.
 Why did people come from Russia and Italy?
2. Crossing the Ocean
 Most immigrants traveled in steerage (large open area beneath the ship’s
deck) which had limited toilets, privacy, and poor food; but was cheap.
3. Arriving in America
 Who were considered “birds of passage”?
 Historian estimate about 10 million immigrants arrived (1865-1900) from
northwestern and central Europe
 Germany = 2.8 million
 Great Britain = 1.8 million
 Ireland = 1.4 million
 After 1890, the pattern of immigration shifted. EXPLAIN

Immigrants entered the US through several port cities. (Boston, Philly,
Baltimore, San Francisco - but 70% came through New York.
B. Immigrants from Europe
 In 1892, the federal government opened a huge reception center for steerage
passengers on Ellis Island in New York Harbor. What was close by?
1. Physical Exams
 The federal government required all new immigrants to undergo a
physical exam. DEFINE quarantine
 After the physicals, immigrants showed their documents to officials and
then collected their baggage.
2. Where Immigrants Settled
 Immigrants often sought to live in communities established by previous
settlers from their homeland. What was the problem with finding work?
3. Ghettos
 Areas in which one ethnic group or racial group dominated.
 Immigrants moved here because of language and tradition.
 What were restrictive covenants?
C. Immigrants from Asia
 Asian immigrants often found that the path to acceptance was difficult.
1. Chinese Excluded
 In the mid 1800s, American railroad companies recruited about 250,000
Chinese workers.
 What were some of the criticisms of the Chinese immigrants?

Chinese Exclusion Act – 1882
 Prohibited Chinese laborers from entering the country and was not
repealed until 1943 – Chinese did not have to leave the country
2. Japanese Restricted
 By 1920, some 200,000 Japanese immigrants had arrived in the US
through West Coast ports and faced racial discrimination (schools)
 What was the Gentlemen’s Agreement?
D. Immigrants from Mexico
 Worked on railroads and other construction jobs – they were hard workers
who would work for low wages.
 The 1910 Mexican Revolution led to a “push” factor to the US, they wanted
to escape the violence.
III.
The Challenge of the Cities
A. Expanding Cities
 Cities were not just growing from immigrants from around the world.
 Between 1880 and 1920, 11 million Americans left the economic hardships of
the farm for the opportunities of the cities.
 What factors led to African-Americans moving to cities?
B. How Cities Grew
 Between 1865-1900 many features of modern city life, both good and bad,
first appeared.


Suburbs – residential communities surrounding cities
What were some transportation advances?
1.
2.
3.
4.


Cities also grew upward – steel became stronger with the Bessemer
process.
What was needed when the first ”skyscrapers” were built?
C. Urban Living Conditions
 Tenements were low-cost apartment buildings designed to house as many
families as the owner could pack in. Several of these would lead to slums.
1. Conditions in the Slums
 Before long, because of poverty, overcrowding and neglect, the old
residential neighborhoods gradually declined.
 What were the 3 major problems that could happen?
1.
2.
3.
2. Light, Air and Water
 In 1879, a change in New York laws required an outside window in every
room – so an architect designed the Dumbell Tenement.

Water sanitation systems were also implemented to cut down on
contaminated water.
3. How the Other Half Lives
 A reporter named Jacob Riis published this story of what the tenements
were like; he hoped for reform to start.
 What did he use to help capture life in the tenements?
D. The Results of City Growth
1. Political Divisions
 City governments became more powerful as they increased revenues
(taxes) and had more responsibilities (providing services).
 Competition among groups for control of the government became intense
and lead to divisions - IDENTIFY
2. The Rise of Political Bosses
 Political Machine – was an unofficial city organization designed to keep a
particular party or group in power – usually headed by a “boss”
 How were the able to keep control of a city and define GRAFT?

George B. Cox – good “boss” of Cincinnati
- Guaranteed election victories and city contracts but also improved the
quality of city services and police force.

William Marcy Tweed – Boss Tweed of New York
- Controlled Tammany Hall – the political club that ran NYC’s
Democratic party.
- What did he do to New York?

Brilliant political cartoonist Thomas Nast helped bring Tweed down by
exposing his methods to the public.
IV.
The Expansion of Education
A. The Growth of Public Schools
 Before the Civil War, most kids went to school for a few years and learned
the basics; children helped families earn a living and worked on farms
 As industries grew, new skills were needed for advancement.
1. School Days
 Many schools were one-room were children were taught by a single
teacher – learned by rote (reading aloud in class, memorized, recitation)
2. Immigrants and Education
 Key for immigrants was literacy – the ability to read and write.
 DEFINE assimilation

What role did Catholic schools play?
B. Higher Education Expands
 Between 1880-1900, more than 150 new American colleges or U opened to
train young people in the skills needed by a growing industrial economy.
 Wealthy Americans often endowed (gave money or property) to institutions
of higher learning. Stanford =
U of Chicago =
 What was the biggest roadblock for students in getting to college?
1. Women and Higher Education
 What was the 1st women’s college?
 Men’s colleges were pressured to open their doors to women, instead they
opened separate institutions for women that were connected.
 What were some obstacles for women going to college?
2. African Americans and Higher Education
 Many of the first African American Institutions were founded during
Reconstruction.
 Provided opportunities for blacks to become lawyers, doctors, teachers.
3. Two Perspectives on African American Education

Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois were key educators who had
different opinions on the kind of education that would best serve blacks.
 Booker T. Washington
 W.E.B. Du Bois
V. New Forms of Entertainment
A. Performances and Recreation
1. Vaudeville and Minstrel Shows
 Vaudeville was a type of inexpensive variety show that first appeared in
the 1870’s – very popular
 IDENTIFFY vaudeville acts

Minstrel shows were a popular form of entertainment from the 1840s that
perpetrated racial stereotypes – began to die out because of vaudeville.
2. Movies
 First movies were show in nickelodeons – theatres set up converted stores
or warehouses that charged a nicker admission.
 As technology advanced, there were better movies and bigger movie
houses. What were early movies like?
3. The Circus
 What made the circus a big event starting in 1872?
4. Amusement Parks
 Main attractions were mechanical rides like the steeplechase, the Ferris
wheel and the roller coaster.
 What role did the trolley have in amusement parks?
5. Sports
 Baseball was the most popular sport at the turn of the century.
 By 1860, a variety of groups had formed baseball clubs and eventually
closed fields were built and admission was charged.
 What was the first professional baseball team?


Football = Walter Camp adapting the European game of rugby.
Basketball = the only sport of exclusively American origin created by Dr.
James A. Naismith to keep athletes fit in the winter.
B. What People were Reading
 Reading for entertainment became a popular pastime for many Americans.
1. Newspapers
 Became a popular form of entertainment as circulation soared from 2.6
mil to 15.1 mil between 1870-1900.
 A key to this increase was Yellow Journalism – sensational news coverage
 What two newspaper titans used “yellow journalism” to increase sales?
2. Magazines
 In 1879, Congress passed a law lowering the postal rates for periodicals.
 Many of the popular magazines of this era featured stories appealing to
the average American’s desire and determination to succeed.
C. Musical Diversions
1. Ragtime and Jazz
 Ragtime originated among black musicians in the South and Midwest in
the 1880s.
 Jazz grew out of the vibrant musical culture of New Orleans.