GILDED AGE POLITICS
Unit 6.4
Gilded Age Overview
• Term coined by Mark Twain
• Highlighted by weak Presidents and strong Legislative Branch.
• Quickly name the best President between Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt.
• Theme would be battle against Political Machines
• Although it looked like the Republicans controlled politics, it was pretty
even as Democrats controlled most cities and Southern states.
Gilded Age Coalitions
• Republicans
• 16 solid states
• Blacks, Northern “Lincoln”
Republicans, Middle class,
“Old stock”
• “Waving the bloody shirt”
• Democrats
• 14 solid states (mainly
South)
• White Southerners,
Catholics, Immigrants
• Rallied coalition with Civil
War loyalties for several
decades.
• 5 undecided states (NY
and OH being most
important). Presidential
popular vote average
only 1.5% difference
Southern Politics – Post Reconstruction
• Controlled by rich
• Remember Bourbon Rule
• Jim Crow Laws
• Segregation by race
• Upheld by Supreme Court
case in 1896 Plessy v.
Ferguson
• “separate, but equal” doctrine
• Black (and poor
whites too) kept from
vote by:
• Literacy tests
• Grandfather clauses
• Poll taxes
• Intimidation
• Ida B. Well’s antilynching movement
Washington vs. DuBois
• Booker T. Washington
• Founded Tuskegee
Institute
• Mission to teach skills and
economic self-help
• Atlanta Compromise –
later generations would
considered it a sell-out to
segregation
• W.E.B. Du Bois
• 1st African-American to received
Doctorate from Harvard
• Leader of northern black
intellectuals
• Niagara Movement
(1905) – basis for
NAACP, wanted equal
rights
Political Machines in Urban Areas
• Started as social clubs, but later became systems to coordinate the
needs of immigrants, businesses, and underprivileged. Both parties
had them.
• They did help bring modern services to cities and help with newly
arrived immigrants. Also got many involved in political process.
• Problem was the corruption involved. Graft was common
in many machines.
The most famous Political Machine
• Tammany Hall – New York City’s Democratic Machine
• William “Boss” Tweed – leader of it
• Over half of all tax money in NYC ended up in his pockets or his cronies
(or the rival Republican Machine Stalwarts led by Roscoe Conkling)
• Finally brought down by political cartoons by Thomas Nast
More Boss Tweed Cartoons
Civil Service Reform
• Patronage – giving jobs to loyal party members or friends
• Goes back to the Spoils System with Jackson
• Graft, scandals and other corruption with Grant’s administration
• Credit Mobilier, Indian Ring, Whiskey Ring, and Navy Ring Scandals
• Assassination of President Garfield made it a major issue and led to:
• Pendleton Act (1883) –reformed the system for civil
service jobs
• Used merit system for jobs
Stalwarts, Half-breeds, and Mugwumps
• Stalwarts and Half-breeds were rival Republican Machines
• Stalwarts led by Roscoe Conkling (known for corruption)
• Half-breeds led by James Blaine (more for reform, but still corrupt)
• 1880 Election
• Stalwarts back Arthur
• Half-breeds back Garfield
• After election Garfield assassinated – “I am a Stalwart and Arthur is President now.”
• Mugwumps – In 1884, Republicans that were against Blaine and
corruption of the Republican machine and voted for an “honest”
Democrat in Grover Cleveland.
Money Issues
• Farmers, debtors, and start-up businesses wanted more money in
circulation, thus more inflation.
• Greenback Party in 1870s received support
• Bimetallism (dollar backed by gold and silver) pushed
• 16 to 1 ratio pushed by some – 16 oz. of silver = 1 oz. of gold
• Election of 1896 – Bryan’s Cross of Gold speech
Interstate Commerce Control
• Granger case Wabash v. Illinois said states could not control
interstate commerce.
• Interstate Commerce Act of 1887 gave federal gov’t control and
established the Interstate Commerce Commission.
• Munn v. Illinois (1887) upheld gov’t regulations of businesses
Economic Downtowns
• Panic of 1873
• RR over speculation, banking crisis
• Panic of 1893
• RR bankruptcies, banking crisis
• Worst recession in American History to that time (ended in 1898)
• Coxey’s Army – unemployed marched on Washington D.C.
wanting the government to create jobs (like stimulus package)
Other major issues of Gilded Age
• Monopolies
• Sherman Antitrust Act
• 1890, opened path to
more later on.
• Tariff Issue
• McKinley Tariff 1890
• Public did not like it, helps
Dems take over in next
election.
• Tax system outdated (helps
Populists)
Writers / Early Muckrakers
• Henry George
• “Haves and have nots”
• Blamed social problems on
wealthy
• Jacob Riis
• How the Other Half Lives
• Pictures and descriptions of
slum life
• Edward Bellamy
• Looking Backward 1888
• Gov’t needed to own
industries
(Communism?)
Presidents of the Gilded Age
• Andrew Johnson (D)
• 1865-1869
• Tenure of Office Act and
Impeachment
• Radical Reconstruction
• Ulysses S. Grant (R)
• 1869-1877
• Scandals
• Panic of 1873
Presidents of the Gilded Age
• Rutherford B. Hayes (R)
• 1877-1881
• Ended Reconstruction
(Comp. of 1877)
• Wife – “Lemonade Lucy”
• James Garfield (R)
• 1881
• Assassination leads to
Civil Service reform
Presidents of the Gilded Age
• Chester Arthur (R)
• 1881-1885
• Civil service reform led
to Pendleton Act
• Pushed to modernize the
navy
• Grover Cleveland (D)
• 1885-1889, 1893-1897
• Only President to serve
two non-consecutive
terms as President
• Mugwumps supported
him
Presidents of the Gilded Age
• Benjamin Harrison (R)
• 1889-1893
• Split Cleveland’s terms
• Signed Sherman Anttrust Act and McKinley
Tariff
• William McKinley (R)
• 1897-1901
• Spanish-American War
• Teddy Roosevelt as VP
in 1900 election
• Assassinated in 1901
Impact of Gilded Age Politics
• Reform began on Political Machines – would continue in
the Progressive Era.
• Tax/Tariff issues would lead to Income tax and other
reforms in Progressive Era.
• Sherman Anti-trust Act and Interstate Commerce Act would
open door for more government regulation of businesses.
• Populist/Peoples Party would force Republicans and
Democrats to changed in the Progressive Era.
Reflection Questions
• What was more untrue to democracy values – the
Northern political machines or Southern Jim Crow
governments?
• How did the government try to lessen the influence of the
wealthy in the Gilded Age and how successful were they?
• What two Presidents of the Gilded Age had the biggest
impact in changing history and why?
• Why was the opportunity for success by a 3rd party so
great during the Gilded Age?
Links
• http://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/rise-industrial•
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america-1877-1900 -timeline
http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5354/ - Cross of Gold
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5Yrztwff1Q – Gilded
Age Rap
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5Yrztwff1Q – start at
3:55
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHl2laLOsk&feature=relmfu – HS lesson on Political Machines
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97ktQSzD7r8&feature=
relmfu – Review video, money issue