Politics of the Gilded Age
Mr. Owens
Essential Questions
• How did big business influence government
economic policies including tariffs, currency,
corporate expansion, and promotion of
laissez-faire, and how did this eventually lead
to calls for reform?
• What inspired the creation of the People’s
(Populist) Party and what was their agenda?
Political Stalemate
Causes of “Politics of Equilibrium”
1. Conservative government: “Laissez-Faire” Social
Darwinism for both parties, weak presidents
2. Divided government Democrats controlled 8 of
10 elections for House, 5 out of 6 presidents
Republican
3. Party loyalty w/ well-defined voting blocs
4. Party patronage: controlled by Party Bosses like
Roscoe Conkling (Stalwarts) & James Blaine
(Halfbreeds)
5. Popular campaigns: beer halls, parades & brass
bands near 80% voter turnout
Republicans: North, “waving the bloody shirt”
support from business, middle class, WASPs,
Blacks, tariffs, temperance/prohibition
Democrats: Southern whites, in North urban political
machines (Tammany Hall), immigrants, nonProtestants, working class
Presidential Politics 1877-1885
• Rutherford B. Hayes (1876-1881) – ended
Reconstruction attempted to end corruption
– fired Chester Arthur
• James Garfield (1881) “Halfbreed” frustrated
w/patronage, assassinated by Charles
Guiteau in 1881
• Chester A. Arthur (1881-1885) Stalwart,
surprise: signed Pendleton Act of 1881 =civil
service reform through merit examinations
• Weak leadership in Congress – most
prominent John Sherman (brother of
William), Thomas “Czar” Reed bully &
Speaker from Maine, James Blaine Sen. of
Maine party boss pushed Republicans away
from civil rights and toward business
Presidential Politics 1885-1893
• 1884 Election: Republican choice of Boss Blaine
caused reform-minded “Mugwumps” to support NY
reform Gov. Grover Cleveland, dirty election “Ma
where’s my Pa?” & “Rum, Romanism, & Rebellion”
• Grover Cleveland’s 1st Term 1885-1889: used veto
414 times!, signed Interstate Commerce Act, Dawes
Act, & reclaimed 81 million acres from railroads &
ranchers
• Tariff Issue: Cleveland wanted to lower tariff caused
business leaders to support Harrison in 1888
• Benjamin Harrison 1889-1893 (grandson of
Tippecanoe) supported high tariffs
• Billion Dollar Congress: Republicans controlled
presidency & both Houses 1889-1891: McKinley Tariff
of 1890 (highest ever), Civil War pensions, Sherman
Antitrust Act, Sherman Silver Purchase Act
• Cleveland again? Defeats Harrison in rematch in 1892
due to high prices & debt fears due to McKinley Tariff
Rise of the Populists
• The Grange 1870s Oliver Hudson Kelley Granger
Laws regulated railroad rates & grain storage –
weakened by Supreme Court in “The Wabash Case”
in 1886
• Farmer’s Alliance 1880s ran candidates &
controlled Western states by 1890s, speakers like
Mary Elizabeth Lease “Raise less corn & more hell!”
• People’s Party “Populists” in 1892 Omaha Platform:
– Political: Direct election of Senators, secret
ballot
– Economic: “Bimetalism” - free silver, graduated
income tax, Gov. ownership of RRs, telephone
& telegraph companies, 8-hour work day for
government employees, “sub-treasuries”
• 1892 Election Populist James Weaver of Iowa won
more than 1 million votes for president & 22
electoral votes but scared away white in South &
industrial workers in NE
Panic of 1893 & “Money Question”
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Panic of 1893: Stock market crashed & many railroad co.’s
went bankrupt &16,000 businesses collapsed
unemployment 20%, 500 banks closed panic!
Money Question: battle over money supply
– Debtors, Farmers, & small-businesses wanted “easy” of “soft”
money campaigned for paper currency “greenbacks” and “free”
silver
– Bankers, creditors, investors, large businesses wanted “sound” or
“hard” currency – Gold Standard
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Greenback Party: opposed to Specie Resumption Act of
1875 elected 14 members of Congress in 1878
Silver: “Crime of 1873” Congress stopped minting silver,
Bland-Alison Act of 1878 resumed silver but limited to $24 million per month – Sherman Silver Purchase Act of
1890
Due to Panic of 1893, Cleveland led repeal of Sherman Act
gold reserves depleted (borrow $65 million from J.P.
Morgan) call for “Free Silver!”
Cleveland lost support: laissez-faire, gold standard & crush
Pullman Strike
“Coxey’s Army” 1894 Populist Jacob Coxey led thousands
on march to Washington – arrested for trespassing
Election of 1896
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Populists victories in 1894 midterms
Democrats divided between “gold” Democrats
loyal to Cleveland and pro-silver Dems – William
Jennings Bryan of Nebraska
“Cross of Gold” Speech at convention dark horse
Democratic candidate at 36
Populists’ dilemma? Endorse Bryan
Bryan campaigned on “free silver” at ratio of
16:1 “bimetalism”
Republicans: William McKinley business interests
& Gold Standard tried to blame Democrats for
Depression
Mark Hanna political operative raised millions to
support McKinley
Bryan gave 600 speeches and traveled 18,000
miles by train
McKinley victory due to 1. $$$ 2. “Gold Bug”
Democrats defection 3. Fears of industrial
workers
Klondike Gold Rush
Gold Standard Act of 1900
Significance of 1896
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End of the stalemate and
stagnation of Gilded Age
Era of Republican dominance
(7 of next 9 presidential
elections and both Houses for
17 of next 20 sessions) as the
party of business, industry and
strong national government
Demise of Populists - but
many goals lived on were
adopted by Progressives &
FDR
Urban dominance of America
Beginning of modern politics media & $$$$