The Gilded Age

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The Gilded Age

• Mark Twain is credited with using this term to
  describe
• American society from 1865-1900.
• The difference between a Gilded Age and a Golden
  Age is..?

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Corruption Around the World
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The Political Machine
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Tammany Hall
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The Tammany Tiger
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A Different Look at the Tiger
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William Marce TweedBoss Tweed
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The Kickback

• A kickback is when a politician helps someone get
  a government contract.
• Then, the contractor gives a little thank you
  to that politician.

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Thomas Nast

• Considered the father of American Political
  Cartoons.
• He hated Tammany Hall and Tweed.
• His cartoons helped to eventually drive Tweed
  from power.

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President Grant 1868-1876

• Grant had defeated the South and became a hero.
  However, he was a poor President.

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• Grant couldnt tell honest men from those who
  wanted to use him.
• He was easily impressed by money.
• Grants family tried to sell influence

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The Credit Mobilier Scandal

• Some Railroad men had created a company called
  Credit Mobilier.
• They bribed people in Congress, and Grants
  administration, to get huge contracts.
• Even Grants VP had accepted bribes!
• There were several other cases of corruption
  during Grants two terms. His may have been the
  most corrupt Presidency in our history.

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The Plight of the Farmer

• Farmers on the Plains had faced many challenges
  since the 1860s Indians, drought, prairie
  fires, swarms of grasshoppers, and cyclones.

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Their biggest challenge in the Gilded Age was
debt.
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A Farmers Vicious Debt Cycle

• Farmers borrowed lots of money to pay for new
  equipment, land, and seed.
• They grew so much food that prices dropped.
• As prices dropped, they had to borrow more and
  more money to get by.

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The Grange
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The Farmers Co-op
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The Rise of Populism
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The Populists

• The main goals of the Populists at their 1892
  convention
• Free Silver
• More Paper Money
• Govt. ownership of railroads.
• Forgiveness of debt.

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William Jennings Bryan

• Was popular with the farmers.
• Bryan was a great speaker. People love to hear
  him.
• Believed greatly in Free Silver

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Silverites

• People who wanted silver to be coined into money
  along with gold. The idea was that there would be
  more money floating around therefore, the
  farmers could pay their debts.

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The Cross of Gold Speech

• You shall not press down upon the brow of labor
  this crown of thorns-you shall not crucify
  mankind upon a cross of gold!
• This speech earned Bryan the Democratic
  nomination in 1896.

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Two views of Bryan
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The Impact of the Populists

• Although Bryan was defeated in 1896, the Populism
  movement actually succeeded in the long run. Most
  of their ideas were adopted later
• Currency reform
• Help for Farmers
• Direct election of U.S. Senators