Gilded Age Politics in America

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Gilded Age Politics
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Bellwork 10/15 Why would the following chart be
considered A Two-Party Stalemate?
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Two-Party Balance
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2. Intense Voter Loyalty to theTwo
MajorPolitical Parties
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3. Well-Defined Voting Blocs
DemocraticBloc
RepublicanBloc

• White southerners(preservation ofwhite
  supremacy)
• Catholics
• Recent immigrants(esp. Jews)
• Urban working poor (pro-labor)
• Most farmers

• Northern whites(pro-business)
• African Americans
• Northern Protestants
• Old WASPs (supportfor anti-immigrant laws)
• Most of the middleclass

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4. Very Laissez Faire Federal Govt.

• From 1870-1900 ? Govt. did verylittle
  domestically.
• Main duties of the federal govt.
• Deliver the mail.
• Maintain a national military.
• Collect taxes tariffs.
• Conduct a foreign policy.
• Exception ? administer the annual Civil War
  veterans pension.

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5. The Presidency as a Symbolic Office

• Party bosses ruled.
• Presidents should avoid offending anyfactions
  within theirown party.
• The President justdoled out federal jobs.
• 1865 ? 53,000 people worked for the federal
  govt.
• 1890 ? 166,000
  

Senator Roscoe Conkling
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1880 Presidential Election
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1881 Garfield Assassinated!
Charles GuiteauI Am a Stalwart, and Arthur is
President now!
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Activities

• Presidential Assassination- How did doctors kill
  the president. Please take notes during video.
• Reading of Primary Resource about the United
  States reaction to the Assassination. Please
  underline the important points, and answer the
  question
• 1)What does Dr. Newman cite as the leading
  causes of the President's death?

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Pendleton Act (1883)

• Civil Service Act.
• The Magna Carta of civil service reform.
• 1883 ? 14,000 out of117,000 federal govt.jobs
  became civilservice exam positions.
• 1900 ? 100,000 out of 200,000 civil service
  federal govt. jobs.

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Bellwork 10/16

• Students will read Tract No. 2 individually, and
  answer the following question
• Summarize the accusations levied against
  Democrats in "Tract No. 2." Why is this an
  example of "bloody shirt" campaigning?
• Definition of waving the bloody shirt-practice
  of politicians referencing the blood of heroes to
  inspire support or avoid criticism .

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Republican Mugwumps

• Reformers who wouldnt re-nominateChester A.
  Arthur.
• Reform to them ? create a disinterested,
  impartial govt. run by an educated elite like
  themselves.
• Social Darwinists.
• Laissez faire government to them
• Favoritism the spoils system seen as govt.
  intervention in society.
• Their target was political corruption, not
  social or economic reform!

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1884 Presidential Election
Grover Cleveland James Blaine
(DEM) (REP)
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A Dirty Campaign
Ma, Mawheres my pa?Hes going to the White
House, ha ha ha!
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Little Lost Mugwump
Blaine in 1884
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1884 Presidential Election
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Clevelands First Term

• The Veto Governor from New York.
• First Democratic elected since 1856.
• A public office is a public trust!
• His laissez-faire presidency
• Opposed bills to assist the poor aswell as the
  rich.
• Vetoed over 200 special pension billsfor Civil
  War veterans!

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The Tariff Issue

• After the Civil War, Congress raisedtariffs to
  protect new US industries.
• Big business wanted to continue thisconsumers
  did not.
• 1885 ? tariffs earned the US 100 mil.
  in surplus!
• Tariffs became a major issue in the
  1888presidential election.

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1888 Presidential Election
Grover Cleveland Benjamin Harrison
(DEM) (REP)
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Coming Out for Harrison
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1888 Presidential Election
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Changing Public Opinion

• Americans wanted the federal govt. to dealwith
  growing soc. eco. problems to curbthe power
  of the trusts
• Interstate Commerce Act 1887
• Sherman Antitrust Act 1890
• McKinley Tariff 1890
• Based on the theory that prosperityflowed
  directly from protectionism.

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1892 Presidential Election
Grover Cleveland Benjamin Harrison again!
(DEM) (REP)
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1892 Presidential Election
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Cleveland Loses Support Fast!

• The only President to serve two non-consecutive
  terms.
• Blamed for the 1893 Panic.
• Defended the gold standard.
• Used federal troops in the 1894Pullman strike.
• Repealed the Sherman Silver Purchase Act.