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Politics in the Gilded Age

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Chapter 23 Politics in the Gilded Age * – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Politics in the Gilded Age


1
Chapter 23 Politics in the Gilded Age
2
Grant Presidency 1869-1877
  • Scandal ridden
  • Black Friday- Gould Fisk scheme on the gold
    market done w/bribes
  • Credit Mobilier- Railroad stock bribes to
    Congress
  • Whiskey Ring- millions in excise taxes stolen
  • Sec. of War Belnap- resigns for taking bribes

3
Gilded Age Politics
  • A. Political See-Saw
  • 1. Close elections, frequent turnovers in House
    makeup
  • a) majority party switched six times in 11
    session between 1869-1891
  • b) divided government (H, S, and White House)
  • c) discourages bold stands by politicians

4
Gilded Age Politics
  • B. Political Parties
  • a) little difference between the Dems and the
    Reps on major issues tariffs, currency, civil
    service reform
  • b) ferocious competition
  • c) motivate their constituents at election time
    (voter turnout 80 from 1860s-90s)

5
Gilded Age Politics
  • C. Characteristics of the Parties
  • 1. cultural ideological differences
  • a. Republicans Puritan religious roots, native
    born, support gov't involvement in economy and
    society
  • b. Democrats numbers include Roman Catholics
    and Lutherans, less stern, opposed gov't attempts
    to impose a single moral standard on society.

6
Gilded Age Politics
  • 2. geographical centers of party loyalty
  • a. Democrats South (but not among freedmen),
    Northern industrial cities (immigrants and
    political machines)
  • b. Republicans Midwest, Northeast, and freedmen

7
Gilded Age Politics
  • 3. use of patronage and spoils system
  • a. use of spoils to gain support common
  • b. Sen. Roscoe Conkling (R-NY) and the
    "Stalwarts" v. Rep. James G. Blaine (R-ME) and
    the Half-Breeds stalemate the GOP over the issue
    of civil service reform

8
The Emergence of Political Machines
  • The Political Machine
  • Political machine organized group that controls
    city political party
  • The Machine gives services to voters and
    businesses for political, financial support
  • Provided much needed welfare services to the
    cities (sanitation, water, libraries, parks)
  • After Civil War, political machines gain control
    of major cities
  • Control of? money, elections, projects

9
Political Machine Organization
The Goal? Use money and influence to control the
citys politics and economics
10
The Emergence of Political Machines
  • The Role of Political Bosses
  • Whether or not city boss serves as mayor, he
  • Controls access to city jobs, business licenses
  • Influences courts, municipal agencies
  • Arranges building projects, community services
  • Bosses paid by businesses, get voters loyalty,
    extend influence
  • Immigrants and the Machine
  • Many captains, bosses 1st or 2nd generation
    Americans
  • Machines help immigrants with naturalization
    (getting citizenship), jobs, housing

11
Municipal Graft and Scandal
  • Election Fraud and Graft
  • Machines use electoral fraud (cheating) to win
    elections
  • Graft illegal use of political influence for
    personal gain
  • Machines take kickbacks (), bribes to allow
    legal illegal activities

12
Municipal Graft and Scandal
  • The Tweed Ring Scandal
  • 1868 William M. Tweed (Boss Tweed) heads Tammany
    Hall in NYC
  • Leads Tweed Ring, defrauds (steals) city of
    millions of dollars
  • Cartoonist Thomas Nast helps arouse public
    outrage against Tweed
  • Tweed Ring broken in 1871

13
POLITICAL MACHINES AND CORRUPT CITY BOSSES
CONTROLLED CITIES
TAMMANY HALL, NYC
14
CARTOON ABOVE COMPARES TWEEDS EXCESSIVE THEFT TO
THAT OF A MINOR BREAD THIEF
15
(No Transcript)
16
Civil Service Replaces Patronage
  • Patronage Spurs Reform
  • Patronage govt jobs to those who can help
    candidates get elected
  • Civil service (govt admin.) are all patronage
    jobs
  • Some appointees not qualified some use position
    for personal gain
  • Reformers want merit system for hiring civil
    service
  • Merit? The most qualified, not the best connected
    should get the important jobs

17
Civil Service Replaces Patronage
  • Reform Under Hayes, Garfield, and Arthur
  • Republican Rutherford B. Hayes elected president
    (1876)
  • Names independents to cabinet
  • Creates commission to investigate corruption
  • Fires 2 officials angers Stalwarts (group that
    supported corrupt ways, led by NY boss Conkling)
  • 1880, Republican independent James A. Garfield
    wins election

18
Civil Service Replaces Patronage
  • Reform Under Hayes, Garfield, and Arthur
  • Stalwart Chester A. Arthur is vice-president
  • Garfield gives patronage jobs to reformers is
    shot and killed
  • Half-Breeds?-Repubs. who favored civil service
    reform and opposed patronage
  • As president, Arthur urges Congress to pass civil
    service law
  • Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act of 1883
    appointments (govt jobs) based on exam score (on
    your merit), ends the spoils system

19
  • d. Assessing the Gilded Age presidents
  • 1. "The Forgettable Presidents"
  • a) Grant, Hayes, Garfield, Arthur, and Harrison
  • b) left either blanks or blots on the political
    record
  • 2. Why such little vitality in politics?
  • a) the industrial economy lures away talented men
  • b) loss in political leadership was inversely
    related to the surge in economic growth
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