Chapter+19-Victoria+Mathews

**Outline 19 Politics in the Gilded Age Gilded Age: superficial glitter of the new wealth so prominently displayed in the last years of the 19th century Causes of stalemate The prevailing political ideology of the time Campaign tactics of the two parties Party patronage Belief in limited government Laissez-faire economics Social Darwinism Campaign strategy Democrats City political machines and the immigrant vote Catholics, Lutherans, Jews States rights and limited government Republicans Democrats killed Abraham Lincoln Middle class, men in business, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant High protective tariffs for business Party Patronage Politics were a game of gaining office, holding office and providing gov. jobs to the party faithful Presidential Politics Rutherford B. Hayes Ended reconstruction Vetoed efforts to restrict Chinese immigration Cut off liquor to the white house James Garfield Was shot Chester A. Arthur Supported the bill reforming civil service Modern American navy Question high protective tariff Denial of renomination by the republican party is 1884 Election of 1884 Republican nomination: Blaine Democrat nomination: Grover Cleveland Cleveland won Cleveland’s First Term Frugal and limited government New civil service system Vetoed private pension bills for fasely claiming injury in the civil war Interstate Commerce Act of 1887 Dawes Act Received land from cattle ranchers and railroads Issues: Civil Service, Currency, and Tariffs Civil service reform Pendleton Act of 1881: set up the Civil Service Commision and created a system by which applicants for classified federal jobs would be selected on the basis of their scores on competitive examination. Money question Debtors, farmers, and start-up business wanted more money in circulation Bankers, creditors, investors and established businesses wanted currency backed by gold stored in government vaults. Greenback party Specie Resumption Act: withdrew the last of the greenbacks in circulation in 1875(by Congress) Goal to increase the amount of money in circulation Died out Demands for silver money Bland-Allison Act: allowed only a limited coinage in sliver each month at the standard silver-gold ratio The Growth of Discontent, 1888-1896 Harrison and the Billion-Dollar Congress Election of 1888 Democrats: Cleveland Republicans: Benjamin Harrison Harrison won Billion-dollar Congress The McKinley Tariff of 1890 Increase in the monthly pensions The Sherman Antitrust Act The Sherman Silver Purchase Act of 1890 A bill to protect the voting rights of African Americans Return of the Democrats Rise of the Populists Omaha Platform Direct popular election of U.S. senators Enacting of state laws by voters themselves through iniatives and referendums placed on the ballot Advocated unlimited coinage of silver to increase the money supply A graduated income tax Public ownership of railroads by the U.S. government Telegraph and telephone systems owned and operated by the government Loans and federal warehouses for farmers to enable them to stabilize prices for their crops 8 hour day for industrial workers Depression Politics Panic of 1893 Stock market crashed Railroads went into bankruptcy Farm foreclosures Unemployment rose Gold reserve and tariff Gold reserve fell to a dangerously low level Repeal the Sherman Silver Purchase Act of 1890 Congress passed the Wilson-Gorman Tariff of 1894 Provided a moderate reduction in tariff rates Included a 2% income tax on incomes more than $2000 Income tax unconstitutional Jobless on the march Coxey’s Army: a march to Washington in 1894 led by Populist Jacob A. Coxey William H. Harvey: Coin’s Financial School Turning Point in American Politics 1896 The election of 1896 Bryan, Democrats and Populists Favored the unlimited coinage of silver at the traditional ratio Convinced famers and debtors that this was their salvation Hurt by rise in wheat prices and employers telling their workers that factories would shut down if Bryan was elected McKinley, Hanna, and Republicans High tariff Uphold the gold standard against the unlimited coinage of silver won McKinley’s presidency Farm prices rose, factory production increased and stock market climbed. Higher tariff Significance of election of 1896 End of the Gilded Age Populist demise Urban dominance Beginning of modern politics **