Age of Industry

Boss Tweed – Tammany Hall

This american politician ran nyc like it was his personal atm
- Tammany Hall = his political machine that kept him in power.
- He used bribes, corruption, and favors to control votes.
- Eventually got exposed and thrown in jail for being hella shady

Thomas Nast

This cartoonist literally cartooned Boss Tweed into prison.

- He created political cartoons so people could see how corrupt Tweed was.

- He’s also the reason we picture the Republican elephant & Democrat donkey.

Election of 1876

Election involved the candidacies of Rutherford B. Hayes (R) and Samuel Tilden (D)
- Tilden won the vote (disputed because some southern states had multiple state governments, so votes were counted twice)
- NOT a landslide
- It ended in a backroom deal called the Compromise of 1877 (Hayes got the presidency, but Reconstruction in the South was over)

Halfbreeds, mugwumps, stalwarts

These were political factions inside the Republican Party.

- Stalwarts loved the Spoils System and wanted to keep it.

- Halfbreeds were only half interested in reform.

- Mugwumps just switched sides when they couldn’t stand the corruption.

Election of 1880

This was the election between James Garfield (R) and Winfield Hancock (D)

- Garfield won but got assassinated like 6 months later.

- His death pushed people to fix the Spoils System

- Chester A. Arthur (his VP) became president after

- NOT a landslide

Election of 1884

This election was between candidates Grover Cleveland (D) and James Blaine (R)
- Super dirty election: people attacked Cleveland for allegedly having a secret kid (Drake!?!)
- Mugwumps ditched Blaine because he was corrupt
- Cleveland won, first Democrat president after the Civil War
- NOT a landslide

Election of 1888

During this election, Cleveland ran again but lost to Benjamin Harrison.
- Main issue: tariffs (whether they should be super high or not).
- Harrison won even though Cleveland got more popular votes.
- NOT a landslide
- Harrison’s win = business interests loved it.

Election of 1892

This election was a rematch between Cleveland and Harrison
- This time, Cleveland came back and won
- NOT a landslide, but Cleveland won a more decisive victory than in 1884
- First president to serve two non-consecutive terms
- Economic problems were piling up in the background (Panic of 1893 incoming)

- Cleveland mainly won as a result of public dislike toward the McKinley tariff.

Plunkitt & “honestgraft”

George Plunkitt = Tammany Hall guy who admitted to making money off politics.

- Called it “honest graft” because he said it wasn’t stealing, just smart

- legalish(?) corruption

Credit Mobilier Scandal

This major railroad corruption scandal in the 1870s involved railroad insiders creating a fake company, overcharging the government, and pocketing the money.
- Even Congress members were in on it
- Made people trust the govt even less

- VP colfax resigned because of this

Whiskey Ring

This scandal under Grant involved government officials and whiskey makers who were working together to avoid paying taxes.
- basically stole millions in tax money.
- Grant’s buddies were involved, but he denied being a crook.

The Gilded Age

This term was coined by Mark Twain to describe a time of extreme wealth, but also extreme poverty.
- Big business ruled everything (politics, economy, society)
- Corruption, inequality, and dirty politics were everywhere.

- Gilded means thinly covered in gold, it looked like it was really good, while under the surface there was quite a lot of corruption, lies, and greed.

Pendleton Act

- This law was passed after Garfield’s assassination to fix the Spoils System.
- Said government jobs had to be earned, not handed out to political friends.
- Introduced civil service exams.
- First baby step toward cleaning up politics.

“Solid South”

This was the name for the sort of bloc that the Southern states formed to stay loyal to the Democratic Party post-Civil War.
- they hated Republicans because of Reconstruction.
- Voted Democrat for over a century straight.
- It was all about white supremacy & keeping Black people from voting.

- Compromise of 1877 allowed for the democrats to take back control, because the republicans lost all of their control in the south after withdrawal of the militia

waving the blo0dy shirt

Republicans used this phrase to remind voters about the Civil War.
- “Remember the guys who saved the Union? Vote for us!”
- It worked for a while --> made Democrats look like traitors.
- Super emotional, slightly manipulative

- helped get grant elected

Rum, Romanism & Rebellion

This insult used by a Republican supporter in the 1884 election was meant to slam Democrats
- “They love booze (rum), Catholics (Romanism), and the South (rebellion).”
- Backfired big time, especially with Irish Catholic voters.
- Helped Grover Cleveland win.

- Blaine gave this speech in the 1884 election severely ruining his reputation

Characteristics of 2 Major Political Parties

- Republicans: Northern, pro-business, supported tariffs, lots of Civil War vets
- Democrats: Southern, farmers, immigrants, anti-tariff, often anti-Reconstruction.
- Both were pretty corrupt
- Loyalty mattered more than actual policy

trust

This was a fancy way of saying monopoly (companies joining forces and dominating the market)
- One board of directors would control multiple companies.
- It killed competition & prices stayed high.
- Rockefeller’s Standard Oil was the first trust.

pool

- Companies agreeing to work together and divide up business.
- No competition, so they could keep prices high.
- really shady but not technically illegal at first.
- Early attempt at corporate collusion

- Hurtful to the consumer

rebate

- discount given by railroads to favored businesses
- allowed the top companies to transport stuff at a lower cost compared to others
- hurt small farmers and other businesses

- essentially it was some sketchy way to transport for cheap

- Gave the specific railroad a LOT of business, and allowed the involved business to make a lot of profit, hurt smaller companies who did not have as many helpful contacts or ways to get these secret contracts

stock, stockholder

- Stock = a piece of ownership in a company
- Stockholders = people who owned those pieces
- They could make money if the company did well
- Helped companies raise huge amounts of cash

- In some cases, Dividends paid back to the stockholders (split part of company profits)

monopoly

- when 1 company dominates the competition 
- ends up killing any form of competition, leading to high prices and low wages
- ex: U.S steel and standard oil were 2 major monopolies

- bad for consumers (lack of choice), great for the owners (all the choice)

- Either through absorbing all of the companies that were in the same industry (horizontal integration) or absorbing the entire chain of industries behind a product line (vertical integration)

corporation

- business structure where people can own a part of the business through stocks
- led to huge af investments
- pretty popular during the gilded age economy

- legally its own "person."
- could own property, sue, and be sued
- made it really easy to raise money through stocks + limited risk for investors

- Started from the Virginia Company and Jamestown, Joint Stock Company (CCOT)

capital

money used to invest in business
- could be cash, machines, factories: anything that helps make products
- rich guys controlled most of it during the Gilded Age.
- if you had capital, you had power

laissez-faire

- philosophy that promoted little to no government interventions
- most dominant US policy during the gilded age
- favored big businesses

- workers, farmers, and small businesses usually suffered because big businesses could do whatever they wanted

- occasionally consumers suffered due to overextension of businesses

vertical & horizontal integration

- Vertical: One company controls every step (like Carnegie- iron mines --> steel mills --> railroads)
- Horizontal: one company buys out all the competitors (like Rockefeller with oil)
- both = total market domination
- Led to massive monopolies

Bessemer Process

- changed steel production by making it faster and cheaper
- enabled for the mass production of railroads, buildings and other stuff
- big role in industrial expansion

Transcontinental Railroad

- really big railroad that connected the east and west coasts
- finished being built in 1869 and boosted trade and migration
- built using immigrant labor (ex: Chinese and Irish workers)

- Union Pacific Company, mostly Irish workers constructed from the west, and the Central Pacific Company, mostly Chinese workers constructed from the east

Promontory Point

- location in Utah where the first transcontinental railroad was built
- marked by the golden spike ceremony 
- united nations through better transporation

• place where union (from the east) and central pacific (from the west) had their railroads meet, ultimately completing the railroad

standard gauge

- standard width of railroad tracks
- before this, different railroads had different sizes = messy
- made rail travel way more efficient
- helped businesses and trade explode

Standard Oil

- founded by John D Rockefeller
- became the world's first monopoly through ruthless business tactics
- broken up by the supreme ct in 1911 under antitrust laws

United States Steel

This was the first billion-dollar corporation in America
- started by Carnegie, later bought by J.P. Morgan
- controlled most steel production
- another giant monopoly from the Gilded Age

Mail-order Store

- allowed rural customers to buy stuff with catalogs
- companies like Sears and Montgomery Ward pioneered the industry
-helped connect rural areas to consumer goods

- CCOT: greater connection to suburbs, online shopping in late 1900s

Department Stores – “buyers palaces”

- large retail establishments offering a variety of goods under 1 roof
- changed the shopping world with fixed prices and advertising
- ex: macy's, Marshall Field's, etc

Stewarts - cast iron palace

- one of the first department stores and it was founded by A.T Stewart
- had a cast iron facade, allowing for large display windows
- introduced modern retail concepts(ex: setting prices and return policies)

Gospel of Wealth

- made by Andrew Carnegie, and it advocated philanthropy by the rich
- argued that the rich should help out the poor
- led to massive donations for libraries, schools, etc

- Advocated for continuing Laissez-Faire policy, and the rich would give back to contribute to society

Social Darwinism

- applied Darwin's theory of evolution to economics
- basically justified the wealth difference saying that the "fittest" would survive
- pro laissez-faire

Interstate Commerce Act

- first federal law that regulated railroads
- aimed to prevent unfair practices like rebates and rate discrimination
- created the interstate commerce commission

- big step away from laissez faire

- Brought in issue of how much fed vs state could regulate

Sherman Antitrust Act

- first federal law against monopolies
- outlawed business practices that restrained trade
- at the start it wasn't that good but later used against trusts like standard oil

Munn v Illinois

This court case upheld the government's power to regulate businesses for the public good.
- specifically about grain storage rates
- big win for farmers
- first crack in the wall of laissez-faire

Wabash Case

- overturned Munn v. Illinois by ruling that states couldn't regulate interstate commerce
- led to the creation of the Interstate Commerce Act
- boosted federal control over railroads

US v E. C. Knight & Co.

- supreme ct case that limited the Sherman Anti-Trust acts reach
- ruled that manufacturing was not interstate commerce
- hurt efforts to regulate monopolies

- couldn’t break up sugar monopolies = win for big business

- did not apply to manufacturing, limiting the federal government's power to regulate monopolies in that sector

Panic of 1873

- overinvestment in railroads led to economic depression
- led to bank failures, unemployment, and strikes
- contributed to a change in labor and financial policies

Immigrants

- millions came to the US during this time, mostly from southern & eastern Europe (“new immigrants”)
- Faced discrimination & terrible working conditions
- Kept cities growing but lived in rough conditions

Tenements

- overcrowded, poorly built apartment buildings for urban workers

- lacked proper sanitation and ventilation (like 1 window per 15 people in a cramped room)

- documented in "how the other half lives" by jacob riis

• overall similar and kinda like boats to middle passage

Nativism

- anti immigrant sentiment among native born Americans
- led to restrictive immigration laws and discriminations
- fueled by economic competition and cultural differences

Chinese Exclusion Act

- first major law that restricted immigration in the US
- banned Chinese laborers from entering the country
- reflected growing anti asian sentiment in the west

- Stayed in place until the 1940s!

Gentlemen’s Agreement

- an informal agreement between the US and Japan
- japan limited emigration to the US in exchange for fair treatment of the japs that are already in america
- reduced tensions but reinforced racial discrimination polices

Cities

- Rapid urbanization led to infrastructure challenges
- home to immigrants, factories, and political machines
Its growth led to both economic opportunity and social problems

political machines

- organizations that controlled city politics through patronage
- provided jobs and services in exchange for votes
- it was corrupt but it helped immigrants integrate into society

- tammany hall was the biggest

Hull House

- settlement house founded by Jane Addams in Chicago
- provided education, childcare, and social services to immigrants
- inspired other urban areas to do the same

- first real social work movement

Bland-Allison Act

- required the US govt to purchase silver for coinage

- intended to increase the money supply and help farmers

- only partially satisfied demands for bimetallism

- rich people hated it bc they wanted gold standard

Spoils System, Civil Service Reform

- spoils system rewarded polticial supporters with govt jobs
- led to corruption and inefficiency
- reformed by the Pendleton act, which introduced merit based hiring

- no more idiots on the job

Tariff Issue, McKinley Tariff

- raised tariffs to protect american industries
- pissed off farmers and consumers who were struggling to get by
- contributed to the republicans having an electoral fall off

- raised rates to nearly 50% but ultimately backfired because it hurt consumers and farmers, and other countries passed tariffs of their own in retaliation

Billion Dollar Congress

- First US congress to spend over 1 billion in peacetime
- passed high tariffs and pensions for civil war veterans
- got judged cause of the huge spending

- under Harrison

Plutocracy

- a form of govt/society where the wealthy hold significant power and influence
- dominant during the gilded age
- led to corruption and inequality

John D. Rockefeller

- founder of the standard oil, which dominated the petroleum industry
- pioneered horizontal integration to eliminate competition
- became one of the richest men in history and later he focused on philanthropy

J.P. Morgan

- really famous and powerful banker and financier
- helped consolidate industries, including steel and railroads
- saved the US govt during financial crises

- bought U.S. Steel from carnegie

Andrew Carnegie

- famous industrial who led the steel industry
- used vertical integration to control production
- promoted the Gospel of wealth and funded public libraries

George H. Bissell

- businessman who helped develop the American petroleum industry
- recognized the potential of oil for lighting and lubrication
- invested in Edwin Drake's successful oil drilling

Edwin L. Drake

- Drilled the first successful oil well in PA (1859)
- pioneered modern petroleum extractions
- his discovery launched the oil industry

A. Montgomery Ward

- Created the first mail-order catalog
- allowed rural americans to to purchase goods without traveling to cities
- revolutionized retail and set the stage for modern e-commerce

Richard Sears

- expanded the mail order industry with companies like Sears
- used catalogs to reach rural customers nationwide
- helped standardize consumer culture

William Sellers

- the engineer who standardized screw threads
- improved industrial efficiency and manufacturing precision 
- his work contributed to modern machine production

Frederick W. Taylor

- developed scientific management principles
- focused on increasing industrial efficiency through time studies
- his methods influenced modern workplace productivity

• treated workers like machines, so people hated him, but business owners loved him

Thomas Alva Edison

- Inventor of the light bulb, phonograph, and motion pictures
- established the first industrial research lab
- pioneered the electric power distribution

Herbert Spencer

- British philosopher and leading advocate of social Darwinism 
- argued that society evolves through "survival of the fittest"
- justified economic inequality and opposed welfare programs

Jane Addams

- social reformer and founder of the hull house
- advocated for immigrant rights, labor laws, and women suffrage
- first American woman to receive the noble peace prize

Jacob Riis – How the Other Half Lives

- journalist and photographer who exposed how shitty the tenements were
- the popularity of his book led to housing and sanitation reforms
- used photography as a tool for social change

Mark Twain - The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

- Author and humorist who coined "the gilded age"
- criticized corruption and materialism in American society 
- wrote classics like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Theodore Dreiser

- naturalist author for novels depicting social struggles
- wrote Sister Carrie and An American Tragedy, critiquing capitalism
- focused on themes of ambition, poverty. and moral decay

• big critic of the american dream

Horatio Alger

- Author of "rags to riches" novels
- promoted the idea that hard work and determination lead to success
- stories reinforced the American dream but often over looked systemic barriers

anti-saloon league

- leading organization advocating for prohibition
- used political pressure to pass alchohal bans
- helped secure 18th amendment

WCTU – Women’s Christian Temperance Union

This big anti alcohol group fought for prohibition, women’s rights, and more
- focused on women’s role in social reform
- led by Frances Willard

Frances Willard

This educator was the leader of the WCTU and fought for women’s rights and prohibition.
- wanted women to have more power in society
- major progressive figure

Elizabeth Cady Stanton

fought for women’s rights
- helped organize the Seneca Falls Convention
- wrote the Declaration of Sentiments
- fought for women’s suffrage

Susan B. Anthony

- partner of Stanton in the women’s rights movement
- arrested for voting in 1872
- pushed for the 19th Amendment (women’s right to vote)

“new” immigration

- immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe
- different from earlier immigrants (who were mostly from Northern Europe)
- faced more discrimination
- fueled city growth but sparked nativism

Salvation Army

This Protestant Christian church focused on helping the poor
- came to the US in 1880
- soup kitchens, shelters, and charity
- mixed religion with social reform

Mary Baker Eddy

This religious leader founded the Christian Science church
- believed prayer could heal illness.
- wrote Science and Health
- part of america’s religious experimentation

Chataqua Movement

- adult education and culture program
- traveling lectures, entertainment, and classes
- popular in rural america

Norris, The Octopus

This book by Frank Norris exposed railroad monopolies crushing farmers
- showed how corrupt big business was
- part of the muckraking movement

Frank Lloyd Wright

This famous American architect designed buildings to blend with nature
- super modern, clean designs

Rutherford B. Hayes

This president won the election of 1876
- ended Reconstruction with the Compromise of 1877
- tried to clean up corruption

• Tried to clean up reconstruction but didn't become president in the most fair terms

James A. Garfield

this president was elected in 1880, shot in 1881.
- wanted to reform the Spoils System
- his assassination led to the Pendleton Act → assassinated cuz someone who was angry didn't receive a position that they were promised as part of the spoils system
- died because doctors didn’t know about germs

Chester A. Arthur

This vp took over as president after Garfield was killed.
- surprisingly honest, even though he was a machine politician
- signed the Pendleton Act

Grover Cleveland

This was the first president to serve two nonconsecutive terms
- honest anti corruption Democrat
- dealt with economic depression
- vetoed a bunch of stuff

Roscoe Conkling

This Republican power broker led the Stalwarts (pro Spoils System)
- fought civil service reform

James G. Blaine

This Republican leader, connected to a ton of scandals, ran for president in 1884 but lost to Cleveland
- known for being shady
- mugwumps hated him