U.S. Gilded Age Politics, Economy, and Society: Key Slogans, Legislation, and Social Movements

Let us have peace

The 1868 campaign slogan of Ulysses S. Grant, signaling a desire to end the turbulence of Reconstruction.

Let no guilty man escape

Grant's initial response to the Whiskey Ring scandal, though he later protected his private secretary from prosecution.

Turn the Rascals Out

The slogan of the Liberal Republicans and Democrats in the election of 1872, aimed at removing the corrupt Grant administration.

Crime of '73

The term used by silver supporters for the Coinage Act of 1873, which ended the minting of silver dollars.

Tilden or Blood!

The threat made by Democrats during the disputed 1876 election, suggesting civil war if Samuel Tilden was not inaugurated.

not a ********'s chance

A phrase originating from the extremely dangerous conditions and legal discrimination faced by Chinese railroad workers.

I am a Stalwart. Arthur is now President...

Shouted by Charles J. Guiteau after he assassinated President Garfield, hoping the Stalwart faction would take power.

Rum, Romanism, and Rebellion

An insult to Democrats used by a Republican minister in 1884, labeling them the party of alcohol, Catholicism, and treason; it cost James G. Blaine the election.

Though the people support the government...

Grover Cleveland's justification for vetoing the Texas Seed Bill, reflecting his belief in limited government and 'Bourbon Democrat' ideals.

pork-barrel bills

Legislation that directs federal funds to local projects primarily to help a politician win re-election.

There's one more President for us in protection

James G. Blaine's belief that the Republican Party could maintain power by championing high protective tariffs.

[he] would never be either

A reference to the low expectations for Chester A. Arthur's presidency, suggesting he was neither a statesman nor a leader.

Good-by, Party Bosses

The sentiment surrounding the Pendleton Act, which began the transition from the spoils system to a merit-based civil service.

There is no reason why the black man...

Populist leader Tom Watson's early appeal for interracial class solidarity among poor farmers.

the bankers' banker

A nickname for J.P. Morgan, who acted as a central bank during the Panic of 1893 and 1907.

Morgan's errand boy

A derogatory term for politicians (like Philander Knox) perceived to be doing the bidding of J.P. Morgan.

Why are the best men not in politics?

A question posed by James Bryce in The American Commonwealth, noting that talented individuals preferred the wealth of industry over government.

giveaway

Criticism of the federal government's policy of granting massive tracts of public land to railroad companies.

wedding of the rails

The 1869 ceremony at Promontory Summit, Utah, where the Union Pacific and Central Pacific met to complete the Transcontinental Railroad.

from nowhere to nothing

A critique of short, speculative railroad lines that lacked actual passengers or freight.

lords of the rail

A term for railroad tycoons like Vanderbilt, Gould, and Stanford who held immense economic and political power.

Law! What do I care about the law?...

A famous quote attributed to Cornelius Vanderbilt, illustrating the arrogance of Gilded Age 'Robber Barons.'

The part of wisdom is not to destroy the Commission...

Attorney General Richard Olney's advice to railroad executives to use the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) to their own advantage.

invention factory

Thomas Edison's laboratory at Menlo Park, New Jersey, the first modern industrial research facility.

Let us prey

A pun used to describe John D. Rockefeller's ruthless business tactics (Standard Oil) combined with his outward religious piety.

Kelly's fool steel

Early skepticism toward the Bessemer-Kelly process, which eventually made mass-produced steel possible.

disgraced

From Andrew Carnegie's Gospel of Wealth, asserting that 'the man who dies thus rich dies disgraced.'

the American Beauty rose

Rockefeller's metaphor for a monopoly: to grow one giant rose, you must 'prune' (destroy) all the other buds.

Acres of Diamonds

A famous lecture by Russell Conwell, arguing that everyone has the opportunity to get rich in their own backyard.

good and bad

Theodore Roosevelt's distinction between 'good' trusts (efficient) and 'bad' trusts (harmful to the public).

Georgia Yankees v. Pittsburgh plus

Regional economic conflict where Northern steel companies charged Southern buyers 'ghost' freight rates to prevent Southern industrial competition.

Bring the mills to the cotton

The late 19th-century movement to build textile mills in the South rather than shipping raw cotton to New England.

I hear the whistle...

A poem illustrating the rigid, disciplined life of factory workers under the clock.

An injury to one is the concern of all

The motto of the Knights of Labor, emphasizing total labor solidarity.

pure and simple

Samuel Gompers' philosophy of unionism—focusing only on better wages, hours, and working conditions rather than social revolution.

a lady in ball costume...

A description of 19th-century New York City, highlighting the extreme contrast between high-society wealth and 'shoeless' poverty.

Little Italys & Little Polands

Ethnic enclaves in American cities where immigrants preserved their native languages and customs.

America fever

The widespread urge among Europeans to emigrate to the U.S. due to economic opportunity and religious freedom.

Christian socialists

Reformers who argued that the teachings of the Bible (Sermon on the Mount) required the government to help the poor.

Settlement houses

Community centers in immigrant neighborhoods (like Hull House) providing education, childcare, and social services.

Give me your tired...

Lines from Emma Lazarus's poem 'The New Colossus' inscribed on the Statue of Liberty.

The YMCA and YWCA

Organizations that provided housing and moral guidance to young people moving to cities.

Why I Am an Agnostic

A famous lecture by Robert Ingersoll, the 'Great Agnostic' of the Gilded Age.

normal schools

Institutions dedicated specifically to training professional teachers.

The honor, I assure you, was Harvard's

Booker T. Washington's humble response to receiving an honorary degree from Harvard.

Land-grant colleges

Universities created using federal land via the Morrill Act (e.g., state universities).

one who steals privately and gives publicly

A criticism of the era's philanthropists who made fortunes through exploitation but donated to libraries and schools.

good for man or beast

A common marketing slogan for unregulated patent medicines of the era.

stooped, snooped, and scooped to conquer

A description of 'muckraking' journalists who exposed social and political corruption.

100% tax

Henry George's 'Single Tax' proposal on the unearned increase in land values.

Holy Horatio

A nickname for Horatio Alger, whose stories popularized the 'rags-to-riches' American Dream.

the damned human race

Mark Twain's cynical view of humanity expressed in his later, darker writings.

new morality

The shift toward more liberal views on sex, marriage, and women's roles (associated with Victoria Woodhull).

divorce revolution

The rapid increase in divorce rates as women gained more economic independence and social freedom.

our highly specialized motherhood...

Charlotte Perkins Gilman's argument that women should contribute to society through work, not just domesticity.

the Equality State

Wyoming, the first state to grant women the right to vote.

dry

A term for those who supported the Prohibition of alcohol.

ragged music

An early name for Ragtime music.

the public likes to be humbugged

P.T. Barnum's famous claim about the public's love for spectacle and trickery.

William Tweed

The corrupt boss of the Tammany Hall political machine in NYC.

James Fisk / Jay Gould

Financial speculators who attempted to corner the gold market in 1869, causing 'Black Friday.'

Crédit Mobilier

A major scandal of the Grant administration involving railroad kickbacks.

Whiskey Ring

A major scandal of the Grant administration involving tax evasion.

Horace Greeley

The Liberal Republican/Democratic candidate who unsuccessfully challenged Grant in 1872.

Compromise of 1877

The deal that settled the 1876 election: Hayes became President in exchange for the end of military Reconstruction in the South.

Chinese Exclusion Act (1882)

The first major law restricting immigration based on race/nationality.

Denis Kearney

Leader of the Workingmen's Party in California who incited violence against Chinese immigrants.

American Protective Association (APA)

A nativist organization that campaigned against Catholic influence and immigration.

Pendleton Act

The 1883 law that created the Civil Service Commission and ended the spoils system.

James Garfield / Chester A. Arthur

Garfield was the 'Half-breed' President assassinated in 1881; Arthur was his 'Stalwart' successor who surprisingly supported reform.

Stalwarts / Half-breeds / Mugwumps

Republican factions; Stalwarts loved the spoils system, Half-breeds wanted moderate reform, and Mugwumps were reformers who defected to the Democrats.

McKinley Tariff / Wilson-Gorman Tariff

High protective Republican tariff (1890) and the slightly lower Democratic tariff (1894).

Great Railroad Strike (1877) / Haymarket (1886) / Homestead (1892) / Pullman (1894)

Major, often violent labor conflicts that defined the era's class tensions.

US Steel

The first billion-dollar corporation, formed by J.P. Morgan by buying out Andrew Carnegie.

Sherman Anti-trust Act (1890)

The first federal law aimed at restricting monopolies (initially used more against unions).

Interstate Commerce Act / Granger Laws / Wabash Case

Efforts to regulate railroad rates; the Wabash case ruled states couldn't regulate interstate commerce, leading to federal action.

American Federation of Labor (AFL)

A union for skilled workers led by Samuel Gompers.

Knights of Labor

An all-inclusive union (skilled/unskilled, women/Black workers) led by Terence Powderly.

Booker T. Washington

Advocated for economic self-help and vocational training for Black Americans (Atlanta Compromise).

W.E.B. Du Bois / NAACP

Advocated for immediate political and social equality for Black Americans; co-founder of the NAACP.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Supreme Court case that legalized 'separate but equal' segregation.

Jane Addams

Founder of Hull House and a leader in the settlement house movement.

National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA)

Formed in 1890 by the merger of two rival groups, it was the primary organization advocating for women's right to vote.

Charlotte Perkins Gilman

A prominent feminist writer and intellectual who wrote The Yellow Wallpaper.

Kate Chopin

A feminist author whose work, particularly the novel The Awakening, explored women's internal desires.

Theodore Dreiser

A leading novelist of the 'Naturalist' school; his works depicted life in the city with harsh realism.

Tammany Hall

The powerful Democratic political machine in New York City that used patronage and graft to maintain control.

Thomas Nast

The famous political cartoonist whose caricatures helped expose the corruption of Boss Tweed.

Grant Administration

The presidency of Ulysses S. Grant (1869-1877), which was marred by several high-level corruption scandals involving his cabinet and associates.

Reconstruction

The period from 1865 to 1877 during which the U.S. government attempted to rebuild the South and integrate formerly enslaved people into society.

Election of 1876

One of the most disputed elections in U.S. history between Samuel Tilden (D) and Rutherford B. Hayes (R); it was eventually settled by a special electoral commission.

Pendleton Act (1883)

The landmark 'Magna Carta' of civil service reform that replaced the spoils system with a merit-based system for federal jobs.

Hatch Act (1887)

Federal legislation that provided funding for agricultural experiment stations at land-grant colleges.

James Garfield

The 20th President who was assassinated only four months into his term by a man who had been denied a government job.

Chester A. Arthur

Garfield's Vice President who, despite his background as a 'Stalwart,' surprised many by championing the Pendleton Act as President.

Thomas Reed

The Republican Speaker of the House known as 'Czar Reed' for his iron-fisted control and rule changes that increased the power of the Speaker.

James G. Blaine

The leader of the 'Half-breed' faction of the Republican Party; a brilliant orator but often dogged by rumors of corruption.

Roscoe Conkling

The leader of the 'Stalwarts' who fiercely defended the spoils system and patronage.

Stalwarts

A Republican faction that favored traditional machine politics and the use of the spoils system.

Half-breeds

A Republican faction that favored moderate civil service reform.