American Pageant Chapter 23

"Waving the Bloody Shirt"

The phrase used to describe how Republicans promoted Grant for president. They recounted his war victories to distract from his lack of competence.

Tweed Ring

The corrupt part of Tammany Hall in New York City, started by "Boss" William Tweed - Thomas Nast exposed him through illustrations in Harper's Weekly

Credit Mobilier scandal

A scandal occurring in the 1870s where a railroad construction company's stockholders used funds that were supposed to be used to build the Union Pacific Railroad for their own personal use. To avoid being convicted, stockholders even used stock to bribe congressional members and the vice president.

Panic of 1873

Four year economic depression caused by overspeculation on railroads and western lands, and worsened by Grant's poor fiscal response (refusing to coin silver)

Gilded Age

the term referring to the corrupt political era after Reconstruction. coined by Mark Twain

Patronage

(politics) granting favors or giving contracts or making appointments to office in return for political support same thing as spoils system

Compromise of 1877

Unwritten deal that settled the 1876 presidential election contest between Rutherford Hayes (Rep) and Samuel Tilden (Dem.) Hayes was awarded the presidency in exchange for the permanent removal of federal troops from the South. It was the end of Reconstruction.

Civil Rights Act of 1875

Gave blacks the privilege of American citizenship and denied states' the right to restrict blacks of their property, testify in court, and make contracts for their labor. Johnson vetoed this, but Congress voted to override the veto.

Sharecropping

Economic system in which landowners leased a few acres of land to farmworkers in return for a portion of their crops

Jim Crow

The system of racial segregation in the South that was created in the late nineteenth century following the end of.Reconstruction

Plessy v. Ferguson

1896 Supreme Court decision which legalized state ordered segregation so long as the facilities for blacks and whites were equal. established "separate but equal"

Chinese Exclusion Act

(1882) Denied any additional Chinese laborers to enter the country while allowing students and merchants to immigrate.

Pendleton Act

a Civil Service Commission and stated that federal employees had to take Civil Service Exam and could not be forced to contribute to political campaigns

Homestead Strike

1892 steelworker strike near Pittsburgh against the Carnegie Steel Company. Ten workers were killed in a riot when "scab" labor was brought in to force an end to the strike.

Grandfather clause

A clause in registration laws allowing people who do not meet registration requirements to vote if they or their ancestors had voted before 1867.

Jay Gould

An American financier and railroad developer and speculator. Conned President Grant into ceasing the sale of gold on market to stop inflation and help farmers, but resulted in "Black Friday," September 24, 1869 - tried to corner gold market

Horace Greeley

Responsible for elephant being used as the symbol of the Republican party

Rutherford B. Hayes

1877-1881, Republican, against Tilden (played role to crush Tweed Ring), ended Reconstruction through Compromise of 1877.

James Garfield

Less than four months of taking office in 1881, he was assassinated. His assassination led to the Pendleton Civil Service Reform of 1883.

Chester Arthur

He was the Vice President of James A. Garfield. He was also in favor of civil service reform. Passed the Pendleton Act

Grover Cleveland

22nd and 24th president, Democrat, Honest and hardworking, fought corruption, vetoed hundreds of wasteful bills, achieved the Interstate Commerce Commission and civil service reform, violent suppression of strikes.

Thomas B. Reed

Republican Speaker of the House in 1888, he gained a reputation for an iron grip over Congress and kept Democrats in line.

WIlliam Jennings Bryan

This Democratic and Populist Party candidate ran for president most famously in 1896 His goal of "free silver" (unlimited coinage of silver) - Cross of Gold Speech

pools

Usually a secret agreement among competing companies to fix prices and output or to divide up sales territory thus eliminating competition.

Trust

Another name for a Monopoly

Robber Barons

term used to negatively describe the great industrial pioneers and giants of the Second Industrial Revolution who made colossal fortunes in basic industries like railroads(Vanderbilts, Standfords, Harrimens) steel(Carnegie), food(Swift, Armour), oil(Rockefeller), finance(J.P. Morgan).

Gospel of Wealth

Carnegie's idea of duty of private philanthropy; the wealthy giving back to society; "The man who dies rich dies disgraced."

Rockefeller

Oil industry tycoon.

Monopoly

Business that has no competition

Bimetallism

Goal of the Populist Party to use both gold and silver as a basis for a national monetary system; the enemy was deflation, which worsened their problems with debt; silver was in greater supply than gold--> inflationary

Laissez-faire

lit. "to let go"; idea that government should play as small a role as possible in economic affairs

Vertical integration

combining into one organization all phases of manufacturing from mining to marketing; Carnegie Steel or Swift Meats.

Horizontal integration

getting rid of competition; Standard Oil buying up competitors

Sherman Anti-trust Act of 1890

First effort at federal government regulating business abuse of power; Forbade combinations in restraint of trade. It was used to curb labor unions or labor combinations

Social Darwinists

these theorists argued that individuals won their stations in life by competing on the basis of their natural talents; the success deserve their success based on hard work, initiative; the failures deserved to fail because of laziness and lack of ambition

Samuel Gompers

Founder of American Federation of Labor; believed the American worker wanted "More!"; skilled trades union

Knights of Labor

Founded in 1880 open to all workers by Terrence Powderly; represented skilled and unskilled; black and white; male and female .

New immigrants

Came from southern and eastern europe largely illiterate & impoverished; mostly Roman Catholic and Jewish

Captains of Industry

positive term for "Robber Barrons"; businessmen of the Gilded Age who gave back to society

Homestead Act of 1862

Republican plan to encourage western settlement and economic mobility, federal government agree to give settlers 160 acres of free land to anyone who would live on and improve his land for five years.

Wasbash V. Illinois

SCOTUS decreed that individual states had no power to regulate interstate commerce; overturned state laws regulatingv RR

The Grange

Farmer's organization formed in 1867 to enhance the lives of isolated farmers through social, educational, and fraternal activities.

Coxey's Army

Protest march of unemployed workers led by CW veteran Jacob Coxey. Marched on Washington in 1894.to demand a program of public works to put unemployed veterans to work during the 1894 Depression.

William Jennings Bryan

This Democratic candidate ran for president most famously in 1896 (and again in 1900). His goal of "free silver" (unlimited coinage of silver) won him the support of the Populist Party. Though a gifted orator (Cross of Gold Speech), he lost the election to Republican William McKinley. He ran again for president and lost in 1900.

Populist

Out of the Farmers Alliance a new political party emerged in the early 1890s- these frustrated farmers attacked Wall street and the money trust.

Marcus Hana

Believed that a prime function of the government was to aid business. he had made a fortune in the iron business and now coveted the role of president maker. Was also a part of the election of 1896 wanted to sponsor the high tariff as his campaign issue; advisor to McKinley.

Major Strikes of the 19century

Great strike of 1877,Haymarket square riot 1886, Homestead Strike of 1892; Pullman Strike of 1894

Mugwamps

Republicans who defected to Democrat Grover Cleveland in 1884 because they believed their party's own candidate--Blaine--was corrupt;

The Election of 1896

Watershed election between Republican McKinley, who believed in imperialism and gold standard and Bryan, Democrat & Populist who believed in republican government,isolationist, and the silver or bi-metallic currency; ushered in 30 years of Republican White Houses

"cheap money" and "hard money"

Debtors favored inflation; creditors favored deflation; scarcity of gold--> hard currency" and deflation; abundance of silver led to inflation and "cheap money"