APUSH Chapter 23 Politics in the Gilded Age

Demographics of the Republicans:

• Northerners

• Black people

• Middle class 

• Strict moral codes 

• WASPs - temperance 

• Controlled the presidency

• Did not favor Laissez Faire  

Demographics of the Democrats 

• White Southerners 

• Roman Catholics and Lutherans and Jews 

• Immigrants 

• Farmers 

• Working poor 

• Favored laissez faire

• Controlled the House  

Liberal Republican Party

was created to purify government administration and to end military reconstruction

What did the Democrats and the Republicans disagree on?

civil service reform, tariffs, and silver and gold debates

What does WASPs stand for?

White Anglo-saxan Protestants

Who did the WASPs vote for?

Republicans

Republican standpoint on tariffs

wanted high tariffs to protect American industries and wanted to keep U.S businesses funded 

Democrats Standpoints on tariffs

wanted low tariffs so that there would be cheaper imports so that they would be able to do their jobs 

Who were the Populist party?

• “plain people” 

• working class 

• unlimited coinage of silver 

• graduated income tax (you should be paying taxes based on how much you make)

What did the Democrats adopt from the Populist party? 

1896 election → Democrats adopted the idea and the push for the unlimited coinage of silver from the Populist party 

Civil service reform in result of patronage

Patronage → corruption and danger (e.g., Garfield’s assassination) → civil service reform via the Pendleton Act → merit-based hiring.

Omaha Platform (1892)

Populist Party platform calling for silver coinage at 16:1 ratio, income tax, national railroads, shorter workdays, and limits on immigration.

Free Silver Movement

Belief that expanding silver coinage would create inflation and ease debts for farmers and working-class Americans.

Republican Dominance

GOP controlled most national politics in the Gilded Age due to business support, high tariffs, and loyalty from Union veterans.

Omaha Platform (1892)

Populist Party platform calling for silver coinage at 16:1 ratio, income tax, national railroads, shorter workdays, and limits on immigration.

Populist Party

Political movement of farmers and laborers demanding reforms such as free silver, income tax, government rail control, and direct election of senators.

Panic of 1893

Severe depression caused by overbuilding, railroad failures, and the silver debate; hurt Cleveland’s presidency and fueled populism.

Panic of 1873

Financial collapse caused by overproduction and excessive loans; triggered debates over inflation and the money supply.

Compromise of 1877 Effects

Marked the end of Reconstruction and the loss of federal protection for Southern Black citizens, leading to the lose of privileges.

Liberal Republican Party

Formed in 1872 to oppose Grant’s corruption and military Reconstruction, promoting civil service reform.

Whiskey Ring

Government officials conspired with distillers to avoid paying taxes on whiskey sales, embarrassing the Grant administration.

Crédit Mobilier Scandal

Union Pacific executives created a fake construction company to overcharge the railroad and bribe Congressmen with stock.

Boss Tweed

Corrupt New York City political boss who stole millions through fraud and bribery before being exposed by Thomas Nast’s cartoons.

Chinese Exclusion Act (1882)

Banned Chinese immigration for over sixty years, reflecting rising nativism and labor competition in the West.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Supreme Court case that upheld segregation, legitimizing racial discrimination for decades.

Jim Crow Laws

State-level segregation laws that legalized “separate but equal” treatment under Plessy v. Ferguson (1896).

Compromise of 1877

Ended Reconstruction by awarding the presidency to Rutherford B. Hayes in exchange for withdrawing federal troops from the South.

African American Voting

During Reconstruction and the Gilded Age, African Americans largely supported the Republican Party because of its link to emancipation.

Pendleton Act (1883)

Reformed the spoils system by requiring civil service exams for federal jobs, reducing corruption but strengthening business ties to politics.

Patronage System

The practice of rewarding political supporters with government jobs, which caused corruption and eventually led to the Pendleton Civil Service Act.

Party Divisions

Republicans split between Stalwarts (patronage supporters) and Half-Breeds (pretending to support reform). Mugwumps were reform Republicans who backed Cleveland.

Party Loyalty

Republicans drew support from Northern Protestants, Union veterans, and industrial workers; Democrats relied on Southern whites, immigrants, and Catholics.

McKinley Tariff (1890)

Raised tariff rates to the highest peacetime level (48.4%), helping manufacturers but hurting farmers who faced high costs and low crop prices.

Tariffs

Taxes on imported goods that divided parties: Republicans favored high tariffs to protect industry, while Democrats supported low tariffs for cheaper consumer prices.

Sherman Silver Purchase Act (1890)

Required the government to buy more silver but failed to boost prices; later repealed by Cleveland during the 1893 depression.

Coinage of 1873

When Congress stopped minting silver dollars, angering farmers and miners who wanted silver coinage to cause inflation.

Resumption Act of 1875

Required the federal government to withdraw greenbacks and resume gold-backed payments in 1879, restoring credit but worsening deflation.

Currency Debate

The central divide in Gilded Age economics was between hard-money advocates who supported gold-backed currency and soft-money supporters who wanted silver coinage or greenbacks to expand credit and help farmers.

Industrial vs. Agricultural Divide

Industry favored gold standard and tariffs; farmers and workers supported silver coinage and lower tariffs.