Chapter 16 - 1 2 3

James Garfield

A halfbreed nominated by the Republican party to run for president in the 1880 election; assassinated by Charles Guiteau on July 12, 1881.

patronage

Informally known as the spoils system; government jobs given to supporters of the winning party in an election.

Charles Guiteau

The job seeker responsible for the assassination of James Garfield; he repeatedly asked for a government job.

Roscoe Conkling

New York senator and Stalwart who labeled Republican reformers as 'Halfbreeds' and accused them of seeking reform to benefit their own supporters.

Halfbreeds and Stalwarts

Halfbreeds are Republican reformers supporting reform for votes; Stalwarts opposed Hayes for abandoning reconstruction, which allowed Democrats to control the South.

Chester A. Arthur

A Stalwart nominated for vice president in the 1880 election; supported the Pendleton Act and civil service reform.

Pendleton Act

A law allowing the president to fill federal jobs based on merit through exams, reducing the corruption of the patronage system.

Civil Service Commission

Agency established under the Pendleton Act of 1883 to oversee federal job examinations.

Grover Cleveland

Democratic nominee for the 1884 election who opposed Tammany Hall and became president, signing the Interstate Commerce Act.

Tammany Hall

Corrupted Democratic political machine in New York City.

James G. Blaine

Former Speaker of the House and Republican candidate in 1884, accused of corruption during the Credit Mobilier scandal.

Mugwumps

Renegade Republican reformers who supported Grover Cleveland in the 1884 election instead of their party's nominee.

rebates

Partial refunds.

Wabash v. Illinois

1886 Supreme Court case ruling that only the federal government can regulate interstate commerce.

Interstate Commerce Commission

Established in 1887 to regulate interstate commerce, limiting railroad rates and forbidding discriminatory pricing.

Benjamin Harrison

Republican candidate in the 1888 election; won the electoral vote despite losing the popular vote.

McKinley Tariff

Tariff bill that reduced tobacco taxes and created a budget deficit due to lowered federal revenue.

Sherman Antitrust Act

1890 act declaring illegal any combination in restraint of trade or commerce among states.

Populism

Movement aimed at increasing farmers’ political power and working for legislation in their interest.

greenbacks

Paper currency not exchangeable for gold or silver.

inflation

A decline in the value of money that causes prices of goods to rise.

deflation

An increase in the value of money that decreases the general level of prices.

Oliver H. Kelley

Founder of the Patrons of Husbandry (Grange), the first national farm organization.

Farmer’s Alliance

Organization aimed at promoting the economic and political interests of farmers.

People’s Party

Political party formed by members of the Kansas Alliance, also known as the Populists.

Subtreasury Plan

Macune's proposal for government-run warehouses to store crops and provide low-interest loans to farmers.

Ocala demands

Demands by the Farmers' Alliance calling for the subtreasury plan, free coinage of silver, and regulation of railroads.

Panic of 1893

Economic depression that began in March 1893, triggered by railroad bankruptcies.

goldbugs and silverites

Goldbugs favored a gold-standard currency; silverites advocated for unlimited silver coinage.

William Jennings Bryan

Democratic nominee for the 1896 election, known for advocating for silver.

William McKinley

Republican nominee for the 1896 election; won by conducting a 'front-porch campaign'.

Gold Standard Act

Passed in 1900, it made the U.S. officially adopt a gold-based currency.

H.S. Doyle

An African American preacher who supported a white Populist candidate in Georgia.

sharecroppers

Landless farmers who worked land owned by others, often ending up in debt.

Benjamin 'Pap' Singleton

Former slave who led a migration of African Americans to Kansas.

Exodusters

African American migrants who moved to Kansas to escape Southern oppression.

Colored Farmer’s National Alliance

Organization helping African American farmers form cooperatives.

poll tax

A fee required to register to vote, often disenfranchising poor voters.

grandfather clause

Policy enabling individuals to vote if their ancestors had voted in 1867, disenfranchising many African Americans.

segregation

The enforced separation of different racial groups.

Jim Crow Laws

Laws that enforced racial segregation in the South.

Homer Plessy

African American who challenged segregation laws in Louisiana.

Plessy v. Ferguson

1896 Supreme Court ruling upholding segregation under the 'separate but equal' doctrine.

lynching

Extrajudicial executions often targeting African Americans.

Ida B. Wells

Civil rights advocate who campaigned against lynching.

Booker T. Washington

Educator who urged African Americans to focus on economic advancement.

W.E.B. Du Bois

Activist who argued for immediate civil rights for African Americans.