Gilded Age Politics and Civil Service Reform Vocabulary Flashcards

A set of 15 vocabulary flashcards covering Gilded Age political parties, regional economies, major strikes, and civil service reform based on the lecture transcript.

DEI

An acronym standing for diversity, equity (or equality), and inclusion.

Merit based

A hiring or selection system where individuals are chosen based on their skills, qualifications, and academic capability.

Gilded Age Democrats

Members of the political party during the Gilded Age who were opposed to government influence in matters dealing with personal liberty.

Gilded Age Republicans

Members of the political party during the Gilded Age who believed that the government should act as an agent responsible for reform.

Spoil system

A political practice introduced by Andrew Jackson where individuals in power award government jobs in exchange for political support.

Regional politics

The dynamic during the Gilded Age where political power was centered in specific regions (the North, South, and West) because no single national political party held dominant power.

Gold vs. silver debate

An economic division where the financial and manufacturing North favored gold backing, while farmers in the South and West favored silver because it was more accessible for bank loans.

Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC)

The federal government's first major effort to regulate business, established to regulate railroad rates, though initially ineffective because its board was made up of railroad leaders.

Pullman sleeping car strike

A strike resulting from George Pullman cutting factory worker wages, which was broken after the government required sleeping cars to connect to U.S. mail cars, making striking a federal offense.

Coal miner strike

A strike caused by mine owners tampering with scale weights to pay miners less, which President Teddy Roosevelt resolved by forcing third-party mediation under threat of a federal takeover of the mines.

Arbitration (Mediation)

A process where disputing parties hash out their issues and reach a resolution through an independent third party.

Charles Guiteau

The campaign worker who assassinated President Garfield after being repeatedly denied a government job expected under the spoil system.

Thomas Edison

The inventor who built a metal detector used by doctors in an attempt to locate the bullet inside President Garfield following his assassination attempt.

Chester Arthur

The vice president who became president after Garfield's assassination and advocated for civil service reform, despite having built his entire previous political career on the spoil system.

Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act

Legislation that required candidates to take a test and meet specific qualifications to earn certain federal government jobs, moving away from the spoil system.