1869-1896: Gilded Age Politics

Gilded Age Attitude (2)

laissez faire and legal vaccum

President Grant Flaws

no political experience and was a poor judge of character: few laws on monopolies = scandal

In 1869, Fisk and Gould cornered the _____

gold market

How did Nast and Tilden catch Boss Tweed?

Nast's cartoons targeted Boss Tweed and Tammany Hall's corruption, including issues such as political patronage, embezzlement, and financial mismanagement; Tilden played a key role in the legal efforts to prosecute him

1872 Credit Mobilier

A sham corporation set up by shareholders in the Union Pacific Railroad to secure government grants at an enormous profit. Organizers of the scheme protected it from investigation by providing gifts of its stock to powerful members of Congress.

1871 Whiskey Ring

bribed tax collectors not to collect excise whiskey tax (cost government 2 million)

1872 Liberal Republican Revolt arose from

disgust at the corruption and scandals of the Grant administration (nominated Greely)

What caused the Panic of 1873?

Pacific Railroad and Freedman's Saving and Trust Co. went bankrupt

Republican Hard-Money Policies (2)

Resumption Act 1875: greenbacks for gold on Jan 1, 1879 and the Coinage Act 1873: gov. Demonetized silver "crime of 73"

Republican Hard-Money policies led to a political turn to the ___(2)

Democrats and the new Greenback Labor Party

Stalwarts

(Roscoe Conkling and Chester A. Arthur) A faction of the Republican party in the ends of the 1800s Supported the political machine and patronage. Conservatives who hated civil service reform.

Half-Breeds

(Garfield; Blaine) Favored tariff reform and social reform, major issues from the Democratic and Republican parties. Fence-sitters

Mugwumps

(Schurz and Ward Beecher) A group of renegade Republicans who supported 1884 Democratic presidential nominee Grover Cleveland instead of their party's nominee, James G. Blaine.

Plessy v. Ferguson

legal doctrine of "separate but equal"

Kearnyites

followers of Denis Kearney, who formed the Workingmen's party of California in 1877 to protest a variety of issues that troubled the state's workers; against the Chinese

Chinese Exclusion Act 1882

prohibited immigration and naturalization

US v Wong Kim Ark (1998)

ruled that gave Chinese Americans citizenship

1913 and 1920 CA Alien Land Laws

Japanese could not purchase land in CA

1924-36 Cable Act

US woman lost citizenship if married Asian man

How did white Southerners disenfranchise blacks (3)

Poll Taxes; Literacy Tests; Grandfather clause

Election of 1880

In 1880, James A. Garfield was elected president in a very close election. His vice president was Chester A. Arthur. Garfield shot by Guiteau and died.

Pendleton Act of 1883

Bill that outlawed compulsory campaign contributions from federal employees and established the Civil Service Commission (1 job application; 2 competitive exam).

What was the main issue of election of 1884?

Tariff; Rep. Blaine (wanted high tariff to protect industry but had huge surplus). Dem. Cleveland (lower tariff to protect farmers)

Political Mud in the Election of 1884 (Cleveland and Blaine)

Blaine: "mulligan letters" (South Railroad Scandal); Cleveland: illegitimate child

Why did Ben Harrison win Election of 1888?

Republicans bought voters

Billion Dollar Congress (3)

(1) 1890 Pension Act: disposed of rising government surplus by expanding pensions veterans (GAR); (2) 1890 McKinley Tariff: raised tariff to 48%, protecting industry but angering agriculture; (3) 1890 Sherman Silver Purchase Act: silver and gold standard (bimetallism)

Populist Party wanted these reforms

"Free silver", graduated income tax, direct Senator election, gov. ownership of railroads/communication systems, short workday, no immigration, max 1 term president

The populist party was the first 3rd party to win

electoral votes

Cleveland "solved" the Depression of 1893 by borrowing...

65 mil in gold from JP Morgan (wall street)

Wilson-Gorman Tariff

reform existing tariff system by reducing tariff rates and introducing 2% income tax but legal challenges limited effectiveness