gilded age politics

Benjamin Harrison

23rd President; Republican, poor leader, introduced the McKinley Tariff and increased federal spending to a billion dollars

Mckinely Tariff

raised tariff's and brought new trouble to farmers. Who were forced to buy high priced products

Chester Arthur

Appointed customs collector for the port of New York

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

Sherman Silver Purchase Act

Required the government to purchase an additional 4.5 million ounces of silver bullion each month for use as currency.

Pendleton Act

reform measure that established the principle of federal employment on the basis of open, competitive exams and created the Civil Service Commission

Panic of 1893

Serious economic depression beginning in 1893. Began due to rail road companies over

William Jennings Bryan

Democratic candidate for president in 1896 under the banner of "free silver coinage" which won him support of the Populist Party.

Chinese Exclusion Act

1882 law that prohibited the immigration of Chinese laborers

Gentlemen's Agreement

Agreement when Japan agreed to curb the number of workers coming to the US and in exchange Roosevelt agreed to allow the wives of the Japanese men already living in the US to join them

New immigrants

immigrants who had come to the US after the 1880s from southern and eastern europe

Ethnic Neighborhoods

a neighborhood, typically situated in a larger metropolitan city and constructed by or comprised of a local culture, in which a local culture can practice its customs

Boss tweed

William Tweed, head of Tammany Hall, NYC's powerful democratic political machine in 1868. Between 1868 and 1869 he led the Tweed Reign, a group of corrupt politicians in defrauding the city. Example: Responsible for the construction of the NY court house; actual construction cost $3million. Project cost tax payers $13million.

Political Machines

Corrupt organized groups that controlled political parties in the cities. A boss leads the machine and attempts to grab more votes for his party.

Spoils system

A system of public employment based on rewarding party loyalists and friends.

Rutherford hayes

19th president of the united states, was famous for being part of the Hayes Tilden election in which electoral votes were contested in 4 states, most corrupt election in US history

James Garfield

the 20th President of the US; he died two months after being shot and six months after his inauguration.