Gilded Age

  • Ulysses S. Grant - after the war, presidential elections, corruption in office, why he got reelected

    • He was a Civil War veteran

    • He accepted gifts after the war from anyone who provided them

    • Ran in 1868 as a Republican - “Let us have peace”

    • Used “waving the bloody shirt” to gain the support of Union Army veterans

    • Defeated Horatio Seymour 214-80 because of former slaves

    • While in office, he was easily manipulated

    • Allowed “Jubilee Jim” Fisk and Jay Gould to run up the price of gold

    • Credit Mobilier scandal – railroad building and investment scam

    • Secretary of War William Belknap – took bribes from suppliers to Indian reservations

    • Reelected in 1872 “Grant us another term”

    • Defeated Horace Greeley because of the support from Civil War veterans

  • Boss Tweed & Tammany Hall - what it was, graft, political machines, voting irregularities, Thomas Nast’s cartoons, etc.

    • Also known as William Tweed

    • led a ring of corruption in NYC through the Tammany Hall political machine – bribes, graft (use of political authority for personal gain), & election fraud

    • Widespread fraud

    • Tweed controlled most of NYC politics through this

    • The New York Times had enough evidence of corruption – Tweed tried to stop them from printing with $5 million – Thomas Nast began a cartoon assault on him, eventually leading to his conviction

  • Railroads - effect on trade and the nation, government assistance for them, Crédit Mobilier scandal

    • For every mile of rail that was built, the Union Pacific Railroad was granted 20 square miles of land by the government, as well as a federal loan ($16,000 - $48,000)

    • A trip that used to take months now only took 6 days

    • Houses were being built along railroads instead of rivers

    • Allowed for easier transportation

    • Credit Mobilier scandal led to insiders scamming millions & bribing congressmen to look away

    • Stole federal funds meant for building the railroad

    • Workers were hired at inflated costs

    • Weakened public trust in the government

  • Jim Crow laws & obstacles to voting, Plessy v Ferguson

    • Discrimination

    • Separation/segregation

    • Plessy v. Ferguson – separate but equal

      • The Supreme Court ruled that segregation was constitutional under the "separate but equal" doctrine, legalizing Jim Crow laws nationwide.

    • Lynchings

    • Poll taxes

      • Payment to vote that black people could not afford

    • Literacy tests

      • Rigged exam to prevent black’s from voting

    • Grandfather clause

      • Allowed only those whose grandfathers could vote before the Civil War to bypass restrictions (favoring white voters).

    • Meant to maintain white supremacy

  • Government jobs - spoils system/”Spoilsmen”/patronage system, Pendleton Act, merit system, civil service exam

    • Patronage

      • Disbursing government jobs in exchange for votes

      • Prioritized country over party

      • Many supported civil-service jobs as a way to give jobs to loyalists

    • Pendelton Act

      • Magna Carta of Civil Service reform

      • Employees were made illegal

      • Established Civil Service Commission to make appointments to federal jobs

      • This was used as a way to give jobs to those who could pass the exam, and not loyalists

  • President Garfield’s assassination

    • assassinated by a Stalwart office-seeker, Charles J. Guiteau

    • Guiteau expected a job from Garfield for supporting him during the election

    • Shot in a train station in DC

    • Bullet lodged in his arm and back

    • Did not die immediately

    • Doctors stuck their fingers into his back without proper equipment to find the bullet

    • Died 79 days later from an infection

  • Steel industry - Bessemer, Andrew Carnegie

    • Carnegie came up with the process of vertical integration, which included combining all phases of manufacturing into one organization – to try to improve efficiency

    • Revolutionized the steel industry in Pittsburgh, using the Bessemer process, which made steel cheaper

    • This involved blowing air through molten iron to remove impurities, which reduced the time and cost to produce steel

  • Gospel of wealth

    • Written by Andrew Carnegie, stated that the wealthy had to give back to society

    • Argued that the wealthy must help others

    • J.P. Morgan bought out Carnegie’s steel business for $400 million (who then gave away $350 million of it

  • John D. Rockefeller & Standard Oil

    • Established horizontal integration, which was allying with competitors to monopolize a specific market

    • He established Standard Oil

    • By 1877, he controlled 95% of the country’s oil refineries

  • JP Morgan & the banking industry

    • Most important figure in the banking industry

    • Shaped modern banking and corporate structure

    • lent the government the money needed to bring confidence back to the nation’s financial situation

    • Eventually bought out Carnegie’s steel business for $400 million, which he then gave away $350 million of it

  • Hull House/settlement houses

    • Centers for women activists

    • Helped poor and immigrant communities

    • provided education, healthcare, job training, childcare, and social services

    • Provided housing, and higher education for women

    • Provided childcare services and helped women learn practical skills

    • Hull House, established by Jane Addams in 1889 which was a leading cwenter for social reform

  • Urbanization & consequences

    • U.S. cities soon boasted over a million people, with NY being the 2nd largest in the world

    • Skyscrapers w/ electric elevators

    • Electric trolleys

    • Spectacular bridges

    • Electricity, indoor plumbing, telephones, department stores

    • Economic growth and industrialization created many new jobs

    • Lead to widespread alcoholism

    • Lead to high divorce rates for women

  • Opportunities for women in big cities

    • There were more opportunities for women in big cities

    • They had greater job opportunities

    • Many worked in factories, but they had very low wages for women

    • Many women began working in department stores, which paid much higher salaries than factories

    • Many worked as nurses and teachers, which created two major professional fields for women

    • There were more opportunities for education for women

    •  Big cities were hubs for the fight for women’s voting rights

    • Many women joined the women's suffrage movements

  • Gibson Girls

    • Popular illustration of the ideal woman

    • Created by Charles Dana Gibson

    • The image had women as independent and educated

    • Was meant to be a sign that women could do anything that men could do

    • Represented women having their own life beyond men

  • Rising divorce rates - why?

    • Women wanted more personal freedom

    • Less need for marriage for economic stability and family expectations

    • Marriages that failed emotionally often led to divorce

    • As more women attended colleges and universities, they had other expectations in life beyond the traditional role of a mother and wife that women had in the past

    • Many divorced due to alcohol and substance abuse from their husbands

  • Populist Party - who was in it, major platform planks

    • 1892 – People’s Party – Farmer’s Alliance

    • Wanted inflation, graduated income tax, government ownership of railroads, telegraph, & telephone, direct election of US Senators, one term presidential limit, initiatives & referenda, shorter workday, & immigration restrictions

    • Ran General James B. Weaver (former Greenbacker)

    • Did well in the West & Midwest

    • Eventually became more & more racist

  • Sherman Anti-Trust Act

    • Aimed to prevent companies from forming trusts that restricted competition and harmed consumers

    • Passed in 1890, named after Senator John Sherman of Ohio

    • This was needed because companies often bought out competitors or forced them out of business

    • Prices were raised and wages for workers were lowered due to no competition

    • Banned monopolistic practices that restrained trade

    • Declared illegal any trust or conspiracy that restricted free competition

    • Allowed the federal government to break up monopolies

    • The law was vague about what constituted a "monopoly" or "restraint of trade."

    • Courts often sided with big businesses.

  • Interstate Commerce Act

    • Passed in 1887

    • Railroads had to list their rates publicly

    • Couldn’t discriminate against shippers

    • Couldn’t charge more for the short haul v. the long haul

    • Set up the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) – federal gov’t is now overseeing interstate industry

    • The law did not clearly define "reasonable rates," making it hard to enforce.

    • The ICC had little power to punish railroads that broke the law.

  • McKinley Tariff Act

    • Raised rates to the highest peacetime level ever (around 48.4% on foreign goods that were subject to a tariff)

    • Sponsored by William McKinley (R-OH)

    • Caused tremendous controversy, particularly among farmers

    • Designed to protect American industries from foreign competition

    • Although it helped American industries, it hurt farmers

    • Farmers earned lower wages and had a harder time making a profit

    • Farmers struggled to buy everyday farm products that they relied on foreign imports for

  • Department stores & American consumerism

    • Large stores that offered a variety of products under one roof

    • Allowed for people to buy more products at a time

    • Created a luxurious experience for American Consumers

    • Created new jobs for women

    • Allowed for window display of products

    • The mass production of goods created lower prices

  • Old v. New Immigrants

    • Old Immigrants

      • Came mostly from Northern & Western Europe:

      • Ireland, Germany, England, Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden, Denmark).

      • Many were Protestants (except for Irish Catholics).

      • Many came to the US due to failed revolutions, economic opportunities, and more land

      • Became farmers in the Midwest

    • New Immigrants

      • Came from Southern & Eastern Europe:

      • Italy, Poland, Russia, Greece, Hungary, Austria-Hungary, Jewish immigrants.

      • Many were Catholic, Jewish, or Orthodox Christian

      • Many left their countries because of the industrial jobs in the US, which would give them economic stability

      • Most settled in cities and worked in factories

      • Lived in ethnic neighborhoods

      • Faced severe discrimination

  • Why people left Italy for the U.S. between 1880 and 1920

    • Economic hardship

    • Farmers were losing land and many earned barely enough to survive as sharecroppers

    • Italians felt politically oppressed

    • Many came for the job opportunities in the US like factories, and railroads that promised higher wages

  • Labor unions & efforts for better working conditions

    • Emerged to fight for workers' rights, leading to strikes, protests, and major labor laws

    • People before this would often work 10-16 hours a day for 6 days a week

    • There would be no overtime pay, sick leave, or unemployment benefits