Gilded Age
1869-1913
Name comes from mark twain
Gilding something makes it look like it has greater value than it actually has
Grant-taft
Republicans monopolize the white house and the senate EXCEPT for the non-consecutive terms of grover cleveland
Dems control the house for the most part
Hayes administration
Hayes himself is honest, respectful, dignified
Wife is known as “lemonade lucy”
She is not serving alcohol at the white house
His initial election costs him his second term
His party is split between the stalwarts and the half-breeds
Republican split
Stalwarts
Led by conkling
Supported grant
Radical reconstruction
Spoils system
Half-breeds
James blaine of maine
Half-loyal to grant
Half-committed to reforming the spoils system
These factions are loose alliances designed to advance the careers of conkling and blaine
They hate each other
The reform of the spoils system makes use of Civil service reform
Civil service reform
Merit-based system for public employees
Hayes fails to get this passed
1878
Bland allison act
Provide for the limited expansion of silver through the government’s purchase of $2-4M worth of silver coins per month
Vetoed by hayes
Overridden by congress
1880 election
Characterized by bribery
REPUBLICAN
Garfield !!!!
Distinguished himself in the civil war
Compromise between the stalwarts and half-breeds
VP Chester A. Arthur
Known for corruption within the NY customs house
DEMOCRAT
Winfield Scott Hancock
Union commander
Counterbalance the bloody shirt
GARFIELD WINS
Garfield administration
July 2nd 1881
Shot at a d.c. railroad station
Doesn’t die until sept 19th
Charles Guiteau (assassinator)
“I am stalwart & arthur is now president”
Chester A. Arthur administration
Distances himself from the stalwarts
Does prove to be a pretty competent president
Prosecute star route postal frauds
Much money to be made within the postal service
People were getting money back
Vetoed $18M river bill and harbors bill because there was a lot of pork in it
Vetoed the chinese exclusion act
Both vetoes will be overridden by congress
civil service reform
Merit based system for government
Spoils system reform
1882
Reform bill sponsored by ‘gentleman” george pendleton
Democrat from ohio
14% of all government jobs would be filled on the basis of a competency exam
Establishes 3 member civil service commission independent of the cabinet
The first ever permanent federal agency
“Mongrel” tariff of 1883
1880s
High protective tariff
Government enjoyed an embarrassing amount of rickets
Draws money into the treasury and out of circulation
Constricted economic growth
1882
Arthur has a special commission study the problem
Commission recommends a 20-25% tariff rate reduction
The “mongrel” tariff of 1883
Only slight reductions for tariffs
Raises for other tariffs
1884 election
REPUBLICAN
James blaine
Half-breeds
Corruption in the “mulligan letters”
Allegedly James blaine sold votes
Reformers of the republican party bolt
“Mugwumps”
Indian term for self-important chieftain
“Person who sits on the fence with his mug on one side and his wump on the other
Foremost goal was civil service reform
Blaine loses 🙁
Big feast that was had amongst republicans
Someone insulted the catholics and he lets it pass so he loses all of the irish votes
DEMOCRAT
Cleveland
Wins due to party split of course
Anti-corruption
The newspapers reported that when he was single he had an affair with a widow and had a child
He showed his child support payments
Cleveland STILL WIN S
Unique because he has two non-consecutive turns
Cleveland’s administration
Holds a limited view of government in the economic and social realms
Double the federal jobs covered by civil service reform
He will restore 81M acres of land in the west being misused by the government
Loses 1888 election
Concern for protecting the us treasury
Union war veterans want compensation
1862
Congress passed the civil war pension law
Disabled veterans
Widows
Orphans
1882
Grand army of the republic (union veteran lobbying organization) very powerful organization
Want pensions paid for any disability even if unrelated to service
Congress caves
cleveland signed and vetoed more bills than his predecessors and he VETOED THIS BILL
Cleveland Passes the ICC
Although he is scared of big government, he passes because he was more scared of big business
1887
Annual message
Argued for a reduction of tariff rates
Defines the issue for the election
1888 election
REPUBLICAN
Benjamin Harrisson
The Republican party becomes known as the G.O.P.
Grandson of the W.H.H.
Shortest presidency!!
He campaigns actively (unique for the time)
Promises generous pensions to the veterans
To fend off cleveland’s tariff reductions, big money is given to harrison's campaign
DEMOCRAT
Grover Cleveland
Stepped to the presidency
Did not believe that you should campaign for yourself
HARRISSON WINS
Harrison administration
Believed in civil service reform
Extends it
Owed a lot to the union army
Supported pension so union veterans supported him
Names one pension commissioner
Approved pensions for everyone
Removed 6 months and several million dollars later
Sherman antitrust act is passed
Farmers demanded increased coinage of silver
Between 1889 to 1890
6 new states are admitted with substantial silver mines
Sherman silver purchase act
1890 Congress passed the sherman silver purchase act
Replaced the bland allison act
Treasury was to purchase 4.5 million ounces of silver/month
Issue in payment paper money that was redeemable for gold or silver
East saw growth of paper currency as a threat to gold reserve
Mckinley tariff
Raise manufacturing duties to their highest ever
High duties on imported agricultural products
Allowed the president to increase taxes on sugar, molasses, tea, coffee, and animal hides
To pressure other countries to reduce their unreasonably high duties on U.S. goods
1890 midterms
Voters repudiate the tariff by voting for the democrats
Farmer unrest
1890 elections revealed great unrest in the south and western farming communities
Decline in prices
Overproduction
International competition
Tariffs–allowed manufacturing to raise prices on factory goods, however, farmers had to sell on foreign markets where competition lowered prices,
high railroad prices
went into debt to purchase machinery and land, therefore, farmers grain more crops to cover costs, but prices lowered as a result
The granger movement
Begins in 1867
“National grange of the patrons of husbandry”
Head was the department of ag (oliver kelley)
His goal was to regulate the rates charged by the railroads as well as the rates charged by warehouses
5 states passed granger laws
They are not effective
Munn v. illinois (1877)
Illinois established a maximum rate that could be charged by grain elevators and public warehouses
Owners state that it deprived them of due process of law
The courts side with illinois
The owners of grain elevators were subject to regulation
1875 the grange becomes part of the greenback party
1884 gone
Other farmer movements
1875–farmer’s alliance
Embrace african americans and women
Led by tom watson
Develops the ocala platform
Urged african american tenant farmers and sharecroppers to join with their white counterparts in resisting the white political elite
Early 1890s—populists/people’s party
They lead a crusade to relieve the misfortunes of the farmer
Ignatius donelley
Mary elizabeth lease
The wizard of oz derives from this movement
1892 election
First time of the use of the australian ballot
Progressives push for this due to public voting corruption
DEMOCRAT
Grover Cleveland
REPUBLICAN
Ben Harrison
POPULISTS
James B. Weaver
Cleveland administration (2)
The nation’s money supply was having trouble growing with the expanding economy (late 19th century)
We had a surplus of goods
1893 depression
Philadelphia and redding railroads declared bankruptcy
Sets off wall street panic
Other railroads collapse
railroads take banks with them (because railroads took huge loans)
Farms are devastated
Quarter of unskilled workers lose their jobs
1894 midterms
The economy reaches the bottom
Setback for the democrats
Jacob coxey
1894
advocate for pure paper currency and the unemployed
Rounds up 400 protesters
Take their protest to d.c.
First public protest of its kind
Demand that the federal government provide the unemployed with “meaningful work”
Coxey is arrested for trespassing
Although their protest was peaceful it struck fear in many americans
1894–wilson-gorman act
Because of the depression many british investors dumped their US holdings in exchange for gold
Soon after the cleveland inauguration US gold reserves fall below 100 million
Huge concern
Stop the drain on the treasury by stopping any type of issuing any silver notes redeemable for gold
Repealed the sherman silver purchase act
Causes irreparable damage to the damage to the democrats
Wilson-gorman act
Raise tariffs
Drop exports
Progressive income tax
Polock v. Farmers Loan and Trust (1895)
Case goes to the supreme court
Overturn the progressive income tax
In order to overturn this the 16th amendment passed
Established the right to impose a federal income tax
Downfall of cleveland
1894 lost 120 seats in the house
1896 election
Similar to the election of 1900
REPUBLICAN
William McKincley
Believes in the “gold standard”
“Front porch” campaign
Campaigning from your front porch
People would come to him
Mark Hanna was his manager
PRO-SILVER/FREE SILVER DEMOCRAT
Williams Jenniings Bryan
“Cross of gold” speech
Criss crosses the country campaigning
PRO-GOLD/PRO CLEVELAND DEMOCRAT
John Palmer
POPULISTS
Back bryan instead of nominating someone, still chose VP
Tom Watson
MCKINLEY WINS
Mckinley administration
Dingley tariff of 1897
Highest (so far) ever tariff
Prosperity is returning
Inflation comes back when the market is flooded with gold (new gold discoveries)
Gold standard act
1900
Mckinley administration (2)
Sep 6 of 1901
Goes to the pan-american expo in buffalo
Shot by Leon Czolgosz
Anarchist
28 at the time
Unemployed
Kinda smart
McKinley died in 8 days
Teddy Roosevelt
He kinda scared people
To shut him up, they make him vice president
Worst republican nightmare
Study Plan for 1869-1913
Day 1:
Morning: Read and summarize key points from 1869-1880 (Hayes, Garfield, Arthur administrations)
Afternoon: Study Civil Service Reform, Bland-Allison Act, and the 1880 election
Evening: Review key figures like Hayes, Garfield, Arthur, and the factions within the Republican party
Day 2:
Morning: Focus on the 1881-1884 period (Arthur administration, Mongrel Tariff, 1884 election)
Afternoon: Dive into the 1884 election, including the Republican split and Cleveland's victory
Evening: Study Cleveland's first administration, civil service reform, and the Mongrel Tariff of 1883
Day 3:
Morning: Explore the 1888 election, Harrison administration, and the Sherman Antitrust Act
Afternoon: Learn about the Sherman Silver Purchase Act, McKinley Tariff, and the 1890 midterms
Evening: Review the Farmer Unrest, Granger Movement, and other farmer movements
Day 4:
Morning: Study the 1892 election, Cleveland's second administration, and the 1893 depression
Afternoon: Learn about the Wilson-Gorman Act, Progressive income tax, and Pollock v. Farmers Loan and Trust
Evening: Explore the downfall of Cleveland, the 1894 midterms, and Coxey's protest
Day 5:
Morning: Focus on the 1896 election, candidates, and the Gold Standard Act of 1900
Afternoon: Study the McKinley administration, Dingley Tariff, and the return of prosperity
Evening: Review the assassination of McKinley and the rise of Teddy Roosevelt
By following this study plan, you will have a comprehensive understanding of the key events, figures, and policies from the period of 1869-1913 in preparation for your exam.