1. The Politics of the Gilded Age

2. "What is the chief end of man?--to get rich. In what way?-- honestly if we can; dishonestly if we must." -- Mark Twain-1871

3. The Election of 1868 n Republicans - nominate Ulysses S. Grant

5. n Grant promises continued Military Reconstruction. n Campaigned by waving the "Bloody Shirt" - vote how you shot

6. n Democrats - nominate Horatio Seymour

7. n Policy of Repudiation - redemption of Bonds at highest possible level. n So-called "Ohio Idea" n Seymour backs eastern banker’s gold plan.

9. Seymour joining hands with the Irish vote and the Confederate vote to prevent the Negro from reaching the ballot box.

11. n 500,000 Freedmen vote for Grant. n Grant wins by 300,000 votes

13. Grant Administration Grant Administration n called the "Era of Good Stealings" n Democrats locked out of political trough

15. n Business and political "machines" gain spoils n Period of graft, corruption, and scandal

16. The Scandals

17. Black Friday - Sept. 24, 1869 n "Jubilee Jim" Fisk (the Brass) and Jay Gould (the Brains) corner the gold market after promise from Grant to keep Treasury from selling gold reserves. Jay Gould

18. n Panic buying drives up prices. n Treasury releases reserves - prices plummet - many are bankrupt. n Grant exonerated of wrong-doing.

19. Tweed Ring Scandals n "Boss" William Marcy Tweed of Tammany Hall in NYC n Used graft and political power to extort profits from political position.

20. n NY Times published reports of scandals, n Cartoonist Thomas Nast attacked Tweed

23. Let Us Prey

25. The Tammany Tiger Loose - What are you going to do about it?

26. “Whispering Sammy” Tilden n Samuel J. Tilden prosecuted Tweed on corruption charges n Boss Tweed dies in jail

27. Credit Mobilier Scandal n Railroad construction company of made exorbitant profits by overcharging in the construction of the Union Pacific RR.

28. n Used bribery and kickbacks to Congress.

29. Whiskey Ring Scandal n Whiskey producers cheated the government out of excise taxes and paid kickbacks to controllers and tax collectors.

30. n Grants personal secretary is involved - gets pardon

31. " honest citizens" to rise up and "sweep from power the men who prostitute the name of an honored party to selfish interests."

32. Military Ring Scandal n Secretary of War Belknap involved in profit making from selling the privilege of disbursing shoddy goods to Indians.

33. n Grant accepts Belknaps resignation "with regret" n Scandals lead to calls for civil service reforms

34. Election of 1872 n Liberal Republican "Revolt" n Republican party splits over "Anti-Grantism"

35. n Formation of Liberal Republican Party - leads to nomination of Horace Greeley liberal editor of NY Tribune. n Democrats - endorse Greeley after his call for reuniting north and south.

38. n Republican Party – re-nominates Grant. n After much mudslinging Grant wins 286 - 66 electoral votes

39. n The election leads to minor civil service reforms and a general amnesty for most southerners. n Grants second term marred by economic crisis.

40. IV. The Panic of 1873 n Overheating and extension of economy causes down cycle beginning in 1873.

41. n Bank panic leads to failure of Jay Cooke and Co. banking n Collapse leads to 15,000 businesses failing.

42. n Currency controversy heats up into major issue

43. A. Greenback Controversy n Process of removing paper "Greenbacks" from circulation leads to controversy between

44. Currency Controversy

45. n 1870 - Supreme Court ruled the Civil War Tender Act unconstitutional n Set stage to continue withdrawing inflated Civil War paper money.

46. n Grant adds two seats to Supreme Court (to 9 Justices) who vote to repeal earlier decision and keep Greenbacks in circulation.

47. n 1874 - Grant persuaded by Hard Money people to veto a bill to expand the money supply.

48. n 1875 - Resumption Act passed - pledges government to withdraw more Greenbacks and to buy all Greenbacks back for gold by "Redemption Day" in 1879.

50. B. Silver Issue n Controversy over gold coins vs. silver coins n Early 1870's - US Treasury sets rate of exchange for silver at 1/16 the price of gold.

51. n This is below "market" value. Miners slow down extraction and sale of silver.

52. 1873 - "Crime of 1873" n Treasury stops offering silver dollars. n New silver deposits found - price of silver drops

53. n Call for new silver minting - return to "dollar of our Daddies"

54. Grants monetary policy: n Decreases the money supply n Brings inflation under control

55. n Increases the governments rating level n Bring Greenbacks back to face value

56. n Worsens the depression begun with the Panic of 1873

57. Election of 1874 n Democratic House is elected.

58. n Leads to the Bland-Allison Act of 1878 - instructing the Treasury to buy and mint $2- 4 million a month of silver. n Greenback - Labor Party formed in 1878.

59. Paradox of Politics n Major parties agreed on most major issues Yet n Each contest is hard fought and close.

60. n 80% voter turnout, straight party ticket voting.

61. Political Differences n Two Major Parties

62. REPUBLICANS n Protestant / Puritanism n Personal Morality n Northeast / Midwest n Freedmen / GAR

63. DEMOCRATS n Catholic / Lutheran n Tolerance of Difference n Resisted Government control of morals n Old South n Industrial cities / Labor

64. Within the Republican Party

65. Stalwarts n "Lord Roscoe" Conkling n Senator from New York n embraced jobs for votes

66. Half - Breeds n James G. Blaine n Congressman from Maine n lip-service to reform

67. Conflicts led to deadlock in Republican Party

68. Election of 1876 n Grant considers Third Term - is "reminded" by Congressional Resolution of the tradition of 2 terms.

69. Puck Wants a Strong Man at the Head of Government-- But Not This Kind

70. The Political ‘Army of Salvation’

71. Republicans n Stalwarts and Half- breeds reach compromise, nominate Rutherford B. Hayes - n "The Great Unknown" former Governor of Ohio

72. Democrats n nominate "Whispering Sammy" n Samuel J. Tilden - NY attorney who bagged Boss Tweed.

74. n Campaigns against Republican Scandals and for Civil Service Reform.

76. n Tilden wins 184 out of 185 needed electoral votes 4,034,311 4,288,546 Hayes Tilden

78. n 20 electoral votes are contested, four southern states send dual sets of elector votes.

79. n Constitution states that the President of the Senate should open the votes - no mention of who counts.

80. n President of the Senate (Vice President) = Republican n Speaker of the House = Democrat

81. Compromise of 1877 - n Passage of Electoral Act of 1877 = sets up electoral commission 15 men - 5 each from House, Senate and Supreme Court.

82. n Republicans outnumber Democrats 8-7

83. n Republican Hayes is President n South to lose the last remaining Federal Troops - Reconstruction Ends

85. IV. Hayes Presidency (1877 - 1881) n Economic and Labor problems n Immigrant problems - Kearneyites in California - Anti- Chinese.

86. n Hayes vetoes Anti- Chinese immigration law, bill passes in 1882 during Arthur Administration

87. V. Election of 1880 n Republican Party = standoff between Stalwarts and Half-Breeds leads to "Dark Horse" candidate

88. n James A. Garfield gets the nomination n Chester A. Arthur (Stalwart) as Vice President

89. n Democrats nominate Winfield S. Hancock - Civil War General wounded at Gettysburg.

90. n Campaign is about character not issues - n Garfield wins by 39,000 votes - 214 to 155 electoral votes

91. President Garfield

92. n Stalwarts and Half-Breeds fight over spoils n Half-breed Blaine becomes Secretary of State - seeks to shut out the Stalwarts.

94. n Stalwart office seeker Charles Guiteau assassinates President Garfield who dies Sept. 19, 1881. “An office or your life!”

95. "I am a Stalwart of the Stalwarts! I did it and I want to be arrested! Arthur is President now!"

97. n Chester A. Arthur becomes president - nation shocked by "an office - or your life!"

98. VI. Arthur Presidency (1881-1885) n President Arthur takes up cause of civil service reform.

99. n Conklingites seek offices and favors - get cold shoulder from Arthur.

100. n Pendleton Act of 1883 - prohibited financial assessments on office holders, established merit system based on aptitude. n Set up Civil Service Commission, created classified positions.

101. n Pendleton Act sent politicians to Big Business for funds.

102. VII. Election of 1884 n Repulicans nominate James G. Blaine - n the Half-Breed, tainted by scandal - including the "Mulligan Letters" proving corruption - "Burn this letter"

103. n Scandal caused some Republicans to jump ship - called Mugwumps = "holier than thou"

104. n Democrats nominate Grover Cleveland - said to be clean - called "Grover the Good" n Republicans discovered he had fathered an illegitimate son.

105. n Election is all about character, not about issues n D="Burn, burn, burn this letter!" n R="Ma, Ma, wheres my Pa? n R="Rum, Romanism, Rebellion!"

106. n Cleveland wins 219-182 - First Democrat in White House since Buchanan.

107. VIII. Cleveland Presidency (1885 - 1889) n Cleveland is unbending supporter of Laissez-Faire - government out of business. n weak reformer

108. n fired republicans hired democrats - 2/3 of Federal employees. n fought against pensions for dubious veterans

109. n fought to reduce tariffs, reduce government surplus n sought to reduce monopolies

110. IX. Election of 1888. n Democrats re-nominate Cleveland despite insistence of making Tariff an issue.

111. n Republicans nominate Benjamin Harrison - grandson of "Tippecanoe" William Henry Harrison.

112. n British Minister Sir Lionel Sackville-West writes that a vote for Cleveland is a vote for England and free trade.

113. n Republicans put fear of low tariffs on Big Business - raise major war chest n Cleveland won popular vote - lost election