1. Political Paralysis in the Gilded Age

2. Election of 1868 Reps Ulysses S. Grant Continue Reconstruction with a bayonet “Let us have peace” Dems Hugely divided over redemption of war bonds East- want them redeemed in gold West- “Ohio idea” redemption in green backs Horatio Seymour

3. Waving the Bloody Shirt Symbol for civil war Grants wins easily in the electoral college, but by only 300,000 votes. Black vote roughly 500,000- huge in helping Grant

4. The Era of Good Stealings Jim Fisk and Jay Gould scheme to corner the gold market. Bid on price of gold so it skyrockets “Black Friday” September 24, 1869- price of gold drops, many honest people are screwed Grant not to blame, just didn’t act smartly

5. The Era of Good Stealings Tweed Ring NYC William Boss Tweed Used bribery, graft and fraudulent elections Stole as much as 200 million

7. A Carnival Of Corruption Credit Mobilier Scandal Exposed in 1872. –Members of congress censured. –Vice President implicated.

8. A Carnival of Corruption 1874-1875 Whiskey Ring Scandal Cabinet members rob government of millions in excise tax revenues

9. Liberal Republican Revolt Of 1872 Reaction to corruption of Grant Purify Washington, end military reconstruction Nominate Horace Greeley

10. Grant v. Greeley Grant wins easily, 286-66, because: –Grant is perceived to be the lesser of two evils –Democrats are still stained with fault for the Civil War Did lead the Republicans to clean their own house. General amnesty Act, lowered tariffs

11. Depression And Demands For Inflation Panic of 1873 Too much railroads, too many factories created Banks gave out too many loans to these companies Businesses fail, cannot pay loans Not just US, world wide panic

12. Depression And Demands For Inflation 15,000 businesses went under. Blacks hit hard – Freedmen’s Savings and Trust Company Paper money becomes a big issue Debtors and Farmers want paper money – inflation Creditors want hard money – deflation Hard Money’s win 1874- convince Grant to veto a bill to print more money Resumption Act of 1875- withdrawal of greenbacks from circulation, and redeem all paper currency in gold at face value

13. Politics in the Gilded Age Balance of two political parties during the Gilded Age from 1869-99. Majority in Congress flipped back and forth six times in the 11 terms between 1869-91 Lackluster presidents

14. Republicans and Democrats Republicans: –Embodied the old Puritanical ideals. –Strict moral codes and belief that government should be an instrument in regulating economic and moral affairs of the community. –Strong in Midwest and in rural and small-town New England. –Got most of votes from Freedman and from Union Civil War Vets

15. Republicans and Democrats Democrats –More Roman Catholic and Lutheran. –South and northern industrial cities –Large immigrant base and strong Dem. machines

16. Stalwarts v. Half-breeds Patronage – give out jobs for votes Republicans had two rival factions Stalwarts (Conklingites) –led by NY Sen. Roscoe Conkling. –Big believers in patronage. Half-Breeds. –Led by James Blaine. –Flirted with civil service.

17. The Hayes-Tilden Standoff, 1876 Reps, beg Grant not to run again Conflict between Stalwarts and Half Breeds forces reps to select “The Great Unknown” Rutherford B Hayes Democrats- Samuel J. Tilden

18. The Hayes-Tilden Standoff, 1876 4 states have contested results 3 southern states turn in two sets, one demo, on rep Constitution just says senate and house have to be present when ballots are read Head of Senate = Rep Speak of the House = Demo

19. Compromise of 1877 and the End of Reconstruction Electoral Count Act- sets up electoral commission Comp –Reps- get Hayes as president –Demos- remove federal troops from SC and LA – Reps promise a southern route for Transcontinental RR Biggest loser- freedmen, reps abandoned attempts at racial equality

20. Civil Rights Act of 1875 Last ditch effort by radical reps Equal accommodations in public places, and prohibited racial discrimination in public jury selection Much of act is declared unconstitutional

21. Post Reconstruction South (Sharecropping) Furnishing MerchantTenant FarmerLandowner  Loan tools and seed up to 60% interest to tenant farmer to plant spring crop.  Farmer also secures food, clothing, and other necessities on credit from merchant until the harvest.  Merchant holds “ lien ” {mortgage} on part of tenant ’ s future crops as repayment of debt.  Plants crop, harvests in autumn.  Turns over up to ½ of crop to land owner as payment of rent.  Tenant gives remainder of crop to merchant in payment of debt.  Rents land to tenant in exchange for ¼ to ½ of tenant farmer ’ s future crop.

22. Post Reconstruction South (Sharecropping)

23. Post Reconstruction South State level segregation Known as Jim Crow Laws Literacy Tests Poll taxes Voter intimidation

24. Post Reconstruction South Plessy V. Ferguson 1896 Separate but equal is constitutional under the equal protection clause of the 14 th amendment Violent repercussions for southern blacks who resist Jim Crow

25. Class Conflict and Ethnic Clashes Great Strike of 1877 demonstrates the lack of power for workers Most Chinese came to mine gold and lay railroad, gold is gone, RR are set Roughly half go home “Not a Chinamen’s chance”

26. Class Conflict and Ethnic Clashes Irish demagogue Denis Kearney (Kearneyites) Inspires Chinese hatred “Beef eaters” vs. “Rice eaters” “Coolies”

27. Class Conflict and Ethnic Clashes Chinese Exclusion Act 1882- Stays until 1943 Some even tried to strip them of citizenship US v Wong Kim Ark- up- held rights of Chinese American citizens

28. Garfield and Arthur Hayes cannot run (nobody supports him) Reps select James A. Garfield, vp Chester A. Arthur (Stalwart) Stalwart and half breed conflict results in the assassination of Garfield by Charles J. Guiteau

29. Assassination’s Impact Chester Arthur puts an end to the spoils system Pendleton Act 1883- compulsory campaign contributions from federal employees illegal, establish Civil Service Commission to make appointments to federal jobs on the basis of competitive examinations Unintended consequence- drives politicians into alliances with big business bosses

30. THE BLAINE-CLEVELAND MUDSLINGERS OF 1884 Reps: James G. Blaine –Some reps (reformers) jump to democrats Dems: Grover Cleveland “Grover the Good” Reps find out Grover has illegitimate son Demos ask him to lie about that, but he insists on telling truth Nasty election

31. Red Rover Red Rover, let Grover take over 1 st democrat since Buchanan Favors big business Vetoed bill to help Texas farmers Names two ex- confederates to his cabinet Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) gave him the most headaches

32. Cleveland and Tariffs Country was running at a surplus because of high tariffs. Republicans had little motivation to reduce these tariffs. Cleveland has two options to deal with govt. surplus –1. Spend it on pension and pork barrel bills –2. Lower the tariff ( big businesses didn’t want)

33. Election of 1888 1 st time political parties had different opinions on something for a while Demos- unexcitedly re- nominate Grover Reps- Benjamin Harrison Impact of Pendleton Act – raise 3 millions dollars for campaign-

34. Billion Dollar Congress Democrats still control the HOR- plan to stall any Republican measures Rep. Speaker of the House Thomas “Czar” Reed of Maine- Pass McKinley Tariff Act of 1890- highest tariff rates Hurts farmers- have to buy expensive American made equipment but sell products in world markets

35. Drumbeat of Discontent Populists emerge as a potent third party. –Officially the People’s Party –Nominate James B. Weaver Populist Agenda: –free and unlimited coinage of silver at the ratio of sixteen to one –graduated income tax –Gov’t ownership of telephone, telegraph and RR –direct election of US senators –one-term limit on presidency –use of the initiative and referendum to allow citizens to propose and review legislation. –Shorter work day-to appeal to labor –restriction on immigration—to appeal to labor

36. Drumbeat of Discontent Nationwide strikes give populist just cause and hopes of joining industrial workers and farmers Homestead strike of 1892 –Put down by Pinkerton army

37. Election of 1892 Populists poll over one- million votes and become one of the few third parties to win electoral votes Couldn’t get enough eastern industrial votes Appealed to blacks, that’s why they couldn’t get votes in the south

38. Life in the South Bourbon elite in south play up old racial problems to discourage unity between poor whites and blacks Grandfather clause More harsh Jim Crow laws, lynching increases

39. OLD GROVER CLEVELAND AGAIN Depression of 1893 Causes: –Over-building and over-speculation –labor unrest –agricultural depression from low commodity prices –reduction of US credit abroad because of Silver Purchase Act –Problems with overseas banks, which were forced to call in US loans. Cleveland does next to nothing— laissez faire

40. Gold issue Gold reserves had dropped below 100 million Stop bleeding by repealing the Sherman Silver Purchase Act Helped partially JP Morgan head of wall street gives federal government a loan, helps restore confidence in nation

41. Cleveland Backlash Silverites and debtors pissed, claim GC is selling out to corruption Wilson Gorman Tariff 1894- supposed to lower tariffs, but gets loaded down with special interests that it barely effects the McKinley Tariff rates

42. Cleveland Backlash