Political Paralysis in the Gilded Age 1869-1896 Created and Presented by: Lauren Savage and Ariel Wright

The “Bloody Shirt” Elects Grant Union General Ulysses S. Grant came into presidency with much help from the Republicans in 1868. The Republican party supported the continuation of the Reconstruction while Grant stood for “just having peace” Democrats nominated Horatio Seymour for office but Grant won the election in 1868

The Era of Good Stealings In 1869, Jim Fisk and Jay Gould created a plan to raise the price of gold. On September 24, 1869, the two of them bought a large amount of gold hoping to make a profit from it. In order to lower the price of gold, the Treasury had to sell gold from its reserves. The Era of Good Stealings

The Era of Good Stealings Cont’d “Boss” Tweed cheated $200 million by milking it out of New York. Afterwards, Tweed was then sent to prison.

The Carnival of Corruptions Not only were American citizens being corrupt during this time but so was the government. In 1872, a group called the Union Pacific Railroad insiders created the Credit Mobilier company then hired themselves at low prices expecting to earn high dividends. Later this scandal was discovered and the government was paid to keep quiet about it and some officials were censored. The Carnival of Corruptions

The Liberal Republican Revolt or 1872 As a result of political chaos in Washington and of military Reconstruction in 1872, the Liberal Republican Party was formed. This party met in Cincinnati to elect Horace Greeley as their presidential candidate for the election of 1872. The Democratic Party chose Greeley as their candidate also, though the Republican party continued its support for Grant. The Liberal Republican Revolt or 1872

Depression, Deflation, and Inflation Too many people had taken out loans of which they couldn’t pay back due to lack of profit from where they tried to invest their money. Due to mistrust, inflation soon depreciated the value of the greenback. The Resumption Act of 1875 required the government to continue the withdraw of greenbacks from the circulation and to redeem the currency in gold at face value beginning in 1879. Depression, Deflation, and Inflation

Pallid Politics in the Gilded Age Throughout the Gilded Age the political parties in government had balanced out. Republican voters stressed strict codes of personal morality and believed the government should regulate the affairs of society. Democrats were Lutheran and Roman Catholics who believed in toleration of differences in a perfect world. Led by Roscoe Conkling, the Stalwart faction supported the “Spoils System”, giving citizens jobs if they voted for the faction Those who opposed the Stalwarts were called the Half-Breeds who were led by James G. Blaine Pallid Politics in the Gilded Age

The Hayes-Tilden Standoff, 1876 In the election of 1876, Republicans chose Rutherford B. Hayes while the democrats chose Samuel J. Tilden Tilden won the popular vote but was one vote away from winning in the Electoral College The determining states, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Florida had sent in two sets of votes, each state having both republicans and democrats as the winners The Hayes-Tilden Standoff, 1876

The Compromise of 1877 and the End of Reconstruction Passed by congress in 1877, the Electoral Count Act set up a group of 15 men from the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the Supreme Court to act as an electoral commission, determining who won the election Republican Samuel J. Tilden was determined the winner. The Republican Party soon forgot their dedication the racial equality and the Civil Rights Act of 1875 was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court The Compromise of 1877 and the End of Reconstruction

The Birth of Jim Crow Laws in the Post-Reconstruction South While Reconstruction came to its end in the south, white democrats became more discriminatory towards blacks Through sharecropping and tenant farming blacks were kept in constant debt, keeping then from being free from their owners Jim Crow laws were enforced as well as southern requirements for black men to vote In the 1896 Plessy vs. Ferguson case the Supreme Court ruled in the South’s favor, stating that under the 14th Amendment blacks would have separate but equal facilities The Birth of Jim Crow Laws in the Post-Reconstruction South

Class Conflicts and Ethnic Clashes President Hayes was not well liked so in the election of 1880, James A. Garfield was selected as the candidate for the Republicans The Democrats selected Winfield Scott Garfield was elected but was soon assassinated by a man named Charles J. Guiteau who claimed that the Conklingites would get the better jobs with Chester Arthur as President Class Conflicts and Ethnic Clashes

Class Conflicts and Ethnic Clashes Cont… The murder of Garfield motivated politicians to reform the spoils system. The Pendleton Act of 1883 declared federal employees’ campaign contributions illegal The Civil Service Commission was formed to make federal job appointments after competitive examination Class Conflicts and Ethnic Clashes Cont…

The Blaine-Cleveland Mudslingers of 1884 For the election of 1884, Republicans chose James G. Blaine as their candidate Democrats chose Grover Cleveland who was a good man and later won the election The Blaine-Cleveland Mudslingers of 1884

“Old Grover” Takes Over People were not sure if Cleveland and the Democrats could successfully run the union During his presidency, Cleveland replaced thousands of federal employees with Democrats and vetoed many Republican bills “Old Grover” Takes Over

Cleveland Battles for a Lower Tariff Cleveland wanted to lower the high tariff which was made during the civil war to raise military revenues. This decrease was supposed to lower consumer prices but in the long run it hurt the economy This caused Cleveland to lose much support and in the 1888 election, Republicans chose Benjamin Harrison who later on won Cleveland Battles for a Lower Tariff

The Dollar-Bill Congress The Dollar-Bill Congress, named after its constant spending, passed the McKinley Tariff Act of 1890 This act raised tariffs once more and caused trouble for farmers. Farmers had to buy expensive products as well as sell their own at high prices. This caused Republicans to lose support of the people and in Congress in the 1890 elections The Dollar-Bill Congress

The Drumbeat of Discontent Farmers from the West and South formed the People’s Party out of their frustration toward the government They wanted free and unlimited coinage of silver, graduated income tax, direct election of U.S. senators, and a one-term limit on the presidency, just to name a few. In the election of 1892 the party nominated General James B. Weaver but lost in the election due to their views towards equality The Drumbeat of Discontent

Cleveland and Depression In the election of 1892, Cleveland was once again put in office after beating the Populist and Republican Parties In the panic of 1893 the economy was the worst it had ever been in the 19th century. The price of gold had been lowered due to the excessive trade of paper money for gold The Sherman Silver Purchase Act of 1890 was created to make silver more popular but this soon failed and Cleveland repealed the act. Cleveland had to lend 65 Million to boost the Treasury Cleveland and Depression

Cleveland Breeds a Backlash In order to lower tariffs, the Wilson-Gorman Tariff of 1894 was passed which also came with a 2% tax on income over $4,000. This was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 1895 Republicans came out on top due to this failure Cleveland Breeds a Backlash

file:///E:/History%20Powerpoint%20with%20Lauren-%20AP%20Notes%20Website.htm The American Pageant: Chapter 23 Class notes Google Images

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