1. Politics in the Post-Civil War Era The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today is an 1873 novel by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner that satirizes greed and political corruption in post-Civil War America. Twain and Warner originally had planned to issue the novel with illustrations by Thomas Nast. The book is remarkable for two reasons–it is the only novel Twain wrote with a collaborator, and its title very quickly became synonymous with graft, materialism, and corruption in public life.

2. Main Ideas Greed and Corruption in Politics Compromise of 1877; end of Reconstruction Politics of the Gilded Age Issues and Events during the Gilded Age (Presidents Hayes, Garfield, and Arthur)

3. The North During Reconstruction The North’s economy in the postwar years continued to be driven by the Industrial Revolution and the pro- business policies of the Republicans As the South struggled to reorganize its house, the main concerns of northerners seemed to be railroads, steel, labor problems, and money The Gilded Age was an era of American history that began after the Civil War in 1865 and ended with the stock market crash of 1893. It was marked by a rapid population boom, prosperity, and an increasing divide between the rich and poor. The term was coined by Mark Twain, who used it to refer to an era characterized by a glittering exterior that concealed a decadent, corrupt interior.

4. Greed and Corruption During the Grant administration, as material interests of the age took center stage, the idealism of Lincoln’s generation and the Radical Republicans’ crusade for civil rights were pushed aside Rise of the spoilsmen: -In the early 1870s, leadership of the Republican party passed from the reformers (Stevens, Sumner, and Wade) to political manipulators such as Senator Roscoe Conklin (NY) and James Blaine (ME) -These politicians were masters of the game of patronage Roscoe Conkling was a politician from New York who served both as a member of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate.

5. A 1880 political cartoon shows Conkling working at a "Presidential puzzle" of heads of possible candidates.

6. Corruption in Business and Government The postwar years were notorious for the number of corrupt schemes devised by business bosses and political bosses to enrich themselves at the public expense Jay Gould and James Fisk: (1869) these two Wall Street financiers obtained the help of President Grant’s bother-in-law in a scheme to corner the gold market (The Treasury Department broke up the scheme-Gould made a huge profit) Crédit Mobilier : insiders gave stock to influential members of Congress to avoid investigation of the profits they were making from government subsidies for building the transcontinental railroad Editorial cartoon: Uncle Sam directs U.S. Senators (and Representatives?) implicated in the Crédit Mobilier scheme to commit Hari-Kari.

7. Corruption in Business and Government continued… The Whiskey Ring: federal revenue agents conspired with the liquor industry to defraud the government of millions in taxes. While Grant himself did not personally profit from the corruption, his loyalty to dishonest men tarnished his presidency Local politics in the Grant years was equally scandalous -In New York City, William Tweed, the boss of the local Democratic party, masterminded dozen of schemes -The Tweed Ring virtually stole about 200 million from New York’s taxpayers -A cartoonist for the New York Times named Thomas Nast exposed “Boss” Tweed (he was later arrested and imprisoned) William Tweed or "Boss" Tweed – was an American politician most notable for being the "boss" of Tammany Hall.

8. Thomas Nast was a German-born American caricaturist and editorial cartoonist who is considered to be the "Father of the American Cartoon“. He was the scourge of Boss Tweed and the Tammany Hall political machine. Thomas Nast depicts Tweed in Harper's Weekly "Stone Walls Do Not a Prison Make": January 1876 editorial cartoon by Thomas Nast depicting Tweed's escape from prison

9. Two Facts Concerning the Gilded Age (Post-Civil War Era) Two facts are outstanding about the politics of the Gilded Age: 1. The Republican party almost completely dominated U.S. politics from 1860 to1912 2. Between 1876 and 1890 the real differences between the programs of the Democrats and the Republicans were so slight as to be negligible 1874 Thomas Nast cartoon featuring the first notable appearance of the Republican elephant

10. The Republicans After the Civil War, the Republicans rarely lost a political campaign. Gradually, the seven states of the Old Northwest became solidly Republican, resulting in Republican loss of interest in southern Reconstruction and black votes. Supremacy of the Republicans meant the supremacy of Big Business. After achieving their goals, they wanted to maintain the status quo. The leaders (Conkling, Platt, Chandler, Blaine) became Stalwarts. James Gillespie Blaine was an American Republican politician who served as United States Representative, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, U.S. Senator from Maine, and twice as Secretary of State.

11. The Democrats They failed to offer a real alternative. Their program was purely negative. Even Cleveland was a conservative whose economic beliefs did not differ importantly from the Republicans. Except for the tariff, issue, their platform was virtually identical to the Republican platform (Democrats favored lower tariffs). "A Live Jackass Kicking a Dead Lion" by Thomas Nast. Harper's Weekly, January 19, 1870.

12. General Characteristics of the Post- Civil War Era (Gilded Age) Laissez faire was idealized, but not practiced. Big business dominated government. The brightest, ablest leaders were in the business world, not government. Dishonesty and corruption in public office and in private enterprise was widespread. Sectional ties and class alignments were more important than party ties in deciding which side to take on an issue. A Group of Vultures Waiting for the Storm to "Blow Over"--"Let Us Prey." Cartoon of New York's Boss Tweed and other Tammany Hall figures, drawn in 1871 by Thomas Nast and published in Harper's Weekly.

13. The Grant Administrations 1869-1877 Government adopted a hard money policy. All public debt was to be paid with hard money. New sources of government revenue were developed. - sales of public lands - higher tariffs Large grants of public land were made to private business, especially for railroad construction. Ulysses S. Grant was the 18 th President of the United States (1869–1877) following his highly successful role as a war general in the second half of the Civil War.

14. The Election of 1872 The scandals of the grant administration drove reform-minded Republicans to break with the party and select Horace Greeley, editor of The New York Times, as their presidential nominee The Liberal Republicans advocated civil service reform, an end of railroad subsidies, and free trade Surprisingly, the Democrats joined them and also nominated Greeley Regular Republicans countered by “waving the bloody shirt” Grant was reelected in a landslide (Greeley died shortly after) Horace Greeley Ulysses S. Grant

15. Presidential election results map. Red denotes states won by Grant/Wilson, blue denotes those won by Greeley, yellow denotes those won by Hendricks, and the various shades of green denote those won by Brown, Jenkins and Davis; this reflects the posthumous scattering of Greeley's electoral votes.

16. The Panic of 1873 Grant’s second term began with an economic disaster that rendered thousands of northern laborers both jobless and homeless -Over speculation by financiers and overbuilding by industry and railroads led to widespread business failures and depression -Debtors on the farms and in the cities sought inflationary, easy money solution by demanding Greenback paper currency that was not supported by gold -In 1874, Grant sided with the hard-money bankers and creditors who wanted a stable money supply backed by gold (he vetoed a bill calling for the release of additional Greenbacks) A bank run on the Fourth National Bank, No. 20 Nassau Street, New York City, 1873. From Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, 4 October 1873.

17. Election of 1876 Republicans chose former Union general Rutherford B. Hayes on the seventh ballot. Democrats nominated former New York governor Samuel Tilden. Electoral results from South Carolina, Florida, and Louisiana were disputed. One vote in Oregon was in dispute. (total of 20 electoral votes) Tilden had 184 electoral votes, Hayes 165. Tilden needed one vote to win. Congress set up an electoral commission to settle dispute. In a straight party vote of 8-7, the commission gave all the electoral votes to Hayes Outraged, Democrats threatened to filibuster the results and send the election to the House of Representatives, which they controlled Rutherford B. Hayes Samuel J. Tilden

18. Presidential election results map. Red denotes states won by Hayes/Wheeler, Blue denotes those won by Tilden/Hendricks. Numbers indicate the number of electoral votes allotted to each state.

19. Compromise of 1877 Compromise of 1877 gave the election to Hayes. Democrats called this “the stolen election” -an informal deal was worked out between the parties -Hayes would do the following: (1)Immediately end federal support for the Republicans in the South (2)Support the building of a southern transcontinental railroad The election was hotly contested, as can be seen by this poster published in 1877

20. Reconstruction Comes to an End The end of federal military presence in the South was not the only thing that brought Reconstruction to an end In a series of decisions in the 1880s and 1890s, the Supreme Court struck down Reconstruction law after another that protected blacks from discrimination In most cases both southern whites and blacks in the decades after the Civil War remained poor farmers A truce - not a compromise, but a chance for high-toned gentlemen to retire gracefully from their very civil declarations of war. By Thomas Nast in Harper's Weekly, 1877 Feb. 17, p. 132.

21. Politics of the Gilded Age The administrations of presidents Hayes, Garfield, and Arthur reflected the political stalemate and patronage problems of the Gilded Age Party Patronage: -Since neither party had an active legislative agenda, politics in this era was chiefly a game of gaining office, holding office, and providing government jobs to the party faithful -Who got the patronage jobs within the party became a more important issue than anything else Hayes took office determined to reform the system of civil service appointments. Instead of giving federal jobs to political supporters, Hayes wished to award them by merit according to an examination that all applicants would take. Immediately, Hayes's call for reform brought him into conflict with the Stalwart.

22. Election of 1880 1880: colorless campaign between James Garfield (R-IL) and Winfield Hancock (D-PA). Garfield won. Garfield shot by Charles Guiteau, died in summer 1881. He was replaced by Chester Arthur, who had an uneventful term except for the passage of the Pendleton Act, which created the civil service. James A. Garfield Winfield S. Hancock

23. Presidential election results map. Blue denotes states won by Hancock/English, Red denotes those won by Garfield/Arthur. Numbers indicate the number of electoral votes allotted to each state.

24. As he surrendered to authorities, Guiteau fired with the exulting words, repeated everywhere: 'I am a Stalwart of the Stalwarts... Arthur is President now!!'" (New York Herald, July 3, 1881). Chester A. Arthur

25. Congressional Leaders Weak presidents do not necessarily mean strong Congresses-lawmakers of the Gilded Age typically had long but undistinguished careers. John Sherman (1855-1898) did little other than attach his name to a number of bills (Sherman Antitrust Act) Thomas “Czar” Reed from Maine became Speaker of the House and ruled over the House for many years Official portrait of Thomas B. Reed

26. Election of 1884 1884: James G. Blaine (a Stalwart) (R-Maine) versus Grover Cleveland (D-NY). A group of Republicans called Mugwumps, repudiated Blaine. Party platforms were similar, so dirty campaigning ensued. Cleveland won. Grover Cleveland James G. Blaine

27. Presidential election results map. Red denotes states won by Blaine/Logan, Blue denotes those won by Cleveland/Hendricks. Numbers indicate the number of electoral votes allotted to each state.

28. The Mugwumps were Republican political activists who bolted from the Republican Party by supporting Democratic candidate Grover Cleveland. They switched parties because they rejected the financial corruption associated with Republican candidate James G. Blaine. 1884 cartoon in Puck magazine ridicules Blaine as the tattooed-man, with many indelible scandals.

29. Campaign poster attacking Cleveland's morals

30. Cleveland’s First Term Cleveland signed into law the following: (1)Interstate Commerce Act of 1887 (federal government’s first effort to regulate business (2)The Dawes Act (which reformers hoped would benefit Native Americans) (3)Retrieved some 81 million acres of government land from cattle ranchers and the railroads Responsible for enacting the division of the American native reserves into plots of land for individual households, the Dawes Act was created by reformers to achieve six goals: (1)breaking up of tribes as a social unit (2)encouraging individual initiatives (3)furthering the progress of native farmers (4)reducing the cost of native administration (5)securing parts of the reservations as Indian land (6)opening the remainder of the land to white settlers for profit.

31. Issues: Civil Service, Currency, and Tariffs During the 1870s and 1880s, the Congresses in Washington were chiefly concerned with such issues as patronage, the money supply, and the tariff issue Civil Service Reform: -assassination of President Garfield pushed Congress to pass the Pendleton Act of 1881 Money Question: -the expansion of the money supply was hotly debated -Debtors, farmers, and start-up businesses wanted more money to borrow at lower interest rates and pay off their loans more easily -“easy” or “soft” money advocates wanted more paper money and unlimited minting of silver coins -Bankers, creditors, investors, and established businesses wanted “sound” or “firm” money -They wanted money backed by gold which would increase its value

32. Issues: Civil Service, Currency, and Tariffs continued… Greenback Party: -Paper money was issued during the Civil War which pleased farmers who associated the greenbacks with prosperity -Siding with bankers and creditors, the Congress passed in 1875 the Specie Resumption Act which withdrew the paper currency from circulation -Supporters of paper money formed the Greenback Party and achieved the election of 14 members to the Congress Demands for silver money: -in addition to removing greenbacks, Congress in the 1870s stopped the coinage of silver (the Crime of 1873) -when silver was discovered in Nevada, a compromise law called the Bland-Allison Act was passed over President Hayes’ veto -it allowed a limited coinage of silver at a 16 to 1 rate of gold Tariff Issue: -Western farmers and eastern capitalists also disagreed on the question of whether tariff rates on foreign imports should be high or low

33. Election of 1888 1888: Benjamin Harrison (R-IN) versus Cleveland. One of the most corrupt elections in U.S. history: (1)ballot boxes were stuffed (2)gangs of “floaters” voted in multiple polling precincts (3)“vote early and vote often”. Only real issue was the tariff. Harrison won. The Congress was also controlled by Republicans who swept the House and Senate Benjamin Harrison Grover Cleveland

34. Presidential election results map. Blue denotes states won by Cleveland/Thurman, Red denotes those won by Harrison/Morton. Numbers indicate the number of electoral votes allotted to each state.

35. Cleveland set the main issue of the campaign when he proposed a dramatic reduction in tariffs in his annual message to Congress in December 1887. Cleveland contended that the tariff was unnecessarily high and that unnecessary taxation was unjust taxation.

36. Billion-Dollar Congress For the next two years, Republicans controlled the presidency and both house of Congress The new Congress passed the first billion-dollar budget in U.S. History and enacted the following (1)The McKinley Tariff of 1890: raised import tax to a peacetime high of over 48% (2)Increases in the monthly pensions to Civil War veterans (3)The Sherman Antitrust Act outlawing “combinations in restraint of trade” (4)The Sherman Silver Purchase Act of 1890: increased the coinage of silver (5)A bill to protect the voting rights of African Americans, passed by the House but defeated in the Senate Benjamin Harrison and the Congress are portrayed as a "Billion- Dollar Congress," wasting the surplus in this cartoon from Puck.

37. Return of the Democrats In the congressional elections of 1890, voters in the Midwest replaced many Republicans with Democrats Voters were reacting in part to unpopular measures passed by Republicans that included prohibition of alcohol and Sunday closing laws

38. Rise of the Populists Another factor in the Republican setback of 1890 was growing agrarian discontent in the South and West. Members of the Farmers’ Alliances elected U.S. senators and representatives The Alliance movement provided the foundation of a new political party- the People’s, or Populist, party Delegates met in Omaha, Nebraska in 1892 to draft a political platform (1)Direct election of U.S. senators (2)Enacting of state laws by voters themselves through initiatives and referendums (ballot)

39. Rise of the Populists continued… Economically, the Populist platform was even more ambitious by advocating the following (1)Unlimited coinage of silver (2)A graduated income tax (3)Public ownership of railroads by the U.S. government (4)Telegraph and telephone systems owned and operated by the government (5)Loans and federal warehouses for farmers to enable them to stabilize prices for crops (6)An eight-hour workday Farmers began to take political action--first with the Grange Movement, then the Farmers' Alliance and finally the emergence of the national Populist movement in the 1890s

40. Election of 1892 Cleveland returned to the presidency after winning the election of 1892 against Harrison (McKinley Tax was unpopular). The Populist party, led by James Weaver, made a good showing winning more than one million popular votes and 22 electoral votes. Cleveland Harrison James Weaver

41. Presidential election results map. Red denotes states won by Harrison/Reid, Blue denotes those won by Cleveland/Stevenson Light green denotes those won by Weaver/Field. Numbers indicate the number of electoral votes allotted to each state.

42. Depression Politics Panic of 1893: -in the spring and summer of 1893, the stock market crashed as a result of overspeculation, and dozens of railroads went into bankruptcy -the depression continued for 4 years and unemployment reached 20% -President Cleveland dealt with the depression by championing the gold standard and keeping a hands-off approach toward the economy The Panic of 1893 was a true and severe financial panic lasting from May of 1893 to November of1893, with a run on currency and banks closing.

43. Depression Politics continued… Gold reserve and tariff: -a decline in silver prices encouraged investors to trade silver for gold -Gold reserves fell dangerously low forcing the repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act of 1890 -When this action failed, the government turned to J.P. Morgan and borrowed 65 million in gold -Washington appeared as a tool of big business interests

44. Depression Politics continued… The Democrats in Congress passed the Wilson-Gorman Tariff in 1894, which did the following: (1)Moderate reduction of tax rate (2)Included a 2% income tax on income more than $4,000 Within a year after the passage of the law, the Supreme Court declared an income tax unconstitutional Jobless on the march: -as the depression worsened, conservatives feared class warfare between capital and labor -Coxey’s Army- a march to Washington in 1894 by thousands of unemployed was led by Populist Jacob A. Coxey -they wanted government intervention in the form of 500 million spent to create public work programs to create jobs -Coxey and other leaders were arrested and the protesters went home

45. Coxey's Army marchers leaving their camp

46. Election of 1896 National politics was in transition- the conservative leadership of the Democratic party was discredited by the depression and repeal of the Silver Act The Democrats were buried in the congressional election of 1894 by the Republicans and at the same time, the Populists continued to gain momentum The election of 1896 marked the beginning of a new era in American politics William McKinley William J. Bryan

47. Bryan, Democrats, and Populists Democrats were divided in 1896 between “gold” Democrats loyal to Cleveland and prosilver Democrats looking for a leader Addressing the convention in Chicago, William Jennings Bryan captured the hearts of the delegates with a speech called “Cross of Gold” Bryan’s platform was centered on unlimited coinage of silver (16 oz to 1oz of gold) The “gold bug” Democrats either voted for a separate National Democratic party or Republicans A Republican satire on Bryan's "Cross of Gold" speech

48. Bryan traveled 18,000 miles in 3 months, concentrating on the critical states of the Midwest. Bryan's imposing voice and height made a deep impression on many who thronged to hear him.

49. Republicans Unite Around McKinley William McKinley was both a supporter of a high protective tariff and labor Marcus Hanna, a millionaire businessman, was the financial power behind McKinley’s nomination and campaign for the presidency (introduced the notion of mass media to win the campaign) The Republicans blamed the Democrats for the Panic of 1893 and proposed a high tariff and the gold standard McKinley/Hobart campaign poster

50. McKinley Wins the Election In the last weeks of the campaign, Bryan was hurt by the following: (1)a rise in wheat prices (farmers were less desperate) (2)employers telling their workers that factories would shut down if Bryan won On election day, McKinley carried all of the Northeast and the upper Midwest Popular vote (7.1 million to 6.5 million) and electorate vote (271 to 176) favored McKinley The National "Gold" Democratic Party undercut Bryan by dividing the Democratic vote and denouncing his platform.

51. Presidential election results map. Red denotes those won by McKinley/Hobart, Blue denotes states won by Bryan/Sewall OR the Populist ticket of Bryan/Watson. Numbers indicate the number of electoral votes allotted to each state

52. McKinley’s Presidency Gold discoveries in Alaska in 1897 increased the money supply under the gold standard (slight inflation) Farm prices rose, factory production increased, and the stock market climbed Republicans enacted the Dingley Tariff of 1897 (higher tax) and gold became the official standard of the U.S. currency McKinley was generally well-liked and a well-traveled president "A Man of Mark" 1896 Homer Davenport cartoon of McKinley as Hanna's creature, from William Randolph Hearst's New York Journal

53. Significance of the Election of 1896 The election marked the end of the stalemate and stagnation that had characterized politics in the Gilded Age It had also ushered in the dominance of the Republican party in the White House, which was now the party of big business, industry, and strong national government Populism declined and the focus of politics now rested in the urban setting Some historians see the election marking the triumph of the values of modern industrial and urban America over the rural ideals of the America of Jefferson and Jackson

54. Timeline 1871 - Tweed Ring in New York 1873 - The "Crime of '73" 1875 - Rutherford B. Hayes elected nineteenth president 1877 - Last federal troops removed from South - Munn v. Illinois 1878 - Bland-Allison Act 1880 - James A. Garfield elected twentieth president 1881 - James A. Garfield assassinated; Chester A. Arthur becomes twenty-first president 1883 - Pendleton Civil Service Act 1884 - Grover Cleveland elected twenty-second president 1885 - Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn published 1886 - American Federation of Labor formed 1888 - Benjamin Harrison elected twenty-third president 1892 - Grover Cleveland elected twenty-fourth president 1893 - Panic of 1893 1896 - William McKinley elected twenty-fifth president

55. Key Names, Events, and Terms Rutherford B. Hays Samuel J. Tilden Compromise of 1877 Panic of 1873 Greenbacks Horace Greeley Liberal Republicans Thomas Nast William (Boss) Tweed Crédit Mobilier Jay Gould Spoilmen Roscoe Conklin James Blaine The Whiskey Ring Stalwarts Charles Guiteau James Garfield Chester Arthur Grover Cleveland The Mugwumps Benjamin Harrison Populist party; James Weaver Pendleton Act Greenback party

56. Key Names, Events, and Terms Crime of 1873 Bland-Allison Act 1878 Billion-Dollar Congress McKinley Tariff 1890 Sherman Silver Purchase Act 1890 Populist party Panic of 1893 Gold drain Coxey’s Army William Jennings Bryan; “Cross of Gold” Free silver “Gold Bug” Democrats William McKinley Mark Hanna Dingley Tariff 1897

57. Question Congressional Reconstruction ended in 1877 because (a)it was part of a compromise to resolve the disputed election (b)African Americans in the South no longer needed federal protection of their civil rights (c)the Supreme Court ignored the requirements of the Fourteenth Amendment (d)the newly elected president was a moderate Republican (e)the Union army has succeeded in suppressing the Ku Klux Klan

58. Answer A: it was part of a compromise to resolve the disputed election

59. Question In the late 19 th century, inflationary monetary policies did NOT appeal to (a)Supporters of the Greenback party (b)Emerging businesses with large debts (c)Cotton farmers (d)Founders of the Populist party (e)bankers

60. Answer E: bankers