Transcript JB APUSH Unit VB

GILDED AGE POLITICS
Unit VB
AP United States History
Third Party System (1860-1896)
► Politics
 Spoils system dominated the early period
 Electorate
► Strong
loyalty and intense interest
 Regional campaigning
► Economics
 Laissez-faire policies
 “Business ran politics and politics was a branch of
business.”
Third Party System (1860-1896)
►
Democrats
► Republicans
 Coalition
 Coalition
► White
Southerners,
Catholics, Lutherans,
Jews, Immigrants
► States’ rights; laissez-faire
 Bourbon Democrats
► Pro-business
Democrats
 Laissez-faire
 Against protectionism
► Supported
civil service
reforms
 Redeemer Democrats
► Southern
Democrats return
after Compromise of 1877
► Business,
upper-class, northern
WASPs, reformers, blacks,
scalawags, carpetbaggers
► Pro-business; tariffs;
protectionism
 Stalwarts
► Preserve
spoils system and
machine politics
 Half-Breeds
► Pursued
civil service reform
 Mugwumps
► Independents
corrupt GOP
discouraged with
Third Party System (1860-1896)
► Minor
Parties
 Prohibition Party
►Pursued
policies to outlaw alcohol
 Greenback Party
►Wanted
to continue paper currency policies
 Populist Party
►Discontent
among farmers led to populism
►Bimetallism and progressive policies
Rutherford B. Hayes (R)
(1877-1881)
► Removed
federal troops
from the South
 Attempted to pursue racial
equality
► Great
Railroad Strike of
1877
 Ordered federal troops to
settle labor strikers
► Civil
service reform
 Promoted meritocracy in
federal government
Election of 1880
► Republicans
 James A. Garfield
► Democrats
 Winfield S. Hancock
► Issue
 Tariffs
► Republicans
favored for
businesses
► Democrats opposed for
farmers
James A. Garfield (R)
(1881)
► Challenged
political
machines, spoils system,
and senatorial courtesy
► Assassination
 July 2, 1881
 Charles J. Guiteau
► “a
disgruntled office-seeker”
► Death
 September 19, 1881
► Chester
A. Arthur
assumes presidency
Civil Service Reform
► Patronage/Spoils
System dominated political
appointments since Jackson
► Corruption during Grant administration called for
reform
 Stalwarts
► Supported
machine politics and spoils system
► Roscoe Conkling
 Half-breeds
► Pursued
civil service reform
► James G. Blaine
► Garfield’s
assassination
► Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act (1883)
 United States Civil Service Commission
 Federal employees based on expertise, civil service exams
 Prohibited federal employees and campaign contributions
Chester A. Arthur (R)
(1881-1885)
► Assumed
office after
Garfield’s assassination
► Signed the Pendleton Act
 Despite being a Stalwart
► Signed
the Chinese
Exclusion Act of 1882
► United States Navy
 Pursued modernization and
expansion of U.S. fleet
Election of 1884
►
►
►
Republicans
 James G. Blaine
Democrats
 Grover Cleveland
 Support from
Mugwumps
Campaign
 “Blaine, Blaine,
James G. Blaine.
Continental liar, from
the state of Maine”
 “Rum, Romanism,
and Rebellion”
 “Mama, mama!
Where’s my pa?”
► “On
to the White
House, HA HA HA”
Grover Cleveland (D)
(1885-1889)
►
Considered presidency as a watchdog
office - caretaker president
 Vetoed twice as many as predecessors
combined
►
Haymarket Riot (1886)
► Signed Interstate Commerce Act
(1887)
 Established Interstate Commerce
Commission (ICC)
► First
►
regulatory agency
Opposed Civil War veteran pensions
 Grand Army of the Republic (GAR)
advocacy
►
Pursued tariff reform
Election of 1888
► Democrats
 Grover Cleveland
► Lost
independent
GOP support with
tariff reduction policy
► Republicans
 Benjamin Harrison
► Grandson
of William
Henry Harrison
► Election
 Cleveland barely
won popular vote,
but lost electoral vote
to Harrison
Benjamin Harrison (R)
(1889-1893)
► Signed
Sherman Antitrust
Act (1890)
► Billion Dollar Congress
 Federal budget over $1B
 Civil War pensions and
dependents
► Sherman
Silver Purchase
Act (1890)
► McKinley Tariff (1890)
► Homestead Strike (1892)
“What a funny little government”
The Populist Movement
► Granger
Movement -> Farmers Alliance -> Populist
Movement -> People’s Party/Populist Party
► Concentrations and bases in West and South
► Omaha Platform (July 4, 1892)








Coinage of silver
Direct election of Senators
Graduated income tax
State laws through referendums/initiatives
Government ownership of infrastructure
8-hour workday
Abolition of national banks
Civil service reform
Bimetallism
►
For Silver
 Overproduction led to decreased prices
therefore a call for increase in money
supply
 Silver coinage would cause inflation
lessening farmer and consumer debt to
banks
 Free Silver
►
For Gold
 Sound money
 Banks and businesses preferred gold
standard
 Stable economy and prevents inflation
►
Sherman Silver Purchase Act (1890)
 U.S. Treasury ordered to buy 4.5 million
oz of silver monthly
 Treasury notes could be turned in for
silver or gold
►
Most took gold depleting U.S. gold
reserves
McKinley Tariff (1890)
►
Protective tariff
 Raised duties to 48.4%, highest
peacetime rate ever
►
Support
 Republicans
 Manufacturers/Industrialists
 Wage Earners
►
Opponents
 Democrats
 Farmers
 Inflation
Election of 1892
►
Democrats
 Grover Cleveland
►
Republicans
 Benjamin Harrison
 Hurt by inflation
caused by Sherman
Silver Purchase Act
and McKinley Tariff
►
Populists
 James B. Weaver
 Coalition built on
perception of
government in the
pockets of
industrialists
 Failed to coalesce
support with South
Grover Cleveland (D)
(1893-1897)
► Panic
of 1893
► Wilson-Gorman Tariff (1894)
 Eliminated McKinley Tariff and
reduced rates
► Monetary
Debate
 Supported gold standard and
repeal of Sherman Silver
Purchase Act
► Pullman
Strike (1894)
 Deployed federal troops to settle
the strike
 Threatened postal mail delivery
Panic of 1893
►
Causes
 Overexpansion
 Railroad speculation
►
Pennsylvania and Reading Railroad
bankruptcy
 Silver prices decreased
►
►
Cleveland had Sherman Silver
Purchase Act repealed
Impact
 Unemployment to 18.4%
 16,000 businesses and 500 banks
bankrupt/failed
 Pullman Strike (July 1894)
 Coxey’s Army (1894)
►
March on Washington by
unemployed workers and farmers
$500 million for jobs
► Dispersed by federal troops
 J.P. Morgan and the Treasury
►
Cleveland and U.S. borrowed $65
million in gold
William Jennings Bryan (D)
► Panic
of 1893 hurt
Democrats
► “The Great Commoner”
 Appealed to farmers,
working class, middle
class
► Amazing
and
passionate orator
► Became lightning rod for
Populists/Silverites
► “Cross of Gold”
Speech
 Support of bimetallism
 Earned him Democratic
presidential nomination
Cross of Gold Speech
►
“If they dare to come out in the open
field and defend the gold standard as
a good thing, we shall fight them to the
uttermost, having behind us the
producing masses of the nation and
the world. Having behind us the
commercial interests and the laboring
interests and all the toiling masses, we
shall answer their demands for a gold
standard by saying to them, you shall
not press down upon the brow of labor
this crown of thorns. You shall not
crucify mankind upon a cross of
gold.”
Election of 1896
►
Democrats
 William Jennings Bryan
 Virtually assimilated
Populist platform
 Gold Bug faction
►
Republicans
 William McKinley
► Mark
Hanna and mass
media
► Massive financial
support from big
business
 Outspent Bryan 5 to 1
► Benefited
from
recovering economy
►
Campaign
 Bryan on nationwide
campaign
 McKinley’s “front-porch”
1896 - Realignment Election
► Coalitions
 Republicans
► Will
dominate national government for next 35 years
► Business, professionals, skilled workers, middle class,
commercial farmers
► Northeast, Upper Midwest, Pacific
 Democrats
► Farmers,
immigrants, unskilled labor
► South, Midwest
► Campaign
 Finance
 Contested States
 Stump speech