1877 - 1890 - The Gilded Age Flashcards
1
Q
Spoils System
A
Political party awards government jobs to voters rather than awarding them based on merit.
2
Q
Four Presidents of the Gilded Age
A
- Rutherford Hayes
- James Garfield
- Chester Arthur
- Grover Cleveland
3
Q
Hayes vs. Civil Service Reform?
A
- Was determined to reform the civil service, and award jobs by merit
- Annoyed those who favoured the spoils system, who fought against reform
- Couldn’t convince congress to outlaw the spoils system
4
Q
Railroad strike of 1877
A
- Railroad companies cut wages several times, leading to a strike
- Hayes was prepared to send federal troops to support business leaders
- Established principle of federal support for industry over employees
5
Q
Garfield successes
A
- Strengthened federal authority over the New York custom house.
- Changed the lineup of the NY custom house.
- Forced the resignation of a ringleader in corruption of the Post Office.
6
Q
Pendleton Act - When and what?
A
- 1883
- Begun professional handling of civil service
- Called for a merit based system
7
Q
Who was the first Democrat president after the Civil War?
A
Grover Cleveland
8
Q
Garfield Presidency
A
1881 (Assassinated in September)
9
Q
Cleveland won the 1885 election by how many votes?
A
25,000 out of 10 Million
10
Q
Who were the Mugwumps?
A
- 1884
- Group of republican supporters dissatisfied with the corruption in government.
- Begun to support opposition candidate Cleveland instead of their own.
11
Q
Cleveland’s successes
A
- Took merit based approach to appointment of Civil service jobs
- Said he wouldn’t fire any republican who was doing their job well, and wouldn’t appoint anyone based solely on party loyalty.
12
Q
Cleveland failings
A
- Believed in very little federal gov. intervention
- Vetoed 100’s of bills because he didn’t want to undermine State government decisions
- In 1887 he vetoed Texas Seed Bill, by which congress would’ve given $10,000 worth of seed grain to the drought stricken farmers
13
Q
What is Laissez Faire?
A
Belief that economies function most efficiently with no government interference
14
Q
What rate was the American economy growing at in 1880’s?
A
3.8%
15
Q
Social darwinism justified the Robber barons methods. What is social darwinism?
A
- Survival of the fittest in a social aspect.
- Stated that economic superiority was natural,
16
Q
How was Andrew Carnegie a nice guy?
A
- Prepared to help those who helped themselves
- Donated money to universities, hospitals.
- Set up free libraries
17
Q
Two ‘robber barons’
A
Andrew Carnegie - Steel
Rockefeller - Oil
18
Q
What was a robber baron?
A
An Individual who dominated American industry through ruthless and unscrupulous business methods
19
Q
Why were robber barons so successful?
A
No government regulations in industry, so they could do whatever they wanted to make money.
Exploited their workforce.
20
Q
In what way were robber barons a good thing?
A
Whilst the benefits of industrialisation were shared unequally in society, this inequality boosted economic growth which eventually led to better lives for most Americans
21
Q
National Railroad Strike 1877
A
- Violence was worst in Pittsburgh, where troops eventually fired into rioting crowds, killing 25.
- Strike failed when military came to restore order
- Workers saw they had to unite to build stronger unions
22
Q
Knights of Labour founded
A
1869
23
Q
How many members did the Knights of Labour have in 1885?
A
100,000 members
24
Q
A success for the Knights of Labour?
A
- Wabash Railroad tried to break a local union
- The Knights walked out in sympathy and within days the entire Southwest was paralysed.
- Wabash was forced to negotiate with workers
25
Why did the Knights of Labour decline?
- Too many people joined, so too many people tried to initiate action, so rarely could the whole group join in.
- After the Haymarket square strike rally turned violent, the Knights were blamed most due to their size and visibility
26
What directly led to the Haymarket bomb outrage?
- May 1886
- During a strike at McCormick Harvester Works in Chicago, violence broke out between strikers and strikebreakers protected by the police.
- Police fired into the crowd, killing several.
27
What happened during the Haymarket bomb outrage?
- After the police shot into the crowd of strikers at the Harvester works. 'Black International', a revolutionary organisation called a meeting in Haymarket square.
- The meeting started peacefully, but as the crowd dispersed someone threw a bomb, killing a policeman .
- Police retaliated by firing into the crowd, wounding over 100
28
When was the American federation of Labour set up?
1885
29
Sole two aims of the American federation of labour
- Higher wages
| - Shorter workday
30
How many immigrants came to the US during the Gilded Age?
10 Million
31
Push factors for immigrants
- Overcrowding and unemployment in European cities
- Economic depression in Britain
- Jews fled anti-semitic persecution in Russia
32
Pull factors for immigrants
Propaganda from Steamship companies, railroads and state bureaus, all exaggerating the wages and promising low costs for travel to US
33
How much of the industrial workforce was of foreign birth in 1890
56%
34
Why did labour unions oppose immigration?
Because it caused competition for jobs
35
Date of the Chinese exclusion act, (which prohibited Chinese labourers from entering the US).
1882
36
What was Nativism?
Policy of protecting the interests of native-born people over those of immigrants
37
Why was immigration beginning to be a lasting problem during the Gilded age?
- Overcrowding, depressed wages.
| - People could no longer escape west because there was now a lack of available land
38
What were Sharecroppers?
People, typically AA's who were lent land in return for a portion of the produce of that land
39
What % of AA's owned their own land by 1910?
25%
40
Where was the first black ghetto
Harlem, NYC
41
Jim Crow laws developed rapidly between the years....
1887 and 1891
42
By 1895 how many states had civil rights legislation.
17 states, although it was very poorly enforced
43
What was the attitude of Cleveland and Arthur to AA's
Both had little interest in AA equality, and didn't want to offend the white south
44
By 1910, how were almost all AA's prevented from voting in the south.
Voting discrimination was decided by property ownership, average income or literacy.
45
In the period following reconstruction, was there an increasing or declining interest in the rights of AA's?
There appeared to be a declining interest in African Americans
46
How many AA's were lynched between 1882 and 1899?
Over 2500 people
47
The number of black students in education doubled between the years....
1877 and 1887
48
What was the idea of Americanisation?
Teaching Native Americans English, Farming and Christianity
49
Dawes act - What and when?
- 1887
- Each head of NA family could receive 160 acres
- After 25 years the family would be granted US citizenship
50
What did the 1891 amendment to the Dawes act do?
- Decreased the acreage to just 80 acres
| - After this conditions on the reservations deteriorated rapidly
51
Date of the massacre at Wounded Knee
1890
52
By 1900 how many of the 240,000 Native Americans who had inhabited the plains 1865 remained?
Only 100,000 remained
53
Why were there calls for Naval expansion?
- To guarantee America's status as a world power
| - A report found that only 42 out of 140 US ships were operational, with only 17 steamships.
54
When was the Hawaiian naval base of Pearl Harbour established?
1887
55
Why did the idea of open ranges fail?
Two severe winters between 1885 and 1887, and a summer drought.
56
When was westward expansion officially declared over?
- 1890
- US Census Bureau declared there was no longer a frontier
- For the first time there was now no local unsettled land, this lead to expansionism
57
By the 1890's there were how many transcontinental railway lines?
5
58
Results of the expanded agriculture in the west...
Wheat production increased from 211 million bushels in 1867 to 599 million bushels in 1900
59
When did American politicians begin expressing interest in Latin America
1880's
