Chapter 19: National Politics in the Gilded Age 1877-1900

Question 1

“Waving the Bloody Shirt”

Answer 1

Tactic used by the Republican Party during campaigns

~Reminded Union veterans that their wounds were caused by Southern Democrats

Question 2

Patronage

Answer 2

Provided government jobs to those in the party who had been loyal during the campaign
~Roscoe Conkling (Senator) became a powerful leader of his party (Republican) by dictating who would be appointed

Question 3

Stalwarts

Answer 3

Senator Conkling and his followers

~Fought for patronage for his followers/ideas

Question 4

Half-Breeds

Answer 4

James G. Blaine and his followers

~Stalwarts’ “rivals”

Question 5

Mugwumps

Answer 5

Republicans who refused to play the patronage game

Question 6

Rutherford B. Hayes

Answer 6

Most significant act was to end Reconstruction by withdrawing the last federal troops from the South
~Tried to establish honest government after the corrupt Grant administration
~Cut off the flow of liquor to the White House
~Vetoed efforts to restrict Chinese immigration

Question 7

James Garfield

Answer 7

Half-Breed of Ohio
~Appointed many Half-Breeds to federal office
~A Stalwart shot him (he didn’t appoint Stalwarts) and he died after 11 weeks
~Chester A. Arthur became president

Question 8

Chester A. Arthur

Answer 8

A Stalwart himself, he proved to be a better president than expected
~Distanced himself from the Stalwarts
~Supported a bill reforming civil service
~Approved the development of a modern navy
~Didn’t get renomination

Question 9

Grover Cleveland

Answer 9

Democratic nomination in 1884. He had been honest, frugal, conscientious, and uncompromising
~Implemented a new civil service system
~Vetoed hundreds of private pensions from “Civil War veterans”
~Interstate Commerce Act of 1887: governments first attempt to regulate business
~Dawes Act

Question 10

The Pendelton Civil Service Act (1881)

Answer 10

Set up civil service commission and created a system where you were tested to receive a federal office
~Selected on the basis of their scores
~Prohibited civil servants from making political contributions

Question 11

Panic of 1873

Answer 11

Led many Americans to blame the gold standard for restricting the money supply and causing the depression

Question 12

“Soft Money”

Answer 12

To expand U.S. currency, soft money advocates campaigned for more paper money and the unlimited minting of silver coins

Question 13

“Hard Money”

Answer 13

Advocated by businesses, bankers, creditors and investors, provided for money backed by gold stored in government vaults
~Dollars backed by gold would hold up against inflation

Question 14

Specie Resumption Act (1875)

Answer 14

Withdrew the last of the Greenbacks from circulation

Question 15

Greenback Party

Answer 15

Supporters of paper money started their own political party
~Became somewhat unpopular
~14 elected into Congress in 1878

Question 16

Bland-Allison Act (1878)

Answer 16

A compromise law passed over Hayes’ veto

~Allowed only a limited coinage of between $2 million to $4 million in silver each month at a ratio of 16:1

Question 17

Benjamin Harrison

Answer 17

Who the Republicans campaigned for in the Election of 1888

Question 18

McKinley Tariff (1890)

Answer 18

Raised the tax on foreign products to a peacetime high of over 48%

Question 19

Sherman Silver Purchase Act (1890)

Answer 19

Increased the coinage of silver but in amounts too small to satisfy farmers and miners

Question 20

Omaha Platform

Answer 20

The Populist Party’s solution to the economic problems of the time
~Called for political and economic reforms
~Demanded the restoration of the government to the people by:
1. Direct popular election of U.S. Senators
2. Enacting of state laws by voters
~Advocated (economically):
1. Unlimited coinage
2. A graduated income tax
3. Public ownership of railroads
4. Telegraph and telephone system owned by the government
5. Loans and federal warehouses for farmers
6. 8 hour work days

Question 21

James Weaver

Answer 21

The Populist nomination for president in 1892

~Won more than 1 million votes and 22 electorals

Question 22

Panic of 1893

Answer 22

Stock Market crash due to over speculation
~Dozens of railroads went into bankruptcy
~Depression continued for almost 4 years
~20% unemployment

Question 23

Wilson Gorman Tariff (1894)

Answer 23

Provided for:
1. Moderate reduction tax rates
2. A 2% income tax
~Declared unconstitutional because it was an income tax

Question 24

Coxey’s Army

Answer 24

A march to Washington by thousands of unemployed by the Populist leader Jacob A. Coxey
~Demanded that the federal government spend $500 million on public works programs to create jobs
~Coxey arrested for trespassing

Question 25

William Jennings Bryan

Answer 25

Speaker at the Democratic National Convention in 1896 “Cross of Gold” speech
~Made him the Democratic nominee after this speech

Question 26

“Cross of Gold”

Answer 26

William Jennings Bryan’s speech to the Democratic National Convention
~Created the Democratic and Populist platform (fused the parties)

Question 27

“Gold Bug” Democrats

Answer 27

The conservative faction of the Democratic Party
~Included Grover Cleveland
~Either started a separate National Democratic Party or voted Republican

Question 28

William McKinley

Answer 28

Republican nominee for president
~Supported a high protective tariff
~Considered a friend of labor

Question 29

Marcus Hanna

Answer 29

The financial power behind McKinley’s nomination

~The subsequent campaign for president