Chapter 2 Flashcards
When was Rutherford hayes made president
1876
When was James Garfield made president
1880
When was Chester Arthur made president
1881
When was Grover Cleveland made president
1884
When was Benjamin Harrison made president
1888
When was Grover Cleveland made president
1892
What was Hayes personality like
Hayes was a moderate in policies and was acceptable to most of the various factions within the Republican Party.
What was hayes political views
Hayes aimed to achieve compromise and reconciliation. He promised to give home rule to the south and promised to to protect the civil and political rights of all citizens
What were the results of the 1876 election
Tilden narrowly won the overall popular vote, but lost the electoral college vote
Why was the election of 1876 scrutinised
The democrats claimed Tilden had won South Carolina Florida and Louisiana- enough to make him president. The republicans, who still had political power in those three states, were able to disqualify enough democrat votes to change the election results.
What was the special electoral commission
It was set up to find a way out of crisis
The commission consisted of 15 members 7 republicans 7 democrats and 1 independent
What did the electoral commission achieve
They voted 8 to 7 in favour of Rutherford hayes
What did Hayes offer to do as a part of the 1877 compromise
-move all of the troops out of the south
-to provide federal aid
-to back railroads and public works in the south
What marked the end of reconstruction
1877 compromise
How did the compromise regress radical reconstruction
This took all force out of the enforcement acts and other legislation intended to implement the principles of fourteenth and fifteenth amendments
What was Rutherford hayes call for reform
Hayes was determined to reform the system of civil service appointments office holders were selected on the basis of party loyalty and competence
Who opposed Hayes
The stalwarts led by Roscoe Conkling
How did Hayes show his commitment to reform early on
Hayes appointed one of the best known advocates of reform. Carl Schurz to be secretary of the interior.
What special cabinet did Hayes set up
He set up a special cabinet with schurz and m. Evarts in charge of drawing up new rule for federal appointment
What executive order did Hayes issue
Hayes issued an executive order that forbade federal office holders from being required to make campaign donations
How did Chester Arthur respond to the executive order
Refused to obey presidents order, Hayes sacked Arthur and replaced him with one of his own nominees.
What major issue did Hayes face during his presidency
Railroad strike 1877
What led to the railroad strike of 1877
In order to make up for financial loses during 1873 major railroads cut hire employees wages several times which led to a strike of railroad workers
How did Hayes respond to the railroad strike
He was prepared to send federal troops when requested to do so by several governors such as those of New York and Baltimore who feared possible riots.
What buisness president relationship did Hayes establish as a result of the railroad strike
Buisness leaders praised the support of Hayes who seemed to establish the principle of federal government support for Buisness and industry in the face of possible strike action.
What was Garfield’s view on spoils system
He supported the reform of the civil service, believing that the spoils system was damaging to the presidency. He strengthened federal authority over New York Custom House,
Who did Garfield appoint when he became president and why
He named Conklings arch rival William Robertson to run the Custom House. Conkling contested the nomination, tried to persuade the senate to block it. Conkling and his fellow senator resigned.
How did Garfield continue the work of hayes
Continued work of hayes in the reform of the post office. In April 1880, there was a congressional investigation into corruption in the post office
What we’re star routes
Bogus mail contracts
How did hayes reform the post office
He stopped the implementation of any new star route contracts in a reform effort. Garfield forced the resignation of one of the ringleaders of the star routes Thomas J Brady, who was indicted for conspiracy in 1883
When was Garfield shot
July 2nd 1881 just 4 months after his inauguration.
Who shot Garfield and why
Charles Guiteau shot Garfield, guiteau was an unsuccessful salesman and lawyer and believed that Garfield owed him a patronage in the diplomatic corps and that the presidents decisions threatened to destroy the Republican Party. He was hung on June 30th 1882
When did the president actually die and why
He died three months later as the bullet was lodged in a muscle, there was minimal bleeding and no one could locate the bullet and remove it, many people tried to remove it including Alexander Graham bell. He didn’t die because of the bullet but the efforts to remove it
Did Arthur continue the civil service reform
Yes Arthur continued the civil service reform
What was the Pendleton act
Was posed in 1883 by senator George Pendleton, the first lawn specifically intended to begin the professional handling of the civil service
What did the Pendleton act call for
The Pendleton act called for a merit system for promotions within the service and ensured continuity in federal employees from one administration the next even if the White House changed parties
What immigration law did Arthur sign and what did it include
Arthur signed the first federal immigration law that excluded paupers, criminals and the mentally ill
What was the Chinese exclusion act and how did Arthur respond
Congress passed a Chinese exclusion act that would have made immigration illegal for 20 years and made Chinese permanent aliens by excluding them from us citizenship. Arthur vetoed the bill but signed a revised bill that wasnt as harsh.
What did Arthur do about tarrifs
Arthur tried to lower the tariff rates so the goverment would not be embarrassed by annual surplus of revenue.
What was the tarrif act of 1883
Reduced tarrifs by an average of 1.47%
What happened in the 1882 midterms
Democrats made big gains.
What happened in the 1884 election
Cleveland won
What reasons were there for Cleveland winning the 1884 election
-support for immigration and southerners because he promised to keep tariffs low
-he promised to tackle corruption and to end the spoils system
What party was Cleveland
Democrat
Why was James Blaine discredited during his campaign
Due to charges of corruption involving railroad interests. He was also suspected of an anti-Roman catholic bias
Who were mugwumps
Reformers unhappy with the high level of corruption in government.
Who were the goo goos
They were mugwumps who abandoned Blaine during his campaign. They claimed they would support an honest individual such as Cleveland
How did Cleveland reform the civil service
Soon after taking office he filled all the government jobs. These jobs were typically filled under the spoils system. Cleveland announced that he would not fire any republican who was doing his job well and would not appoint anyone solely on the basis of party service
How did Cleveland’s reform legislation change later during his term
Later in his term Cleveland began to replace more of the partisan republican officeholders with democrats.
Why did Cleveland often use his veto
He faced a republican dominated senate
What did Cleveland do against private pensions.
He vetoed hundreds of private pension bills for American civil war veterans, believing that if their requests had already been rejected by the pension bureau.
How did Cleveland respond to the pensions for disabilities not caused by military service
He vetoed it
What was the Texas seed bill and how did Cleveland respond
In 1887 cleveland vetod the Texas seed bill. After a drought had ruined crops in several Texas counties, congress appropriated $10000 to purchase seed grain for farmers
What was Cleveland’s view on Tarrif reform
He wanted lower tariffs, this upset people as higher tariffs was good for big business
What were the results of the 1888 election
He lost the 1888 election, although he won a larger popular majority than Benjamin Harrison he won fewer electoral votes.
What were the reasons for Cleveland losing the 1888 election
Harrison focused his entire campaign on the need for a higher protective tariff, a key factor was support for the grand army of the republic and organisation founded to protect rights of northern armies.
How much was boss tweed estimated to earn
200mil
Which key senators controlled the New York customs house
Thurlow weed and roscoe conkling.
What wqs the effect of the us customs house
The customs house afforded unequal opportunities for extortion it employed 1,000 party workers. It undervalued imports and then made an unofficial discovery of the mistake.
Give an example of bribery and corruption within the New York customs house.
In 1874 Phelps, dodge and company paid a bribe of $50,000 to senator roscoe conkling the leader of the New York customs house
What issue was there in electoral choice in the gilded age
There was no real difference between the two main political party’s which meant that there was no choice
How have historians portrayed the gilded age
-period of excessive corruption
-politicians only interested in furthering selfish often economic interests
-politicians with little concern for matters of policy or public good
What is the revised view of the gilded age
-overemphasised the negative political developments of the period
-ignored political leaders who were hard working honest individuals
-suggestion that there were differences between the two party’s
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In the revised view of the gilded age what were the key features of republicans
-Republicans placed greater stress on government activism, to encourage further economic development
-the protective tarrif emerged as the centrepiece of their economic program
In the revised view of the gilded age what was the key features of the democrats
-clung on to party’s traditional beliefs in very limited federal and state government intervention
-opposed tarrif reform and protectionism
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