Chapter 2: The Gilded Age Flashcards
What was the Gilded Age?
name given to the period of rapid industrial growth in America at the end of the Gilded Age
When was the “era of weak presidents”
1877 to 1896
Why was Hayes chosen as the Republican candidate for the 1876 election?
-moderate in both policies and personality
-acceptable to most of the various factions within the Republican Party
Who won the popular vote in the 1876 election?
Samuel Tilden
What was the problem with the 1876 election?
-outcome of electoral college vote was confusing
-Democrats claimed to have won Florida, Louisiana and South Carolina
-Republicans still held political power in those areas and were able to disqualify enough Democrat votes as invalid to change the election results
What were the overall results of the election?
Hayes won the presidency but it was obvious there had been massive electoral fraud on both sides
What did the Democrats broadly stand for in the 1870s?
-States rights
-white supremacy in the South
-a limited role of federal government
-low tariffs
Where did Democrat presidential candidates predominately have their power bases?
in the East e.g. New York
What did the Republicans stand for in the 1870s?
-tended to favour big business and high protective tariffs
-held the values of many Americans from outside the South
Where did the majority of Republican presidential candidates come from?
New England, Illinois and Ohio
Why was Hayes immediately viewed as a weak president?
-narrow disputed election victory
-his promise not to seek re-election
-growing strength of his political opponents after the compromise of 1877
What did the Democrats do after the 1877 compromise?
moved quickly to gain control of the remaining “unredeemed” state legislature
What was the result of the Democratic stronghold on the South?
-enabled “redeemers” to dismantle much of the reformist legislation pushed through by reconstruction
-black voting rights undermined
-discriminatory changes to the law damaged the position of black agricultural labourers
What was the “solid south”?
refers to the dominance of the Democratic Party over state and federal elections in the South
What were the terms of the compromise of the 1877?
Hayes would remove all the federal troops from the South, provide federal aid and back railroads and public works in the south
Why did the Democrats accept the compromise?
-giving up the fight to make Tilden president seemed like a small price to pay for the concessions Hayes was offering
-easy to promise to treat African Americans fairly in return as there was no chance of it actually happening
Why was Hayes so willing to make major compromises with the Democrats?
so he could
-be confirmed as President
-rebuild national unity
-gain acceptance from the South
What was the main purpose of the compromise?
resolve the political issues arising from the election and allow the presidential government to function efficiently
How successful overall was the compromise of 1877?
-aims achieved as Democrats recognised Hayes as president and enabled him to restore political respectability
-however Democrat acceptance was costly
What were the successes of Hayes’ presidency?
-did much to restore political respectability
-kept his promise to be a one term president
-did much to reform the civil service to root out patronage and the “spoils system”
What were the problems/failures of Hayes’ presidency?
-opposed by a powerful block of Republican dissidents known as the Stalwarts
-civil service reform split the party
What was the problem with the 1880 National Nominating Convention?
Republicans divided over finding a successor for Hayes
What were the 2 most powerful factions of the Republican Party?
The stalwarts and half breeds
Who were the stalwarts?
-supported aims of Grant (radical Republicans)
-led by Rosco Conkling
Who were the half-breeds?
a reformist group led by Senator James Blaine
Who was eventually nominated as the presidential candidate?
James Garfield (convention became deadlocked between Grant and Blaine)
Who was Garfields vice president?
Chester Arthur (stalwart supporter)
Who assassinated James Garfield?
Charles Guitau (mentally unstable religious fanatic who believed he was acting on behalf of the stalwarts)
When was James Garfield president?
1880-81
Who succeeded Garfield as president?
Chester Arthur
When was Chester Arthur president?
1880-84
Describe Chester Arthur as president
-mediocre president
- man of limited talent and dubious integrity
- tainted by links to Conkling and the spoils system
When was Grover Cleveland president?
1884-1888
1892-1896
Why did Cleveland win the 1884 election?
-support from immigrants and southerners as he promised to keep tariffs low
-promised to tackle corruption and end the spoils system
Who was angered by Cleveland’s promises?
pro-business Republicans
What was the main focus of Harrison’s 1888 election campaign?
need for high protective tariffs
When was Harrison president?
1888-1892
Why did Harrison win the 1888 election?
had support from the GAR (Cleveland refused to go along with demands denouncing them as unjustified and corrupt)
What was the main focus of Harrison’s presidency?
to reward his supporters both in the GAR and in big business
How did Harrison reward his supporters in the GAR?
received pensions and special hospitals
How did Harrison reward his supporters in big business?
imposed the McKinley Tariff in 1890 which put tariff levels up higher than ever before
What is ”pork barrel politics”?
a term used to illustrate the way politicians passed laws to dole out federal funds to reward favoured people/regions who had backed them
Why was political corruption common amongst the 2 main parties?
both main parties especially at state/ local level were contaminated with patronage and pork-barrel politics
How was political corruption accentuated by the power and influence of big business?
large cartels and trusts could buy companies, banks and railroads as well as politicians when necessary
What are cartels and trusts?
corporations and combinations of companies who joined together to raise more capital in order to gain control of key markets
What was Tammany Hall?
-nerve centre of Irish-American Catholic local politics
-it was regularly accused of corruption but was able to maintain its grip as it could always “get out the vote” for Democrats
How had political corruption changed by 1890?
-greater awareness of and powerful backlash against corruption in politics and business
-demand for reform and tighter regulation
- pushed Congress to pass Sherman Antitrust Act
What was the Sherman Antitrust Act?
federal law passed in 1890 to ensure fair corruption in business
used federal powers over interstate commerce to try to restrict monopolistic practises
What was the GAR?
Grand army of the republic- an organisation founded to represent veterans of the Northern armies in the civil war
What was the main focus of Harrison’s presidency?
to reward his supporters
