Gilded Age Flashcards
1
Q
What was the problem with the Gilded Age?
A
-Lots of Corruption and Patronage (spoil system)
- Weak Presidents (sided with big business)
- Little differences between Party’s
- Big issues weren’t tackled
2
Q
Who were the Presidents of the Gilded Age?
A
- Rutherford B. Hayes (77-81)
- James Garfield (1881)
- Chester Arthur (81-84)
- Grover Cleveland (84-88)
- Benjamin Harrison
-Grover Cleveland
3
Q
How did Corruption, patronage and the spoil system effect the Gilded Age?
A
- Government Jobs were given out on party loyalty and bribes
- Party Leaders and President were forced to buy supporters
- Congress was influence by where they came from instead of their Party
4
Q
How did having a weak president effect the Gilded Age?
A
- President was seen as a figurehead
- Congress governed the country
- President didnt get popular vote and instead the electoral College votes.
- Presidency was damaged after Johnsons impeachment and Grants scandals
5
Q
How did little difference between party’s effect the Gilded Age?
A
- Most divisions were in the party’s
- There was close margins in presidential elections
- Only difference was tariffs in 1892 election (Republicans wanted them to be high)
6
Q
How did big issues not being tackled effect the Gilded Age?
A
- Only 5 major bills were made
- Laissez Faire approach to business
- Wanted Currency based off silver and not gold
7
Q
Who was president after Grant?
A
Rutherford B Hayes
8
Q
What is evidence of reform under Hayes?
A
- Civil Service Reforms: Wished to award civil service jobs from merit
9
Q
What were the Civil Service Reforms
A
- Tried to outlaw ‘spoil system’
- Award jobs on merit ( to eliminate incompetence)
- Made by Hayes then continued by Garfield
10
Q
Evidence of lack of reforms by Hayes?
A
- Railroad strike 1977 - Hayes was prepared to use federal Military against striker.
- This showed government supported big business.
11
Q
Who was president after Hayes?
A
James Garfield
12
Q
What evidence is there of reform under Garfield?
A
- Continued Civil Service Reforms
- Post offie Reforms - reduce corruption in the post office + stop the ‘star route’
- His death led to the Pendleton Act
13
Q
What evidence is there for a lack of reforms under Garfield?
A
- Assassinated too early into Presidency (due to his reforms)
14
Q
Who was the President after Garfield?
A
Chester Arthur
15
Q
What evidence is there of reforms under Arthur?
A
- Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act 1883 - competition for civil service jobs
- Federal Immigration law
- Attempted to low tariffs
16
Q
When and what was the Pendleton Civil Service Act?
A
- 1883
- Awarded Civil Service jobs by competitive competition.
- 14% of post office jobs on merit
- Ensured consistency from President
17
Q
What evidence is there for a lack of reforms under Arthur?
A
- Tried to lower tariffs (so government won’t be embarrassed by annual surplus of revenue)
- But it was later raised again by Congress
- Was a ally with Conkling (earlier sacked for corruption)
18
Q
Who was president after Arthur?
A
Grover Cleveland (1st)
19
Q
What evidence is there of reforms under Cleveland?
A
- Doubled the number of post office jobs for competitive exams.
- Reduced number of federal employees
- Interstate Commerce Act 1889 - fair rail road pricing
20
Q
When and what was the Interstate Commerce Act?
A
-1889
- Gave fair railroad prices (reduce corruption)
21
Q
What evidence is there for a lack of reforms under Cleveland?
A
- Vetoed lots of bills - including one for pensions for people with disabilities not caused by the military. Texas seed bill which would provide funds for draught (laissez Faire) - were all brought by the republican dominated senate
- Pullman Strike 1894 - used federal troops to help railroad companies
- By end of his presidency 2/3 of office were democrats
- Too close to J P Morgan
22
Q
Who was president after Cleveland (1st)?
A
Benjamin Harrison
23
Q
What evidence is of reforms under Harrison?
A
- Sherman Anti-trust Act 1890 - combatted big business
- Tariffs Act 1890 - highest protective tariff
- Sherman Silver Purchase Act
24
Q
What and when was the Sherman Anti-Trust Act?
A
-1890
- Brought to stop monopolies and trusts
- Keep prices fair
25
What evidence is there for a lack of reforms under Harrison?
- Sherman Anti-Trust Act was weak and hard to enforce
26
What other examples are there of corruption in the Gilded Age?
- Local Party officials used patronage to maintain loyalty (gave jobs and benefits to supporters)
- New York Customs Office Under Conkling - He favoured the spoil system
- Boss Tweed and Tammany Hall (democrats
27
What was a Robber Barron?
A captain of industry, that had direct political influence
28
Who were the Robber Barron’s in the Gilded Age?
- Rockefeller - Oil
- Carnegie - Steel
- Vanderbilt - Railroads
- J P Morgan - Finance
29
Who were the Vanderbilts?
- Cornelius and William
- Made fortune in 1860’s with steamboats then bought a considerable about of railroad in East.
- Allowed them to cut operations costs.
- Created a standard track gauge (for only their trains)
- Swapped iron rails for light + more durable steel.
- Brutal at handling strikes
30
Who was Andrew Carnegie?
- Used the ‘Bessemer Converter’ to quickly and cheaply produce steel
- This was used for railroads and then in industrialisation
- He monopolised the steel industry through vertical integration.
- Exploited his workers with low wages and high working hours
- Believed in philanthropy and giving donations to help people in need ( hospitals etc)
31
What is vertical integration?
- Companies buying all parts for production line e.g own suppliers and distributors
32
Who was John B. Rockefeller?
- He wanted to re-organise the American oil system
- Began to buy oil refineries in 1862
- Set up Standard Oil Company
- By 1880’s controlled 85% of all American Oil
- Did give a lot of money to charities (medicine, churches etc)
- Prevented competition
33
How much was it estimated that Rockefeller gave to charities?
$550 million
34
Who was J P. Morgan?
- in 1871 he set up his own private banking firm (after being a major force behind the creation of large companies)
- Became the leading financial firm.
- Created Monopolies that made it hard for other businesses to survive
35
What are two examples of technological advancement in the Gilded Age?
- Light Bulb - Thomas Edison
- Telephone - Alexandra Bell
36
What was the order of the 3 major unions in the Gilded Age?
- National Labour Union 1866
- The Knights of Labour 1869
- American Federation of Labour 1885
37
When was the National Labour union form and did it do?
-1866
- Wanted to protect 8 hr day
- Union failed after the 1873 Depression when workers became unemployed
38
What happened in the 1877 Railroad strike
-Railroad company announced pay cutes
- Workers from multiple different railroads walked out
- Began to burn trains + tear up tracks etc
- Eventually Military was sent in to stop it
39
What did the 1877 Railroad strike cause?
- $10 mil in damages
- Unions realised they needed to be organised
- Shocked Americans
- Companies needed to suppress labour association
40
What and when was the Knights of Labour
-1869
- Grew rapidly after railroad strike
- Wanted to: protect 8 hr day, child labour restrictions, referendums and better labour-management relations
41
What shows the growth in the Knights of Labour?
- 1885 membership = 100,000
- Gained support from Wabash strike - where they successfully made the boss negotiate with workers.
- Within a year membership grew to 750,000
42
Why did the Knights of Labour decline?
- Few were willing to walk out of jobs.
- Many strikes turned violent - so union was condemned and people left
43
What was the Haymarket Bomb Outrage?
- 2nd May 1886
- A strike became violent with the police = police began to shoot at crowd
- A later peaceful meeting ended with a bomb being chucked into group - Killed a police man
- This caused the police to shoot into the crowd.
44
What was the American Federation of Labour?
- Only admitted skilled white men.
- Didn’t want to make same mistakes as past unions.
- Was able to secure agreements with employees
45
From 1861 to 1890, how many people immigrated to the US?
10 million
- 80% of population of New York and Chicago = European
- 41% population growth in 1880’s
46
What were push factors for immigration?
- Agricultural Depressions
- Religious persecution - Jews from Russia, Anti-Catholic in Germany
- Political Persecution
47
What were the pull factors for immigration?
- Economic prosperity + employment
- Religious tolerance
- Democratic
- Adverts from Atlantic Steamship companies
- Adverts from Rail companies + available land in west
48
How did immigration help economic growth?
- Most settled in industrial Cities
- Plentiful supply of cheap labour - 1890, 56% of industrial workforce
- Chinease labours built transcontinental railroads
- Increased number of consumer - increased markets
49
What was the reaction to Immigration?
- Unions complained that it took jobs and lowered wages
- Contract Labour Law 1885 - business could not pre-organise workers before they entered US.
- Chinese Exclusion Act 1882
- Irish were seen as drunk and violent
- Jews faced prejudice
- Negative effects of increased urbanisation
50
What and when was the chinease exlusion act?
- 1882
- Banned further Chinese immigration
51
What was nativism?
- USA was being split into 2 countries (Existing inhabitants and immigrants)
- Existing inhabitants didn’t want to change (weathly, WASP’s, unions)
- Unions joined social reforms that were against immigrants.
52
What and when was the Turner Essay?
- 1893
- Talked about the detrimental effects of the end of the frontier
53
What and when was the battle of Wounded Knee?
- 1890
- Between US army and 200 Native Americans
54
What was the Dawes Act?
- 1887
- Broke reservations (for natives) to small units held by individual families
55
Reasons for America to expand in the Gilded Age?
- Economic Pressures - needed more imports and exports
- Land of the Free
- Industrial Growth
- Geography (Canada, Latin America etc)
- Manifest Destiny
- End of the frontier
56
Reasons for USA to keep to isolationism?
- Monroe Doctrine
- Land of the free - didn’t need influence from other countries
- Anti-imperialism
- Still recovering from Civil War
57
What are some early examples of expansionism?
- Grant wanted to colonises Dominican Republic (rejected)
- Alaskan Purchase in 1867
- Captain Alfred Thayer wrote about the importance of having a navy
58
When was the AFL created and by who?
1885
By Samuel Gompers
59
What is an example of anti-Semitic behaviour?
- Joseph Seligman was barred from Grand Union Hotel
60
How had the amount of African Americans changed from 1870 to 1900?
4.4 Million to 7.9 Million
61
How did migration take place in the south for African Americans?
- Went further west e.g Alabama, Mississippi and South Carolina
- Sought Higher incomes
62
By 1910 how many black farmers owned land?
25%
63
How were Jim Crow Laws increasing?
- From 1887 to 1891 - 8 States introduced formal segregation
- Began to restrict voting by adding requirements
64
How did the north tackled civil rights?
- Cities introduced their own Civil Rights Laws onto their books
- 1884 - Ohio and New York
- 17 states by 1895
- But legislation was weak
65
What was life on the plains like?
- Extreme weather conditions - hurricanes, droughts
- Neighbourhoods were miles away
- Loans for machinery and animals were high
66
How did wheat production increase?
1967 - 211 million
1900 - 599 Million
67
How did export of wheat increase?
1867 - 6 million
1900 - 102 million
68
What was the main Cattle trail?
Chisholm Trail
69
How many Cowboys were there after the civil war?
- Over 40,000
- Made $25-$30 a month
- Harsh conditions and 18hr work days
70
What was established to attempt to manage land and water rights on plains?
Livestock Association
71
How many acres did British companies control in the West?
8 million by 1883
72
Why did cattle ranching and open plains end?
- Severe winters from 1885 to 1887
- Droughts during summers
- Millions of cattle were killed - 90%
73
How did the open range affect US habits?
- Eating habits went from mainly pork to beef
74
What announced the end of the frontier?
US census bureau 1890
75
Who originally called for an expansion of the Navy?
1882 William H. Hunt
76
By 1882, how much of the US navy was used?
Only 42 out of 140 ships
- Mainly wooden not steamboats
77
What agreement did the US have with Hawaii?
- Trade of Sugar free of duties
- In return of Hawaii refusing concessions from other countries
- Meant Hawaii was economically dependent on America
78
Who advocated from Pan-American Conference?
1881
- James Blaine
79
What was agreed in the Pan-American Conference?
Oct 1889 - 18 Countries in Washington
- Agreed customs union of free trade
- Arbitrary agreements to prevent war (weak)
- Pan-American Union
80
What was the main way the government attempted to Americanise native Americans?
- Education
- by 1899 they spent $2.5 million a year for education for 20,000 student
81
What a three examples of railroad expansion?
- Northern Pacific 1883
- The Southern Pacific 1883
- The Great North 1893
