Gilded age Flashcards by Annabelle Clark

when was Hayes president

1877-1881

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Successes of Hayes

Attempted to reform the Civil service- forbade federal officeholders from being required to make campaign contributions
Great Railroad strike 1877- supported businessmen, was prepared to send federal troops

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When was Garfield president

1881

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Successes of Garfield

Supported Civil Service reform
Strengthened federal authority in the New York custom house
Reformed the Post Office
Stopped the implementation of new ‘star routes’

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When was Arthur president

1881-84

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Successes of Arthur

Pendleton Act 1883- Civil Service reform.
Begun professional handling of the Civil Service
Created first Civil Service commission
Chinese exclusion act
Tariff act 1883- reduced tariffs by 1.47%

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When was Cleveland president

1885-89

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Features of Cleveland’s presidency

Civil Service reform- appointed positions based on merit
Reduced number of federal employees- there were too many
Often resorted to using his veto power- he was a democrat and most of the senate were republicans
Vetoed pension bills for veterans and the disabled and the Texas seed bill

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What did Vanderbilt do with the railroads

Bought out and consolidated many railroad companies
Replaced iron railroads with steel
Fortune over $100m
Died in 1877- richest man in America
Brutal handling of strikes

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What did Carnegie do with steel

Vertical integration
1900 sold empire to JP Morgan for $480m
Philanthropist- made donations to universities, parks, libraries and churches
Published ‘The Gospel of Wealth’ 1889- explained philosophy of philanthropy
Low wages and long hours

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What did Rockerfeller do with oil

Set up standard oil in 1870
1880s, controlled 85% of American oil production and 90% of world’s refineries
1899 $200m fortune
Gave away $550m to medicine, A-A education etc.

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What did JP Morgan do

Created large companies e.g US steel corporation
First billion-dollar corporation in history 1901 (US steel, combined with Carnegie)
Criticised for making monopolies

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when was the National Labour Union formed

1866

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How many people did the NLU represent

60,000

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trade union membershio growth from 1872 to 1877

300,000 to 500,000

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Causes of the national railroad strike

4th pay cut of the year

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when was the national railroad strike

1877

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what happened at the national railroad strike

5,000 workers in Pittsburgh fought 650 federal troops
25 people killed
$10m of damage

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when was the Knights of Labour formed

1869

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what did Knights of Labour campaign for

8 hour day and child labour restrictions

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how many members did KoL have by 1885 and 1886

100,000
750,000

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successes of KoL

paralysed wabalsh railroad

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what happened to KoL after the Haymarket bomb outrage

they were blamed for it
membership halved within a year and disappeared after 5

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what happened at the Haymarket bomb scare

1886 protest in Chicago for 8hr working day
Battle between strikers, strikebreakers and police- many killed/ injured
Anarchists of the Black International called a meeting in Haymarket square
Someone threw a bomb- police officer and 6 others killed, 60 injured
Only 15,000 got 8hr working day

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when was the american federation of labour set up

1885

limitations of the AFL

only admitted skilled, white workers

demands of the AFL

higher wages and shorter workdays a more tame union

How many members did the AFL have 1892

250,000

What did AFL do to create a strike fund

tax for members

what happened at the 1892 homestead strike

Carnegie steel works in Pennsylvania 16 killed Fight for higher wages

how many immigrants during the gilded age

10m

how was immigration to the US promoted

'Where to emigrate and why' Santa Fe had a European Agent who visited Russia to promote immigration

how many jewish immigrants in 1900

90,000

chinese population in the us

63,000 Chinese in US 1870, 106,000 1880s

population change of NYC 1860-90

doubled

what % of the manufacturing workforce were foreign-born

what did people think of immigrants

drain on resources

what happened to Joseph Seligman

banned from the grand union hotel 1877 as he was jewish

immigration restriction in the 1880s

1882 Chinese exclusion act- (nearly) complete 10yr ban 1885 ban on foreign contract labourers (except skilled workers)

when were the orange riots

1870-71 8 died at the 1870 orange order parade

Aims of populism

Bimetallism Government regulation of farm prices Income tax- would decrease dependence on tariffs Direct election of senators 8hr working day Regulated railway prices

cotton and wheat prices in 1890

only 6 cents/ bushel and wheat 60

How much did Mark Hanna donate to McKinley's campaign

$3m

How many speeches did Bryan give before the 1896 election

600+

McKinley's economic policy in 1896

protectivism (keeping to the gold standard)

impact of 1893 panic

¼ of all railroad companies went bust and 20-25% of industrial workers were unemployed

how did McKinley appeal to those in the North during the 1896 election

protective tariffs were better for northern industry but meant it was harder to sell agricultural produce abroad

why did farmers want bimetallism

so they could sell goods at a higher price and pay off their debt with cheaper dollars

Which groups in the north voted for Bryan

Knights of Labour, but not huge numbers

why was the 1896 election so significant

turning point in economics and politics as each party was so specifically tailored to different areas of the US

how many cities did Bryan travel to before the 1896 election

250

why was Bryan criticised during the 1896 election

he personally attacked McKinley and was blasphemous

unemployment for the rest of the 1890s after the panic

12%

how long could work weeks be in the 1890s

72hrs

when was the jungle published and what was it about

1906 meatpacking industry in Chicago

example of a muckraker

Upton Sinclair (author of the Jungle)

dominance of big bussiness by 1904 stat

top 4% of companies produced 57% of the nation's industry

how many major bussiness consolidations 1898-1902

319

when did Vanderbilt become the richest man in the world

1885

what % of the world's oil industry did standard oil control by 1885

85%

what was the largest city in the world by 1900

NYC

when was the Pullman strike and what happened

1894 nationwide conflict between labour unions and railroads Pullman palace car company began by the company reducing wages 30 strikers died

wealth inequality 1890

11m of the 12m Americans earned less than $1,200 per year average wage of this group just $380/yr (below the poverty line)

what was turnover on the stock exchange 1860

$6bn

change in % of people emplyed in agriculture 1880 to 1920

over 50% to 25%

when did Carnegie publish The Gospels of Wealth

1889