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GILDED AGE Flashcards

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1
Q

What was the gilded age

A

1877-1901 (not set in stone)

Era of social problems mashed by a thin of gold gilding

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2
Q

Presidents during the gilded age (preferably in order)

A

Hayes

Garfield

Arthur

Cleveland

Harrison

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3
Q

Explain briefly Hayes presidency

A

1877-1881

President after 1877 compromise - weak as narrowly won

Kept promise of 1 term presidency

Ends Reconstruction

Begins civil service reform - split party. Hayes sacked Arthur- 1 of Conklings main supports

Reforms currency

Opposed by powerful republicans called Stalwarts - leader by NY

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4
Q

Explain briefly Garfield’s presidency

A

1881

Won narrowly

Respected for his honest and quality of men appointed to high positions

But ASSASSINATED in 1881- by upset spoils man- Charles Guietaeu

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5
Q

Briefly explain Arthur’s presidency

A

1881-85

Vice President- became president after Garfield was assassinated

Arthur was responsible for the Pendleton Civil service act

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6
Q

Briefly explain Cleveland’s presidency

A

1885-1889 AND 1893-97

1st Democrat President since 1868

Conflicts between business and labour

Formation of labour unions

Haymarket riots

Pullman strike

Interstate commerce act - 1887

Tariff 1894

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7
Q

Briefly explain Harrison’s presidency

A

1889-93

4 major laws passed

  • Sherman Anti trust act
  • Sherman Silver Act
  • McKinley Tariff
  • Dependent Pension Act
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8
Q

Where did republicans get support from

A

Freedmen

Midwest and both east

Protestants

Puritan influence

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9
Q

Where did democrats get there support from

A

Catholic

South

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10
Q

What did the Republican Party stand for

A

Party of the union

Favoured big business

High tariffs

Values of native born Americans

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11
Q

What did he democrat party stand for

A

States rights

White supremacy in the south

Limited role for the federal government

Low tariffs are

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12
Q

What was laissez fairs

A

Non intervention by the gov

All presidents in the gilded age believed in this

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13
Q

Why was the south democrat

A

Poll tax

Literacy test

Grandfather clause

Violence

White supremacy

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14
Q

What was the spoils system and what did it cause

A

The practice of a successful party giving public office to its supporters

2 groups developed on their views of the spoils system

  • STALWARTS- republicans who favoured the spoils system (led by Roscoe Conklin of NY)
  • HALF-BREEDS- republican who favoured reforming the spoils system (James G Blaine of Maine)

THE REPUBLICAN PARTY WAS FRACTURED

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15
Q

What is a tariff

A

Tax on imports and exports

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16
Q

What is Manifest Destiny

A

Belief of wasps- God gave them the right to settle on mid west land—> led to westward expansion (take land from native Americans)

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17
Q

How much did America’s economy grow between 1860-1900

A

400%

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18
Q

What in general fuelled America’s economy 6

A

Technological advances

Expanding pop

Improved transportation

Financial innovation

New business practices

Laissez fairs

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19
Q

Affect of civil war on south

A

Loss and destruction

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20
Q

Affect of civil war on the north

A

Stimulated business and industry

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21
Q

1860 total wealth

1900 total wealth

A

1860- $16 billion

1900- $88 billion

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22
Q

1869 manufacturing sector wealth

1900—

A

1869- $3 million

1900- $13 billion

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23
Q

America’s labour force 1865-1890

A

13 million- 19 million

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24
Q

USA economic growth compared to other countries

A

Largest increase compared to Britain, France and Ger

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25
Q

US coal growth compared to Britain

A

Coal more than tripled 1870-1890
More than 10X from 1870-1913

Britain- slow increase- and was ahead of US in 1890- but had just over half in 1913

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26
Q

US population growth compared to Britain

A

US population almost tripped 1870-1913

Around double of Britain in 1890 and 1913

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27
Q

US relative share of world manufacturing output in 1999

A

20%

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28
Q

What 7 factors led to US economic expansion

A

Workforce

Westward expansion

Industrial and agricultural technology

Growth of urban markets

Growth of railroads

Finance and business org

Gov attitude

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29
Q

How did the workforce help the US economy

A

US pop grew from 35.2 mill in 1865- to 98.8 million in 1915
(almost 3X)
Central and Eastern Europeans 1901-1920=44% of all immigrants

MORE WORKFORCE AND PRODUCTION AND FAST- revenue

Manufacturing jobs were dirty, dangerous etc- immigrants - driving force

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30
Q

How sig was the workforce in US economic expansion

A

Substantially

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31
Q

How did westward expansion lead to US economic expansion

Exp closing the frontier too

A

Westward expansion- more natural resources like coal, natural gas, oil- exploited

Natural resources exploited

Farmers shop keepers etc settles on land and made money

closing the frontier- 1872 Yellowstone National Park creates to protect some wilderness
- no frontier left by 1890s Miners, ranchers and farmers swelled the pop
-1889- gov let settlers settle in Oklahoma
This was laid out within a day and 6000 lived there by the end of the year

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32
Q

How sig was westward expansion for the Us economy

A

Largely

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33
Q

How did industry and agricultural technology lead to US economic expansion

A

Pos- faster production and sales
Business didn’t need to pay as much wages

Farms- steam tractors etc
By 1900- 15 man hour per acre to raise wheat
A century earlier = 56 man hours
FARMERS LOST JOBS AND THERE WAS OVERPRODUCTION ETC

Steel making-Bessemer blast furnace and Siemens-Martin open hearth process
Great Lakes Region became leading steel producer
-STEEL PRODUCTION INC TO OVER 11 MILL TONNES BY 1900 (had less than one million in 1865)

Typewriters, cash registers changed the game
Telephone 1876- Bell
Electricity - Edison

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34
Q

How sig was industrial and agricultural growth to US economy

A

Partially

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35
Q

How did the growth of urban markets lead to US economic increase

A

Increase in migrants - bigger market

30 million city dwellers in 1900
40% were immigrants

During 1880s- 5 mill came from overseas

1890- immigration slowed by still 3.7 mill from abroad

PUSH AND PULL FACTORS

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36
Q

How sig was growth of urban markets in inc us economy

A

Partially

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37
Q

How did the growth of railroads lead to inc in the US economy

A

By 1900- die to railroads small number of big businesses dominated markets

Bigger nationwide markets

1865-1900
35000 miles of track - 242000

Pullman palace sleeper cars made travel more comfortable

and refrigerated boxcars enabled meat vegetables and fruit to be transported across country

Standardised time

TrasnCONTINENTAL railway complete (1st to cross entire continent)

Pacific Railway Act 1862- extended railways across US

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38
Q

How sig was railroads in growth of us eco

A

Arguably - most

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39
Q

How did finance and business org lead to us economy inc

A

Big business eventually absorbed competition
1897-69 mergers
1898- 303
1899-1208

Commercial banks, saving banks, and insurance companies all provided new vehicles for accumulating and dispensing the capital needed to fuel American economic growth

Industrialists began forming pools or cartels

Informal gentlemen agreements on production level and prices
These turned into ‘trusts’ and ‘holding companies’-they avoided state laws forbidding monopolies while gaining benefits of unified control over entire industries

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40
Q

How sig was finance and business org in us economic expansion

A

Largely

But

Neg effects

41
Q

How did gov attitude lead to us economic growth

A

Laissez faire- business can do whatever to generate wealth

Sherman Act (congress passed 1890)- way to reduce concerns large business interests dominated industry 
Private parties may sue 
So many sections were so broad that anyone could find any business activity illegal (no restraint of trade and cannot monopolies or attempt to)

Sherman Anti trust Act (passed by Congress 1890)
Purpose was to stop B.B. from abusing customers and taking advantage of people but instead stopped workers forming unions

During last decades of 19th century- courts strengthened laissez fairs

State courts stopped restrictions of work hours and safety req as it stopped right of workers to enter contracts freely

Courts weakened unions insisting employers had a right to replace striking workers while at the same time denying that strikers has a right to boycott

42
Q

How sig was government attitude to us economic growth

A

Significantly

43
Q

Explain the process of when immigrants come to the US

A

Greeted by Statue of Liberty

And processed Ellis Island

Immigrants purchased tickets and boarded trains at the CRRNJ terminal- taken to their new homes

44
Q

1861-1870 immigrants

A

2.3 million

45
Q

1871-1880 immigrants

A

2.9 million

46
Q

1881-1890 immigrants

A

5.2 million

47
Q

European and Italian immigration stats

A

EUROPEAN
(1880-1889)-(1900-1909)- more than 150% increase
(1910-1919) - decreased

ITALIAN - sig less 
Doubled from (1881-1890)- (1891-1900) almost doubled again from (1901-1910)
48
Q

By 1890 how many immigrants were there in the US

A

9 million

49
Q

Where did Irish immigrants stay predominantly

A

Boston

NY

50
Q

Where did Scandinavians predominantly live

A

Great Lakes

51
Q

Where did Chinese’s immigrants predominantly stay

A

East coast

52
Q

What region did many immigrants come from in 1890

A

Europe

53
Q

Where in the 1900 did most immigrants come from

A

Southern and Eastern Europe —

54
Q

What is the melting pot theory

A

Nationalities would become fused together into one nation

The vast majority of Natives had rejected the Gov’s attempt to create a national identity

This rejection continues into the 20th century

55
Q

Jay Gould

A

Tried to corner marker on Gold
Business man who came to personify the robber baron in late 19th century America

Known as ruthless business tactics

War to be in control of Eerie railroad w Fisk against Cornelius

Eventually he got it and Fisk was the public face

Tried to corner gold 24 sept 1869- made millions and was not prosecuted

Fisk died- Gould deposed as head of Erie Railroads

Died - Dec 1892- wealth at more then $100 mill

56
Q

Jay Cooke

A

Prominent banker in the US and a principal financier of the Union military effort during the US civil war

Started work for banking brokerage company 1839

1861- formed his own banking firm

Helped develop a fiscal policy that provide the gov w necessary capital to win war

‘Financier of Civil war’

After war- inv other industries, coal, iron mining, life insurance and railroads

Played major role in financing to build transcontinental railroad

1873- investments dried up
Sept 18 1872- Cooke and Co shut doors - led to panic 1873

57
Q

Andrew Carnegie

A

Utilising newest technologies-
eg Bessemer blast furnace and Siemens Martin open hearth,
he built the largest steel com in US - Carnegie Steel

Wrote of unions in essay- ‘The gospel of wealth’

By time he retired holdings- huge pig iron works, Coke refineries, line of steamships and steep works

Built near monopoly thru vertical intergration

2nd richest man ever in America
4th wealthiest man in recorded history of world

58
Q

John Pierpoint Morgan

A

Leading financier, founded of JP Morgan and co

Led merger movement

Pursued monopoly like control over his sector of the economy

Civil war- sold defective guns to union army @ inflated prices

Had goal to monopolising railroads

Morgan also built General Electric into great industrial conglomerate by merging Edison General and Thompson Houston Elecrric Companies

1901- forged a merger between Carnegie Steel and more to form US Steel.

59
Q

Rockafellar

A

Built a monopoly over the oil business in less than a decade and bought order to chaotic industry (violent jags in production and prices and overproduction)

1868- formed Standard oil - processed 5% of nations oil
- business grew- demand ‘drawbacks’ from railroads that wanted his business

Mid 1880- refined 90% of nations oil - had virtual monopoly over entire industry and could shape price structure

Horizontal intergration

60
Q

Causes of 1873 panic

A

Wheat business became flooded by thousands of startups which pushed supply far above demand

Overproduction put farms in solvency 1890

The value of silver / gold dropped

Jay crooks and co were unable to market several million dollars

61
Q

Name all panics

A

1873

1893

1907

62
Q

Consequences of 1873 panic

A

Nov 1873- 55 Nation railroads failed and 60 went bankrupt by Nov 1874

18,000 businesses failed between 1873 - 75

Unemployment in 1875 = 8.25%

3 million in the US lost their jobs

Led to populist movement

Collapse in food prices- rural poverty

63
Q

Causes of 1893 panic

A

Overproduction of railroads
People questioned the stability of the gov and so rushed to redeem notes for gold
US began to run out of gold

Cleveland borrowed $65 mill in Gold from JP Morgan

Farmers suffered droughts- value of land went down

Free silver movement arouse- tried to get inflation to occur

Demand for silver

64
Q

Consequences of 1893 panic

A

16,000 businesses failed by the end of 1893

156 railroads and nearly 500 banks failed

1/6 of Americans lost their jobs

Strikes in 1884 led to violence

Pullman strike- led to shutdown of nations transport system July 1894

65
Q

Causes of 1907 panic

A

SAN Fransisco EQ

Anti trust policies of Roosevelt

Augustus Heimes Morse- associated with banks and trusts on Wall Street - took a speculative investment in United Copper, a copper mining company and lost

Oct 15- stock prices fell

Knickerbocker Trust company collapsed

66
Q

Consequences of 1907 panic

A

New York stock exchange fell almost 50% from peak previous year

Unemployment- 8%

Immigration dropped

Production fell 11%

Imports fell 26%

67
Q

How many panics were there and when were they

A

1873

1893

1907

68
Q

Reasons for urbanisation

A

Business needed unskilled labour- rockafellar carneugie etc needed unskilled labourers to work an average of 60 hours a week for 10 cents an hour

Capital poured into manufacturing plants - accompanied by blue and white collared workers JOB OPP

Many farmers found selves obsolete

30% lived in urban setting 3 decades after civil war
40% in 1900

American dream
Museums and theatres

Promotion of good wages

Mechanisation of farmers - also meant women could work

Freedom

Industrial workers jumped from 800,000 to 3.2 million

69
Q

Positives of urbanisation and industrialisation

A

Wealth- upper class

American dream

Some skilled workers obtained high wages

Brick layers and black smiths earnt more than $3

70
Q

Negatives of urbanisation and industrialisation

A

+1 mill in NY dumbbell tenements
Over crowded- poorly ventilated air traps- cholera and typhoid spread— 1879 building codes- windows but people used it for rubbish

Philadelphia- city water supply replenished daily w 13,000 gallons of untreated sewage

The richest 1% had same income at bottom 50% and more property than remaining 99%

Average industrial worker earned $460-$500 and a family of 4 needed $600 to live comfortably

Minimum wage and child labour

1900-35,000 workers killed and million injured

Triangle shirt waste factory fire - 1911-146 dead

No infrastructure for worker safety

Corruption

Disabled didn’t receive benefits

Segregation

Child labour

People lived in warehouses- not enough housing

Coal pollution

Everyday 1/2 million pounds of manure of NY STREETS

71
Q

Causes of railroad strike

A

1877- northern railroads cut salaries

-May, the Pennsylvania Railroad- the largest railroad cut wages by 10% and in June another 10%

Other railroads followed

On July 13th the Baltimore and Ohioline cut the wages of all employees, making more than $1 a day - Also cut work week to 2/3 days

72
Q

Causes of Homestead strike

A

Henry Clay Frick- the superintendent of Carnegie Steel company proposed to cut worker wages arguing efficiency inc inflated salary

He also wanted to eliminate the Amalgamated Associated of Iron and Steel Workers Union from the plant

73
Q

Causes of the Pullman strike

A

4 year depression

Pullman responded by laying off several thousands of his 5800 employees

and cutting pay 25-50%

while refusing to declare rents charged at employees who lived in the company town of Pullman near Chicago

74
Q

Consequences of great railroad strike

A

Native born Americans blamed labour violence of foreigners

Violent strikes on Kansas, Chicago etc

40 killed in violence in Pittsburgh and across country- hundreds dead

Workers blocked freight trains near Baltimore in West Virginia allowing only passenger traffic through

Briefly paralysed country’s commerce and led governors in 10 states to mobilise 60,000 militia members to reopen rail traffic

Violence in 1850+90 inc- Haymarket Square Bombing in Chicago

75
Q

Consequences of homestead strike

A

Armed confrontation at Homestead

July 6- guards confronted by hundreds of workers and townfolk in often battle- 7 workers and 3 Pinkerton guards were killed

8500 members of National Guards took control of the plant—> this was 44 years before the steel industry become unionised again)

Assassination attempt on Fisk- wounded

Nov- union broken and mill reopened as a non-union plant using AA and Eastern European workers
Union leaders were blacklisted from the Steel industry for life

76
Q

Consequences of Pullman strike

A

May 11 1894- 90% of his workers went on strike-

spread nationwise when American Railway Union refused to move trains w Pullman cars
Within a month- more than 1/4 million other railroad employees joined strike

Steel mills shifted from 8-12 houes a day, 6 days a week TO 24 hour shift followed by a day off every 2 weeks (44 years till Steel industry unionised again)

Congress established a national working day

14,000 federal troops and marshals despatched—

77
Q

Political impact of mass immigration

A

WASPS POLITICAL POWER

Tammany Hall- provides immigrants w social safety net- helped w jobs, welfare network- had political control in NY
- Democratic Party relies on it- voters

WAR- usually segregated
Intense tension

78
Q

Economic impact of mass immigration

A

Inc workforce- faster production inc wealth

79
Q

Racial / social impact of mass immigration

A

Segregation- immigrants often cling together in localised communities- little Italy

Catholic Irish and polish immigrants were prominent in cities like Boston and Chicago
- no assimilation

Discrimination and conflict between New and old settlers

19th century sellers- Protestant
1900- Catholic

Turburculosis - social deprivation

Tenements

Extremist groups KKK

Asian exclusion act

Prohibition
Catholics drink as well as immigrants culture
WCTU - protest- women anti alcohol

80
Q

Pull factors for immigration

A

Remittance

Bureau set up for cheap labour

American dream

Influenced by friends and family

Industrialisation- jobs

USA was land of opportunity- the economic expansion

Transition from sail to steam allowed many more people to journey across to the US

81
Q

Push factors for immigration

A

Eastern Europeans and Russians were facing disruption to their traditional lifestyles

1885- Japanese exodus begin after emporer revoked a ban on emigration

Persecution from other countries

Poverty from Russia and Eastern Europe

High wages lured Chinese’s immigrants

Italy crop failures

Cholera and collapse of wonder industry in 1880s

82
Q

Six features of industrialisation

A

Relentless drop in prices

Failure of the money supply to keep pace w productivity

Exploitation of immense coal deposits as a source of cheap energy

Rapid spread of technological innovation in transportation, communication and factory systems

Demand for workers who could be carefully controlled

Constant pressure of forms to complete tooth and nail by cutting costs and prices

83
Q

How were the 6 features of industrialisation related

A

Coal deposits on Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Kentucky provided cheap energy to fuel railroad and factory growth

New technologies stimulated productivity and capitalised breathtaking industrial expansion

Technology also enabled manufacturers to dust costs and hire unskilled labour

Cost cutting enabled firms to undersell one another- remove competition

Cheap energy, cost reduction, new tech and fierce competition brought down price levels

Loads of consumer goods
Demand
Large output w machinery
Railroads exports consumers

ECONOMIC GROETH

84
Q

What were War bonds

A

Seen as a way to remove money from circulation and decrease inflation

Issues by US WW2

War bonds are debt securities (loans) issued by a gov to finance military operations and other expenditures in time of war

85
Q

Economic change US 1870-1920

A

Farming benefited from war- closing of frontier (high rainfall)

Upward growth

GNP- massive upward trend

Life expectancy inc

Employment in manufacturing
1870-1900-1920
*2 *2

86
Q

Strikes in WW1

A

Increased

87
Q

Steel and industrial production before and after WW1

A

Upward growth (w fluctuation) till USAS entry to war- then decrease

Industrial production also inc

Blip near end of WW1

Reactive after WW1

88
Q

US public debt post civil war to ww1

A

Decreases post civil war

Inc during war Back to civil war levels after

89
Q

US unemployment rates before after and during war

A

Unemployment rates fluctuate

Steady Dec 1918- WW1- negligible state

Inc significantly 1920 post war

Decrease and fluctuation 1929

90
Q

Wholesale wheat prices post, after and during war

A

Fluctuates

During war- high

Post war- substanstial decrease

Dropped sig after 1920
(other markers recovering)

Never goes as high as during ww1

Lowest- Oct 1929- panic

91
Q

When was First wave of immigrants and what were they

A

1865-1890

Most from Western Europe

Wasps

92
Q

When was 2nd wave of immigrants and what were they

A

1890/1920

Eastern Europe and southern east etc

93
Q

Migration before and after war

A

Sky rocket 1901-1910 at 8.7 mill but decreases sig after war

94
Q

US imports and exports

A

Both grew

Exports sig inc than exports

Less reliant on other countries

Received lots of Wealth

95
Q

US compared to other countries on inflation during WW1

A

Not as sig as other countries

France
Brit
Ger

96
Q

What was the solid south

A

Dominance of the democrat party over stage and federal elections

Unchanged till 1960s - when many southerners deserted democrats after Johnson passed civil rights act

A REGION OF 1 PARTY GOV - democrat candidates certain to win all elections

97
Q

What advantage did democrats have after 1877

A

Democrats gained control of the ‘unredeemed state legislatures’ -
Florida, Louisiana and South Carolina

Solid south- A REGION OF 1 PARTY GOV - democrat candidates certain to win all election

98
Q

When was homestead riot

Pullman strike

Railroad strike

Triangle waiste thingy

A

1892 Cleveland

1894- Cleveland

187— Hayes

1911- Taft

History (19 decks)

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