History ch 23 Flashcards
Why was there wide-spread disillusionment in the nation after the Civil War? Or was there disillusionment?
There was disillusionment because most citizens thought that the Civil War would have fixed the country. But many people were disappointed to see that the country was not going the way that people had anticipated. About three years after the Civil War, Grant was nominated for president. Grant did not pick very good cabinet members. Grant was not a good person either, being described as “ignormas, a drunkard, and a swindler.” (The American Pageant pg 527) This led to disillusionment after the Civil War.
What group provided Grant’s margin of victory in the 1868 election? What lesson did that teach the Republicans about the South?
The former slaves had given Grant a margin of votes. That the Republican party had to continue to control the South and to keep the ballot in the hands of the grateful freedmen.
What explains the wide-spread corruption in the nation on the state and national levels after the Civil War during the “Gilded Age”? Why did this corruption occur on such a wide-spread level at this time?
The two political parties led to corruption during the Gilded Age. The parties disagreed so much that the government tried to impose a single moral standard on the entire society.
What was political meaning of “waving the bloody shirt”? Relate this expression to “vote as you shot.”
The political meaning behind “waving the bloody shirt” was to revive memories of the Civil War. “Vote as You Shot” was a powerful Republican slogan aimed at Union army veterans..
Were the Liberal Republicans a new political party? What were its aims?
Yes, their aims were to challenge the reelection of Grant. The Liberal Republicans did not like Grant so they did everything in their power to not have him reelected.
Why was it paradoxical that Democrats would support Greeley in 1872? Why did they support him?
The Democrats had endorsed Greeley’s candidacy. The Democrats supported Greeley because he was an atheist, a communist, a free-lover, a vegetarian, and a co-signer of Jefferson Davis’s bail bond.
Why was the country so divided over the issue of “hard and soft” money—what segments of society favored each and why?
Hard money advocates just wanted to have coins as currency while the advocates for soft money wanted more paper bills to be made. The hard money advocates persuaded President Grant to veto a bill to print more paper money. With the disappointment of Grant, the soft money advocates could not do much. But for those who wanted more coins to be produced, the supply of metals needed was lacking. The segment of society that favored hard money were the creditors and republicans. The people who favored soft money were debtors.
What was the significance of the Compromise of 1877? Scholars today don’t believe that there was, in fact, a “Wormley House Agreement,” that abandoned the freedmen, but the Compromise still had a major effect besides ending the electoral stalemate: what was it?
The significance of the Compromise of 1877 was that it was the agreement that finally resolved the 1876 election and officially ended Reconstruction. The Jim Crow laws were laws put in place to legalize segregation.
What methods were used to keep black Americans from voting?
Methods that were used to keep black Americans from voting were literacy requirements, voter registration laws, and poll taxes.
What were the political, economic, and judicial actions following the Civil War that led to the de facto re-enslavement of blacks in the South?
The Jim Crow laws were political and economic actions that followed the Civil War. The Jim Crow laws literacy requirements, voter registration laws, and poll taxes. A judicial action after the Civil War was the case of Plessy v. Ferguson. It ruled “separate but equal.”
What’s the relationship between Jim Crow laws and Plessey v. Ferguson?
The Supreme Court case Plessy v. Ferguson validated the South’s segregationist social order from the Jim Crow laws. Plessy v. Ferguson “ruled that ‘separate but equal’ facilities were constitutional under the ‘equal protection’ clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.” (The American Pageant pg 531)
What’s the relationship between immigration concerns and US v. Wong Kim Ark?
The relationship was that when Congress had passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, America wanted to prohibit immigration from China. But in the case US v. Wong Kim Ark, the Fourteenth Amendment said that anyone born in America was a citizen of the U.S.
Why did many favor the coinage of silver?
The metals that were used before silver they claimed to be a raw deal. Silver was only worth one-sixteenth as much as an ounce of gold. Because of this, silver miners stopped selling silver which in turn did not allow the production of silver coins anymore.
Why do you think the era was described as “the Gilded Age?”
The Gilded Age was a sarcastic name given by Mark Twain. Every party was on edge because emotions were high. Because of this, I think that the title Gilded Age was named because it was funny because everyone was one edge.
What does the text describe as the “life blood” of political parties in the 1870s, 80s?
The text describes it as patronage.
Based on his assassin’s comments, what issue led to Garfield’s death?
That Guiteau did not like President Garfield and that he wanted Arthur to be president.
What was the intent of the Pendleton Act? What results (plural) did it have for campaign funding?
The intent for the Pendleton Act was to end appointments to federal jobs on the basis of competitive examinations rather than pull. “The pendleton Act partially divorced politics from patronage, but it helped drive politicians into ‘marriages of convenience’ with big- business leaders.” (The American Pageant pg. 535)
What party was proclaimed as the party of “Rum, Romanism, and Rebellion?” Why?
The Democrats were the political party. The Republican clergyman was insulting with one swift stroke.
We’ve not seen a budget surplus in many years—why did Cleveland see a surplus as a political problem? What did he propose to do about it? Why?
Cleveland saw this as a political problem because the American industry was in Republican hands. Cleveland did not want this large amount of money to be reduced in peacetime.
