MODULE 2 & 3: INDUSTRIALIZATION AND URBANIZATION/ THE GUILDED AGE Flashcards
William is a farmer and is deep in debt. He is trying to decide who he should vote for in the 1888 presidential election. For whom should William cast his vote and why?
Grover Cleveland, he lowered tariffs in his first term.
Cleveland supported the lowering of tariffs in favor of protecting the working class.
The presidential election of 1876 poised Samuel J. Tilden against Rutherford B. Hayes in the race for the presidency. How did the candidates appeal to voters?
They relied upon other groups to support their cause in place of campaigning.
Democrats relied upon White supremacist terror organizations to intimidate Black people and Republicans while they attempted to vote. Republicans meanwhile, relied upon the bloody shirt campaign, reminding the nation of the terrible human toll of the war against southern confederates who now reappeared in national politics under the mantle of the Democratic Party.
The Gilded Age is notorious for using the spoils system to appoint government employees rather than the civil service system. Under the civil service system, how does one get a political position?
By being well qualified for the job one is hoping to be appointed to.
Under the civil service system, promoting and hiring government employees is based on their ability to perform a job, rather than on their political connections.
The Gilded Age ushered in a new era of politics in America. How did national politics change during the Gilded Age?
Politicians began favoring the agendas of their financial supporters.
Gilded Age presidents were more likely to support various legislators’ and lobbyists’ agendas, as they owed favors to their key financial contributors.
Americans of all walks of life had an opinion on whether the U.S. should remain on the gold standard or begin minting silver. Who would prefer to stay on the gold standard and who would prefer coining silver?
Bankers preferred to stay on the gold standard.
What is the Gold Standard
The gold standard restricts the amount of currency in circulation causing deflation. Deflation makes the dollar worth more when it is repaid than when it was borrowed.
Many believed that patronage was responsible for the unproductive government of the Gilded Age. How did the practice of patronage contribute to the ineffective government that hallmarked the era?
Presidents were generally weak as they paid many favors and managed relationships.
During this time presidents were generally weak as they spent their time in office repaying political favors and building political relationships.
In addition to the debates surrounding tariffs, patronage, and corruption, many American citizens were concerned about the value of a dollar. Would farmers support an end to the gold standard? Why?
Yes, the resulting inflation would make their debts easier to pay.
The election of 1876 introduced two new presidential candidates since the current president, Ulysses Grant, had already served the customary two terms. What were a majority of Americans looking for in a presidential candidate?
They wanted reform and an end to corruption.
The Gilded Age brought an increase in political patronage. How did political patronage contribute to the political changes seen in the Gilded Age?
It led to many unqualified people serving in the federal government.
The presidential election of 1876 poised Samuel J. Tilden against Rutherford B. Hayes in the race for the presidency. How did the candidates appeal to voters?
They relied upon other groups to support their cause in place of campaigning.
What did inflation do?
Inflation makes currency worth less over time, allowing farmers to essentially pay less money back.
There were many contentious topics that influenced presidential nominations and elections in the Gilded Age. One of those topics was whether to increase or decrease tariffs. Who supported increased tariffs?
big business
Throughout the 1880s and 90s, the U.S. saw many one-term presidents. What was one issue that kept presidents from getting a second nomination?
The issue of civil service vs. patronage.
`
The presidential election of 1876 was brought to a close by the Compromise of 1877. What impact did the Compromise have on the United States?
It ended reconstruction and Southern Democrats regained power in the South.
President Hayes attempted to end patronage in favor of civil service but was held back from making any sweeping reforms by political infighting. What made the task of ending patronage particularly difficult?
The Stalwarts, frequent users of patronage, did not support Hayes’ bid to end the practice.
Many believed that patronage was responsible for the unproductive government of the Gilded Age. How did the practice of patronage contribute to the ineffective government that hallmarked the era?
Presidents were generally weak as they paid many favors and managed relationships.
John owns a large manufacturing business in New York that deals mainly in exports. Would John be for or against the gold standard? Why?
John would favor the gold standard because inflation would hurt his business.
The presidential election of 1876 poised Samuel J. Tilden against Rutherford B. Hayes in the race for the presidency. How did the candidates appeal to voters?
They relied upon other groups to support their cause in place of campaigning.
The Gilded Age is notorious for using the spoils system to appoint government employees rather than the civil service system. Under the civil service system, how does one get a political position?
By being well qualified for the job one is hoping to be appointed to.
The Gilded Age brought many frustrations to American society for both urban and rural populations. How were farmers affected by Gilded Age politics?
National political parties supported railroad companies which hurt farmers’ profits.
The Republican congress gave millions of acres and dollars to railroad companies and as they grew in power they began discriminating against small shippers, making it cost-prohibitive for farmers to ship their crops.
The presidential election of 1876 was brought to a close by the Compromise of 1877. What impact did the Compromise have on the United States?
It ended reconstruction and Southern Democrats regained power in the South.
During the Gilded age farmers began forming alliances with one another. One reason farmers decided to form an alliance was the amount of debt they faced. How did farmers find themselves in so much debt?
Rising tariffs on industrial products.
Rising tariffs on industrial products made purchased items more expensive, yet tariffs were not being used to keep crop prices artificially high as well. Therefore, farmers were paying inflated prices but not receiving them.
In 1896, the century’s final presidential campaign took place and pitted William McKinly against William Jennings Bryan. What effect did Bryan’s campaign have on future politics in America?
Reformist roots were put down and a majority of populist policies would become laws over the next century.
The agrarian revolt established the roots of later reform, and the majority of policies outlined within the Omaha Platform would eventually be put into law. The Populist vision laid the intellectual groundwork for the coming progressive movement.
The Depression of 1893 led to millions of Americans becoming unemployed. Workers tried various techniques to find work or keep their original jobs. Many attempted this by joining Coxey’s Army. What was the goal of Coxey’s Army?
To encourage the government to enact a public works program.
In the spring of 1894, businessman Jacob Coxey led a march of unemployed Ohioans from Cincinnati to Washington, DC, where leaders of the group urged Congress to pass public works legislation for the federal government to hire unemployed workers to build roads and other public projects.
The Farmers’ Alliance grew from other organizations in hopes of enacting real change at the national level by creating the Populist Party. Why did the Farmers Alliance choose to create a political party?
Farmers continued to be ignored by the federal government.
The Farmers’ Alliance chose to create a political party whose representatives could enact real change. If the government would not address the problem, then it was time to change those elected to power.
As farmers continued to be ignored by the federal government they fell deeper and deeper into debt. How did farmers attempt to change the focus of the federal government?
By forming a coalition and ultimately forming their own political party.
Farmers began to understand that a collective voice could create significant pressure among political leaders and produce substantive change.
The Depression of 1893 affected not only the railroad, many other industries were also hard hit. How did the depression affect industrial America as a whole?
Unemployment skyrocketed leaving 3 million Americans without a job.
The closure of railroad companies led to a ripple effect in the economy where workers from steel mill laborers to bankers lost their jobs.
In 1896, William Jennings Bryan campaigned for president against William McKinley. Despite his loss, why was Bryan’s campaign important?
It brought once fringe Populist Party ideas into one of the two major political parties.
The agrarian revolt established the roots of later reform, and the majority of policies outlined within the Omaha Platform would eventually be put into law. The Populist vision laid the intellectual groundwork for the coming progressive movement.
In 1891, the Farmers’ Alliance decided if the government would not address the problem, then it was time to change those elected to power and formed the Populist Party. How did the Populist Party approach the 1892 election?
They wrote the Omaha Platform and selected a presidential candidate.
the party nominated former Union general James B. Weaver as its presidential candidate.
What was the Ohama Platforms purpose
to more fully explain to all Americans the goals of the new party and at the close of the convention
Many authors and artists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries including Kate Chopin, Paul Laurence Dunbar, and Rebecca Harding Davis, were instrumental in providing context to a changing world. Why was Paul Laurence Dunbar so important?
He gave readers a look into a world that may be otherwise unfamiliar to them.
Dunbar’s writing highlighted parts of the American experience that were not well understood by the dominant demographic of the country. He provided readers with insights into a world that was not necessarily familiar to them and also gave hidden communities a sense of voice.
In the late 1800s White terrorist organizations began to form in an attempt to establish their “White supremacy.” They targeted Black people who were simply exercising their given civil rights. What was the main goal of the Red Shirts, one of the terrorist organizations?
To remove Black people from political offices and participation.
What were red shirt groups?
were paramilitary organizations dedicated to eradicating Black political participation through violence and intimidation. They launched a self-described “White supremacy campaign” of violence and intimidation against Black voters and officeholders during the 1898 state elections in North Carolina.
Industrialization and urbanization changed the way the north and south interacted with one another. What change made the south more accessible to the north, both economically and socially?
The south changed the size of the railroad tracks they used.
The shift in railroad gauge drastically expanded the economic and social links connecting North and South.
Charles Darwin was a British naturalist who, in 1859, made the case that species develop and evolve through natural selection. Darwin and other natural scientists applied this theory to plants and animals. Some scientists also began applying it to human society. Who was an advocate for the ideas of Darwin to be applied to the social order of the Victorian age?
Those who amassed great wealth in the Gilded Age.
Drew great praise from those who made their wealth at this time. Gilded Age industrial elites, such as steel magnate Andrew Carnegie, inventor Thomas Edison, and Standard Oil’s John D. Rockefeller, were among Spencer’s prominent followers.
Lynching is a mob killing of someone, oftentimes for a crime they cannot be proved to have committed. Lynching became an often-used way for White mobs to take the law into their own hands. How was lynching viewed by many White southerners?
As a spectacle and an event worth attending.
Lynchings could become carnivals, public spectacles attended by thousands of eager spectators. Rail lines ran special cars to accommodate the rush of participants. Vendors sold goods and keepsakes. Perpetrators posed for photos and collected mementos.
