Quiz thing Flashcards
Railroad Subsidies/Credit Mobilier Scandal
1870 - Railroads, esp Union Pacific and Central Pacific, paid off government officials. Congressmen all wanted more land & stocks, so they voted to give the railroad more land.
- Owned in a checkerboard pattern
Whiskey Ring Scandal
1875 - Members of Treasury & Pres. Grants private secretary, Babcock, stole taxes on distilled whiskey in St. Louis. Babcock was given a Presidential pardon
- Grant should have gotten in trouble
Belknap Scandal
1876 - Sec. of War Belknap was selling “Indian trainer positions” to the highest bidder. These people would then steal money.
- Tied to the Plains Indians Wars
- Army hated the scandal since their men had to die for a dumb reason
Pendleton Act
1883 - Civil service act from when Chester Arthur was President. Ended the spoils system
- Result of Garfield’s assassination
Half-Breeds
Supported civil service reform and awarding jobs based on merit, opposed the spoils system and patronage
- Garfield was voted for as a compromise
Stalwarts
Supported the spoils system and patronage, opposed civil service reform.
- Supported Grant & his administration
- Decline began with the Pendleton Act
- Garfield was voted for as a compromise
Tariff Issue
One major economic issue. Consumers did not want higher tariffs, big business did.
- Democrats were against it
- Republicans were for it
Gold Standard vs. Greenback
One major economic issue. Gold Standard backed the paper US currency, Greenbacks were not backed by gold or silver.
- Gold Standard was supported by upper & middle classes
-Greenbacks were supported by poor workers & farmers
Garfield Assassination
1881, killed by a man who was upset he did not get the government job he wanted. Led to the Pendleton Act.
- Charles Guiteau wanted to “fix the Republican party”
First Democratic President since 1856
1884 - Grover Cleveland, won due to liberal Republicans
- Laissez-Faire presidency
- Supported gold standard
- Scandal about his paying child support
Interstate Commerce Act
1887 - Full time committee that looks for corruption in business
Sherman Antitrust Act
Stopped capitalists from starting huge business monopolies, attacked labor unions at first
Billion-Dollar Congress
Republican administration, first time Congress spent 1 billion in a year
- Also first time in peace-time debt
Andrew Carnegie
Used vertical consolidation in his Carnegie Steel business. “Gospel of Wealth” - gave away much of his money in support of libraries, peforming arts, etc.
John D. Rockefeller
Used horizontal consolidation in his Standard Oil business.
