The Guilded Ages 1877-90 Flashcards
What was Rutherford B Hayes like as president ?
-president from 1877-1881
-wanted to break free from the spoils system and have people being appointed through a merit system instead of corruption
- weakened his presidency by stating he only wanted to do 1 term
- in 1877 railroad strike Hayes was prepared to send troops
What was James Garfield like as a president ?
-in office from 180-81
-strengthened feudal authority over New York Custom House and fought with the Stalwarts
- forced resignation of corrupt ring leader of the star routes Thomas Grey
-Failed to give Stalwarts the rewards they expected for their campaign support
What was Chester Arthur like as president ?
-continued civil service reform, with the Pendleton act of 1883 the first act marking a change in the spoil system
-sadly the Pendleton act only covered 14,000 federal officers so future presidents could extend the list and protect their opponents also meant they heavily relied on campaign and business contributions
What was Grover Cleveland’s like as a president
- democrat
-doubled the number of classified jobs but replaced 2/3 of them with democrats - he was opposed to government regulation in big businesses
-vetoed pension bill for the relief of farmers
What were robber barons ?
-big businessmen who controlled the industry in America
-Benefited from Laizzes faire”
-corrupt methods
Who was Andrew Carnige ?
-big businessmen who sold iron and used the profits from selling iron to invest in an ironwork
- he used British Bessemer converters to make better and cheaper steel from iron
-vertical intergartion
Who was Cornelius Vanderbilt ?
-robber baron, who consolidated the railroad system to cut operation costs
-established standard track gauge with double tracked lines, replaced iron with steel
-Ruthless leader who corrupted legislatures
Who was John D Rockefeller ?
-Robber Baron, practiced vertical integration, reorganising the oil industry and controlling all means of production
-Ruthlessly bought out rivals, price-slashed and black mailed companies
-in 1872 standard oil was set up and by 10 years became the first trust
Who was John peirpoint Morgan?
-Robber Baron, in 1871 started his own banking company “J.P Morgan and Co”.
-used his financial power to force companies to stop destructive practices,
-in 1890s he helped reorganise the railroads, making lots of money
When was the national labour union established ?
-1866
What was the Baltimore and Ohio railroad strike ?
-1877 the company announced a pay cut which angered workers causing them to strike,
-workers from rival companies joined the strike and workers started to attack railroad yards, burning trains and tarring up tracks
-the worst was in Pittsburgh where a group of 5,000 attacked 700 federal troops on pitch
-military forces eventually restored
What is the Wabash railroad strike?
-1885, Wabash railroad tried to break a union, the knights of labour walked out with sympathy and within days the entire south-west was paralysed forcing Wabash to negotiate
What was the Haymarket roit?
-1886, an rally for 8 hour work days in Chicago Haymarket square turned violent, police officers died and a lot were hurt
What was Laizzes faire capitalism ?
-there is 2 areas of Laizzes fair capitalism does not mean free market:
1. Tarries: the import and export of duties governing the movement of goods and raw materials
2. Corporations were free to distort the market where they wished to
What were the immigration pull factors ?
-immigrants saw advertisements in phamlets on trains for migrating to America
-railroad low ratings to get travel
