Unit 8 Lesson 5: The Gilded Age Flashcards
What defined the Gilded Age
Corruption, or the use of power for personal gain, defined the Gilded Age.
Soon after the Cilvi War what were many high ranking federal officials involed in
the Crédit Mobilier scandal
What was Crédit Mobilier
Crédit Mobilier was the construction company that worked on the first transcontinental railroad.
What was the Crédit Mobilier scandal
It overcharged for work on the Union Pacific Railroad. The company then used some of the extra money to bribe federal officials into helping the railroad cover the cost overruns.
Who were some people invloved in the Crédit Mobilier scandal
Vice President Schuyler Colfax and many members of Congress were involved in the scandal.
When did the Crédit Mobilier scandal becoem public
1872
How did the Crédit Mobilier scandal affect Presdient Ulysses S. Grant
President Ulysses S. Grant’s reputation was damaged by the scandal, even though he was not directly involved.
What was the second major scandal that happened during Grant’s second term
Whiskey Ring
When was the Whiskey ring exposed
1875
Where was the Whiskey Ring
This was a plot that began in St. Louis, Missouri, but spread to many other cities.
What was the Whiskey Ring scandal
To avoid paying federal taxes, liquor distillers bribed government officials and other business owners.
How got blamed for the Whiskey Ring
Republicans controlled government at most levels after the Civil War, so the public blamed them for the corruption.
How did the Whiskey Ring affect democrats
This helped Democrats regain some of the political influence they had lost during Reconstruction.
Why is it corrupt for government officials to accept bribes?
When government officials accept bribes, they profit personally at the expense of the public they were elected to serve.
Why did members of the Whiskey Ring want to avoid paying federal taxes?
Distillers wanted to increase their profits.
After Lincoln’s assassination, the balance of power in Washington, D.C. began to shift. What does that sentence mean? Grants marked the begning of..
After Lincoln’s assassination, the balance of power in Washington, D.C. began to shift. Grant’s administration marked the beginning of an era of weak presidencies.
Were presidents during the gilded age able to win a big percentage of the popular vote
Most presidents in the Gilded Age struggled to earn more than 50 percent of the popular vote.
PResdients during the gilded age lacked mandate what does that mean
This meant that they lacked a mandate, or sufficient approval from voters to be confident that their parties’ platforms represented the voters’ interests.
How were member of congress mostlyly goign to intereact with the president
Members of Congress were more likely to oppose the policies of presidents who seemed to lack strong public support.
What happned during the election of 1876
After Grant left office, the election of 1876 ended with neither candidate having earned enough electoral votes to claim victory.
How did Rutherford. Hayes beceom presdient
Rutherford B. Hayes eventually took office under the Compromise of 1877, a backroom deal that shifted electoral votes in his favor.
How did South people feel about Rutherford B. Hayes election
Even though the compromise brought an end to Reconstruction in the South, many Democrats felt that they had been cheated. Their candidate, Samuel J. Tilden, had actually won the popular vote by over 300,000 votes and fallen just one electoral vote short of victory.
The power of later presidents was further eroded by many different factors. What were these facotrs?
All of them owed political favors. Some had their terms cut short by assassination or illness. Others were elected to just one term due to unpopular policies.
What dominated the government during the Gilded Age
For all of these reasons, Congress, not presidents, dominated the U.S. government in the Gilded Age. Big business campaign donors, in turn, dominated Congress.
Weak Presidencies:
- Ulysses S. Grant: plagued by scandals (Crédit Mobilier, Whiskey Ring); partly blamed for policies that helped cause the Panic of 1873
- Rutherford B. Hayes: lacked credibility due to taking office under the Compromise of 1877
- James A. Garfield: assassinated; died after just 200 days in office
- Chester A. Arthur: took office due to Garfield’s assassination; served just one term
- Grover Cleveland: served two terms, but nonconsecutively; blamed for weak federal response to the Depression of 1893
- Benjamin Harrison: served just one term; popularity damaged by high tariffs and high federal spending
- William McKinley: assassinated in the sixth month of his second term
Why might it matter if a president takes office without winning the popular vote?
U.S. presidential elections are decided by the electoral college, not the popular vote. However, presidents who fail to win the popular vote are sometimes thought to lack the mandate, or approval, of a majority of voters. A perceived lack of public support may embolden members of Congress to oppose a president’s policy goals.
How id the Compromise of 1877 influence politics in the Gilded age
. A backroom deal had decided the presidency and ended Reconstruction. What was to stop city and state governments from doing business the same way? Such dealmaking was not very democratic, but it did allow for fast solutions to pressing problems
What led to the rise of political machines
The chance to personally profit from these deals led to the rise of political machines.
What is a political machine
A political machine is a group that controls local politics by trading favors for influence or votes.
What tactics did politcal machiens use
Political machines often used illegal tactics such as bribery and voter fraud to achieve their goals. Sometimes they even resorted to violence.
What is an example of a political machine
One example of a political machine was a group aligned with the Democratic Party that operated out of New York City’s Tammany Hall.
What influence did the Tammy Hall have over
The Tammany Hall machine influenced politics in New York from the 1790s through the 1960s.
What other places did poltical machines emerge
Political machines also emerged in other large cities such as Boston, Philadelphia, Cleveland, St. Louis, and Kansas City.
Why did political machines become common during the Gilded Age?
Political machines offered quick solutions to pressing problems.
The Tammany Hall political machine became infamous for corruption under the leadership of
William M. Tweed
When was Boss Tweed elected to congress
Boss Tweed, as the press called him, was elected to the U.S. Congress in the 1850s
What government postions did Boss Tweed have
He went on to serve several terms in the New York state legislature. He also held positions on many different boards and commissions at the city and county level
What did Tweed control
Tweed controlled who got government contracts and jobs in New York City.
Waht did Tweed use to ahcive his goals
He sometimes used bribery to achieve his political goals.
How did Boss Tweed make a profit
He also profited by awarding government work to contractors who agreed to give him kickbacks
What is a kickback
A kickback is a form of bribery in which a portion of legally spent money is illegally returned to someone as part of a secret agreement.
How did Tweed earn money from contractos
Tweed hired contractors and overpaid them using city funds. Then the contractors secretly paid part of the extra money back to Tweed.
Who started realziing what Tweed was doing
Eventually government officials and the news media started to notice Tweed’s corrupt practices. Newspapers such as the New York Times began to report on Tweed’s activities.
Who was Thomas Nast
Thomas Nast, a political cartoonist for Harper’s Weekly magazine, also targeted Tweed. Nast was known for challenging bigotry and injustice with his satire.
What impact did Nast have
He helped turn public opinion against Tweed by mocking him and Tammany Hall in his cartoons.
What did invetigators suspect Tweed of doing
As public pressure against Tweed grew, investigators came to suspect that Tweed had stolen millions of dollars from New York City’s treasury.
What role in Samuel J. Tilden have in Tweeds case
. Samuel J. Tilden, the man who lost the presidential race to Hayes in the Compromise of 1877, led the effort to hold Tweed accountable for his crimes.
How many crimes was Tweed charged with
. Eventually, Tweed was charged with 120 counts of fraud and corruption
What was the end result of Tweed and his cirmes
He was convicted for his crimes, but escaped and fled to Spain. In the end, Spanish police identified Tweed after someone recognized his face from Thomas Nast’s cartoons. Spain sent him back to the United States, where he died in prison in 1878.
Who was the frist to use a spolils system
Andrew Jackson
What is a spoils system
A spoils system, sometimes called a patronage system, is the practice of naming family members, friends, and political supporters to posts regardless of their experience or skills.
What would president do other a spoils system and what mattered the most
Each new president would fire large numbers of federal employees and replace them with his own supporters. The most important qualification was that they support the president, not necessarily that they were good at the job they had been given.
What role did spoils system have on weak presidenecies
In this era of weak presidencies, the use of patronage was one of the few ways these presidents could assert control over the government.
Who won the elction of 1880
Republican James A. Garfield had won the presidential election of 1880. His running mate was Chester A. Arthur.
Who was Garfiled Charels Guiteat
A minor campaign supporter of Garfield, Charles Guiteau, expected Garfield to reward him with a job. Garfield enraged Guiteau by ignoring his demands
What happened in July of 1881
In July of 1881, Guiteau shot Garfield in the back. Garfield died two months later after the wound became infected. He had only been president for 200 days.
Why did Cehster A Arthur actions surpirse many
Chester A. Arthur, became president. Arthur took office without owing many political favors. This gave him a unique chance to enact reforms. He surprised both parties by pushing for changes in federal hiring practices.
Artuhr sigined the Pendleton Civil Service Act in 1883 what did it do
This law limited the spoils system by requiring some federal jobs to be awarded based on a merit-based civil service exam. Presidents could still choose whoever they wanted, but nominees had to show they had the education, experience, and skills needed to do the job well before taking office.
Why is a merit-based civil service system more likely to serve the public good than a spoils system?
People who are hired under a merit-based system have the education, experience, and skills necessary to perform their jobs effectively. Under the spoils system, presidents often hired people who were loyal to them, even if they weren’t qualified.
What else did Presdeitn Aruther reform during his presidency
In addition to civil service reform, President Arthur also tried to reform tariffs.
What is a tariff
A tariff is a tax on imports or exports.
Why have tariffs been a long source of deabte
Business leaders pressured politicians to raise tariffs. They wanted to ensure that people bought American-made goods rather than imports. Working-class families and farmers wanted lower tariffs to reduce prices. Lower prices would increase their buying power.
Why was the Tariff Commission in 1882made
. Concern for poor workers and farmers led Arthur to create the U.S. Tariff Commission in 1882.
Waht did the Tariff Comssion in 1882 reveal
The commission investigated rising tariff rates and found evidence of illegal deals.
How did President Arther respond to the results of the Tarifff Commsions in 1882 what was the Mongreal Tariff of 1883
It called for a 25 percent rollback in most tariffs, but the most Arthur could get from Congress was the so-called Mongrel Tariff of 1883, which lowered tariff rates by just 5 percent.
What was an imporant econmic issue of the Gilded age
Another important economic issue of the Gilded Age was monetary policy.
What was the monetary police
Monetary policy is the process through which the government can influence the nation’s economy through changes in the money supply and the availability of credit.
What was a major concern for faremrs
The issue of gold versus silver as the basis of U.S. currency was a major concern for many farmers.
Industrialization had led to great increases in farm productivity. But hwo did htis impact farmers neagtively
. However, the more farmers produced, the less valuable their crops became due to oversupply. In addition, many farmers owed large debts from buying new farm equipment and paying the high prices railroad companies demanded for shipping farm products.
What did famers neeed to help with there debt
Farmers needed more money in circulation, whether it was paper or silver, to create inflationary pressure. This would allow prices on the crops they produced to increase. As a result, farmers could earn more money and pay down debt more quickly.
However, the government insisted on the gold standard. It stopped using silver for money altogether in 1873. Who did this impact
This position helped increase the profits of businesses based on foreign trade. It also drove farmers and working-class Americans deeper into debt
Why did American business owners favor high tariffs on foreign goods?
High tariffs made foreign goods more expensive. This made people more likely to buy goods from American business owners than foreign goods.
How did high tariffs affect farmers and working-class people?
High tariffs reduced their buying power and raised their cost of living.
Why did farmers want to cause inflation by increasing the money supply?
Farmers wanted to increase the value of farm products so they could earn more money for their labor. This would help them repay their debts more quickly.
What negtiave impact did railroads have
Railroads were a major force for economic growth in the Gilded Age. The Panic of 1873
Wh
What was the Panic of 1873
The Panic of 1873 was an economic downturn caused by banks that invested too much in railroads. Banks began to run low on cash reserves.
What triggered bank runs
When the federal government demonetized silver in 1873, the cash crunch began to trigger bank runs.
What is a bacnk run
. A bank run is a panic in which so many depositors withdraw so much money that the bank runs out of money and collapses.
What was sitituion of bacnks like during 1873
The banks that did survive often had little money to lend.
What negative impact did the panic of 1873 have
This slowed new business start-ups and left existing businesses unable to expand their operations.
During the panic of 1873 what also influnced the econmy negatively
. Tariffs also played a role in slowing the economy because they reduced foreign trade.
Impact sof the panic of 1873 on epople
Railroads failed, factories closed, and workers lost their jobs.
What was the New York Stock Exchange clsoed
The New York Stock Exchange was shut down for 10 days to save the market from completely collapsing.
Global impacts of the PAnic of 1873
These economic problems spread to Europe, further slowing the global economy. Conditions did not begin to improve until 1879.
How did the Depression of 1893 happen
they overinvested in the railroads. Bank reserves were low because so much money was tied up in railroad stocks. Many railroads went bankrupt. Related industries such as steel mills also suffered losses. Low cash reserves caused bank runs and another credit crunch. Low gold reserves in the U.S. Treasury added to the turmoil. The same cycle of farm and business failures, rising unemployment, and slowing foreign trade that had happened in 1873 repeated itself.
What was the depression of 1893
This economic downturn, which lasted from 1893 until 1897, became known as the Depression of 1893.
Which was worse the panic of 1873 or the depression of 1893
Economic conditions grew far worse than they had in 1873. In 1890, the U.S. had a low unemployment rate of about four percent. Estimates vary, but by 1894, the jobless rate had grown as high as 18.4 percent. Unemployment did not return to pre-depression levels until 1900. Homelessness became widespread in most major cities.
What helped to cause both the Panic of 1873 and the Depression of 1893?
over-investment in railroad stocks, low bank reserves, bank runs
How do bank runs make economic problems worse?
Bank runs cause banks to fail. When banks fail, other businesses struggle to find the credit and investment money they need to operate. Without access to these funds, a cycle of business failures may spread throughout the economy.
Why did congres pass the Sherman Silver Purchse Act in 1890
In 1890, Congress passed the Sherman Silver Purchase Act to help farmers and workers who were struggling with debt.
What was the Sherman Silver Ousrchse Act
Under this law, the government would buy silver and issue silver-backed dollars to increase the money supply.
What did the Sherman Silver Purchasae act backfrie
It backfired when investors began to buy silver and trade it for gold dollars that they then resold at a profit. Due to this practice, the U.S. Treasury was soon running low on gold reserves.
In repsonse to the US Treasury running low on gld PResident Grover Clevand repaled the Sherman Silver Purshace act what effect did this hve
In 1893, President Grover Cleveland pushed through a repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act. The value of silver-backed dollars plunged. As a result, the working-class debt crisis grew even worse.
How did Americna people feel about the govement by 1893
They felt that the government should not intervene in the economy. As people became increasingly desperate, much of the public began to view their leaders as weak, ineffective, and driven mainly by self-interest.
