Slide 1:Gilded Age Politics


Slide 2:The "Politics of Equilibrium"


Slide 3:1. A Two-Party Stalemate


Slide 4:Two-Party “Balance”


Slide 5:2. Intense Voter Loyalty to theTwo MajorPolitical Parties


Slide 6:3. Well-Defined Voting Blocs DemocraticBloc RepublicanBloc White southerners (preservation of white supremacy) Catholics Recent immigrants (esp. Jews) Urban working poor (pro-labor) Most farmers Northern whites (pro-business) African Americans Northern Protestants Old WASPs (support for anti-immigrant laws) Most of the middle class


Slide 7:4. Very Laissez Faire Federal Govt. From 1870-1900 ? Govt. did very little domestically. Main duties of the federal govt.: Deliver the mail. Maintain a national military. Collect taxes & tariffs. Conduct a foreign policy. Exception ? administer the annual Civil War veterans’ pension.


Slide 8:5. The Presidency as a Symbolic Office Party bosses ruled. Presidents should avoid offending any factions within their own party. The President just doled out federal jobs. Senator Roscoe Conkling 1865 ? 53,000 people worked for the federal govt. 1890 ? 166,000 “ “ “ “ “ “


Slide 9:1880 Presidential Election: Republicans Half Breeds Stalwarts Sen. James G. Blaine Sen. Roscoe Conkling (Maine) (New York) James A. Garfield Chester A. Arthur (VP) compromise


Slide 10:1880 Presidential Election: Democrats


Slide 11:Inspecting the Democratic Curiosity Shop


Slide 12:1880 Presidential Election


Slide 13:1881: Garfield Assassinated! Charles Guiteau:I Am a Stalwart, and Arthur is President now!


Slide 14:Chester A. Arthur:The Fox in the Chicken Coup?


Slide 15:Pendleton Act (1883) Civil Service Act. The “Magna Carta” of civil service reform. 1883 ? 14,000 out of 117,000 federal govt. jobs became civil service exam positions. 1900 ? 100,00 out of 200,00 civil service federal govt. jobs.


Slide 16:Republican “Mugwumps” Reformers who wouldn’t re-nominate Chester A. Arthur. Reform to them ? create a disinterested, impartial govt. run by an educated elite like themselves. Social Darwinists. Laissez faire government to them: Favoritism & the spoils system seen as govt. intervention in society. Their target was political corruption, not social or economic reform!


Slide 17:TheMugwumps Men may come and men may go, but the work of reform shall go on forever. Will support Cleveland in the 1884 election.


Slide 18:1884 Presidential Election Grover Cleveland James Blaine * (DEM) (REP)


Slide 19:A Dirty Campaign Ma, Ma…where’s my pa?He’s going to the White House, ha… ha… ha…!


Slide 20:Little Lost Mugwump Blaine in 1884


Slide 21:Rum, Romanism & Rebellion! Led a delegation of ministers to Blaine in NYC. Reference to the Democratic Party. Blaine was slow to repudiate the remark. Narrow victory for Cleveland [he wins NY by only 1149 votes!]. Dr. Samuel Burchard


Slide 22:1884 Presidential Election


Slide 23:Cleveland’s First Term The “Veto Governor” from New York. First Democratic elected since 1856. A public office is a public trust! His laissez-faire presidency: Opposed bills to assist the poor as well as the rich. Vetoed over 200 special pension bills for Civil War veterans!


Slide 24:Bravo, Señor Clevelando!


Slide 25:The Tariff Issue After the Civil War, Congress raised tariffs to protect new US industries. Big business wanted to continue this; consumers did not. 1885 ? tariffs earned the US $100 mil. In surplus! Mugwumps opposed it ? WHY??? President Cleveland’s view on tariffs???? Tariffs became a major issue in the 1888 presidential election.


Slide 26:Filing the Rough Edges Tariff of 1888


Slide 27:1888 Presidential Election Grover Cleveland Benjamin Harrison (DEM) * (REP)


Slide 28:Coming Out for Harrison


Slide 29:The Smallest Specimen Yet


Slide 30:1888 Presidential Election


Slide 31:Disposing the Surplus


Slide 32:Changing Public Opinion Americans wanted the federal govt. to deal with growing soc. & eco. problems & to curb the power of the trusts: Interstate Commerce Act – 1887 Sherman Antitrust Act – 1890 McKinley Tariff – 1890 Based on the theory that prosperity flowed directly from protectionism. Increased already high rates another 4%! Rep. Party suffered big losses in 1890 (even McKinley lost his House seat!).


Slide 33:1892 Presidential Election Grover Cleveland Benjamin Harrison again! * (DEM) (REP)


Slide 34:1892 Presidential Election


Slide 35:Cleveland Loses Support Fast! The only President to serve two non- consecutive terms. Blamed for the 1893 Panic. Defended the gold standard. Used federal troops in the 1894 Pullman strike. Refused to sign the Wilson-Gorman Tariff of 1894. Repealed the Sherman Silver Purchase Act.


Slide 36:The Silver Issue “Crime of ’73” ? demonetization of silver (govt. stopped coining silver). Bland-Allison Act (1878) ? limited silver coinage to $2-$4 mil. per mo. (based on the 16:1 ratio of silver to gold). Sherman Silver Purchase Act (1890) The US Treasury must purchase $4.5 mil. oz. of silver a month. Govt. deposited most silver in the US Treasury rather than circulation.


Slide 37:The Sherman Silver Purchase Act