Gilded Age Politics1870 - 1900

A Two Party Stalemate

Few economic differences between Democrats and Republicans

Well-Defined Voting Blocs

Democrats White Southerners Catholics Recent Immigrants Urban Pro-Labor Farmers

Republicans Northern Protestants Anti-Immigration Nativists Middle-Class

This caused high voter turnout and partisan voting!

Laissez-faire Federal Government 1870 - 1900

Accomplished little domestically Main duties of the Federal Government

Delivered Mail Maintained Military Collected Taxes and Tariffs Conducted Foreign Policy Administered Civil War Veteran’s Pension

Issues

Monetary Policy Regulation of Big Business Tariff Policy Railroad Regulations Labor Regulations Women’s Suffrage Farm Problems Civil Service Reform American Imperialism

Presidency as Symbolic Office Party bosses

ruled! President

should avoid offending factions within their own party.

Doled out federal jobs.

“The President should merely obey and enforce the law.” –Senator John Sherman of Ohio

How was it that leaders who failed to address the ‘real issues’ of the day presided over the most highly organized and politically active electorate in American history?

No chief executive between Lincoln and T. Roosevelt could be described as a strong president!

1865- 53,000 people worked for the federal government

1890 – 166,000 people worked for the federal government

1876 Election- one of the most disputed and

controversial elections in US History

Hayes Prevails

Sammy Tilden—Boo-Hoo! Ruthy Hayes’s got my Presidency, and he won’t give it to me!

Rutherford B. Hayes (R)

1877 - 1881

“Compromise of 1877” -end of Reconstruction

“Party of Morality”

Limited Vision of Government’s Role

Great RR Strike of 1877

1878 --> Bland-Allison Act

Lemonade Lucy

Split within the Republican Party

Stalwarts

Sen. Roscoe Conkling (New York)

Wanted Grant for 3rd Term

Favored Machine Politics/ Spoils System

Half-Breeds

Sen. James Blaine (Maine)

Support for Civil Service Reform

James A. Garfield (R) 1881

compromise

candidate assassinated

Chester A. Arthur (R) 1881 - 1884

1882 --> Tariff Commission

1883 --> Pendleton Act (Civil Reform)

Grover Cleveland (D)1885 - 1888

“Ma, Ma, where’s my Pa? Gone to the White House, ha, ha, ha!”

laissez-faire Democrat

attacked tariffs

1886 --> Haymarket Riot

1887 --> Interstate Commerce Act

MUGWUMPS

Election of 1888 Tariffs major issue of election

Benjamin Harrison (R)1889 - 1892

1889 --> Farmers Alliance

curbs on big business (1890): 1. Sherman Anti-Trust

Act 2. McKinley Tariff Act 3. Sherman Silver

Purchase Act

1892 --> Homestead Strike

TARIFFS

Billion Dollar Congress

Grover Cleveland (D)1893 - 1896

Panic of 1893 [BIG depression!]

1894 --> Pullman Strike

1894 --> Wilson-Gorman Tariff

1895 --> E. C. Knight Co. v. US

POPULISM

William McKinley (R)1897 - 1901

1898 --> Spanish-American War

1899 --> Gold Standard Act

1899 --> Open Door Policy

1900 --> Boxer Rebellion in China

1901 --> assassinated

BIMETTALISM

Corruption