CHAPTERS 20-21The Emergence of Urban America and the Gilded Age
The Emergence of Urban America
Chapter 20
America’s Move to Town
Explosive Urban Growth 1860-1910 population growth: 6 million to 44
million Majority lived in Urban areas
America’s Move to Town
America’s Move to Town
America’s Move to Town
America’s Move to Town
The Allure and Problems of the Cities Unregulated urban growth created problems in
sanitation, health and morale Mortality rates Cholera, yellow fever and typhoid
Immigration
Steerage Deck on the S.S. Pennland, 1893.
Immigration
Registration Room at Ellis Island: 29 questions, “are you a polygamist?”
Immigration
Immigration Restriction Immigrant communities Nativist groups
Immigrants are dangerous Work for substandard wages Religious prejudice
Congress Overturned Chester Arthur’s veto of the Chinese
Exclusion Act Federal law limiting immigration on the basis of race and
class
Popular Culture
A Reading Public Newspapers
Openly partisan
Vaudeville Variety show: comedy, music, dance
Saloon Culture Social club for poor Women segregated in smaller rooms
Popular Culture
Popular Culture
Outdoor Recreation Relieved congestion of urban life New York’s Central Park established in 1858 Bicycle: 1870’s
Working Women and Leisure Church organizations Small groups
Popular Culture
Wheeling
Popular Culture
Spectator Sports Football, Basketball, Baseball
White players only African Americans in separate leagues Urban base in large cities
Popular Culture
Steeplechase Park: Coney Island, NY
Popular Culture
Baseball Card: 1887
Education and Social Thought
The Spread of Public Education Prior to Civil War
Education in private academies often centered around a religious denomination
Post Civil War Vocational training Morrill Act of 1862: Land Grant Colleges--30,000
Acres per representative to teach agriculture and mechanics
Vocational Training & “Americanize” Immigrants
Education and Social Thought
Education and Social Thought
Pragmatism William James:
ideas gain validity from their social consequences and practical applications
Social Darwinism
Application by of Darwin’s theory to social issues Man’s better
characteristics could be passed on
Man can manipulate society so that best men thrive
THE GILDED AGE
Chapter 21
What does “The Gilded Age” Mean?
Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today (1893) King John by William Shakespeare (1595
"To gild refined gold, to paint the lily... is wasteful and ridiculous excess.“
A poor copy of the real thing: a thin layer of gold over metal or wood
Widespread corruption in public life: some live well and others pay for it
“The Bosses of the Senate,” 1889
Politics is Personal
Political party affiliations went back generations Both major parties had similar platforms so they relied
on personal attacks on candidates Cities often more powerful than state governments due
to party machines Patronage
Republicans: Protestant, British, Scottish descent, African Americans Dominated national politics
Democrats: Everybody else, the South Local and state governments were main taxing
authority and spending authority Patronage
Rutherford B. Hayes & Civil Service Reform
Attempted to abolish “spoils system” Republican Party conflicts
Stalwarts & Half Breeds Roscoe Conkling
Elect Grant for 3rd term James Blaine
Reform candidate for Republican nominee
Election of 1880
Republican Ticket James Garfield (Half-Breed) Chester A. Arthur (Stalwart)
Democratic Ticket Winfield Scott Hancock William English
de Thulstrup, Thur. “Miss Columbia (to General H_____).” Harper's Weekly July 24, 1880, 465
Woolf, Michael Angelo. “Exultant Tammanyite.” Harper’s Weekly October 30, 1880, 695.
de Thulstrup, Thur. “The Friend of the Freedmen.” Harper's Weekly October 23, 1880, 685.
Keppler, Joseph. “Just the Difference.” "Puck." July 28, 1880, 43.
Nast, Thomas, “The Plumed Knight.” Harper's Weekly. June 5, 1880, 353.
Keppler, Joseph. “A Merry Christmas to All.” “Puck." December 22, 1880, 45.
Political PartyPresidential Nom. VP Nom. # % # %
Republican James A. Garfield
Chester A. Arthur
214 58.0 4,453,611 48.3
Democratic Winfield S. Hancock
William English
155 42.04,445,25
648.2
July 2, 1881
President Garfield assassinated by Charles Julius Guiteau at the Baltimore and Potomac Rail Station in Washington D.C.
President James Garfield
Charles Julius Guiteau
Diagram of the Train Stationhttp://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/guiteau/diagram.JPG
To General Sherman: I have just shot the President. I shot him several times as I wished him to go as easily as possible. His death was a political necessity.
I am a lawyer, theologian, and politician. I am a Stalwart of the Stalwarts. I was with General Grant and the rest of our men, in New York during the canvass.
I am going to the Jail. Please order out your troops, and take possession of the jail at once. Very respectfully, Charles Guiteau.
Answer note by General Sherman addressed from "Headquarters of the Army, Washington, DC. July 2, 1881, "in which he states that "I don't know the writer. Never heard of or saw him to my knowledge..."
Guiteau’s Brain , The College of Physicians of Philadelphia https://www.google.com/search?q=Charles+Guiteau's+brain&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=4PUwUu6NL8fh4AO9koHwAw&ved=0CDIQsAQ&biw=1523&bih=815&dpr=1#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=OBN7Grl4nrllyM%3A%3B9zYWpq5r7POiCM%3Bhttps%253A%252F%252Fsphotos-a-ord.xx.fbcdn.net%252Fhphotos-ash3%252Fp480x480%252F1240429_10151852732879134_1581301207_n.jpg%3Bhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.facebook.com%252Fcollegeofphysicians%3B480%3B480
Chester A. Arthur
Passed the Pendleton Civil Service Act 1884 election
Republicans dumped Arthur & nominated James Blaine
Election of 1884
Republican Ticket: James Blaine Mugwumps: published embarrassing letters
showing Blaine in the pocket of Railroad barons
Democratic Ticket: Grover Cleveland Cleveland had an illegitimate child
Media Frenzy
Nast, Thomas. “Death Before Dishonor.” Harper’s Weekly.” June 21, 1884, 396-397.
Gillam, Bernhard. “Love’s Labor Lost.” Puck May 7, 1884, 160
“Ma! Ma! Where’s My Pa?”
Beard, Frank. “Another VoiceFor Cleveland.” Judge, September 27, 1884, xii.
“Gone to the White House. Ha! Ha! Ha!”
Nast, Thomas. “What It Means.” Harper’s Weekly, November 15,1884, 747.
Political Party Presidential Nom. VP Nom. # % # %
Democratic Grover Cleveland
Thomas Hendricks
219 54.6 4,915,586 48.9
Republican James G. BlaneJohn Logan
182 45.4 4,852,916 48.2
Grover Cleveland
The Tariff
Primary revenue source for Federal government. Issue: Did Tariff create the big Trusts (Monopolies)?
Less competition = higher prices for big business Cleveland argued that the tariffs were too high and
must be lowered Election of 1888
Grover Cleveland vs. Benjamin Harrison Democrats favored lowering the tariff Republicans favored keeping the tariff Republicans raised the most cash
Cleveland won the popular vote Harrison won the Electoral vote
Democratic Grover Cleveland Allen Thurman 168 41.95,539,118 48.6
Republican Benjamin Harrison Levi Morton 233 58.15,449,825 47.8
Harrison Presidency
Secretary of State: James Blaine former Republican Candidate for President
Sherman Anti-Trust Act Forbade contracts, combinations or
conspiracies in restraint of trade to create monopolies
Vague wording and difficult to enforce
What Form of Currency Should be Accepted?
Specie: money made out of a precious metal Gold Silver: opposed by many because it would add
more money to the supply and make the money in circulation worth less
Mint Act of 1792 mandate: weight of one silver dollar = weight of a gold dollar 1837 money based on a silver standard 1873: silver coinage dropped Currency supply failed to keep up with
population growth
Agrarian Protest Movements
Farmers debts rose as crop prices dropped domestic overproduction increasing international competition
Tariff paid double taxes on domestic produce shipped overseas
Congress failed to act
I Feed You All
Granger Movement & Farmers’ Alliances
The National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry (The Grange) 1886 first attempt by farmers to form a
political alliance Farmers’ Alliances
Collectives & cooperatives: community stores, warehouses and debt repayment
Avoid middlement
Farm Politics and Populist Party Farmers political action: local South: Democratic voting blocks of farmers won
elections at state and national congressional level 1892 Association of farmers, labor and reform
groups formed the People’s Party aka Populist Party 1892 Populist Party Candidate for President: James
B. Weaver Republican Nominee: Benjamin Harrison Democratic Nominee: Grover Cleveland Cleveland won both electoral and popular vote
Grover Cleveland Adlai E. Stevenson 277 62.4 5,554,61746.0
Benjamin Harrison Whitelaw Reid 145 32.7 5,186,79343.0
James Weaver James Field 22 5.0 1,029,3578.5
Depression of 1893
Philadelphia & Reading RR declared bankruptcy just before Cleveland was sworn into office
Overextended banks and smaller RR companies
Economic panic lasted 4 years Unemployment rate: 20%
New York Stock Exchange on Friday, May 5, 1893
International Economic Crisis Great Britain still global financial center Failure of Large British Bank caused British
investors to sell holdings in U.S. for gold This drained U.S. gold supply making
shortage of currency greater Silver interests claimed coinage of silver
would end the panic 1896 Election
William McKinley, R William Jennings Bryan, D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeTkT5-w5RA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeTkT5-w5RA
Election of 1896
Race Relations
Wilmington, North Carolina African American majority 1894 & 1896 African Americans joined with
Republicans and Populists to choose a slate of elected officials
November 10, 1898 2,000 white men and boys rampaged through
town destroying African American businesses and killing at least 100 African Americans
Forced newly elected officials out of office replacing them with Democrats
Wilmington On Fire
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbE0R2-kzD4
Ida B. Wells
IDA B. WELLS
Booker T. Washington
W.E. B. Du Bois
Bibliography I
de Thulstrup, Thur. “The Friend of the Freedmen.” Harper's Weekly October 23, 1880, 685.
de Thulstrup, Thur. “Miss Columbia (to General H_____).” Harper's Weekly July 24, 1880, 465.
Gillam, Bernhard. “Love’s Labor Lost.” Puck May 7, 1884, 160 Keppler, Joseph. “Just the Difference.” "Puck." July 28, 1880, 43. Keppler, Joseph. “A Merry Christmas to All.” “Puck." December 22, 1880, 45. Nast, Thomas, “The Plumed Knight.” Harper's Weekly. June 5, 1880, 353. Nast, Thomas. “Death Before Dishonor.” Harper’s Weekly.” June 21, 1884, 396-
397. Nast, Thomas. “Death Before Dishonor.” Harper’s Weekly.” June 21, 1884, 396-
397. Nast, Thomas. “What It Means.” Harper’s Weekly, November 15, 1884, 747. Woolf, Michael Angelo. “Exultant Tammanyite.” Harper’s Weekly October 30,
1880, 695. Bell, Charles Milton. “Chester A. Arthur.” 1882. Library of Congress (Public
Domain).
Bibliography II
Unknown. Ida B. Wells, Wells, Ida B. Southern Horrors, Lynch Law in All its
Phases. New York Age Print, 1892 Unknown. Booker T. Washington Library of Congress
(Public Domain) Purdy, J.E. W.E.B. DuBois. (1904) Library of Congress,
(Public Domain). Unknown. “The Vampire that Hovers Over North
Carolina.” Raleigh News and Observer, September 27, 1898 (Public Domain)
Cronenberg, Henry. “Armed Rioters in Front of Press Building,” November 10, 1898 (Public Domain)