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Gilded Age Politics• Forgettable presidents• Stalemate/gridlock/divided gov’t
• WHY? Political ideology, campaign tactics, party patronage• No 2 consecutive terms• Politicians ignore problems• Do little gov’t: laissez-faire• Game of gaining office and giving jobs
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Campaign Strategy• Close elections-D & R did not take positions on issues• Election Campaigns
• Bands, flags, parades, buttons, picnics, free beer, speeches• Strength : Dem-cities, Rep-State
• Rep: Upper/Middle white protestants, AA• Dem: Solid South, political machines, immigrants, states’
rights, limited gov’t
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Party Patronage/Spoil System
• Patronage- giving jobs to ppl you know• Party loyalty
• Roscoe Conkling (R)- NY Senator• Stalwart (spoil)
• James Blaine• Halfbreeds (no spoil)
• Mugwumps
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Rutherford B. Hayes• Compromise of 1877• Reestablish an honest gov’t
• Temperance reformer• Lemonade Lucy (wife, no alcohol to White House)
• Vetoed Chinese immigration
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James Garfield
• Ohio• Halfbreed• VP: Chester Arthur, stalwart
• Ppl flocked to DC for jobs (100,000 jobs)
• Charles Guiteau, stalwart killed Garfield 1881
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Chester Arthur
• Distanced from himself from Stalwarts
• Supported Civil Service
• Approved the development of modern US Navy
• Questioned high protective tariffs
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Grover Cleveland
• Honest, frugal• NY Gov• 1st Dem since 1856• Limited gov’t• Interstate Commerce Act 1887 (ICC)• Fairs just and
reasonable
• Dawes Act 1887• Money Issue
• Also # 24th
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Money Supply Problems• Question: Whether or not to expand the money supply?
• Created tension between the haves and have nots
• Expansion of $$$$• Debtors, farmers, start-up businesses• Help them get $ lower interest rates• Create inflation, easier to pay off loans faster
• NO Expansion of $$$• Bankers, creditors, investors, established businesses• Wanted dollars back by gold, would hold value against inflation• Having less in circulation would raise/keep value
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Monetary & Tariff IssuesMonetary
• Civil War: Greenbacks• Post Civil War: Retired• Crime of 1873: stopped
silver coinage• Bland-Allison Tariff (1878):
allowed limited coinage of silver each month
• Rep: less money circulating• Dem: more money
circulating
Tariff• Issue in 1888• Rep: High Tariffs
• Allow industries to grow
• Dem: Low Tariffs• Increase prices of goods
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Benjamin Harrison
• 5’6 “Little Ben”
• Grandson of William Henry Harrison
• High Tariff
• Republican dominated Congress 1889-1891
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Republican Dominance
• An active Congress (Billion-dollar Congress)• McKinley Tariff 1890 (high tax on imports)• Increase monthly pension to vets• Sherman Antitrust Act 1890
• outlawing monopolies (trusts)
• Sherman Silver Purchase Act 1890• Increased coinage of silver (small amounts)
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Farmers Face Problems• Price of cotton• Abundance caused prices to drop
• Big business blamed (railroad)
• High interest loans • Created farmer debt
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Populist Party (1892)• Who are they?
• National Farmers Alliance• 1 million supporters
• What did they support/want?
1. Direct selection of Senators (17th Amendment)
2. Lower tariffs
3. Graduated income tax
4. New banking system
• Why did they form?– Discontent farmers
– Agrarian industry & wealth distribution
• Political Platform• Unlimited silver• Public ownership of
railroads, telegraph, telephone systems
• 8 hour work days• Loans for farmers
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Election of 1892
• James Weaver • (P)- 1 Million votes
• Rematch
• Cleveland won- McKinley Tariff was unpopular!
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Panic of 1893…CAUSES• Over-speculation• Collapse of railroad industry
• Silver Mines= Drop in value
• Repeal of Sherman Silver Purchase Act
• McKinley Tariff 1890
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still going ‘til 1897!EFFECTS• High unemployment (20%)
• High foreclosures• Protests• Strikes• JP Morgan to the “rescue” with gold
• Grover blamed
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During the Panic…• Wilson-Gorman Tariff (1894-
1895)• Moderate reduction of tariff• 2% income tax on $2,000• Average American < $1,000
• Coxey’s Army- The jobless on the march• 1894, Jacob Coxey (P) leads
thousands to DC• Demands gov’t to spend money on
public works to create jobs
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1896: A Turning Point?!?• Cleveland’s handling of economy hindered party• 1894: Republican Congress• Populist on the rise
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Election of 1896Democrats• Split b/w gold and silver
• Convention dominated by pro-silver advocates
• Unlimited coinage of silver (united Populists)
Republicans• William McKinley (Ohio)
• High tariff • Blamed Dems for Panic
• Gold Standard
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Campaigning for 1896 Election
Democrats• Bryan travelled • Gave +600 speeches• Young, energetic, positive attitude, good orator
Republicans• Marcus Hanna
• In charge of donations• Spent $ on propaganda
• McKinley travelled less• Front-porch campaign
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William McKinley
• Bryan lost b/c• Rise in wheat prices • N employers threatening
employees• No state in NE
• Took office as economy was recovering
• 1897: Gold discoveries in Alaska (led to inflation)
• Dingley Tariff 1897• Gold Standard• Isolation-foreign relations• President during the
Spanish-American War