The Gilded Age 1POLITICS, IMMIGRATION,

AND URBAN LIFE HUSH Unit 7

THE GILDED AGE The Period between 1877–1900 is

known as “The Gilded Age” Gilded means covered in a thin layer of

gold Term first used by American writer Mark

Twain During the Gilded Age, America‘s big

businesses prospered Beneath this layer of prosperity were

the problems of poverty, discrimination and corruption

POLITICS and ECONOMICSIN THE GILDED AGE

During the late 1800s, big business attempted to dominated American economics and politics Laissez-Faire economics Spoils system/patronage-based politics

The Way We Were in  The Gilded Age: 1877-1901

Who We Were How We Lived

             1880 1890 1900                          1880 1890 1900

  Population (millions) 50.2 63.0  76.0 Gallon of milk $0.16 $0.17 $0.30

  Pop. per sq. mile 16.9 21.2 25.6 Loaf of bread $0.02 $0.02 $0.03

  Percent rural71.8%

64.9%

60.4% New auto N/A N/A $500

  Percent urban28.2%

35.1%

39.6% Gallon of gas N/A N/A $0.05

  Percent native born94.4%

87.1%

84.4% New house$4,50

0$5,80

0$4,00

0

  Percent immigrant 5.6%12.9%

15.6% Average income $480 $660 $637

Laissez-faire Policies “Hands Off” Without government

regulations – government has limited role in the economy

Strongest businesses will succeed and bring wealth to the entire nation

Big businesses favored tariffs, land-grants, subsidies

Payoffs from big businesses

Spoils System/Patronage Elected officials

appointed friends and supporters to gov’t jobs

Gov’t jobs loaded with unqualified, dishonest employees

Ensured loyal supporters while running for office

Business of Politics

Opposing Political PartiesRepublicansRepublicans appealed to

Bankers, Industrialists and Farmers

Tight money supply backed by Gold (Gold Standard)

High tariffs Pensions for US Soldiers Government aid to

Railroads Strict limits on

immigration Enforcement of Blue

Laws

DemocratsDemocrats appealed to

“less privileged” of society

(Immigrants, laborers, southern planters, western farmers)

Increased money supply backed by silver

Lower tariffs Higher farm prices Less government aid

to big business Fewer blue laws

Election of 1880**President Hayes did not run

for reelection Republicans could not decide on a

candidate Finally picked James Garfield on

36th ballot Garfield (Republicans) v Hanock (Democrats)

James Garfield was winner As the last of the log cabin

Presidents, Garfield attacked political corruption and won back for the Presidency a measure of prestige it had lost during the Reconstruction period.

He also made reform a top priority

The Death of a President As Garfield continued to press

reforms, a disgruntled civil servant, Charles Guiteau shot him while he attended a conference in NY

Mortally wounded, Garfield lay in the White House for weeks while doctors poked and prodded his wound. No gloves or antiseptic used! Alexander Graham Bell, inventor

of the telephone, tried unsuccessfully to find the bullet with an induction-balance electrical device which he had designed.

He died from an infection and internal hemorrhage caused not by the bullet but the infection caused by the doctor’s probes

“Arthur is President now”

TEMPLE OF MUSIC, BUFFALO, NY WHERE PRES. MC KINLEY WAS

SHOT.

Pendleton Civil Service Act 1883

Attempted to end spoils system/patronage Created Civil Service Commission Classified government jobs Tested applicants Could not be required to give

campaign funds Could not be fired for political reasons

Election of 1884 Grover Cleveland v James Blaine

President Arthur was not re-nominated by Republicans

Republican Candidate – James Blaine Still crooked

Democrat - Grover Cleveland (baby scandal)

The Mugwumps (means important chief) were independents who supported Cleveland believed Blaine too corrupt Supported gov’t regulation of

Railroads Helped elect the Democrat

Election of 1888 Election of 1888

Cleveland vs. Benjamin Harrison

Harrison won because of business support of tariffs

Passed Sherman Anti-Trust Act 1890

Financial actions led to panic in 1893

Election of 1892 Election of 1892 Cleveland’s Second

Term Becomes only president to

win a non-consecutive 2nd term

Panic of 1893 – Coxey’s Army Became unpopular –

unemployment, repealed Sherman Silver Purchase Act, sent Federal troops to stop Pullman Strike

Election of 1896

Election of 1896 William McKinley

elected Supported urban

workers and the middle class

Helped heal depression by lowering tariff and strengthening the Gold Standard

Assassinated

Regulating Railroads-Trying to Bust the Trust

Railroad owners- Extremely powerful!!! Charged more for short distance than long Kept rates a secret charging different rates to different

people for same service These practices kept farmers and businesses from predicting

shipping costs Munn v. Illinois –Supreme Ct. case

Allowed states to regulate grain elevators Also allowed the regulation of railroads by states

(temporarily) Wabash Supreme Court Case

Overturned Munn v. Illinois – Federal Gov’t is only one that can regulate trade, not states

Interstate Commerce Act 1887 Regulated Railroads – rates be set, no special rates for

powerful customers, set up 1st regulatory board (Interstate Commerce Commission)

Failed because the ICC had to take them to court (won 1/16 cases)

Reforming the Spoils System: The Presidents

Rutherford B. Hayes Refused to use patronage Began to reform the Civil

Service Angered his own party He helped strengthen the

gov’t, but weakened the Republican Party

James A. Garfield Vice-President Chester

Arthur Garfield Assassinated by

disappointed office seeker Assassination caused public

to want end of Spoils System

Chester Arthur Arthur was a part of

spoils system in NY He became a very

popular president Felt he had to sign the

Pendleton Civil Service Act 1883 due to the assassination of Garfield

•During the late 1800s and early 1900s, immigrants from around the world came to the United States in search of a better life.

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE!!!

Immigration to the United States by Region, 1871–1920

Northern and CentralEurope 56%

Southern and EasternEurope 32%

The Americas 9%

Asia 2 %

Oceania .2%

Africa .1%

The Immigrant Experience Most immigrants still came from

Europe Crossed the Atlantic Ocean and arrived

in New York- The Golden Door 1-3 weeks on a ship Most traveled in steerage

Crowded lower berths Think Leo in Titanic!

Almost 70% arrived through New York Most settled with others of same ethnicity

Neighborhoods of ethnic groups developed in Boston, New York, Philadelphia…

The Immigrant Experience Path of acceptance was more difficult

for Asians Most arrived in San Francisco The Golden Gate

After the gold rush, Chinese immigrants worked as agricultural laborers, on railroad construction crews throughout the West, and in low-paying industrial jobs. Chinese Exclusion Act 1882

This Act virtually ended Chinese immigration for nearly a century

Asian Segregation of Asian children in schools in 1906 Japanese complained of mistreatment “The Gentlemen’s Agreement” was passed

in 1907 ending segregation

The Chinese Question

Harper’s Weekly

REACTIONS TO IMMIGRANTS

NativistsTemperance Movement/

Purity Crusaders

Settlement Movement

Try to restrict immigration, believe government should support native-born

Americans over immigrants

Try to ban alcohol, drugs, gambling, and

prostitution

Try to help immigrants improve their lives by

offering education, child care, and health

care

THE CHALLENGE OF THE CITIES• The arrival of

millions of new residents brought progress, poverty, and political changes to American cities.

State Street, Chicago, 1905

From Farms to Cities Women were

needed less New Machines

replaced laborers 1880-1910

population on farms fell from 72 to 54 percent

African Americans migrated north

New York by George Bellows

How Cities Grew Suburbs – residential

communities People that could afford it

moved out and took horse drawn carriages in

Motorized Transportation Subways, trolley cars, elevated

trains (El), automobile Growing Upward

Skyscrapers Chicago’s Home Insurance

Company building was the first 10 story building

Urban Living Conditions Tenements

Speculators built tenements and packed many people in them

Created slums Slum Conditions

Poverty, overcrowding, neglect, fire danger

Ghettos Slums where one ethnic or racial group

dominated Restrictive covenants – don’t let certain

people buy land Jacob Riis

worked to improve the lives of the urban poor NY passed first laws to improve tenements

b/c of Riis

Ideas for Reform The desire to improve conditions in American cities led to the

formation of new reform groups Charity Organization Movement

Making charity scientific (like welfare system) Kept details of who received help so that they knew who was

worthy of help or not Many expected immigrant to adopt American middle class

standards of living The Social Gospel movement

Applied religious principles of charity and justice for the poor Supported labor reforms and improved living conditions

Settlement Movement (Jane Addams/Ellen Gates Starr) Created “settlement houses” to offer social services and to help the

poor

Great Chicago Fire 1871

18,000 building burned, 250 dead, 100,000 homelessProperty damage was $200 Million ($2 Billion today)

The “Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow” Theory   Popular song lyric

Late one night, when we were all in bed,Mrs. O'Leary lit a lantern in the shed.Her cow kicked it over,Then winked her eye and said,"There'll be a hot time in the old town tonight!" 

The Results of City GrowthRise of Political Bosses Political Machine

Unofficial city organization designed to keep a particular party in power

Usually headed by a powerful “boss” “Boss” would handpick candidates for local office in

return for economic favors Supported by immigrants and poor people Graft – using one’s job to gain profits

William “Boss” Tweed Controlled Tammany Hall in New York Ran New York’s Democratic Party

Machines hand out

jobs, contracts, and favors

to city residents

Run by powerful

"boss“ who has

influence with city officials

Political machines work to

control city politics

Machines maintain

power over city

governments

Residents vote for

candidates supported

by machines

A Political Machine

Thomas Nast

How One Man Brought Down a Political Regime

Thomas Nast

Nast was a cartoonist who among other things “invented” Santa Clause in the cartoon from the 1880’s

Nast’s baseball picturethe “Nation’s Pastime” was born

Nast is also responsible for creating the political party symbols we still use today

Stranger things have happened. Hold on, and you may walk over the sluggish animal up there yet- Thomas Nast

Addressing the Confederacy

Nast’s commentaries on Reconstruction and Hate Groups

President Johnson

Kicking out the Freedman’s

Bureau

Another “Love Letter” to President Johnson

The Immigration Issue

Addressing the creation of

Greenbacks

The Influence of Catholics

Breaking the Tammany Hall Political Machine

“Stop them damned pictures. I don't care so much what the papers say about me. My constituents can't read. But, damn it, they can see pictures!” - William "Boss"

Tweed responding to Thomas Nast's Harper's Weekly cartoons

Uncle Sam Mad at Nast

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