Unit 2: The Gilded AgeOHS US HISTORY TEAM

Learning Objectives

• Analyze the causes and consequences of Gilded Age politics and economics

• Describe the differences between “old” and “new” immigrants

Big Concepts• The Gilded Age was a period of political and business corruption in

the United States.

• Federal Government uses laissez faire “hands off” approach to economy and politics

• Things looked good on the outside but were rotten inside “shiny red apple with a worm inside”

• “New” Immigrants streamed into American cities from Eastern and Southern Europe

• Political Machines offered jobs and incentives for party loyalty

• Political Machines were run by party bosses

• Party Bosses controlled most large American cities.

14 Essential Vocabulary Terms

Boss Tweed

• Party Boss of New York City

• Ran Tammany Hall – Political Machine of NYC

• Stole millions from taxpayers

Thomas Nast• Political cartoonist

• Pictures attacking Boss Tweed

• led to Tweed’s arrest and imprisonment

Credit Mobilier

• Scandal

• Railroad company bribing members of Congress

• Public distrust of government

Spoils System

• Promise of jobs given to those who help you get elected to office

Assassination of President James Garfield

• Garfield refused spoils to deranged man Charles Guiteau

• Guiteau shoots Garfield

Pendleton Act

• Result of Garfield's death

• No more spoils for most government jobs

• Take a civil service test

Interstate Commerce Act

• Regulated the powerful railroad companies

• Prevented railroad monopolies

New Immigrant

• Immigrants after Civil War

• From Eastern and Southern Europe

• Many didn’t speak English

• Catholic and Jewish

• Difficult Assimilating

Ellis Island

• New York City

• Immigrant processing facility

• 12 million pass through

Push and Pull Factors

• Pull – Reasons to go to a new country• Jobs, freedom

• Push – reasons to leave for new country• Poverty, racism, violence

Jane Addams

• Helped immigrants

• Built settlement house – Hull House

• Help assimilation

Nativism

• Fear and dislike of immigrants

Chinese Exclusion Act

• Government law blocking Chinese immigration

Jacob Riis

• Photographer

• Documented the terrible living conditions of immigrants

• How the Other Half Lives

Chronology

1872-Credit Mobilier Scandal

1876- Boss Tweed Imprisoned

1881-Garfield Assassinated

1883-Pendleton Act

1887-Interstate Commerce Act

1882-Chinese Exclusion Act

1892- Ellis Island opens

Continuity Change

Immigration of peopleRailroadsGrowth of cities

End Spoils SystemRailroad regulationChinese excluded

Unit 1 to Unit 2