Gilded Age Growth of Cities

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Gilded AgeGrowth of Cities
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• Known for
• Political corruption
• machines and bosses
• Weak political leadership
• a. Memories of Civil War
• b. Control split between parties
• c. Bosses chose candidates who didnt
  upset the balance.
• d. No strong President between Lincoln and
  T. Roosevelt.
• Alliance between politics and business
• (Credit Mobilier, Panic of 1873, Fiske and
  Gould, RRs)
• Not viewed as corrupt.
• False glitter
• Gilded AgeMark Twain novel

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• Party Breakdown
• Republicans
• a. Nativist
• b. Moralistic (booze gambling) and
  reformers
• Democrats
• a. Southern Whites, Catholics, immigrants,
  and anyone else rejected by the Republicans.
• b. Personal liberty
• Civil Service Reform
• Spoils system
• Rutheford B. Hayesfirst to pursue. Moralist
• a. Stalwartsopposed
• b. Half Breedssupported it, kind of

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• 3. Hayes couldnt pass new laws.
• Fired two employees in NY customs house.
• James Garfield and Chester Arthur
• Garfield
• a. Reform minded
• b. Assassinated by a Stalwart
• Arthur became a reformer.
• Pendelton Civil Service Act
• a. Independent 3-member commission
• b. Competitive exams
• Arthur dumped in primary
• Grover Cleveland electedDemocrat.

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• Cleveland
• Demsfirst time in Presidency since 1856.
• Handed out jobs.
• Talked reform
• Interstate Commerce Commission
• a. Five member commission
• Investigate and prosecute
• b. Couldnt discriminate against rate or
  cargo.
• c. No secret rates to preferred shippers
• d. Couldnt enter into secret pools.
• Tariff Reform
• a. Lowered it to help smaller businesses.
• b. Upset manufacturing and big business.
• 5. Cleveland lost to Benjamin Harrison in 1888.

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• Harrison
• Not much civil service reform
• Sherman Anti-Trust Act
• a. Forbade any activity that restrained
  trade or created monopolies.
• b. Not enforced until 1901
• Sherman Sliver Purchase Act
• a. Help farmers
• Inflate currency with silver
• b. Businessthreat to gold supply
• McKinley Tariff 1890raised tariffs on
  manufactured goods.
• Harrison and Republicans lost ground in midterm
  elections. Billion Dollar Congress.

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• Problems of Farmers
• Hurt by economic conditions
• a. Low commodity prices
• b. Overproduction
• c. Foreign competition
• Attacked railroadsrebates
• High tariffs raised prices
• Debtgrew more, but lead to surpluses.

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• Culture in Gilded Age
• Higher standard of living b/c of industry
• More people could afford goods.
• Conspicuous Consumption
• a. Gaudiness, extravagance
• b. Trophy wives fur, jewels, etc.
• Middle Class
• mid-level mgt., clerks, engineers, other salaried
  positions.
• Homes in suburbs refined interiors.
• Women did housework
• new appliances eggbeater, carpet sweeper,
  foot-powered sewing machine, conversion from wood
  to gas.
• New innovations also created more work.

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• Culture a means of improvementmuseums, lectures,
  etc.
• Not conspicuous consumption.
• Purpose of leisure was physical activity.
• Street Life
• Immigrants left out by consumer culture.
• Suicide rate and alcohol consumption higher.
• Tight communitiesnative cultures
• YMCA formed in 1850s. YWCA
• No single living pattern b/c of ethnicities.

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• General living conditions
• a. Tenements
• b. Some families took paying borders
• c. Noisy, fluctuating temps
• d. Could not afford new mechanical
  devices.
• e. Subsidized income by wrapping cigars,
  sewing, stringing beads, painting vases.
• f. Cooked and cleaned for families as well
  as boarders.
• 7. Shaped popular cultureCony Island and Tin
  Pan Alley

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• Growth of Cities
• 1860-1910
• Growth created by manufacturing and railroads
• 90 of manufacturing in cities.
• Vertical and horizontal growth
• a. first electric elevator 1869. Otis
  Elevator Company.
• Rapid Growth
• Nations population doubled
• 1860, 15 cities had 50,000 people
• 1890 1/3 lived in cities
• People of the cities
• country-folk
• 1870-1910 7,000 blacks moved north per year.
• Failure of sharecropping

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• Women 16-35. Men inherited the farm
• Immigrants
• a. Majority
• b. Southern and eastern Europe
• c. In 1880s, many returned to native
  country.
• ½ of Greeks, Serbs, Italians
• Jews stayed couldnt own property in
  Europe.
• Tenement Houses
• 25ft by 100ft. 5 stories tall
• Four family units with three rooms.
• Two bedrooms, kitchen and living in one.
• 700 people per acre in NY by 1890

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• Fires and New Architecture
• New architecture b/c of fires.
• Chicago Fire 1871
• a. Mrs. OLearys cow.
• b. 4,000 square mile area
• 60,000 buildings
• 100,000 homeless
• Skyscrapers replaced old buildings.
• Brooklyn Bridge 1883
• a. Steel suspension
• b. John and Washington Roebling
• Mass Transportation.
• Street cars and elevated railroads replace horse
  and mules.
• San Francisco first to use cable cars.
  Underground cable
• NYfirst subway 1902
• Created suburbs

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• Populist Party
• Evolved from farmer organizations.
• Platform
• a. Increase silver and money
• b. Graduated income tax
• c. Nationalize railroads, telegraph, and
  telephone systems.
• d. 8hr. Workday
• Immigration restrictions
• Grover Cleveland defeated Harrison in 1892
• Angered everyone
• Hurt by Panic of 1893
• Repealed Sherman Silver Purchase Act

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• Election of 1896
• William McKinley nominated by the Republicans
• DemocratsWilliam Jennings Bryan
• Great Commoner
• Issues
• a. McKinleygold standard
• b. Bryansilver
• Campaign
• a. Bryan Cross of Gold speech.
• b. McKinleyfront porch
• McKinley won