GILDED AGE POLITICS

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GILDED AGE POLITICS
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Grant the Man Again! 1869-77

• West point Graduate
• Serves in Mexican war
• Business failures
• Supreme commander of Union forces
• Election of 1868
• Republican Platform
• 500,000 freed slaves makes difference
• No Political experience
• Corrupt cabinet
• Follows Congress lead

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NATIONAL DEBT

• Treasury Department wants to return to the gold
  standard
• Farmers resist
• Paper currency is easier in paying debts
• Soft Money advocates in Congress
• Hard Money advocated by Grant
• Govt. Suffers from inconsistencies

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Scandals Review

• Gold Market- James Fisk and Jay Gould
• Credit Mobilier Affair-embezzlement of the govt.
  leaving stockholders to pay debt.
• Trading Post- S of War takes bribes from Indian
  Traders
• Post Office Contracts
• Whiskey Ring-Grants Secretary implicated

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Response to Scandals in 1872 Election

• Anti-Reconstructionist back Horace Greely
• Greely does not approve of Democrats
• Grant wins all Northern states and 7 Southern
  states- CARPETBAGGERS!!!
• Greely dies 3 weeks later

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Panic of 73

• Govt. withdrawals paper currency
• Overextension of the RR
• Stock market crashes
• Republican Party hurt
• Democrats take Congress in 1875
• soft
• Greenback Party is formed

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Rutherford B. Hayes Administration 77-81

• Harvard law
• Serves in Civil War
• 2 terms as a Rep., One as Governor of Ohio
• Republicans nominate him
• Known for honesty
• Lacks charisma

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Election Controversial

• Hayes v. Tilden
• FL, LA, and SC nullify Democrats votes
• Commission ends of Republican
• Hayes wins by one vote
• Compromise of 1877 is agreed upon
• Troops out of south
• Confederate cabinet
• Hayes Administration
• Uses troops to break up strikes
• Hated by labor

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HAYES ADMINISTRATION

• W.C.T.U.
• ANTI-SALOON LEAGUE forms
• Hayes bans alcohol at the White House
• Politically unproductive due to boredom
• Bland-Allison Act
• Allows the government to purchase and coin silver
• 20 year debate
• Removes Chester Arthur from position
• Millionaire in less than 4 years
• Never indicted
• Hayes announces he will not run again

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GARFIELD ADMINISTRATION1881

• ELECTION OF 1880
• Garfield Half-breed
• Arthur Stalwart
• Hancock Democrat
• All advocate
• Civil service reform
• Chinese exclusion
• High protective tariffs
• Close Election Garfield and Arthur win

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GARFIELD THE MAN

• POOR BACKGROUND
• TEACHING PROFFESSION
• CIVIL WAR SERVICE
• 8 TO 7 COMMISSION
• COMPROMISE CANDIDATE (Grant and Blaine)
• HONEST AND HARD WORKING

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GARFIELDS ADMINISTRATION

• WANTED CIVIL SERVICE REFORM
• ASSASSINATED
• Charles Guiteau- worked for Garfield
• Shot 2 times in Potomac RR station
• Lasts for 2 months before dying of blood
  poisoning
• Guiteau found insane
• Sentenced to be hung regardless

Give me a job
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Chester A. Arthur Administration

• Teacher, Studies law
• Served in Civil War
• Collector of the Port of New York
• Embezzled millions- removed by Hayes
• Career of loyalty to corrupt men
• Always well dressed- good looking

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Events of Arthurs Administration

• Pendleton Civil service Reform Act-1883
• Civil Service Commission
• Sets up competitive testing
• Star Route Frauds
• Post office overcharging for mail delivery
• Government defrauded 4 million
• 26 routes 65,000 worth of work, pull in 530,000

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Arthurs Administration Cont.

• Chinese Exclusion Act
• Suspends Chinese immigration for 10 years
• Authorizes 3 steel Warships
• Modernizing of US Navy
• Opening of Brooklyn Bridge
• Known as a president of Modern Reform
• Chooses not to run again
• Brights disease
• No political backing anymore

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Other actions under Arthur

• Corrupt Republicans were prosecuted
• Steel Navy was built
• Passed the Pendleton Act
• Lost support of his own faction (Stalwarts)
• Not renominated