Chapter 8 POLITICS IN THE GILDED AGE

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Chapter 8 POLITICS IN THE GILDED AGE

• Section 1 Political Machines
• Section 2 Restoring Honest Government
• Section 3 The Populist Movement

Mark Twain
Charles Dudley Warner
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Political machines
Section 1 Political Machines

• Political machines controlled votes by offering
  jobs, political favors, and services to loyal
  supporters.

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Importance of immigrants
Section 1 Political Machines

• easily accessiblecould be welcomed on arrival
• had many needs for housing, jobs, and services
• represented a huge supply of supporters and
  voters
• tended to be loyal to machines

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Corruption and illegal activities
Section 1 Political Machines

• Machines hired men to vote early and often.
• Bosses took bribes, payoffs, and kickbacks.
• Main strength resided with precinct captains who
  along with bosses formed personal relationships
  with constituents.
• Some thought that it was justifiable to make
  profit

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Collapse of Tweeds support
Section 1 Political Machines

• Thomas Nasts cartoons revealed Tweeds
  corruption, even to people who couldnt read very
  well.
• Popularized the Republican elephant Democratic
  donkey
• The New York Times published a series of articles
  exposing Tweed.

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Scandals in the Grant administration
Section 2 Restoring Honest Government

• the gold market scandal
• Jay Gould James Fisk
• the Crédit Mobilier scandal
• the Whiskey Ring scandal

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Desire for reform
Section 2 Restoring Honest Government

• Americans wanted political reform and honest
  officials because corruption had become so
  widespread. This desire split the Republican
  Party into the Stalwarts and the Half-Breeds.

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Arthur Cleveland
Section 2 Restoring Honest Government

• Arthur began to support reform after the
  assassination of President Garfield, and this led
  to reform Republicans voting for Cleveland, the
  Democratic candidate, in the election of 1884.
• Cleveland pushed for political reform
• Pendleton Civil Service Act

(also wins election of 1893)
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Harrisons response to Clevelands reforms
Section 2 Restoring Honest Government

• returned to political patronage
• spent money on Republican pet projects
• Billion dollar Congress

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Economic hardships for farmers
Section 3 The Populist Movement

• heavy debts
• high freight and machinery costs
• falling crop prices

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Farmers movements
Section 3 The Populist Movement

• hoped to pressure states to regulate freight
  andgrain-storage rates
• formed cooperatives Grange
• State Granger Laws State or National power to
  regulate railroads
• offered low-cost insurance
• lobbied for graduated income tax
• weakened by government limits on the powerof ICC
• weakened by racial segregation

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Money backed by silver
Section 3 The Populist Movement

• Farmers supported money backed by silver because
  they wanted to increase the paper money supply
  which would devalue the dollar. As long as only
  gold was allowed to back paper, the money supply
  was restricted by how much gold the treasury had.

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Populist Party issues
Section 3 The Populist Movement

• adopted most goals of Grange Alliances
• graduated income tax
• bank regulation
• government ownership of railroad and telegraph
  companies
• free coinage of silver
• immigration restrictions
• shorter workday
• voting reforms

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The effects of silver
Section 3 The Populist Movement

• Silver was a central issue in the 1896
  presidential campaign.
• Populists supported Bryan because of his stand on
  silver.
• William McKinley won the election with the
  support of business leaders who opposed free
  silver.
• Populists lose influence as farmers lives improve

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