Gilded AgeGilded Age

Name of era comes from Mark Twain

society & economy appear strong

government is weak and corrupt

things were NOT as promising as they appeared

Gilded AgeGilded Age

President President Rutherford B. HayesRutherford B. HayesElected 1872, received Demo. votes in exchange for ending Reconstruction.

“Stolen Election”Does not use spoils system angers party

James James GarfieldGarfield

Republican Half breed

Chester A. Arthur was his VP

July 2,1881 Garfield shot by Charles Guiteau

Garfield dies from wounds

Guiteau hung, thought to be insane

Chester Chester A. ArthurA. Arthur

Reformed civil service with the Pendleton Act

Created a merit system

commission gave exams for all seeking govt. jobs

Chester Chester A. ArthurA. Arthur

Reformed civil service with the Pendleton Act

Created a merit system

commission gave exams for all seeking govt. jobs

PoliticalPolitical Machines Machines

Machines controlled local politics in cities

Helped immigrants for votes

William “Boss” Tweed of NYC most famous for his Tammany Hall

Cost NYC around $100 mill.Brought down by newspaper

cartoonist, Thomas Nast

ImmigrantsImmigrants

Importance of immigrants

Easily accessible/lots of them(votes)

Needed jobs, services, housing

Were loyal to the machines

Corruption Immigrants were

hired to vote “early and often”

Bosses took bribes, kickbacks, and payoffs.

Thomas NastThomas Nast

Drew the political cartoon that introduced the donkey as Democrat and elephant as Republican.

Grover Grover ClevelandCleveland

Democratic reformer, helped put down Tweed ring

Reps. split over nominee

Cleveland wins NY & election

Cleveland ReformsCleveland Reforms

Presidential Succession Act 1886 listed order of who would succeed fallen pres. and vice president

Interstate Commerce Act 1887 rail rate should be “reasonable and just”

Interstate Commerce ActInterstate Commerce Act

Passed in 1887 due to public outrage of Supreme Court support of railroads

Gave government right to monitor rail traffic and freight rates

Interstate Commerce Commission created to enforce law

Had little affect until the early 1900s

BenjaminBenjamin Harrison Harrison

Election of 1888 D. Cleveland, R. Harrison

Democrats push low tariffs, Republicans push high tariffs, pensions for union veterans.

Harrison wins but not by majority of popular vote

not a strong President but an important administration

Harrison ReformsHarrison Reforms

Sherman Silver Purchase Act 1890 “free & unlimited” coinage of silver

inflates currency aids farmersMcKinley Tariff passed in cooperation with Sherman Act, raised tariff rates to protect Northern business

Reforms ContinuedReforms Continued

Sherman Anti-Trust Act protect farmers & small business from trusts

insure no monopolies and restrict trade

law was too vague and no penalties for breaking law

Restricting Big BusinessRestricting Big Business

Many states passed laws restricting mergers

Congress passes Sherman Anti-trust Act in 1890 to protect from monopolies and restriction of trade

Did little to curb big businessWas however used to restrict labor

Homestead StrikeHomestead Strike

(Pennsylvania, 1892) at Carnegie’s steel plant

Plant cuts pay to weaken union, hires scabs(people who cross picket lines

Bloody confrontation between strikers & hired scabs

Plant remains open with non-union workers

Election of 1892Election of 1892Harrison-R vs. Cleveland-D as well as Populist James Weaver

Cleveland wins making him the only President to serve two non-consecutive terms

Populist receive 22 electoral votes and will win many statewide elections and congress seats

Cleveland term 2Cleveland term 2

Panic of 1893 caused by inflation, labor & agriculture. Problems, & over speculating stocks causes worst economic depression ever

tries to repeal Sherman Silver Act & sends in troops to end Pullman strike, angers labor

tries to pass Income Tax, unconstitutional according to courts

sets up heated election of 1896

Pullman Workers StrikePullman Workers Strike

employees strike in 1894 because of cut wages

RR workers union refuses to handle Pullman cars so rail traffic is paralyzed

Pullman files injunction to stop strikeUnion leader Eugene Debs jailed refusing to stop

Pres. Cleveland uses federal troops to end strike

Attempt to make the Attempt to make the government respond to farmer government respond to farmer demandsdemands

Farmers deep in debt, prices falling because of larger crops

high costs of shipping, storage, and interest caused farmers to lose their land

droughts, floods, insects did not help

Populist PlatformPopulist PlatformInflationary

policy = unlimited silver coinage

graduated income tax

8 hour work daygovt. owned RR,

telegram, telephone

immigrant restrictions

Political reforms:◦secret ballots◦initiative◦referendum◦recall◦direct election of US senators

“equal rights for all & special privileges for none”

Election of 1896Election of 1896

Populist & Democrats nominate William Jennings Bryan

Republicans nominate William McKinley

Bryan gives famous “cross of gold” speech

McKinley wins because of labor votes

Inventions fuel new industries and communicationIndustries create wealth and a working class

Unions form to protect the workerImmigrants fuel growth of nation

The Inventors and their InventionsThe Inventors and their Inventions

Thomas Thomas EdisonEdison

More than 1,000 patents

Created: light bulb, phonograph, projector, storage battery, and telephone transmitter

nation’s first industrial research lab

first electric power plant in NYC

Inventions and InventorsInventions and Inventors

Telegraph-invented by Samuel Morse 1844

1860 lines cross US; 1866 US connects to Europe

Telephone-Alexander Graham Bell 1876

Between 1860 & 1890 US govt. grants 400,000 patents

Many for business (typewriter) some for luxury (Eastman's camera)

Henry FordHenry FordFirst to mass produce an automobile

first car was the model T

Cars were more affordable because of a process called the assembly line

Wright Wright BrothersBrothers First successful

flightplane had 12hp motor

flew 120 feetOrville piloted, Wilbur watched

Flew at Kitty hawk, NC

Captains of IndustryCaptains of Industry

Railroads lead the way in Railroads lead the way in industryindustry

by 1900 there are five transcontinental lines

large RR’s are consolidating smaller RR’s

Cornelius Vanderbilt one of the RR barons, owns lines from NYC to the Great Lakes

RR Growth RR Growth Iron and steel needed for track and locomotives; Lumber for rails, coal for fuel

Industry must grow to meet these demands

RR’s change to a standard gauge track: all lines use the same rails = faster shipping

RR ImprovementsRR ImprovementsAir brakes, refrigerated cars, Pullmans sleeper cars along with dining cars make RR better

RR’s compete using rebates to keep and attract customers

Some RR’s form pools = agreements of no competition allowing them to set higher prices

Steel IndustrySteel Industry

Large mills open in Pittsburgh, PN (steel capital)

Andrew Carnegie opens his first mill here

vertical integration = bought mines, ships, warehouses, and RR’s

Sold out to J.P. Morgan; creates first billion $ corporation

John RockefellerJohn Rockefellercreates a refinery for oil in Cleveland, OH

Standard Oil begins buying out other refineries

low prices, customer pressure, RR rebates to destroy competition

creates 1st trusthas a monopoly on oil in the USA

J.P. MorganJ.P. Morgan

Owned largest banking chain in US

Grew wealthy through investment

Purchased many industries using strength and financial backing of his bank

Growing CorporationsGrowing Corporations

Corporations begin to mergeeconomic power controlled by few corporations

1900 one-third of ALL manufacturing controlled by 1% of country’s corporations

many states encouraged the practice

LaborLabor

Industrial WorkersIndustrial WorkersWork 10-12 hours a day, 6 days a week

Fired at any time no notice.Noisy, unsafe conditions many accidents

Mines caved-in, garment workers toiled in sweatshops

1 million women worked in industry by 1900, received less pay

Child LaborChild Labor

Children worked in mines & factories as well as farms

First child labor law said no child under 12 & kids could only work 10 hours per day.

Widely ignored law especially on farms

Industrial WorkersIndustrial WorkersWork 10-12 hours a day, 6 days a week

Fired at any time no notice.Noisy, unsafe conditions many accidents

Mines caved-in, garment workers toiled in sweatshops

1 million women worked in industry by 1900, received less pay

Unions form from angry workersUnions form from angry workersKnights of Labor founded by garment workers in Philly met secretly.

Became a national society in 1880 included women, African Americans, immigrants

Strikes and poor public opinion in 1890’s ended its power

American Federation of Labor (AFL) American Federation of Labor (AFL) 18861886

◦Represented skilled labor led by Samuel Gompers

◦pressed for higher wages, shorter hours, and better working conditions.

◦ wanted union to represent worker in meeting with management (collective bargaining)

◦AFL survives strikes and by 1904 they have 1.6 million members.

WobbliesWobbliesChicago 1905 by 43 groups who left AFL

International Workers of the World formed

Includes unskilled laborers

Radical union included Socialists

Union Action through strikes!Union Action through strikes!

RR strike of 1877 happens when wages cut

Workers destroy rail yards, track

Strikebreakers hired to replace workers

Federal troops must restore order

Trouble in ChicagoTrouble in Chicago

Haymarket RiotWorkers from McCormick Harvester are members of Knights of Labor

Wages cut so they go on strikeWorkers & police clash 11 killedPublic turns against Knights

Challenge of CitiesChallenge of Cities

Two movement patterns:Rural to urban (migration)Immigration to the United StatesReasons cities grew:Transportation-trains, trolleys, subways

made travel from the suburbs possible.The invention of the steel girder(Bessemer

process) made skyscrapers possible(extended cities up)

When the upper class moved to suburbs their houses were made into multifamily dwellings.

Banks, businesses and government offices were located in central places within cities.

Living conditions for city dwellers:Open sewers, rats and crowding caused

diseases to travel quickly

Tenements were cheaply built and so close together that fires spread quickly. (slums)

Ghettos formed for two reasons because of persecution and because of similarities in culture

Rapid urban growth put pressure on city officials to make improvements on city services (police, fire, transportation, etc.)

UPPER CLASSUPPER CLASS

The upper class had made their money in the new industries or by investing in new inventions. They were known as “noveau rich” and spent their money so that everyone would know exactly how rich they were. They also gave their money to charity(philanthropy). Culturally, they followed strict Victorian society (behavior).

MIDDLE CLASSMIDDLE CLASS

The growth of new industries created more jobs for educated workers. They also were concerned with social behavior as well and some became reformers that led the Progressive movement.

POOR CLASSPOOR CLASS

Mostly made of farmers/immigrants that lived in tenements that were poorly built. Often faced widespread discrimination and low pay. Mostly lived in parts of the city where other members of their culture lived.

LITTLE ITALY, NEW YORKLITTLE ITALY, NEW YORK

Jane Addams/Hull HouseJane Addams/Hull House

Some reformers used the homes left by the wealthy to make multifamily dwellings. These were used as settlement homes for the new immigrants. They taught them English offered a daycare system and eventually added a kindergarten to help immigrants with language/skills. She won the Nobel Peace Prize for her work.

REFORM MOVEMENTSREFORM MOVEMENTS

Prohibition-was a ban on the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages.

Purity Crusaders-wanted to rid the communities of unwholesome and illegal activities. (Drugs, gambling, prostitution and the political machine)

Charity Organization Movement-wanted immigrants to adopt American culture and customs.

More ReformsMore Reforms

The Social Gospel Movement-sought to apply the teachings of Jesus directly to society focused on charity, justice, and labor reforms.

The Salvation Army-Settlement houses and Red Cross provided social services to communities. This was the most successful.