CHAPTER 18The Emergence of Urban America and the Gilded Age

The Emergence of Urban America

Chapter 18 Society and Politics in the Gilded Age

America’s Move to Town

Explosive Urban Growth 1860-1910 population growth: 6 million to 44

million Majority lived in Urban areas

America’s Move to Town

America’s Move to Town

America’s Move to Town

America’s Move to Town

The Allure and Problems of the Cities Unregulated urban growth created problems in

sanitation, health and morale Mortality rates Cholera, yellow fever and typhoid

Immigration

Steerage Deck on the S.S. Pennland, 1893.

Immigration

Registration Room at Ellis Island: 29 questions, “are you a polygamist?”

Immigration

Immigration Restriction Immigrant communities Nativist groups

Immigrants are dangerous Work for substandard wages Religious prejudice

Congress Overturned Chester Arthur’s veto of the Chinese

Exclusion Act Federal law limiting immigration on the basis of race and

class

Popular Culture

A Reading Public Newspapers

Openly partisan Vaudeville

Variety show: comedy, music, dance Saloon Culture

Social club for poor Women segregated in smaller rooms

Popular Culture

Popular Culture

Outdoor Recreation Relieved congestion of urban life New York’s Central Park established in 1858 Bicycle: 1870’s

Working Women and Leisure Church organizations Small groups

Popular Culture

Wheeling

Popular Culture

Spectator Sports Football, Basketball, Baseball

White players only African Americans in separate leagues Urban base in large cities

Popular Culture

Steeplechase Park: Coney Island, NY

Popular Culture

Baseball Card: 1887

Education and Social Thought

The Spread of Public Education Prior to Civil War

Education in private academies often centered around a religious denomination

Post Civil War Vocational training Morrill Act of 1862: Land Grant Colleges--30,000

Acres per representative to teach agriculture and mechanics

Vocational Training & “Americanize” Immigrants

Education and Social Thought

Education and Social Thought

Pragmatism William James:

ideas gain validity from their social consequences and practical applications

Social Darwinism Application by of

Darwin’s theory to social issues Man’s better

characteristics could be passed on

Man can manipulate society so that best men thrive

The Gilded Age

What does “The Gilded Age” Mean?

Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today (1893) King John by William Shakespeare (1595

"To gild refined gold, to paint the lily... is wasteful and ridiculous excess.“

A poor copy of the real thing: a thin layer of gold over metal or wood

Widespread corruption in public life: some live well and others pay for it

“The Bosses of the Senate,” 1889

Politics is Personal Political party affiliations went back generations Both major parties had similar platforms so they relied on

personal attacks on candidates Cities often more powerful than state governments due

to party machines Patronage

Republicans: Protestant, British, Scottish descent, African Americans Dominated national politics

Democrats: Everybody else, the South Local and state governments were main taxing authority

and spending authority Patronage

Rutherford B. Hayes & Civil Service Reform

Attempted to abolish “spoils system” Republican Party conflicts

Stalwarts & Half Breeds Roscoe Conkling

Elect Grant for 3rd term James Blaine

Reform candidate for Republican nominee

Election of 1880 Republican Ticket

James Garfield (Half-Breed) Chester A. Arthur (Stalwart)

Democratic Ticket Winfield Scott Hancock William English

de Thulstrup, Thur. “Miss Columbia (to General H_____).” Harper's Weekly July 24, 1880, 465

Woolf, Michael Angelo. “Exultant Tammanyite.” Harper’s Weekly October 30, 1880, 695.

de Thulstrup, Thur. “The Friend of the Freedmen.” Harper's Weekly October 23, 1880, 685.

Keppler, Joseph. “Just the Difference.” "Puck." July 28, 1880, 43.

Nast, Thomas, “The Plumed Knight.” Harper's Weekly. June 5, 1880, 353.

Keppler, Joseph. “A Merry Christmas to All.” “Puck." December 22, 1880, 45.

Political PartyPresidential Nom. VP Nom. # % # %

Republican James A. Garfield

Chester A. Arthur 214 58.

04,453,

61148.

3

Democratic Winfield S. Hancock

William English 155 42.

04,445,

25648.

2

July 2, 1881 President Garfield assassinated by

Charles Julius Guiteau at the Baltimore and Potomac Rail Station in Washington D.C.

President James Garfield

Charles Julius Guiteau

Diagram of the Train Stationhttp://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/guiteau/diagram.JPG

To General Sherman: I have just shot the President. I shot him several times as I wished him to go as easily as possible. His death was a political necessity.

I am a lawyer, theologian, and politician. I am a Stalwart of the Stalwarts. I was with General Grant and the rest of our men, in New York during the canvass.

I am going to the Jail. Please order out your troops, and take possession of the jail at once. Very respectfully, Charles Guiteau.

Answer note by General Sherman addressed from "Headquarters of the Army, Washington, DC. July 2, 1881, "in which he states that "I don't know the writer. Never heard of or saw him to my knowledge..."

Guiteau’s Brain , The College of Physicians of Philadelphia https://www.google.com/search?q=Charles+Guiteau's+brain&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=4PUwUu6NL8fh4AO9koHwAw&ved=0CDIQsAQ&biw=1523&bih=815&dpr=1#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=OBN7Grl4nrllyM%3A%3B9zYWpq5r7POiCM%3Bhttps%253A%252F%252Fsphotos-a-ord.xx.fbcdn.net%252Fhphotos-ash3%252Fp480x480%252F1240429_10151852732879134_1581301207_n.jpg%3Bhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.facebook.com%252Fcollegeofphysicians%3B480%3B480

Chester A. Arthur Passed the Pendleton Civil Service Act 1884 election

Republicans dumped Arthur & nominated James Blaine

Election of 1884 Republican Ticket: James Blaine

Mugwumps: published embarrassing letters showing Blaine in the pocket of Railroad barons

Democratic Ticket: Grover Cleveland Cleveland had an illegitimate child

Media Frenzy

Nast, Thomas. “Death Before Dishonor.” Harper’s Weekly.” June 21, 1884, 396-397.

Gillam, Bernhard. “Love’s Labor Lost.” Puck May 7, 1884, 160

“Ma! Ma! Where’s My Pa?”

Beard, Frank. “Another VoiceFor Cleveland.” Judge, September 27, 1884, xii.

“Gone to the White House. Ha! Ha! Ha!”

Nast, Thomas. “What It Means.” Harper’s Weekly, November 15,1884, 747.

Political Party Presidential Nom. VP Nom. # % # %

Democratic Grover Cleveland Thomas Hendricks 219 54.6 4,915,586 48.9

Republican James G. Blane John Logan 182 45.4 4,852,916 48.2

Grover Cleveland

The Tariff Primary revenue source for Federal government. Issue: Did Tariff create the big Trusts (Monopolies)?

Less competition = higher prices for big business Cleveland argued that the tariffs were too high and

must be lowered Election of 1888

Grover Cleveland vs. Benjamin Harrison Democrats favored lowering the tariff Republicans favored keeping the tariff Republicans raised the most cash

Cleveland won the popular vote Harrison won the Electoral vote

Democratic Grover Cleveland Allen Thurman 168 41.95,539,118 48.6

Republican Benjamin Harrison Levi Morton 233 58.15,449,825 47.8

Harrison Presidency Secretary of State: James Blaine former

Republican Candidate for President Sherman Anti-Trust Act

Forbade contracts, combinations or conspiracies in restraint of trade to create monopolies

Vague wording and difficult to enforce

What Form of Currency Should be Accepted? Specie: money made out of a precious metal

Gold Silver: opposed by many because it would add

more money to the supply and make the money in circulation worth less

Mint Act of 1792 mandate: weight of one silver dollar = weight of a gold dollar 1837 money based on a silver standard 1873: silver coinage dropped Currency supply failed to keep up with population

growth

Agrarian Protest Movements Farmers debts rose as crop prices

dropped domestic overproduction increasing international competition

Tariff paid double taxes on domestic produce shipped overseas

Congress failed to act

I Feed You All

Granger Movement & Farmers’ Alliances

The National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry (The Grange) 1886 first attempt by farmers to form a

political alliance Farmers’ Alliances

Collectives & cooperatives: community stores, warehouses and debt repayment

Avoid middlement

Farm Politics and Populist Party Farmers political action: local South: Democratic voting blocks of farmers won

elections at state and national congressional level 1892 Association of farmers, labor and reform

groups formed the People’s Party aka Populist Party 1892 Populist Party Candidate for President: James

B. Weaver Republican Nominee: Benjamin Harrison Democratic Nominee: Grover Cleveland Cleveland won both electoral and popular vote

Grover Cleveland Adlai E. Stevenson 277 62.4 5,554,61746.0Benjamin Harrison Whitelaw Reid 145 32.7 5,186,79343.0James Weaver James Field 22 5.0 1,029,357

8.5

Depression of 1893 Philadelphia & Reading RR declared

bankruptcy just before Cleveland was sworn into office

Overextended banks and smaller RR companies

Economic panic lasted 4 years Unemployment rate: 20%

New York Stock Exchange on Friday, May 5, 1893

International Economic Crisis Great Britain still global financial center Failure of Large British Bank caused British

investors to sell holdings in U.S. for gold This drained U.S. gold supply making

shortage of currency greater Silver interests claimed coinage of silver

would end the panic 1896 Election

William McKinley, R William Jennings Bryan, D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeTkT5-w5RA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeTkT5-w5RA

Election of 1896

Race Relations Wilmington, North Carolina

African American majority 1894 & 1896 African Americans joined with

Republicans and Populists to choose a slate of elected officials

November 10, 1898 2,000 white men and boys rampaged through

town destroying African American businesses and killing at least 100 African Americans

Forced newly elected officials out of office replacing them with Democrats

Ida B. Wells

IDA B. WELLS

Booker T. Washington

W.E. B. Du Bois

Bibliography I de Thulstrup, Thur. “The Friend of the Freedmen.” Harper's Weekly October 23,

1880, 685. de Thulstrup, Thur. “Miss Columbia (to General H_____).” Harper's Weekly July 24,

1880, 465. Gillam, Bernhard. “Love’s Labor Lost.” Puck May 7, 1884, 160 Keppler, Joseph. “Just the Difference.” "Puck." July 28, 1880, 43. Keppler, Joseph. “A Merry Christmas to All.” “Puck." December 22, 1880, 45. Nast, Thomas, “The Plumed Knight.” Harper's Weekly. June 5, 1880, 353. Nast, Thomas. “Death Before Dishonor.” Harper’s Weekly.” June 21, 1884, 396-

397. Nast, Thomas. “Death Before Dishonor.” Harper’s Weekly.” June 21, 1884, 396-

397. Nast, Thomas. “What It Means.” Harper’s Weekly, November 15, 1884, 747. Woolf, Michael Angelo. “Exultant Tammanyite.” Harper’s Weekly October 30,

1880, 695. Bell, Charles Milton. “Chester A. Arthur.” 1882. Library of Congress (Public

Domain).

Bibliography II

Unknown. Ida B. Wells, Wells, Ida B. Southern Horrors, Lynch Law in All its Phases.

New York Age Print, 1892 Unknown. Booker T. Washington Library of Congress

(Public Domain) Purdy, J.E. W.E.B. DuBois. (1904) Library of Congress,

(Public Domain). Unknown. “The Vampire that Hovers Over North Carolina.”

Raleigh News and Observer, September 27, 1898 (Public Domain)

Cronenberg, Henry. “Armed Rioters in Front of Press Building,” November 10, 1898 (Public Domain)