20. Political Realignments in the 1890s

1. 20. Political Realignments in the 1890s 1877 - 1900

2. After Civil War Literature focused on Realism • Samuel Clemons: Tom Sawyer, etc. • Stephen Crane: Red Badge of Courage • Jack London: The Call of the Wild

3. Same Thing in Visual Art

4. Following Reconstruction • National sigh of relief / the worst was over • Congress focuses on the expansion of business and settlement of the west • Federal government settles into a stalemate and little activity. • Dominated by the Civil War generation.

5. Presidential Lack of Power • Lincoln had been assassinated. • Andrew Johnson had been impeached • U.S. Grant’s administration was plagued with scandal. • Hayes is suspect as a result of the dispute over the Election of 1876

6. Era of Weak Presidents • Basically forgettable • Rutherford B. Hayes (R) • James A. Garfield (R) • Chester A. Arthur (R) • Grover Cleveland (D) • Benjamin Harrison (R) • Mostly show with little substance • With one exception all served only one term

7. Other Causes of the Inactivity • Political ideology of the time • No government interference in business • Campaign tactics • Don’t take a stand; avoid controversy • Party patronage • The “Good Ol Boy” system

8. Republicans Waved the Bloody Flag • Union veterans had been wounded by southern Democrats • Abraham Lincoln had been murdered by a Democrat • Reminded voters of their anti-slavery stance • Core came from business men and middle class • Anglo-Saxon, protestant • Supported protective tariffs for businesses

9. Republican Platform • Maintain a strong central government. • Advocated moral progress and material wealth • Used subsidies to promote progress (Transcontinental Railroad) • Promoted civil rights • High protective tariff

10. Democrats • Solid in the Southern states • In the north, came from big political machines • Immigrant vote • Catholic, Lutheran and Jewish • Opposed to temperance and prohibition • Still believed in states’ rights and a limited government

11. Democratic Platform • Wanted government local and small • State’s Rights • Decentralization of political power • Limited government • Less sectional than the Republicans.

12. Republicans Controlled Congress • For most of this time period • Passed legislation for most of this time • Billion Dollar Congress • The legislation passed at this time shaped a great deal of the future policy of the nation.

13. Republicans Split • Two groups form: Stalwarts and Half-Breeds • Compete for “spoils” • Third group: Mugwumps switched sides at will

14. Rutherford B. Hayes • Withdrew federal troops from the south • Corrupt Bargain James A. Garfield • Shot by one as he boarded a train • Died after 11 weeks

15. Grover Cleveland First Democrat elected since Buchanan in 1856 Chester A. Arthur • Anti-high tariffs • Pendleton Act of 1883 • Actions anger fellow Republicans Benjamin Harrison elected after Cleveland’s 1st term.

16. Cleveland’s First Term • Expands the scope of the Pendleton Act • Interstate Commerce Act (1887) first effort to regulate business • Dawes Act: control of Native Americans • Retrieved millions of acres of government land from cattle ranchers and railroads.

17. Issue: Money Supply • Reflection of the tension between those who have with those who don’t (a recurring theme in the Gilded Age). • Gold bugs vs. Silverites

18. Western View (Silverites) • Debtors, farmers and new business owners • Wanted more money in circulation • Lower interest rates • Inflated dollars would help pay off loans • Wanted to end the “gold standard” , print more paper money, and mint more silver

19. Eastern Businessmen (Goldbugs) • Also bankers, creditors and investors • Keep the gold standard • Keep inflation down • With the population of the U.S. growing and the supply of gold basically set, the value of the dollar would continue to increase.

20. William Jennings Bryan • Champion of the Free Silver movement • Cross of Gold Speech • “You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns, you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold.”

21. Issue: Tariff • Another regional split • Farmers did not want tariff • Northeastern businesses wanted it

22. Off Year elections of 1890 • Democrats regain control of congress

23. Issue: Populism • Began as agrarian discontent in the west among farmers and ranchers • Originated in meetings of the Grange and the Farmers’ Alliances • Became a third party (Populist Party) when they met in Omaha in 1892

24. Populist Party: The Platform • Government Reform • Direct popular election of U.S. senators • Initiatives and referendums placed on ballots • Economic Reform • Unlimited coinage of silver • A graduated income tax • Public ownership of railroads • Government control of telegraph and telephone companies • Loans and warehouses to stabilize prices • Eight hour work day for industrial workers

25. Was the Wizard of Oz a Populist Allegory? • Scarecrow: Midwestern farmer • Tin-Man: Urban industrial worker • Cowardly Lion: William Jennings Bryan • Yellow Brick Road: Gold Standard • OZ: The President

26. Results • Grover Cleveland is elected again • Only president to serve two non-consecutive terms

27. Issue: The Economy • Panic of 1893 • Four year depression following stock market crash (over speculation) and many businesses going into bankruptcy (over building) • 20% unemployment • Cleveland adopted a hands off policy. He turned to J.P. Morgan for a $65 million dollar loan. • Pullman Strike

28. Continued… • Coxey’s Army marches on Washington • 1894 • Thousands of unemployed • Demanded the government spend to create public works projects to supply jobs.

29. Election of 1896: The Democrats • William Jennings Bryan • Unlimited coinage of silver • Gold Bug Democrats broke from the party and nominated their own candidate • Marks the merging of Democrats with the Populist movement • Populists also nominated Bryan

30. The Election of 1896: The Republicans • William McKinley of Ohio • Supported a high protective tariff • Friend of labor • Blamed the Democrats for Panic of 1893 • Upheld the gold standard

31. The Election of 1896: The Campaign • Bryan and the Democrats took the election on the road to reach as many people as they could (Campaigns are forever changed) • McKinley relied on the Republican machine and stayed at home • Bryan is hurt by rising wheat prices and worker intimidation by owners. • McKinley wins / beginning of modern politics

32. Politics in the Southern States • Jim Crow laws allowed in the South • Supreme Court sanctions “separate but equal” • Plessy v. Ferguson • 1896

33. What was the basic demand of Coxey’s Army? The government should stay out of the economy. Businesses that caused the depression should be closed. The government should provide jobs for the unemployed. Protectionist tariff rates should be raised. The US should declare war on Spain

34. What was the main issue in the election of 1896 The role of the federal government Foreign affairs Gold vs. Silver Tax rates Military spending

35. Which of the following correctly describes the impact of Andrew Johnson’s impeachment? Tended to weaken Congress Strengthened the presidency Established a better balance between Congress and the president Tended to weaken the presidency Forced Congress and the president to work together

36. Which best describes the source of agrarian anger and protest in the late nineteenth century? Farm prices fell far more than did prices for other commodities. Railroad rates increased dramatically between 1870 and 1900. Farmers perceived their social and economic position as declining throughout the period. All of the above None of the above

37. Until the 1890s, The presidency was weaker than Congress. The presidency was able to assert its power. Congress had little interest in national affairs. Few presidents seemed committed to national affairs. Power was equally divided between the president and Congress.

38. Which of the following was NOT a reason for farm discontent in the late nineteenth century? The inability to organize and voice their discontent The lack of power over their destiny The inability to control market prices The perception of a loss of status in society Far mortgages