1. Chapter 20The Gilded Age1865 – 1900

2. Stories From the Past • During the frigid winter of 1870, Boss Tweed dumped $50,000 worth of coal on street corners in the poorest parts of New York City. • Members of political machines paid condolence calls when someone died in a family, sent gifts for newborns, and celebrated First Holy Communions and bar mitzvahs. • Groceries were provided for needy families. • Free celebrations on national holidays were organized. • Local politicians helped get people out of jail.

3. Questions to Consider • What were the needs of the immigrants who flooded into large cities in the late 1800s? • What difficulties did they face in adjusting to American life? • Why might the personal attention of political leaders have special appeal to these newcomers? • Despite their awareness of political corruption, why did many immigrants support machine candidates?

4. Objectives • 1. Identify the major causes of increased political corruption (20-1). • 2. Identify the reforms made during the 1870s and 1880s (20-2). • 3. Describe how various leisure activities expanded (20-3).

5. “Gilded” To be overlaid with a thin covering of gold. Causes of Corruption

6. The Growth of Cities • Major cities could quadruple in size within 10 years. • Services had to expand quickly to meet needs: police and fire protection, water, sewage and garbage disposal, hospitals, roads, schools, etc. • Businesses were eager to get lucrative contracts for these services. • A corrupt alliance soon developed.

7. Political Machines • A party-linked political organization. • Holds onto power by controlling votes, the courts and the police. • They catered to immigrants who were not interested in fair politics, but the necessities of life. • Immigrant groups were loyal to helpful politicians, and pledged their votes at elections.

8. “Boss” William Tweed • Gained control of the most notorious city machine – Tammany Hall in NYC. • He and his cohorts managed to steal millions from city funds. • Kickbacks – contractors pad their bills and “kick back” a percentage to politicians in the ring. • Example – County courthouse should have cost taxpayers $250K; final bill was $11 million.

11. Thomas Nast • His biting political cartoons helped bring down Boss Tweed and his cronies. • He is also responsible for creating the symbols of the Republican and Democratic parties.

16. Rutherford B. Hayes (R) During Grant’s administration, patronage and Congressional control were common. He refused to pass rider bills and restored some power to the presidency. Reform

17. James A. Garfield (R) • He continues the effort to clean up government. • Only 4 months in office, he was shot by a disgruntled patronage seeker. • Chester A. Arthur (R) • Succeeds Garfield • Himself a machine politician, Arthur passes the Pendleton Act. • Federal jobs to be filled through examination.

19. Grover Cleveland (D) • Diligently continued reforms, such as rooting out fraudulent pension claims from the civil war veterans. • Benjamin Harrison (R) • The “Billion-Dollar Congress” spends the last budget surplus in American history. • Grover Cleveland (D) • Wins because of national dissatisfaction with the Republican party.

21. Leisure • Industrial Revolution • One byproduct was more time for leisure. • Penny Newspapers • Profits could be made entirely from ads. • Newspapers were priced below cost to attract the greatest number of readers. • Editors such as Joseph Pulitzer popularized sensational writing, scare headlines and comic strips. • Baseball • Provided a cheap form of entertainment for the urban masses.

25. Reading/Speaking/Listening/Writing Ideas • Dictogloss • Literature Circles • Connecter • Passage Master • Questioner • Illustrator • Word Wall