The Gilded Age: 1870s-1890s Part 2

Transcription

1 The Gilded Age: 1870s-1890s Part 2

2 C. Rebuilding a Nation (ca ca. 1914) 1.Industrialization and Urbanization C. Identify labor and workforce issues of the late nineteenth century, including perspectives of owners/managers and Social Darwinists D. Explain the challenges and contributions of immigrants of the late nineteenth century E. Explain the causes and impact of urbanization in the late nineteenth century

3 The Patronage Problem -Patronage is the giving of government jobs to those who helped the elected leader get in office. -This is also called the Spoils System. -The idea was that, if you won election, you should get to hire people for city jobs regardless of their qualifications.

4 Patronage vs. Civil Service -Many argued the Patronage system was corrupt. The boss could hire unqualified people merely for supporting his candidacy. -These people argued that only qualified citizens should service in city positions. -This idea that one had to be qualified for a job was called Civil Service.

5 President Hayes and Patronage -Rutherford B. Hayes, elected president in 1876, attempted to reform the patronage system. -Hayes fired those who practiced patronage to attempt to get qualified people in positions of power. -Some politicians were Stalwarts who supported the Spoils System. Other politicians became Reformers who supported Civil Service.

6 Rutherford B. Hayes, elected in 1876, attempted to Reform that Patronage System so that only qualified individuals could serve in government positions.

7 Republicans, Patronage, and Civil Service - In the election of 1880, Hayes did not run again. -The Republicans knew the nation was becoming divided over Patronage so they attempted to run two men on each side of the issue to avoid controversy. -James A. Garfield was nominated as the Republican Presidential candidate and was a Reformer. Chester Arthur was nominated as the vice president and was a Stalwart.

8 The Republicans did not want the fight over Patronage vs. Civil Service to divide their party, so, in the election of 1880, the Presidential candidate was a Reformer, but the Vice Presidential candidate was a Stalwart.

9 Garfield s Assassination -On 7/2/1881, Garfield was assassinated by Charles Guiteau, who was angry that the Patronage system did not allow him to get a job in Garfield s administration. -Garfield died on 9/19/1881. After this event, Arthur altered his beliefs on the issue, became Reformer, and supported the Pendleton Civil Service Act of This act established a merit system for civil jobs; which meant one had to deserve a government job based on credentials to be hired.

10 Charles Guiteau assassinated President Garfield in a D.C. train station because Guiteau supported the Spoils System, while Garfield wanted to bring Reform to the Patronage System.

11 How do tariffs work? -First, lets say you have an American business in the USA that sets a price for a product, such as timber. -Second, lets say you have a French company that also sells timber, but for a cheaper price. -The USA government will place a tax on the French company to ensure their business can t compete with the USA company. This tax is called a tariff. A TARIFF PLACED ON THE FRENCH PRODUCT MAKES IT MORE EXPENSIVE THAN THE AMERICAN PRODUCT.

12 Battling Over Tariffs -Some argued tariffs helped big businesses, but hurt the common consumer. They argued more competition would decrease market prices and make things cheaper. -In 1884, the first Democrat in 28 years, Grover Cleveland won the presidency. His goal was lower tariffs to make prices cheaper for consumers. -In 1888, many big businesses wanted to increase tariffs and supported the candidacy of Benjamin Harrison, a Republican, who won the presidency and supported higher tariffs.

13 In this political cartoon, President Grover Cleveland is depicted as trimming the tariff hedge protection that he felt only helped big businesses while the consumer had to pay high prices. Big businesses are complaining to Uncle Sam about it.

14 The Issue Over Tariffs Continues -In 1892, Grover Cleveland was elected again! He was the first President to serve two terms that were not back to back. -Though reelected, Cleveland was unable to maintain a significant reduction toward tariffs. -In 1896, William McKinley, a Republican, was elected President and supported raising tariffs again.

15 Democrats vs. Republicans -The major economic issue of the late 1800s was this: should the USA use tariffs to help local businesses keep their prices high or invite foreign trade to keep prices low for consumers? -Many Democrats argued against tariffs to help keep prices low for consumers. -Yet, many Republicans argued for high tariffs to protect American businesses. These opposing viewpoints dominated the political and economic debates of the era.

16 The End

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