Chapter 20 Gilded Age Politics, 1877–1900 Learning Objectives
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- Identification and Significance
- The Climate that Nurtured the Agrarian Revolt and the Rise of Populism, 1877-1896 Racial and Inter-Regional Relations
- Social and Political Unrest
- From the Agrarian Revolt to the Populists (1877-1900), Part I Difficulties on the Road to Forming a Coalition with Clout
- Which Definable Groups or Regions Had the Potential To Create an Alliance What Aims, Attitudes, or Economic Factors Made These Groups Natural Allies
- From the Agrarian Revolt to the Populists (1877-1900), Part II Difficulties on the Road to Finding Support in Government
- Actions and Attitudes on Tariff Issues of Concern to the Populists and Their Predecessors
- Actions and Attitudes on the Distribution of Political Power (Voting Rights) Affecting the Success of Populists and their Predecessors
- Interpreting Information
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Chapter 20 Gilded Age Politics, 1877–1900 Learning Objectives After you have studied Chapter 20 in your textbook and worked through this study guide chapter, you should be able to: 1. Discuss the characteristics of American politics at the national and state levels during the Gilded Age. 2. Discuss the major political and economic issues of the Gilded Age, and examine governmental action on these issues. 3. Explain the characteristics of American presidents during the Gilded Age, and discuss how each carried out the duties of his office. 4. Explain the social, economic, and political oppression of southern blacks during the late nineteenth century, and discuss the response of the Supreme Court to this oppression. 5. Examine the progress of the women’s suffrage movement during the Gilded Age. 6. Discuss the various forces affecting the lives of southern, midwestern, and western farmers during the late nineteenth century, and explain the social, economic, and political impact of these forces. 7. Explain the organizational and ideological development of rural activism from the Grange through the formation of the Populist Party and the 1896 presidential election, and discuss the roadblocks encountered by the Populists. 8. Explain the causes and consequences of the depression of the 1890s, and evaluate Grover Cleveland’s response to the depression. 9. Discuss the nature and extent of working-class activism during the era of protest, and explain the reaction of government officials and the public to this activism. 10. Analyze the presidential campaign and election of 1896, and explain the political and economic significance of the outcome. Thematic Guide In Chapter 20, we focus on the interaction of the political, economic, and social forces within American society during the Gilded Age. This period is characterized by high public interest in local, state, and national elections, political balance between Democrats and Republicans at the national level, and factional and personal feuds within the two parties. Democrats and Republicans in Congress were split on the major national issues: sectional controversies, civil service reform, railroad regulation, tariff policy, and monetary policy. Though Congress debated these issues, factionalism, interest-group politics, and political equilibrium resulted in the passage of vaguely worded, ineffective legislation such as the Pendleton Civil Service Act, the Interstate Commerce Act, and the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. Combined with a conservative Supreme Court, weak presidential leadership, and political campaigns that focused on issues of personality rather than issues of substance, these factors caused the postponement of decisions on major issues affecting the nation and its citizens. The political impasse built up frustration within aggrieved groups in the nation. Southern blacks, who lived under the constant threat of violence and who remained economically dependent on whites, had to endure new forms of social oppression in the form of disfranchisement and “Jim Crow” laws. This oppression was, in turn, upheld by the Supreme Court, which interpreted the Fourteenth Amendment narrowly. Women were frustrated in their attempts to gain the right to vote by the sexist attitudes prevalent in the male-dominated power structures of the era. Aggrieved workers turned to organized labor, to strikes, and, at times, to violence (discussed in Chapter 18). Aggrieved farmers also began to organize. In “Agrarian Unrest and Populism,” we examine the reasons for agrarian discontent and trace the manifestation of that discontent from the Grange, through the Farmers’ Alliances, to the formation of the Populist Party and the drafting of the Omaha platform in 1892. The depression of the 1890s added to the woes of the United States. President Grover Cleveland failed to deal with the crisis effectively, and an air of crisis settled over the nation. Workers’ protests multiplied; the Socialist Party of America, under the leadership of Eugene V. Debs, reorganized; Coxey’s Army, demanding a federal jobs program, marched on the nation’s capital; and fear of social revolution led business owners and government officials to use brute force to control what they perceived to be radical protest. As the crisis persisted, the Populist Party gained ground but was hampered both by the reluctance of voters to abandon their loyalties to the two major parties and by issues of race. At the national level, Populists, convinced that the “money power” and its imposition of the gold standard on the nation was the root cause of farm distress and the nationwide depression, continued to call for a return of government to the people and crusaded for the “free and unlimited coinage of silver.” The frustrations that had built up in the Gilded Age—an age of transition from rural to urban, from agrarian to industrial society—came to a head in the emotionally charged presidential contest of 1896. An analysis of the issues, outcome, and legacy of this election, which ended the political equilibrium of the age, is offered in the last section of the chapter. Building Vocabulary Listed below are important words and terms that you need to know to get the most out of Chapter 20. They are listed in the order in which they occur in the chapter. After carefully looking through the list, refer to a dictionary and jot down the definition of words that you do not know or of which you are unsure. epitomize venality
avid coalition contentious cajole
demented gingerly
potentate temperate chicanery enfranchise subjugation mandate
collateral communal
formidable egalitarian vehemence rebut
injunction commandeer dregs permeate
vestige corral
repudiate inequity
homily succinct
retrograde personable Identification and Significance After studying Chapter 20 of A People and a Nation, you should be able to identify fully and explain the historical significance of each item listed below. 1. Identify each item in the space provided. Give an explanation or description of the item. Answer the questions who, what, where, and when. 2. Explain the historical significance of each item in the space provided. Establish the historical context in which the item exists. Establish the item as the result of or as the cause of other factors existing in the society under study. Answer this question: What were the political, social, economic, and/or cultural consequences of this item? “Pitchfork” Ben Tillman Identification Significance the Stalwarts, the Half Breeds, and the Mugwumps Identification Significance “waving the bloody shirt” Identification Significance the Grand Army of the Republic Identification Significance the Pendleton Civil Service Act Identification Significance
Identification Significance the Wabash case Identification Significance the Interstate Commerce Act Identification Significance the Maximum Freight Rate case and the Alabama Midlands case Identification Significance the tariff controversy Identification Significance the McKinley Tariff of 1890 Identification Significance the Wilson-Gorman Tariff of 1894 and the Dingley Tariff of 1897 Identification Significance the currency controversy Identification Significance “the Crime of ’73” Identification Significance the Bland-Allison Act of 1878 Identification Significance the Sherman Silver Purchase Act of 1890 Identification Significance Rutherford B. Hayes Identification Significance James A. Garfield Identification Significance Chester A. Arthur Identification Significance the presidential campaign and election of 1884 Identification Significance Grover Cleveland Identification Significance “rum, Romanism, and rebellion” Identification Significance the presidential election and campaign of 1888 Identification Significance Benjamin Harrison Identification Significance the Dependents’ Pension Act Identification Significance the “Billion Dollar Congress” Identification Significance the poll tax Identification Significance U.S. v. Reese Identification Significance the Mississippi Plan Identification Significance the “grandfather clause” Identification Significance the Civil Rights cases Identification Significance Plessy v. Ferguson and Cummins v. County Board of Education Identification Significance Jim Crow laws Identification Significance the National Woman Suffrage Association Identification Significance the American Woman Suffrage Association Identification Significance Susan B. Anthony Identification Significance the crop-lien system Identification Significance the Grange movement Identification Significance the White Hats Identification Significance the Farmers’ Alliances Identification Significance the subtreasury plan Identification Significance the Populist (People’s) Party Identification Significance the Omaha platform Identification Significance James B. Weaver Identification Significance the depression of the 1890s Identification Significance the Cleveland-Morgan deal Identification Significance the Coeur d’Alene strike Identification Significance Karl Marx Identification Significance Daniel DeLeon Identification Significance Eugene V. Debs Identification Significance Jacob S. Coxey Identification Significance free coinage of silver Identification Significance the presidential campaign and election of 1896 Identification Significance William McKinley Identification Significance William Jennings Bryan Identification Significance the Gold Standard Act Identification Significance
To clarify what led to the agrarian revolt and the rise of populism that followed it, complete the chart “The Climate that Nurtured the Agrarian Revolt and the Rise of Populism, 1877-1896.” The chart is divided somewhat arbitrarily into two periods, 1877 to 1887 and 1888 to 1896 simply to suggest that conditions did not remain exactly the same throughout the whole twenty years. You are to indicate the racial climate, the stage of the business cycle the nation was experiencing, trends in governmental policies and ways of responding to public unrest and protests, and the kind of protesting that was being engaged in that would make the populist movement predictable. What conditions created the kind of dissatisfaction among first the farmers and then other groups that might explain the rise of populism? After you have done that, complete the other two charts related to the agrarian revolt and populism to bring together information that might explain the fate of the populist movement. Why couldn’t or wouldn’t the groups within the movement unify enough to have greater success than they did? In this phase of the exercise list—in chronological order as far as possible—the specifics called for, whether they are actions, attitudes, decisions, groups or regions. Be concise; all you are doing in this step is providing reminders that you can use for review purposes and for guidance in composing mock essays in preparation for essay questions you might see on your next history test.
Interpreting Information Use the information you supplied in the three Organizing Information charts to help you arrive at a reasonable explanation of why Populism did not enjoy more success than it did. Begin by expanding your entries in the charts into full notes and then into the working drafts of three separate little discussions, one of the climate that gave rise to the movement, one of the internal problems that served as barriers to unity in and among the key groups within the movement, and a third on external forces that reduced the movement’s chances of success. Be sure to state your one-sentence conclusion (your essay's thesis) in your essay's introductory paragraph and to indicate what the crowning blow marking the movement’s ultimate failure was. The entire working draft should explain the failure of Populism. Ideas and Details Objective 1 1. Which of the following characterized politics during the Gilded Age? a. Party allegiance among the voters was so evenly distributed that no one party predominated for very long. b. Americans insisted that the government actively pursue solutions to social problems. c. There was little public interest in national elections. d. Political contests were very impersonal. Objective 2 2. In cases arising from the Interstate Commerce Act, the Supreme Court a. broadly interpreted the regulatory powers of Congress. b. established that government aid to private industry was unconstitutional. c. reduced the regulatory powers of the Interstate Commerce Commission. d. completely rejected the principle of government regulation of industry. Objectives 2 and 6 3. The “Crime of ‘73” refers to which of the following? a. The passage of the Dingley Act b. The decision by Congress to stop coining silver dollars c. The passage of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act d. The assassination of President Garfield Objective 3 4. Which of the following words best describes the presidents of the Gilded Age? a. Inspiring b. Lazy c. Honest d. Forceful Objective 1 5. Which of the following was an important factor in Grover Cleveland’s defeat in the presidential election of 1888? a. The Republicans successfully engaged in vote fraud in Indiana and New York. b. The British minister in Washington publicly supported Benjamin Harrison. c. Cleveland’s ethnic jokes offended Irish Catholics. d. Cleveland offended consumers by suddenly calling for higher tariffs. Objectives 1 and 2 6. The action taken by Congress on the issue of veterans’ pensions demonstrates that a. Congress was determined to give equal treatment to Union and Confederate veterans. b. memories of the Civil War no longer had an impact on national politics. c. Congress was opposed to all forms of welfare legislation. d. Congress responded to interest-group pressure. Objective 5 7. Which of the following was the most common argument used by senators voting against the Women’s Suffrage amendment? a. If women are given the right to vote, they will demand that the nation disarm. b. Giving women the right to vote will interfere with their family responsibilities. c. Women are not well enough educated to vote. d. Women are too emotional to be given the privilege of voting. Objective 6 8. As a result of the crop-lien system, many southern farmers a. were able to increase the prices they received for their goods. b. sank deeper and deeper into debt. c. were given the opportunity to become landowners. d. began to diversify their crops. Objectives 6 and 7 9. Farmers hoped that implementation of the subtreasury plan would a. lower the cost of farm machinery. b. make second mortgages available to farmers facing bankruptcy. c. provide higher prices for farm products and low-interest loans to farmers. d. lower transportation costs for farm goods. Objectives 6 and 7 10. The Omaha platform called for a. the establishment of national agricultural colleges in all states. b. a comprehensive welfare program for destitute farmers. c. a two-year moratorium on all debts. d. government ownership of railroad lines. Objective 8 11. The broad-based nature of the 1890s depression was the result of a. an interdependent economy. b. overspeculation in the stock market. c. the Sherman Silver Purchase Act. d. the withdrawal of foreign investments. Objective 9 12. Which of the following became the leading spokesperson for American socialism in the late 1890s? a. Jacob Riis b. Eugene V. Debs c. Ignatius Donnelly d. Leonidas Polk Objective 9 13. To end the depression, Jacob Coxey advocated a. government aid to business. b. a return to the gold standard. c. tax cuts to encourage spending. d. the infusion of money into the economy through a federal jobs program. Objectives 4, 7, and 10 14. The Populists were hampered in their quest for political power by which of the following factors? a. The Socialist Party’s endorsement of Populist candidates caused confusion in the minds of voters. b. Southern Populists called for equality under the law for African Americans throughout the United States. c. The disfranchisement of southern African Americans prevented the emergence of a biracial coalition. d. Their endorsement of Jacob Coxey’s demands caused voters to associate the Populists with extremist causes. Objectives 7 and 10 15. Which of the following best explains Bryan’s defeat in the 1896 election? a. The silver issue prevented Bryan from building an urban-rural coalition. b. Bryan could not match McKinley’s spirited campaign style. c. The Populists refused to endorse Bryan. d. Endorsement of Bryan by the Socialist Party caused people to believe that he was a radical.
Objective 1 1. Discuss the nature of politics, political parties, and political campaigns during the Gilded Age. Objective 2 2. Discuss the problems that led to passage of the Interstate Commerce Act, and assess the act’s effectiveness. Objective 2 3. Explain the tariff issue, and trace tariff legislation from passage of the McKinley Tariff in 1890 through passage of the Dingley Tariff of 1897. What were the consequences of the tariff policies of the United States during this period? Objective 4 4. Explain the process that led to the disfranchisement of southern blacks and to the segregation of southern society by law. How did the Supreme Court respond to this process? Objectives 2, 6, and 7 5. Explain the emergence of the farm protest movement, and examine its development through the 1896 election. Objective 8 6. Discuss the causes and consequences of the depression of the 1890s. Objectives 2 and 10 7. Examine the personalities and issues of the 1896 presidential campaign, and explain the election’s outcome. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Directory: history history -> Fighting Fit: Exploring Military Medicine (1850-1950) history -> Catalogue of Dissertations completed in the School of Historical Studies, University of Leicester history -> History of the christian church history -> United states supreme court history -> Index for the Register Volumes 68-110 (1970-2012) history -> Matthew mason history -> The Abolition of The Slave Trade Abolitionism history -> Hitler as ruler of Germany Download 102.51 Kb. Share with your friends:
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