Chapter 19

patronage, spoils

(politics) granting favors or giving contracts or making appointments to office in return for political support

farmers alliances

groups of farmers of those in sympathy with farming issues, who sent lectures from town to town to educate people about agriculural and rural issues.

civil service

government workers

United States v. E.C. Knight Co.

(1895) Congress wanted to bust a trust because it controled 98% of sugar manufacturing. Supreme court said no because it wasn't interstate commerce which they do have the right to regulate. Severely weakend the Sherman Anti-Trust Act

Wabash Case

1886 supreme court case that decreed that individual states had no power to regulate interstate commerce

Benjamin Harrison

23rd President; Republican, poor leader, introduced the McKinley Tariff and increased federal spending to a billion dollars

William McKinley

25th president responsible for Spanish-American War, Philippine-American War, and the Annexation of Hawaii, imperialism. Is assassinated by an anarchist

Bland-Allison Act 1878

A United States federal law enacted in response to the Fourth Coinage Act that demonetizing silver. It was an attempt to bring back silver because gold was the only metallic standard before this act

protective tariffs

A tariff designed to shield domestic producers of a good or service from the competition of foreign producers

stalwarts

A faction of the Republican party in the ends of the 1800s Supported the political machine and patronage. Conservatives who hated civil service reform.

Gen. Winfield Scott Hancock

A former Civil War commander with no actual political qualifications, he was the democratic candidate for president in the 1880 election.

George William Curtis and Thomas Nast

A mugwump, editor of Harper's Weekly

Nativism

A policy of favoring native-born individuals over foreign-born ones

Jacob Coxey

A socialist American politician, who ran for elective office several times in Ohio. Supported and helped establish paper money. Led protest of unemployment from Panic of 1893. Leader of Coxeys army.

electorate

All of the people entitled to vote in a given election

Gold Standard Act 1900

An act that guaranteed that paper currency would be redeemed freely in gold, putting an end to the already dying "free silver" campaign.

Legal Tender

Any kind of money that a creditor must, by law, accept in payment for debts

Chester A. Arthur

Appointed customs collector for the port of New York - corrupt and implemented a heavy spoils system. He was chosen as Garfield's running mate. Garfield won but was shot, so Arthur became the 21st president. Was a Stalwart.

Election of 1888

Benjamin Harrison is elected as a result of money from big business ad veterans votes. Supported the increase in tarrifs and pensions, and resulted in the economy going into a depression by 1880

Leonidas L. Polk

Born in 1837 he was one of the first Presidents of the National Farmers Alliance appropriately, a strong supporter of the populist party.

Dingley Tariff 1897

Countered the Wilson-Gorman Tariff and raised it to a new high of up to 57%

Election of 1880

James A. Garfield, Chester A. Arthur (republicans). Winfield Scott (democrats). Garfield won election, but was assassinated by Charles J. Guiteau

"battle of the standards"

Election of 1896; focused primarily on the gold and silver standards of money

factions

End political patronage a group that did not think it was fair.

Half-Breeds

Favored tariff reform and social reform, major issues from the Democratic and Republican parties. They did not seem to be dedicated members of either party.

Election of 1892

Former President Grover Cleveland ran for re-election against the incumbent President Benjamin Harrison also running for re-election. Cleveland defeated Harrison, thus becoming the only person in US history to be elected to a second, non-consecutive presidential term. The campaign centered mainly on the issue of a sound currency. The new Populist Party, formed by groups from the Grange, the Farmers' Alliances, and the Knights of Labor, polled more than a million votes.

Garfield's Assassination 1881

Garfield's assassin said he was Stalwart and that he wanted Arthur who was a Stalwart to become president. This led to the Pendleton act.

E. L Godkin

He crusaded militantly for civil service reform, honesty in government and a moderate tariff. In his newspaper, "The Nation," he criticized the US for the lack of these things.

James B. Weaver

He was the Populist candidate for president in the election of 1892; received only 8.2% of the vote. He was from the West.

James A. Garfield

His assassination led to the end of political patronage, and the Pendelton act.

Repeal of Sherman Silver Purchase Act 1893

In 1893 President Grover Cleveland, who stood for the gold standard, succeeded in having the Sherman Silver Purchase Act repealed over the strong objections of William Jennings Bryan. However, little gold was in the treasury; thus, the panic of 1893 could not be avoided and the crisis remained until 1896.

Inflation

Increased prices for goods and services combined with the reduced value of money

Sherman Silver Purchase Act of 1890

It required the treasury to issue legal tender notes which could then be redeemed for gold, draining gold reserves

Coxey's Army (1894)

Led over 500,000 protestors in a march to Washington D.C. They demanded that the government relieve unemployment and called for inflation to relieve their debt payments. This was one of the first mass marches in America. Coxey and his army were arrested for walking on the White House grass. Because they violated no other laws, this was the only way to get rid of them.

Urbanization

Movement of people from rural areas to cities

Grover Cleveland

Only democrat president from 1860-1912, won the election of 1884.

"Green Backs"

Paper currency un-backed by specie, fluctuating value—caused inflation that was used to finance the Civil War. Also used to help get out of the Panic of 1873. 1875: National Greenback party formed: failed as party but kept money issue alive.

Interstate Commerce Act 1887

Prohibited rebates and pools required railroads to publish rates forbade discrimination against shippers and outlawed charging more for short haul than for a long one over the same line

Wilson- Gorman Tariff 1894

Protective tariff that was passed to ease the Panic of 1893—It had an amendment on it that created a graduated income tax.

Election of 1896

Republican William McKinley defeated Democrat William Jennings Bryan in 1896. Bryan was the nominee of the Democrats, the Populist Party, and the Silver Republicans.Economic issues, including bimetallism, the gold standard, Free Silver, and the tariff, were crucial.

mugwumps

Republican political activists who supported Democratic candidate Grover Cleveland in the United States presidential election of 1884. They switched parties because they rejected the financial corruption associated with Republican candidate, James Blaine.

Election of 1884

Republicans nominated Blaine as president but suspicions about his honesty led the Mugwumps to campaign for Democratic nominee Grover Cleveland (honest, frugal, mayor of Buffalo, later governor of NY, fathered an illegitimate child which raised questions)

Panic of 1893

Serious economic depression beginning in 1893. Began due to rail road companies over-extending themselves, causing bank failures. Was the worst economic collapse in the history of the country until that point, and, some say, as bad as the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Mary E. Lease

She believed that big business had made the people into "wage slaves" and the government was run by Wall Street and Wall Street alone. Wrote The Problem of Civilization Solved. Major advocate for the Populist party as well as the suffrage and temperance movements.

partisanship

Strong allegiance to one's own political party, often leading to unwillingness to compromise with members of the opposing party.

Populist Party 1892

The "People's Party," it flourished particularly among western farmers, based largely on its opposition to the gold standard. A Third party that had not existed for decades

grangers

The Patrons of Husbandry or farmers organized against rail road abuses. Similar group to the Farmers Alliance., The Patrons of Husbandry or farmers organized against rail road abuses. Similar group to the Farmers Alliance.

"colored alliances"

The Populist movement struggled with the issue of accepting these groups, as white southerners were afraid that an African American would control the party. Some wanted to annex these groups because they would contribute 1.25 million more members and increase the strength of the movement.

"free silver"

The Populists wanted to do this in addition to backing money with gold in order to cause inflation which would help the farmers pay off thier debts.

Sherman antitrust act 1890

The first law to limit monopolies in the United States. This wanted to create a fairer competition in the workforce and to limit any take-over's of departments of merchandise.

Ocala Demands 1890

The leaders of what would later become the Populist Party held a national convention in Ocala, Florida and adopted a platform advocating reforms to help farmers.

Omaha Platform of 1892

The reform program of the Populist party was sepelled out in the Ocala Demands in 1890, and the more clearly in this. It purposed a system of "sub-treasuries", government aid for farmers ,income tax, direct election of Senators' Sign: many of these proposals became law during the progressive period.

"rum, romanism, and rebbellion."

This was saying alcoholics and war.

Marcus Hanna

Used the money he made in the iron business to support William McKinley's presidential campaign. He became a personification of big business in politics.

"Cross of Gold" speech 1896

William Jennings Bryan is for the belief in the free coinage of silver. He put principles over people and believes the Democratic party should have control over themselves. Bryan and Democratic party do not want the gold standard, they want Bi-metalism.

"front-porch campaign"

William McKinley does not actively campaign for office and stays at his home in Canton, Ohio. He simply received pilgrimages of the Republican faithful.

Coin's Financial School 1894

Written by William H. Harvey, about a fictional school and its professor Coin. The story followed Coin's lectures and dialogues about finance.

William H. Harvey

Wrote "Coin's Financial School" in 1894 which explained the monetary issue in layman's terms. Advocated free coinage of silver and said that economic problems were caused by inflation and gold coins.

James G. Blaine

a U.S. Representative, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, U.S. Senator from Maine, two-time United States Secretary of State, and champion of the Half-Breeds. He was a dominant Republican leader of the post Civil War period, obtaining the 1884 Republican nomination, but lost to Democrat Grover Cleveland

Bimettalism

a monetary system in which the government would give either gold or silver in exchange for paper currency. silverites favored silver and gold. goldbugs favored gold only. silverites wanted more $, which was worth less. gold bugs favored less $ and a more powerful currency.

Tammany Hall

a political organization within the Democratic Party in New York city (late 1800's and early 1900's) seeking political control by corruption and bossism

Roscoe Conkling

a politician from New York who served both as a member of the United States House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. He was the leader of the Stalwart faction of the Republican Party.

Interstate Commerce Commision

an agency that sets the laws for all the companies that do business across state lines

Carl Schurz

cabinet member of Hayes that encouraged his efforts in reforming the civil service program

Specie

coined money, usually gold or silver, used to back paper money

Bankruptcy

financial failure caused by an inability to pay one's debts

Civil War pension system

money to veterans and widows; not made permanent because party patronage and corruption

"whistlestop campaign"

on train and candidate makes a speech when going thru train stops. Truman blasts the 80th congress saying they are "the do nothing congress". gets fired up in seattle and someone yelled "give em hell harry". became nickname.

cooperatives

organizations in which groups of farmers pool their resources to buy and sell goods

populism

political movement founded in the 1890s representing mainly farmers, favoring free coinage of silver and government control of railroads and other large industries

"southern demagogue"

politician that tried to win common ppl with emotion and prejudice. Most were bad...like hitler. They were nativists and had racist ideas.

McKinley Tariff 1890

raised tariffs to the highest level they had ever been. Big business favored these tariffs because they protected U.S. businesses from foreign competition.

Pendleton Act 1883

reform passed by Congress that restricted the spoils system; passed in part in reaction to assassination of President Garfield by a disappointed office seeker in 1881, it established the U.S. Civil Service Commission to administer a merit system for hiring in government jobs.

Rutherford B. Hayes

republican, became President in 1876 because of Compromise of 1877, refused to use patronage system, fired unneeded employees, appointed qualified political independents to Cabinet posts, and reformed the Civil Service to "gov't non-elected workers." He tried to satisfy the Half-Breeds and the stalwarts. Didn't satisfy either.

temperance

restraint or moderation, especially in regards to alcohol or food

William Jennings Brian

secretary of state for Wilson who favored neutrality evenafter the Germans attacked US ships. He was the only person who Wilson discussed the fourteen points with before showing Congress

Dependent Pension Act 1890

signed by Harrison, doubled pension rolls between 1889 and 1893 for Civil War veterans

Patronage

the business given to a commercial establishment by its customers

"commerce clause"

the clause in the Constitution (Article I, Section 8, Clause 1) that gives Congress the power to regulate all business activities that cross state lines or affect more than one state or other nations. (Interstate Commerce)

Infrastructure

the stock of basic facilities and capital equipment needed for the functioning of a country or area

"Crime of 73"

through the coinage act of 1873, the US ended the minting of silver dollars and placed the country on the gold standard. this was attacked by those who supported an inflationary monetary policy, particularly farmers and believed in the unlimited coinage of silver

marginalize

to place in a position of little importance, influence, or power

constituency

voters represented by an elected official; district so represented; group of supporters (or constituents)

Political Machine

well organized political organization that controls election results by awarding jobs and other favors in exchange for votes