APUSH ch 19

McKinley Tariff (1890)

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

Oliver H. Kelley

(GC), considered the "Father" of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry (more commonly known as "The Grange"). a fraternal organization for American farmers that encouraged farm families to band together for their common economic and political good.

Wilson-Gorman Tariff

(GC2) 1894, This tariff passed by Congress in 1894 restricted US sugar imports. The tariff led to an economic downturn in Cuba, and in turn helped to increase the anger of Cuban natives against colonial Spain. Was 40% rate compared to McKinley Tariff, however again he was defeated on tariff program

Pendleton Act

1883 law that created a Civil Service Commission and stated that federal employees could not be required to contribute to campaign funds nor be fired for political reasons. no more "spoils system"

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.

gilded age

A name for the late 1800s, coined by Mark Twain to describe the tremendous increase in wealth caused by the industrial age and the ostentatious lifestyles it allowed the very rich. The great industrial success of the U.S. and the fabulous lifestyles of the wealthy hid the many social problems of the time, including a high poverty rate, a high crime rate, and corruption in the government.

Thomas Reid

A sharp-tongued bully who became Speaker of the House in 1890 and instituted an autocratic rule over the House that took years to break.

James B. Weaver

American politician who leaned toward agrarian radicalism; he twice ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. presidency, as the Greenback-Labor candidate (1880) and as the Populist candidate (1892).

Mark Hanna

An industrialist and Republican politician from Ohio. The campaign manager of McKinley in the 1896, in what is considered the forerunner of the modern political campaign, and subsequently became one of the most powerful members of the U.S. Senate.

William Jennings Bryan, "Cross of Gold"

Delivered the Cross of Gold speech that was a sensation. Nominated by the Democratic convention on a platform demanding inflation throught the unlimited coinage of silver.

Interstate Commerce Act

Established the ICC (Interstate Commerce Commission) - monitors the business operation of carriers transporting goods and people between states - created to regulate railroad prices

Sherman Antitrust Act

First federal action against monopolies, it was signed into law by Harrison and was extensively used by Theodore Roosevelt for trust-busting. However, it was initially misused against labor unions

Populist party

Founded 1891 - called for free coinage of silver and paper money, national income tax, direct election of senators, regulation of railroads, and other government reforms to help farmers

Pendleton Act

It made compulsory campaign contributions from federal employees illegal, and established the Civil Service Commission to make appointments to federal jobs on the basis of examination rather than cronyism

Free silver

Movement for using silver in all aspects of currency. Not adopted because all other countries used a gold standard.

Crime of 1873

Referred to the coinage law of 1873 which eliminated silver money from circulation. At the time not much attention was given to the law because it simply seemed to recognize that silver had more commercial value for jewelry that the current 16 to 1 ratio for coinage But in the late 1870s the market value of silver fell well below the 16 to 1 ratio which meant it would once again be viable for currency if this law had not been passed. As a result many Americans believed a conspiracy of bankers had been behind this law they called the "Crime of 1873."

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.

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.

Greenback Party

The party opposed the shift from paper money back to a specie-based monetary system because it believed that privately owned banks and corporations would then reacquire the power to define the value of products and labor. Conversely, they believed that government control of the monetary system would allow it to keep more currency in circulation, as it had in the war

Billion-dollar Congress

Thomas B. Reed dominated it—the first in history to appropriate that sum. Congress showered pensions on Civil War veterans and increased gov. purchases of silver. To keep revenues flowing in and to protect Republican industrialists from foreign competition, they also passed the McKinley Tariff Act of 1890 which boosted rates to highest peacetime level ever.

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.

Sherman Silver Purchase Act (1890)

Was enacted in 1890 as a United States federal law. While not authorizing the free and unlimited coinage of silver that the Free Silver supporters wanted, it increased the amount of silver the government was required to purchase every month It backfired because people exchanged their silver notes for gold dollars, depleting the governments gold reserves. Led to the panic of 1893

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

Coxey's Army

a protest march by unemployed workers from the United States, led by the populist Jacob Coxey. They marched on Washington D.C. in 1894, the second year of a four-year economic depression that was the worst in United States history to that time

Grange

an association formed by farmers in the last 1800s to make life better for farmers by sharing information about crops, prices, and supplies

Rum, Romanism, and Rebellion

an insult made against NY Irish-Americans by a republican clergyman in the 1884 election. Blaine's failure to repudiate this statement lost him NY and contributed to his defeat by Grover Cleveland.

Omaha Platform

political agenda adopted by the populist party in 1892 at their Omaha, Nebraska convention. Called for unlimited coinage of silver (bimetallism), government regulation of railroads and industry, graduated income tax, and a number of election reforms.

Dingley Tariff 1897

raised protective rates still higher but followed the strategy of reciprocity by allowing US tariffs to come down if other nations lowered their

Halfbreeds

republican reformers who were accused of backing reform simply to create openings for their own supporters, led by James G. Blaine; moderates

gold standard act - 1900

signed by McKinley. It stated that all paper money would be backed only by gold. This meant that the government had to hold gold in reserve in case people decided they wanted to trade in their money. Eliminated silver coins, but allowed paper Silver Certificates issued under the Bland-Allison Act to continue to circulate.

Bi-metalism

supporting American currency with silver and gold, instead of just using gold; goal of Populism