Chapter 23 the Political Paralysis in the Gilded Age (1869-1896) s1

CHAPTER 23 “THE POLITICAL PARALYSIS IN THE GILDED AGE” (1869-1896) (13TH EDITION ONLY)

THE OVER-ARCHING THEME OF CHAPTER 23 “THE POLITICAL PARALYSIS IN THE GILDED AGE” IS THAT THE REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS FELL INTO AN ERA OF DO-LITTLE POLITICS. EACH WAS CONCERNED ONLY WITH GETTING THEIR PARTY REELECTED.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES – AFTER READING THIS CHAPTER YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO: 1. …describe the political corruption of the Grant administration and the various efforts to clean up politics in the Gilded Age. 2. …describe the economic slump of the 1870s and the growing conflict between “hard-money” and “soft- money” advocates. 3. …list the reasons for the intense political involvements of the age, despite the agreement of the two parties on most issues. 4. …analyze the disputed Hayes-Tilden election of 1876 and explain how the Compromise of 1877 averted possible bloodshed. 5. …explain the importance of the spoils system in Gilded Age politics and how the Garfield assassination led to the beginnings of civil service. 6. …discuss how the issueless political contests of the 1880s became increasingly nasty and personal, until Cleveland made the tariff question a focus of political debate. 7. …explain why the level of politics in the Gilded Age was generally so low.

IDENTIFY THE HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE FOLLOWING – 1. Ulysses S. Grant 7. Jay Cook 13. Chester A. Arthur 2. Horatio Seymour 8. Roscoe Conkling 14. Winfield S. Hancock 3. Jim Fisk 9. James G. Blaine 15. Charles J. Guiteau 4. Jay Gould 10. Rutherford B. Hayes 16. Grover Cleveland 5. Thomas Nast 11. Samuel Tilden 17. Benjamin Harrison 6. Horace Greeley 12. James A. Garfield 1. 2. DEFINE THE HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE FOLLOWING – 18. cheap money 20. contraction 22. Gilded Age 19. hard/sound money 21. resumption 23. Spoils System 3. 4. DESCRIBE THE HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE FOLLOWING – 24. Ohio Idea 31. Crime of ‘73 38. Pendleton Act 25. the “bloody shirt” 32. Bland-Allison Act 39. Mugwumps 26. Tweed Ring 33. Greenback Labor Party 5. 27. Credit Mobilier 34. GAR 6. 28. Whiskey Ring 35. Stalwart 7. 29. Liberal Republicans 36. Half Breed 8. 30. Resumption Act 37. Compromise of 1877 9. 10. 11. 12. See page 2 for Glossary 13. 14. TO BUILD YOUR SOCIAL SCIENCE VOCABULARY, FAMILIARIZE YOURSELF WITH THE FOLLOWING TERMS: 15. 16. 1. coalition – a temporary alliance of political factions or parties for some specific purpose 17. 18. 2. corner – to gain exclusive control of a commodity in order to fix its price 19. 20. 3. eccentric – deviating from the norm; peculiar, unconventional 21. 22. 4. amnesty – a general pardon for offenses or crimes against the government 23. 24. 5. hard money – scarce money with high purchase value 25. 26. 6. sound money – money adequately backed by capital assets or reserves 27. 28. 7. contraction – in finance, reducing the available money supply of money, thus tending to raise interest rates and lower prices 29. 30. 8. soft money – plentiful or inflated money 31. 32. 9. fraternal organization – a society of men drawn together for social purposes and sometimes pursue other common goals 33. 34. 10. consensus – common or unanimous opinion 35. 36. 11. kickback – the return of a portion of the money received in a sale or contract, often secretly or illegally, in exchange for favors 37. 38. 12. stock dividends – a portion of the profits of a corporation distributed to owners of a company’s stock 39. 40. 13. pull – political influence or special advantage 41. 42. 14. laissez-faire – the doctrine of non-interference, especially by the government, in matters of economics or business 43. 44. 15. pork barrel – in American politics, government appropriations for political purposes, especially projects designed to please legislator’s local constituency 45.