HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON1

The American NationHOLT

Chapter 17

POLITICS IN THE GILDED AGE

Section 1: Political Machines

Section 2: Restoring Honest Government

Section 3: The Populist Movement

HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON

The American NationHOLT

2

Objectives:How did political machines emerge in U.S. cities?Why were immigrants important to political

machines?How did corruption and illegal activities develop

in many political machines?What events led to the collapse of public support

for the Tweed Ring?

Section 1: Political Machines

HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON

The American NationHOLT

3

2. Political machines 3. Political machines controlled votes by offering jobs, political favors, and services to loyal supporters.

1. Political Machines (1 of 4)

HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON

The American NationHOLTSECTION 1

Political Machines

Why Immigrants Were

Important to Machines

• represented a huge supply of supporters and voters

• tended to be particularly loyal to machines

Ways in Which Machines

Recruited and Rewarded Immigrants

• welcomed immigrants upon arrival

• found immigrants temporary housing and jobs

• helped immigrants become naturalized citizens

• helped immigrants with finances, funerals,and so on

POLITICAL MACHINES AND

IMMIGRANTS

HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON

The American NationHOLT

5

2. Importance of immigrants3. easily accessible—could be welcomed on arrival

3. had many needs for housing, jobs, and services

3. represented a huge supply of supporters and voters

3. tended to be loyal to machines

Section 1: Political Machines (2 of 4)

HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON

The American NationHOLT

6

2. Corruption and illegal activities3. Machines hired men to “vote early and often.”

3. Bosses took bribes, payoffs, and kickbacks.

Section 1: Political Machines (3 of 4)

HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON

The American NationHOLT

7

2. Collapse of Tweed’s support3. Thomas Nast’s cartoons revealed Tweed’s corruption,

even to people who couldn’t read very well.

3. The New York Times published a series of articles exposing Tweed.

Section 1: Political Machines (4 of 4)

HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON

The American NationHOLT

8

Objectives:What scandals plagued the Grant administration?Why did Americans want political reform, and

how did this desire affect the Republican Party?Why did President Arthur’s positions on civil

service reform change, and how did this affect his political party?

How did President Harrison deal with President Cleveland’s reforms?

Section 2: Restoring Honest Government

HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON

The American NationHOLT

9

2. Scandals in the Grant administration3. the gold market scandal

3. the Crédit Mobilier scandal

3. the Whiskey Ring scandal

1. Restoring Honest Government (1 of 4)

HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON

The American NationHOLT

10

2. Desire for reform3. Americans wanted political reform and honest

officials because corruption had become so

widespread, and this desire split the Republican

Party into the Stalwarts and the Half-Breeds.

Section 2: Restoring Honest Government (2 of 4)

HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON

The American NationHOLT

11

2. President Arthur3. Arthur began to support reform after the

assassination of President Garfield, and this led to

reform Republicans voting for Cleveland, the

Democratic candidate, in the election of 1884.

Section 2: Restoring Honest Government (3 of 4)

HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON

The American NationHOLT

12

2. Harrison’s response to Cleveland’s reforms3. returned to political patronage

3. spent money on Republican pet projects

Section 2: Restoring Honest Government (4 of 4)

HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON

The American NationHOLTSECTION 2

Restoring Honest Government• supported reform after the assassination of President Garfield

• helped pass Pendleton Civil Service Act

President Arthur and Reforms

• split the Republicans• Stalwarts voted for James Blaine, the Half-Breed candidate; reform Republicans voted for Grover Cleveland, the Democratic candidate

Effect on Republicans and the Election of 1884

President Cleveland’s Reforms

• doubled the number of jobs requiring civil service exams• promoted reform in general

• returned to political patronage• spent money on Republican pet projects

President Harrison’s Response

HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON

The American NationHOLT

14

Objectives:What factors led to economic hardships for

farmers?What did the farmers’ movements hope to achieve,

and what weakened their efforts?Why did farmers support money backed by silver?What issues did the Populist Party support?How did silver affect the economy and the 1896

presidential election?

Section 3: The Populist Movement

HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON

The American NationHOLT

15

2. Economic hardships for farmers3. heavy debts

3. high freight and machinery costs

3. falling crop prices

1. The Populist Movement

HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON

The American NationHOLT

16

2. Farmer’s movements3. hoped to pressure states to regulate freight and

grain-storage rates

3. formed cooperatives

3. offered low-cost insurance

3. lobbied for graduated income tax

3. weakened by government limits on the power of ICC

3. weakened by racial segregation

Section 3: The Populist Movement

HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON

The American NationHOLT

17

2. Bread Basket of the World 3. Large areas of good farmland and improved farming techniques allowed farmers in the United States to grow a surplus of food.

HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON

The American NationHOLT

18

2. Money backed by silver3. Farmers supported money backed by silver

because they wanted to increase the paper money

supply, and as long as only gold was allowed to

back paper, the supply of it was restricted by how

much gold the treasury had.

Section 3: The Populist Movement

HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON

The American NationHOLT

19

2. Populist Party issues3. graduated income tax3. bank regulation3. government ownership of railroad and telegraph

companies3. free coinage of silver3. immigration restrictions3. shorter workday3. voting reforms

Section 3: The Populist Movement

HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON

The American NationHOLT

20

2. The effects of silver3. Silver was a central issue in the 1896 presidential

campaign.

3. Populists supported Bryan because of his stand on silver.

3. William McKinley won the election with the support of business leaders who opposed free silver.

Section 3: The Populist Movement

HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON

The American NationHOLTSECTION 3

The Populist Movement

• formed cooperatives

• pressured states to regulate freight and grain-storage rates

• offered low-cost insurance

• lobbied for graduated income tax

Effortsto Help Farmers

• The government limited the power of ICC.

Factorsthat

WeakenedEfforts

• The existence of racial segregation in southern states prevented a strong farmers’ coalition.

FARMER’SORGANIZATIONS

HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON

The American NationHOLTCHAPTER 17

Can you answer the following?How were political machines able to

unite immigrant groups to support their candidates?

Why might many Stalwarts have considered civil service reform a violation of the democratic heritage of the United States?

Why did William Jennings Bryan win such strong support in some parts of the country but so little in other regions?

Chapter Wrap-Up