APUSH II: Unit 1Chapter 20

The Commonwealth and Empire

Essential QuestionEssential Question:•How effective were politicians in meeting the

needs of Americans during the Gilded Age?•How did problems in gov’t (patronage &

coinage), the economy (depression of 1893), & agriculture (Populists) impact the politics of the

Gilded Age?

TOWARD A NATIONAL GOVERNING CLASS

SECTION 1:

The Growth of Government

• The size and scope of government at all levels grew rapidly during the gilded age.

• New employees, agencies, and responsibilities changed the character of government.

• Taxes increased as local governments assumed responsibility for providing such vital services as police, fire protection, water, schools, and parks.

Civil Service Reform

• The most important political issue of 1880s was civil service reformcivil service reform:– The federal bureaucracy swelled in size after 1860

& these positions were appointed via patronagepatronage (spoils system)

– Congressmen often took bribes or company stock for their votes

– Political machines ruled cities through bribes & personal favors

Gov’t Regulation of Industry

• From 1870 to 1900, 28 state commissions were created to regulate industry, especially RRs:– In 1870, Illinois declared RRs to be public

highways; this was upheld by Munn v. Illinois Munn v. Illinois (1876)

– But, was overturned in Wabash v. IllinoisWabash v. Illinois (1886): “only Congress can regulate interstate trade”

Tariffs & Trusts

• Congress responded by creating:– The Interstate Commerce CommissionInterstate Commerce Commission (ICC) in

1887 to regulate the railroad industry– The Sherman Antitrust Act Sherman Antitrust Act in 1890 which made it

illegal to restrain trade (punishable by dissolution of the company)

The Machinery of Politics • The federal government developed its departmental

bureaucracy.• Power resided in Congress and the state legislatures. • The two political parties only gradually adapted to the

demands of the new era. – Political campaigns featured mass spectacles that reflected the

strong competition for votes. – Political machines financed their campaigns through kickbacks

and bribes and ensured support by providing services for working-class neighborhoods.

• Offices were filled by the spoils system that rewarded friends of the winning party.

The Spoils System and Civil Service Reform

• In 1885, Congress passed the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act that created the civil service system and a professional bureaucracy. – A system of standards was developed for certain federal

jobs.– This effort paralleled similar efforts at professionalism in

other fields.• The legislative branch was also given a more active

role in government under the Circuit Court of Appeals Act of 1891.

Civil Service Reform

• Civil service reform received a boost when disaffected patronage seeker, Charles Guiteau, assassinated President Garfield:– In 1883, Congress created the Pendleton ActPendleton Act for

merit-based exams for civil service jobs– State & local gov’ts mirrored these reforms in

1880s & 1890s

Politics of Stalemate

• The 5 presidential elections from 1876 to 1892 were the most closely contested elections ever

• Congress was split as well:– Democrats controlled the House– Republicans held the Senate

• This “stalemate” made it difficult for any of the 5 presidents or either party to pass significant legislation for 20 years

The Two Party SystemRepublicans Democrats Supported by white

southerners, farmers, immigrants, & the working poor

Favored white supremacy & supported labor unions

Pietists: Methodists, Congregationalists, Presbyterians, Scandinavian Lutherans

Moral Reformers Northern states

• Supported by Northern whites, blacks, & nativists

• Supported big business & favored anti-immigration laws

• Weakened by opposition to the CW

• “Solid South”• Litergicals: Catholics,

Episcopalian, German Lutherans

• Mid-Atlantic and lower Midwestern states

Bourbon Democrats

• Planter-merchant elite dominated southern politics

• New South: entrepreneurs eager to promote a more diversified economy based upon industrial development and railroad expansion

• Promote business interests, laissez-faire capitalism and opposed overseas expansion

Election of 1888

• Democrats: Cleveland• Republicans: Benjamin Harrison, grandson of

President Harrison and a decorated war vet• The Republicans accepted Cleveland’s

challenge to make the protective tariff the chief issue; it also promised a generous pension to Civil War vets

• Cleveland won the popular vote; Harrison won the electoral college

Urban Political Machines

• Urban “political machinespolitical machines” were loose networks of party precinct captains led by a “boss”– Tammany Hall was the most famous machine;

Boss Tweed led the corrupt “Tweed Ring”– Political machines were not all corrupt (“honest

graft”); helped the urban poor & built public works like the Brooklyn Bridge

FARMERS AND WORKERS ORGANIZE THEIR COMMUNITIES

SECTION TWO:

The Farm Problem• The most discontent group during the Gilded

Age were farmers:– Harsh farming conditions– Declining grain & cotton prices– Rising RR rates & mortgages– Government deflation policies

• Farmers lashed out at banks, merchants, railroads, & the U.S. monetary system (gold standard)

The Currency Debate

• Grant’s decision to reduce the number of greenbacks deflated the post-war money supply:– By 1879, the U.S. returned to the international

gold standard & stabilized the U.S. economy– But this policy hurt western farmers because

money was more scarce & credit was limited

Greenback & Silver Movements

• Many farmers supported the “free silver” movement:– The U.S. minted silver & gold coins at a ratio of

16:1, but stopped in 1873 due to an oversupply of gold

– But western miners found huge lodes of silver & wanted “free silver”—the gov’t should buy all silver from miners & coin it

The Grange• Formed in the 1870s by farmers in the Great Plains and

South who suffered boom and bust conditions and natural disasters

• Blamed hard times on a band of “thieves in the night,” especially railroads

• Pushed through laws regulating shipping rates and other farm costs.

• Created their own grain elevators, mutual insurance and set up retail stores for farm machinery. – The depression of the late 1870s wiped out most of these

programs.

The National Farmers’ Alliance• In the 1880s, the National Farmers’ Alliance joined forced with the

Colored Farmers’ Alliance to replace the Grange as the leading farmers’ group with the goals to:– challenge the disproportionate power of the governing class– restore democracy– establish a cooperative economic program

• Northern Plains farmer organizations soon joined the Alliance• Midwestern farm groups battled railroad influence. • By 1890, the Alliance was a major power in several states

demanding demanded a series of economic reforms known as the Ocala DemandsOcala Demands:– Allow farmers to store crops in gov’t silos when prices are bad – Free-coinage of silver, a federal income tax, & regulation of RRs– Direct election of U.S. senators

Workers Search for Power

• In 1877, a “Great Uprising” shut down railroads all across the country. – Federal troops were called out, precipitating violence. – Government created national guards to prevent similar

occurrences. • Workers organized stronger unions that increasingly

resorted to strikes and created labor parties. • Henry George ran for mayor of New York on the United

Labor Party ticket and finished a respectable second. • In the late 1880s, labor parties won seats on numerous

city councils and in state legislatures in industrial areas where workers outnumbered other classes.

Women Build Alliances • Women actively shaped labor and agrarian protest. • The Knights included women at their national convention

and even ran day-care centers and baking cooperatives. • Women were active members in the Grange and

Alliances. • The greatest female leader was Frances E. Willard, who:

– was president of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union– mobilized nearly 1 million women to promote reform and to

work for women’s suffrage

Populism and the People’s Party

• Between 1890 and 1892, the Farmers’ Alliance, the Knights of Labor, the National Colored Farmers’ Alliance and other organizations formed the People’s Party.

• The People’s Party platform called for: – government ownership of railroads, banks, and the telegraph– the eight-hour day– the graduated income tax, and other reforms

• Though the party lost the 1892 presidential race, Populists elected three governors, ten congressional representatives, and five senators.

Populism and the People’s Party

• Between 1890 and 1892, the Farmers’ Alliance, the Knights of Labor, the National Colored Farmers’ Alliance and other organizations formed the People’s Party.

• The People’s Party platform called for: – government ownership of railroads, banks, and the telegraph– the eight-hour day– the graduated income tax, and other reforms

• Populists emerged as a powerful 3rd party & got numerous state & national politicians elected

• In 1892 they even launched a 3rd party candidate…

BENJAMIN HARRISON•Congress passed the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, the McKinley Tariff Acts and admitted Idaho and Wyoming as new states•The McKinley tariff of 1890 raised duties on manufactured goods to the highest level ever• 1890 midterm election: landslide Democratic victory•1892: Cleveland becomes the only president in history to ever serve two, non-consecutive terms

The Election of 1896

• A Populist-Democrat merger looked possible in 1896 when William Jennings BryanWilliam Jennings Bryan received the Democratic nomination against Repub William McKinley:– Called for free silver & income tax; attacked trusts

& injunctions– Bryan visited 26 states on his whistle-stop

campaign to educate Americans about silver

The McKinley Administration

• Republicans benefited from an improving economy, better crop production, & discoveries of gold:– The election of 1896 cemented Republican rule &

became the party of prosperity – From 1860-1890, Republicans had promotedpromoted

industry; by 1900, it was time to regulateregulate it

The McKinley Administration

• McKinley was an activist president and became the first “modern” president:– He communicated well with the press – The Spanish-American War brought the USA

respect as a world power– The Gold Standard ActThe Gold Standard Act (1900) ended the silver

controversy

THE CRISIS OF THE 1890SSECTION THREE:

The Depression of 1893• The most serious blow to politics in the Gilded

Age was a five-year depression that began in 1893:– Sherman Silver Purchase Act of 1890 destabilized

currency (remember, it was repealed in 1893 by Cleveland)

– A stock market panic occurred when the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad went bankrupt

– 500 banks (nearly 50%), 200 railroads, & 1,500 businesses failed

– Companies cut wages & laid off workers; unemployment hit 20%

Long Depression

• Full recovery was not achieved until the early 1900s. – Unemployment soared and many suffered great hardships. – Tens of thousands took to the road in search of work or food. – The Klondike Gold Rush of 1897 finally pulled the US out of the “Long

Depression”• Jacob Coxey called for a march on Washington to demand

relief through public works programs.– “Coxey’s Army” was greeted warmly by most communities on the

way to Washington.– The attorney general, who was a former lawyer for a railroad

company, conspired to stop the march.– Police clubbed and arrested the marchers for trespassing on the

grass in Washington.

Coxey’s Army (1894)

• In 1894, there were 1,400 strikes led by hordes of unemployed people demanding gov’t relief:– Jacob Coxey led an “army” from Ohio to D.C.

to convince Congress to create jobs by spending $500 million on new roads

The Pullman Strike (1894)

• In 1894, Pullman Palace Car workers went on strike when the company cut wages by 50%– American RR Union leader Eugene V. DebsEugene V. Debs called

for a national railroad strike– President Cleveland issued an injunction & sent

the army to end the strike & resume rail traffic– Strikers in 27 states resisted U.S. troops & dozens

died

Pullman Strikes

• 1894• 3000 Wildcat Strike 125,000 (four days)• 250,000 in 27 states• Scabs• Pres. Cleveland• Eugene V. Debs & Clarence Darrow

The Pullman Strike (1894)

• Effects of the Pullman Strike:– Eugene Debs was arrested & became committed

to socialism while in jail, sparking a brief U.S. socialist movement

– In the 1895 case, In re DebsIn re Debs, the Supreme Court used the Sherman Antitrust Act to uphold Cleveland’s injunction since the strike “restrained” U.S. trade

Strikes: Coeur d’Alene, Homestead, and Pullman

• Strikes were sparked by wage cuts, longer work days, and big business attempts to destroy unions.

• In Idaho, a violence-plagued strike was broken by federal and state troops. – The miners formed the Western Federation of Miners.

• The hard times precipitated a bloody confrontation at Andrew Carnegie’s Homestead steel plant.

• A major strike in Pullman, Illinois:– spread throughout the nation’s railroad system– ended with the arrest of Eugene Debs– resulted in bitter confrontations between federal troops and

workers in Chicago and other cities.

The Free Silver Issue • Grover Cleveland won the 1892 election by

capturing the traditional Democratic Solid South and German voters alienated by Republican nativist appeals.

• When the economy collapsed in 1893, government figures concentrated on longstanding currency issues to provide a solution.

• The debate was over hard money backed by gold or soft money backed by silver. – Cleveland favored a return to the gold standard, losing

much popular support.

Populism's Last Campaign

• The hard times strengthened the Populists, who were silver advocates.

• They recorded strong gains in 1894. • But in 1896, when the Democrats nominated William

Jennings Bryan as a champion of free silver, Populists decided to run a fusion ticket of Bryan and Tom Watson.

• Republicans ran William McKinley as a safe alternative to Bryan. – Republicans characterized Bryan as a dangerous man who

would cost voters their jobs.

The Election of 1896• Bryan won 46% of the vote but failed to carry the Midwest,

Far West, and Upper South. – Traditional Democratic groups like Catholics were

uncomfortable with Bryan and voted Republican. • The Populists disappeared and the Democrats became a

minority party. • McKinley promoted a mixture of pro-business and

expansionist foreign policies. • The return to prosperity after 1898 insured continued

Republican control.

THE AGE OF SEGREGATIONSECTION FOUR:

Nativism and Jim Crow• Neither McKinley nor Bryan addressed the increased racism and nativism throughout the nation.

– Nativists blamed foreign workers for hard times and considered them unfit for democracy. • The decline of the Populist party led to the

establishment of white supremacy as the political force in the South.

– Southern whites enacted a system of legal segregation and disenfranchised blacks, approved by the Supreme Court. • Reformers abandoned their traditional support for black rights and accepted segregation and disenfranchisement.• 1896 legal case, Plessy v. Ferguson, legalized “separate but

equal” in private establishments, ex. railroads

Mob Violence and Lynching• Racial violence escalated.• Between 1882 and 1900 lynchings usually exceeded a

hundred each year.– They were announced in newspapers and became public

spectacles.– Railroads offered special excursion prices to people traveling to

attend lynchings.– Postcards were often printed as souvenirs.

• Ida B. Wells launched a one-woman anti-lynching crusade.– She argued that lynching was a brutal device to get rid of

African Americans who were becoming too powerful or prosperous.

“IMPERIALISM OF RIGHTEOUSNESS”

SECTION FIVE:

The White Man’s Burden • Many Americans proposed that the economic crisis required

new markets for American production. • Others suggested Americans needed new frontiers to

maintain their democracy. • The Chicago World’s Fair:

– showed how American products might be marketed throughout the world

– reinforced a sense of stark contrast between civilized Anglo-Saxons and savage people of color.

• A growing number of writers urged America to take up the “White Man’s Burden.”

• Clergymen like Josiah Strong urged Americans to help Christianize and civilize the world.

For and Against

• American Anti-Imperialist League

• Republicanism

• White Man’s Burden• Missionary• Capitalism• Social Darwinism• Manifest Destiny

(Turner, City Upon a Hill)

Anti-Imperialism Imperialists

Foreign Missions

• After the Civil War, missionary activity increased throughout the non-western world.– College campuses blazed with missionary excitement.– The YMCA and YWCA embarked on a worldwide crusade

to reach non-Christians.

• Missionaries helped generate public interest in foreign lands and laid the groundwork for economic expansion.

An Overseas Empire

• Beginning in the late 1860s, the United States began expanding overseas.

• Secretary of State William Henry Seward launched the nation’s Pacific empire by buying Alaska and expanding the United States presence in Hawaii.

• The U.S. policy emphasized economic control, particularly in Latin America.

• During the 1880s and 1890s, the United States strengthened its navy and began playing an increased role throughout the Western Hemisphere and the Pacific.

ImperialismCreating economic,

cultural, and territorial relationships Empire building Global Context

Source of Raw MaterialsMarket for ExportsDivert urban energiesNew Frontier in

American History???

China’s Open Door• End of Sino-Japanese

War in 1895 leaves a power vacuum in China

• Secretary of State, John Hay requests “Open-Door Policy”•spheres of influence

• 1900 – Boxer Rebellion•“kill foreign devils”

Annexation of Hawaii

• 1880s• July 1898 – Newlands

Resolution• Joint Resolution• Extension of Chinese

Exclusion Act to Hawaii and restriction of immigration

• 1900 -

Hawaii

• The United States annexed Hawaii in 1898.• Hawaii was a stepping-stone to Asian

markets. • In 1899, Secretary of State John Hay

proclaimed the Open Door policy in Asia to ensure American access and laid the basis for twentieth-century foreign policy.

Campaign of 1900– McKinley reelected in 1900 • campaign on “return to prosperity” as the Long

Depression is finally over– Bryan seen as one-issue candidate– Theodore Roosevelt elected as VP

– Roosevelt takes over presidency in 1901 after McKinley is shot and killed• Uses presidency as “bully pulpit”• Big Stick diplomacy

Panama!• Panama Canal– Hay-Paunceforte Treaty of 1901 – British consent to

American plan for a canal across Panama– 1903 - Colombia rejects the treat (Panama was

province of Colombia)• 500 Panamanians revolt against Colombians and US

prevents Colombian troops from surprising the rebellion– Nov. 7, 1903 – Panama is declared independent• Nov. 18 Panama signs treaty extending Canal Zone

– Canal opens two weeks after the outbreak of WWI

Roosevelt Corollary

• Roosevelt Corollary - 1904– Starts over crisis in Dominican Republic– Stabilize Caribbean and Central America

– Monroe Doctrine prohibited European intervention in the regions, the US was justified in intervening first to prevent the actions of outsiders and would act as an “international police power”

1896 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904

THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR SECTION SIX:

The United States and Cuba • A movement to gain independence from Spain began in the

1860s.• Americans sympathized with Cuban revolutionaries.– The Spanish were imposing harsh taxes.– By 1895, public interest in Cuban affairs grew, spurred on

by grisly horror stories of Spanish treatment of revolutionaries.

• Spanish misrule of Cuba only provided a justification• American Investments in Cuba and Sugar and mining were

increasing• Cuban Revolt/ “Cuba Libra”

Remember the Maine

• February 15, 1898, the USS Maine explodes in Havana harbor

• Blame the Spanish for torpedoing the ship• Battle cry of “Remember the Maine! To Hell With

Spain”• Roosevelt (Sect. of Navy) “An act of dirty treachery on the

part of the Spaniards.” The US, “Needs a war.”• New York Journal, “The Whole Country Thrills with War

Fever”

Yellow Journalism• Yellow Journalism (Hearst and Pulizter)• De Lome Letter

• McKinley’s war message – April 11th, 1898• Approved April 21st, 1898• April 22 – Blockade of Cuba, an act of war under

international law

• Teddy Roosevelt resigns as Secretary of the Navy to form the Rough Riders

A “Splendid Little War” in Cuba• The United States smashed Spanish power in what John

Hay called “a splendid little war.” • The Platt Amendment protected U. S. interests and

acknowledged its unilateral right to intervene in Cuban affairs. – This amendment paved the way for U.S. domination of Cuba’s

sugar industry and provoked anti-American sentiments among Cuban nationals.

• The United States also annexed a number of other Caribbean and Pacific islands including the Philippines.

• July 25th – Americans moved to Puerto Rico• Treaty of Paris – December 10, 1898 (144 day war)

War in Philippines

– Roosevelt ordered Commodore George Dewey to Philippines to engage Spanish ships

– Dewey destroyed or captured all the Spanish warships in Manila Bay

– Fight for control of the island against Emilio Aguinaldo (until 1930s)

War in the Philippines

• Initially, Filipino rebels welcomed American troops in their fight against Spain.

• After the United States intended to annex their country, they turned against their former allies.

• Between 1899 and 1902, Americans fought a war that led to the death of one in every five Filipinos. – Supporters defended the war as bringing civilization to the

Filipinos. – Critics saw the abandonment of traditional support for self-

determination and warned against bringing in dark-skinned people.

Critics of Empire

• The Filipino war stimulated the founding of an Anti-Imperialist League that denounced the war and territorial annexation in no uncertain terms.

• Critics cited democratic and racists reasons for anti-imperialism.

• Most Americans put aside their doubts and welcomed the new era of aggressive nationalism.

A Decade of Changes: The 1890s

• The Depression of 1893 and the problems faced by farmers & industrial workers forced people to rethink industry, urbanization, & the quality of American life

• Many embraced the need for reform which opened the door to the Progressive Era