changes in national politics
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Changes In National Politics. The National Government. Republican/Democrats- Were similar in ideas. Both managed to avoid major differences. National Leaders of both parties were concerned with office. Winning Elections Controlling patronage - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
CHANGES IN NATIONAL POLITICS
Republican/Democrats- Were similar in ideas. Both managed to avoid major differences.
National Leaders of both parties were concerned with office. Winning Elections Controlling patronage
Both parties dominated by powerful bosses and machines. They controlled jobs- dispensing them.
Democrats: Relied on big city organizations Tammany Hall- mobilized the voting power of immigrants.
Republicans: Depend on statewide organizations Led by Party Bosses
THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT
Power of the Party Bosses Major effect on the Presidency
New President Job: Distribute Government appointments 100,000 appointments Had very little latitude Trying to avoid offending various factions within their own
parties.President Hayes
Impossible job Stalwarts- led by Roscoe Half-Breeds- led by James Blaine
Competing for control of the Republican PartyThreatened to split it!
PRESIDENTS AND PATRONAGE
StalwartsVery TraditionalProfessional machine politics
Half-BreedsFavored reform
Neither group favored great change.Both wanted larger piece of the pie.President Hayes
Wanted to help both, but didn’t.
PRESIDENTS AND PATRONAGE
Convention Deadlock James Garfield
Republican President Chester A. Arthur
Vice President First things first
Defy Conkling/Stalwarts in appointments Showed support for civil service reform Quarreling in public came after.
July 2, 1881 Four months after his inauguration
Shot twice Shooter: “I am a Stalwart and Arthur is president now” Lingered for three months after and finally died Poor medical treatment
1880 REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CONVENTION
Arthur He was an devoted spoils man Close ally with Conkling Tried to promote reform Garfield’s assassination
Discredited the traditional spoils system Kept most of Garfield’s appointees in office Supported civil service reform.
1883 First civil service reform measure.
The Pendleton Act Federal job be filled by written exams. Rather than patronage.
20 th century- most of the jobs followed this procedure.
THE “NEW” ARTHUR
Election of 1884 Republicans
Chose James Blaine Bypassed Arthur
Independent Reform Faction Mugwumps- left the Republican party and support honest
Democrats. Democrats
Chose New York Governor: Grover Cleveland Reformer An enemy to corruption Very stern and righteous Nickname: Veto Governor
Cleveland Won with 219 votes Blaine had 182 votes
THE RETURN OF THE DEMOCRATS
Democrats Re-nominated Cleveland Supported tariff reductions
Republicans Benjamin Harrison Respectable Supported keeping the tariff where its at
This campaign: Was the closest Was the most corrupt in U.S history
Harrison (Bush) Won an electoral majority Cleveland (Gore) won the popular majority. This is one of three elections that ended with the loser of
the popular vote winning the election.
THE ELECTION OF 1888
July 1890Congress
Curb the power of the trusts. Sherman Antitrust Act
Declared illegal every contract trust Restrained trade or commerce Gave Justice Department authority to take actions
The Law was weak Was not specific in what kinds of combinations it
was forbidding Weakness was intentional
Congress saw the measure as symbolic.
TRUSTS, TARIFFS, AND RAILROADS
Election of 1892 Republicans/Harrison
Supported high tariff’s Democrats/Cleveland opposing it.
New Party Populists Party
Nominated James B. Weaver Serious advocate of economic reform Build warehouses
Store their food Crops could be used as collateral to borrow money. Lower interests rates Direct election of senators Government ownership of railroads, telephones, and telegraphs Inflation of currency Demonetization of silver
ELECTION OF 1892
Weaver Received 1 million votes 22 electoral votes Five populists were elected to the Senate Ten to the House
Cleveland Won Democrats won control of both houses of Congress
Cleveland 2nd term
Devoted to minimal government Hostile to state measures to deal with social and economic
problems.
ELECTION OF 1892
The Grangers First major farm organization Appeared in the 1960’s First it was a self-help association
Depression hits in 1873 Turns into a political group.
1867 Oliver H. Kelley
Founded the National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry Hope to create a sense of unity.
Depression of 1873 Membership increased rapidly 1875- 800,000 members Strongest in the South and Midwest
THE AGRARIAN REVOLT
Local Chapters Organize marketing to get around the middlemen. Use lawful and peaceful means to free themselves Free from monopolies.
Grangers Set up stores, creameries, elevators, warehouses, insurance companies,
and factories. Produced: machines, stoves, other items.
Montgomery Ward Corporation rose to meet the needs of grangers
Most of the Grange enterprise will fai l. At its height
Managed to gain control of the legislatures in mid-western states. Purpose: was to subject the railroads to government controls. Courts destroyed much of the laws regulating the railroad. 1880- 100,000 members
THE GRANGERS
Within the panic beginning8,000 businesses156 railroads400 banks
ALL FAILED!Low agricultural prices fell1 million workers lost their jobs.20% of the labor force.Prosperity didn’t return until 1901
PANIC OF 1893
Panic weakened the government’s monetary system. Debates:
What the national currency should be? Gold and silver- were the basis for the dollar
Bimetallism Ration of silver to gold was 16-1 The Mint stopped coining silver 1873
Congress discontinued the coinage of silver 1870’s value of silver fell. Called it the “Crime of 73”.
1896 Election Free coinage silver was a major issue. “Free Silver” supporters considered the gold standard Silver- is the people’s money
THE SILVER QUESTION
Republicans Confident of success in the election of 1896
Mark Hanna Swayed them to pick William McKinley
Ohio governor Supported the gold standard
Democrats Divided on free silver issue Bryan addressed the convention
“If they dare to come out in the open and defend the gold standard as a good thing, we will fight them to the uttermost. Having behind us the producing masses of this nation and the world, supported by the commercial interests and the toilers everywhere, we will answer their demand for a gold standard by saying to them: You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns; you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold.”
THE EMERGENCE OF BRYAN
Convention Voted to adopt the pro-silver platform. Bryan
Following day was nominated for president. Youngest ever nominated to the President. Established this modern form of presidential politics.
McKinley Received 271 electoral votes
Bryan’s Received 176 electoral votes
THE EMERGENCE OF BRYAN