chapter 12-gilded age notes

7/31/2019 Chapter 12-Gilded Age Notes

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The Gilded Age

Gild- to cover in a thin

layer of either fake orreal gold, usually done

to make things lookbetter than they reallyare


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The Gilded Age

Mark Twain coined the term to refer to atime when the glamorous lives of the rich

and powerful hid the dishonest ways inwhich many of them made their money


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Big Business and

Corrupt Politics Industrial leaders took advantage of the

situation created by the Civil War and

Reconstruction Era Charged the US government high prices for

supplies and labor Bribed Congressmen, judges, and

government officials to get contracts Bought votes and helped elect politicians

whose decisions they could control


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The Robber Barons A new social class that became famous

for showing off wealth in public

Men who gained fortunes by illegalmeans

Bribery -Threats

Deceit -Scandals

John D. Rockefeller

James Big Jim Fisk

Jay Gould

Cornelius Vanderbilt

J.P. Morgan

Leland Stanford

Collis Huntington John Jacob Astor


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Scandal and President Grant

The Credit Mobilier Scandal 1872- leaders of the Union Pacific Railroad

had persuaded a number of governmentleaders to cooperate in a multimillion-dollarfraud

Union Pacifics managers formed a railroad

construction company called the CreditMobilier


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Scandal and President Grant

No actual construction was done as thepublic money that Congress set aside for

Credit Mobilier went to the managersand the Congressmen they had bribed

Grants Vice President Colfax andCongressman James A. Garfield (later

president) took part in the fraud


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Indian Ring

1873- President Grants Secretary ofWar William Belknap had received

kickbacks (payoffs) for helping tocheat American Indian people out ofrights to their trading posts


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Whiskey Ring

1873- President Grants personalsecretary Orville Babcock used

blackmail to get more than $25,000from whiskey makers who had notbeen paying excise taxes to the

federal government


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Scandals in Congress

Just after the Credit Mobilier scandalbroke, Congress voted itself a 50% pay

raise Included 2 years of back pay at the higher rate

Raised salaries from $5,000 to $7,500

Gave each Congressman a gift of $5,000

Public outcry over this back-pay stealforced the legislators to back down


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Urbanization Problems

During the Grant presidency urban problems arose that many citygovernments could not fix

Overwhelmed by immigrants form both rural areas andforeign countries

Overcrowded, dirty, and riddled with poverty and violence

Expanding rapidly due to industrialization

Lacked the money, leadership, staff, and organization to meetthe needs for municipal services

Water, sewer, fire, police, and social services Political corruption


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Political Bosses

Heads of political machines whowielded great power over local

governments Gained power by supplying basic

needs to poor workers and immigrantfamilies in exchange for votes and

other political support Bosses controlled virtually every

aspect of city government


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Political Machines

Political organization based onpatronage, the spoils system, and

behind-the-scenes control Patronage System

Exchanged political favors for moneyor for votes with the local constituents

Rewarded themselves with Graft Money stolen from the city treasury


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The Tweed Ring

William Marcy Tweed Most famous and corrupt political boss

of the Gilded Age Established and controlled New Yorks

Democratic political machine Operation was called the Tammany

Society Operated from Tammany Hall


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The Tweed Ring

Eventually stole about $200 millionfrom NYC between 1868 and 1871

Finally arrested, tried, convicted, andimprisoned His political machine carried on

without him


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