Chapter 20Political Realignments in the 1890s

Summary: Panic of 1893Four year depressionRealignment of American politics

Politics of Stalemate

The Party Deadlock– Electorate after Civil War

divided evenly (Rep/De)– Gov’t in Wash less

important– State/Local more imp.

Experiments in the States– Interstate Commerce

Commission Reestablishing Presidential

Power

Hayes-ended reconstruction Garfield-asserted leadership

before his assassination Chester Arthur-pushed for a

strong navy & civil service reform

Grover Cleveland-return to laissez-faire

1888-Cleveland won popular vote but lost the presidency to Benjamin Harrison, who won the electoral college

Republicans in Power: The Billion-Dollar Congress

1888-Republicans control the White House

– Passed the McKinley tariff in 1890

– Granted pensions to veterans and their survivors

– Passed the Sherman Anti-Trust Act 1890

– Passed the Sherman Silver Purchase Act 1890

Elections of 1890 & 1892

Alienation caused loss of House in 1890

1892-Republicans lost the White House

Panic of 1893– May, 1893-stock market

hit a record low– 2 million ppl out of work– 1894-drought destroyed

corn crops

Coxey’s Army & the Pullman Strike

Coxey’s Army– Led by Jacob Coxey-1894– Marched on Washington

demanding relief– “armies” of jobless persons

Pullman Strike– Led by Eugene Debs– Protested wage cuts and

layoffs Pres. Cleveland-used

federal troops to bring down the strike

The Miners of the Midwest

Panic also felt in midwestern coal mines

– Composed of small, family mines

– Worked by english and irish mines

– Worked for lower wages

United Mine workers called a strike in 1894

– Quickly turned violent

A Beleaguered President

President Cleveland– Sherman Silver

Purchase Act Created the depression Caused gold to flow out

of the public treasury Repealed the act in

1893– Did not make a

difference– He also failed to lower

tariff rates as promised

Breaking the Party Deadlock

Cleveland’s failure to end the depression reduced the Democratic Party

Republicans became the overwhelming majority

Swept the 1894 congressional elections

People endorsed the Republican doctrine of government