APUSH 19 – History – Flashcards

The Jungle was the book written by Sinclair bringing awareness to the Chicago meatpacking Industry. The Pure Food and Drug Act regulated truth in advertising. Baseball, college football, and boxing were the three most popular sports of the 20th century. Sears and Roebuck and Montgomery Ward were the two leading mail order houses. George Washington Plunkett wrote about "Honest Graft."

From Reconstruction to the turn of the century, Republicans and Democrats had roughly equal influence. There were 16 strong Republican states and 14 strong Democratic states. 5 states, most notably New York and Ohio, were split. The Republican party lost only two elections of the era. Even the lost elections were close; the difference in popular vote between the candidates was only 1.5%. Voter turnout was extremely high between 1860 and 1900, averaging 78%. Region and religion were major factors in party loyalty.

The National Government was small compared to its 21st century counterparts. The government was responsible for mail, a small military, collecting taxes and tariffs, and conducting foreign policy. It did subsidize the growth of the west and the rail system. It also created a pension system for Civil War veterans which helped many people both white and black in the North. However, patronage killed the pension system, which placed less emphasis on good government.

The President had the power to appoint people, but he had to take care not to offend the opposing parties. Rutherford B. Hayes had problems with the Stalwarts and the Half-Breeds. The Stalwarts, led by Roscoe Conkling, believed in the old patronage system. The Half-Breeds believed in reform, but only if the reforms helped them gain more power in the patronage system. Hayes tried to reform the system but ended up angering both parties. It also did not help that Hayes's wife banned alcohol from the White House. The Election of 1880 resulted in a Republican victory, with Garfield, a Half-Breed as President, and the Stalwart Chester A. Arthur as Vice President. Garfield tried to create civil service reform by defying the Stalwarts, but was assassinated four months later, resulting in no resolution. Garfield was shot twice by Charles J. Guiteau, and he lingered for three months before he died. Chester Arthur passed the Pendleton Act, requiring the use of examinations for people seeking federal jobs, rather than the use of patronage.

Cleveland won the next election, since his opponent James Blaine had a terrible reputation with the Catholics and liberal Republicans. It was still a close election with Cleveland only winning the popular margin by 23,000 votes. Cleveland was a defender of free trade and stood up to party politics. Cleveland favored the lowering of the tariff in the election of 1888. Benjamin Harrison won the election, but only through the electoral college. He lost the popular vote by 100,000.

Harrison did not come with an agenda, however he began attempts to curb the power of trusts with public support. Congress passed the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, but it remained a largely symbolic gesture. In fact by 1901, the Justice department used the Act many times against unions and only 14 against corporations. Republicans cared more about the tariff issue and Representative William McKinley helped pass the highest tariff in history to that point. It backfired, and the Republicans lost many seats in Congress, including McKinley. Public pressure grew, urging reforms regarding regulation of railroads. Several Mid-West states passed laws regulating railroad rates. Those laws were struck down in the Supreme Court in the case Wabash, St. Louis, and Pacific Railway Co. vs. Illinois. Congress passed the Interstate Commerce Act in 1887. It banned discrimination in rates between long and short hauls, required that railroads publish their rate schedules and file them with the government, and required that all rates must be reasonable. Like the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, it was not enforced for the first 25 years.

No one was more concerned about the practices of the American government than the western farmers. The Grange was an effort for farmers to collectivize after the Civil War. Oliver H. Kelly was appalled by what he considered the isolation and drabness of rural life. The Grange attempted to bring farmers to learn new scientific agricultural techniques of the age, and to build communities relieving the loneliness or rural life. By 1875 the Grange had over 800,000 members and 20,000 lodges. As it grew, the mid-west chapters began to focus more on the economic possibilities. They wanted to end the monopolistic power of the railroads They set up cooperative stores and creameries, amongst others. They also profited by setting up the first mail order houses, such as Montgomery Ward. They also worked to gain control of state houses in the mid-west, which would help curb railroad prices. However, these efforts were struck down by the government.

The successor to the Grange movement was the Farmer's Alliance, which also stressed local issues. Alliances were notable for letting women play a prominent role. Mary Lease, a female populist leader, said: "raise less corn and more hell." Others began to push for temperance again and also began to advocate for women's suffrage. The Alliances merged to form one alliance that won state and national elections in the 1890 off-year election. After that they began to push for a third party. In 1892 they formed their own party called the Populist party. It won 8.5% of the popular vote, carried 6 states (22 electoral votes), and saw nearly 1,500 candidates elected to state legislatures.

The Populists was made up of farmers who were losing their jobs to more modern farming practices. It tended to appeal to isolated farmers than to mainstream society. They wanted to expand the money supply by having the money backed with silver and gold . Populists were also unwilling to promote civil rights.

The Omaha platform of 1892 listed their political demands. The first was a system of "sub-treasuries," which would replace and strengthen the cooperatives. They also wanted a network of warehouses where farmers could deposit their crops in exchange for lower interest loans. It also called for the abolition of national banks because they concentrated power, the end of the absentee ownership of land, and the direct election of senators They also wanted government ownership of railroads, telephones, and telegraphs, a graduated income tax, and the inflation of the currency

In March of 1893, the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad declared bankruptcy. Two months later the National Cordage Company failed as well. This triggered a decline of the stock market. Since many NY banks were heavily invested in the stock market, they began to fail. Other factors were also in play, including the lack of purchasing power of farmers, over-expansion of railroads, and the decline of European markets. Within six months, more than 8,000 businesses, 156 railroads, and 400 banks failed. Already low agricultural prices tumbled further. 20% of workers (1 million people) lost their jobs.

President Cleveland believed that the currency problem was the primary cause of the depression. The debate was over whether money be backed by both gold and silver. The ratio for silver to gold for money was at 16:1, however congress passed a law that ended up hurting the worth of silver. Western miners and farmers viewed this as a conspiracy by the big banks of the east, calling it the "Crime of 73." Miners wanted the government to buy the excess silver, and the farmers wanted the devaluation of silver to boost their buying power. Cleveland believed that paying for silver with gold was depleting the nation's gold supply, the cause for the Panic of 1893.

In the election of 1896, the Republicans nominated William McKinley of Ohio, who opposed the free coinage of silver. The Democratic convention of 1896 incorporated Populists beliefs of free silver, tariff reduction, income tax, and stricter regulation of railroads nominating William Jennings Bryan. William Jennings Bryan gave the "Cross of Gold" speech.

The business and financial community were in a panic over a potential Bryan victory. They spent 7 million in funds for the Republicans, to the Democrats 300,000. McKinley kept the tradition of not actively campaigning for President, while Bryant showed no restraint. He became the first presidential candidate in American history to stump every section of the country systematically. McKinley polled at 271 electoral votes to Bryan's 176, also winning the popular vote 51.1% to 47.7%. The Populist party was destroyed after fusing with the Democrats and losing. Never again would American farmers unite so militantly to demand economic reform.

After the election, the labor unrest characteristic of the 1890's subsided. McKinley also pushed for the universally loved higher tariff rates. He also created the Gold Standard Act of 1900 which confirmed the nation's commitment to the gold standard

The Pendleton Act said that people had to pass an examination to get a government job. The Sherman Anti-Trust Act attempted to prevent monopolies. The Interstate Commerce Act regulated the railroads. The "Cross of Gold" speech was given by William Jennings Bryan to secure the nomination. Grangers were the first attempt by farmers to organize. -Revised by Chairman Francis Yang, 5/19/2013 ☭ After inspection by the Congressional Department of Educational Oversight, this powerpoint has been deemed acceptable under the Learning Equality Act of 1949. Disagreement will be met with investigation by the NKVD.