Chapter 23
The Gilded Age Through Forgettable Presidents
Guiding Question
Were these presidents really forgettable?
Ulysses S. Grant
Fisk and Gould corner the gold market in
1869
Boss Tweed ran New York, customs house
scandal where Grant appointed officials
allowed people to store undeclared goods
at inflated prices.
Credit Mobilier - Union Pacific Railroad
founded a construction company, then
hired themselves at inflated prices.
Whiskey Ring - Whiskey distiller were not
paying taxes, and Grant and his
administration knew.
Tried to double his own pay - 25,000 to
50,000
He did shepherd the United States through
the later years of Reconstruction.
15th Amendment passed, states rejoined
during military Reconstruction.
Rutherford B. Hayes
Compromise of 1877, agreed
that he would remove troops
from the South in exchange
for taking office. Too close
to call in his election v.
Samuel Tilden.
No control in the South led
to the birth of Jim Crow.
Put down a strike among
railroad workers whose
wages were lowered by 10%.
James Garfield
Upset that he wasn’t given a
government job, Charles J.
Guiteau shot Garfield and he
died 11 weeks later.
Garfield proposed the Pendleton
Civil Service reform bill.
Stood up to Roscoe Conkling,
who attempted to appoint his
favored candidate to a New
York.
Chester A. Arthur
Was able to get the
Pendleton Civil Service laws
passed to push reform.
These reforms helped drive
politicians to work more
with big-businesses to win
elections.
Grover Cleveland
Laissez-faire
economics.
1st Democrat elected
after the Civil War.
Cleveland wanted to
lower tariffs that
protected northern
business, had created a
surplus, and fed the
U.S. military.
Benjamin Harrison
Thomas B. Reed of Maine dominated
the Republican controlled Congress
during Harrison’s term.
Congress passed an even higher
protective tariff. Farmers in the U.S.
were unprotected and buying goods
from northern industries that were
protected. In 1892 a third party led
by James Weaver gained many votes.
This party was the populist party.
Grover Part II
Cleveland had to get J.P. Morgan to
bail out the federal government.
Presided over a massive depression.
The government made the mistake of
buying silver to allow for more paper
currency. If the currency is tied to
two standards, whichever does better
will be exchanged for paper currency.
Gold was more valuable, so people
turned money in for gold, bleeding
the treasury.
Income tax begins in 1894.
Guiding Question
Were these presidents really forgettable?
Fair Work Day?
How long is a fair work day?
History of the 8 Hour Day
Labor organizers called for a national
strike on May 1st, 1886. Chicago’s
attracted 80,000 participants.
On May 3rd, striking workers clashed
with replacement workers, the police
killed 2 strikers.
Police and the government supported
big businesses against labor
organizers.
During the Gilded Age police were
often called in to break strikes and
demonstrations.
Haymarket Rally
A program of seven
speakers spoke about
workers rights, fairness
and the 8-hour workday.
At the end as the police
were dispersing the crowd,
a bomb was thrown at the
police, this picture is
inaccurate.
Albert Parsons
A former Confederate soldier who
moved north after the war.
He settled in Chicago and worked
as a labor organizer.
Parsons worked for radical causes,
spoke out against capitalism and
was an anarchist.
Gave an hour long speech during
the Haymarket Rally. Fled after the
explosion, was arrested and
hanged.
Lucy Parsons
Albert’s wife, a radical activist
who advocated for the 8 hour
work day and workers rights.
Traveled the country giving
speeches about labor rights.
Lucy was born in Texas as a
slave, and was of African
American, Indian, and Mexican
decent. Albert and Lucy fled
Texas after their marriage due
to racial discrimination.
People Arrested and Executed
• August Spies (led German-speaking anarchists led 80,000 in a
Chicago March days before the Haymarket Rally, first speaker
at Haymarket Rally) - Hanged in 1887.
• Samuel Fielden (Methodist pastor, draft animal teamster, labor
activist, anarchist, last speaker of Haymaker Square rally) death penalty, reduced to life, released 1893.
• Michael Schwab (co-editor of anarchist newspaper for German
immigrant workers) attended Haymakers but left to speak at
another rally. Given life in prison, released in 1893.
• George Engel (labor union activist and anarchist) - at home playing
cards during Haymaker Rally. Convicted and hanged.
• Adolph Fischer (labor union activist and anarchist) at the rally, but
left before things turned violent. His last words before he was
hanged "Hurray for Anarchy! This is the happiest moment of my
life!"
• Louis Lingg (carpenter, 23-year-old, known to make small bombs),
in jail the day before his execution, he created a bomb and
detonated it in his own mouth, he died a few days later.
• Oscar Neebe (yeast-maker, labor activist, anarchist), didn’t attend
the Rally, but was local leader, sentenced to 15 years, stayed in
jail until 1893.
No convincing evidence was ever recovered that linked any of these
men to throwing the bomb. It is likely that Lingg made the
bomb. Guiding Question
Was Albert Parson dangerous and did he get
what he deserved or was it a political frame-up?