1880: 20 th President: James Garfield

Transcription

1 From 1860 to 1880: All Presidents Republicans 1880: 20 th President: James Garfield In office for only 200 days; assassinated by a disappointed (and insane) office seeker.

2 Charles Julius Guiteau American preacher, writer, and lawyer convicted of assassinating U.S. President James A. Garfield. executed by hanging

3 21 st President: Chester Arthur Finished Garfield s term. Congress pass the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act which created a civil service exam for many jobs. Irony: As a stalwart, Arthur rose up in the Republican party through patronage jobs under the political machine of Roscoe Conklin a powerful NY Senator. Garfield was a half-breed who opposed patronage and was the Dark Horse who unexpectedly got the Republican nomination. Arthur got the VP to balance the ticket.

4 Election of 1884 President Arthur was ill and did not actively seek the nomination. Many Republicans wanted the Civil War leader William Tecumseh Sherman to run. He gave the famous Sherman Pledge : If drafted, I will not run; I nominated, I will not accept; if elected, I will not serve!

5 Robert Todd Lincoln Secretary of War under Pres. Garfield & Arthur He also declined. He took also the so-called Sherman Pledge.

6 Election of 1884: James G. Blaine (R) of Maine vs. Grover Cleveland (D) Gov. of NY Issue: Character Blaine was Speaker of the House and the Mulligan Letters revealed he has sold his influence to various businessmen. He made the equivalent of $1.5 million from one RR company. One letter ended with: burn this letter. So, Democrats would scream, Burn, burn, burn this letter! He denied everything so Democrats would then chant: James G. Blaine, the continental liar from the State of Maine!

7 Grover Cleveland (D) was known as Grover the Good: he fought against Tammany Hall s graft. During the campaign, the Republicans revealed that he had fathered a child out of wedlock. Although he may not have been the father, he gave the child his name and supported him. His candor actually helped his campaign!

8 Dr. Samuel D. Burchard, We are Republicans, and don't propose to leave our party and identify ourselves with the party whose antecedents have been rum, Romanism, and rebellion. We are loyal to our flag. Prohibition --- an issue that the Women's Christian Temperance Union had brought to fever pitch; Catholicism --- a feared minority of the time following Rome, The Civil War --- which had only ended 20 years before. James G. Blaine was there, in the audience. If Blaine sensed trouble, he didn't do anything until a full three days had passed, when the public actually caught on to the ugliness of the phrase that had come out of the mouth of a man of god, at a Republican rally. By then, it was too late. It was close but Blaine lost to Cleveland 4,914,482 to 4,856,903 (difference of ½ of 1%)

9 Republicans chanted: Ma, Ma, Where s my Pa? After he won the election, Democrats responded, Gone to the White House, Ha! Ha! Ha! He is the 22 nd President

10 Real Issues of the Day: 1. Corruption in politics (national/local) 2. Business Cycles (boom/bust) 3. The plight of the C.W. veterans 4. The agony of the very poor 5. What to do about union strikes 6. Tariffs 7. Silver: should it be used to > currency? 8. Subsidies/assistance to businesses 9. The farm crisis 10. Imperialism: what to do about Hawaii; what to do about the Spanish in Cuba

11 Farmers Suffer In the late 1800 s a vicious economic cycle was especially harmful to farmers. Prices for their products was falling while the cost of seeds and tools was increasing Banks were foreclosing on farms when loans went unpaid Railroads were charging excessive rates for transporting farm goods to markets

12 When the banker says he's broke And the merchant s up in smoke, They forget that it's the farmer who feeds them all. It would put them to the test If the farmer took a rest; Then they'd know that it's the farmer feeds them all.

13 Farmers Demand Cheaper Money After the Civil War, the economy was in a Deflationaryperiod where there was relatively little money in circulation Deflation forced prices down which helped consumers but hurt the farmers as prices for their products also decreased.

14 Decreasing Wheat Prices YEAR Bushels Grown (millions) $ $ $ $ $ $ $.62 Price per bushel (dollars)

15 Bland-Allison Act, 1878 In an attempt to bring about a period of inflation, Congress passed the Bland-Allison Act in 1878 over presidential veto. The act added $2 million dollars in silver coins per year to the money supply but that was not enough to help the farmers

16 Money: backed by gold and silver or just gold? Farmers wanted the money supply increased to bring about a period of Inflation to increase the selling prices for their products To increase the money supply, farmers wanted more Greenbacks printed and put into circulation and unlimited coinage of silver 1884: Cleveland sided with just gold. He ordered the government to reduce the amount of silver it was coining.

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19 Problems with the Railroads With little competition, railroad owners charged farmers extremely high prices to ship their products to market. Often the cost of RR transportation was more than the selling price of the product! RR also controlled the price farmers had to pay to store their products

20 Election of 1888 President Grover Cleveland vs Benjamin Harrision (R) Issues: Tariffs: Cleveland was against; Harrison was for them Civil War pensions: Cleveland was against them Free Silver: Cleveland was against it Haymarket Affair 1886: Cleveland is silent

21 3 rd time in our history a candidate loses the popular vote but wins the electoral vote and becomes President 1 st time: 1824 JQA defeat AJ 2 nd time: 1876 RBH defeats ST 1888 Benjamin Harrison received 233 electoral votes to Grover Cleveland s 168, winning the presidency. Cleveland won the popular vote by 90,000 + votes 4 th time: 2000 GWB Al Gore received 540,000 + more votes than Bush. Bush won the electoral vote, 271 to 266 becoming the 43 rd President

22 23 rd President Benjamin Harrison (R) Grandson of William Henry Harrison Federal Spending reached $1 billion for the first time. Sherman Anti-Trust Act enacted. Supported a high tariff Advocated voting rights protections for African-Americans (failed to pass Congress) Ordered an investigation into the Wounded Knee Massacre (1890); supported Dawes Act (1887) which he believed would encourage assimilation

23 United We Stand, Divided We Fall Farmers begain to organize and tried to unite.

24 The Grange Patrons of Husbandry. It was better known as the Grange. The Grange s original purpose was to serve as a social outlet and educational forum for isolated farm families. It sponsored state legislation to regulate the railroads. They also taught members how to organize and how to establish cooperatives

25 Farmer s Alliances This organization also included teachers, preachers, newspaper editors and others who sympathized with the farmers plight. The Alliances sent speakers to educate farmers including Mary Elizabeth Lease. There were 4 million members in the South and West with the Southern Alliance the largest.

26 Raise More Hell and Less Corn! - Mary Lease

27 Colored Farmer s National Alliance The Colored Farmer s National Alliance was established in 1886 by R.M. Humphrey. 250,000 African Americans in 16 states joined the organization.

28 Populist Party The Grange and Farmer s Alliances entered the national political arena in 1892 with the birth of the Populist or People s Partyin Omaha, Nebraska. The Populist wanted several financial and political reforms passed into law

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30 Populist Reforms Populist financial reforms included: 1. Increase in the money supply 2. Graduated income tax system 3. Federal loans program to farmers Populist political reforms included: 1. Election of state senators by popular vote 2. Single term for the president 3. Secret ballots in election 4. An 8 hour work day for all 5. Government restrictions on immigration

31 The actual Omaha Platform of Abolition of the National Bank. 2. Direct election of Senators. 3. Govt. ownership of RRs, telephone & telegraph companies. 4. Government-operated postal savings banks. 5. Restriction of undesirable immigration hour work day for government employees. 7. Abolition of the Pinkerton detective agency. 8. Australian secret ballot. 9. Re-monitization of silver. 10. A single term for President & Vice President.

32 Govt.-Owned Companies

33 Were these Radical Reforms? In the early 1890 s, most Americans believed the financial and political reforms advocated by the Populist Party were too radical and should not be accepted

34 Weaver

35 Election of 1892 The Populist Party had candidates for president, state governors, state senators, and state legislators. Their candidate for president, James Weaver, won 1 million popular votes in the West and 5% of the electoral votes but lost to Democrat Grover Cleveland

36 Grover Cleveland becomes the only nonconsecutive President. He is the 22 nd and 24 th President and

37 Panic of 1893 During the 1880 s, the economy had grown too fast. Farmers and businesses were overextended with debts and unpaid loans Railroad construction expanded faster than markets The Panic (Depression) started in February 1893 when the Pennsylvania & Reading RR failed

38 Other railroads and related industries (iron and steel) followed. General businesses collapsed as well as the stock market. By year s end 8,000 businesses and 400 banks had failed. 3 million workers lost jobs. By December % of the work force was unemployed

39 The Haymarket Affair 1886

40 On Saturday May 1, ,000 went on strike to march in support of the 8 hour day. It was a one-day strike because everyone worked on Saturday.

41 On Monday workers continued the strike at the McCormick Reaper Plant Violence broke out and four worker died. A Protest Meeting was called for the next day in Haymarket Square in Chicago

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43 About 3,000 persons assembled that evening in Haymarket Square and listened to speakers denounce the greed of the thieving masters who sent their bloodhounds out to shoot you, to kill you! The crown had dwindled to a few hundred when 180 policemen showed up, and ordered the crowd to disperse. A speaker said the meeting was almost over when...

44 A bomb was thrown. 66 policemen were hurt, 7 later died. The police then fired into the crowd, killing several, wounding 200.

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47 8 anarchists were rounded up and arrested. Anarchists were people who believed that the government and the industrialists worked together to keep the working man and woman down. They argued against all organized government and said workers had to take the law into their own hands.

48 3 of the 8 defendants of the Haymarket Affair No evidence was presented in court to prove that any one of them threw the bomb. Their speeches and writings were read in court

49 We urgently call upon the wage-earning class to arm itself in order to be able to put forth against their exploiters such an argument which alone can be effective: violence. - Parsons and Spies Keep them (Parsons and Spies) in view. Hold them personally responsible for any trouble that occurs. Make an example of them if trouble occurs. - Citizens Committee of businessmen to the Police

50 All 8 were found Guilty of Murder. If you think that by hanging us you can stamp out the labor movement- the movement from which the downtrodden millions who toil and live in want and misery, the wage slaves, expect salvation- if this is you opinion, hang us! Here you will tread upon a spark, but there and here... everywhere, flames will blaze up. It is a subterranean fire. You cannot put it out - August Spies 7 were sentenced to death.

51 4 were hanged: Albert Parsons, August Spies, Adolph Fischer and George Engel. 1 committed suicide in prison. 2 had their sentences commuted to life in prison 1 was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

52 The funeral

53 The Reaction Among working people: outrage and then fear; many stop supporting unions and workers movements. Others became radicalized by the verdict and sentence: Emma Goldman, Clarence Darrow and Alexander Berkman Among the Captains of Industry : renewed confidence that opposition to them would be dealt with severely by the authorities.

54 Governor John Peter Altgeld as In 1892 this German-born politician won the governorship a reformist candidate. In 1893, at the urging of Clarence Darrow and labor leaders, he granted clemency to three surviving men convicted in the Haymarket Riot. The controversial pardon provoked an outcry from conservatives and contributed to his defeat for reelection in 1896.

55 Pivotal Questions: 1. Is violence justified when an injustice is occurring? 2. Are we responsible for the actions of others if acted because of our words? Is there any limit on free speech?

56 1894: Coxey s Army May 1, 1894 with about 500 unemployed men, Jacob Coxey marched on Washington, D.C. Hoped to persuade Congress to authorize a vast program of public works, financed by a substantial increase of the money in circulation Goal: to provide jobs for the unemployed

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58 Jacob Coxey & his Army of the Commonweal of Christ. March on Washington hayseed socialists!

59 Various groups from around the country gathered to join the march A 260-acre farm site at current day Colmar Manor, Maryland was used by the 6,000 jobless men as a camp site Coxey and other leaders of the movement were arrested the next day for walking on the grass of the US Capital This broke the power of the march and protest with Coxey in jail The protesters slowly returned home President Cleveland says nothing

60 The Pullman Strike 1894 The ARU vs. The Pullman company The strike and boycott shut down much of the nation's freight and passenger traffic west of Detroit

61 Workers who built Pullman cars lived in the company town of Pullman (outside of Chicago) The conflict began in Pullman, Chicago when nearly 4,000 employees began a wildcat strike in response to reductions in wages. George Pullman had designed it as a model community. When he laid off workers and lowered wages, he did not reduce rents

62 Eugene V Debs brought in ARU organizers to Pullman and signed up many of the workers George Pullman refused recognition of the ARU Debs called a massive boycott against all trains that carried a Pullman car. It involved some 250,000 workers in 27 states.

63 30 people were killed in response to riots and sabotage that caused $80 million in damages. The federal government secured a federal court injunction against the union & Debs ordering them to stop interfering with trains that carried mail cars. Debs refused, President Cleveland ordered the Army to stop the strikers from obstructing the trains Violence broke out in many cities, and the strike collapsed. Defended by Clarence Darrow Debs was convicted of violating a court order and sentenced to prison; the ARU dissolved

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65 Free Silver Issue The central issue in the election of 1896 was which metal would be used as the basis for the national monetary system. Free Silver favored bimetallism in which the government gave gold or silver in exchange for paper currency or checks. It would put more money in circulation with less value per dollar Gold Bugs wanted only gold to back the currency and no silver. It would produce a more stable currency but expensive dollars

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67 The Republican Party was dedicated to the gold standard while the and The Populists wanted gold and silver to back US currency and unlimited coinage of silver At the Democratic nominating convention, William Jennings Bryan gave a famous impassioned speech, Cross of Gold, which was so persuasive that he was the party s presidential candidate

68 Having behind us the commercial interests and the laboring interests and all the toiling masses, we shall answer their demands 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.

69 Election of 1896 In the election of 1896, the Populist Party nominated William Jennings Bryan for president We beg no longer; we entreat no more; we petition no more. We defy them! The Democrats alsonominated Bryan for president! The Republican Party nominated the more conservative William McKinley

70 Presidential Candidates 1896 & 1900 William J Bryan The Great Commoner William McKinley

71 Republicans Win: William McKinley

72 William McKinley (R) 25 th President Wins both elections! (assassinated 6 months into his 2 nd term) Maintained the Gold Standard; raised tariffs; Led the nation in the Spanish-American War and the American-Philippine War 2 nd V.P.: Theodore Roosevelt

73 The End of Populism With the defeat of William Jennings Bryan, the Populist Party lost popularity and soon disappeared. But... many of the reforms they recommended would be adopted by the major political parties during the Progressive Era (1901 to 1914)and they would eventually become law.