1876 1918 Domestic2 The West The DoNothing Presidents

1876 -1918 Domestic-2 • The West • The Do-Nothing Presidents • Organized Labor • The Populists • The Progressives

The West • Manifest Destiny It took several generations of Europeans and Americans to settle from Atlantic to Mississippi but only one generation to conquer from Mississippi to the Pacific • Mid-1840’s on big interest in the West – Miners – Farmers – Ranchers Railroads War Land Policy Indian Policy K-N Act Romance

Romance of the West • Transcendentalists and “Natural Man” The Cowboy? • • James Fenimore Cooper Mark Twain Roughing It Oliver Wister The Virginian “The Turner Thesis”

The Gilded Age • Materialism (Twain) • Karl Marx Das Kapital 1859 Frightening (especially to property owners!) • Darwin The Origin of Species 1859 Religious upset: Modernists v Fundamentalists

Social Darwinism • Herbert Spencer and William Sumner • “Survival of the fittest” as applied to: – Native Peoples – Industry

The Native Americans • Helen Hunt Jackson A Century of Dishonor • Eastern tribes had been relocated to West of the Mississippi • Far Western Tribes and the Spanish: Prior to Spanish settlement, 300, 000 By 1850 pop down to 150, 000

The Plains Indians • Uniform culture: Hunters, warriors • BUT diverse language, tribal conflict • Depended on the Buffalo • Biggest disadvantage: inability to unify • Problems: RR’s, Farmers, Ranchers, Miners, government policy, disappearing Buffalo and Social Darwinism

The Indians continued • California Loitering Laws • Mining: the Black Hills – Moved to reservation in Black Hills 1872 – Gold discovered 1874 – Slaughter – Custer’s last stand at Little Big Horn River – Custer attacked 2, 000+ with 264…

The Indians • 1851 Thomas Fitzpatrick (government Indian Agent) • called for a conference at Horse Creek (near Laramie, Wyoming) • 10, 000 came…treaties supporting Policy of Concentration

The Treaties • By 1860 Indians has lost 17. 5 million acres in Kansas and Nebraska “protected” by treaties • 1854 Colorado Gold Rush • 1864 Chivington Massacre (133 killed 105 women and children) • “Kill them all’ big and little. Nits make lice. ”

Plains Indians continued • After 1862, constant warfare on the Plains • Sherman: “One Indian could check 50 Union soldiers” • Cost $2, 000 per killed Indian

Apaches 1860 -80’s • Mangas to mid 1860’s • Cochise to 1872 • Geranimo to 1886 • 1887 Dawes Severalty Act: The U. S. government no longer treated the tribe as sovereign – 160 acres to adult heads of households, etc

The Dawes Act • BUT to protect natives from cheating white guys: would not get the deed to the land for 25 years • The Natives could not seem to thrive outside of the tribe so wandered off of the land • 1906 The Burke Act

Buffalo • Mid-1860’s 13 -15 Million on the Plains Then: RR workers, Buffalo Bill Cody, Buffalo rugs popular in the East By 1871 By 1881 down to 9 million almost extinct

Indians • Between 1890 -1910 Total Indian population down to 250, 000 • 1917 First time in 50 years Indian births exceeded Indian deaths • 1924 All Native-born Indians were granted U. S. citizenship, but many denied the right to vote until after 1954

Mexico • Border not regulated until WWI • Railroad to SW U. S. by 1880’s • Californios: former Hispanic landlords • Lost political and economic power to U. S. settlers • Mexican-Americans became increasingly impoverished

The Land Acts • • 1862 1873 1878 1877 Homestead Act Timber Culture Act Timber and Stone Act Desert Land Act • The 100 th Meridian and El Nino • Life on the Plains (Oh, the horror!)

Mining: the first economic boom of the West 1860 -1890 • James Marshall Sutter’s Mill, Ca. 1848 – 49 ers • Nevada Comstock Lode Ophin Mine: Silver • Gold and silver everywhere • Mining towns: – Deadwood – Leadville – Dodge City Virginia City Abilene

The West: people • • Wild Bill Hickock Calamity Jane Poker Alice Deadwood Dick Vigilantes Guns Native Americans

The Cowboy: 1867 -1887 • First Union Officers • Then Black Freedmen – Exodusters • Ranching: Second Economic Boom of the West • Texas Longhorn Steer: Chisholm Trail, etc. • Barbed Wire 1874

The Government • Congress evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans (last quarter of the 19 th century) – Biggest election issue: The Tariff • Democrats still opposed • Republicans still protectionists

The Republican Party and its factions • Stalwarts (led by Conkling) interested in what is good for New England • Halfbreeds (led by Blaine) aka Liberals aka Radicals: Claimed to want civil service reform • Both above equally corrupt; just different faction leaders

The Mugwumps • By the 1880’s a third faction in the Republican Party: The Mugwumps • They were independent Republicans willing to desert the party to vote for an honest man • They will be a factor in Cleveland’s (Dem) election in 1884

The Presidents • 1877 Hayes (Rep) Compromise of 1877 • 1880 Garfield: deal to get Rep. nomination: – VP Arthur (Stalwart) – Sec. of State Blaine (Halfbreed) • July 2, 1881 Garfield shot by Charles Guiteau. “I am a Stalwart. Now Arthur is President!”

The Presidents • 1881 • • Arthur (R) continued 1883 Pendleton Act 1884 Cleveland (D) v Blaine (R) Ugly campaign Albany Register “A Terrible Tale” The Mugwumps made a difference • Blaine suspected of RR fraud

The Presidents continued • 1884 Cleveland • First Democrat Since Civil War • Only President to serve 2 nonconsecutive terms • Added Dept. of Labor • Wanted a lower tariff but gov’t control of RR’s • Panic 1893, Gold Drain, Strikes, Coxey’s Rebellion

The Presidents continued • 1888 Benjamin Harrison R (beat Cleveland because Party Boss System in NY blocked Cleveland) • Issue: The Tariff • BUT after the 1890 Mc. Kinley Tariff, economy went sour so • 1892 Cleveland D again

The Presidents continued • 1896 Mc. Kinley R v Bryan – Issue was Inflation through free Silver – Mc. Kinley not a do-nothing but more involved in foreign affairs than domestic issues • Reelected 1900 – Shot by Leon Czolcocz • Teddy Roosevelt (Mc. Kinley’s VP) Progressive Republican

Immigration • The Chinese and the Railroads • RR’s put pressure on the Government to help get more Chinese workers into the U. S. • 1868 Anson-Burlingame Act: expedited the process of getting Chinese workers to the West in spite of Rising nativism • THEN by 1869 most RR’s completed

Chinese Immigration • Rising Nativism in SW • Demand for end to Chinese immigration • 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act No more immigrants to U. S. from China and those who were already here could not become naturalized citizens

European Immigration • Before 1880 most coming to U. S. were from Northern or Western Europe – Most Protestant – Most assimilated well • THEN a huge influx from Eastern and Southern Europe – Catholic, poorer, illiterate, failed to assimilate well

European Immigration • Immigrants from S and E Europe drove down wages, undermined unions • Rising Nativism • Demand that government restrict immigration • BUT industry depended upon cheap labor • AND Government was influenced by Big Business

• The Biggest Threat to American Democracy in the last quarter of the 19 th century was the influence that Big Business had on Government

The Party Boss System • Corruption in Government was everywhere • The Party Boss system contributed: • The Tweed Ring in New York • The Pendergast machine in Missouri • The Daley family in Chicago • Often you had to be a member to rise in politics

The Political Machine • Usually the “Boss” had a low-profile, middle management job (like Boss Tweed) • BUT no one was elected to office or won a contract or got a franchise without the Boss’s OK. • The Party Boss and his system took care of immigrant families who were just off of the boat and kept them alive. The government and religious groups did not

The Party Boss System • The Boss could deliver votes to a candidate because the immigrant workers were so grateful for the help they received when they first arrived, that by the time they were voting citizens, they would vote how the Boss wanted (early and often) • Likewise, the Boss got the funds to help the immigrants from bribes and kickbacks (candidates and those who wanted city contracts)

The Immigrants and The American Dream • The belief that the roads in America were paved with gold and that if only one worked hard and kept out of trouble, a comfortable life would result was perpetuated by: • Horatio Alger Stories • But Theodore Drieser in An American Tragedy was more accurate

Late 19 th Century Industrialism • • 1866 Cyrus Field: First Transatlantic Cable 1870’s Bell: Telephone 1890’s Marconi: Radio 1868 Sholes: Typewriter 1879 Ritty: Cash Register 1891 Burroughs: Adding Machine 1870’s Edison and Westinghouse: electric power

Industry • 1850’s Two new processes developed to turn Iron into Steel: – Bessemer – Open Hearth • Bissel Oil for lubrication (later for fuel) • 1870’s Chas. and Frank Duryea: First gasolinedriven motor vehicle • 1906 Ford 1 st motor car on the road

Industry • 1910 Automobile was a major industry • 1917 5 million on the road • Taylorism: The Science of Production • 1903 Wright Brothers • BUT world-wide overproduction!

Industry and Agriculture • Chilled Iron Plow • Better harvesters, combines • Farmers were producing more and making less

The Railroads • By 1870 49 million acres of land given to the RR companies • 75% of it to the 4 largest RR co’s • The Pacific Railway Act set the precedent – For every mile of track laid, the government would give the RR co. 5 square miles on either side of the track (in a checkerboard pattern in long strips interrupted with government land so the RR would not turn around and sell the land to homesteaders. )

The Railroad continued • The Government paid subsidies, bonuses, etc. as incentive so safety concerns were ignored. • The Westinghouse air brake made larger trains possible • Pullman sleeping cars were introduced • 1870’s 52, 000 miles of track • 1890 166, 700 miles of track

Railroads continued • By 1890 Government annual revenue = $403 million • Same year, RR’s annual revenue was over $1 billion BIG BUSINESS WAS THE CHIEF THREAT TO DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT.

Who had the money? • Before the Civil War there were few millionaires • By 1882, over 4, 000 • By the end of the 19 th century: – 1% of corporations controlled 33% of American manufacturing – 1% of American families controlled 88% of American assets

The Robber Barons • NOTE: Most were not self-made • Only Carnegie was rags to riches • • • Vanderbilt (New York Central RR) Gould (RR’s in SW) J. P. Morgan (Banking, RR’s, U. S. Steel) Carnegie (Carnegie Steel) Rockefeller (Oil)

Vanderbilt • Ran a successful ferry business • Then bought into steamships • Then into Railroads – Built the NY Central – First to offer a direct route from NY to Chicago

Gould • A competitor of Vanderbilt’s in the East • Vanderbilt drove Gould out • Gould began anew with railroads in SW part of US • History with Grant and gold certificates • Was bankrupted with Panic of 1873

J. P. Morgan • Was from a very wealthy banking family • Bought up bankrupted RR’s after Panic of 1873 and ended up owning ½ of RR’s in the U. S. • Deal with Cleveland: loaned the U. S. government gold in exchange for the ability to purchase government bonds at a fraction of their value

J. P. Morgan continued • Sold the bonds at market value and made yet another fortune • Purchased Carnegie Steel and created U. S. Steel

Andrew Carnegie Was self-made Began in a cotton factory Then worked in a telegraph office Then bought some land Oil was found on the land (but at that time oil was not being used as a fuel…However it was valuable as a lubricant for machinery, etc. ) • Sold the land started Carnegie Steel • • •

Carnegie continued • He sold Carnegie Steel to J. P. Morgan • Became a philanthropist • Wrote The Gospel of Wealth • Philosophy: The wealthy had an obligation to provide others with opportunities to improve their lives. • Much Carnegie $’s went to scholarships

Rockefeller • Was an upper middle class bookkeeper • Also a Sunday School teacher • Was hired by a group of businessmen to investigate the possibility of using oil for fuel. They were looking for a place to invest some $ • He took their money and investigated.

Rockefeller • He reported back that there was NO WAY oil could be profitable used as a source of fuel • Then…Standard Oil • Eventually 98% of the oil refining capacity in the U. S. • “Let Us Prey”

Trusts • Vertical: owning all aspects of an industry • Carnegie Steel owned the iron mine, the rr that brought the Iron ore to the plant and he owned the plant • Horizontal: owning one industry in a large region or geographical area • Vanderbilt: ruled RR’s in NE

Trusts • Standard Oil: both vertical and horizontal • Pooling arrangements: a conspiracy to fix prices…did not work because there was no legal recourse for the party who would break the arrangement • Dodd invented the Trust (Lawyer for Rockefeller)

Trusts • Since it was illegal in most states for a corporation to own another corporation in another state, Dodd (a lawyer for Rockefeller) came up with the idea of the Trust • The Trust was a way to get around the state laws. . The Trust would buy up the stock of all the corporations so stockholders would own stock indirectly

The Trust • Most states had laws preventing a corporation in one state from owning others in other states • New Jersey “Mother of Trusts” got rid of this law so that more corporations would based themselves in NJ and NJ would have more corporate taxes…so the Trust was no longer needed

The Supreme Court • 1911 The Supreme Court ruled that Standard Oil be broken up BUT it made no difference because Rockefeller was the major stockholder in the smaller companies…

Cleveland • Cleveland’s Sec. of the Navy married into the Rockefeller family and bought Carnegie Steel at inflated prices with government $ to build ships • Cleveland went to Morgan for help (Panic 1873) and was told that the U. S. did not have enough collateral for Morgan to loan the U. S. gold to avoid bankruptcy!