Aim How did the Gilded Age affect American

Aim: How did the Gilded Age affect American politics? Do Now: a) Read the Gilded Age Worksheet Homework: Read “the Jungle” Upton Sinclair and answer questions on a separate sheet of paper

The Gilded Age was a time period of unprecedented economic, industrial, and population growth from the end of the Civil War to the Stock Market Crash of 1929. • Mark Twain coined the term in his novel The Gilded Age: a Tale of Today • Depicted an American society that, despite its appearance of promise and prosperity, was filled with corruption and scandals.

Group Activity – Politics of the Gilded Age Each member of the group will be assigned one reading about Politics in the Gilded Age Each group will identifying the main idea of each reading. Identify: the who, what, when, where, why, and how. After each group member has completed their section, they will present to the group and then complete the remaining sections of their chart.

Municipal Grafts and Scandals Political Machines provided services to urban poor and immigrants in exchange for votes. Many political machines rigged elections to insure that their candidate won. Methods Used: • Grafts – illegal use of political influence for personal gain • Kickbacks – workers on city construction projects would charge a higher price for services and then “kick back” part of the fee to the bosses • Bribes – Political Bosses accepted money in return for allowing unsafe or illegal activity Political Machine in NYC was Tammany Hall run by Boss William M. Tweed – his practices were exposed by political cartoonist Thomas Nast

Boss Tweed Quotes “Remember the first rule of politics. The ballots don't make the results, the counters make the results. The counters, keep counting” “The appearance of law must be upheld, especially when it's being broken” “We're burying a lot of votes tonight”

Civil Service Replaces Patronage was the practice of giving political jobs to people of the same political party who helped get them elected. (Similar to Andrew Jackson’s Spoils System) • Many Unqualified people were given Government Jobs Reformers wanted this system changed to the Civil Service System • Government administration, would go to the most qualified people, regardless of their political views.

Business Buys Influence Tariffs became and import issue in the 1880 s. • Many questioned the need to maintain high tariffs in the 1880 s, when large American companies were fully capable of competing internationally. • Other nations began imposing tariffs on the United States – this hurt farmers trying to sell their surplus of goods. Election of 1888 – Republicans gain control of both houses of Congress and the White House. • Passed the Mc. Kinley Tariff - to promote American industry from foreign competition and encourage consumers to buy American made goods. • Instead, it helped trigger a steep rise in the price of all goods that angered many Americans.

Pendleton Act of 1883 The Pendleton Act provided that Federal Government jobs are awarded on the basis of merit and those Government employees must be selected through competitive exams. • Federal jobs became more specialized and required special and specific skills. • More qualified workers did fill government positions, but because politicians had no jobs to offer, they had trouble seeking money from supporters. • Politicians turned to wealthy leaders for financial support. This strengthened the ties between government and businesses.

Closing Question How did the Gilded Age affect American politics?