Presentation Express Issues of the Gilded Age 1877

Presentation. Express Issues of the Gilded Age (1877– 1900) Witness History: A Society in Contrast Segregation and Social Tensions Political and Economic Challenges Farmers and Populism Click a subsection to advance to that particular section. Advance through the slide show using your mouse or the space bar.

Segregation and Social Tensions African Americans Lose Freedoms Main Idea: After the election of 1876, southern governments enacted various measures aimed at disenfranchising, or taking away the voting rights of, African Americans. These governments enacted Jim Crow laws that kept blacks and whites segregated, or apart. African Americans Oppose Injustices Main Idea: African Americans refused to accept their status as second-class citizens. Although they did not always agree on strategies, they were united in their determination to “never turn back” until they had equality. Chinese Immigrants Face Discrimination Main Idea: During the same time that Jim Crow arose in the South, Chinese immigrants faced racial prejudice on the West Coast. In 1898, the Court ruled that individuals of Chinese descent, born in the United States, could not be stripped of their citizenship. Yet the Court upheld the Chinese Exclusion Act and several other discriminatory measures. Mexican Americans Struggle in the West Main Idea: Like African Americans and Asian Americans, Mexican Americans struggled against discrimination in the latter decades of the nineteenth century. Continued…

Segregation and Social Tensions (continued…) Women Make Gains and Suffer Setbacks Main Idea: In the decades that followed the Civil War, women continued to fight for the rights to vote, own property, and receive an education. In some cases, they were successful; in others, they were not. Witness History: Dawn of the Industrial Age Note Taking: Reading Skill: Summarize Color Transparencies: Tuskegee Institute Chart: Voter Turnout in South Carolina, 1876 -1896 Color Transparencies: Women Seek Equality

NOTE TAKING Reading Skill: Summarize

TRANSPARENCY Tuskegee Institute

CHART Voter Turnout in South Carolina, 1876 -1896

TRANSPARENCY Women Seek Equality

Political and Economic Challenges Balance of Power Creates Stalemate Main Idea: Between 1877 and 1897, party loyalties were so evenly divided that no faction or group gained control for any period of time. This made it very difficult to pass new laws. Corruption Plagues National Politics Main Idea: Grover Cleveland’s reputation for honesty was an exception. Many government officials routinely accepted bribes and offered jobs to loyal party workers with little regard for their qualifications. Economic Issues Challenge the Nation Main Idea: The tariff and monetary policy were critical economic issues during the Gilded Age. The tariff issue sharply divided the Democrats and Republicans. Monetary policy gave rise to independent political parties or movements that disagreed with the major parties’ commitment to the gold standard. Witness History: The Gilded Age Note Taking: Reading Skill: Identify Main Ideas Color Transparencies: Free Coinage of Silver Analyzing Political Cartoons: The Bosses of the Senate

NOTE TAKING Reading Skill: Identify Main Ideas

TRANSPARENCY Free Coinage of Silver

TRANSPARENCY Analyzing Political Cartoons: The Bosses of the Senate

Farmers and Populism Farmers Face Many Problems Main Idea: The farmers of the West and the South were willing to accept the difficulties of farm life. Yet, farmers discovered that other enormous obstacles stood in the way of realizing their dreams. They received low prices for their crops, yet they had to pay high costs for transportation. Debts mounted while their influence on the political system declined. Farmers Organize and Seek Change Main Idea: Farmers, however, refused to accept their circumstances. They created a network of organizations, first in the Midwest and then in the South and West, to address their problems. The Granger movement, also known as the “Patrons of Husbandry” was the first. The Populist Party Demands Reforms Main Idea: The spread of the Farmers’ Alliances culminated with the formation of the Populist Party, or People’s Party, in 1892. These populists sought to build a new political party from the grass roots up. The Populist Party spread rapidly, putting pressure on the two major political parties to consider their demands. Economic Crisis and Populism’s Decline Main Idea: In 1893, a four-year-long depression began that not only worsened conditions for already-suffering farmers, but for other Americans as well. Labor unrest and violence engulfed the nation. The major parties failed to satisfactorily respond to the nation’s distress. Continued. . .

Farmers and Populism (continued…) Populism’s Legacy Main Idea: Even though the Populist Party fell apart, many of the specific reforms that it advocated became a reality in the early decades of the twentieth century. These reforms included a graduated income tax, regulation of the railroads, and a more flexible monetary system. Witness History: Black and White Together Note Taking: Reading Skill: Identify Causes and Effects Geography Interactive: The Populist Party, 1890 -1900 Color Transparencies: The Populist Movement Geography Interactive: The Presidential Election of 1896

NOTE TAKING Reading Skill: Identify Causes and Effects

TRANSPARENCY The Populist Movement