Politics of the Gilded Age

The Gilded Age was a time of great industrial expansion for the nation. In the years following the Civil War, the idea of laissez-faire would become popular among many presidents. The Presidents from the end of the Civil War until the 1890s are often called “The Forgettable Presidents.” They took little action and politics and government was largely dominated by Congress. Many issues would arise during this period, including the practice of patronage, the abuses of the railroads, the rise of trusts and monopolies, and issues concerning currency and the money supply. Most of these issues would be addressed, but the solutions and legislation was very weak. The practice of patronage was very popular during the Gilded Age. If a politician won an election, he would give his supporters jobs in public office. The office holder would also pay part of his salary to who he supported. The assassination of a second President in office, James Garfield, would spark the passing of the Pendleton Act in 1883. President Garfield was assassinated when a man, Charles Guiteau, assisted Garfield during his campaign and wasn’t rewarded for his service. Congress would pass the Pendleton Act, which created the Civil Service Commission to ensure that hiring of federal employees was based on examination and merit rather than political patronage. This would include a new, competitive examination which became required to take in order to hold public office. While the Pendleton Act was successful in putting patronage to rest, politicians had to find a new source of income in order to fill their pockets. Politicians would now rely on funding from big business. The Pendleton Act might have ended patronage, but it brought on a new kind of corruption into politics. Throughout the Gilded Age, there were many railroad strikes as unions began to grow in numbers. The first railroad strike was the Great Strike, which occurred in 1877. Railroad workers’ wages were lowered by 10%