Summary Of Chapter 20 Political Realignments

Chapter 20: Political Realignments 1890-1900

Compare & contrast the democratic & republican parties in terms of supporters & policies:
The republicans took up 16 Northerns states and the democrats took up 14 southern states. However, Elections were always close because support for either party was close. States that are on the fence were the ones that determined the winning party are called “swing states.” During the civil war, the democrats offered state’s rights party, decentralization, and limited government, winning the vote and gaining control over the White House. The Republicans were based on reconstruction and fought for civil rights, a national government, and wanted high tariffs. After the civil war, the Democratic party and the
Republican party separated into their own separate sides. The Republicans were popular in the North/North-East because they offered high tariffs, which was pro-business. Also, since Republicans were for Reconstruction, the Southerners were not supportive of them.

Explain why the presidency was weak & the congress inefficient:
The controversy of 1876 election, Grant Administrations’ scandal, and Johnson’s impeachment weakened the presidency.
The election of 1876 is what really made everything worse, weakening the power of the President more than it ever has because by the end of the election, a president hadn’t been decided. This problem had to be resolved with the Compromise of 1876. Thankfully, William McKinley and Rutherford B. Hayes worked to strengthen the president’s power. Congress became the most powerful source of power, but they weren’t able to get anything done because its population was so evenly split between Republicans and Democrats. Since no party is dominant over the house, senate, and the White House, parties are inefficient because they can’t agree on
anything.

What led to a movement for civil service reform & what was the Pendelton Civil Service Act?
Civil Service is when someone is working for the government. For example, if you are a firefighter, police officer, librarian, you are a civil service worker because you work for the good of the public. Jackson gave his patrons government jobs in return for helping him win the election, which was the Spoils System. However, people were given jobs without any specific qualifications for that career. When James Garfield became president, everyone wanted government jobs in return for helping him win the election. Pendelton Civil Service took the majority of jobs and put them under the civil service system so people had to take the Pendelton Civil Service Test to see what job you were qualified for. These jobs weren’t high government positions, but they were for the basic civil service jobs, working for the good of the people. Some people weren’t able to get the jobs that they wanted, so they became very angry. Charles Guiteau was an unhappy office seeker that worked on the campaign to get him elected. He wanted a job that was of a higher ranking. When he didn’t get the job, he went up to Garfield at a train station and shot him in the back. He died July 2nd after being on his death bed for 2 months because the bullet was too far near his spine to operate on it. Clearly, he didn’t recover. This situation called for an end to the Spoils System.

What were the 2 arguments/sides on the tariff issue?
Grover Cleveland took office in 1884. He was a member of the Democrats and was passionate about lowering tariffs because he saw them as illogical and unnecessary. However, the Republicans thought that lowering tariffs wouldn’t benefit American industries. They wanted higher tariffs to protect the American industry. They wanted to benefit American businesses by putting taxes on goods that came from other countries so that goods would be around the same price, reducing competition, lowering prices, and giving jobs to people. To defend their stance, Benjamin Harrison ran and won the 1888 election.

Why were we moving away from laissez faire & toward the concept of federal regulation of industry? Give specific examples:
The US was moving away from laissez faire because it allowed industries to create a virtual monopoly. That meant that a particular company could control their prices, making it hard for the average consumer to buy products because the companies could price them however they wanted. Since there was no competition between railroad companies, people couldn’t do anything but succumb to their price changes. Railroads charged high prices to farmers but gave discounts to anyone that transported goods by using their railroads. This was called rate discrimination. Since there was only one railroad company, they can charge people whatever they want, whenever they want, creating a virtual monopoly in the railroad industry. There was no equality of rate structure. The farmers of the Midwest started complaining to their state governments, saying that they wanted an end to rate discrimination. Therefore, a law was passed by the state of Illinois said that railroads were a public highway, giving the state the power to regulate the railroad industry. Of course railroad companies weren’t okay with this law, so the case of Munn vs. Illinois (1877) occurred. Illinois won the case against Munn’s private railroad. The Wabash vs. Illinois case of 1886 occurred because railroad companies appealed this law against private railroads. This case unfolded to be in favor of the railroads because it concluded that intrastate railroads can be regulated by their company as long as they remain within their state lines. However, when interstate railroads go beyond their state lines, the federal government has the power to regulate the railroad’s industry. This was a victory for the railroads.

Explain the money question:
The money question is when people were debating about how America should back their currency. They were deciding whether they should use gold, silver, or both elements to back our money. Republicans, Northerners, North Easterners, and businesses favored the gold standard. For every ounce of gold that the U.S. has in their possession, America could print 16 American dollars. People would be able to turn in their gold for money or have their money redeemed for gold. This helped people to trust the value of the money because their money was more than just a piece of paper. Republicans were against silver because no European countries used silver to back their currency. On the other hand, Democrats, South Westerners, and farmers favored the usage of silver for the backing of our currency. Democrats believed silver to the be saving grace of The Panic of 1893 by pulling it out of the recession. Another option that was considered by few was bi-metalism, a proposition that stated that if silver was used to back the currency, the economy would grow again. That idea was forgotten when the Klondike Gold Rush of 1896 came about because it brought new gold into the economy.

Explain the causes & results of the Populist Revolt. What were the components of the Omaha Platform?
The Populist Revolt was caused when the Southern and Midwestern farmers let the Democrats and Republicans that they were treating their thoughts, concerns, & ideas with ignorance. Farmers who’s crops failed, prices dropped, and marketing plummeted were led to join together and protect each other’s families from the government. From this revolt, the Northwestern alliance and the Southern alliance was formed. The Southerners were led by Dr. Charles W. Macune and saw farmers as friends and rejected lawyers and merchants. The North Westerners agreed with secrecy, centralized control, & separate African American organizations, much like the Southerners. There were many components of the Omaha Platform, which a secret ballot, a graduated income tax, an eight-hour day, and the direct election of senators.

Why was the election of 1896 such a defining one in U.S. history?
The Election of 1896 was defining in American history because it caused the ending of the Populist Party.
The election became a matter of who favored what standard to back their money. At this time, voting patterns were evolving, causing a new majority to get recognition from the country. At this time, America disregarded other country’s policies and began using silver. While the Democrats knew that silver was going to be endorsed, the People’s Party was convinced that no one was going to endorse silver. In fact, silver suggested a shift of power from the Northeast because it represented the average American citizen and values of rural life. The Democrats chose Bryan to alter their identity of a separate party from the Republicans. Since Republicans had experienced a dominance of Republican rule, they used Bryan’s stance against him. In fact, his efforts of campaigning failed. When the Democratic opponent, McKinley, won the election with a 50% vote, the Populist Party ended. After this, the economy improved because factories were brought back into business and farmers
prospered.