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Forgettable Presidents and a Do-Nothing Congress

Presidential Complacency

Party Patronage

  • Presidents of this period followed the same "do-little" strategies
  • They avoided picking sides during campaigns and had little to no agenda
  • Because of this, these Presidents were rather forgettable
  • Without any real platform or agenda, politicians generally sought office for power
  • They won elections and gave jobs to their loyal supporters (patronage)
  • Political office became less about law making and more about job opportunities
  • This was especially true in cities like New York and Chicago

Stalwarts, Halfbreeds, and Mugwumps

  • Senator, Roscoe Conkling (NY), used his position to give away high paying jobs at the NY Customs House
  • Conkling's supporters were known as "Stalwarts" (reliable, loyal, hardworking people)
  • Senator James G. Blaine (ME), on the other hand, pushed to end patronage
  • His supporters were dubbed "Halfbreeds"
  • Those who didn't pick a side in the argument were shunned and called "Mugwumps"
  • "Fence Sitters" whose "Mugs" were on one side and "Wumps" were on the other

New Voting Lines

Campaign Strategies

  • Because politicians avoided the issues, voters couldn't vote based on the candidates platform
  • Instead, parties aligned themselves with religions, ethnic groups, and regions
  • Catholics voted Democrat, Protestants voted Republican, etc.
  • Republicans carried elections on the state level while Democrats dominated the cities
  • From 1876-1892, American politics were changing
  • Democrats were regaining power and took majority control of the House of Representatives
  • BUT, because of vast social problems, politicians avoided taking sides
  • Elections became pretty evenly split between Democrats and Republicans
  • Both sides launched "issue-free" campaigns with bands, flags, buttons, speeches, free food, and free beer
  • This strategy brought out nearly 80% of voters (much higher than other eras)

Limited Government

  • The Gilded Age was an era of political and economic conservatism
  • Americans believed the government should stay out of their business
  • Social Darwinism and Laissez-Faire economics were popular ideas
  • Because of this, Congress adopted a "do-little" approach
  • The Supreme Court also used a more narrow interpretation of the Constitution to limit government power

Political Stalemate

Republicans

Rutherford B. Hayes

  • The Gilded Age was an era of political stagnation...Why?
  • 1) Political beliefs of limited government (i.e laissez-faire)
  • 2) Neutral campaign strategies
  • 3) Party patronage
  • The "Party of Lincoln" or the "Grand Old Party" (GOP) continued to "waive the bloody shirt"
  • Republicans played on their abolitionist past and the Civil War to gain Northern and African American support
  • Because of their progressive image, Reformers and Activists were drawn to the GOP
  • Republicans aligned themselves with Protestants and supported the mostly Protestant Temperance Movement
  • The GOP also drew support from upper-middle class businessmen
  • The Republican Party would continue the pro-business strategies of Hamilton and the Whigs
  • After "winning" the Presidency via "Compromise", Hayes' most significant act was ending Reconstruction
  • He then, ironically, attempted to end corrupt politics and create an "honest government"
  • He tried to regain the trust of the people after the disastrous Grant administration
  • Hayes was a supporter of the Temperance movement
  • His wife, "Lemonade Lucy" famously banned alcohol from the White House
  • Hayes also vetoed anti-Chinese immigration legislation but was unsuccessful in stopping it

The Election of 1880

  • As part of his anti-patronage crusade, Hayes vowed to only serve one term
  • In 1880, Republicans nominated "Halfbreed", James A. Garfield, and "Stalwart" Chester A. Arthur as VP
  • Garfield was from Ohio (a major swing state at the time) and Republicans hoped that would carry them
  • Democrats nominated former Union General, Winfield S. Hancock
  • The Republican strategy worked and the Garfield-Arthur ticket won a narrow victory

James Garfield

Chester Arthur

  • After Garfield took office, 100,000 Republicans besieged the White House, looking for federal jobs
  • Garfield chose to give those jobs mostly to his fellow "Halfbreed" Republicans
  • This sparked a feud between Garfield and Senator Conkling and his Stalwarts
  • In 1881, Garfield was shot by a Stalwart who he passed up for a job
  • After an 11-week fight, Garfield died from his wounds
  • In 1881, VP Chester Arthur took office
  • Arthur immediately distanced himself from the Stalwarts and his Stalwart past
  • He pushed for anti-patronage legislation and pushed a Populist agenda
  • His Pendleton Civil Service Act aimed to award civil service jobs based on qualification instead of who you know
  • Arthur took on the high protective tariff (this angered many Republicans)
  • He also approved funding for a new, modernized, US Navy
  • Because of his political moves, the Republican Party chose not to renominate him in 1884

Democrats

  • Southern Democrats carried former Confederate States through their Southern "Redeemer" strategy
  • BUT...In the North, Democratic power came from big city political machines
  • They aligned themselves with inner city immigrants, promising favors for votes
  • They drew support from the Catholic, Lutheran, and Jewish communities
  • They opposed Temperance and Prohibition
  • The Democratic Party would continue the Jeffersonian ideas of limited government

Congress

  • Gilded Age Congressmen had long, unproductive careers
  • John Sherman (William T Sherman's brother) served in Congress from 1855-1898
  • BUT, did NOTHING aside from allow his name to be used on a few bills (i.e The Sherman Anti-trust Act)
  • Thomas "Czar" Reed (ME) bullied his way into the Speaker of the House position in 1890
  • He quickly became an autocrat (someone with absolute power and no concern for the opinions of others)
  • He would use his position to bully Congress around until 1899
  • Famous "Halfbreed" James Blaine eventually fell to political corruption
  • After fighting patronage for years, Blaine was brought down by a Railroad scandal and corruption charges
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