Chapter 12
Sinews of Democracy, 1876-96
1. Explain the pros and cons of the “spoils system”. The term was derived from the phrase "to the victor go the spoils," where the term "spoils" refers to luxury gains resulting from any kind of victory. Proponents of such a practice consider official positions as rewards which are given to loyal individual supporters. It was a contentious feature of Andrew Jackson, who introduced it as a democratic measure informed by his understanding of the nature of party politics and democracy. He considered that popular election gave the victorious party a "mandate" to select officials from its own ranks. The spoils system was closely linked to the new party system which he was instrumental in creating, generally known to scholars as the "second party system" (the first being the system which emerged in the aftermath of the ratification of the American Constitution). Proponents claimed that ordinary Americans were able to discharge the official duties of government offices - not just a special civil service elite. Opponents considered it vulnerable to incompetence and corruption, just like the systems it followed and preceded. Politicians like Abraham Lincoln and Grover Cleveland were widely seen as opposing a spoils system. In fact, Lincoln's nickname "Honest Abe" stemmed from the widespread belief he would not fill political offices with party officials as his predecessor James Buchanan had done.
2. Though Hayes was a “lame duck” president almost from day one, what 3 things did he manage to achieve? P. 424 Avoided “Grantism” (or spoils), re-established decorum to the office of the presidency, demilitarized the South, and introduced civil service reform.
3. What was contained in the “elegantly large book” of Record of the Statesmanship and Achievements of General Winfield Scott Hancock? P425 A bunch of blank pages! The Dems needed a viable candidate, so they attempted to prop him up with this “don’t judge a book by its cover” mess.
4. Who won the election replacing Hayes? What event took place on July 2, 1881 to this man? James A. Garfield won the presidency and was assassinated by Charles Guiteau at the train station in Washington. Garfield served in Congress during the Gilded Age when corruption ran rampant in politics. He was implicated in a scandal that rocked the administration of President Ulysses S. Grant in 1872-1873, in which members of Congress were given shares in the Credit Mobilier construction company with the expectation that they would lend their political support to the company's railroad ventures. Although it was never proven, Garfield was accused of accepting a $329 bribe. (Later, during the presidential election of 1880, his opponents used the numbers "329" as part of their anti-Garfield campaign, scribbling the numbers on the sides of buildings and on streets.) Garfield was a personal friend of Grant's successor, President Rutherford B. Hayes, and sat on the Congressional commission that awarded Hayes the presidency after a contentious election in 1876. In 1880, he won a seat in the U.S. Senate. By that time, the taint of involvement with the Credit Mobilier scandal had faded and his association with the more well-respected Hayes contributed to his ascension to the presidency in 1881.
5. What kind of president was Arthur? Was one of the first to actually cut taxes. Never took graft and reduced the tariff. Announced that he would not seek another term which made him lose power. He vetoed pork barrel spending, and actually adhered to the constitution. He had Bright’s disease ( a kidney disease).
6. Why is the “negro problem” slowly losing its steam and importance with many people? First of all, most people were tired of trying to solve this never-ending, and often painful battle. Corruption had permeated so much of government. People had their own problems to worry about and felt victims themselves. Women wanted rights, workers felt threatened by management, activists crusaded to rid societal ills such as alcoholism, prostitution, pornography, drugs (that worked out well, huh?) Agrarians felt that the government was deliberately keeping them from improving their lives and that railroads, banks and grain elevator owners were “conspiring to steal their earnings”.
7. What is a referendum, an initiative, and what is their intent? A referendum (also known as a plebiscite or a ballot question) is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of direct democracy. The measure put to a vote is known in the U.S. as a ballot proposition or measure.
The initiative (also known as popular or citizen's initiative) provides a means by which a petition signed by a certain minimum number of registered voters can force a public vote (plebiscite) on a proposed statute, constitutional amendment, charter amendment or ordinance, or, in its minimal form, to simply oblige the executive or legislative bodies to consider the subject by submitting it to the order of the day. It is a form of direct democracy.
8. What were the two biggest enemies of safe cities in America during this time? P. 427-28 Fire (largely because people still used gas lighting – Mrs. O’Leary’s cow…and disease (caused by contaminated drinking water)
9. What were Carnegie’s business strategies? How did a depression affect him? He definitely put all his “eggs in one basket” and maintained a state-of-the-art operation. A depression to him was merely a buying opportunity.
10. Name the four most wealthy and powerful men in America at this time and their industries. Andrew Carnegie, steel; J.P. Morgan, steel; John D. Rockefeller, oil and Charles Schwab, steel
11. Discuss how Rockefeller’s genius in the oil industry benefitted the consumer. He slashed prices to accommodate the poorest of people. He commissioned his chemists to come up with 300 other useful by-products of oil for comsumers.
12. How does the failure of the railroads which depended on government bailouts compare to the auto industry of today? Which railroad would be GM and Chrysler? Which would be Hill’s Great Northern railroad? Just like the railroads, the auto giants of today took bailouts and have failed miserably. Companies such as Ford have survived because they didn’t ask for handouts just as did Hill’s Northern Railroad which was privately subsidized. Those railroads that took government money ultimately failed while Hill’s privately owned entity was the only one that survived. Hill’s would be compared to the Ford corporation. GM and Chrysler – the government.
13. Compare the “evil capitalists” of this period to today. What business ethics made so many entrepreneurs wealthy? Though these industry giants made a ton of money, a big part of their goal was to make a useful product without waste and to sell a reusable product at a good price to consumers. They were as concerned about the consumer as they were about making a profit.
14. How did government contribute to the failure of the Homestead Acts? P. 437. subsidies in the form of absurdly cheap and free land through the Homestead Acts encourages westward migration and farming by millions of American who were not good farmers. Just as the government stepped in and demanded that “all Americans own their own home” it just doesn’t work, nor should it.
15. How was big business vilified through literature? P. 437 A popular and common theme of the day was evil big business and corporate monopolies. The down-trodden man and socialistic views were glamorized by Jack London, Upton Sinclair, Ida Tarbell, etc.
16. Describe the Haymarket Riot. P. 439 Organized labor group called “The Knights of Labor”, protested at the McCormick Reaper Works for an 8 hour shift. As the strikebreakers left the factory, angry strikers began to move in on them. Policemen jumped the gun and started clubbing them in anticipation of violence. Later, a call for “Revenge!” fomented the group. The next day a bomb exploded killing seven policemen and injuring sixty. Many of the “Knights” were indicted, 3 were pardoned, and the group was dismantled.
17. What was the Bland-Allison Act? P. 442-43The Bland-Allison Act was an 1878 act of Congress requiring the U.S. Treasury to buy a certain amount of silver and put it into circulation as silver dollars. Though the bill was vetoed by President Rutherford B. Hayes, the Congress overrode Hayes' veto on February 28, 1878 to enact the law[1].The five-year depression following the Panic of 1873 caused cheap-money advocates (led by U.S. Representative Richard P. Bland, a Democrat of Missouri), to join with silver-producing interests in urging a return to bimetallism, the use of both silver and gold as a monetary standard[2].The controversial Coinage Act of 1873 (also called the Fourth Coinage Act or Mint Act) embraced the gold standard and de-monetized silver. Silver advocates, decrying the so-called "Crime of '73," demanded restoration of free coinage actually bought more than the $2 million minimum amount[citation needed] and never circulated the silver dollars. The law was replaced in 1890 by the similar Sherman Silver Purchase Act, which in turn was repealed by Congress in 1893.[3].
18. What were common themes in literature from Upton Sinclair, Ida Tarbell, Jack London, etc. Socialist reform, very secular – non-religious, down-trodden man, evil capitalists, evil big business, etc.
19. Describe the evolving progressive worldview. What writings contributed to this thought? 19th century, many intellectuals based their beliefs and writings on spirituality and religion, whereas 20th century belief was based more on progressive thought: that your environment, rather than your soul and spiritual upbringing, shaped character. Darwinism, Marxism, social views became popular thereby excusing many and “freeing” people from a belief in God or adherence to moral values. This was much easier.
20. Why is Grover Cleveland pretty much ignored as an effective president? What did he do right in your opinion? He adhered to the constitution, cut taxes, did not take graft. “Republicans ignored him because he was a democrat, and democrats didn’t trust him because he ruled like a republican.” He was loyal to the gold standard, and squelched any attempts by outside influences to influence his political policies.
21. What was the Sherman Silver Purchase Act? Why was it repealed? Just another example of the government sticking it’s hands in to manipulate currency. As always, it became fraught with corruption and greed. it increased the amount of silver the government was required to purchase every month. The Sherman Silver Purchase Act had been passed in response to the growing complaints of farmers and mining interests. Farmers had immense debts that could not be paid off due to deflation caused by overproduction, and they urged the government to pass the Sherman Silver Purchase Act in order to boost the economy and cause inflation, allowing them to pay their debts with cheaper dollars.[2] Mining companies, meanwhile, had extracted vast quantities of silver from western mines; the resulting oversupply drove down the price of their product, often to below the point where it was profitable to mine it. They hoped to enlist the government to artificially increase demand for, and thus the price of, silver.
No comments:
Post a Comment