1. Was Mark Twain's description of the Gilded Age accurate?
2. What were the two most prominent national political issues during the Gilded Age?
3. How did political bosses like Blaine and Conkling run the government?
4. Why was patronage so important to both political parties?
5. Why was voter turnout so high during the latter part of the 19th century?
6. How did the silver issue affect the distribution of currency?
7. How did regional interests play into issues like civil service reform, silver coinage, tariff protection, etc.?
8. How did local politics transform national politics?
9. What kind of perks did local party bosses offer in exchange for votes?
10. What made political races so enticing during the 1880s and 90s?
11. How did Carnegie's idea of social order/hierarchy compare to that of 'social Christians'?
12. What connections did various social commentators make between wealth and poverty?
13. What best describes the idea of a 'social gospel'?
14. How did local party bosses control local utilities like street cars and electricity?
15. How did religion play a role in the advocacy for mandatory public education?
16. What three things did women reformers focus on by the end of the 19th century?
17. What factors do you think contributed to women not being allowed to vote, even by 1900?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1. Mark Twain was correct, instead of Golden age which is pure good time period, while Gilded is just a thin coating of gold over a core of non-precious metal just like the corruption of the time.
ReplyDelete2. During Andrew Johnson’s presidency congress gained a lot more power, giving Blain and Conkling the power to run the country.
3. The congressmen bought people’s votes so the politicians they want into offices.
4. Patronage kept the parties running and kept their “politicians” into an office.
5. The politics of the gilded age were much more beautiful and alluring then politics of today.
6. Silver was no longer worth anything, so currency couldn’t be backed with anything making currency based on nothing
7. Regional interests made the want of middle class reform and tariff protection much more necessary
8. The local politics of the corruption, like that of Tammany hall, led to the corruption of the higher governments.
9. Local party bosses gave out bribes, government positions, favors, and other illegal things
10. The elections of this time period were so close that only a few votes separated the winner from the loser.
11. Carnegies ideas was similar to that of the social Christians because of Carnegies Christian background
12. The separation of the wealthy and the poor was huge and almost impossible to move in the social class
13. The combination of salvation and social expansion is the social gospel movement
14. Party bosses controlled the utilities in order to get support for their parties
15. Religion made the push for public education necessary for all in order to educate those who couldn’t afford it
16. The struggle for equality and women suffrage in order to get rights men had like voting
17. Society had just allowed blacks in and let them vote and weren’t ready to let women in yet
1. Mark Twain’s description of the Gilded Age was accurate. He basically says the time period looked brilliant on the surface but was actually corrupt underneath.
ReplyDelete2. The most prominent national political issues during the Gilded Age were the tariff, and currency. Politicians debated whether the federal government should continue to circulate paper money it issued during the war.
3. Blaine and Conkling bribed immigrants to vote. Such as handing out jobs, giving money for rent, fuel, and bail, and offering presents.
4. Patronage was so important to both political parties because it helped them get votes. Elected presidents would reward the faithful with government positions.
5. Voter turnout was so high during the latter part of the 19th century because American men were drawn by party parades, buttons, banners, and political issues regarding race, religion, nationality, and alcohol.
6. The silver issue affected the distribution of currency because it led to inflation and more economic disaster.
7. Regional interests played into issues like civil service reform, silver coinage, and tariff protection because it made the middle class want to reform. Leading ministers preached that it was “God’s will that some men should attain great wealth.”
8. Local politics transformed national politics because the corruption that occurred in local politics began to occur in national politics. Most politicians yielded to local interests over party interests
9. Local party bosses offered alcohol, party parades, numerous favors, jobs, money, bail, (basically anything they could) in exchange for votes.
10. Political races were now more exciting. The Democrats made chants and Republicans reacted by mocking Cleveland’s illegitimate child. Also the votes were very close for each party.
11. Leading ministers preached that it was “God’s will that some men should attain great wealth.” Wealth men were a sure sign of “godliness” and should use their wealth to “do good.” Carnegie supported this ethic in his article, “The Gospel of Wealth,” where he concluded that the wealthy men benefited the society because they donated money and brought order in the rapid industrialization era.
ReplyDelete12. What connections did various social commentators make between wealth and poverty?
Various social commentators, such as Herbert Spencer, said “The whole effort of human nature is to get rid of such as are unfit, to clear the world of them, and make room for better.” Basically, he concluded that the motivated people would succeed and become wealthy while the poor people would be pushed to the side.
13. Jane Addams founded Hull House and Scudder formed an organization of college women to work in settlement houses. The reformers hoped these settlement houses would provide education and socializing classes for women, provide work for college-educated women, and spur legislative action. – Social Gospel = seeking to eliminate poverty, ignorance, etc. by reforming society according to Christian principles.
14. As the immigrants vote appeared, political bosses rose in power. They awarded street railway, gas line, and other utility franchises to local business for kickbacks and other favors. The bosses also played a vital in easing the immigrants’ assimilation into American society by influencing the courts through paying bail and providing police protection.
15. Education occurred because of religion. At Hull House education was mostly based on religious views. This helped start the progress of education. It also provided work for college-educated women.
16. Women’s focuses:
a. Women needed the vote to pass self-protection laws to guard against rapists and unsafe industrial work.
b. Political enfranchisement would further women’s role in cleaning up immoral cities and corrupt politics.
c. Women would counteract the undesirable influence of illiterate male immigrants.
17. Even though women became more involved and accepted into society during the civil war, taking over men’s jobs while they were away at war, once the war ended they were not as accepted. Since society just ensured African American voter registration and fair elections they were hesitant to also let women vote.
1) Mark Twain's description of the Gilded Age was accurate. Gilded, meaning "shallow glitter", symbolized the corruption, political realignment, and professional bureaucracy hidden by exciting parades and entertainment.
ReplyDelete2)The government had to decide weather or not to intervene in private businesses by breaking up trusts, and had the issue corruption based party loyalty.
3)Since Grant and Johnson were weak Presidents, members of Congress like Blaine and Conkling controlled government using party loyalty to their advantage.
4)Patronage decided who got the high ranking political jobs, and who had power in government within each individual party.
5)Politicians incited people to come out and vote by making elaborate parades and speeches.
6)Silver was more abundant in the US than gold after it was struck out West. To appease "hard-money" advocates, the coined silver became part of the currency.
7)Southern whites and immigrants were against civl service reform, while Midwestern Protestants voted for tariffs against alcohol consumption.
8)By doing local favors, politicians gained enough votes to get them into national office.
9)They offered jobs, tracts of land, and money in exchange for votes.
10)The races were only separated by about a 1% difference, so every vote counted.
11)Both Carneige and 'social Christians' saw wealth as something morally acquired by the rich, to be used to help others and spread good.
12)The idea of social Darwinism began, seeing the rich as the stronger part of the race who were burdened to help the poor.
13)The Social Gospel said that the economic status of people depended on their devotion to Christ.
14)Party bosses encouraged the improving of cities with things like street cars, electricity, water, and sewage control in order to get more votes.
15)Religion made people morally conscious of children from both the city and countryside in need of a good education.
16)The right to vote, essential rights of citizenship, economic independence
17)Women would provide further competition in the already cut-throat search for jobs against immigrants, newly freed blacks, and poor whites.
1. Mark Twain was right, because the Gilded Age was a time where Grant's presidency lead to corruption and a ignorance of real issues at hand And as Ricky said it is a satirical phrase because he is using the opposite as the Golden Age which was filled with prosperity and good ideas.
ReplyDelete2. The fact that Congress had taken over much of the power is a bg political issue and also there was no real difference in political parties, giving no opinionated thoughts. But also money, civil service, and the tariff was also important.
3. They ran the government with no real principles. Legislation was not their primary purpose and they were paid off for many favors.
4. Patronage was very important because it allowed everyone to keep the jobs they had in office.
5. Gilded Age politics were filled with exciting stories and it intrigued the citizens.
6. Silver really wasnt worth anything so they did not back it as worth anything.
7. Regional interests made people want to protect the new tariffs because they woul dhelp the businessmen.
8. Local politics changed national politics because local leaders would do favors for the people in town and as a result the bug political parties did that to by throwing parades, etc.
9. Party bosses gave out bribes, and othe givernment posistions and many other favors.
10. The fact that only a couple thousand votes would decide the winner made this very exciting for the population.
11. They were similar because both ideas are trying to help out the people tat are less fortunate.
12. They said that you could not jump to being poor to wealthy. And vice versa. It was imposible to do so.
13. Tying salvation to social betterment.
14. The party bosses controled the electricity because that way they would get more support politically.
15. Religoin told people to better themselves so by educating themselves they would be doing it.
16. The right to vote, to stop urban housekeeping, and to stop prejudice against Protestant immigrants.
17. They had just let blacks vote and people were upset by that and congress did not want to let another type of person vote and have the country in chaos again.
1. Was Mark Twain's description of the Gilded Age accurate?
ReplyDeleteTwain’s description was incredibly accurate. While the Gilded Age was a time of industrial advancement, a booming economy, and social reform movements, this was all on the surface. These improvements were made with corrupt governments and for every wealthy individual, there were probably 100 people living in poverty (at least, though the gap was probably even larger). As more people were forced to take factory jobs, living conditions became deplorable in the disease-infested tenements.
2. What were the two most prominent national political issues during the Gilded Age?
There was division over the use of “hard money” (specie) and “soft money” (paper). Advocates of returning to the gold standard feared that increasing the amount of paper money in circulation would cause inflation. Greenbackers argued that more money was needed for the expanding economy. However, hard money advocates won.
The tariff was also a major issue, divided along party lines. Republicans wanted a high tariff to protect American business while Democrats wanted a low tariff, believing the less government interference, the better. In the end, tariff laws tried to combine the two ideals and became impossible to understand
3. How did political bosses like Blaine and Conkling run the government?
Both were charismatic career politicians. They used bribery and patronage to gain power and maintain it. They had so much power because presidents at this time were relatively weak.
4. Why was patronage so important to both political parties?
Patronage allowed parties to gain control, and then to maintain it. Giving rewards to certain sectors, such as contractors, ensured the support of that sector
5. Why was voter turnout so high during the latter part of the 19th century?
Voters were greatly concerned about social issues, such as temperance and compulsory education laws. These concerns often overrode economic self-interests and were divided along regional, religious, and class lines. Local party leaders also provided incentives, such as free food, jobs, etc. This captured voters’ attention.
6. How did the silver issue affect the distribution of currency?
The Sherman Silver Purchase Act ordered the treasury to purchase 4.5 million ounces of silver monthly and issue money for it. This prevented the free coinage of silver while still increasing the money supply.
7. How did regional interests play into issues like civil service reform, silver coinage, tariff protection, etc.?
Special interests found their way into tariff revisions. Also, since the north was mostly Republican, they were in favor of protecting American industry. This is because most business was in the north, so the south would not benefit from protecting what it didn’t have.
8. How did local politics transform national politics?
Local politics, such as the Sante Fe ring in New Mexico, made national issues of race and religion. In San Jose, California, there was an initiative to make the sale of alcohol illegal. Tensions grew high over public vs. parochial schools; a battle of the Protestant Midwest with the Catholic east.
9. What kind of perks did local party bosses offer in exchange for votes?
ReplyDelete“Big Tim” Sullivan in NY and “Hinky Dink” Kenna in Chicago offered jobs and money for rent, fuel, and bail. Sullivan gave shoes to poor children and Thanksgiving turkeys to poor families. George Washington Plunkitt of Tammany Hall attended weddings and funerals of his constituents.
10. What made political races so enticing during the 1880s and 90s?
Party leaders held parades and rallies. They also came up with catchy chants such as, “Blaine! Blaine! James G. Blaine!/Continental liar from the state of Maine!”
11. How did Carnegie's idea of social order/hierarchy compare to that of 'social Christians'?
Carnegie celebrated competition for producing better good for less money. He believed it was essential for wealth to be distributed among the few to keep society running efficiently. On the other hand, social Christians believed in a cooperative social order where everyone was more or less equal in wealth.
12. What connections did various social commentators make between wealth and poverty?
In a general consensus, great areas of wealth and progress also created millions more in poverty, widening the gap between classes.
13. What best describes the idea of a 'social gospel'?
The ‘social gospel’ in the Gilded Age was geared toward preventing the degradation of American society. This was done in part by opening settlement houses, which helped immigrants assimilate into American culture in the proper way. These houses also exposed the social misery of workers and spurred reform legislation.
14. How did local party bosses control local utilities like street cars and electricity?
They gave patronage jobs in return for votes and donations. Utility franchises were given to local business in return for financial kickbacks.
15. How did religion play a role in the advocacy for mandatory public education?
Religion could be taken as a means to decrease the gap between the rich and the poor, and the primary way to do this was with education. If someone received an education, it stood to reason they would have more opportunities on life and be better prepared for managing themselves in the competitive workplace.
16. What three things did women reformers focus on by the end of the 19th century?
Women wanted the vote for three essential reasons: 1) to pass self protection laws to guard against rapists. 2) to further the woman’s role in cleaning up immoral cities and corrupt politics. 3) educated, native-born American women should get the vote to counteract the vote of illiterate immigrant men.
17. What factors do you think contributed to women not being allowed to vote, even by 1900?
Society was still adjusting to blacks having the right to vote. In times of great change, people attempt to hold onto what they know, even if doing so doesn’t make sense. People just weren’t ready for more upheaval.
1. Mark Twain’s description of the Gilded Age accurately described the corruption and shallowness of the time. Although life appeared glitzy, beneath the surface fundamental issues were avoided.
ReplyDelete2. The two most prominent national political issues during the Gilded Age were the development of a professional bureaucracy and a period of close elections and Republican-Democratic party stalemates.
3. Political bosses like Blaine and Conkling ran the government by very typically by clearing the way of dangers and leaving every class free. They were extremely corrupt, and typified the moral quality of legislative leadership. Conkling opposed liberal Republican civil service reformers and rather wanted to reward the faithful.
4. Patronage was so important to both political parties because such support strengthened the parties. Parties financed themselves by assessing holders of patronage jobs. Patronage was also important because the parties were mainly differentiated based off who supported the party.
5. Voter turnout was so high during the latter part of the 19th century because there were a greater number of eligible voters than before. There was an increase in the number of American men that voted because of the advertisements done by parties. The new urban immigrants also played a role in increasing political participation.
6. The silver issue affected the distribution of currency because the recently circulated greenbacks were not exchangeable for silver. So, in 1873, Congress passed the Specie Resumption Act, which gradually retired greenbacks, putting the nation on the gold standard. There was an increase in the money supply, however the period was not inflationary and prices fell.
...
ReplyDelete7. Regional interests played into issues like civil service reform, silver coinage, and tariff protection because middle class people especially were so passionate about how such issues affected the local stages.
8. Local politics transformed national politics because traditional native-born elites left local governments for higher-status business careers. Therefore, urban bosses took the roles in local governments.
9. Local party bosses offered perks such as parades, buttons, songs, and rallies in exchange for votes.
10. Political races were so enticing during the 1880s and 90s because the races included emotional conflicts that touched the local levels, including education, temperance, race, religion, and class.
11. Carnegie’s idea of social order/ hierarchy compared to that of ‘social Christians’ because Carnegie’s ideas were similar to social Darwinism. Christianity supported the competitive individualistic ethic but wanted a cooperative social order to reduced inequalities in wealth. Carnegie celebrated competition for producing better goods at lower prices. He believed that the concentration of wealth in a few hands was beneficial.
12. Various social commentators connected wealth and poverty such that both walks of life are present. Economic growth, for example, had produced extremely wealthy people, however it was at the cost of many other and the loss of Christian values.
13. The idea of a ‘social gospel’ is best described by Hull House, a settlement house that aided immigrants.
14. Local party bosses controlled local utilities like street cars and electricity because such city beautification and environmental transformation attracted voters. These advancements were vital to the urban economy and played an important role in easing the immigrants’ lives.
15. Religion played a role in the advocacy for mandatory public education because Irish Catholics were replaced with Anglo-Saxon Protestant reformers who wanted a purer America.
16. By the end of the 19th century women reformers focused on political enfranchisement as a way to further women’s role in cleaning up immoral cities, getting people to recognize that educated women should get the vote to counteract the undesirable influence of illiterate male immigrates, and that women needed the vote to pass self-protection laws to guard against rapists and unsafe industrial work.
17. I believe that by 1900 women were still unable to vote because many women themselves saw their work as maternal. Also, many women remained economically dependent on men. A more important factor, I believe, is that the women’s rights groups were not unified but rather split in two.
1. Marks Twain’s description was very accurate. Although government at the time was corrupt and marred, participation in politics and national pride was high. Twain’s description showed how the surface appeared great, but beneath, it was corrupt and bad.
ReplyDelete2. During the Gilded Age, the most prominent national political issues were the development of a professional bureaucracy, a period of close elections and political party stalemates and problems.
3. At the time, Presidential power was rather weak, this they manipulated the government to gain power. They had no real principles and basically were very power-hungry.
4. Patronage decided the positions of high power and ranking in the government, it also allowed for those in the government to keep their positions and jobs.
5. Voter turnout was so high because parades and participation was encouraged by politicians. Also, important issues such as temperance were very prominent at the moment which incited public participation.
6. Silver affected the distribution of currency because more and more of it was being mined, which encouraged it to be coined into currency. Soft money advocates pushed for more silver to be coined and dispersed.
7. Regional interests played a key role because each part of the nation had different priorities and opinions. For example, brewery-workers strongly advocated against temperance laws. These regional differences made making wide-spread changes more difficult.
8. Local issues such as the Santa Fe ring, made problems such as race and religion prominent in national politics. Also, temperance movements sprouted in smaller areas, and became more wide-spread because they escalated to national issues.
9. Local party bosses offered jobs, money for rent, fuel, and bail.
10. Political participation was greatly encouraged by politicians. Parades, parties and rallies all generated support for the government.
11. They were similar because they both focused on the less fortunate. At the time, politics favored the upper class, but these ideas were geared towards the lower class which greatly appealed to them.
12. Drastic changes of social class were impossible. Citizens could not go from being very poor to very rich and vice versa.
13. Based on their devotion to religion and Christ was what determined one’s social status and prominence.
14. The improvement of cities and modern amenities was strongly encouraged by local party bosses.
15. Religion played a strong role in the advocacy for mandatory public education. Many efforts to increase education were based initially on religion and thus are greatly affected society and encouraged the public.
16. Women needed the vote to pass self-protection laws to guard against rapists
and unsafe industrial work. Second, political enfranchisement would further women’s role in cleaning up corrupt cities. Third, native-born American women should get the right to counteract the undesirable influence of illiterate male immigrants.
17. At the time, society had just accepted Blacks as citizens and gave them the right to vote. Despite the fact that women had taken over the plantations while their husbands were at war, and had worked in factories throughout the war, they still were not socially accepted.
1. Was Mark Twain's description of the Gilded Age accurate?
ReplyDeleteYes! Although the time appeared to be full of innovation and economic prosperity, it was only a veneer with corruption and poverty underneath. It wasn't as perfect of a time as some people describe it to be.
2. What were the two most prominent national political issues during the Gilded Age?
Political bureaurcracy/political parties, and money issues.
3. How did political bosses like Blaine and Conkling run the government?
They exemplified corruption, using bribery and patronage to get ahead and gain power.
4. Why was patronage so important to both political parties?
Like Laura said, Patronage helped parties get control and maintain it. It created a bond within parties. Member stuck together. There was a linkage.
5. Why was voter turnout so high during the latter part of the 19th century?
Politicians started campaigning and there were more people that could vote (ex immigrants)
6. How did the silver issue affect the distribution of currency?
It made the country change to the gold standard because silver and greenbacks couldn't be exchanged.
7. How did regional interests play into issues like civil service reform, silver coinage, tariff protection, etc.?
Regional interests were common because everyone wanted their business to perform well. (Ex. North wanted industry improvements.) Unfortunately, the government couldn't please everyone simultaneously.
8. How did local politics transform national politics?
Race issues and temperance were hot topics in local politics but they grew too big for local governments and became national issues.
9. What kind of perks did local party bosses offer in exchange for votes?
They offered anything from parades, jobs, and money to Thanksgiving turkeys.
10. What made political races so enticing during the 1880s and 90s?
Campaigning became big and politicians got the celebrity status they have today - parades, songs, buttons etc
11. How did Carnegie's idea of social order/hierarchy compare to that of 'social Christians'?
Carnegie liked that "survival of the fittest" idea where Christianity wanted people to work hard without the risk of a wealth gap.
12. What connections did various social commentators make between wealth and poverty?
They said that while there were some super-rich, there were many more poor people, creating a huge wealth gap. It was hard to go from the bottom to the top.
13. What best describes the idea of a 'social gospel'?
Settlement houses were social gospels, a place where immigrants could go until they could stand on there own feet in America
14. How did local party bosses control local utilities like street cars and electricity?
They did this to get more political support/votes
15. How did religion play a role in the advocacy for mandatory public education?
Religious people wanted to fill the wealth gap, and to do that, everyone needed an equal opportunity to school.
16. What three things did women reformers focus on by the end of the 19th century?
Reformers focused on furthering the female role in cleaning up immoral cities, increasing awareness about educated women should getting the vote vs male immigrants, and self-protection laws to protect them against rapists and dangerous work in industry.
17. What factors do you think contributed to women not being allowed to vote, even by 1900?
The focus was so much on racial change at the time that I don't think the public was ready for such a huge change yet. It was too much. Society hadn't recognized them as equals yet, unfortunately.
. I believe mark twain's statement was correct, he put it as the gilded age and not the golden age because it wasnt perfect or pure gold, but regular then a small strip of perfect or gold over the real block.
ReplyDelete2. Congress gained major power during johnsons presidency because of johnson favoring the south was one issue and the other was probably racism and segregation
3. since congress controlled the government bc they removed power from johnson, blaine and conkling used their corruption to controll congress
4. patronage was important to congressman because they wanted to stay in office and keep power for the political party
5. The voter turnout was so high because of bulldozing and the importance of your vote and how it affeccted society.
6. Since silver lost value it caused inflation in currency
7. Regional interests made segregation impossible to avoid because of anti black feelings in the south.
8. The local politics of the corruption, such as bulldozing influenced national political interests by gaining electoral college votes for presidency and other offices.
9. local party bosses gave out bribes and political offices(spoils system.
ReplyDelete10. elections in 1880s and 90s were enticing because of how close they were and how corrupt they were
11. carnegies ideas were similiar to christian church bc of his christian background
12. the gap between poor and wealthy was pretty large and the poor were for the most part prevented from advancing because of the low wage factory system
13. The combination of salvation and social expansion is the social gospel movement
14. party bosses controled utilities for segregation and to use to gain votes
15. Religion urged for public education so all could get an education so more ppl became priests and nuns. this is how catholic school system began
16. women pushed for temperance, womens rights, and civil rights
17. societies need to keep everything the same, which was mainly directed at blacks, held back most women as well
1. Yes, Mark Twain's description of the Gilded Age was correct. Underneath the time period's success was political corruption.
ReplyDelete2. The two most prominent national political issues during the Gilded Age were the professional bureaucracy and the political realignment.
3. Political bosses like Blaine and Conkling ran the government by using corruption and guile.
4. Patronage was so important to both political parties because it allowed them to gain power and support that was necessary to maintain office.
5. Voter turnout was so high during the latter part of the 19th century mainly due to political campaigning and advertising.
6. The silver issue affected the distribution of currency because it caused inflation.
7. Regional interests played into national issues because the different regions disagreed with one another, which made it harder to solve the issues.
8. Local politics transformed national politics because local issues such as race differences were brought to a national level during the time period.
9. Local party bosses offered political positions and bribes in exchange for votes.
10. Strong political campaigns and the contested issues made political races so enticing during the 1880s and 90s
11. Carnegie, like the Christians, believed in philanthropy.
12. Various social commentators saw that there was a huge gap between the wealthy and the poor, and that it was nearly impossible to cross either way.
13. The idea of a social gospel was to help immigrants transition into America.
14. Local party bosses controllled local utilities like street cars and electricity to gain political support.
15. Religion played a role in the advocacy for mandatory public education because Christians wanted everyone to have better opportunities.
16. By the end of the 19th century, women reformers focused on gaining voting rights, passing protection laws, and cleaning up immoral cities.
17. I think that the majority of men still considered women inferior, and also many women did not care whether or not they could vote because they had never done so in the past.
1.) Mark Twain's description of the Gilded Age was correct. Although the Gilded Age was a time of prosperity, there was a lot of underlying corruption.
ReplyDelete2.)The two most prominent political issues were the debate over political parties, and the bureacracy issue.
3.)Blaine and Conkling gained power through corruption, bribery, and patronage.
4.) Patronage allwed political parties to have more power, through their connections with poweerful patrons.
5. The voter turnout was high due to a lot of promotion for the election.
6. The silver issure caused inflation, and altered the gold standard.
7.Regional interests played into national issues because each region had a different opinion, which called for a debate to form a national consensus. Basically, many different ideas were brought together to form a conclusion.
8.Local issues influenced national politics when local issues began to escalate and gain notoriety.
9.Local party bosses offered financial aid to those who voted for them.
10.Political elections became so enticing because campaigns became more competiitive and more prominent.
11. Carbegie's idea of social order was similar to that of the Christian Church, in that both believed in survival of the fittest.
12. social commentators believed social order was rigid, you were either rich or poor and there was very little oppurtunity to change your class.
13. The idea of social gospel was to set up communities for immigrants.
14. Local party bosses controlled street cars and electricity because these advancements would attract voters.
15. Religion played a major role in education because, the Christian community wanted to inprove the quality and availability of the school system.
16.By the end of the 19th century, women reformers focused on voting rights, protection laws, and reconstruction of cities.
17. The issue of race in elections, outweighed the gender issue.
1. Yes Mark Twain's description of the Gilded Age is completely correct. That time period seemed to be a time of prosperity and riches, but underneath it all laid many economic problems.
ReplyDelete2.Currency was a problem because there was a debate between whether paper money or specie should be used.Also, political parties were divided on the issue of tariffs, which led to weak parties.
3. Blaine and Conkling basically ran the government and overtook the President in terms of power. They used bribery and corrupt measures to maintain that power.
4.Patronage was necessary for political parties to obtain power. It also put certain figures in higher positions.
5.In the late 19th century, more individuals could vote, such as immigrants. More American men voted due to successful advertising.
6. Silver was no longer a valid currency as the government shifted to the gold standard.
7. Regions each had their own opinions and needs in relation to the issues. Thus, it made it difficult for the country to come to a collective consensus.
8. The temperance movement occurred at the local level first, but the issue became too popular and controversial for local governments to handle. Thus, issues elevated to the national level.
9. Local parties reached out to all types of people in order to secure the people's favor. They offered jobs, bail, food, and money.
10. Politics became more widespread due to advertising and became more interesting to the general public.
11. Carnegie believed the money should be controlled by a select group of higher class individuals. Christians had similar beliefs, but without such a large wealth difference.
12.Wealth and poverty represent the two extremes. As the number of wealthy individuals increase, the number of poor does as well.
13.A social gospel was a late 19th and early 20th century Protestant Christian intellectual and social movement which applied progressive Christian ethics to dealing with social issues.
14. Local bosses controlled local utilities in order to improve the appearance of the city in an effort to encourage voters.
15. Those who were religious were the original advocates for mandatory education because they believed in equality.
16. Women focused on 1. the vote to pass self-protection laws to guard against rapists and unsafe industrial work. 2. Political enfranchisement would further women’s role in cleaning up immoral cities and corrupt politics.3. counteract the undesirable influence of illiterate male immigrants.
17. The reason why women didn't have the right to vote even by 1900 has nothing to do with their lack of effort. They certainly fought hard for their rights, but the country just was not ready for another huge change since the freeing of blacks into society had just taken place.
1. Yes, Mark Twain was referring to the veneer with which the United States had been seen internationally at the time. Many were convinced of the prosperity, innovation, and contentment of citizens that existed, but "underneath the surface", or inside the borders, citizens of the United States were experiencing the corruption of government and poverty that the nation suffered.
ReplyDelete2. Partisan mentalities in making decisions and appointments in the government and the economic state of the nation
3. Blaine and Conkling allowed the dedication to maintaining their power in government over their allegiance to the nation and keeping its best interest in mind. They served their term with dishonesty and bribery, which only dug the government deeper and deeper into a rut of corruption.
4.To both political parties, patronage seemed to be the easiest and most accessible method to gaining power. Earning the support of the citizens was the most direct method to enlarging a politician's circle of influence.
5.Voting became a popular way to show off elitism. Immigrants and black citizens were now allowed to vote, and although these rights were not exercised by most of these demographic groups, it encouraged American men to finally take advantage of the right they shirked at one point.
6. The currency was again shifted to the gold standard as the basis of currency, so silver currency became obsolete.
7. Sectionalism resurfaced during this time as the needs of Americans living in the North, South, and West began to diverge. Each section held different opinions on the common issues because they each were looking for something different to fulfill these needs.
8. Race issues and temperance began to play a part in many citizens outlook on government in general when unhappiness occurred at a local level. And as these sentiments took over thousands of small towns and big cities, they ended up affecting the way the entire American population viewed national politics.
9. Employment, food, monetary bribes, and even political positions were offered to voters by the political parties in exchange for their votes.
10. Advertising of elections and politics in American helped to boost the morale of the American public to take part in these occurrences that are vital to a democracy.
11. Both Carnegie and Christians believed the general public should be dominated by a small group of elites in society. Carnegie felt that these elites would be determined based upon monetary success, while Christians didn't believe in such an unequal distribution of wealth. Instead, Christians felt these elites should be determined on social standards.
12. Many commentators believed only in the extremes of the wealth distribution among the American public: the wealthy and the poor.
13. "Social Gospel" was a new belief advocated by many Protestants on the blending of Christian morals into life, applying to everyday, social situations.
14. Local party bosses wanted to give the illusion of prosperity to their voters, so they improved the aesthetic aspects of local towns to encourage citizens to vote.
15. Most Americans with a religious affiliation fought for social equality during this period, when slaves had finally gained freedom but not equality.
16. Women reformers focused on self-protection laws against rapists and insecure working conditions, women's role in moralizing urbanized society and politics, and lessening the illiterate population.
17. The fact that women society was becoming acclimated with the idea of giving rights to blacks signaled perfect time for women to fight their hardest for their own rights. Society was taking steps toward equality, and women took advantage of that to get to the place they had by 1900.
1. Was Mark Twain's description of the Gilded Age accurate?
ReplyDeleteYes, because this age was a time of great class differences where the few rich would overshadow the poor masses such as in Chicago where there were 200 millionaires compared to 200,000 unemployed.
2. What were the two most prominent national political issues during the Gilded Age?
The two most prominent issues were the debates over currency usage and the national tariff.
3. How did political bosses like Blaine and Conkling run the government?
People like these gained votes through bribery, especially with confused immigrants who had very little at the time.
4. Why was patronage so important to both political parties?
This was so crucial because quite simply, having massive support is the prime way to get recognition and power.
5. Why was voter turnout so high during the latter part of the 19th century?
The turnout greatly increased because of the better communication systems and the larger numbers of eligible voters.
6. How did the silver issue affect the distribution of currency?
This affected currency distribution by stirring up controversy over if silver would be implemented as a currency due to its wide availability.
7. How did regional interests play into issues like civil service reform, silver coinage, tariff protection, etc.?
The localities of the nation and mostly the middle classes were very keen on getting benefits for their own areas.
8. How did local politics transform national politics?
Local politics transformed those on the national level because the local areas proved to be crucial to the overall national power of any party.
9. What kind of perks did local party bosses offer in exchange for votes?
These bosses offered incentives such as better jobs, wages, and political positions
10. What made political races so enticing during the 1880s and 90s?
The races were enticing during this era because the communications systems had been made better and gave more people information on events surrounding elections.
11. How did Carnegie's idea of social order/hierarchy compare to that of 'social Christians'?
Their ideas were similar because they believed in charities and giving to the poor.
12. What connections did various social commentators make between wealth and poverty?
They would say that making a transition between these classes was impossible.
13. What best describes the idea of a 'social gospel'?
This idea was described by using wealth and success in a moral way to help others.
14. How did local party bosses control local utilities like street cars and electricity?
They controlled these through the political influences they held over the population.
15. How did religion play a role in the advocacy for mandatory public education?
Religion pushed education because they saw education as a way to improve themselves.
16. What three things did women reformers focus on by the end of the 19th century?
They focused on gaining the vote, better work conditions, and the temperance movement.
17. What factors do you think contributed to women not being allowed to vote, even by 1900?
Their inability to vote was because of the previous controversies of allowing the black vote.
1. Mark Twain's description was definitely accurate. Despite the seemingly positive vibe of the era, there were underlying economic issues such as the rich/poor gap.
ReplyDelete2. Of the many issues during the Gilded Age, among the most significant were Congress's major gain of power (through tariffs, etc), the neck and neck elections between democrats and republicans, and the question of whether to use hard or soft money.
3.Political bosses like Blaine and Conkling ran the government in a very unscrupulous manner, putting their own power before the best interests of the country. Through shady methods and bribery they remained in power. They were definitely poor rulers.
4. Patronage was crucial for the parties, as it was required of them in order to secure positions of power and political offices. Without such support, both parties would have failed in maintaining influence.
5. There are a few specific reasons for the high vote turnout. First, the issues being discussed during this period were very important to the public (such as voting). Second, politicians began attracting more voters through advertising and campaigning, along with objects like buttons. Lastly, the high vote turnout can be attributed to the increased number of eligible voters such as immigrants. Additionally, most likely Americans became more educated during this time and more likely to vote.
6. The silver caused a few issues. First it caused inflation and lost a lot of value. Also, it became useless as gold became the standard again. Silver and greenbacks could not be exchanged.
7. Regional issues played a part due to the middle class. The middle class was very particular about getting benefits for the citizens living in their own areas.
8. Many issues that circulated in local politics, such as those of race and drinking, greatly influenced national politics, because once these issues became large enough, they were adopted by the national government. Topics from local politics spread to the "bigger" world.
9. They offered several different incentives such as buttons, but they also offered substantial bribes, such as money, land, and employment. Even political positions were offered for votes.
ReplyDelete10. Elections became much more exciting due to the close numbers of votes (they were very close races). Also, they became much more interesting due to the increased advertising in political campaigns, as well as parades, chants, and other exciting things. It almost became like a fun competition.
11. Social Christians and Carnegie's ideas were pretty different. Carnegie's ideas were consistent with social Darwinism,and he strongly believed in competition, and the need for wealth to be concentrated in only a few people. Social Christians, on the other hand, almost believed in a type of communism, where everyone had similar amounts of money. Nonetheless, both schools of thought promoted economic prosperity for the nation.
12. Various social commentators figured that the economy of the time was creating both rich tycoons as well as a large poor class. They also realized that each group helped to cause the other one to thrive. Lastly, they brought up the fact that it was very difficult for a poor person to ever become rich.
13. The Hull House adequately represents the ideas of social gospel. It was the idea of having homes for the poor and using vast amounts of wealth to help the less fortunate.
14. Local party bosses controlled local utilities like street cars and electricity in order to influence and attract voters. The idea of a clean and efficient city was very favorable to the public, and thus it convinced people to vote for them.
15. Religious people were largely in favor of deceasing the wealth gap and providing equal opportunity for all. In order to so, compulsory education for all children became necessary.
16. Women's primary focuses were to achieve rights such as voting, increase the female role of improving and cleaning up cities, and to pass protection laws for female safety.
17. With all of the competition going on between Americans as well as American immigrants made the job market difficult enough already. The addition of women only would have made it more challenging. Also, with blacks recently winning the vote, America was probably not ready to allow women...everything needs to be done one step at a time.