Section 2 – Calls for Good Government
Main idea – _ ?__
Civil Service Reforms – Before Rutherford Hayes was elected, patronage(giving jobs to friends) was a common practice.
Hayes Begins Reforms
Hayes forbid the practice of “shaking down” federal workers. (forced to make political contributions)
Hayes blocked appointments of Congressional leaders.
Hayes refused to sign legislation with “riders” (irrelevant amendment)
Election of 1880
Republican James Garfield defeated Democrat Winfield Hancock in a very close election.
The Pendleton Act
Garfield is assassinated and the public now supported reform. The Pendleton Act said: 1. Prez decides which Fed jobs are now under the new Civil Service Commission. 2. Candidates had to take exams. 3. Jobs would be given from the list of those who passed the exam.
Cleveland in Office - The reform movement begun by Hayes and continued by Garfield & Arthur did not stop.
The Election of 1884
Cleveland was governor of NY. First Democrats elected since 1856, he won by a narrow margin.
Reforms Continue
Cleveland to improve govt efficiency and integrity. He supported the Presidential Succession Act. He repealed the Tenure of Office Act.
He took public land back from private companies.
Tarriffs and the Election of 1888
Different Views on Tariffs - ”free-traders” thought tariffs hurt comsumers by interfering with the normal laws of supply and demand.
“protectionists” thought tariffs protect young industries and American jobs. Cleveland favored a reduction in tariffs & small government.
Harrison Elected President
Grover Cleveland (Dem) vs. Benjamin Harrison (Rep). Harrison received less popular votes but won the electoral college (and thus, the election.)
Treasury Surplus and the Tariffs
High tariffs lead to a govt surplus of $$. The money was spent on improvement projects for the country.
Several Issues Hurt Republicans
High tariffs eventually became an economic problem for the U.S. Some republicans were in favor of English-only schools. Prohibition (ban on drinking) was favored by Republicans, but not the public.
Section 3 – Cultural Life
Main Idea: America’s cultural scene changed rapidly after the Civil War.
Education – In the late 1800s, public schools benefited from reforms.
Public Education – many cities introduced free secondary education.
Private Colleges and Universities
In the mid-1800s, most universities had poor equipment and buildings. However, by 1900 – these weaknesses had been improved upon and graduate schools improved their fields of study and quality of education.
State Universities
Colleges in the mid-west made higher education available to women. The Morrill Act gave land to colleges to expand and teach agriculture. Texas A&M, for example.
Literature
Southern writers were nostalgic about the antebellum (pre-Civil War) way of life. Samuel Clemens (a.k.a. Mark Twain) wrote stories of his travels in the west – “Tom Sawyer” and “Huckleberry Finn”.
Twain brought together popular and high-brow literature.
Art and Architecture
“Realism” was the most important art form. Most of America’s painters were expatriates – they chose to live outside their native country.
The popular architecture style was “Victorian” was heavy and ornate. Some criticized the style as a symbol of greed.
The Yellow Press and the Dime Novel – the Industrial Revolution increased the leisure time of people.
Penny Newspaper
Newspapers were cheap to produce and sold at low prices. Joseph Pulitzer, the publisher of the New York World, used sensational headlines and comics to improves sales. The term “yellow journalism” referred to the yellow ink of his paper but it came to refer to the the style (tabloid journalism) and substance (sometimes untrue) of his paper.
Dime Novels
Cheap books about crime, business and outlaws written for the young, male population.
Sports and Entertainment
Some sports, among the high class, came from England. Baseball, came to be known as America’s pastime, was very popular. The bicycling craze began.
Theatre, opera, museums and art galleries became popular among cultural life in cities.
