(1877-1900)

Chapter 12.1

The Rise of Segregation After Reconstruction, most African Americans were

sharecroppers, or landless farmers who had to give the landlord a large share of their crops to cover their costs for rent and farming supplies.

The Rise of Segregation In 1879 Benjamin “Pap” Singleton

organized a mass migration of African Americans, called Exodusters, from the rural South to Kansas.

The Rise of Segregation Some African Americans that stayed in the South

formed the Colored Farmers’ National Alliance.

The organization worked to help its members set up cooperatives.

Many African Americans joined the Populists Party.

The Rise of Segregation Threatened by the power of the

Populists Party, Democratic leaders began using racism to try to win back the poor white vote in the South.

By 1890 election officials in the South began using methods to make it difficult for African Americans to vote.

The Rise of Segregation Southern states used loopholes in the Fifteenth

Amendment and began to impose restrictions that barred almost all African Americans from voting.

The Rise of Segregation In 1890 Mississippi required all citizens registering to

vote to pay a poll tax, which most African Americans could not afford to pay.

The state also required prospective voters to take a literacy test.

The Rise of Segregation Most African Americans had no education and failed

the test.

Other Southern states adopted similar restrictions.

The number of African Americans and poor whites registered to vote fell dramatically in the South.

The Rise of Segregation To allow poor whites to vote, some Southern states

had a grandfather clause in their voting restrictions.

This clause allowed any man to vote if he had an ancestor on the voting rolls in 1867.

The Rise of Segregation In the late 1800s, both the North and the South

discriminated against African Americans.

In the South, segregation, or separation of the races, was enforced by laws known as Jim Crow Laws.

The Rise of Segregation In 1883 the Supreme Court overturned the Civil Rights

Act of 1875.

The ruling meant that private organizations or businesses were free to practice segregation.

The Rise of Segregation Southern states passed a series of laws that enforced

segregation in almost all public places.

The Supreme Court ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson endorsed “separate but equal” facilities for African Americans.

This ruling established the legal basis for discrimination in the South for over 50 years.

The Rise of Segregation In the late 1800s, mob violence increased

in the United States, particularly in the South.

Between 1890 and 1899, hundreds of lynching's---executions without proper court proceedings—took place.

Most lynching’s were in the South, and the victims were mostly African Americans.

The Rise of Segregation In 1892 Ida B. Wells, an African

American born into slavery from Tennessee, began a crusade against lynching.

She wrote newspaper articles (the Free Speech) and a book denouncing lynching's and mob violence against African Americans.

The Rise of Segregation Booker T. Washington, an

African American educator, urged fellow African Americans to concentrate on achieving economic goals rather than legal or political ones such as overturning Jim Crow Laws.

The Rise of Segregation He explained his views in a speech known as the

Atlanta Compromise.

The Rise of Segregation The Atlanta Compromise was

challenged by W.E.B. Du Bois, the leader of African American activists born after the Civil War.

The Rise of Segregation Du Bois said that white Southerners continued to take

away the civil rights of African Americans, even though they were making progress in education and vocational training.

He believed that African Americans had to demand their rights, especially voting rights, to gain full equality.

The Rise of Segregation How did the viewpoints on solving discrimination

differ between Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois?

Booker T. Washington urged fellow African Americans to concentrate on achieving economic goals rather than legal or political ones. Washington said African Americans should prepare themselves educationally and vocationally for full equality. W.E.B Du Bois said that white Southerners continued to take away the civil rights of African Americans, even though they were making progress in education and vocational training. He believed that African Americans had to demand their rights, especially voting rights, to gain full equality.

Political and Economic Challenges

Chapter 12.2

P397

Stalemate in Washington Under the spoils system, or patronage, government

jobs went to supporters of the winning party in an election.

By the late 1870s, many Americans believed that patronage corrupted those who worked for the government.

They began a movement to reform the civil service.

Stalemate in Washington President Rutherford B. Hayes attacked the practice

of patronage.

The “Stalwarts”—a group of Republican machine politicians who strongly opposed civil service reform—accused Hayes of backing civil service reform to create openings for his own supporters.

Civil service reformers were called “Halfbreeds.”

Stalemate in Washington The Republican candidates for

the election of 1880 were a Halfbreed, James Garfield for president, and the Stalwart, Chester Arthur for vice president.

They won the election of 1880.

Stalemate in Washington President Garfield was assassinated a few months into

his presidency.

Stalemate in Washington In 1883 Congress passed the Pendleton Act.

This civil service reform act allowed the president to decide which federal jobs would be filled according to rules set up by a bipartisan Civil Service Commission.

Stalemate in Washington Candidates competed for federal jobs through

examinations.

Appointments could be made only from a list of those who took the exams.

Once appointed to the job, a civil service official could not be removed for political reasons.

Stalemate in Washington A major reason that few new policies were introduced

in the 1870s and 1880s was because the Democrats had control of the House of Representatives and the Republicans had control of the Senate.

Stalemate in Washington Both Republicans and Democrats were well organized

in the late 1800s.

The presidential elections were won with narrow margins between 1876 and 1896.

In 1876 and 1888, the presidential candidate lost the popular vote, but won the electoral vote and the election.

Stalemate in Washington The Republicans won four of the six presidential

elections between 1876 and 1896.

Democrats controlled the House of Representatives, and the Senate was controlled by Republicans who did not necessarily agree with the president on issues.

Stalemate in Washington In the presidential election of

1884, Republicans remained divided over reform.

Democrats nominated Governor Grover Cleveland of New York, a reformer who opposed Tammany Hall.

Stalemate in Washington Republicans nominated James G.

Blaine, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Blaine was popular among Republican Party workers.

Stalemate in Washington A major issue in the campaign was corruption in

American government.

Voters focused on morals of each candidate.

Stalemate in Washington Some Republican reformers, called “Mugwumps,”

disliked Blaine so much that they left the party to support the Democratic candidate Grover Clevland.

The Mugwumps did not like Blaine’s connection with the Credit Mobilier Scandal.

Stalemate in Washington Cleveland admitted to having fathered a child ten

years earlier and retained the support of the Mugwumps for his honesty.

Blaine tried to persuade Roman Catholics to vote Republican because his mother was an Irish Catholic.

His tactic failed, and Cleveland was elected president in 1884.

Stalemate in Washington Many strikes occurred during Cleveland’s

administration.

Small business and farmers became angry at railroads because they paid high rates for shipping goods, but large corporations were given rebates, or partial refunds, and lower rates for shipping goods.

Stalemate in Washington Both Democrats and Republicans believed that

government should not interfere with corporations’ property rights.

In 1887 a bill was signed creating the Interstate Commerce Commission.

This was the first law to regulate interstate commerce.

Stalemate in Washington Many Americans wanted to do away with high tariffs

because they felt that large American companies could compete internationally.

They wanted Congress to cut tariffs because these taxes caused an increase in the price of manufactured goods.

President Cleveland proposed lowering tariffs, but Congress was deadlocked over the issue.

Tariff reduction became a major issue in the election of 1888.

Stalemate in Washington The Republican candidate in

1888 was Benjamin Harrison.

His campaign was given large contributions by industrialists who wanted tariff protection.

Stalemate in Washington The Democratic candidate was

Grover Cleveland.

He was against high tariff rates.

Harrison won the election by winning the electoral vote but not the popular vote.

Stalemate in Washington As a result of the election of 1888, Republicans gained

control of both houses of Congress and the White House.

The Republicans were able to pass legislation on issues of national concern.

Stalemate in Washington The McKinley Tariff cut tariff rates on some goods,

but increased rates on others.

It lowered federal revenue and left the nation with a budget deficit.

Stalemate in Washington The Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 made trust

illegal, although the courts did little to enforce the law.

Businesses formed trusts and combinations at a great rate.

Stalemate in Washington What were the results of the Sherman Antitrust

Act?

The courts did little to enforce the Sherman Antitrust Act. The legislative act was important for establishing a precedent in the regulation of big business.

Farmers and Populism Chapter 12.3

P. 401

Populism In the 1890s, a political movement called Populism

emerged to increase the political power of farmers and to work for legislation for farmers’ interest.

Populism The nation’s money supply concerned farmers.

To help finance the Union in the Civil War, the government issued millions of dollars in greenbacks, or paper currency that could not be changed for gold or silver coins.

Populism This rapid increase in the money supply without a

rapid increase in goods for sale caused inflation—a decline in the value of money.

The prices of goods greatly increased.

Populism To get inflation under control, the federal

government stopped printing greenbacks and started paying off bonds.

Congress also stopped making silver into coins.

Populism As a result, the country did not have a large enough

money supply to meet the needs of the growing economy.

This led to deflation—or an increase in the value of money and a decrease in the general level of prices.

Populism Deflation forced most farmers to borrow money to

plant their crops.

The short supply of money caused an increase in interest rates that the farmers owned.

Some farmers wanted more greenbacks printed to expand the money supply.

Others wanted the government to mint silver coins.

Populism The Grange was a national

farm organization founded for social and educational purposes.

Grangers put their money together and created cooperatives—marketing organizations that worked to help its members.

Populism The cooperatives pooled members’ crops and held

them off the market to force the prices to rise.

Cooperatives cold negotiate better shipping rates from railroads.

Populism The Grange was unable to improve the economic

conditions of farmers.

By the late 1870s, many farmers left the Grange and joined other organizations that offered to help them solve their problems.

Populism The Farmers’ Alliance was formed in 1877.

The Alliance organized large cooperatives called exchanges for the purpose of forcing farm prices up and making loans to farmers at low interest rates.

Populism These exchanges mostly failed.

Wholesalers, manufacturers, railroads, and bankers discriminated against the exchanges.

The exchanges were too small to dramatically affect world prices for farm products.

Populism Members of the Kansas Alliance formed the People’s

Party or Populists, to push for political reforms that would help farmers solve their problems.

Populism In 1890 the Farmers’ Alliance issued the Ocala

Demands to help farmers choose candidates in the 1890 elections.

The demands included the adoption of the subtreasury plan, the free coinage of silver, and end to protective tariffs, national banks, tighter regulation of the railroads, and direct election of senators by voters.

Populism By early 1892, Southern members of the Alliance

began to realize that Democrats were not going to keep their promises to the Alliance and they were ready to leave the Democratic Party and join the People’s Party.

Populism In July 1892, the Peoples Party

held its first national convention where it nominated James B. Weaver to run for president.

Populism The People’s Party platform called for unlimited

coinage of silver, federal ownership of railroads, and a graduated income tax, one that taxes higher earnings more heavily.

It also called for an eight-hour workday, restriction of immigration, and denounced the use of strikebreakers.

Populism Democrats nominated New Yorker Grover Cleveland

for the 1892 presidential election.

Cleveland won the election.

Populism The Panic of 1893 was caused by the bankruptcy of the

Philadelphia and Reading Railroads.

It resulted in the stock marked crash and the closing of many banks.

By 1894 the country was in deep depression.

Populism President Cleveland wanted to stop the flow of gold

and make it the sole basis for the country’s currency, so he had Congress repeal the Sherman Silver Purchase Act.

Populism This caused the Democratic Party to split into the

goldbugs and silverites.

Goldbugs believed the American currency should be based only on gold.

Silverites believed coining silver in unlimited amounts was the answer to the nation’s economic crisis.

Populism The Democrats nominated

William Jennings Bryan for the presidential election of 1896.

He strongly supported the unlimited silver coinage.

Populists also supported Bryan for president.

Populism The Republicans nominated

William McKinely of Ohio for president.

He promised workers a “full dinner pail.”

Populism Most business leaders liked McKinley because they

thought the unlimited silver coinage would ruin the country’s economy.

McKinley won the election of 1896.

New gold strikes in Alaska and Canada’s Yukon Territory and in other parts of the world increased the money supply without needing to use silver.

As the silver issued died out, so did the Populist Party.

Populism Why did William McKinley appeal to workers and

business leaders?

McKinely promised workers a “full dinner pail.” Most business leaders liked him because they thought that unlimited silver coinage would ruin the country’s economy.