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CHAPTER 18
Society and Politics in the Gilded Age
1865–1900
This chapter begins by discussing the growth of cities in late-nineteenth-century America, the new immi-
gration and resistance to it, emerging forms of urban leisure and entertainment, the transformation of
American education, and the influence of Darwinian thought. The chapter then goes on to cover Gilded
Age politics: the issues of the currency, tariffs, and civil service reform; the discontent of the farmers; and
the rise of agrarian political movements.
CORE OBJECTIVES
1. Understand the effects of urban growth during the Gilded Age, including the problems it created.
2. Describe the “new immigrants” of the late nineteenth century and how they were viewed by American
society.
3. Explain how urban growth and the increasingly important role of science influenced leisure activities,
cultural life, and social policy in the Gilded Age.
4. Assess how the nature of politics during the Gilded Age contributed to political corruption and stale-
mate.
5. Evaluate the effectiveness of politicians in developing responses to the major economic and social
problems of the Gilded Age.
6. Analyze why the money supply became a major political issue during the Gilded Age, especially
among small farmers, and describe its impact on American politics.
CHAPTER OUTLINE
1. America’s Move to Town
A. Growth in All Directions
B. Crowds, Dirt, and Disease
2. The New Immigration
A. A Surge of Newcomers from Europe
B. Strangers in a New Land
C. The Nativist Response
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3. Changes in Popular and Intellectual Culture
A. Urban Leisure and Entertainment Options
B. The Impact of Darwinism
i. Social Darwinism
ii. Reform Darwinism
4. Gilded Age Politics
A. Local Politics and Party Loyalties
B. Partisan Politics at the National Level
C. Presidential Politics
5. Corruption and Reform: Hayes to Harrison
A. Hayes and Civil Service Reform
B. Garfield, Arthur, and the Pendleton Act
C. A Presidency Cut Short
D. The Civil Service Commission
E. The Campaign of 1884
i. Corruption and Sex Scandal
ii. Blunders by the Blaine Campaign
F. Cleveland’s Reform Efforts
i. Regulation of Railroad Rates
ii. Tariff Reform and the Election of 1888
G. Republican Activism under Harrison
6. Inadequate Currency and Unhappy Farmers
A. Increasing Unrest among Farmers
B. A Vicious Cycle of Depressed Prices and Debt
C. Silver and Inflation
D. The Granger Movement
E. Farmers’ Alliances
F. New Third Parties
G. The Election of 1892
H. The Depression of 1893 and the “Free–Silver” Crusade
I. Silverites versus Goldbugs
J. The Election of 1896
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LECTURE IDEAS
1. Students are often surprised to learn that Darwin himself did not come up with the line “survival of
the fittest.” Lay out exactly what Darwin argued. Tell the students about his life, the voyage to the
2. The stories of Ellis Island and of the push-and-pull factors that brought so many people to America in
the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries are both compelling and important. Explain in clear
terms to the students what “steerage” actually meant and why first– and second-class passengers did
not have to go through inspections nor have to endure lengthy observations at the island’s extensive
hospital complex. Useful resources include the following:
• Vincent J. Cannato’s American Passage: The History of Ellis Island (2009)
3. One notable aspect of American immigration history is the particular animosity directed toward Asian,
especially Chinese, immigrants. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and subsequent efforts to limit
Asian immigration symbolize that animosity. One lecture might explore how and why Asians in gen-
eral and Chinese in particular were singled out for this treatment. See the following references:
• Ronald Takaki’s Strangers from a Different Shore: A History of Asian Americans (1998)
4. A great way to begin a lecture on the Gilded Age is to simply ask the students where they think the
term Gilded Age originated. If they have read the text, they will know that it is the title of Mark
Twain’s first novel, The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today, which he wrote with Charles Dudley Warner. A
5. To help provide students with an understanding of the diverse political interests of the United States
during this era, create a lecture on the agrarian protest movement that originated in the southern states
and spread to the Midwest and West. An effective lecture, which culminates with a general overview
of the People’s Party in the 1890s, will include discussions of the minor movements that preceded the
rise of the Populists, such as the Granger Movement, the Greenback Party, and the Farmers’ Alliance.
See the following references on the agrarian protest movements:
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6. For a lecture on the election of 1896 and William Jennings Bryan as “reformer,” see John A. Garraty’s
“Bryan: The Progressives” (American Heritage, December 1961). Also useful is Paul W. Glad’s
7. Discuss the economic condition of America in the late nineteenth century. Survey all aspects of eco-
nomic life, and detail the causes and results of the depression of 1893. Focus on the impact on the
8. Plessy v. Ferguson is one of the most important Supreme Court cases in American history and will
come up again later when the class gets to Brown v. Board of Education. Lay out for the class the ar-
gument made by Plessy’s lawyer, who said that Plessy had been denied property without due pro-
cess—property defined as his reputation for being white. While emphasizing how language and ideas
IN-CLASS ACTIVITIES / FLIPPED CLASSROOM SUGGESTIONS
1. Have your students research the history of baseball, football, and basketball and then come to class
prepared to explain how the sports have changed since their inception and, more importantly, why they
have changed over time.
2. The photographs of late nineteenth century New York City by Jacob Riis, along with his book How the
Other Half Lives (1890), are credited with bringing popular attention to the deplorable conditions in
city slums and the challenges faced by the poorest of the poor. Have your students look at some of Ri-
is’s photographs (easily accessed on the Web). Ask them to consider if the images are still powerful af-
3. William Jennings Bryan was known as one of the greatest orators of his day, indeed of all time.
Have your students listen to some of Bryan’s speeches (his “Cross of Gold Speech, for example, can
be played at https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95691800). Have the class
consider and discuss what made Bryan such a powerful speaker. How would his style translate to the
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4. During the Gilded Age, campaign songs were an important part of the presidential races. Present some
of these songs to your students. Have them analyze the lyrics and the way in which the songs are repre-
senting the major issues of the day. They might also consider how the campaign songs of the Gilded
Age relate to the politics (and song choices) of the more recent presidential campaigns. Lyrics and mu-
5. Students can listen to first-hand accounts of African Americans who lived through Jim Crow in the
South. For a selection of these narratives, you can go to the PBS website for its program “The Rise and
Fall of Jim Crow.” The specific link with the audio files is
6. Have students watch the segments of the History Channel’s The Presidents (2005) that cover the Gild-
ed Age presidents from Rutherford B. Hayes through William McKinley. The documentary is available
for purchase on sites such as Amazon and, alternatively, could be put on reserve at the library. After
7. Give the class a research project on Jim Crow laws. Ask them to define the term Jim Crow and de-
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. To what extent are the concerns and plans of action advocated by the nativists still evident in contem-
porary American politics? Does the survival of certain strains of nativist thought suggest the nativists
of a century ago were right despite their racism and prejudices, or should those who advocate nativist
ideas today be more aware of their own prejudices?
2. To what extent do the most popular organized spectator sports of today serve the same purpose they
did when they first became popular more than a century ago? To what extent are the professional
sports of today very different than they were more than a century ago? What differences might be con-
sidered good, and what ones might be considered bad?
3. To what extent do women still face obstacles and prejudices with regard to how they pursue recreation
and spend their leisure time? Of the obstacles you identify as still relevant, why have they persisted?
4. Do the ideals of “social Darwinism” and the ideals of “reform Darwinism” still resonate in today’s pol-
itics and society? Why or why not?
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5. In the 1896 election, opponents of William Jennings Bryan called him a “socialist.” What exactly is
“socialism”? Was Bryan, in fact, a socialist or were his opponents misusing the term? How does the
labeling of Bryan a socialist compare to other efforts, some very recent, to label political opponents as
“socialist”? Why is the identification of a candidate with that ideology presumed to be such a powerful
criticism?
6. Why is it so difficult for third-party movements to succeed in the United States? Did the Populist party
ever have a chance? Did it miss or misplay an opportunity that might have led it to become stronger
and more influential than it was? Is the experience of the Populist party in any way instructive to the
challenges today of launching a third-party movement?
7. Which economic approaches do you think would have been best for the country during the Gilded
Age: the gold standard or “free silver”?
8. During the 2016 presidential race and election, many political pundits suggested that a Populist move-
ment influenced voters. How does the more recent Populist movement compare with the one that took
place in the late nineteenth century? What are some similarities and differences between these grass-
roots movements?
PRACTICING CITIZENSHIP
We hear quite a bit in this chapter about tariffs on goods coming into the United States. Opponents of tar-
iffs in the late nineteenth century argued that free trade would make markets more competitive, thus os-
tensibly making goods more affordable for workers. At the same time, tariffs would help disintegrate mo-
nopolies and trusts that had benefited so much from the restraints put on foreign competition. Supporters
of tariffs argued that America’s prosperity was tied intimately to tariffs. Discuss with your classmates this