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9.2 - Business, Labor and Politics in the Gilded Age (Politics, Corruption and Philanthropy)

Terms in this set (16)

Ulysses S. Grant
General and hero of the Civil War who became president. Although honest, he was a poor politician. His administration was weakened by the Crédit Mobilier Scandal.
Crédit Mobilier Scandal
Political scandal during Grant's presidency. His aids enriched themselves with the sale of public land.
Rutherford B. Hayes
Republican President elected in 1877 as part of a compromise that ended Reconstruction in the South. His influence was weakened by the circumstances of his election.
James Garfield
Republican president who was assassinated by Charles Guiteau, who was angry that he had not received a government job.
Chester Arthur
Vice-president who ascended to the presidency when James Garfield was assassinated. He signed the Pendleton Civil Service Act which limited the spoils system.
Pendleton Civil Service Act
1883 law limiting the spoils system by requiring that many government employees pass an exam. This helped establish a group of professional government employees outside the influence of politics. It was passed after the assassination of president Garfield by a disgruntled job seeker.
Mayor
The elected chief executive of a city.
Political Machine
A system set up in cities in which elected leaders buy or manipulate votes. They accepted bribes and stole government money. In exchange, they lavished favors on friends who protected and supported them. The most famous was Tammany Hall in New York City.
Boss
Leader of a political machine. The most famous was William Tweed of Tammany Hall in New York City.
Bribe
Money paid to a government official in exchange for a favor. For example, business leaders paid members of congress to pass or not pass certain legislation.
Voter Fraud
Any method of manipulating elections including, voting multiple times, voting in someone else's name, or purposefully not counting some votes.
William "Boss" Tweed
Famous boss of the Tammany Hall political machine.
Tammany Hall
Nickname for Boss Tweed's political machine in New York City.
Thomas Nast
Cartoonist whose drawings criticized Boss Tweed and the Tammany Hall political machine.
The Gospel of Wealth
Article by Andrew Carnegie. In it he argued that making money was noble but that wealthy people should give away their fortunes to the benefit of mankind.
Carnegie Library
Name for libraries built with Andrew Carnegie's financial support. Some are still officially called by this name, such as in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania.
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