What is the spoils system?
The practice of rewarding political supporters with government jobs.
Define 'Waving the Bloody Shirt'.
A Republican tactic of invoking Civil War memories to gain support.
What is a political machine?
A political organization that controls votes and patronage in a city or district.
What is patronage?
The power to control appointments to office or the right to privileges.
Define 'laissez-faire' economics.
An economic system with minimal government intervention.
What is civil service?
A system of hiring and promoting government employees based on merit.
What is the gold standard?
A monetary system where a country's currency is directly convertible to gold.
Define 'trust' in the context of the Gilded Age.
A large business combination that seeks to monopolize a market.
What is a protective tariff?
A tax on imported goods designed to protect domestic industries.
Define 'initiative' and 'referendum'.
Initiative: voters propose laws; Referendum: voters approve laws.
What caused the Pendleton Act?
Assassination of Garfield and the need to reduce corruption in government.
What were the effects of the McKinley Tariff Act?
Raised tariff duties, protected domestic industries, increased consumer prices.
What caused the Panic of 1893?
Stock market crash, railroad failures, run on gold reserves.
What were the effects of the Panic of 1893?
Bank failures, business closures, high unemployment.
What caused the rise of the Populist Party?
Farmers' grievances, economic hardship, desire for political reform.
What were the effects of the Sherman Antitrust Act?
Initially limited impact, but set a precedent for regulating big business.
What caused the Sherman Silver Purchase Act?
Pressure from silver supporters to increase the money supply.
What were the effects of the Dawes Act?
Loss of Native American land, erosion of tribal culture, failed assimilation.
What caused the Interstate Commerce Act?
Public demand to regulate railroad monopolies and unfair practices.
What caused the rise of political machines?
Rapid urbanization, immigration, and lack of social services.
Compare Stalwarts and Halfbreeds.
Both were Republican factions vying for patronage; Stalwarts defended the spoils system, Halfbreeds favored some reforms.
Compare the Bland-Allison Act and Sherman Silver Purchase Act.
Both dealt with silver coinage; the Sherman Act was a later, larger attempt to address the silver issue.
Compare the Populist and Greenback parties.
Both supported inflationary monetary policy; Populists had a broader platform of reforms.
Compare Grover Cleveland's first and second presidencies.
First term focused on civil service reform; second term was dominated by the Panic of 1893.
Compare the Republican and Democratic parties during the Gilded Age.
Republicans: business, middle class, Protestants; Democrats: Solid South, immigrants, urban political machines.
Compare the effects of the McKinley Tariff and previous tariffs.
McKinley Tariff raised duties to unprecedented levels, increasing protectionism.
Compare the goals of the Sherman Antitrust Act and the Interstate Commerce Act.
Sherman Antitrust Act aimed to regulate monopolies; Interstate Commerce Act aimed to regulate railroads.
Compare the conditions that led to the Panic of 1873 and the Panic of 1893.
Panic of 1873: railroad speculation; Panic of 1893: stock market crash and run on gold.
Compare the views of farmers and industrialists on monetary policy.
Farmers favored silver coinage for inflation; industrialists favored the gold standard for stability.
Compare the effectiveness of the Pendleton Act in the short term and the long term.
Short term: affected few jobs; long term: significantly reduced corruption and expanded civil service.
