chapter16

= The Gilded Age: To the Victor go the Spoils =

Few contemporary observers had anything good to say about the late 19th century political scene. Historian Henry Adams noted that “the period was poor in purpose and barren in results.” Many Americans agreed with Adams, viewing their elected representatives as little better than a bunch of crooks. Infuriated, these Americans demanded political reforms. **People:** Schuler Colfax, James A. Garfield, Charles Guiteau, Chester A. Arthur, Grover Cleveland, Benjamin Harrison President Obama's Appointments ||  || Preoccupied by political reform, the government overlooked one of the major trends of the late 1800s – the growing gulf between the haves and the have-nots. By 1890 close to 75 percent of the nation’s wealth was controlled by just 10 percent of the population. At the same time, nearly 50 percent of American industrial workers lived below the poverty line. Demanding the right to share in the country’s prosperity, some workers organized labor unions. **People:** Mary Harris Jones, Frank Ferrell, Uriah Stephens, Terrence V. Powderly, Samuel Gompers, Henry Clay Frick, Eugene V. Debs, George Pullman ||  || America’s farmers suffered many hardships during the late 1800s. Like industrial workers, farmers organized to win their share of prosperity. This drive to organize culminated in the founding in the People’s, or Populist, party. A severe economic depression helped the Populists gain strength during the early 1890s. However, the party’s later focus on a single issue – free silver – led to its downfall. **People:** Mary Elizabeth Lease, James B. Weaver, William McKinley, William Jennings Bryan ||  ||
 * === Restoring Honest Government ===
 * === Labor Strives to Organize ===
 * === Farmers, Populism, and Depression ===