Gilded Age Politics
1860-1890
Summary
The Gilded Age is defined as the time between the Civil War and World War I during which the U.S. population and economy grew quickly, there was a lot of political corruption and corporate financial misdealings and many wealthy people lived very fancy lives
2 Key Points
- Gilded Age politics were dominated by corruption, as politicians took bribes and rewarded their supporters with posh government jobs
- Elections had high turnout and extraordinarily close results, but neither major party pursued ambitious policies
William M. Tweed
was an American politician most notable for being the "boss" of Tammy Hall, the Democratic Party political machine that played a major role in the politics of 19th Century New York City and State.
William McKinley
Powerful Ohio congressman and twenty-fifth U.S. president. As a member of Congress, McKinley managed to pass the McKinley Tariff in 1890, which raised the protective tariff rates on foreign goods to an all-time high.
J. P. Morgan
A wealthy Wall Street banker who saved the nearly bankrupt federal government in 1895 by loaning the Treasury more than $60 million.