UNIT 4 THE GILDED AGE (1870-1896) U.S. History II HIS-112

UNIT 4 THE GILDED AGE

(1870-1896)

U.S. History IIHIS-112

Politics in the Gilded Age

“Gilded Age” – (1870-1896) It is used to describe the social and political life of the

latter part of the 19th century

During this period, politics and corruption went hand in hand The politicians were more concerned with

entertaining the population than doing their job The term “gilded age” was used by Mark Twain to

describe President Grant’s corrupted presidency


Two major political changes occurred during the Gilded Age There was the development of a professional

bureaucracy of elite specialists in congressional committees and executive offices

There were also new issues, concerns and parties which all led to a political realignment in the 1890s

During the Gilded Age, the size of government expanded Federal revenues jumped from $257 million to $567

million between 1878 and 1900 With all this money, new departments, cabinets, and

bureaus were created


Congress emerged as the dominant branch of government This was due to a combination of weak presidents

(Johnson and Grant) and the strengthening of the committee system

However, their priority was not drafting or passing legislation

Many continued the policies of corruption They hired friends and party faithful into lucrative jobs,

no matter what their qualifications were At the same time, they did not draft any important

legislation


However, this did not hurt their popularity Senator Roscoe Conklin (R-New York) was known for

giving away choice jobs to party faithful but never drafted a bill in his 20 years as senator

Political leaders during this time favored a period free of government interference They wanted the free pursuit of industrial expansion

and wealth They did not believe the government should be

focused on issues such as unemployment and poverty Politics focused on the wealthy, not the poor


Party affiliation reflected economic, cultural, social and religious questions Republican votes came from northeastern Yankee

industrial interests along with New England and Scandinavian Lutheran farming migrants across the upper Midwest

Democrats depended on southern whites, northern workers, and urban immigrants

The parties were evenly matched after 1876 No one party was willing to take on controversial issues The Republican Party focused its attentions on its

successes not only in keeping the Union together but had been key in implementing reform


In the late 19th century, there were four key issues that dominated politics

Should there be tariffs to protect businesses? The government was largely dependent on tariffs, as

well as excise taxes, for its income Party as well as regional attitudes toward government

power made a difference Republicans supported tariffs as a way to protect

American businesses Democrats were against them because they believed

in a small federal government


Money: hard currency versus paper currency? During the Civil War, the government issued paper money

that could not be traded in for gold or silver (specie) Many wanted to convert back to a “hard” money because

they were fearful of inflation or at least allow the paper currency to be converted to specie

Those for “soft” believed that the amount of paper currency available should be increased as a way of expanding the economy

In 1873, the U.S. was put on the gold standard Silver was demonetized but after much complaint was

returned as a currency with the Specie Resumption Act in 1875


Reform of the civil service During this time, politics from every level suffered

from corruption Offices were bought and the political parties received

kickbacks from them Many called for reform, especially calling for

competitive exams for jobs to make office holders more honest and professional

Another key issue was government regulation of the railroads

Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881)

Rutherford B. Hayes

Gilded Age Presidents were undistinguished None of them served two consecutive terms and only

one served more than one termRutherford B. Hayes – (1877-1881)

He had actually lost the popular vote by over 250,000 voters but “won” the position after a scandal involving disputed electoral college voters

It was the first time the election was placed in the hands of a Congressional Commission

His selection was part of the Compromise of 1877, which required that federal troops were removed from southern states, thus ending the Reconstruction

He did try to implement some civil service reform

James Garfield (1881)

James A. Garfield

James A. Garfield – (1881) He only served a little over four months before he was

shot by Charles J. Guiteau on July 2, 1881 Garfield would have survived the shooting However, the constant probing by medical doctors in

unsanitary conditions led to a case a blood poisoning that was followed by a heart attack

He died on September 19, 1891 This made his tenure the second shortest behind William

Henry Harrison (March 4 – April 4, 1841) Due to his short tenure, no major legislation was

passed during his administration

Chester A. Arthur (1881-1885)

Chester A. Arthur

Chester A. Arthur – (1881-1885) He had been part of the Stalwart faction of the

Republican party The Stalwarts were opposed to civil service reform and

supported patronage However, when he became president he broke away from the

Stalwarts and instituted civil service reform Pendleton Act (1883) – It required merit examinations for

about one-tenth of federal offices and prevented people from being fired from government jobs on the basis of politics

He also put through the first federal immigration policy, banning the very poor, criminals and mentally ill

Chinese Exclusion Act (1882) – Halted immigration from China

Grover Cleveland (1885-1889) (1893-1897)

Grover Cleveland

Grover Cleveland - (1885-1889 and 1893-1897) He was the only Democrat president during the Gilded Age

and the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms He was a “Bourbon” Democrat

This was a group of democrats interested in protecting business interests, including the gold standard, while supporting reform

During his first term, Cleveland did try to implement reforms He refused to fire those working in the government based

on political party as long as they were doing their job well He also attempted to reduce tariffs but was not able to get a

bill through Congress

Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893)

Benjamin Harrison

In 1888, Cleveland was defeated by Benjamin Harrison Harrison won because of his position on high tariffs to

protect American interests Cleveland actually won the popular vote but Harrison

received more electoral college votes

Benjamin Harrison – (1889-1893) He did work somewhat on civil service reform but this

was not an easy task He was stuck between implementing reform and not

alienating the other political party

Harrison Administration

While some may associate the 1890s as the “Gay Nineties,” these were actually years of contrasts and crises with the biggest gap between rich and poor The pivotal nature of the 1890s hinged on the feeling of

polarizing unrest and upheaval and U.S. became urban nation

The Depression of 1893 widened the gap between rich and poor and accelerated demand for reform

1888 was a good year for Republicans Not only was Harrison elected but they had control of

both houses of Congress


During this time, the government addressed five areas of legislation Civil War Pensions Trusts Tariffs Gold Standard Rights for Blacks

Civil War Veterans’ Pensions – This was the easiest legislation to pass through Congress It granted Union soldiers and their dependents

pensions but not for the Confederate soldiers


Trusts were another key issues A trust is where a number of companies are combined by

having their stocks controlled by a central board of trustees

In 1890, the Sherman Anti-Trust Act was passed as a way to break up big corporations This act would help ensure healthy competition between

businesses by removing monopolies and breaking up trusts However, it was challenged in U.S. v. E.C. Knight (1895)

which the Supreme Court stated that the American Sugar Refining Company, which controlled 90% of the nation’s sugar refining, was not violating the Anti-Trust Act


A major issue at the time involved tariffs The government was largely dependent on tariffs, as well

as excise taxes, for its income Many believed that the high tariffs were hurting

businesses

At that time, the Treasury had a large surplus because of those tariffs Party as well as regional attitudes toward government

power made a difference Republicans supported tariffs as a way to protect American

businesses Democrats were against them because they believed in a

small federal government


To ease both sides, he reduced the tariff on raw sugar and gave some extra money to domestic sugar growers

In 1890, Ohio Representative William McKinley pushed through his tariff bill It raised tariffs even higher to 48.4% This was detrimental to farmers because the cost of

machinery went up dramatically (because parts were imported) while the price of food continued to decline

Many believed this act contributed to the Panic of 1893


Another key issue had to do with silver: should there be free coinage of silver? Many farmers wanted “free silver” because it would help

them pay off their debts However, the Republicans wanted to stay on the gold

standardIn 1890, a compromise was made with the

Sherman Silver Act While it did not allow for the free coinage of silver, it

allowed the government to purchase 4.5 million ounces of silver a month in exchanged for Treasury notes

However, this backfired as many exchanged their silver for gold notes instead of silver ones which led to a shortage of gold


The last key issue this Congress dealt with was rights for southern blacks The main point of contention was the fact that blacks could not

vote in the south

In 1890, Henry Cabot Lodge tried to pass the Federal Elections Bill It was also known as the Lodge Force Bill It would authorizing the federal government to oversee federal

elections and protect voters from violence and intimidation However the Democrats filibustered the bill to its death The Republicans were willing to give it up in exchange for the

passing of the McKinley tariff and then bargained away for the tariff


However, the “billion-dollar Congress,” as it became to be known as, did not address the serious issues of the nation The Sherman Anti-Trust Act did nothing to stop the

growth of trusts in the U.S. While Union veterans were happy with their pensions,

the Confederate veterans were very upset as they got none

Only eastern manufactures did well because of the tariff as farm prices continued to decline

The Sherman Silver Act only led to a momentary silence about the silver issue

Blacks were forced to wait even longer for their rights

James Weaver Populist Party Nominee 1892

The 1892 Election

In 1892, there were three candidates running for president For the Republicans, incumbent Benjamin Harrison

was their candidate For the Democrats, Grover Cleveland returned to run

for a second term The last candidate, James Weaver, was a member of

the newly formed Populist PartyIn February 1892, the People’s or Populist,

party was established It was created by the farmers alliances in order to

push radical reforms that the other parties were refusing to do

The 1892 Election

The Populist’s platform was known as the Omaha Platform which called for: Direct election of senators Civil service reform Graduated income tax Eight hour work days Government ownership of railroad, telephone, and

telegraph companies Free and unlimited coinage of silver at the ratio of 16

to 1

The 1892 Election

There were two key parts to the election campaigns: tariffs and currency

The McKinley Tariff Act was of great concern during the election Harrison supported the Act and high tariffs Cleveland supported lowering the tariffs but at the same

time did not want to completely eliminate themThe money issue was brought up mainly by

Weaver Specifically he wanted free coinage of silver Both the Republicans and to some extent the Democrats

supported the gold standard in order to keep currency strong

The 1892 Election

In the end, Cleveland won the vote He received 46% of the popular vote and 277 electoral

votes

Harrison received 43% and 145 electoral votesEven though he faced a lot of difficulties, Weaver

got 1 million popular votes and won four states Most of his support came from western mine

owners/miners and from rural Americans in the mid-west However, he was not able to win over the urban worker in

the northeast nor the mid-west farmers

1892 Elections

Cleveland, Part II

During Cleveland’s second term, he had to face new problems

Throughout the latter half of the 19th century, the railroad industry expanded at an outstanding rate However, it actually over-expanded and became

extremely unstable

On February 23, 1893, the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad declared bankruptcy This started a chain reaction, known as the Panic of 1893,

as many businesses and banks were heavily invested in the railroad company

Cleveland’s Economic Crisis

In response to the bankruptcy, many investors began selling their stocks People were losing faith in the value of their stocks The stock market steadily declined through March and

AprilOn May 5, 1893, the National Cordage

Company declared bankruptcy This caused the stock market to crash “Industrial Black Friday” was the worst crash in U.S.

history until the Crash of 1929U.S. banks began to start calling in loans

This lead to an average of 24 businesses failing each day during the month of May


In June, the bank runs began as people attempted to withdraw their money

This was followed with the bankruptcy of many leading railroad companies This included Erie, Northern Pacific, Union Pacific,

and the Santa Fe companies

To make matters worse, European banks demanded that repayments be made in gold This lowered the U.S. cash reserve and thus lowered

the value of the dollar


In the U.S., people began to horde hard currency They traded trading in silver notes for gold, which

caused a huge devaluation of silver This also led to a decline in the gold reserve to below

the “acceptable” level of $100 millionMany pushed Cleveland to repeal the

Sherman Silver Act This was because India had closed down its silver

mines meaning that Mexico was the only country with free coinage of silver

They had hoped to stabilize the gold reserves by terminating all purchases of silver


On November 1, the Sherman Silver Purchase Act was repealed by Cleveland Unfortunately, it was too little too late By January 1894, U.S. gold reserve fell to $65 million It was down to $44.5 million by 1895

Cleveland tried to pump up the reserves with four gold bond sales over the next three years All attempts failed to stop the reserve from dwindling

even farther down


The country fell into a depression that lasted until 1897 During this period unemployment reached 19%

This meant that over 3 million people were out of work In total, over 15,000 businesses, 642 banks, and 74

railroads failed during this depression

This lead to extensive civil unrest Tied to the effects of the depression, numerous strikes

break out throughout the country The two largest were the Pullman and Homestead

strikes


In 1894, Cleveland worked on reducing tariffs It had been a campaign promise that he had not yet

fulfilled

Wilson-Gorman Tariff Act was passed in August 1894 It was hit with tough opposition in Congress It reduced most tariffs slightly and even increased

others This income was replaced with a 2% tax on all

incomes above $4,000 However this was overturned by the Supreme Court in

1895 (Pollock v. Farmer’s Loan and Trust Co.)

The first Ferris Wheel at the Chicago World’s Fair

Chicago World’s Fair (1893)

There was a sense of a huge dichotomy between the upper and lower classes Many suffered from unemployment and homelessness

while the rich continued to throw lavish parties and build mansions

One clear example of this was seen with the Chicago World’s Fair Opening on May 1, 1893, the World’s Columbian

Exposition was a reflection of American enterprise and the “city beautiful” movement

It cost $31 million to build During the six months that it was open, it attracted

around 27 million visitors

Chicago World’s Fair (1893)

Its exhibitions included The White City which was the centerpiece of the fair

It was illuminated with street lights with buildings designed by the country’s greatest architects

The International Exposition building was complete with electricity as designed by Tesla and Westinghouse

The first ever Ferris Wheel was exhibited there

What many visitors did not see was the squalor of the living conditions around the fair The city was typical of most major cities at this time

with high unemployment and tenements

William Balfour Ker’s Into the Depths

John F. Fitzgerald Democrat

Representative from Massachusetts

1894 Mid-Term Elections

Many Americans were unhappy with the slow reaction of the government to the depression

The Republicans blamed the problem on the Bourbon Democrats under Cleveland Many Democrats even lost faith in Cleveland,

especially those in the south and west

In the 1894 mid-term elections, the Republicans won control of the House by a landslide The Democrats lost 113 House seats, which was the

greatest defeat in Congressional history

1894 Mid-Term Elections

The Populist Party even gained representation in the House with four new Congressmen It would have gotten more votes in the south but were

thwarted by Democrat voter fraud Also, many more of discontented voters were willing to

turn to the Republican Party instead of the Populist Party

This election ended the two party stalemate that had lasted since the end of the Civil War Now the Republican Party is going to be the dominant

party until the 1930s This victory was going to be clearly seen in the 1896

election

1896 Democrat candidates Bryan and Sewall

Election of 1896

The election of 1896 focused on the economy Many were still suffering during the 1893-1897

depressionOne of the biggest issues was of “free silver”

and unlimited coinage of silver When a person discovered gold, he could turn it into

the bank and get it coined for a small fee However, this could not be done with silver Many advocates of “free silver” saw it as a way to end

the depression and help out farmers and other poor members of society

Critics saw it as leading to inflation and worsening the economic situation

Election of 1896

Republicans were against free silver They argued that with an excess of silver, money would

be greatly devalued Instead, they felt that a “sound money” policy was

better where money would increase in value instead, which would help those who had already amassed wealth

Democrats pushed for bimetallism, the use of both gold and silver coins At the DNC, candidate William Jennings Bryan

promoted bimetallism in his “Cross of Gold” speech He said that inflation would help farmers pay off their

debts and also balance out the severe deflation of 1873-1896

Election of 1896

Republicans nominated William McKinley of Ohio He strongly backed the gold standard

Democrats did not nominate Cleveland Instead they nominated William Jennings Bryan who was a

supporter of free silver Populists also nominated Bryan

This hurt his chances because they picked Tom Watson for VP

Republicans used an expensive media campaign to reach voters It was heavily financed by major corporations with a $3.5

million budget Over 200 million pamphlets were distributed in 14

languages

Election of 1896

McKinley stayed at home, touting that he would be able to give unemployed workers a “full dinner pail” He stated that free silver wasn’t the answer but instead

believed tariff reform would help rebuild the economy

Bryan travelled across the country to get his message across However, while he sought to help out troubled farmers,

many blue-collar urban workers did not understand how he would be able to help them

Many living in the cities believed that inflation would drive up prices and rents

Election of 1896

Voters turned out in record numbers In some states, 95% of eligible voters went to the polls

McKinley won the election by almost one million votes (51% of the votes) One thing that helped McKinley was a global grain shortage

which drove up prices and undercut farmer complaints

This election witnessed a major shift in party politics The Republicans were now identifying themselves with

prosperity and greatness The Democrats were more identified with rural America

and the south, populism and class conflict

Election of 1896

Because of this shift in politics, many members of opposing parties did not even try to mobilize voters to their cause This led to a decline in the number of voters

participating in elections This also marked the end of the high political

participation that characterized the late 19th century

McKinley’s election also marked the return to economic health Discoveries of gold in the Yukon and the Alaskan

Klondike increased money supply

1896 Election

Participation in Local Politics

Voter participation in politics increased during the Gilded Age It averaged between 73-82% from 1876 to 1896

Average turnout for presidential elections was 78.5% Men were drawn to the polls by the hoopla of party

parades, buttons and banners and by local issues Voters expressed strong interest in emotional social values

and issues New urban immigrants played a large part in stimulating

political participation as political bosses secured votes through informal welfare systems that benefited immigrants


The party leaders would entice voters by making politics more “exciting” This would include parades, singing political songs,

and giving out buttons They also used scandal on their side, including

mocking the opposing candidates In one campaign jingle, the Republicans cried out

“Ma! Ma! Where’s my pa?/Gone to the White House, Ha! Ha! Ha” in response to Cleveland having an illegitimate child

The Democrats used their chant of “Blaine! Blaine! Games G. Blaine!/ Continental liar from the state of Maine” against Cleveland’s opponent James Blaine who was accused of corruption


Party leaders also used many local issues for their benefit Prohibition was one of the key issues as many Americans

were concerned with the problems associated with drinking

Women participated in large numbers for the temperance movement

In turn, there was an increase in numbers of people who actively supported the pro-liquor side

Schooling was another popular issue In the mid-west, there was an attempt to not only make

schooling mandatory but also have it be in English only It was a way to undermine parochial schools who taught

immigrants

Frances E. Willard WCTU President

1879-1898

Reform in the Gilded Age

The Gilded Age is also known for the rise of reform movements in the country While most middle-class Americans avoided reformist

politics women became heavily involved in the reform movement

This was based on the main issues of the time such including urban corruption, poverty and labor violence

Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) This was the largest women’s organization in the late 19th

century Before 1886, the WCTU believed that drunkenness caused

poverty After 1886, they switched their position to state that

poverty, unemployment and bad labor conditions led to drunkenness

Reform in the Gilded Age

The president of WCTU was Frances Willard She changed the focus of the WCTU to help alleviate

the problems of the working class

Willard considered herself to be a “Christian socialist” This is because she wanted to use the ethnic

principles of Christianity to economic life For the middle class, this cooperation between

religion and social order would work to reduce inequalities of wealth

However, not all Americans felt this way

“Social Darwinism”

A number of Americans followed the concept of “social Darwinism” Social Philosopher Herbert Spencer applied Darwin’s

laws of national selection to human societyThis is the belief that competition is an

integral part of social evolution It said that there were underlying laws of political

economy, like those in natural selection, that dictated economic affairs

Attempts to end poverty were pointless because poverty was a result of the struggle for existence

Theories were also used to justify superiority of the Anglo-Saxon race, race supremacy and imperialism

“Social Darwinism”

Among the followers of Social Darwinism were Andrew Carnegie whose “The Gospel of Wealth”

(1889) claimed that the fittest would bring order and efficiency out of the chaos of industrialization

Baptist preacher Russell Conwell who delivered his “Acres of Diamonds” sermon over 6,000 times which stated that wealth was a sign of “godliness”

Not everybody agreed with Social Darwinism Some believed it was just the aristocracy saying

everything was alright when in reality it was not Others said it was irrational to compare human beings

to other animals and plants

Reform Darwinists

There were also the Reform Darwinists They urged an economic order marked by cooperation

and regulation Henry George said that while progress and

industrialization had produced numerous wonders, the greater the progress of a society the worse the poverty

William James argued for the importance of human will and its capacity to improve conditions

Other reformers sought to help out the poor actively

Jane Addams Founder of Hull

House

Settlement Movement

A direct way of helping out the poor was the creation of “settlement houses” These were homes that offered a variety of social

services to help out the poor and would offer food, shelter, and education

Most of these settlement houses were set up by wealthier members of society

While some were secular, many tried to implement the ethics of Christianity to helping the poor and improving their conditions

It reflected a blend of middle-class idealism and practicality that stressed an educational approach to problems

Settlement Movement

This movement also served other purposes It served to give college educated women meaningful

work It also sought to gather data exposing social misery in

order to spur legislative actionIn 1889, Jane Addams founded Hull House in

Chicago This was the first settlement house She set it up to “aid in the solution of the social and

industrial problems which are engendered by the modern conditions of life in a great city”

She offered classes, had an art gallery, and helped women get jobs

“Social Gospel”

Another group of reformers preached “Social Gospel” This was a movement that tied salvation to social

betterment Dwight Moody preached to the urban poor who were

unhappy with their economic situations Walter Rauschenbusch, a Baptist minister in Hell’s Kitchen,

said that it was society’s responsibility, not the individual’s, to fix the horrible socioeconomic conditions in the cities

In 1897, Charles Sheldon published the novel In His Steps, which community leaders asked “What would Jesus do?” and responded by creating settlement houses and improving living and working conditions

Urban Reform

Another area in desperate need for reform were the city governments Andrew D. White, the co-founder of Cornell University, said

that the city governments were “the worst in Christendom—the most expensive, the most inefficient, and the most corrupt”

The cities themselves were in deplorable conditions Disease, waste, pollution, cholera, filth and inefficiency

were everywhere in the large cities In New York City and Chicago, outbreaks of cholera and

typhoid fever occurred due to raw sewage going into water supplies

Urban Reform

One solution was the City Beautiful movement It which sought to use environmental remedies to clean up

the cities This included putting in sewers, water mains, and city parks

Another major problem affecting the cities was their rapid growth City leaders had to deal with new demands, like expanded

waterworks This led to rising taxes and increased debt for the city

governments Tied in with this came corruption and the rise of the city

“boss”

Urban Reform

City bosses used their power and influence for their own means Companies would get city contracts in return for

kickbacks Jobs would be given to new immigrants in turn for their

votes Businesses, such as brothels and saloons, would give

favors in return for police protectionOne of the more infamous city bosses was

William Tweed of New York City He was the “boss” of Tammany Hall, the Democrat Party

machine in New York City He became synonymous with corruption and was

convicted of embezzlement in 1873

Urban Reform

Urban reformers balked at the city bosses One of their main criticisms was the use of immigrants

by the bosses to gain votes The bosses, in turn, called the reformers, “goo-goos” for

“good government”

These reformers also pushed for education to all eligible voters to inform them of the problems with the city government

However, these reformers also tended to be elitists They preferred Anglo-Saxon Protestants over

immigrants

Kate Chopin (1850-1904)

Women in the Gilded Age

During the Gilded Age, many women felt a tension between their public and private lives In the 1890s, women were marrying less and later

than any other time in America There were also conflicts with their obligations to

themselves, their families, and society It was considered unseemly for women to be public

with their frustrations so women took alternative forms to express themselves


Kate Chopin – The Awakening (1899) was a story of these frustrations The main character, Edna Pontellier, is frustrated with

her life and finds love during a summer vacation with another man

She abandons her marriage to be with her new lover, but he cannot handle her freedom and leaves her

Other women refused to get married altogether Jane Addams refused to do so Some women embraced the concept of free love while

others secretly became involved in lesbian relationships


Those women who wanted to work outside their house saw their new jobs as being “maternal” In the case of the settlement houses, they acted as the

“housekeepers” to clean up the messes left behind by the men

Even labor organizers tried to tie themselves to a “maternal” sounding role, like Mary Harris “Mother” Jones who was a union organizer

It also helped their arguments about working outside of the home to the men who questioned them

Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906)

Women’s Suffrage

Women’s rights advanced very slowly after the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848 This had been the first women’s rights convention

Before 1890, women who did have the right to vote were only allowed to vote in municipal elections Only the territory of Wyoming (1869) allowed women full

political equity This was followed by Colorado, Utah, and Idaho in the

1890s All other states did not grant women’s suffrage until 1910

This slow change was due to the Victorian beliefs of women at the time by the men Some even argued that it threatened their manhood

Women’s Suffrage

In 1890, new strategies were implemented and this caused the two main women’s rights group to recombine as the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) While the major Suffrage leaders were still involved in

NAWSA, such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, many realized that these women were old and their ideas a bit dated, especially the tie ins to religion

NAWSA decided to shift to younger leadership who concentrated solely on getting the right the vote

Women’s Suffrage

As part of their new strategy, they shifted away from “our republican idea, individual citizenship” to three main arguments: Women needed the vote to pass self-protection laws Women’s role as social housekeepers could only be

enhanced by political participation Protestant, white women needed the vote to

counterbalance the hordes of immigrants coming into America

They got the right to vote with the Nineteenth Amendment that was ratified in 1920

Documents

UNIT 4 THE GILDED AGE (1870-1896) U.S. History II HIS-112