USA History Notes
The weaknesses of federal government:
Civil war ended in 1865
Abraham Lincoln (North) VS. Jefferson Davis (South- leader of the confederacy)
April 14th – Lincoln is assassinated
War was fought for 4 years// 650,000 deaths
Agriculture, trade and overseas markets had been affected badly
Andrew Johnson took presidency after Lincolns death
President Andrew Johnson:
o Johnson was put in as the 17th president of the US after Lincolns assassination
o He favoured quick restoration of the seceded states to the union
o His plans of restoration did not give protection to former slaves
o He was the first president to be impeached by the House of Representatives but what
acquitted by the senate with one vote
Problems Johnson faced:
Some Southern seceded states did not want to return to the union as they were disillusioned
with the US and freedom and democracy
There were Southern and some northern states where freed slaves were still not accepted
and now had no housing or employment. There was also the emergence of the ‘Black Codes’
Racism and racial discrimination, intimidation and violence against freed slaves was common
Reconstruction:
13th Amendment- abolished slavery and involuntary servitude except as punishment for a
crime. In congress, it was passed by the senate in 1864 and ratified in 1865
14th Amendment- adopted in 1868 as one of the Reconstruction Amendments. Addresses
citizenship rights and equal protection of the laws, and was proposed in response to issues
related to former slaves
15th Amendment- prohibits the federal and state governments from denying a citizen the
right to vote based on “race, colour or previous condition of servitude”
Ulysses S. Grant:
Was an American general and the 18th president of the United states (1869-1877)
Grant presided over the last half of reconstruction
He supported amnesty for confederate soldiers and the protection of civil rights for African
Americans
He favoured a limited number of troops to be stationed in the south to protect the rights of
Southern blacks, and suppress the violent tactics of the KKK.
Panic of 1873:
At the end of the civil war, there was a boom in railroad construction, with 35,000 miles of
new track laid down between 1866 and 1873
,USA History Notes
The railroad industry, at the time, was the nation’s largest employer outside of agriculture-
involved lots of money and risk
A large amount of cash from speculators caused an abnormal growth in the railroad
industry. Many people had invested heavily in them
Presidents Grant’s policy of contracting the money supply made matters worse. While
businesses were expanding, the money needed to finance it became scarce
Entrepreneurs had planned to build a second transcontinental railroad, firms that provided
the financing declared they were bankrupt
This caused a major upset in the US economy
Congressional Reconstruction:
Johnsons use of the presidential veto
1. Renewal of the Freedman’s Bureau (created in 1865)
2. Civil Rights Act= 1866
3. Freedman’s Bureau Act= 1867
4. Reconstruction Act= 1867
All previous attempts to reintegrate the south declared void
Ex-confederate states (apart from Tennessee) were placed under military rule
This was until a new state constitution was agreed to ensure voting rights for blacks
Thaddeus Stevens= wanted to confiscate estates to distribute to the freedmen
1865= confederate ex-soldiers form a group called the KKK (Ku Klux Klan)
Radical Reconstruction:
All Radical Reconstruction polices were dependent on the US Army in the South
15th Amendment= “Vote cannot be denied on the grounds of race or colour”
Policies were carried out by the federal governments, Republican state governments and
organisations such as the Freedman’s Bureau
Violent resistance in the South= KKK
Enforcement Acts in 1870 and 1871= to strengthen the 14 th and 15th Amendments and to
limit discrimination
Civil Rights Act in 1875
Gilded Age:
Issues in US politics
o Gold Vs. Silver
o Corruption and Civil Service Reforms
o Tariff Policy
o Pensions and Business Regulation
Gold Vs. Silver:
Since the 1870’s, the USA had supported Bimetallism. The use of a monetary standard such as
gold and silver in a fixed ratio of value
Inflation was deemed good by farmers who were eager to get more money for their internally
sold goods, so they supported the silver miners
Silver was undervalued
,USA History Notes
An inflationary policy made money worth less over time so it made the cost of debt lower
Others who supported the silver inflationary measures miners were those who had to borrow
money (farmers/exporters)
Corruption and Civil Service Reform:
Most positions in the civil service were a gift from the president for supporting him
“spoils system” = patronage
Meritocracy= giving jobs to people who actually deserve them
Patronage= corrupt civil service
They tended to go to friends and supporters of the main political parties, regardless of whether
they were the best people for the job
The Tariffs:
Farmers favoured lower tariffs/ industrialists
Argued that tariffs added to production costs in the US and allowed domestic producers to charge
more, which meant farmers and consumers were generally out of pocket
Used to raise government revenue
High tariffs through the period diminished the argument for tariffs as a money raising measure
since the government was regularly running a budget surplus—more money in than out
Political Machines:
Party boss—worked and managed parts of different cities --in charge of getting party votes EG:
Tammany Hall ran by the Democrats
Pork Barrel Politics—rewarding your followers with jobs and money (patronage) after they win the
election
The ‘Tweed Ring’ in New York was famous for Tammany Hall
Political Machines designed to produce results (votes were bought)
Party Boss targeted immigrants that had been coming since the Civil War.They were provided
with: Health care, education. Financial support and in exchange they would vote for who they
were told to
Big Business and Regulation:
The power of big business to dominate politicians became increasingly resented by producers and
workers
Increased pressure put on governments to regulate some of the worst excesses of big business
It was hard to counter given the financial support big business was able to give to secure the
legislation it wanted
At other times, the federal government did take lead with acts like the Interstate Commerce Act in
1877—created a regulatory body on railroads. Sherman Anti- Trust Act in 189 limited the growth
which tried to limit the growth of powerful trusts
, USA History Notes
Benjamin Harrison:
23rd President of the US (1889-1893)
Republican
Established the Pan-American Union—aimed at improving inter-American co-operation
American Society:
Society divisions/ consequences of immigration:
Strong reaction against the Chinese
‘Yellow Peril’ of immigration—prominent in American newspapers
Tended to favour the Chinese in Labour as they were hard working, did longer hours and
could be paid lower wages
Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882—prevented Chinese already in the USA from having
citizenship, also made it hard for them to return if they visited China
Native American were put together as ‘coloured’ and ‘alien’
Granger Movement and Knights of Labour combat the rise of industrial capitalism
Campaigns for female suffrage—Temperance movement fought for restrictions on alcohol
and to abolish slavery
Mass immigration:
From the 1860’s to the 1890’s there were already 10 million immigrant6s
Statue of Liberty= “Land of the Free”
Early waves of Scandinavian and German immigrants, followed by Irish immigrants
Thousands of Chinese labourers—employed on the transcontinental railroads
Population increase—more immigrants and a lower death rate
Urbanisation drew more people into cities
Tended to favour the Chinese in labour
Urbanisation in the USA in 1882:
Nationality: Total:
German 251,000
Austro-Hungarian 29,000
Italian 32,000
Russian 29,000
Chinese/non-European 141,000
British 103,000
Irish 76,000
Swedish 65,000
Norwegian 29,000
Other European 33,000
