The Gilded Age refers to the period in history in the United States between the year 1869 and 1896 which was also coupled with political paralysis. This period which occurred after the civil war and the reconstruction era was marked with sheer ineptitude and corruption. The two dominant parties at the time were rooted in religion and ethnicity with fierce competition for offices and votes. In return, they dished out benefits to veterans in politics and other special interest groups in reward for their loyalty. This paper shall argue that politics in the Gilded Age sunk to a low level owing to the ineptitude of the political leadership and grand corruption that characterized the regime. It will further argue that the Gilded Age party system had some strength which was nonetheless overshadowed by the innumerable weaknesses.
Following the Civil war era in America where significant sacrifice had been made by the people at the time, what followed was a period of political disillusionment and cynicism. Several politicians ranging from the White House to the courts were engrossed in deep corruption and scandals. Ethno-racial and economic problems present at the time were not adequately addressed. This poor administration that was rife with corruption was under the leadership of the war hero, Grant, who turned out to be a poor politician. Two parties that enjoyed patronage continued to dominate the political scene in pursuit of spoils whilst agreeing on essential national issues, despite reforms initiated by third party agrarians.
The sense of civic virtue that was the hallmark of American politics was confounded by the numerous scandals that were associated with the Reconstruction Era. More so, there were cases of massive fraud perpetrated by political machines, corruption in the state governments and widespread evidence pointing to the sleaze by governments during the Ulysses Grant administration. Another significant scandal was the Credit Mobilier of America which involved payoffs so as to secure government contracts and which related to the financing of the transcontinental railroad. In addition, the intervention by the government in the economy of the country set in motion bribery, inefficiency, kickbacks, favoritism and corruption.
Bourbon democrats at the time led by Samuel J. Tilden and Grover Cleveland who turned out to be the first Democrat president led the reform movement initiating measures such as the Civil Service Reform. In their reform, they were at the forefront at calling for low tariffs and taxes, a free market, and austerity measures coupled with a hands-off government. Another call by the reform movement was for overseas expansion while they also spoke against imperialism. These issues got the support of several businessmen and professionals though most of the Republicans continued to ask for a high protective tariff which would facilitate industrialization.
The preceding presidential elections were a contest between the significant parties, that is, Republicans and the Democrats. Owing to the close contest that was associated with the polls, politicians from both sides of the political divide engaged in mudslinging in a bid to gain an advantage at the ballot. In particular, Republicans put to use an election tactic that was known as “waving the bloody shirt”. When fighting corruption charges, candidates would remind the electorate that Republican had saved the nation in the Civil War and thus deserved the seat. In the decade of the 1870s in particular, voters were constantly reminded that the Democrats were responsible for the witnessed bloody upheaval that had engulfed the nation. This tactic worked as it endeared most of the Union veterans to the Republican side.
It may also be said that politics in the Gilded Age sunk to a low level owing to the fact that most of the people considered the best for these positions had left politics and gone into business. As a result, there was a scarcity of statesmen in politics at the time. There was also a sense of disillusionment and frustration that had been created by the civil war in the country which had had a profound impact on an otherwise idealistic America. The extravagance, corruption and speculation that characterized the political regime were factors that led to a low level of politics at this age.
In conclusion, the term Gilded Age was a coined phrase by the legendary Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner in their book called, the Gilded Age: A Tale of Today of the year 1873. This was also a period of significant growth of industry which also helped the rise of businessmen like John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie. The name of this age arose as a result of the significant fortunes that were created at the period and the flamboyant way of life that the wealth of the time supported. The parties had a few strengths which were however masked by the sheer weaknesses of the system. For instance, Congress passed the Pendleton Act in the year 1883 which was aimed at curtailing the giving of payoffs so as to get government contracts. The Act provided that all government jobs would be awarded on the basis of merit and also provided for selection of employees by way of competitive exams rather than by political affiliation.
Bibliography
Harris, Neil. "The Gilded Age Revisited: Boston and the Museum Movement." American Quarterly, 2008: 545-566.
Hoogenboom, Ari. Outlawing the Spoils: A History of the Civil Service Reform Movement, 1865-1883. Chicago: University of Illinois, 2006.
White, Richard. "Corporations, Corruption, and the Modern Lobby: A Gilded Age Story of the West and the South in Washington, D.C." Southern Spaces, 2009: 71-75.
