September 24, 1869, Jim Fisk and Jay Gould attempt to drastically raise the price of the gold market by  buying a large amount of gold,  and planning to sell it for a profit.

 In order to lower the high price of gold, the Treasury was forced to sell gold from its reserves.

The Credit Mobilier scandal

1872 when Union Pacific Railroad insiders formed the Credit Mobilier construction company and then hired themselves at inflated prices to build the railroad line, earning high dividends.  When it was found out that government officials were paid to stay quiet about the illicit business, some officials were censured.

Liberal Republican Party 

Formed in 1872 as a response to the disgust of the political corruption in Washington and of military Reconstruction. The Liberal Republican Party met in Cincinnati and chose Horace Greeley as their presidential candidate for the election of 1872. 

Amnesty Act of 1872

Resumption Act of 1875

Supported by advocates of hard money (coin money), it required the government to continue to withdraw greenbacks from circulation and to redeem all paper currency in gold at face value beginning in 1879.

Contraction

Policy of the Treasury, who began to accumulate gold stocks against the appointed day for the continuation of metallic money payments, along with the reduction of greenbacks.

Redemption Day

1879, the day in which holders of greenbacks redeemed the greenbacks for gold, however few did because the greenback's value had actually increased due to its reduction in circulation.

They tended to stress strict codes of personal morality and believed that the government should play a role in regulating the economic and the moral affairs of society.  They were found in the Midwest and Northeast.  Many Republican votes came from the Grand Army of the Republic, a politically active fraternal organization of many Union veterans of the Civil War.

They were immigrant Lutherans and Roman Catholics who believed in toleration of differences in an imperfect world.  They also opposed the government imposing a single moral standard on the entire society.  Democrats were found in the South and in the northern industrial cities.

Stalwart faction

Led by Roscoe Conkling, they were in favor of the spoils system.

Half-Breeds

Civil Rights Act of 1875

 Guaranteed equal accommodations in public places and prohibited racial discrimination in jury selection.  However, the Supreme Court ended up ruling most of the act unconstitutional, declaring that the 14^thAmendment only prohibited government violations of civil rights, not the denial of civil rights by individuals.

Jim Crow laws

State-level legal codes of segregation. The Southern states also enacted literacy requirements, voter-registration laws, and poll taxes to ensure the denial of voting for the South's black population. 

Plessy vs.  Ferguson

1896, The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the South's segregation, declaring that separate but equal facilities for blacks were legal under the 14^th Amendment.

Chinese Exclusion Act

Passed in 1882 to appease the people of the West coast who attributed the decling wages and economic troubles to the hated Chinese, it halted Chinese immigration into America.

Choosen by the Republican party to run for president in 1880 due to the fact that Hayes was hated by his own party. Garfield ran with Chester A. Arthur, a former Stalwart and defeated Democrat candidate Winfield Scott, however Garfield was assassinated by Charles J. Guiteau at a Washington railroad station.

Pendleton Act of 1883

Made campaign contributions from federal employees illegal, and it established the Civil Service Commission to make appointments to federal jobs on the basis of competitive examination.  It was basically made to stop political corruption.  The civil-service reform forced politicians to gain support and funds from big-business leaders.

The election of 1884

The Republicans chose James G. Blaine as their presidential candidate for the  The Democrats chose Grover Cleveland.  Grover Cleveland was a very honest and admirable man.  Cleveland won the election of 1884.

The Election of 1888 

The Republicans chose Benjamin Harrison as their presidential candidate for the 1888 election.  Cleveland won the popular vote, but Harrison still won the election.

 McKinley Tariff Act of 1890

The McKinley Tariff Act raised tariffs yet again and brought more troubles to farmers.  Farmers were forced to buy expensive products from American manufacturers while selling their own products into the highly competitive world markets.The Tariff Act caused the Republican Party to lose public support and become discredited.  In the congressional elections of 1890, the Republicans lost their majority in Congress.

Formed from frustrated farmers in the agricultural belts of the West and South.  The Populists demanded inflation through free and unlimited coinage of silver.  They also called for a graduated income tax; government ownership of the railroads, telegraph, and telephone; the direct election of U.S. senators; a one-term limit on the presidency; the adoption of the initiative and referendum to allow citizens to shape legislation more directly; a shorter workday; and immigration restriction.

The Election of 1892

The Populists nominated General James B. Weaver for the presidential election of 1892, however he was defeated by Grover Cleveland

The panic of 1893

 Was the worst economic downturn for the United States during the 19^th Century.  It was caused by overbuilding and over-speculation, labor disorders, and the ongoing agricultural depression. The Treasury was required to issue legal tender notes for the silver bullion that it had purchased.  Owners of the paper currency would then present it for gold, and by law the notes had to be reissued.  This process depleted the gold reserve in the Treasury to less than $100 million. 

Alexander Graham Bell

John D. Rockefeller