Chapter 23 Terms and Definitions

Gilded Age: Mark Twain's term for the post–Civil War era (roughly 1869–1896), describing a glittering surface of prosperity over deep political corruption and inequality.
Stalwarts: The Republican faction, led by Roscoe Conkling, that defended the traditional patronage (spoils) system against reform.
Half-Breeds: The rival Republican faction, led by James G. Blaine, that favored modest civil service reform.
Mugwumps: Reform-minded Republicans who bolted their party in 1884 to support Democrat Grover Cleveland over the corruption-tainted James G. Blaine.
Patronage (Spoils System): The practice of rewarding political supporters with government jobs regardless of merit; the central currency of Gilded Age politics.
Crédit Mobilier Scandal: An 1872 scandal in which Union Pacific Railroad insiders overcharged the company through a construction firm and bribed congressmen with stock to avoid investigation.
Whiskey Ring: An 1875 conspiracy of distillers and Treasury officials, including members of Grant's own staff, who defrauded the government of liquor tax revenue.
Panic of 1873: A severe economic depression triggered by railroad overbuilding and bank failures, which fed the era's debates over currency and deflation.
Compromise of 1877: The informal deal that resolved the disputed election of 1876, giving Rutherford B. Hayes the presidency in exchange for withdrawing federal troops from the South, ending Reconstruction.
James A. Garfield: Republican president elected in 1880 who was assassinated by a disappointed office seeker just months into his term.
Charles Guiteau: The mentally disturbed, disappointed office seeker who assassinated President Garfield in 1881, galvanizing support for civil service reform.
Chester A. Arthur: Garfield's successor who, despite his Stalwart background, signed the Pendleton Civil Service Act into law.
Pendleton Civil Service Act (1883): The law that created the Civil Service Commission and required competitive examinations for many federal jobs, curbing the spoils system.
Grover Cleveland: The first Democrat elected president after the Civil War (1884), known for his honesty and his crusade against high protective tariffs.
Billion-Dollar Congress: The Republican-controlled Congress of 1890 under Benjamin Harrison, so named for its unprecedented (for the time) federal spending.
McKinley Tariff (1890): A law that raised protective tariff rates to their highest levels yet, passed by the Billion-Dollar Congress.
Sherman Antitrust Act (1890): The first federal law aimed at breaking up monopolistic trusts, though it was vaguely worded and weakly enforced at first.
Sherman Silver Purchase Act (1890): A law requiring the Treasury to purchase more silver monthly, a concession to inflation-minded farmers and silver miners.
Farmers' Alliance: A grassroots movement of indebted farmers in the South and West that organized cooperatives and pushed for political reform, becoming the base of the Populist Party.
Populist (People's) Party: A political party founded in 1892 that demanded free silver, a graduated income tax, and government ownership of railroads to aid struggling farmers and workers.