19th Century America

19th Century America

In the late 19th century America started development of a new sort. Political parties began splitting and business began to control America. Railways were built and transportation to the west became easy. However, the north and south remained in a heated debate over the leader of our nation. Tariffs were put on a rampant rise and the gold standard was debated. Civil service also began to reform and the work field grew immensely. Though all of these issues impacted the American way of life, money issue held the most influential change in the nation.

Politicians used the “bloody shirt” in the nineteenth century in order to gain popularity after the Civil War. The North, the winners of the war, “waved the bloody shirt” as a sign the Democratic South was responsible for the assassination of Lincoln and the loss of lives in the war. This “bloody shirt” put rise to the art of mudslinging, which could ultimately put one candidate ahead of the race and win the election. The parties also split into the Mugwumps, who went Democratic in 1884; the Halfbreeds, who followed James Blaine and wanted reform; and the Stalwarts, who wanted a third term for Grant. These political leaders did not take a strong stand on issues of America, which increased their amount of votes.

Civil service in the early 19th century was the idea of the government jobs being controlled by the president. The president of the united states could fire anyone at any time he pleased. The spoils system opened jobs to anyone in support of political parties. This was all changed, however, by the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act of 1883. This act only applied to 10% of jobs and qualification tests were required to enter into them. This act was put into affect under Arthur administration as a result of Garfield’s assassination. This act placed these workers under the merit system and these workers could only be promoted by their ability, not by their political connections.

Tariffs were put on high in the nineteenth century. The South