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In 1873 Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner published The Gilded Age. The book ridiculed the corruption of post-Civil War politics and society. It revealed the lust for money and status of rich folks within the capital and how this leads them to evil and foolish choices.
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In 1877 the Compromise of 1877 resulted in Hayes' presidency. Hayes was a popular candidate because he advocated to protect against inflation pressures and civil service reform.
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Less than one year of being president, Charles Guiteau assassinated president Garfield. Charles Guiteau's was a supporter of Garfield and requested to be his ambassador. However, Guiteau was ignored which lead to his plot to kill the President. His actions were blamed on the spoils system which pushed civil service reform more than ever.
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Following Garfield's assassination, Chester Alan Aruthur becomes president.
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Congress passed the Pendleton Civil Service Act. This law created the Civil Service Commission which ultimately would make funeral jobs be awarded on the basis of good merit. It also made it so government employees would be selected through a competitive examination process.
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Grover Cleaveland, a democrat, was elected as the 22nd president.
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Benjamin Harrison, a republican, was elected president.
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The Populist Party was founded from the Farmers' Alliance movement. The party advocated for more government involvement in the American economy by regulating various businesses.
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Grover Cleveland runs for second term in office and becomes the 24 president of the United States.
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The most notable strike of the Coxey's Army was the Pullman Strike. It shut down the nations railroad system in the middle of the depression. The strike was due to the owner of the Pullman company firing over two thousand and reducing wages of the remaining three thousand. Workers were facing eviction and overall harsh treatment. Eugene V Debs led the strike as head of the American Railway Union.
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Jacob Coxed, a businessman, led a march of unemployed workers in Ohio from Cincinnati to Washington DC where they argued with legislation for the federal government to hire unemployed workers. The jobs they were requisition were railroad workers or other project type jobs.
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William McKinley becomes president, defeating is opponent William Jennings Bryan.