"People trying to understand politics in the United States today often turn to history for precedents and perspective. Are our current divisions like the ones that preceded the American Revolution or the Civil War? Did the dramatic events of the 1960s generate the same kind of social and political forces seen today? Are there lessons from the past that show us how eras of intense political turmoil eventually subside?"
"The two decades between 1876 and 1896 are usually remembered as a time when the cities in the East grew rich and the West was wild - a "Gilded Age" in New York City and gunslingers on the frontier. It was also a time when Americans struggled with immigration issues, racial injustice, tariff levels, technological change, economic volatility and political violence."
"In the elections between Grant and McKinley, the nation was closely divided. No president in those years - not Rutherford Hayes, James Garfield, Chester Arthur, Cleveland or Benjamin Harrison - served for two consecutive terms. No presidential candidate won more than 50% of the popular vote, except the Democrat Samuel Tilden. And Tilden, after winning 50.1% of the ballots cast in 1876, lost in the Electoral College."
Between 1876 and 1896, American politics experienced close electoral margins, frequent changes in congressional control, and no president serving consecutive terms. Eastern cities accumulated wealth while the Western frontier remained volatile, producing a "Gilded Age" marked by stark contrasts. Americans confronted immigration pressures, racial injustice, tariff disputes, technological shifts, economic instability, and political violence. Grover Cleveland served two nonconsecutive terms, the only instance until Donald Trump. Samuel Tilden won the popular vote in 1876 but lost the Electoral College; Cleveland similarly won the popular vote in 1888 but lost the Electoral College.
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