Why is American Civilization Exceptional

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American Politics
During the Gilded Age, American politics became partly democratic and representative. Besides, scandals and corruption began characterizing the political arena, leading to a high voter turnout than all-time. The primary parties focused deeply on fronting their agenda to the people and that created tension. For example, the Republican party advocated for the creation of businesses and industries with a protective tariff and hard money policies. Conversely, the Democratic party opposed the creation of a tariff and instead advocated for the adoption of a silver platform. Accordingly, in the 1890s, the people’s (populist) party emerged to spearhead the interest of farmers (Foner 68). The Populist party advocated for the coinage of silver to enhance the financial situation of debtors.
The Gilded Age illustrates a strange American arena since it evoked the emotions of most Americans, prompting them to champion for what they felt was best. During the 1876 elections, approximately 82 percent of voters turned up to express their democratic rights. The turnout remains to be the highest than any other election since today’s turnouts are normally a dismal 50 percent. Conversely, both parties (Democrats and Republicans) used corruption and scandals to express their ideas. For instance, politicians spent most of their time offering employment opportunities to their supporters, enriching themselves through money swindled from public accounts, and grooming their political machinery. Notably, these actions made the leaders forget their mandate to deal with important policy issues.
Dependent on the hijacked governance system, political candidates promised to reward their loyal supporters with government positions. Notably, during the Gilded Age, politicians demonstrated their patronage to a heightened and sometimes low level, which ultimately led to the assassination of President James Garfield in 1881 by a disappointed candidate. The assassination of the president sparked protests, which later inspired reforms. Besides, it is not surprising to notice that the People’s Party ended up gaining more supporters who resonated with their ideology of having farmers reap huge benefits for their work (Foner 68). Most people resonated with the party because it created the platform farmers needed to express their voices.
The Gilded Age is often characterized as the era of rapid economic growth in the United States. Therefore, all politicians drummed up support for their candidacy through fraudulent ...