Presidential Biographies | Garfield Administration - Domestic Issues

Domestic Issues

When Garfield was elected president, the U.S. public was ready to move past the horrors of the American Civil War (1861–65), and its aftermath into a brighter future. The economy was strong, thanks to expanding productivity brought about by new technology, but workers, many of whom had undergone the transformation from farm life to factory work, often felt disconnected from their rural upbringing and, for many of them, their foreign roots. Political activity was a way for people to come together and (especially for foreign workers) to feel a part of American society.

Yet participation in U.S. political life frequently meant involvement in the political spoils system, where voters gave money, votes, or campaign labor to a party or candidate in return for jobs, contracts, and other favors. This system had become an embarrassment as politicians and citizens alike realized that government had ceased to work in...