WARM UP 1 You have 5 minutes to work with your group on the urbanization jigsaw 2 You need to elect a teacher and clean up any mistakes on your poster
URBANIZATION JIGSAW
Politics of the Gilded Age
The Politics of the Gilded Age I. Dominated by limited government, laissez-faire economics, & Social Darwinism II. The time period had political corruption & ineffectiveness A. Government is useless/does nothing B. Government takes bribes & doesn t work for the people
Political Machines I. During the Gilded Age many cities were run by a political machines II. Political machines offered services to voters and businesses in exchange for votes III. Political machines controlled entire cities and made large profits
The Birth of Political Machines I. Problem: cities have grown too fast and their municipal governments can t keep up with the needs of the people. A. Transit, sanitation, public housing, employment, crime II. Solution: Political machines will step in to provide services to the people A. Political machines demand votes and money in exchange for assistance
The Political Machine City governments Didn t provide: jobs, financial aid, protection, sanitation etc. Cities Political Machine steps in Provided services and business help in exchange for votes and money
POLITICS IN THE GILDED AGE I. As cities grew in the late 19 th century, so did political machines II. Political machines sought to control entire cities. III. The head of the Political machine was known as the Boss
ROLE OF THE POLITICAL BOSS I. The Boss (typically the mayor) A. Controlled jobs B. Business licenses C. Influenced the court system II. PoliEcal machines helped immigrants with: A. NaturalizaEon B. Jobs C. Housing Boss Tweed ran NYC III. These poliecal machines provided these services in exchange for votes
Political Machines POWER Help for immigrants VOTES
Political Corruption I. Political machines became corrupt and focused on winning elections not helping the people II. Machines used their power to help themselves and steal tax dollars from the government III. Led to an increase in patronage and the spoil system
Patronage & Spoils System I. Both patronage & the spoils system give government jobs away in exchange for votes & money II. Patronage allows unqualified people to take jobs they shouldn t have A. People dislike government workers who are not qualified III. Often times patronage led workers to accept bribes and use other corrupt actions to stay in power
Municipal Graft and Scandal I. Some political bosses used corrupt tactics to win elections: A. Practiced election fraud by using fake names, dead people voting and voting multiple times to ensure victory II. Other political machines took advantage of the use of graft: A. Using political power for personal gain (money) B. Workers would charge governments extra for public projects then give the extra money back to the politicians C. These payments were known as kickbacks and allowed politicians to get rich
Political Corruption I. Political corruption was a widespread problem in the US during the Gilded Age II. Governments were ineffective and lost millions due to graft and kickbacks III. Voter fraud was a serious problem à elections seemed rigged and unfair
Boss Tweed and Tammany Hall
THE TWEED RING SCANDAL I. William M. Tweed, known as Boss Tweed, became head of Tammany Hall, NYC s powerful Democratic political machines II. Between 1869-1871, Tweed led the Tweed Ring, a group of corrupt politicians in defrauding the city III.Tweed s ring stole between 40 and 200 million IV. Most powerful and corrupt political machine in the United States. Boss Tweed
CIVIL SERVICE REPLACES Applicants for federal jobs are required to take a Civil Service Exam PATRONAGE I. Nationally, some politicians pushed for reform in the hiring system II. Patronage (giving jobs and favors to those who helped a candidate get elected) led to unqualified government workers III.Reformers pushed for an adoption of a merit system or hiring the most qualified people for jobs IV. The Pendleton Civil Service Act of 1883 required appointments for federal jobs based on performance
Gilded Age Politics I. The Gilded Age was a time period of corruption in American politics II. Political machines controlled cities and often stole tax dollars through graft and kickbacks III. Governments in the USA were corrupt and there was little effort to fix them IV. The USA needs immediate changes to fix the broken political system
ARE YOU WITH ME?? 1 What is patronage? What is the spoils system? 2 Explain the creation of political machines? 3 What methods did political machines use to benefit themselves? 4 What was the name of the most famous political machine? 5 What law required that government workers be qualified for the jobs that they have?
SHAME OF CITIES