POLITICS IN THE “GILDED AGE”

 THE NAME GILDED AGE COMES FROM A MARK TWAIN SATARICAL NOVEL CALLED THE GILDED AGE.  THE BOOK MOCKS THE GREED AND SELF-INDULGENCE AND SHOWS THE GROWING GAP BETWEEN THE FEW RICH AND THE MANY POOR

 AN ORGANIZED GROUP THAT CONTROLLED THE ACTIVTIES OF A POLITICAL GROUP IN A CITY  THEY ALSO OFFERED SERVICES TO VOTERS AND BUSINESSES IN EXCHANGE FOR POLITICAL OR FINANCIAL SUPPORT

 IT WAS ORGANIZED LIKE A PYRAMID  Political boss: controlled political party in city  Ward boss: secure votes by doing favors for poor & providing city jobs, contracts, and appointments  Precinct captain: gain votes on a city block; report to ward boss

 THE POLITICAL BOSS WHETHER OR NOT THEY WERE THE MAYOR CONTROLLED ACCESS TO MUNICIPAL JOBS AND BUSINESS LICENSES, AND INFLUENCED THE COURTS AND OTHER MUNICIPAL AGENCIES.  BUILT PARKS, SEWER SYSTEMS, WATERWORKS, AND GAVE MONEY TO SCHOOLS, HOSPITALS, AND ORPHANAGES. IN RETURN THEY RECEIVED POLITICAL SUPPORT

 MANY PRECINCT CAPTAINS AND POLITICAL BOSSES WERE FIRST- GENERATION OR SECOND-GENERATION IMMIGRANTS. FEW WERE EDUCATED BEYOND GRAMMER SCHOOLS AND WORKED THEIR WAY UP FROM THE BOTTOM

 THE BOSSES WERE ABLE TO PROVIDE HOUSING AND JOBS THE IMMIGRANTS MOST PRESSING NEED. IN RETURN THE IMMIGRANTS PROVIDED WHAT THE POLITICAL BOSSES NEEDED - VOTES

 THE LOYALTY OF VOTERS WAS NOT ENOUGH TO CARRY AN ELECTION, SOME POLITICAL MACHINES TURNED TO FRAUD.  USED FAKE NAMES TO CAST AS MANY VOTES AS WERE NEEDED TO WIN

 THE ILLEGAL USE OF POLITICAL INFLUENCE FOR PERSONAL GAIN.  HELPING A PERSON FIND A JOB ON A CONSTRUCTION SITE AND THEN HAVING THAT PERSON CHARGE THE CITY FOR MORE THAN THE ACTUAL COST. THEY WOULD THEN GIVE A KICK BACK TO THE POLITICAL BOSS.

 HE WAS THE HEAD OF TAMMANY HALL WHICH WAS NEW YORK CITY’S MOST POWERFUL DEMOCRATIC POLITICAL MACHINE BETWEEN

 TWEED ORDERED THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE NEW YORK COUNTY COURTHOUSE.  THE PROJECT COST TAXPAYERS $13 MILLION WHILE THE ACTUAL COST WAS $3 MILLION. THE DIFFERENCE WENT INTO THE POCKETS OF TWEED AND HIS FOLLOWERS.

 HE AROUSED PUBLIC OUTRAGE AGAINST TAMMANY HALL’S GRAFT AND THE TWEED RING WAS BROKEN IN  HE WAS CAPTURED IN SPAIN AFTER SOMEONE RECOGNIZED HIM FROM ONE OF NAST’S POLITICAL CARTOONS

 GIVING GOVERNMENT JOBS TO PEOPLE WHO HELPED A CANDIDATE GET ELECTED.

 MANY OF THE GOVERNMENT JOBS WERE GIVEN TO PEOPLE WHO WERE NOT QUALIFIED.  REFORMERS BELIEVED THAT GOVERNMENT JOBS SHOULD GO TO THOSE PEOPLE WHO WERE MOST QUALIFIED.

 GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION OR GOVERNMENT JOBS

 AUTHORIZED A BIPARTISAN CIVIL SERVICE COMMISISSION TO MAKE APPOINTMENTS TO FEDERAL JOBS THROUGH A MERIT SYSTEM BASED ON A CANDIDATES’ PERFORMANCE ON AN EXAMINATION.

 BECAUSE EMPLOYEES WERE NO LONGER A SOURCE OF CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS, POLITICIANS TURNED TO WEALTHY BUSINESS OWNERS.