09/08 Bellringer 5+ sentences In 1883, the government passed the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act which requires all government workers to be qualified for the positions for which they are hired. Some positions even require applicants pass a written skills test. What are some possible benefits of requiring government workers to be qualified for the job he/she is given?

Pullman Strike Articles Quickly explain the main points of each article. What was happening (according to the article)? How are the strikers described? Does one of the two newspapers appear to support the workers? If so, which one? What words or phrases from the articles lead you to these conclusions?

The Gilded Age was an era of political corruption in national, state, and urban governments

Many city governments were run by political machines Groups of local (city, county) politicians controlled by a boss Citizens voted for certain politicians based on political bribery

Machines controlled city jobs, business licenses, building projects The most notorious urban political machine was New York’s Tammany Hall led by Boss Tweed The “Tweed Ring” defrauded NYC of millions of dollars until it was exposed by reporter Thomas Nast Many politicians used fraud to win elections, used their influence for personal gain (graft), or took bribes They were often corrupt

Government positions were appointed as rewards for loyalty to a political party (called patronage or spoils system) Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act (1883) created merit-based exams for most federal government jobs

Analyzing Documents: Political Machines Using the documents provided, complete the chart on the pros and cons of political machines