1. Politics in the Gilded Age
U.S. History 11 A

2. Politics in the Gilded Age
Main Idea
Why it matters now
Local and national political corruption in the 19th century led to calls for reform
Political reforms paved the way for a more honest and efficient government in the 20th century and beyond

3. Political Machines
Since cities were so crowded, the local government couldn’t control everything
During the late 1800’s many cities were run by a Political Machine
Political Machine – an organized group headed by a city boss (political boss) that controlled activities in a city
Offered services to voters and businesses in exchange for political or financial support

4. The Role of the Political Boss
What else did the political bosses do?
They controlled access to jobs
Build parks, sewer systems, and waterworks
Gave money to hospitals, schools, and orphanages
This was all done so that people would vote for them!!!

5. Immigrants and Bosses
The immigrants liked the idea of political machines and bosses
Why?
Many of the bosses were immigrants themselves – they spoke their language and battled the same hardships
They helped the immigrants with Naturalization – full American citizenship
Helped them get jobs and houses
Again, all in exchange for votes!

6. Political bosses were also called “party bosses”

7. Secret Ballot
Before, political parties printed their own ballots, (called “tickets”) which listed only the party's candidates.
Tickets were distributed to loyal party members who dropped the tickets in the ballot box on election day.
Under this system, voter fraud was rampant (tickets were inserted in ballot boxes on behalf of dead or nonexistent citizens)
Party bosses could monitor the votes of their constituents to enforce party discipline.
The secret ballot was printed by the government, distributed at the polls, and filled out in private
Helped to take away control of some political bosses and stop voting fraud
Privacy at the ballot box ensures that citizens can cast votes without party bosses knowing how they voted.

8. Graft
Many bosses got rich through Graft – the illegal use of political influence for personal gain
Example: By helping a person find work on a construction project for the city, a political machine could ask the worker to bill the city for more than the actual costs of material and labor
The worker then “kicked back” a portion of the earnings to the political machine

9. The Tweed Ring
Boss Tweed (William M. Tweed) became the head of Tammany Hall – NYC’s powerful democratic political machine
Between Boss Tweed led a group of people (the Tweed Ring) in defrauding* the city for millions of dollars
*Defraud – to trick or cheat someone in order to get money; to use fraud in order to get money from a person or organization

10. What Did Tweed Do?
The NYC Courthouse was being built. The project cost tax payers $13 million, while the actual cost was only $3 million! The difference went to the Tweed Ring. It is estimated that the tweed Ring stole between $ million dollars from NYC

11. Eventually… They were busted!
In 1871 the ring was broken
Tweed was indicted on 120 counts of fraud and extortion and was sentence to 12 years in jail
His sentence was reduced to 1 year, but he got in trouble again and was arrested
While serving this sentence, he escaped to Spain

12. Patronage
National politics were also corrupt – It’s all about who you know
Patronage – giving government jobs to people of the same party who had helped a candidate get elected
Shouldn’t the job go to the most qualified person?

13. Civil Service Civil Service – government jobs
Police officer
DMV employee
Public defender
Employees of the Veteran’s Hospital
Etc.
Reformers proposed that civil service jobs would go to the most qualified, regardless of political views

14. President Hayes
President Rutherford B. Hayes attempted to reform civil service
Some members of the republican party didn’t like this
He decided not to run for re-election because he had no support

15. Garfield’s Assassination
Stalwarts opposed change in the patronage system
Reformers supported changing the system
The new president, James Garfield, attempted to reform the patronage system and was assassinated
Chester A. Arthur, Garfield’s Vice President, became the new President

16. Garfield’s Assassination
Garfield was shot at the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station
Doctors could not find one of the bullets lodged in his body
He suffered a great deal and his condition fluctuated. He could barely keep down solid foods and eventually could only consume liquids.
Ultimately he died eleven weeks after being shot.

17. Chester A. Arthur in Action
Arthur’s first message to the Congress was to pass the Pendleton Civil Service Act
This created a civil service commission that was in charge of giving government jobs based on merit, not on politics
This caused politicians to turn to big businesses for money