1. 15-3 The Emergence of the Political Machine
Tammany Hall, NYC

2. How was the Political Machine Organized?
City Boss = Power broker (most were democrats and many were immigrants themselves)
Like a pyramid: local precinct workers and captains at the base, ward bosses in the middle, and the city boss at the top

3. What did political or city bosses do?
They controlled the activities of a political party
Controlled city jobs, business licenses and inspections, influenced courts and city agencies
They also used their influence to build parks, sewer systems etc. = They provided solutions to the problems of poor immigrants.

4. What role did immigrants play in the machine?
Immigrants were the workers who ran the political machine.
They offered their loyalty and votes in exchange for favors and solutions to their problems.

5. What is Graft?
Graft is the illegal use of political influence for personal gain.
How did the bosses use graft for their own personal gain?
To win elections
To make themselves richer
To finance the operations of the political machine

6. What are kickbacks?
A Kickback is the illegal practice of getting contract workers hired by the bosses to overcharge the city for their services. Then the overpayment would be split between the city boss and the contract-worker
How did the bosses use kickbacks for their own
personal gain?
The bosses would enrich themselves as well as the machine

7. Tammany Hall and the Tweed Ring
Tammany Hall was a powerful political machine in New York City led by the corrupt Boss Tweed
The Tweed Ring was a
group of corrupt
politicians led by Boss
Tweed.

8. Thomas Nast: A political cartoonist who ridiculed Boss Tweed in cartoons in an effort to bring him down?