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HOLT
The American Nation
Chapter 17
Section 1: Political Machines
Section 2: Restoring Honest Government
Section 3: The Populist Movement
HOLT, RINEHART
AND
WINSTON

HOLT
The American Nation
Section 1: Political Machines
2

How did political machines emerge in U.S. cities?

Why were immigrants important to political machines?

How did corruption and illegal activities develop in many political machines?

What events led to the collapse of public support for the Tweed Ring?
HOLT, RINEHART
AND
WINSTON

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HOLT
The American Nation
1. Political Machines (1 of 4)
3. Political machines controlled votes by offering jobs, political favors, and services to loyal supporters.
HOLT, RINEHART
AND
WINSTON

Why
Immigrants Were
Important to Machines
• represented a huge supply of supporters and voters
• tended to be particularly loyal to machines
POLITICAL
MACHINES
AND
IMMIGRANTS
Ways in
Which Machines
Recruited and Rewarded
Immigrants
• welcomed immigrants upon arrival
• found immigrants temporary housing and jobs
• helped immigrants become naturalized citizens
• helped immigrants with finances, funerals,and so on
HOLT, RINEHART
AND
WINSTON

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HOLT
The American Nation
Section 1: Political Machines (2 of 4)
3. easily accessible—could be welcomed on arrival
3. had many needs for housing, jobs, and services
3. represented a huge supply of supporters and voters
3. tended to be loyal to machines
HOLT, RINEHART
AND
WINSTON

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HOLT
The American Nation
Section 1: Political Machines (3 of 4)
3. Machines hired men to “vote early and often.”
3. Bosses took bribes, payoffs, and kickbacks.
HOLT, RINEHART
AND
WINSTON

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HOLT
The American Nation
Section 1: Political Machines (4 of 4)
3. Thomas Nast’s cartoons revealed Tweed’s corruption, even to people who couldn’t read very well.
3. The New York Times published a series of articles exposing Tweed.
HOLT, RINEHART
AND
WINSTON

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HOLT
The American Nation
Section 2: Restoring Honest Government

What scandals plagued the Grant administration?

Why did Americans want political reform, and how did this desire affect the Republican Party?
 Why did President Arthur’s positions on civil service reform change, and how did this affect his political party?

How did President Harrison deal with President
Cleveland’s reforms?
HOLT, RINEHART
AND
WINSTON

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HOLT
The American Nation
1. Restoring Honest Government (1 of 4)
3. the gold market scandal
3. the Crédit Mobilier scandal
3. the Whiskey Ring scandal
HOLT, RINEHART
AND
WINSTON

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HOLT
The American Nation
Section 2: Restoring Honest Government (2 of 4)
3. Americans wanted political reform and honest officials because corruption had become so widespread, and this desire split the Republican
Party into the Stalwarts and the Half-Breeds.
HOLT, RINEHART
AND
WINSTON

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HOLT
The American Nation
Section 2: Restoring Honest Government (3 of 4)
3. Arthur began to support reform after the assassination of President Garfield, and this led to reform Republicans voting for Cleveland, the
Democratic candidate, in the election of 1884.
HOLT, RINEHART
AND
WINSTON

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HOLT
The American Nation
Section 2: Restoring Honest Government (4 of 4)
2. Harrison’s response to Cleveland’s reforms
3. returned to political patronage
3. spent money on Republican pet projects
HOLT, RINEHART
AND
WINSTON

President Arthur and
Reforms
• supported reform after the assassination of President
Garfield
• helped pass Pendleton Civil Service Act
Effect on Republicans and the Election of 1884
• split the Republicans
• Stalwarts voted for James Blaine, the Half-Breed candidate; reform Republicans voted for Grover
Cleveland, the Democratic candidate
President Cleveland’s
Reforms
• doubled the number of jobs requiring civil service exams
• promoted reform in general
President Harrison’s
Response
• returned to political patronage
• spent money on Republican pet projects
HOLT, RINEHART
AND
WINSTON

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HOLT
The American Nation
Section 3: The Populist Movement

What factors led to economic hardships for farmers?
 What did the farmers’ movements hope to achieve, and what weakened their efforts?

Why did farmers support money backed by silver?

What issues did the Populist Party support?

How did silver affect the economy and the 1896 presidential election?
HOLT, RINEHART
AND
WINSTON

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HOLT
The American Nation
1. The Populist Movement
3. heavy debts
3. high freight and machinery costs
3. falling crop prices
HOLT, RINEHART
AND
WINSTON

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HOLT
The American Nation
Section 3: The Populist Movement
3. hoped to pressure states to regulate freight and grain-storage rates
3. formed cooperatives
3. offered low-cost insurance
3. lobbied for graduated income tax
3. weakened by government limits on the power of ICC
3. weakened by racial segregation
HOLT, RINEHART
AND
WINSTON

HOLT
The American Nation
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2. Bread Basket of the World
3. Large areas of good farmland and improved farming techniques allowed farmers in the United
States to grow a surplus of food.
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AND
WINSTON

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HOLT
The American Nation
Section 3: The Populist Movement
3. Farmers supported money backed by silver because they wanted to increase the paper money supply, and as long as only gold was allowed to back paper, the supply of it was restricted by how much gold the treasury had.
HOLT, RINEHART
AND
WINSTON

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HOLT
The American Nation
Section 3: The Populist Movement
3. graduated income tax
3. bank regulation
3. government ownership of railroad and telegraph companies
3. free coinage of silver
3. immigration restrictions
3. shorter workday
3. voting reforms
HOLT, RINEHART
AND
WINSTON

HOLT
The American Nation
Section 3: The Populist Movement
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3. Silver was a central issue in the 1896 presidential campaign.
3. Populists supported Bryan because of his stand on silver.
3. William McKinley won the election with the support of business leaders who opposed free silver.
HOLT, RINEHART
AND
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• formed cooperatives
• pressured states to regulate freight and grain-storage rates
• offered low-cost insurance
Efforts to Help
Farmers
FARMER’S
ORGANIZATIONS
Factors that
Weakened
Efforts
• lobbied for graduated income tax
• The government limited the power of ICC.
• The existence of racial segregation in southern states prevented a strong farmers’ coalition.
HOLT, RINEHART
AND
WINSTON

How were political machines able to unite immigrant groups to support their candidates?
Why might many Stalwarts have considered civil service reform a violation of the democratic heritage of the United States?
Why did William Jennings Bryan win such strong support in some parts of the country but so little in other regions?
HOLT, RINEHART
AND
WINSTON