12/30/2011
“Gilded”= covered with gold;
superficially attractive
The Politics (and Corruption!)
of the Gilded Age
On the outside…
Recent Political Scandals
united nation
greater democracy
equal opportunities
(13th, 14th, and 15th
amend’s)
strong economy
“rags to riches”
philanthropy
On the inside…
divided politics, racism
political corruption/scandals
systemic inequality
(Black Codes, no vote for women,
poll txes/ literacy tests/ grandfather
clause)
significant poverty
little mobility
benefits reached few
The Gold Thing
Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich
arrested for trying to sell a
U.S. Senate appointment
Jim Fiske and Jay Gould attempted
to corner gold market in 1869
Rep. William Jefferson tries to
explain the $90,000 found by
the FBI in his freezer
Jack Abramoff found guilty of
corruption of public officials
Rep. Duke Cunningham pleads
guilty to bribery and tax
evasion
persuaded Grant to order federal
Treasury to stop selling gold, then bid
price of gold upward
Treasury got wise to the scheme and
finally released gold into circulation
“the bubble burst”
caused a financial panic, Stock Market
depression, bankruptcies of Wall Street
firms
Congressional probe found Grant acted
recklessly (but did nothing illegal)
Boss Tweed and
Tammany Hall
Boss Tweed and
Tammany Hall
William M. Tweed
Political machine (def.):
an unofficial system which operates
within the structure of a
representative democracy
based on “behind the scenes”
control (usually through political
corruption)
it depended financially on the
patronage (bribes, kickbacks)
generated by doling out govt.
contracts and jobs
exploited and aided many immigrants
City
Boss
Ward Boss
Precinct Captains
and
Precinct Workers
Tweed used bribery,
graft (illegal political
influence), and fraudulent
elections to gain about
$200 million from NYC
NY Times exposed him
in 1871
cartoons by Thomas
Nast most damaging
very effective with
illiterates
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12/30/2011
Boss Tweed and
Tammany Hall
Other Editorial Cartoons
George Plunkitt - “Honest Graft”
I’ve made a big fortune out of the game, and I’m gettin’ richer every day,
but I’ve not gone in for dishonest graft—blackmailin' gamblers,
saloonkeepers, disorderly people, etc. There’s an honest graft, and
I’m an example of how it works. I might sum up the whole thing by
sayin‘: “I seen my opportunities and I took ’em.”
Credit Mobilier Scandal (1872)
Just let me explain by examples. My party’s in power in the city, and it’s
goin' to undertake a lot of public improvements. Well, I’m tipped off,
say, that they’re going to lay out a new park at a certain place. I go to
that place and I buy up all the land I can in
the neighborhood. Then the board of this or
that makes its plan public, and there is a rush
to get my land, which nobody cared particular
for before.
insiders of the Union
Pacific Railway formed
their own railroad
construction company
hired themselves to build the
R.R. and paid themselves huge
fees
distributed shares of stock to
congressmen to avoid
interference
Ain’t it perfectly honest to charge a good price and
make a profit on my investment and foresight?
Of course, it is. Well, that’s honest graft.
Whiskey Ring Scandal (1875)
Credit Mobilier (cont’d)
Congressional
investigation led to
censure of two
members & the V.P.
o
Grant’s reputation
tarnished (though
most corruption
occurred before his
presidency)
the press revealed a “Whisky
Ring” had robbed millions in
excise-tax revenues
Justice (to the Saints of the
Press). "Let him that has not
betrayed the trust of the
People, and is without stain,
cast the first stone."
Pres. Grant: "Let no man escape”
one of Grant’s cabinet members
part of the scam
Grant persuaded the jury not to
convict
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12/30/2011
Indian Supply Scandal
(1876)
Election of 1876
“Third Term”
(the bar)
Grant’s Sec. of War pocketed
$24,000 for selling “the privilege of
disbursing supplies to Indians”
“Corruption”
the supplies were often worthless
The House of Representatives
voted to impeach him and he
resigned the same day
Sec. of War
William Belknap
“Puck wants a ‘strong man at
the head of government’ –but not this kind.” Republican Factions
Document SKILL (activity)
(1870s-1880s)
Stalwarts
Half-Breeds
o
led by Sen. Roscoe
Conkling (NY)
favored spoils
system
o
Sen. James G. Blaine
(ME)
claimed to favor
civil service reform
(though that was
questionable!)
o
o
Document A
“The ‘Great
American Game
of Public Office
for Private
Gain”
Thomas Nast
Harper's Weekly
1884
How did politicians live under the
shadow of Ulysses Grant’s
presidency from 1876 to 1896?
Document B
“Everybody is talking these days about Tammany men growing rich on
graft, but nobody thinks of drawing the distinction between honest graft
and dishonest graft. There’s all the difference in the world between the
two. Yes, many of our men have grown rich in politics. I have myself.
I’ve made a big fortune out of the game and I’m getting richer every day,
but I’ve not gone for dishonest graft – blackmailing gamblers, saloonkeepers, disorderly people, etc. – and neither has any of the men who
have made big fortunes in politics.
“…My party’s in power in the city, and it’s goin' to undertake a lot of
public improvements. Well, I, tipped off…I see my opportunity and I take
it. I go to the place and I buy up all the land I can in the neighborhood…
Ain’t it perfectly honest to charge a good price and make a profit on my
investment and foresight? Of course, it is. Well, that’s honest graft.”
- George Plunkitt
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12/30/2011
Sample Thesis
“The scandals of the Grant
administration made honesty in
government a dominant political
issue for an entire generation.”
What do you think??
Sample Paragraph
“After the scandals of the 1870s, the voters
demanded honesty from their political leaders.
When James Blaine ran in 1884, he was
portrayed as an imposter who tried to fool the
people into believing he was a crusader or
“Plumed Knight.” In fact, he had used his office
for private gain. (Doc A.)”
Sample Paragraph (cont’d)
“Moreover, some political bosses tried to justify
their misdeeds by saying there was difference
between honest graft, which involved using
insider information and did not hurt anyone
specifically, and dishonest graft, which was
practiced by those officials who took pay offer
from saloon keepers and gamblers; however,
the voters rejected this distinction and
demanded politicians protect the public interest
rather than enrich themselves, as seen in the
tremendous public sentiment against Boss
Tweed (Doc B).”
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