Politics in the Gilded Age
1865-1900
Politics of the Gilded Age
 The Gilded Age
 Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner

Believed that greed and political corruption
lurked below the gilded object of the polite and
prosperous of American Society.
Political Machines
 A well organized (unofficial) political party

3 MAJOR COMPONENTS
Patronage
 Spoils system
 Political ties

 (PSP)
Patronage
 the power to make appointments to
government jobs or the power to grant other
political favors.
 Example?
Spoils System
 an informal practice where a political party,
after winning an election, gives government
jobs to its voters as a reward for working
toward victory, and as an incentive to keep
working for the party

NOT BASED ON MERIT

Merit
Political Ties
 Who you know
Political Machine
 Factors for formation:

Growth of urban (city) population

When population grows…
 What new demands are placed on a city?
 What services do the people need?
 How can a city address these needs?
Growth of Cities
 Demands for more services:






Schools
Streets
Sewer systems
Fire/Police
Utilities
New construction



Parks
Bridges
Roads
Political Machines
 Well organized political parties
 Were able to get who they wanted elected
 Corrupt
Political Machine
 Political Bosses – Managed political machine



Developed party positions
Made deals with business leaders
Controlled:
Voter precinct captains
 Aldermen
 City council members

Precinct Captains
 The “nuts and bolts” of the machine.

Interacted with voters
Offered jobs
 Political favors
 Services to local residents

 FAVORS WON SUPPORT FOR MACHINE
Political Machines
 Public Works Projects

Created jobs

Who received those jobs?
Political Machines
 TARGET:
 Poor/Working class/Immigrants
Immigrants
 Political machines targeted immigrants
 WHY?
Immigrants
 Harsh living and working conditions
 Were very loyal to those who helped them

Who helped the immigrants?
Tammany Hall
 New York City Political Machine

Sent members to Ellis Island

Provided temporary housing/jobs
Political Machines
 Tammany officials helped get immigrants
naturalized (to become citizens of U.S.)
 Why?
Graft and Corruption
 Political machines were extremely corrupt.
 Tammany Hall


Host to the “Tweed Ring”
William Magaer Tweed

Boss Tweed
Corruption
 Election fraud
 Graft
 Kickbacks
Election Fraud
 Dead people voting
 More people voting than live in a city
 Voters that are not eligible
 Doctoring the numbers/ballots themselves
 Labeled ballot boxes (no secret ballot)
Graft
 the acquisition of money, gain, or advantage
by dishonest, unfair, or illegal means, esp.
through the abuse of one's position or
influence in politics, business, etc.
Kickback
 A slang term used to describe the payment of
something of value to another individual with
the goal of persuading or influencing their
decision or performance in certain situations.
Review
 Political machine
 Political boss
 How did they work?
 Who did political machines target
 Summarize the three major ways political
machines were corrupt
Corruption Activity
Political Corruption Activity
 Goal: Become the political boss of PENNCREST HIGH SCHOOL.
 Activity: -- Groups of 3-4—no more

Devise a plan including aspects of a Political Machine

Apply your political machine to Penncrest H. S.

Explain your plan for a political machine running Penncrest to the class.
 Incentive/Payoff: 2 Points towards the next test grade for the BEST plan.

The best plan will include multiple aspects of a political machine and apply
them reasonably to PHS.
 Time Limit: 20 minutes
 GROUPS: Designate a group leader, scribe, presenter, and if 4 members, a time
keeper. (If only 3 someone will have double duty)
The Tweed Ring
 Tammany Hall



William Magear Tweed
1860’s
$200 Million in GRAFT

1865-1871
Collapse of Tweed
 Public opinion turns against Tweed






WHY?
Corruption was illustrated
BY WHO?
Thomas Nast / NY TIMES
IN WHAT?
Harper’s Weekly Magazine
Thomas Nast
 Influential Political Cartoonist.
 Increased importance of cartoons in the
press.
 Who did cartoons communicate to?
 50 cartoons
"stone walls cannot imprison me, no prison is big enough to
hold the boss, in on one side and out at the other."
William “Boss” Tweed
 “I don’t care so much what the
papers write about me. My
constituents can’t read… But
they can see pictures.”
Tweed’s End
 Tweed indicted -1871


Fraud
Extortion

Illegal use of one's official position or powers to obtain
property, funds, or patronage.
 Tweed escapes from jail

Arrested in Spain
 Tweed dies while serving remainder of 12 year jail
sentence.
Muckraker

Searches for and expose misconduct in public
life.
Name a publication that was a muckraker
 Name a person who was a muckraker

Review







1. What did political machines do to build and maintain support
for their party?
2. What caused the decline in the public support for the Tweed
Ring?
3. Name the three components of a political machine, provide an
example of each.
4. Name the three major forms of political corruption practiced
by these political machines, provide an example of each.
5. Who was Thomas Nast, what was his role in bringing down
the Tweed ring?
6. Explain why political cartoons were effective in bringing the
Tweed Ring to justice.
7. What do you believe is the most essential part of the political
machine—explain why.
Restoring Honest Government
Chapter 17
Section II
Scandal in the White House
Ulysses S. Grant
 Elected President - 1869
Ulysses S. Grant
 Republican
 Famed Union Army General
 Civil War
 Slogan “Let us have peace”
Grant’s Presidency
 Grant’s Presidency

Filled with scandal

Examples…
Grant’s First Term
 Black Friday – September 24, 1869
 Financier Jay Gould

Tried to use government to corner the gold
market (to manipulate the value of gold)
Had invested in the Gold market
 Gould claimed Grant knew and was involved

 How does Grant’s term begin?
Jay Gould
 Corners Gold Market

Corner a market – manipulating the value of something

Head of Erie Railway
 Bought up lots of gold

Less gold available for everyone
 What happens to the value of gold?


Then the gold was sold after value increased
Gould makes a large profit
Grant’s First Term
 1872
 Vice President – Schuyler Colfax
 Credit Mobilier Corporation

Founded by Directors of Union Pacific Railway
Transcontinental Railroad
 Under construction
Union Pacific Stockholders
 Sold shares of stock (investments) to
members of the United States Congress



What’s the problem?
What’s the Union Pacific’s interest?
What’s Congress’s interest?
Schuyler Colfax
 Colfax
 Speaker of House
 Then becomes VP

Had invested
SCANDAL
 Kickbacks; GRAFT



Credit Mobilier Overcharges Union Pacific
Overcharges go into pockets of Credit Mobilier
Who gets the money?
SCANDAL
 Overcharged by $20 Million
 Welcomed Grant to Office
Election of 1872
 Ulysses Grant (R)
 Horace Greeley (R)
Republican Party Split
 What about the Democrats?

Horace Greeley
Supported civil service reform
 Wanted to require tests

 Those who earned the highest grades would get jobs
 What would this stop?
 DEMOCRATS support Greeley

Hoping to defeat Grant
Ulysses Grant
 Played on his image
 A war hero!

REELECTED easily.

Vice President
 Henry Wilson
Grant’s Second Term
 Corruption continues…
 Over what?


Taxation of Whiskey
What happened?

Members of Treasury Department (Appointed through spoils system)
 ACCEPT
BRIBES from Whiskey makers.
The Whiskey Ring Scandal
 Members of Treasury
 Accept bribes from Whiskey makers
 In return:
 Members of Treasury reduced the amount of
taxes the whiskey distributors had to pay
American Public
 Fed Up with Corruption
 Created:

Distrust in American Government
The Struggle to Reform
 Spoils System

A Major issue in the election of 1876
Americans tired of corruption in government
 Would this election bring change?

Election of 1876
 Rutherford B. Hayes
 Samuel J. Tilden
Rutherford B. Hayes
 Victorious
 President

Rutheford B. Hayes
 Vice President

William Wheeler

What party retains power of
the executive branch?
Rutherford B. Hayes
 Reform

Attempts to reform government angered his
party.

REPUBLICAN PARTY SPLIT

Stalwarts

Half breeds
Split of Republican Party
 Why?

Over the issued of patronage

Stalwarts – against reform

NO merit system for jobs
 Tests to show qualifications

Half Breeds


Promoted the use of civil service exams
Tests to show that one is qualified for position
Election of 1880
 Rutherford B. Hayes

Tired of toil (internal conflict) within his party

What to do?

Stalwarts and Half Breeds
 BATTLE for control of the party
 HALF BREEDS WIN!
Election of 1880
 Half Breeds Win control:

Nominate James A. Garfield

How will we get the Stalwarts behind Garfield?

Balance the ticket
 Half Breeds place a Stalwart in Vice President
 VP – Chester A. Arthur
Republicans Win Again
 President

James A. Garfield
 Vice President

Chester A. Arthur
Garfield Assassinated
 July 2, 1881
 GARFIELD SHOT


At a Washington Train Station
4 months after inauguration

Assassin
 CHARLES GUITEAU

Mentally unstable
 Had sought a government job – but was unsuccessful
Charles Guiteau
 WHY?
 What was his motivation?

Believed assassinating Garfield would further the
Stalwart cause.



THE OPPOSITE HAPPENS
How?
Who will take Garfield’s place?

Note: Garfield dies in September
Chester A. Arthur
 Stalwart
 Sympathetic to the calls for reform of the
fallen President, Arthur abandons his
opposition to reform.
Reforms and Reactions
 President Arthur – 1883
 Pendleton Civil Service Act


What did the act do?
Established Civil Service Commission

Civil Service Commission
 Administered competitive tests to those people seeking
government jobs.
Pendleton Civil Service Act
 What it did:

Required a test for non-policy making Federal
jobs.
 What it did not do

Only covered 10% of Federal jobs.
Gentleman George
Election of 1884
 Republicans nominate James Blaine

Why not Arthur?
Recall the split in the party
 Who were the Stalwarts upset with?

 Mugwumps- Republicans who supported reform

Decide to vote for the Democrat Candidate

GROVER CLEVELAND
Election of 1884
 Cleveland

Accused of fathering a
child outside of wedlock

Ma ma where’s my pa?

How did the Cleveland
campaign react?
Grover Cleveland
 Refused to “throw dirt” on the opposition.
 Stuck to the facts.

New York World

4 Reasons to vote for Cleveland:
 1) He is an honest man
 2) He is an honest man
 3) He is an honest man
 4) He is an honest man
Grover Cleveland
 “A public office is an office of trust”
 Determined to promote reform

DOUBLED the number of Federal Jobs
requiring civil service exams.
Election of 1888
 Grover Cleveland (D)

Won popular vote
 Benjamin Harrison (R)


Won electoral vote
Victorious
Reform Short-lived
 Harrison and Republicans:

Work to counteract all reform done by Cleveland
Review
 Essay for Test:
Explain the inner workings of the political machine.
To best do this, include the following:



Who leads a political machine
Name and explain, through an example or definition, the
components of a political machine
Name and explain the three major forms of corruption
that political machines practiced.