1. Greed, Graft & Corruption of
Politics in the Gilded Age
U.S. History II
Ms. White

2. Bellwork:
• Have you ever done a favor for
someone or given a person a gift
with the expectation of getting
something in return for it?
• Do you think that this practice is
common among politicians today?
Explain why or why not?

3. Chapter 15 Section 3

4. Learning Objectives:
• Understand the role of political machines and
bosses.
• Understand how some politicians’ greed and fraud
cost the taxpayers millions of dollars.
• Understand the measures taken by president
Hayes, Garfield, and Arthur to reform the spoils
system.
• Understand the positions taken by presidents
Cleveland, Harrison, and McKinley on the tariff
issue.

5. Gilded Age Political Machines
• What does gilded mean?
• To cover something with a thin layer of
gold leaf or a substance that looks like
gold.

6. Why is this time period in American
Politics referred to as the Gilded Age?
APPEARANCE REALITY
VS.
THE “SHINY” EXTERIOR THE ROTTEN CORE

7. The “Gilded Age”?
There are many young
men in American
society, though well-
educated, who let
themselves drift,
hoping to find the
GOLDEN road to
fortune. In a society of
princes and paupers,
everybody was hoping
to get rich quick.
—Twain & Warner 1873

8. What Factors Paved the Way for
the Gilded Age?
IMMIGRATION – Mass movement of
a group of people from one place to
another.
INDUSTRIALIZATION –
Concentration of machines and labor
to produce consumer goods and
services.
URBANIZATION – Growth of cities
and concentration of population (# of
people) in cities.

9. So What?
--Immigrants pour into cities (urban areas).
--Cities are ridden with problems due to overcrowding, crime,
sanitation, etc.
--Workers endure long hours, low pay, & dangerous conditions.
--Factory Owners and Political Parties look for ways to exercise
power and influence over the “new arrivals.”
--Political Machines dominate local politics in cities and compete
for votes and power and influence.
IMMIGRATION +INDUSTRIALIZATION+ URBANIZATION
POLITICAL MACHINES

10. POLITICAL MACHINE
An organized group that controlled the activities of a political party
in a city.
Political Machines Controlled:
access to municipal (government) jobs
Examples: police, firefighters, teachers, post office, town
employees, etc.
access to permits and licenses
Examples: building permits for construction projects and
liquor licenses
court systems (judges) and other city organizations

11. Organization of the Political Machine
City
Boss
Ward Boss
Captains Workers

12. The Role of the Political “Boss”
-In charge of a city’s
political machine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cy178zHz
Video clip From Boardwalk Empire
on Atlantic City’s political machine
controlled by Nucky Thompson in the
1920’s.
“LEGITIMATE” GANGSTERS?

13. How a Political Boss stays in Power
Besides being involved in corrupt scandals, some political
bosses held power by:
Funding urban betterment projects.
Ex. Building roads, parks, police force
Helping small businesses. Ex. Loans, building permits
Assisting immigrants with the naturalization process.

14. Political machines and bosses would
use many underhanded methods to keep
power:
Voter fraud-Missing ballots,
Fake voter names, Dead
folks voting,
Bribery-use of illegal
payments or “kickbacks”
from activities.
 Police Force- Control over
city crime and police forces.

15. 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 boss
could ask the worker to
bill the city for more than Create your own example of
the actual cost. The graft.
worker then kickbacks a
portion of the earning to Read the DiMasi found guilty
the political machine. on 7 out of 9 counts in
kickback scheme article &
answer the questions.

16. “Boss” Tweed and Tammany Hall
Head of Tammany Hall New York
City’s the Democratic Political
Machine.
1869-1871 led the Tweed Ring
Defrauds NYC of $10 million in
County Courthouse scheme.
Thomas Nast a political cartoonist
helped arouse public outrage
against Tammany Hall.
Tweed ring was broken in 1871,
and Boss Tweed was convicted of
fraud. He escaped to Spain;
captured and imprisoned, but was
later captured when officials
identified him from a Nast cartoon.

17. Tammany Hall Graft
• In 1871, the New York Times ran a series of news stories
exposing massive corruption by members of Tammany Hall,
the Democratic political machine in New York City run by
William “Boss” Tweed.
• The Times obtained evidence that the Tweed Ring
stole the publics money in the form of inflated
payments to government contractors.
• Example: Tweed ran a scheme to defraud taxpayers
out of $10 million by charging the city $13 million to
build a new courthouse when it only cost $3 million to
build

18. Tammany Ring
• Who Stole the People’s Money? – Do Tell (NY
TIMES) ‘T Was Him

19. William “Boss” Tweed
Boss Tweed offered the
owner of theTimes $5 million
not to publish the material
and Nast $500,000 to cease
his cartoon attacks.
Tweed said, I don’t care so
much what the papers write
about me-my constituents
can’t read; but… they can see
pictures!” Both offers were
refused.
Tweed was imprisoned, but
later escaped, only to later be
identified in Spain by
someone who recognized him
from Nast’s caricatured
version.

20. Political Cartoons
• Political Cartoons- representative or
symbolic drawings that make a satirical,
witty, or humorous point to influence
government action and public opinion.
Thomas Nast - a political
cartoonist who helped arouse
public outrage against Boss
Tweed and helped bring about
his demise.

21. Elements of Political Cartoons
• Use of exaggerated features and or physical
characteristics.
• Caricature exaggerates or distorts a person’s
prominent features to allow the viewer to identify a
him or her quickly.
• Use of symbols or other recognizable icons to
visually represent abstract ideas.
• Use of satire, wit, irony, sarcasm, humor and ridicule
to attack the vices and follies of humankind.
• Presence of an opinion or message by the
author.

22. Exaggeration
Identify symbols.
What do the symbols
represent?
Who is the Giant?
What is exaggerated
in the cartoon?
What purpose does
the exaggeration
serve?
What is the message?
Can the Law Reach Him? – The Dwarf & the Giant Thief

23. Symbols
• What symbols are
used in this
cartoon?
• Who is this
depicting?
• What is the
message?
• (Hint: Why did the
artist use a money
bag for his head??
“The Brains”

24. Satire, Wit, Humor, Irony, &
Sarcasm
• Does the cartoon
use humor to
make its point? If
so, how?

25. Author’s Opinion or Message
• What do you
think the
author’s The Ballot
message is? In
Counting
• How do they There is
Strength
feel about
the topic?
Caption: “That’s What’s The Matter”
Boss Tweed, “As long as I count the votes, what are you going to do about it?”

26. The Tammany Tiger Loose-What Are You Going to Do about it?

27. Thomas Nast Political Cartoon
• What is the setting of the cartoon?
• The female is Columbia a poetic name for the
united States. What is happening to Columbia in
this cartoon?
• What does the tiger represent?
• Who is watching from the stands on the left?
• What is the significance of the town piece of
paper under the tigers paw that reads, “LAW”?
• Who is the tigers next victim?
• What effect do you think the cartoonists, wanted
his cartoon to have on his readers?

28. Who is the man in the
cartoon?
What is the man wearing?
What is happening to
everything around him?
What do you think the
message is that the
cartoonist is trying to
convey?
Who created the cartoon?
What are you laughing at? To
the victor belongs the spoils.”

29. Create Your Own Political Cartoon
• Create a political cartoon that reflects the
urban political scene during the Gilded
Age.
Suggested Ideas
• How a political machine uses graft,
kickbacks, bribes, etc.
• How political bosses provided services to
immigrants in exchange for their votes.
• How political machines affect taxpayers.

30. Political Cartoon Rubric

31. Group Work
• Arrange yourselves into groups of three.
• Teacher will distribute a Gilded Age political
cartoon and cartoon analysis worksheet.
• Spend approximately 5 minutes analyzing the
cartoon individually and complete the cartoon
analysis worksheet.
• As a group share your findings and discuss the
elements of the political cartoon and how it ties
in with Gilded Age politics.
• Share your political cartoon analysis with the
class.

32. Calls for “Change”: Political Reform
PATRONAGE – Giving
jobs in government to
political supporters (Not
based on “merit”).
Reform in CIVIL SERVICE
– Government jobs; should
no longer be “handed out”
to people who supported a
candidate or political party.

33. Rutherford B. Hayes
Republican elected in 1876
No support from Congress to make
“reforms.”
Named independents to his cabinet
& to set up a commission to
investigate nation’s customhouses,
which were big centers of patronage.
Angers the Stalwarts-Republicans
who don’t want civil service reform.
Does NOT decide to run for re-
election.

34. The Garfield / Arthur Ticket: A “Compromise”?
• 1880: Republican party
nominates James Garfield,
an independent reformer.
• Chester Arthur, connected
to the Stalwarts was
nominated for VP
candidate.
• Garfield gives reformers
most of his patronage jobs.
• Garfield was shot and killed
in 1881 by a disgruntled
Stalwart lawyer.
• Arthur takes the role of
President; takes on the role
of “reformer.”

35. Arthur and the Pendleton Civil Service
Act (1883)
• A bipartisan civil service
commission to make appointments
to federal jobs based on merit.
• Gets rid of the Spoils System –
Giving government jobs based on
“loyalty.”
• Establishes the Merit System –
Jobs now given based on merit-
ability, experience,& qualifications.
• Limit on number of family
members that could apply for civil
service jobs.
• Preferential treatment for veteran
applications.

36. Big Business & Tariffs
What is a tariff?
Tariff- a tax or fee to be paid on a particular
class of imports or exports.
How does an increase in tariffs (tax) effect the
price/cost of goods?
Which goods would American consumers buy
(American made or foreign imports) if tariffs
were increased and Why?

37. Big Business & Tariffs
US businesses hoped
How do high tariffs the government
(taxes) on imports would preserve or
protect American even raise the tariff
businesses? (a tax on imported
goods) to protect
their domestic
Which group in industries from
society would foreign competition.
supporter lower • Democrats
tariffs and why? traditionally did NOT
Consumers support high tariffs.

38. Grover Cleveland
Grover Cleveland (1884):
Nominated by the Democratic
party
Lower
• Democratic Party supports Tariffs
lower tariffs
• Could not get Congressional
support to lower tariffs
• Does NOT win re-election.
Consumers, working
• Who would vote Democratic? class & poor people

39. Benjamin Harrison Raises Tariffs
• Benjamin Harrison(1888):
Nominated by the Republican
party
Tariffs
are
• Republican Party supports AWESOME!
higher tariffs
• He signs the McKinley Tariff
Act.
• Taxes on foreign manufactured
goods to their highest level ever.
Who would vote Republican?
(which group in society would

40. Cleveland Makes His Comeback!
• Re-elected as president in
1892.
• Refuses to lower tariffs
since it gives tax money to
the Federal Government.
• In the end, tariffs remain
high.