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APUSH Chapter 23 By Molly Siebert The Political Machine

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Title: APUSH Chapter 23 By Molly Siebert The Political Machine


1
APUSHChapter 23
  • By Molly Siebert

2
The Political Machine
  • Organized group that controlled the
  • activities of a political party in a city and
  • offered services to voters and businesses
  • in exchange for political or financial
  • support.

3
The Political Machine Cont.
  • Closely connected to urban growth was the
    emergence of the powerful city machine
  • The machines traded services with votes
  • Streets
  • Buildings
  • Public services
  • Immigrants were in need of even more services

4
Organization of Political Machine
  • Precinct Workers Worked to gain voters support
    on a city block or in a neighborhood and reported
    to the ward boss.
  • Ward Boss Helped the poor and gained votes by
    doing favors or providing services. In return
    for votes they would provide city jobs, contracts
    or appointments.
  • City Boss Controlled thousands of municipal
    jobs, including police, fire and sanitation
    departments. Controlled business licenses and
    inspections. Had a lot of influence over courts
    and other municipal agencies.

5
William Marcy Tweed
  • Became head of New York Citys Tammany Hall in
    1863
  • Tammany Hall was the powerful Democratic
    political machine
  • Between 1869 and 1873, the Tweed Ring pocketed as
    much as 200 million from the city in kickbacks
    and payoffs

6
Examples of Tweeds work
  • Construction of New York County Courthouse (cost
    taxpayers 11 million, but actually cost 3
    million rest was pocketed by Tweed Ring)
  • Some came out of Tammany Hall Brooklyn Bridge
    and Central Park

7
Fall of Tweed
  • Tweed ring broken in 1871
  • Tweed fell from power in 1872
  • Political cartoonist, Thomas Nast ridiculed Tweed
    in the New York Times and in Harpers Weekly
  • Tweed was indicted on 120 counts of fraud and
    extortion
  • In 1873 he was sentences to 12 yrs in jail
  • After serving 2 yrs, he escaped
  • He was later captured in Spain

8
Can the Law Reach Him? by Thomas Nast
9
Spoils vs. Merit in Republican Party
  • Stalwarts opposed changes in the spoils system
  • Reformers
  • Mugwumps wanted civil service reform
  • Half-Breeds wanted reform, but wanted to remain
    loyal to Republicans
  • Republicans settled on independent candidate
    Garfield
  • Garfield had ties to reformers
  • Arthur had ties to Roscoe Conkling (Stalwart)

10
Presidents and Reform
  • Hayes (1876 election) started reform and caused
    some division between Stalwarts and Reformers
  • Garfield (1880 election) assassinated right
    away and was replaced by Stalwart Chester Arthur
  • Chester Arthur passed the Pendleton Act in 1883

11
Presidential Political Reformers Cont.
  • Cleveland (1884) Tried to lower tariff rates
    due to the large Treasury surplus
  • Harrison (1888) He passed the McKinley Tariff
    Act of 1890 which raised Tariffs to their highest
    level ever
  • Cleveland (1892) He supported bill for lowering
    McKinley Tariff, but refused to sign it b/c it
    allowed Federal Income tax. The Wilson-Gorman
    Tariff became law in 1894 w/o Cleveland signing
    bill

12
The Rise of Populism
  • After Civil War, country faced major deflation
  • Deflation caused cost of goods and services to
    fall
  • Good news for consumers, bad news for farmers
  • Farmers believed solution increasing the money
    supply to force prices up. This would result in
    Cheap Money (when money is cheap, the prices of
    goods and services tend to rise)

13
Rise of Populism Cont.
  • Farmers tried to persuade govt to increase money
    supply by printing more greenbacks
  • When govt refused, farmers demanded unlimited
    coinage of silver (in hopes of producing cheaper
    money)
  • Bland-Allison Act 1878 called for govt to
    purchase 2 mill - 4 mill in silver each month
  • During Hayes presidency, he purchased the bare
    minimum
  • Sherman Silver Purchase Act of 1890 replaced
    Bland-Allison act and doubled amt to be purchased
  • Cleveland repealed the Sherman Act
  • Cost of shipping grain on Railroads was extremely
    high

14
The Rise of Populism Cont.
  • In 1867, Oliver Kelley started the Grange
  • Original purpose was to provide social outlet and
    educational forum for isolated farmers
  • By 1870s, most Grange members spent time fighting
    railroads
  • Grange gave rise to other organizations (such as
    Farmer alliances included teachers, preachers,
    writers who sympathized with farmers)

15
The Rise of Populism Cont.
  • Leaders of alliance movement moved to political
    means to make change
  • Populism the movement of the people
  • Populist (Peoples) Party was born in 1892

16
The Populist Party
  • Demanded reforms to lift the burden of debt from
    farmers and other workers and to give the people
    a greater voice in their govt.
  • Financial Reform
  • Increase money supply
  • A graduated income tax
  • Federal loan program

17
The Populist Party Cont.
  • Political Reform
  • Election of U.S. Senators by popular vote
  • Single term for President and Vice President
  • Secret ballot to end vote fraud
  • To represent labor as well as farming interests
  • Called for an 8 hour work day
  • Restrictions on immigration

18
The Populist Party Cont.
  • In 1892 election, Populist candidate won more
    than 1 million votes (almost 10 of total vote)
  • Elected 5 Senators, 3 Governors, and about 1,500
    state legislators
  • Programs eventually became platform for
    Democratic Party
  • Kept alive the concept that govt is responsible
    for reforming social injustices

19
Gold vs. Silver
  • Gold (Gold bugs)
  • Bankers and businessmen
  • tight money less money in circulation
  • Loans would be repaid in stable money
  • Prices fall, value of money increases and fewer
    people have money

20
Gold vs. Silver
  • Silver (Silverites)
  • Bimetallism (govt. would give gold or silver in
    exchange for paper currency)
  • Cheap Money Silver was plentiful, thus more
    currency is available for circulation
  • Products would be sold at higher prices
  • Prices rise, value of money decreases, more
    people have money

21
William Jennings Bryan
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