Government take the Wheel

Objective: I can identify ways the government at all levels became more democratic, efficient and regulatory during the beginning of the 20th century.

Preview: Answer: What part/aspect of our society needs the most reform right now? Why?

Process: Political Changes notes.

On Your Own: Political Machine Partner Activity

Rise of the Political Machines▪ Refers to the organized groups in cities that controlled

the activities of a political party—led by a boss.

▪ Offered services to voters and businesses in exchange for political/financial support.

▪ Pyramid of bosses that controlled different aspects of elections for profit.

▪ What they got:

▪ Parks built

▪ Sewer systems

▪ Money for schools, hospitals, and orphanages.

▪ Profits for supporting new businesses opening.

▪ Helped immigrants become citizens, get housing, and jobs

▪ Many were immigrants, helped that they could speak multiple languages—gain support/votes.

Sneaky Boss Man

• Many political bosses fell into corruption as their influence grew.

• When loyalty was not enough, some political machines turned to voter fraud.

• Became rich through graft—the illegal use of political influence for personal gain.

• How?• Filling the list of eligible voters with the names of dogs,

children and people who had died.

• Used those names to cast votes for themselves.

• Kickbacks: have workers on city construction charge higher prices for their services then “kick back” part of the fee to the bosses.

• Taking bribes from businesses in return for allowing illegal or unsafe activities.

William Marcy Tweed—Boss Tweed▪ One of the most powerful political bosses—

known as Boss Tweed.

▪ Became head of Tammany Hall—NYC’s most powerful Democratic political machine.

▪ Tweed Ring—group of corrupt politicians.

▪ Major money fraud—construction.▪ Somewhere between $30-200 million

▪ Indicted on 120 counts of fraud/extortion

▪ Sentenced to 12 years in jail, later reduced to 1 year, arrested again on a different charge, escapes to Spain, arrested there.

Sh

erm

an

An

ti-

Tru

st

Act

▪ Law intending to prevent the creation of monopolies by allowing the government to break up trusts that were restricting smaller businesses and trade domestically and abroad.

▪ Government concerned that expanding corporations like Andrew Carnegie’s would ruin the concept of free competition.

▪ Didn’t exactly define what a trust was, so that made it hard to prosecute companies.

▪ Eventually the government stopped trying to enforce the act and the growth of monopolies continued.

▪ Teddy Roosevelt will solve this later!

Fixing the Spoils System▪ Since the beginning of the 19th century,

presidents had complained about the problem of patronage—giving government jobs to people who had helped a candidate get elected.

▪ Led to unqualified government employees.

▪ Reformers began to press for the elimination of patronage.

▪ Wanted the adoption of a merit system of hiring.

▪ Jobs in civil service—government administration—should go to the most qualified people.

▪ Political views and recommendations should not matter.

Pendleton Civil

Service Act

▪ 1883

▪ Authorized a bipartisan commission to make appointments to federal jobs through a merit system based on a examination (test).

▪ By 1901, more that 40% of all federal jobs had been classified as civil service.

▪ Public administration became more efficient and honest.

▪ Employees no longer a source of campaign funds…turn to big business for donations.

Interstate Commerce Commission

▪ 1887▪ Reestablished the federal

governments right to supervise the railroad activities between states▪ Created the Interstate Commerce

Commission▪ Popular also with the populists▪ Had trouble enforcing because the

Supreme Court said the federal government could not set maximum railroad rates.▪ Teddy Roosevelt will solve this later!

McKinley Killed, Theodore Roosevelt In…▪ McKinley killed 6 months into his

second term.

▪ Vice President Theodore Roosevelt takes his spot.

▪ He was already popular due to being a part of the Spanish American War, but we haven’t talked about that yet.

▪ Known as the first “Progressive president”

▪ Determined to fix the evils of society.

An asthma sufferer, Teddy drove himself to accomplish demanding physical feats. As a teenager, he

mastered marksmanship and horseback riding. Unlike previous

Presidents, Roosevelt enjoyed boxing, although one of his

opponents blinded him in the left eye. On another day, he galloped 100 miles on horseback, merely to prove

that it was possible to do so.

Teddy Roosevelt enjoyed a very active lifestyle, which often crept into his political beliefs (especially about

conserving the land). When the President spared a bear cub on a hunting expedition, a toymaker

marketed a popular new product, the teddy bear.

Muckrackers▪ People who wrote about the social,

government, and big business issues.

▪ Jacob Riis- photographer

▪ Lincoln Steffens- editor known for uncovering social problems

▪ Upton Sinclair-wrote The Jungle

The Jungle

-written by Upton Sinclair

-muckraking novel

• Journalists who exposed society’s problems

-meant to expose the conditions of immigrants

-impact of novel was the description of meatpacking industry

• Disgusted President Roosevelt

“There would be meat that had tumbled out on the floor, in the dirt and sawdust, where

the workers had tramped and spit uncounted billions of tuberculosis germs. There would be meat stored in great piles in rooms…and thousands of rats would race about on it…A man could run his hand over these piles of meat and sweep off handfuls of the dried

dung of rats. These rats were nuisances, and the packers would put poisoned bread out for them; they would die, and then rats, bread, and meat would go in the hopper together.”

~Upton Sinclair, The Jungle

What was the Square Deal?▪ Roosevelt’s domestic reform program.

▪ Saw national welfare as a federal responsibility (despite being a Republican, he was progressive).

▪ If big business victimized workers then he promised he would “see that each is given a square deal, because he is entitled to no more and should receive no less.”

▪ Program of reforms designed to protect the common people against big business.

Teddy the “Trust Buster”▪ Part of the Square Deal involved limiting

the powers of trusts and stopping unfair business practices.

▪ To accomplish this Roosevelt:▪ Established the Department of Labor

▪ Monopolies were treated more harshly in the courts (enforced the Sherman Anti-Trust Act) ▪ Rockefeller’s Standard Oil broken up▪ JP Morgan’s Northern Securities broken up

Reform to Save the People▪ Laws protecting workers

(building codes, minimum wage, workman’s compensation) were created. ▪ Response to Upton Sinclair’s

the Jungle▪ Pure Food and Drug

Act: halted the sale of contaminated foods and medicines, and proper labeling.▪ Meat Inspection Act:

strict cleanliness requirements for meatpackers and meat inspections.

Conservation-industry was consuming large portions of

natural resources

-pollution was destroying waterways

• Coal mining and lumbering ruining the nation’s natural resources

• Roosevelt wants to protect the land and resources

-established several national parks

• National Reclamation Act, 1902

-set aside large portions of forestlands – kept land from private sale

-development of land for the common good

• Some land set aside for the common good

These temple destroyers, devotees of ravaging commercialism seem to have a

perfect contempt for Nature, and instead of lifting their eyes to the God of the

Mountains, lift them to the Almighty Dollar.

~John Muir (1912)