MR. CALELLAAMERICAN STUDIES I HONORS

Politics and Urbanization

Americanization

The main goal of the Americanization movement was to ASSIMILATE people of various cultures in to the dominant culture

What types of things must people do, say, eat, etc. to be “American”?

What were the pros and cons of the Americanization movement?

Americanization Classes

Americanization Classes

Political Machines

Political Machines: organized group that controlled political party in a city Usually political machines belonged to the Democratic

Party Political machines were found in every major city

during the late 1800s (New York, Boston, San Francisco, Chicago, etc.)

A city’s political machine would help people or businesses in exchange for votes

For example, a political machine would help an immigrant obtain his citizenship and a job, and in exchange, the immigrant would pledge his vote to the political machine

The Structure of a Political Machine

City made up of wards and wards made up precincts (neighborhoods)

CITY BOSS (typically the mayor of a city; head of the political machine)WARD BOSS (tried to get the

electoral vote in his ward) PRECINCT WORKERS or CAPTAINS (tried to get voters’ support in a precinct or neighborhood)

City Boss

Usually the mayor of the cityControlled who received city jobs and

servicesTried to solve urban problems to get

voters’ supportHelped immigrants with naturalization

and finding jobs in exchange for votesOften associated with corrupt practices

Voter Fraud

Instructing people to use false names or the names of people who died to place votes; or instructing one person to vote multiple times by using disguises

Could also involve other forms of corruption such pay offs (shot of whisky or $1 in exchange for a vote)

Political machines were notorious for voter fraud in order to sway election results in their favor

1960 Presidential Election: rumors involving Democratic Machine in Chicago winning election for JFK

Voter Fraud Political Cartoon

Voter Fraud

Graft

Graft: illegal use of political influence for personal gain

For example, BRIBE (city political machine could help a business in exchange for cash)

KICKBACK: another example of graft; city boss gives a business a city contract and allows the business to overcharge for services, the business then sends (or kickbacks) a portion of the overcharge back to the city boss

Tammany Hall

It was a powerful Democratic political machine which ran New York City from late 1700s to early 1900s

William M. Tweed was its boss (Boss Tweed)New York County Courthouse: construction

contractor charged taxpayers $13 million, but it only cost $3 million to build; difference went to Tweed’s pockets Tweed caught and goes to prison, but escapes to

Europe Caught in Spain thanks to a unflattering political

cartoon!

Boss Tweed

Patronage and Civil Service

Patronage: giving government jobs to people who helped get you elected Some called it the “lifeblood of politics”

Review: President Jackson’s “Spoils System”What are the pros and cons of patronage?Civil Service: jobs in government

administration (city, state or federal level) Reformers wanted to eliminate patronage and replace

it with a MERIT-BASED SYSTEM

Backers of the Merit-Based System

Rutherford B. Hayes and others

Hayes: U.S. president from 1877-1881 (Compromise of 1877?) Could not convince Congress to adopt Civil Service

reform However, he did clean up corruption in NYC’s

Customs HouseJames A. Garfield: assassinated by an insane

man who did not get a government job (patronage); assassin believed that Arthur would hook him up Shot in back and dies 2 months later from wounds

Chester A. Arthur: Garfield’s VP, becomes president and passes reform on patronage

Garfield Assassination

Pendleton Civil Service Act of 1883

Passed in reaction to Garfield’s assassination and to limit patronage

Imposed a merit-based system (People who wanted a federal job needed to pass an examination)

By 1901, 40% of all federal jobs were civil service positions requiring the passing of an examination

Today, police, fire, mail, etc. must pass testWhat type of questions do you believe are

these examinations?