Political Machines in the Gilded Age Urban problems gave rise to political machinesUrban problems gave rise to political machines  Cities grew too fast—municipal gov’t unable to keep up with needs of people SolutionSolution = Political Machine steps in and provides services in exchange for votes and money Goal of MachineGoal of Machine  Get the group's own candidates elected to all of the top jobs in the city government.  Once in control of the city government, use that power to make the leaders of the organization rich.

The Political Machine Cities City governments Didn’t provide: jobs, financial aid, protection, sanitation, etc. Political Machine steps in Provided services and business help in exchange for votes and money

precinct captains precinct workers ward bosses city boss organized group that controlled things for a political party Political Machines: All work together to elect their candidates & ensure the success of the machine

precinct captains precinct workers ward bosses city boss organized group that controlled things for a political party Political Machines: All work together to elect their candidates & ensure the success of the machine

Winning Elections Depended on the votes of the immigrants Supporters in all the city's neighborhoods. would meet new immigrants and give them help –Finding a job or place to live. On election day, the machine's supporters would make sure the immigrants knew who to vote for to return the favor. At times, political machines used fraud to win elections. –Supporters could be sent out to vote multiple times in different neighborhoods using different names

Getting Rich Once in control of the city's top elected offices… Graft = political corruption – Use of a politician's authority for personal gain –When someone exchanges a political donation for political favor –Ex: Demand bribes from businesses that wanted to get city contracts for jobs like paving city streets

But... political machines did some good things! Pushed for real improvements to the city's schools, hospitals, roads, and the city water system. Gave help to the immigrants and other poor people of the city.

Urbanization Influx of immigrants & migrants causes population boom in cities City services (housing, h2O, sanitation) stretched to the limit Reformers try to fix urban problems through ed., training, charity, and political action Immigration & Migration Poverty & persecution cause millions of people to immigrate to the U.S. Immigrants forced to adapt to new language & culture Agriculture changes spur migrate from rural U.S. to urban U.S. Many immigrants and migrants face discrimination in jobs & housing Politics Pol. Mach. develop to take advantage of the needs of immigrants & urban poor City politicians use graft & fraud to maintain political power Corruption in politics causes civil service system to be developed