1. Urbanization and The Gilded Age

2. gild·ed
adjective
--covered thinly with gold leaf or gold paint. OR
--wealthy and privileged.
adjective: gilded; past participle: gilded

3. What was the Gilded Age?
The Gilded Age in United States history is the late 19th century, from the 1870s to about 1900
The Gilded Age is defined as the time during which the U.S. population and economy grew quickly, there was a lot of political corruption and corporate financial misdealings and many wealthy people lived very fancy lives---while the poor lived in squalor.

4. Owners vs Workers

5. Urban Political Machines
By the mid 1800s American cities and their problems grew rapidly
Political environments change
Political machines were organized

6. William Marcy Tweed N.Y.C.’s Infamous Boss Born April 3, 1823 in NYC
Died April
in Jail
N.Y.C.’s Infamous Boss

7. Big Bad Bill’s Early Influences
He held numerous jobs including, chair maker, bookkeeper, family business, and volunteer fireman
Attended N.Y.C.’s public schools
Learned woodworking as a trade
He became an alderman to N.Y.C. in 1851 and rose quickly through the ranks

8. Political Accomplishments
1788
William Marcy Tweed
Elected into the House of Representatives in 1852
Elected to the New York City Board of Advisors 1856
Elected as New York State Senator in 1867
Chairperson N.Y.S.
Democratic party

9. Tammany Hall
1860’s Tammany controlled all Democratic New York state and city nominations
Boss Tweed Strengthens Tammany through the appointment of friends called the Tweed Ring

10. The House that Tweed Built
Tweed Built an empire out of Tammany Hall
1860
Tammany was Founded in 1788, named after a
legendary Delaware Indian chief

11. Tammany Today
Currently it is use as an off Broadway theater

12. Tammany The Political club and Logo 1860
Most of the members were Irish American workingmen closed out of the city’s more exclusive clubs.
Tammany men took over the local Democratic Party and turned their club into a political “MACHINE”

13. The Machine The Boss He controlled the activities of a political
party throughout a city
Ward Boss
He worked on securing votes, he
helped the poor by handing out city
jobs, contacts, or political appointment.
Precinct Captains
They worked to gain voters’ support on city blocks and reported to ward boss

14. The Tweed Ring The ring consisted of Tweed (The Grand Sachem)
and his henchmen
Peter Sweeny = City Chamberlain
Richard B. Connolly = City Comptroller
Abraham Oakley Hall = Mayor

15. Politics and Plunder Graft = Charging more than the Jobs worth
Tweed conned the city of New York out of an estimated 200 million plus (some say a BILLION in today’s terms)
Graft = Charging more than the Jobs worth
Kickbacks = Giving money back to Tweed
Payoffs = Keeping the law and politicians quiet

16. My Way or the Highway Tweed ruled the city with an iron fist.
Things were done Boss Tweed’s way or they weren’t done at all.
This cartoon by Thomas Nast depicts Tweed as policeman in a convict uniform

17. Charting the Plunder

18. Cutting Checks
Ornate checks like this one from the County Treasurer of New York were used to make the payoffs

19. Keeping Power through Patronage
Office Positions Held (1865)
# of Random Immigrants
# of Irish Immigrants
Mayor’s office 2 11
Alderman 34
Tax Commissioner 26
Sheriff 1 23
Street Dept. 8
Law Dept. 76
Police Captains 32
Comptroller
126
Keeping Power through Patronage

20. Payroll

21. “Gigantic Frauds of the Ring Exposed”
July 1, 1871 New York Times
“Gigantic Frauds of the Ring Exposed”
Tweed’s courthouse corruption exposed.
Newspapers ran stories on the “FOURTY THIEVES” all those involved in the construction of the court house.
At a time when men made a dollar a day contractors charged the city 400,000 for safes, 175,000 for carpets, and 7,500 for thermometers

22. Convicted by a Cartoonist
New York Times, Harper’s Weekly cartoonist Thomas Nast portrayed Tweed for what he really was:
A beast feeding off the city

23. Eating up the city!

24. Nast and Harper’s Weekly published close to 50 cartoons about Tweed’s greed and dastardly deeds
Thomas Nast’s Relentless Depictions of Tweed’s corruption grabs some prominent attention and lands Tweed in jail. Samuel J. Tilden spearheads the ring.

25. Busted December 17, 1871

26. Nast was offered a $500,000 bribe to end his campaign
The Arrest of Tweed
Nast was offered a $500,000 bribe to end his campaign
He did not accept it.

27. Judgment Day Guilty of Corruption ! Sentenced to 12 years in jail !
Tweed faces the music
“There was Tweed”
Under his rule the ballot-box was freed!
Six times as big a vote he could record
As there were people living in the ward!
W.A.Croffut
“Bourbon Ballads”

28. Tweed Escapes

29. Nast haunts Tweed
An American in Spain recognizes Tweed from one of Nast’s cartoons
Tweed is arrested again and brought back for justice
Big Bad Billy died in Prison April 12, 1878