1. Urbanization, the Political machine & Reform
Chapter 7: Section 2 (pp )

2. Class activity
With your partner identify urban problems at the turn of the century.
Then examine whether or not the same problems exist today.
Urban Problem
Then
Now
Sanitation

3. Why Urbanization? Rural Migration Immigration
Technology replaced farmers
Unskilled Jobs
Immigration
Ethic Neighborhoods

4. Urban Problems

10. Urban Reformers The Americanization Movement Social Gospel Movement
Assimilation
Social Gospel Movement
Salvation by service to the poor
Settlement Houses
Jane Adams
Hull House

11. Hull House

12. The Political Machine Services exchanged for votes Read pp. 268-269
Class activity: Create a T-graph. List the pros and cons of a political machine
Pros
Cons

13. Role of the Political Boss
Controlled access to municipal jobs, business licenses, etc.
Used influence or power to direct money to whatever projects they wanted.
Motivated to win votes
Provided lots of services to immigrants

14. Immigrants & the Machine
The machine helped with naturalization
Gave many jobs and other services
Wanted loyalty and votes in return.

15. Municipal Graft & Fraud
Corruption
Fraud
Stuffing ballot box
Graft (using influence for personal gain)
Kickbacks (illegal payments)
Accepted bribes for illegal activities
Until 1890 police forces were hired by the political machine.

16. Tammany Hall & the Tweed Ring
Major graft
Courthouse project cost $3 million but taxpayers ended up spending $13 million which went into the pockets of the Tweed Ring.

17. Cartoonist Thomas Nast
Tweed was convicted and tried twice.
While serving time he escaped to Spain.
He was captured when officials recognized him from one a Thomas Nast cartoon.

18. Patronage & Civil Service Reform
Patronage – giving of gov jobs to people who helped a candidate get elected
AKA Spoils System – not always qualified
Reformers began to press for elimination of patronage & adoption of a merit system based on a civil service exam
Those that resisted reforms were known as Stalwarts

19. Reform Under Hayes
Pres Hayes could not convince Congress to pass reform so he used other means (1) He appointed independents to cabinet positions and (2) he set up commission to investigate the notoriously corrupt NYC Customhouse where jobs were controlled by the Repub party. Corruption was exposed and firings were made Firings enraged the Repub political boss, Roscoe Conkling & his stalwart supporters

20. Assassination of Garfield
Hayes did not run for reelection
James A. Garfield was elected president and angered Stalwarts by giving reformers most of the patronage jobs
Charles Guiteau assassinated Garfield which influenced the new president, Charles Arthur, to press for civil service reform and the Pendleton Civil Service Act of 1883.

21. Pendleton Civil Service Act 1883
Appts to civil service jobs would now be based on a candidate’s performance on a civil service test
By 1901 more than 40% of federal jobs were classified as civil service positions
Mixed results: public admin became more honest & efficient but politicians could no longer pressure employees for campaign contributions
Politicians had to turn to other sources which was BIG BUSINESS

22. Harrison, Cleveland & High Tariffs
Big business wanted high tariffs to protect domestic industry from foreign competition
Democrats opposed high tariffs bc they increased prices
Grover Cleveland tried to lower tariffs but Congress refused to support him
Benjamin Harrison replaced Cleveland & won passage of the McKinley Tariff Act 1890 (highest tariff ever)
Cleveland won reelection in 1892