1. Corruption of City Government With new problems of urbanization never had the role of city government been more important. This importance gave local government officials quite a bit of power.

2. The Political Machine An unofficial city organization designed to keep a particular party or group in power usually headed by a single powerful “boss” who often held public office. It operated on the Spoils System (patronage and kickback). Immigrants were attracted to the political machine because they needed help getting their feet on the ground and the machine wanted their political support and vote. People blamed immigrants for their success

3. Graft City Bosses and members of the political machine would use their position/job to gain profit. This was a major source of income for the machine.

4. The City Boss Ward Bosses Precinct Captains and Workers

5. Tammany Hall Notorious Boss William Tweed Tammany Hall (the political club that ran NYC’s Democratic Party). Use all kinds of Graft once in power of the cities treasury in 1870. - padded bills for construction projects and contracts with fake expenses and kept the extra money for themselves

6. Thomas Nast German immigrant journalist/political cartoonist. Use his influence and cartoons to expose Tweed’s methods to public Tweed would go to jail in 1873, but Tammany Hall would dominate NYC’s politics for another half century.