Political Machines - Tammany Hall

Urbanization

The growth
of cities

Problems caused by Urbanization

1. Overcrowding
2. Poverty
3. Filth
4. Disease
5. Crime

Solutions to problems

1.

Reformers like Jacob
Riis brought awareness
to problems.

2.

Skyscrapers and
tenement apartments

3.

Waste Removal

4.

Indoor toilets, plumbing,

5.

water purification

6.

Police, Mugshots

Political Machines - The Gilded Age

● Organization that

controlled U.S.
cities during the
Gilded Age.

​Political Machines gave Immigrants

• Jobs

• A place to live (apartments)

• a sense of belonging and pride ​

​

Multiple Choice

Politicians gave immigrants jobs and a place to live. What did they want in return?

• money

• votes

• support for child labor

3. Tammany Hall

● This was theDemocratic Political Machine that controlled New York City.

Poll

How much schooling do you think George Washington Plunkitt had

• 1 year of schooling

• 5 years of schooling

• he graduated from high school

• he graduated from college

Poll

Do you think there is such a thing as HONEST GRAFT (using your position as a politician to make $ but doing it honestly)

• Yes

• No

• Maybe, not sure

Poll

What do you think of what Plunkitt did?

• I have no problem with it

• This was wrong, just wrong.

• I'm on the fence and can't decide

Open Ended

Explain why you chose the answer you did

Poll

What do you think of what Plunkitt did?

• I have no problem with it

• Wrong, just wrong

• I'm not sure

Who led the political machines?

Each political machine was led
by a political Boss.

The most famous Tammany Hall Boss was William Marcy Tweed

A New Courthouse for NY City

●

Construction started 1861

●

Took 4 years to build

●

Tammany Hall controlled
all construction contracts

●

They got 65% commission
on every contract

●

This netted them 3 million
dollars

The New Courthouse

●

How much $

would 3 million be

today?

Multiple Choice

How much would $3 million be in today's dollars

• 3 million

• 30 million

• 50 million

• 70 million

Multiple Choice

How much did Tammany Hall's construction company charge for a set of three tables and forty chairs?

• $50

• $1,700

• $17,000

• $179,000

The Answer

$179,729.60

Other costs to taxpayers

● Carpeting = $350,000
● A worker was paid $134,000 for two days work

fixing window frames.

● Cost of Plaster = $3 million dollars
● Total cost to build courthouse = $11 million
● Cost to purchase Alaska? = $7 million

Thomas Nast made cartoons showing Tweed was corrupt.

The Bribe

Tweed offered Nast
$500,000 to never

make another political

cartoon about him

Open Ended

Would you take the money? explain your answer

Poll

What did Nast do

• took it

• refused to take it