Political Machines/Civil Service Reform

TEKS 2A: Which of the following best characterizes the Gilded Age?

• The discovery of goldfields in the West led to an increase in the amount of money issued for circulation.

• Industrialists used their connections with corrupt government officials for material gain and political power.

• In the Deep South a sharp increase in immigration brought a boom in construction and industry.

• Small, family-owned farms were bought and consolidated to form large agricultural corporations.

TEKS 3A: During the nineteenth century, one way political bosses gained voter support was by —

• campaigning for women’s suffrage

• advocating the use of poll taxes

• making improvements in urban infrastructure

• providing public assistance for former slaves

TEKS 3A,29H: Which issue is this cartoon addressing?

• Political corruption

• Temperance

• Civil-service reform

• Segregation

TEKS 3A, 29H: Study the diagram and answer the question that follows.

• The rising costs of national defense

• Threats posed by immigrant radicals

• Abuses of the spoils system by political machines

• The inefficiency of large corporations

TEKS 3A, 29B: Which action is best described by this excerpt?

• Elected leaders helped immigrants to assimilate to life in the United States.

• Political machines justified corruption while providing benefits to communities.

• Progressive leaders protested eminent domain laws in the United States.

• Muckrakers tried to uncover government scandals in urban communities.

TEKS 3A, 29B: This legislation affected how federal employees were hired. The law now required government jobs to be —

• based on the political party affiliation of the applicant

• determined by a merit system based on civil service examinations

• based on the approval of lawmakers

• set aside for business executives of large corporations

TEKS 3A: What was one reason for the expansion of machine politics in the late nineteenth century?

• The rapid influx of immigrants made it difficult for local governments to provide basic services.

• Federal restrictions prevented voters from influencing government decisions at the local level.

• The economy was too tightly regulated to allow urban growth.

• Settlement houses failed to help immigrants adjust to life in the city