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Reform, Politics, & the Gilded Age. Reformers. Social Gospel Movement preached salvation thru service to the poor inspired people to build churches in poor communities and convinced some business leaders to treat workers more fairly. Reformers. Settlement-house Movement - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Reformers
• Social Gospel Movement– preached salvation thru service to the poor– inspired people to build churches in poor
communities and convinced some business leaders to treat workers more fairly
Created by Katherine Lacks
Reformers• Settlement-house Movement
– community centers in slum neighborhoods that gave assistance and friendship to locals - especially immigrants
– ran mostly by middle-class, college-educated women– promote education, culture, and social services– provide classes - English, health, crafts, drama, music, etc.– sent nurses to homes of sick, injured, etc.– Jane Addams - co-founder of Chicago's Hull House - 1889– Locust Street Social Settlement - Hampton, VA - 1st one for
African Americans
Created by Katherine Lacks
The Political Machine
Organization (city bosses)– organized group that controlled activities of
a political party in a city– offered services to voters and business in
exchange for political and financial support– voters received city jobs, contracts, political
appointments in exchange for votes– organized like a pyramid
Created by Katherine Lacks
The Political Machine
City Boss
Ward Boss
Local precinct workers & captains
• City Boss – controlled the political party throughout the city
• Ward Boss – worked to gain all precinct’s support during elections
• Local precinct workers and captains – gained voter support on block or in neighborhood
Created by Katherine Lacks
The Political Boss
• controlled 1000s of city jobs (including police, fire, sanitation), business licenses and inspections, influenced courts and agencies
• helped solve many urban problems which won loyalty from voters
• built parks, sewer systems, waterworks, gave money to schools, hospitals, orphanages, etc.
Created by Katherine Lacks
The Political Boss
• many were 1st or 2nd generation immigrants and had worked their way up from poverty
• spoke language and could relate to immigrant problems
• able to provide solutions• helped immigrants become
naturalized, find place to live and get a job in exchange for votes
Created by Katherine Lacks
Corruption was widespread during this era in the government
The rapid industrialization led to rapid urbanization and local governments could not keep up with the fast rate of
city growth
Immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe had no knowledge
of democratic society and were easy prey for city bosses
Businessmen were closely linked with big city bosses making corruption hard to
fightCreated by Katherine Lacks
Graft & Scandal
• fraudulent elections - use names of dogs, kids, deceased as voters
• graft - misuse of power– turning in a bill higher than actual cost and
"kickback" (illegal payments) go to the machine
– granting favors to businesses in return for cash
– accepting bribes to allow illegal activities
Created by Katherine Lacks
Tweed Ring
• William Marcy Tweed - head of Tammany Hall - NYC's powerful Democratic political machine (1863)
• pocketed @ $200 million from city in kickbacks (1869-1871)
• finally broken up in 1871• Tweed indicted on 220 counts of fraud and
extortion - sentenced to 12 years• escaped after serving 2 years but recaptured in
Spain later
Created by Katherine Lacks
A novel by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner which explored political and
economic corruption in the U.S. The phrase “Gilded Age”, commonly given to
the era, comes from the title of this book. The term gilded means to be covered with
gold. Twain and Warner used it in the novel to
refer to a city, which from a distance, looked as if it was made of gold, but instead, was
covered in cheap gold paint. This was a symbol of the truth about America, where
corporations like the railroad companies told lies about streets made of gold to attract
immigrants to work for them.The two major characters, Colonel Beriah Sellers and Senator Abner Dilworthy, are linked together by a government railroad
bribery scheme. Twain and Warner depicted an American
society that on the surface appeared prosperous and full of opportunities but
underneath was corrupt and scandalous.
The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today (1873)
Warner
Twain
Created by Katherine Lacks
Gilded- “to make appear more bright and attractive”
“An era of slums and palaces”
Created by Katherine Lacks
Reasons that the RICH were so rich (and there were few of them) and the POOR were so poor (and there
were so many of them)• No income taxes• No Government regulations on
business (at first)• No unions to protect workers & help
increase wages• Lack of proper education & Child Labor• Strong Belief in Social Darwinism
(among “Rich”)• Massive graft and corruption
Created by Katherine Lacks
Built by George Washington Vanderbilt between 1888 & 1895
Ashville, NC
Largest privately owned home in the US
255 rooms; 175,000 sq. ft.
Created by Katherine Lacks
Hearst CastleHearst CastleSan Simeon, CASan Simeon, CA
William Randolph HearstWilliam Randolph Hearst Created by Katherine Lacks