Plunkitt of Tammany Hall
1. Honest Graft and Dishonest Graft- When Plunkitt was tipped off about something in the city or someone wanting to built a park or something, he sees the opportunity and he takes it. He buys up the land before they do. When they see that they are going to need the land, he sells it to them at a much higher price than what he paid for it, giving him a nice profit. That is honest graft. Several politicians are accused of stealing dollars from the state’s treasury, this is an example of dishonest graft.
The condemnation commissioners came along and found piece after piece of land under the name George Plunkitt of the Fifteenth Assembly District, New York City. They wondered how he knew just what to buy. Plunkitt sees the opportunity and he takes it.
2. How to Become a Statesman- If you want to make a fame and fortune for yourself in politics, do not come at them with all of your book smarts and saying how smart you are. That is a big mistake. Get a person to follow you, even if it is only one person and say that you want to join the organization. Do not go at them with your book smarts because they will say that they have no use for you here.
3. The Curse of the Civil Service Reform- Men who have patriotism get it blasted away when they take the civil services examination. The civil service law is the biggest fraud of the age. There are ten thousand good offices, but we cannot get no more than a few hundred of them. When we cannot place these men who wanted to serve their country, they become an Anarchist. There is nothing in the game.
4. Reformers Only Morning’ Glories- Many reform movements were started during PLunkitt’s forty years in politics, but none have lasted more than a few years.
Morning glories looked great in the beginning but folded in short time. These reformers have been going into things without much practice while the politicians, have been practicing all of their lives and know ever fine point of the game.
5. New York City Is Pie for the Hayseeds- New York farmers wanted their taxes lowered because they were too high. The Republican Legislature will make a rush for the farmer and tell him that if he does not see what he wants to ask for it. After they cut the farmers tax , they raise taxes on liquor and some other taxes in New York City. They take half of the proceeds from th...
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...he Nation- New York City owes pretty much what it all is today to the bosses of Tammany Hall in the last 20 years. With bosses everything runs smoothly, like noiseless machinery.
21. Concerning Excise- Every time there is an increase of the fee in The Raines Liquor Law, there is an increase in the suicide record of the city. If it is a right to tax a saloonkeeper $1000, its right to put a heavy tax on dealers in other beverages- in milk, for instance- and make the dairymen pay up. If the Raines law gave the money extorted from the saloonkeepers to the city, there might be some excuse for the tax.
22. A Parting Word on the Future of the Democratic Party in America- One issue that would set this country on fire is the abolition of the civil service laws which are destroying patriotism and taking away good jobs from people that have earned them.
23. Strenuous Life of the Tammany District Leader- Plunkitt plays politics day in and day out with no rests. He helps feel the hungry and bury the dead. Plunkitt keeps watch on men, women, and children of his district. He knows their needs, likes and dislikes, troubles and hopes, and helps them to get what they want or need.
...l to readers to see how the reform movement played a major role in better health and labor standards across many cities in the United States. By giving more focus to these positive elements, I thought it could have made for a very interesting contrast between pros and cons for the reform movement, similar to what readers received while reading about machine politics in Chapter 3.
George W. Plunkitt of Tammany Hall may have been one of the most arrogant & intelligent men of his time, he saw his opportunities when they arose and he took them as soon as he possibly could. Not only did he make a huge fortune but he made it using, what he called, "honest graft". With this sentence in the first chapter,"Everybody is talkin' these days about Tammany men growin' rich on graft, but nobody thinks of drawin' the distinction between honest graft and dishonest graft." Plunkitt sets the tone for his short treatise on New York City politics while Tammany Hall ran the show. George W. Plunkitt was a senator in New York at the turn of the 19th Century to the 20th Century. He was very successful in politics, and at one time he held four offices at once and collected salaries from three of them. G. W. Plunkitt securely held one and possibly other offices in Tammany Hall for over forty years. He was somewhat of a shady politician who took care of his constituents and his bank account. Plunkitt was never shy about becoming rich in politics because he did nothing illegal by the standards of the time. Moreover, Plunkitt never broke the penal code and therefore never spent a day in jail.
Andy Warhol was a graphic artist, painter, and film maker, amoung other things, also associated with Pop Art. He moved to New York, around 1950, where he did his first advertisements as a comercial artist and, later, began showing in expositions. One technique employed by Warhol involved repeditive silk screen prints on canvas. He used this method to produce many series of prints with various, easily reconizable images. Between 1962 and 1964 in his self titled studio “The Factory”(Phaidon 484), Warhol produced over two thousand pictures. One of these, Lavender Disaster, was made in 1963 and belonged to a series of pictures all including the same image of an electric chair.
The Progressive Movement that occurred during the early 20th century was a time of major reform in the United States of America. During this time, there was a group of activists that referred to themselves as the Progressives, and they sought to change society for the people. The way that they intended to do this was change through their ideals of democracy, efficiency, regulation, and social justice. With this movement came the election that changed the course of America’s history “…demonstrating a victory for progressive reforms as both Progressive candidates accounted for 75 percent of all the votes” (Bowles). The candidates in this election were Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. While both of these men considered themselves to be part of the progressives and shared some similar opinions, they also differed from each other greatly and were apparent in their views during this time.
Known for being the father of Pop Art, and a giant in pop culture, Warhol dominated the art scene from the late fifties up until his untimely death in 1987. However Warhol’s influence spread further then the art world, he also was a major player in the LGBT, avant-garde and experimental cinema movements. Born in 1928 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Slovakian immigrant parents, Warhol came from humble beginnings. Becoming widely known for debuting the concept of ‘pop art’ in 1962. Warhol’s reach grew further when he started experimenting with film, becoming a major player in the LGBT, avant-garde and experimental cinema movements. Warhol’s artist studio, known famously as ‘The Factory’ became a hub for experimentation, and a go-to point for celebrities, musicians and trans folk. During this time, Warhol came out as an openly gay man, challenging the status quo of the day, a time when being homosexual was illegal. While also producing highly experiential films such as ‘Blow Job’ (1964) and ‘Sleep’ (1964) which were highly political and provocative, at the time. As art critic Dave Hickey asserts, “Art has political consequences, which is to say, it reorganized society and creates constituencies of people around it” (Hickey, 2007), Andy Warhol’s art and lived experience created a political constituency which can be best recognised in the function of the “Silver Factory” on
In the beginning of the twentieth century, the economy was booming, new technology flourished. The rapid industrialization brought achievement to the United States, however, it also caused several social problems. Wealth and power were concentrated in the hands of a few, and poverty and political corruption were widespread. As people became aware of these problems, a new reform group was created. Unlike populism, which had been a group of farmers grown desperate as the economy submerged into depression, the new reform movement arose from the educated middle class. These people were known as the progressives. The Progressive Movement was a movement that aimed at solving political, economic, and social problems. The Progressives were people from the middle class who had confidence that they could achieve social progress through political reform. The Progressives sought after changes and improvements in the society through laws and other federal actions.
In short, reformers were fed up with inept government, and believed that through economic and social reforms, they can influence the government to enact the changes they desire.
During the late 19th and early 20th century both the Populist Party and Progressive movement wanted to preserve some things, while also addressing the need for reform. Although many of the ideas and goals of these “Third parties” were initially not legislated and considered far-fetched, many of these ideas later became fundamental laws throughout American history. The Populists and Progressives were both grass roots movements, and addressed the needs of the poor and powerless, for the Populists it was farmers and for the Progressives it was urban lower and middle class workers. These two movements attempted to bring the powerless peoples issues to national politics. The Populists and Progressives wanted to preserve some American ideals of the past, such as a sense of community and the ability for farmers and workers to live happily without economic strains. Populists were more oriented to the plight of the farmer while the Progressives included women's rights, and protection of the consumer and labor.
A variety of reforms were done by the middle-class Progressives to innovate the society of America into what they believed in. Limiting the power of the “upper scum” and supporting the rights of the “lower scum” of society to create a classless society was what they believed in. The Progressives searched to have a poli...
Strom Thurmond began his political career as a Democrat strongly opposed to civil rights laws, but eventually he changed both his party and his ideology. Thurmond has been a strong influence on Southern Politics since his days as the Edgefield County superintendent of education. He has had a hand in most of the major events in the Southern political history of the 20th century.
The citizens and leaders of the reform movements realized that without action, these movements would be nothing (DOC G). So many of them decided to step out and stand up for their cause. Without these important American leaders, our nation would not have grown into the nation it is today. Through their determination and sacrifice, they made a huge difference in expanding America’s democratic ideals by laying the foundation for religion and education, movements through abolition and temperance acts, expanding beliefs by caring for the insane, and taking a stand for personal rights.
Before I started this research paper, all I knew about Andy Warhol was that he was the leader of the pop art movement. Reading his book and many biographies written about him, I have learned that Warhol is a truly complex character. I found out during my research that Warhol is a hoarder. Warhol himself has admitted that he had a problem with throwing anything away. In his book, he addressed that he wanted a clean empty space, but his mind wouldn’t let him. This new perspective of Warhol allowed me to tie his artwork as a reflection of his mind. I think Andy Warhol as exactly what he was, an artist in New York City. I cannot imagine Warhol outside of the NYC scene because Warhol was very provocative for the time period he lived in and NYC is perfect for people like
The 60’s was Warhol’s big boom in production and fame. In 1962, Warhol “debuted the concept of ‘pop-art’” (biography.com). Here is where he did his famous pieces like the Campbell’s Soup cans and the Elvis prints. Most of his muse was commercial products at this point. He could make art out of anything. For example, the soup cans or the Brillo box. In 1961, Warhol made a piece inspired by Coca-Cola, which became a “pivotal piece in his career” (warhol.org). In 1962, Warhol made created his pieces he’s most famous for; his silkscreen photographic portraits of celebrities. He made art of celebrities like Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor. In this year, Warhol opened a solo pop-art exhibit in Los
The nineteen sixties, seventies, and eighties were periods of self righteousness and discovery. With many new styles and beliefs arising during those eras, Warhol’s imagination would begin to produce ideas that were unheard of but revolutionary at the same time. American values were altered and so Warhol saw a chance to highlight how easily people are influenced by the media and pop culture. He used many aspects of the new cultural society to create his artwork.
When you associate anything with New York City it is usually the extraordinary buildings that pierce the sky or the congested sidewalks with people desperate to shop in the famous stores in which celebrities dwell. Even with my short visit there I found myself lost within the Big Apple. The voices of the never-ending attractions call out and envelop you in their awe. The streets are filled with an atmosphere that is like a young child on a shopping spree in a candy store. Although your feet swelter from the continuous walking, you find yourself pressing on with the yearning to discover the 'New York Experience'.