Thomas Nast was an extremely popular political cartoonist who crusaded in the reform of New York politics by making the political corruptions of Boss Tweed and Tammany Hall public and widely known. Thomas Nast's “Tammany Tiger” is among his most famous political cartoons. In this cartoon, Nast presents the Tammany Hall political machine in the form of a powerful tiger. The cartoon’s caption reads, “The Tammany Tiger Loose—‘What are you going to do about it?’” The tiger is let loose in an arena of sorts where a woman is being held down. The women’s fallen off helmet is labelled “Republic” and lies alongside her broken shield labeled “Ballot” and a broken sword labeled “Law.” This women is known as Columbia and is a symbol of the American Republic. …show more content…
The tiger, a symbol of Tammany Hall, is depicted as killing or endangering the American Republic including aspects such as the ballot and law. In the image, Boss Tweed is dressed as a Roman emperor and is sitting with other members of the Democratic Tammany political machine above the arena watching the tiger attack Columbia. Another famous political cartoon based on Boss Tweed and Tammany Hall by the famous Thomas Nast is “A Group Of Vultures.” This cartoon depicts Boss Tweed and other Tammany Hall leaders (or “bosses”) as vultures, which are known to eat the remains of dead animals.
Boss Tweed, the largest vulture, is shown standing on the body of a dead man with “New York” written on his sleeve. This is to illustrate how Boss Tweed and his friends are feeding on the city of New York, not helping it. The vultures are in a nest, surrounded by bones labelled law, justice, liberty, the New York City treasury, etc. This is to demonstrate how Boss Tweed killed virtues such as law, liberty, and justice through his political corruption. The vultures are also shown to be caught in a storm of lightning and rain that is meant to represent the accusation of political corruption by New York newspapers and reformers that Boss Tweed and Tammany Hall were dealing with during this time period. The cartoon’s caption reads, “A Group of Vultures Waiting for the Storm to ‘Blow Over’ – ‘Let Us Prey.’” This basically implies that Boss Tweed and the others are patiently waiting for the storm of accusations and criticism to pass or blow over, like a storm, so that they might continue being vultures and corrupting the …show more content…
government. I believe that Boss Tweed and Tammany Hall were an awful and selfish bunch that easily hurt and troubled others for personal and monetary gain.
They corrupted the New York government and “openly bought votes, encouraged judicial corruption, extracted millions from city contracts, and dominated New York City politics.” (History.com) Thomas Nast brought light to these actions and Boss Tweed and his peers lost the elections of 1871 and were eventually tried (most for “forgery and larceny and other charges”) and sentenced to prison.
Works Cited
Nast, Thomas. “The Tammany Tiger Loose.” https://I.pinimg.com/736x/5d/28/43/5d284313796e9dbc11a83365fa5cc4e8--Tammany-Hall-Political-Cartoons.jpg, Harper's Weekly, Nov. 1871.
Nast, Thomas. “A Group Of Vultures.” http://media.edgenuity.com.education2020.Us/Contentengine/Common//Closereader/SOCIALSTUDIES/3311-02-07/3311-02-07-CR1-001.jpg, Harper's Weekly, 23 Sept. 1871.
.com, History. “‘Boss’ Tweed Delivered to Authorities.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 23 Nov. 1876,
www.history.com/this-day-in-history/boss-tweed-delivered-to-authorities.
The book Plunkitt of Tammany Hall is not only a monument to George W. Plunkitt's 40 plus years as a senator, it is also a monument to his enormous ego. G. W. Plunkitt was a well-liked man among his supporters and Tammany men alike. He had opposition from reformers who accused Tammany Hall of illegal activities involving graft. But, according to Plunkitt he never engaged in, "blackmailin', gamblin' or disorderly people." He said that "the politician that steals is worse than a thief. He is a fool." Plunkitt made a fortune in politics, and he did it all through honest graft. He says that even if his worst enemy wrote his epitaph that he could not do more than write: "George W. Plunkitt. He Seen His Opportunities and He Took 'Em."
Individuals like Boss Tweed seized and controlled entire cities. William M. Tweed was a politician who controlled New York City's political network through illegal subsidization for political support and affiliation with city gangs. From his headquarters at Tammany Hall and his position in the United States House of Representatives, he was able to orchestrate elections, cultivate support, and establish the New York County Courthouse, funded by the profits of the Tweed Ring (“William Magear Tweed”) . His accomplishments were made possible by the chaotic shambling of desperate people who had no choice but to submit to his demands, in hopes of alleviating themselves from their dire circumstances. Tweed was only one of many corrupt political figures who used their power and influence to accumulate wealth, and vice versa.
341). In 1868, Nast began to attack the Tweed Ring in his cartoons. One famous cartoon depicts Tweed and his men as “fat vultures feeding off the city” (Manning, 2007). The next few years, Nast drew Tweed as an “obese, scowling, heavy-bearded thug, sometimes with a moneybag in place of his head, sometimes wearing a striped prisoner’s uniform” (Leepson, 2009, p. 54). Tweed’s infamous comment on the pictures was “Let’s stop them damned pictures. I don’t care what the papers write about me - my constituents can’t read; but damn it, they can see pictures!” (Lamb, 2007, p. 717). Nast proved to be the most effective person to lead Tweed to his demise; however, many other media outlets soon joined the
The political scene of New York was altered greatly as a result of the Triangle Fire. Still dominated by the machine-boss system, New York was prime example of graft and corruption of politicians. Tammany Hall still reigned supreme, even after the fall of Boss Tweed in the 1870s, and a man named Charles Murphy headed it. In 1909, when workers at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory went on strike, owners Max Blanck and Isaac Harris used the police and gangsters to get the strikers to give up their cause. The suppliers of these corrupt office...
The Robber Barons, as they were called, were the kings of American Industry and American Society during the late 1800's and early 1900's. Rich beyond the average man's wildest dreams, these industrialists were often criticized for their philosophies and their ways of making money. Robber Barons can also be viewed as immoral, greedy, and corrupt, and the evidence to support such a view is not difficult to find. Bribery, illegal business practices, and cruelty to workers were not uncommon in this period, and many of the most respected industrialists were also the most feared and hated.
Like Plunkitt, the political bosses where able to use their political position and power to line their own pockets, “If opportunities for turnin’ and honest dollar comes their ‘way, why shouldn’t they take advantage of them, just as I have done?” (RIORDON, Chapter, 20) This practice of lining their pockets with the city’s money, are some of the reasons for the heavy criticism of the Democratic political boss. Plunkitt felt the political bosses where the chief reason for the success of Tammany hall under the Democratic Party. He could relate to the political bosses and their actions, they both felt like they where working for the people of the city of New York, but in effect, Plunkitt and the political bosses where working for
The book Plunkitt of Tammany Hall is not only a monument to George W. Plunkitt's 40 plus years as a senator, it is also a monument to his enormous ego. G. W. Plunkitt was a well-liked man among his supporters and Tammany men alike. He had opposition from reformers who accused Tammany Hall of illegal activities involving graft. But, according to Plunkitt he never engaged in, "blackmailin', gamblin' or disorderly people." He said that "the politician that steals is worse than a thief. He is a fool." Plunkitt made a fortune in politics, and he did it all through honest graft. He says that even if his worst enemy wrote his epitaph that he could not do more than write: "George W. Plunkitt. He Seen His Opportunities and He Took 'Em."
But the other men, who were like hook-clawed, beak-bent vultures,/ descending from the mountains to pounce upon the lesser birds;/ and these on the plain, shrinking away from the clouds, speed off,/ but the vultures plunge on them and destroy them, nor is there any/ defense, nor any escape, and men are glad for the hunting;/ so these men, sweeping about the palace, struck down/ the suitors, one man after another; the floor was smoking/ with blood, and the horrible cries rose up as their heads were broken.
In Upton Sinclair’s novel “The Jungle” the use of animalistic terms and connotations in the depictions of both the people and the politics created persuasive arguments for socialism and against capitalism.
Debbs was arrested for breaking the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, but formed the Industrial Workers of the World Union (IWW) in jail. Most of the political power was in the hands of the businessmen as they had the money to donate to the campaigns of politicians. The federal government is essentially a tool for the wealthy. One instance of political corruption happened with the election of William Andrews Clark.
Following the years of Congressional Reconstruction during the Johnson administration, former Union General Ulysses S. Grant was elected president, despite his lack of political experience. Although Grant was an excellent soldier, he proved to be an insufficient politician, failing to respond effectively to rampant corruption throughout his two terms in office. Both government and businesses were plagued by corrupt schemes, as Republican leaders used the spoils system to gain political favors and “robber barons,” such as Jay Gould and James Fisk, stole large sums of money at the public’s expense. New York Mayor William “Boss” Tweed, leader of the “Tammany Hall” political machine, took advantage of the influx of immigrants to the United States by manipulating newly arrived immigrants, promising employment, housing, and other favors in return for their electoral support. This blatant corruption severely damaged the opinions of many Americans regarding their government, and prompted the election of numerous reform-minded politicians. Rutherford B. Hayes and James Garfield both attempted to restore honest government following the tainted Grant administration, yet political divisions between the “Halfbreed” and “Stalwart” factions of the Republican Party prev...
William Marcy Tweed was the most corrupt "American Politician" the state of New York has ever seen. Tweed was known as "Boss Tweed" and he was the first man to be the boss of New York after the ten year struggle. ("American Heritage") The Boss was the leader of a political machine, which was a political organization that controlled
"Boss" Tweed of Tammany Hall ran New York in the 1860s and early 1870s and some of his feats of swindling helps explain how the machine system works. It mostly centers around the, then new, county courthouse. The building of the courthouse was initially estimated to cost $250,000, but ended up costing well over $13,000,000. Inclu...
want, if you can hit'em but remember it's a sign to kill a. Mockingbird. Harper Lee uses symbolism implicitly to liken mocking. birds to certain characters and explicit references to describe the atmosphere created by events throughout the book. == ==
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