Political corruption ran rampant throughout all levels of American government in the 1800s. William Marcy Tweed was probably one of the most corrupt American Politician the state of New York has ever seen.
Tweed was born April 3, 1823 on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Tweed ran an urban political machine. Urban political machine is a party organization that recruits its members by use of money, political jobs and that is characterized by high degree of leadership control over member activity. These machines were created as a way for Tweed get power and stay in power. There was some pros and cons to this machine. The pros were that the machine gave jobs and housing to immigrants and in return they demanded that they vote for Tweed.
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They were able to do this because there were no secret ballots in those days. Tweed not only help immigrants but the machine also help build parks, sewers systems, waterways, hospitals, schools and orphanages. There was quite a few of cons that went along with what Tweed was doing and one of the biggest ones was corruption.
After the election of 1869, Tweed took control of the New York City government. Tweed garnered the support of good government reformers like Peter Cooper and the Union League Club, by proposing a new city charter which returned power to City Hall at the expense of the Republican-inspired state commissions. The new charter passed, thanks in part to $600,000 in bribes Tweed paid to Republicans, and was signed into law by Hoffman in 1870. This new charter put the Board of audit, which consisted of tweed who was commissioner of public works, in control of the city’s finances. Another one of his scandals came when the NYC taxes were being raised to build a new court house. He raised $11 million to building the courthouse when in actually only need $3 million. Tweed pocketed the rest of the money and he was caught, put on trial and was convicted and was put in jail for 2 weeks when he later escaped to Canada and was recaptured and was put back in …show more content…
jail. Andrew Carnegie, John D.
Rockefeller, J.P Morgan were described as both Captains of Industries and Robber Barons. Andrew Carnegie who was a Scottish American industrialist who led the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century. I believe Carnegie was called a Captain of Industry because he started out as an immigrant and worked his way to the top w/ his abilities and I think he was called a Robber baron because he paid low wages which helped him become wealthy which I think is a bit unfair because he never held a gun to anyone’s head and made them work for him. John D. Rockefeller was a co-founder of the Standard Oil Company, which dominated the oil industry and was the first great U.S. business trust. I guess he was called a Captain of Industry because he was an oil baron, being the owner of Standard Oil. He became so rich in fact that Congress made him split up his company into two parts. He had a stranglehold on the oil industry which made him a captain of industry but because of his wealth, he essentially had a monopoly on the oil business so he could charge what he wanted. J. P. Morgan was an American financier, banker, and art collector who dominated corporate finance and industrial consolidation during his time. I believe what made him a Captain of Industry was the fact that he helped save to government from financial collapse and he made money in the process and he is a Robber Baron because he owned the biggest monopolistic
business ever owned which means that for example to make an object, he owned the raw material, the companies that made the objects, and the transport to get it to the market. This gives Morgan too much control over the economy, since if an option came up he would just lower the price for a while and when the company went bankrupt he would raise the prices again. Me personally I thought that they were Captain of Industry because they all started from the bottom to get to the top and became self-made millionaires but there was certain circumstances that ultimately lead them to become Robber Barons as well.
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.
A "robber baron" was someone who employed any means necessary to enrich themselves at the expense of their competitors. Did John D. Rockefeller fall into that category or was he one of the "captains of industry", whose shrewd and innovative leadership brought order out of industrial chaos and generated great fortunes that enriched the public welfare through the workings of various philanthropic agencies that these leaders established? In the early 1860s Rockefeller was the founder of the Standard Oil Company, who came to epitomize both the success and excess of corporate capitalism. His company was based in northwestern Pennsylvania.
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. By the mid 20th century, the scale and prominence of corruption had increased dramatically, due to the widespread transition to vast urban cities and industrialized systems. The greed and desperation that resulted from the shift towards industrialism accelerated the growth of corruption in
With this power came leniency for the men and Tweed began to use this power to gain personal wealth. Tweed accomplished this when he made business for the city. For example, “Tweed allowed the contractors to overcharge the city for their work as long as the suppliers ‘kicked back’ a portion of their illicit profits to him” (Anbinder, 2010), as well as Hall, Sweeny, and Connolly. Tweed and these men were nicknamed the Tweed ring, known for their illicit acts against the city (Hirsch, 1945, p.
During the 1800’s, business leaders who built their affluence by stealing and bribing public officials to propose laws in their favor were known as “robber barons”. J.P. Morgan, a banker, financed the restructuring of railroads, insurance companies, and banks. In addition, Andrew Carnegie, the steel king, disliked monopolistic trusts. Nonetheless, ruthlessly destroying the businesses and lives of many people merely for personal profit; Carnegie attained a level of dominance and wealth never before seen in American history, but was only able to obtain this through acts that were dishonest and oftentimes, illicit.
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...
During the Gilded Age, several Americans emerged as leaders in many fields such as, railroads, oil drilling, manufacturing and banking. The characterization of these leaders as “robber barons” is, unfortunately, nearly always correct in every instance of business management at this time. Most, if not all, of these leaders had little regard for the public or laborers at all and advocated for the concentration of wealth within tight-knit groups of wealthy business owners.
Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller: Captains of industry, or robber barons? True, Andrew Carnegie and John D Rockefeller may have been the most influential businessmen of the 19th century, but was the way they conducted business proper? To fully answer this question, we must look at the following: First understand how Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller changed the market of their industries. Second, look at the similarities and differences in how both men achieved dominance.
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, he is a fool." Plunkitt made a fortune in politics, and he did it all through honest graft.
Industrial development of the late 18th century (around 1865-1900) is often characterized by it’s affluent, aggressive and monopolistic industrial leaders of the likes of men such as Andrew Carnegie, William H. Vanderbilt, and John D. Rockefeller. Due to their ruthless strategies, utilization of trusts, and exploitation of cheap labor in order to garner nearly unbreakable monopolies and massive sums of wealth, these men are often labelled as “robber barons”. At the same time, they are also often referred to as “industrial statements” for their organization, and catalyst of, industrial development; not to forget their generous contributions to the betterment of American society. Therefore, whether or not their aforementioned advances in industry were undertaken for their own personal benefits, one cannot ignore their positive effects on America. Thus, one can conclude that not only were the captains of industry both “robber barons” and “industrial statements”, but that that these two labels, in fact, go hand-in-hand.
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...
enough votes to maintain control over the community. Political machines were able to restructure the city governments; they also resulted in poorer services, corruption and aggravation of the immigrants and minorities. ("Encyclopedia of American History") He was able to infiltrate Tammany Hall and bribe or smooth-talk any government official that stood in his way. Famously, Tweed is known for the construction of the New York Courthouse. It wasn't until the New York Times wrote an exposé on Boss Tweed that his grafting became publicly known and finally consequences caught up with his actions.
The captain of industries were businessmen who also benefitted society through their accumulation of wealth, using methods such as increased productivity, the expansion of markets, offering up new jobs to the working class, and other acts of generosity. All of the notable industrialists dubbed “robber barons” were also named “captain of industries” as well. Therefore, there have been many debates as to whether the term “robber barons” really did justice to the industrialists, when taking into account of their effects on America’s economy, and not just the negative aspects. While the robber barons did harm specific groups of people in order to meet their selfish goals, as well as execute ruthless tactics to surpass their competitors, they have also created an economic boom in which they created larger manufacturing companies, created many employment opportunities for the working class. Even though robber barons went to extreme measures and harmed others in their pursuit of wealth, they have also, and built a stable and prosperous
"The 1824 Election and the "Corrupt Bargain"." U.S. History Online Textbook. N.p.. Web. 15 Nov
Hamilton had a tough job, though. Due to the Revolutionary War, American debts were high and they had no money to repay said debts. During his times as treasury secretary, Hamilton proposed many plans to accumulate money to pay off our war debts. One of these was instituting a tax collection system to pay the debts, which passed. Hamilton also still had a firm belief that a powerful central government would gain the country power and often argued with other cabinet members about this belief. Sometimes, Hamilton went as far as setting up a “dinner table bargain”, or a bargain that happens without the public and higher authorities knowing about it. One of the most famous bargains Hamilton was a part of was when Alexander traded the U.S capitol for complete financial power. Hamilton turned down the offer of New York being the Capitol of the United States and Madison agreed to promote a strong central government. In his time of treasury secretary, Hamilton became the first person in American history to be in a sex scandal. In the summer of 1791, Maria Reynolds asked Alexander for financial aid, claiming her husband, James Reynolds, had left her. After going to her home to drop off the money, she quickly seduced him and an affair was born. This affair continued for a year, mostly for the fact that James Reynolds had started to blackmail Hamilton for money and in exchange, he wouldn’t tell Eliza about the affair. In late 1792 James Reynolds was arrested for unpaid wages, he quickly found a way out of jail by telling many political figures about Hamilton’s affair. Three men by the names of James Monroe, Abraham Venable, and Frederick Muhlenberg confronted Hamilton about the funds, and Hamilton revealed the affair to them. The men agreed to keep Hamilton’s secret, but still, James Monroe shared this information with Thomas