Full Answer
How did Thomas Nast bring down Tweed?
Tweed was ultimately brought down by newspaper reporting, mainly in the pages of the New York Times. But a prominent political cartoonist, Thomas Nast of Harper's Weekly, also played a vital role in keeping the public focused on the misdeeds of Tweed and The Ring.
What happened to Boss Tweed?
In mid-November 1871 Nast drew Tweed as a defeated and demoralized Roman emperor, flabbergasted and seated in the ruins of his empire. The cartoonist and the newspaper reporters had essentially finished Boss Tweed.
What did Thomas Nast do after the Civil War?
After the war, Nast strongly opposed the anti- Reconstruction policy of President Andrew Johnson, whom he depicted in a series of trenchant cartoons that marked "Nast's great beginning in the field of caricature". The American River Ganges, a cartoon by Thomas Nast showing bishops attacking public schools, with connivance of "Boss" Tweed.
Why was Thomas Tweed arrested?
Tweed was arrested in 1873 and convicted of fraud. When Tweed attempted to escape justice in December 1875 by fleeing to Cuba and from there to Spain, officials in Vigo were able to identify the fugitive by using one of Nast's cartoons.
What impact did Thomas Nast have?
Nast did some painting in oil and book illustrations, but his fame rests on his caricatures and political cartoons. From his pen came the Republican Party's elephant, Tammany Hall's tiger, and one of the most popular images of Santa Claus. He also popularized the Democratic Party's donkey.
What was the main purpose of Thomas Nast's political cartoon?
And as Reconstruction-era corruption and violence spun out of control, he drew cartoons that criticized black legislators as strongly as earlier cartoons had championed black suffrage and lamented white supremacist violence.
Who is Boss Tweed and why did he become notorious?
Boss Tweed, in full William Magear Tweed, erroneously called William Marcy Tweed, (born April 3, 1823, New York, New York, U.S.—died April 12, 1878, New York), American politician who, with his “Tweed ring” cronies, systematically plundered New York City of sums estimated at between $30 million and $200 million.
Who was Thomas Nast and what was the most well known for?
Thomas Nast (September 27, 1840 – December 7, 1902) was a German-born American caricaturist and editorial cartoonist considered to be the “Father of the American Cartoon”. He was the scourge of Democratic Representative “Boss” Tweed and the Tammany Hall Democratic party political machine.
What was Boss Tweed known for?
William Magear Tweed (April 3, 1823 – April 12, 1878), often erroneously referred to as William "Marcy" Tweed (see below), and widely known as "Boss" Tweed, was an American politician most notable for being the political boss of Tammany Hall, the Democratic Party's political machine that played a major role in the ...
Who was Boss Tweed and what did he do quizlet?
Tweed was an American politician most notable for being the boss of Tammany Hall, the Democratic political machine that played a major role in the politics of New York City in the late 1800s. Tweed was convicted of stealing an estimated $25 million dollars from New York City taxpayers through political corruption.
What effect do you think Nast wanted this political cartoon to have on his audience?
What effect do you think Nast wanted this political cartoon to have on his audience? Nast wanted his audience to be outraged by it and demand action against Tammany Hall.
Which statement best describes the idea that Nast is trying to express in the political cartoon to the right?
Which statement best describes the idea that Nast is trying to express in the political cartoon to the right? The Tammany Tiger Loose—"What are you going to do about it?" Tammany Hall has broken the law, misused votes, and caused great harm to the republic through political corruption.
What were Nast goals?
Boss Tweed By the 1870s, Nast primarily focused his efforts on political cartoons. He led a crusade against corruption, using his images to help remove William Magear "Boss" Tweed and his peers from power. Tweed ran the Democratic Party in New York.
Who brought down Boss Tweed?
Thomas Nast exposes and brings down Boss Tweed’s political machine through his work (arts) since 1867. Nast shoved his attack on Harper’s page.
How much money did Nast give to Tweed?
Tweed, who felt cornered by the Nast campaign, sent an envoy to offer a bribe of $ 100,000 to the artist. The money was represented as a gift from a group of wealthy benefactors who enabled Nast to study art in Europe. Nast then pretended to be interested, he negotiated to send more money, before he suddenly turned down the offer of $ 500,000 with the words, "Well, I don't think I'll do it. Recently I decided to throw some of these people into behind bars ".
When was Tweed arrested?
Nast intensified his attacks on Harper's pages. Tweed was arrested in 1873 and convicted. Tweed had tried to escape to Cuba and Spain. Officials at Vigo can identify fugitives using one of Nast's cartoons.
Why did Thomas Nast draw a political cartoon?
Thomas Nast drew a political cartoon to show the corruption that Boss Tweed had done.
Who was Thomas Nast?
Thomas Nast was a political cartoonist and made cartoons to show what Boss Tweed was really like and his extreme dishonesty to many Americans.
Why did Thomas Nast draw a political cartoon?
Thomas Nast drew a political cartoon to show the corruption that Boss Tweed had done.
Why did Tweed fear Nast?
Tweed feared Nast’s cartoons to a much greater extent than newspaper articles, because many of his constituents were illiterate, and he even offered Nast a bribe to stop these public criticisms.
What is the caption of the cartoon Boss Tweed?
Figure 1: The caption of the cartoon reads: “Boss Tweed: ‘As long as I count the votes, what are you going to do about it? Say?’”
Why was Tweed right to fear this criticism?
Tweed was right to fear this criticism because Nast’s cartoons helped lead to his downfall and arrest in 1876. Tweed died in jail in 1878, and Nast continued to draw for Harper’s Weekly until 1886.
Who was the alderman in the Seventh Ward?
Introduction. From an early age, William “Boss” Tweed discovered he had a knack for politics. His political career began in 1850, when he ran as an alderman from the Seventh Ward of New York City.
Who controlled the Democratic Party?
Tweed and his cronies in Tammany Hall—the organization that controlled the Democratic Party and most of its votes—directed local services, controlled elections, and received millions of dollars in kickbacks, bribes, and other forms of brazen corruption. Tweed’s greed drew the attention of Thomas Nast, a cartoonist for the periodical Harper’s Weekly.
1. Humble origins
William Tweed was born on the Lower Eastside of Manhattan in 1823 to a Scottish-Irish family. He came from humble enough origins, as his family hacked it out as furniture makers, and hoped that William would become the fourth generation to run the family business.
2. Engine No. 6
The life of an accountant was not in William Tweed’s future, and his rise to power actually came when he joined a volunteer fire company. Fire companies back in the 1850s did not resemble the ones comprised of trained, brave individuals that we have today, and acted as much like a gang as they did as firefighters.
3. Tammany Hall
It was at Engine No. 6 where Tweed developed his prowess in obtaining power using any means necessary. After a while, his efforts landed him in hot water and an alliance against him tried to ban him for life. But Tweed formed his own alliance and bribed the right officials to reduce his penalty to a three-month suspension.
4. The Irish
Tammany Hall wasn’t all bad… at first. Many underrepresented immigrants fresh off the boat were protected by Tammany Hall at a time when they were exploited and struggled to get a foothold on the shores of the United States.
5. National politics
At the age of 28, Tammany Hall encouraged Tweed to run for alderman. In 1852 he won the election. That same year, he won another election to the US House of Representatives. But his zeal for national politics was less than spectacular, and he lost his seat after his first two-year term.
7. New York City Draft Riot of 1863
Irishmen who were arriving by the tens of thousands in the early 1860s faced an impossible choice: pay $300, or sign up for the Union Army and die on the battlefields of the Civil War.
9. Thomas Nast
Thomas Nast would rise to fame in the late 1860s when his innovative, satirical comics led directly to the arrest of Boss Tweed. Nast was a German immigrant who came to the United States with his family when he was six years old. Just like Tweed, school wasn’t for him, and he dropped out at an early age.
How much did Tweed give to Nast?
In an attempt to “stop them damn pictures” Tweed sent a representative to Nast under the guise that a group of European benefactors wanted to offer him $100,000 (nearly $1.8 million today) to study art in Europe.
When was Thomas Nast at his desk?
Unknown. Thomas Nast at his Desk. ca. 1880. Museum of the City of New York. 99.124.1
How did Nast influence public opinion?
One can understand Tweed’s concern. Nast’s portrayal of Tweed as enormously bloated helped demonstrate the political leader’s corruption. His images captured public attention and helped incite public outrage. While he couldn’t force people to act or vote in a certain way, Nast influenced public opinion of Tweed and Tammany.
What was the effect of the 1871 election on the Tweed Ring?
The 1871 election greatly weakened the Tweed Ring, with the public voting many Tammany candidates out of office, an event credited in part to Nast’s cartoons. While this had a huge impact on New York politics in general, it also pushed Nast to the forefront of his medium.
What happened to Tweed after the election?
Many, including Tweed himself, were sent to prison. In 1875, however, Tweed escaped and set sail to Spain where he was eventually extradited after a Spanish officer recognized him from a Nast cartoon.
When did Thomas Nast start making political cartoons?
While modern readers intrinsically link newspapers and political cartoons, the use of cartoons in the American media was minimal until Thomas Nast popularized them in the 1860s and 1870s. Known today as the father of American political cartoons, ...
Who was the cartoonist who featured Tweed?
One of his most vocal critics was Thomas Nast, who featured Tweed and his cronies in many of his cartoons, particularly in 1870 and 1871. Thomas Nast was a German immigrant who began his career illustrating newspapers and magazines, but eventually began creating political cartoons.
Who was Thomas Nast?
Thomas Nast ( / næst /; German: [nast]; September 27, 1840 – December 7, 1902) was a German-born American caricaturist and editorial cartoonist often considered to be the "Father of the American Cartoon". He was a critic of Democratic Representative "Boss" Tweed and the Tammany Hall Democratic party political machine.
Who sponsored Thomas Nast?
Heenan and the English Thomas Sayers sponsored by George Wilkes, publisher of Wilkes' Spirit of the Times.
Why did Nast use the weekly?
Now returned to the Republican fold, Nast used the Weekly as a vehicle for his cartoons supporting Benjamin Harrison for president. The magazine had little impact and ceased publication seven months after it began, shortly after Harrison's defeat. The failure of Nast's Weekly left Nast with few financial resources.
What did Joseph Nast do in 1846?
His father held political convictions that put him at odds with the Bavarian government, so in 1846, Joseph Nast left Landau, enlisting first on a French man-of-war and subsequently on an American ship. He sent his wife and children to New York City, and at the end of his enlistment in 1850, he joined them there.
How much money did Nast give to his campaign?
Tweed so feared Nast's campaign that he sent an emissary to offer the artist a bribe of $100,000, which was represented as a gift from a group of wealthy benefactors to enable Nast to study art in Europe. Feigning interest, Nast negotiated for more before finally refusing an offer of $500,000 with the words, "Well, I don't think I'll do it. I made up my mind not long ago to put some of those fellows behind the bars". Nast pressed his attack in the pages of Harper's, and the Ring was removed from power in the election of November 7, 1871. Tweed was arrested in 1873 and convicted of fraud. When Tweed attempted to escape justice in December 1875 by fleeing to Cuba and from there to Spain, officials in Vigo were able to identify the fugitive by using one of Nast's cartoons.
Why did Nast not support Garfield?
Garfield, because of Garfield's involvement in the Crédit Mobilier scandal; and did not wish to attack the Democratic candidate, Winfield Scott Hancock, his personal friend and a Union general whose integrity commanded respect. As a result, "Nast's commentary on the 1880 campaign lacked passion", according to Halloran. He submitted no cartoons to Harper's between the end of March 1883 and March 1, 1884, partly because of illness.
What technique did Nast use to draw his likenesses?
He based his likenesses on photographs. In the early part of his career, Nast used a brush and ink wash technique to draw tonal renderings onto the wood blocks that would be carved into printing blocks by staff engravers.
