Political Machines were orgainizations that provided social services and jobs in exchange foir votes. The machines were run by a boss who in turn had precinct captains, ward captains and district captains underneath him. All of them made sure that the poor has what they needed. They also made sure the poor voted... for them!
What was the main goal of political machines?
The primary goal of a political machine is maintaining control, and abuses of power are not uncommon. Complex Economic Impact With our thesis in mind this picture depicts how Tweed swayed not only the publics opinion, but the opinion of government officials to make his money.
What means did many political machines use to maintain power?
Many political bosses were immigrants that worked their way up from the bottom. They helped other immigrants get citizenship in exchange for their votes. What means did many political machines use to maintain power? voter liberty fraud bribery
What was the primary purpose of political machines?
The primary purpose of political machines was to gain power in government and keep itself in power. Log in for more information. Search for an answer or ask Weegy. What was the primary purpose of political machines? The primary purpose of political machines was to gain power in government and keep itself in power.
What were political machines and how did they work?
Political Machines were orgainizations that provided social services and jobs in exchange foir votes. The machines were run by a boss who in turn had precinct captains, ward captains and district captains underneath him. All of them made sure that the poor has what they needed.
What Were Political Machines?
Image yourself a poor Irish immigrant living in New York City's Lower East Side around the turn of the 20th century. Your husband or wife suddenly falls ill, and his or her health steadily gets worse. You have no money for medical help, but you know who to contact: the 'boss' of the local Democratic political machine. The 'boss' shows up and helps get your husband or wife to the hospital. You say you have no money, and he replies, 'Don't worry about it. Just remember this on election day.' And you do—you vote for whichever Democratic candidate the 'boss' tells you to vote for!
How did political machines help poor people?
On a positive note, political machines also undoubtedly helped poor urban immigrants transition to a new life in America. Low-income city dwellers could count on the local political 'boss' to help them in a crisis or assist them with a neighborhood problem—in exchange, of course, for a vote on election day.
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What cities were associated with the dishonesty of political machines?
As America urbanized and industrialized in the late 19th century, cities such as Chicago, Baltimore, and especially New York became synonymous with the dishonesty of political machines.
What was the political machine in the 20th century?
Lesson Summary. Around the turn of the 20th century, the political machine dominated most every major American city. Headed by a 'boss ,' the political machine supported poor immigrants and made shady deals with the wealthy in exchange for electoral support.
What were the benefits of the political machine?
For the urban poor, the political machine and the 'boss' provided tangible benefits , such as help in emergencies, government jobs, and a variety of social services. The political machine also provided entertainment for the lower classes through rallies, speeches, picnics, parades, and other fanfare. In return, the political machine's 'boss' ...
What is Ch 2.?
Ch 2. The Study of American Government
What is a political machine?
In the politics of representative democracies, a political machine is a political group in which an authoritative leader or small group command the support of a corps of supporters and businesses (usually campaign workers ), who receive patronage as reward for their efforts. The machine's power is based on the ability of ...
Why did political machines start?
Political machines started as grass roots organizations to gain the patronage needed to win the modern election. Having strong patronage, these "clubs" were the main driving force in gaining and getting out the "straight party vote" in the election districts.
What was the role of the Tammany Hall?
One of the most infamous of these political machines was Tammany Hall, the Democratic Party machine that played a major role in controlling New York City and New York politics and helping immigrants, most notably the Irish, rise up in American politics from the 1790s to the 1960s. From 1872, Tammany had an Irish "boss".
How did American politics go insane?
In his mid-2016 article "How American Politics Went Insane" in The Atlantic, Jonathan Rauch argued that the political machines of the past had flaws but provided better governance than the alternatives. He wrote that political machines created positive incentives for politicians to work together and compromise – as opposed to pursuing "naked self-interest" the whole time.
Why is the phrase "machine" considered derogatory?
The phrase is considered derogatory "because it suggests that the interest of the organization are placed before those of the general public", according to Safire. Machines are criticized as undemocratic and inevitably encouraging corruption.
What was the system of political control known as in the Gilded Age?
This system of political control—known as " bossism "—emerged particularly in the Gilded Age. A single powerful figure (the boss) was at the center and was bound together to a complex organization of lesser figures (the political machine) by reciprocity in promoting financial and social self-interest.
What were the cities accused of using political machines?
In the late 19th century, large cities in the United States— Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Kansas City, New York City, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Memphis —were accused of using political machines. During this time "cities experienced rapid growth under inefficient government.” Each city's machine lived under a hierarchical system with a "boss" who held the allegiance of local business leaders, elected officials and their appointees, and who knew the proverbial buttons to push to get things done. Benefits and problems both resulted from the rule of political machines.
4.Political Machines
Summary: Political machines, political organizations led by party “bosses,” became entwined in all aspects of municipal government. Party bosses gave jobs to their …
5.Political Machines – Social Studies Help
Summary: Machines would grant jobs and government building contracts to those that did them favors. Sometimes the favor was voting and party work in getting others to …
6.38d. Corruption Runs Wild – USHistory.org
Summary: Bosses knew they also had to placate big business, and did so by … The problem was that many political machines broke their own laws to suit their …
Why did the population of the US increase in the 19th century?
Most of the US cities experienced high population growth rates in the19 th century due to arrival of immigrants from Europe and other parts of the world. As Tuckel and Maisel notes, this population growth led to over-stretching of services provided by city authorities (105). As a result, city governments became infamous, forcing politicians to devise other methods of gaining and retaining political power. In this regard, politicians resorted to political machines (Tuckel & Maisel 107-108).
How did Tweed manipulate the legislature?
Tweed manipulated the legislature to formulate a new charter that brought the city budget under control of the city government (Tuckel & Maisel 91). He was able to leverage the city with municipal bonds and start the crucial process of modernization. This brought some efficiency even though the city population was still growing. Tuckel & Maisel (92) notes that other cities that had political machines such as Boston, Chicago and Cleveland had the same experience.
What are political machines?
A political machine is an organization controlled by a powerful boss or group of people who enjoy the support of a section of the population (Tuckel & Maisel 100-101). The support base is large enough to deliver victory during elections. Political machines exist for mutual benefits to the members. In this case, politicians get votes while voters are rewarded with jobs and money. Business people contribute campaign funds and they are rewarded with government contracts (Tuckel & Maisel 101).
How do state governments influence city governments?
In this case, state governments can change the operations of city governments provided that such changes are in agreement with the state laws. However, organization of city governments may differ from one state to another (Hannarong & Akoto 41-42). In this regard, different states may have different laws governing local governments. It is also worth mentioning that some states have given more powers to city governments than others. Sometimes states make laws that frustrate the operations of local governments.
Why were political machines invented?
Political machines were invented by politicians as a survival mechanism at the time when their performance was in question. The machines were strong, highly organised but very corrupt. They were mostly used to obtain political power by Irish immigrants. The corrupt ways of political machines attracted reforms that led to their elimination. On the other hand, US cities are run differently in different states. Most of them still operate under strict control by the mother states. Sometimes this causes confusion, especially in the budget making process. Since city councils are in close proximity with the working of city governments, they should be in charge of the laws that govern local government taxation.
Why do city budgets have to be adjusted?
Sometimes approved budgets may have to be adjusted. This may happen due to changes done on taxation laws by the state (Tannenwald 469). Under such circumstances, the city government can look for alternative funding or adjust the budget. Alternative revenues can be raised through borrowing which has to be done in accordance with the state rules. This dilemma can be addressed by giving city councils more control on taxation laws.
Where do city governments get their money from?
Most of the funds used by US city governments come from direct taxation (Hannarong & Akoto 43). These include property tax, personal income tax, general sales tax, business income tax, and tax on real estates. In most states, taxation laws are made by state governments. City governments also get funding from state and federal governments (Hannarong & Akoto 44). Contributions from state and federal governments make the second largest source of funding for most of the city governments. Direct investment also contributes to the funding of city governments (Hannarong & Akoto 45).
What would happen if the political machine was elected?
Local officials elected with the backing of political machines would use their positions to dispense favors — often jobs — to supporters. Unelected political machine bosses would snag lucrative contracts for big projects in their cities, which would make them and their followers rich.
What was the progressive era in the 1900s?
Starting around 1900, however, people power started to take apart political machines such as Tammany Hall. Nationwide, a progressive era began. Reform candidates called for an end to political patronage. Journalists exposed and lampooned the corruption of political bosses. Civil service examinations helped keep unqualified party loyalists from government positions.
What were the most famous cities in the 20th century?
These organizations controlled access to political power by rigging votes, buying people’s loyalty — and their ballots. Tammany Hall in New York City became the most famous, but Philadelphia, Boston and Chicago had their own political ...
Who was the mayor of New York City in 1934?
Historians attribute the eventual downfall of Tammany Hall to the anti-corruption platform of Fiorello La Guardia, who served as mayor of New York City from 1934 to 1945. His term inspired a new political order that replaced the machines.
Did people power dismantle political machines?
In the U.S., people power dismantled political machines. “Yes, many of our men have grown rich in politics. I have myself,” boasted George Washington Plunkitt, a New York politician and a member of Tammany Hall, one of the city’s infamous “political machines.”.
Can machine politics crop up?
Machine politics can crop up anywhere, as long as corrupt politicians feel compelled to buy votes or can get access to state funds and misuse them.
Why did Daley put an enormous number of people under obligation to him?
Daley had put an enormous number of people under obligation to him, as Arvey had advised him to do. These people had not only an incentive to produce, but also a long-term interest in keeping the entire system in operation. That was as true of an alderman on the city council as it was of the lowliest functionaries pushing paper in city hall or mowing the grass in city parks. One doesn’t have to endorse every decision that Daley made in order to admire the competence of a government that loyalty and patronage made possible .
What do legislators need to unlearn?
In order for those problems to be solved, legislators all over the country will need to unlearn the habits of ideological purity and unyielding devotion to principle that it has taken the better part of a political lifetime to absorb. They will need to behave more like hacks. Let’s hope they can summon the courage to do it.
What did Daley believe?
Daley believed in loyalty more than any other political virtue. In holding that view, he was demonstrating the lesson he had learned from one of his own mentors in city government, the longtime alderman, ward boss and party chieftain Jacob Arvey.
What is Rauch's paper about?
Rauch’s paper is not merely about patronage, but also about the political machines that employ it. For much of the past century, in most of urban America, political machines got the job of government done. They did this in part with sticks, but even more with carrots. Patronage was one of the crucial carrots that machine bosses had ...
Why shouldn't we be thankful that machines, with their aura of sleazy backroom deal-making?
Why does that matter? Why shouldn’t we be thankful that machines, with their aura of sleazy backroom deal-making, have largely disappeared from American life? Because, says Rauch, machines bring into politics the kinds of people government now has trouble attracting. Machines draw competent and unassuming professionals, elected officials willing to take a long-term view of public policy , people who know how to compromise, people who demonstrate an enduring loyalty to the institutions in which they serve. Machines breed followers. Or, I might as well say it: hacks. Rauch believes we have lost the valuable habits that any self-respecting hack understands implicitly. “Without hacks,” Rauch argues, “the machine fails.”
What was the role of a precinct captain in Chicago?
In particular, tens of thousands of city employees had acquired their jobs through the Cook County Democratic Party and held onto them by performing well as precinct captains who were expected to deliver a healthy vote for the party’s candidates in their neighborhoods on Election Day. A rank-and-file worker who slipped up at the polls not only risked losing his position as a precinct captain, he risked losing his job in an office somewhere in the musty corridors of city hall.
What is the cartoon of Tammany Hall?
An 1870s cartoon of Tammany Hall, the Democratic Party political machine in New Yor k. Thomas Nast. Of all the columns I have written for this magazine over the past 24 years, the one that brought the biggest response by far was a column on political patronage. Actually, it was a defense of political patronage. Most readers hated it.
What was Tammany associated with?
With Tammany associated with the Jacksonians and the Democratic Party, the organization was viewed as friendly to the working people. And when waves of immigrants, especially from Ireland, arrived in New York City, Tammany became associated with the immigrant vote. In the 1850s, Tammany was becoming a powerhouse of Irish politics in New York City. ...
What did the Tammany organization do to help the poor?
There are many stories about neighborhood leaders from the Tammany organization making sure that poor families were given coal or food during hard winters. The New York poor, many of whom were new arrivals to America, became intensely loyal to Tammany.
What was the role of Tammany in the 1850s?
In the 1850s, Tammany was becoming a powerhouse of Irish politics in New York City. And in the time before social welfare programs, Tammany politicians generally provided the only help the poor could get.
What was the purpose of the Tammany Society?
The original purpose of the Tammany Society was for discussion of politics in the new nation. The club was organized with titles and rituals based, quite loosely, on Indigenous lore. For instance, the leader of Tammany was known as the “Grand Sachem,” and the club’s headquarters was known as “the wigwam.”.
What is Tammany Hall?
Tammany Hall, or simply Tammany, was the name given to a powerful political machine that essentially ran New York City throughout much of the 19th century. The organization reached a peak of notoriety in the decade following the Civil War, when it harbored "The Ring," the corrupted political organization of Boss Tweed.
Did Croker use a pistol?
Yet all who knew him said that Croker, who was a former boxer, would never use a pistol as he relied solely on his fists. At a celebrated trial, Croker was acquitted of McKenna’s murder. And Croker went on to rise in the Tammany hierarchy, eventually becoming Grand Sachem.
Where did the Tammany Hall headquarters open?
In 1867, a lavish new headquarters was opened on 14th Street in New York City , which became the literal Tammany Hall.
Overview
Function
A political machine is a party organization that recruits its members by the use of tangible incentives—money, political jobs—and that is characterized by a high degree of leadership control over member activity.
Political machines started as grass roots organizations to gain the patronage needed to win the modern election. Having strong patronage, these "clubs" were the main driving force in gaining a…
Definition
The Encyclopedia Britannica defines "political machine" as, "in U.S. politics, a party organization, headed by a single boss or small autocratic group, that commands enough votes to maintain political and administrative control of a city, county, or state". William Safire, in his Safire's Political Dictionary, defines "machine politics" as "the election of officials and the passage of legislation through the power of an organization created for political action". He notes that the term is gene…
In the history of United States of America
The term "political machine" dates back to the 19th century in the United States, where such organizations have existed in some municipalities and states since the 18th century.
In the late 19th century, large cities in the United States—Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Kansas City, New York City, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Memphis—were ac…
Evaluation
The phrase is considered derogatory "because it suggests that the interest of the organization are placed before those of the general public", according to Safire. Machines are criticized as undemocratic and inevitably encouraging corruption.
Since the 1960s, some historians have reevaluated political machines, considering them corrupt but efficient. Machines were undemocratic but responsive. They were also able to contain the s…
See also
• Clientelism
• New Deal coalition, US 1930s-1960s
• Cook County Democratic Party, Chicago
• The Byrd Organization Virginia
Further reading
• Clifford, Thomas P (1975). The Political Machine: An American Institution. Vantage Press. ISBN 0-533-01374-7.
• Gosnell, Harold Foote (1968). Machine Politics: Chicago Model. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-30492-2.
• Gosnell, Harold F; Merriam, Charles E (2007). Boss Platt and His New York Machine: A Study of the Political Leadership of Thomas C. Platt, Theodore Roosevelt and Others. Lightning S…
• Clifford, Thomas P (1975). The Political Machine: An American Institution. Vantage Press. ISBN 0-533-01374-7.
• Gosnell, Harold Foote (1968). Machine Politics: Chicago Model. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-30492-2.
• Gosnell, Harold F; Merriam, Charles E (2007). Boss Platt and His New York Machine: A Study of the Political Leadership of Thomas C. Platt, Theodore Roosevelt and Others. Lightning Source Inc. ISBN 978-1-4325-8850-2.
Introduction
Birth of Political Machines
Role of Political Machines in City Modernization
Role of Immigrants
City Governments
Source of Funding For Local Governments
City Government Budgeting
Conclusion
- Political machines were invented by politicians as a survival mechanism at the time when their performance was in question. The machines were strong, highly organised but very corrupt. They were mostly used to obtain political power by Irish immigrants. The corrupt ways of political machines attracted reforms that led to their elimination. On the o...
Works Cited