Boss Tweed Reading

Tammany Hall & Boss Tweed During the second half of the nineteenth century and the early years of the twentieth, city and even state politics in New York were often dominated by an organization called Tammany Hall. Tammany Hall, the building, was the headquarters for New York City’s Democratic Party. However, the name Tammany Hall came to mean much more than just a building. Tammany organized voters and elected its candidates so efficiently, that its methods were called “machine politics.” From the 1860s, powerful political bosses led Tammany. The most powerful boss to ever head Tammany Hall was William M. Tweed. He wore a diamond, manipulated elections, controlled the city’s mayor, and rewarded political supporters. His primary source of funds came from the bribes, kickbacks, and graft that he demanded in exchange for city contracts. The most notorious example of Tweed’s urban corruption was the construction of the New York County courthouse, begun in 1861. Officially, the city wound up spending nearly $13 million—roughly $178 million in today’s money—on a building that should have cost much, much less. Its construction cost nearly twice as much as the purchase of Alaska in 1867. The corruption was breathtaking in its breadth and boldness. A carpenter was paid $360,751 ($4.9 million today) for one month’s labor in a building with very little woodwork. A furniture contractor received $179,729 ($2.5 million today) for three tables and 40 chairs. The plasterer, a Tammany official, received $133,187 ($1.82 million today) for two days’ work; his business sense earned him the nickname, “The Prince of Plasterers.” Tweed personally profited from a financial interest in a Massachusetts stone quarry that provided the marble for the courthouse. When a New York City committee investigated why it took so long to build the courthouse, it spent $7,718 (roughly $105,000 today) to print its report. The printing company was owned by Tweed. How could this corruption occur? Why would the city waste such outrageous sums of the people’s money? Tweed acted as a “puppet master” and controlled both citizens and politicians. Because he helped to elect mayors end city councilmen, these people had no choice but to agree to pay the workers Tweed told them to hire. The furniture contractor, carpenter, and plasterer could then all freely overcharge the city. When they were paid, they would thank Tweed by paying him a portion of their exceedingly high profits. This is known as a “kickback” because they were “kicking back” money to Tweed. In July 1871, two low-level city officials with a grudge against the Tweed Ring provided The New York Times with reams of documentation that detailed the corruption at the courthouse and other city projects. The newspaper published a series of articles. Those page 1 of 2 articles, coupled with the political cartoons of Thomas Nast in the magazine, Harper’s Weekly, created a national outcry, and soon Tweed and many of his cronies faced criminal charges and political oblivion. Tweed died in prison in 1878. Even after Tweed’s death, Tammany Hall remained a powerful force in New York politics. In his 1904 book, The Shame of the Cities, the progressive journalist, Lincoln Steffens, further exposed how political machines like Tammany Hall corrupted urban politics. Boss-rule, machine politics, payoff, graft, and the spoils system outraged late nineteenth century reformers. But were bosses and political machines as corrupt as their critics charged? Many machines professionalized urban police forces and instituted the first housing regulations. Political bosses also served the welfare needs of immigrants. They offered jobs, food, fuel, and clothing to the new immigrants and the poor. Political machines also served as a ladder of social mobility for ethnic groups blocked from other means of rising in society. Political machines could give power and wealth to the poor who were otherwise excluded from the upper classes of society. source: Digital History <www.digitalhistory.uh.edu> Task: Please answer the questions below on a separate sheet of paper. Label your homework and attach it to this reading. —Questions— 1. What was Tammany Hall the building? What was Tammany hall the organization? 2. How would you define the term political machine? How would you define a political boss? 3. Why was “boss” an appropriate title for William M. Tweed? 4. Based on the reading how would you define the term “kickback”? How might you define the term “graft,” which appears in the third paragraph? 5. Why did the construction of the New York City Courthouse cost so much? 6. Who was Lincoln Steffens? How did he help expose the corruption of machine politics? 7. Why did many urban poor like political machines and even view political bosses as heroes? 8. How might a man like Tweed have had power over both politicians and ordinary citizens? page 2 of 2 .

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