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Many greedy legislatures took advantage of our country's situation and stole money from the city, state, and national government.

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Gilded Age Scandal and Corruption - AP U.S. History Topic Outlines - Study Notes

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100% Free AP Test Prep website that offers study material to high school students seeking to prepare for AP exams. Enterprising students use this website to learn AP class material, study for class quizzes and tests, and to brush up on course material before the big exam day.

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Institutions and people controlled by bosses to exercise power.

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political machine, 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.

The rapid growth of American cities in the 19th century, a result of both immigration and migration from rural areas, created huge problems for city governments, which were often poorly structured and unable to provide services. In those conditions, political machines-such as Tammany Hall, run by boss William Magear Tweed (1823-73) in New York City -were able to build a loyal voter following, especially among immigrant groups, by performing such favours as providing jobs or housing.

Political machines are characterized by a disciplined and hierarchical organization, reaching down to neighbourhood and block organizers, that enables the machine to respond to the problems of individual neighbourhoods, or even families, in exchange for loyalty at the polls. The term refers to their ability to elect candidates or enact measures with mechanical efficiency and predictability.

Although the primary goal of a political machine is keeping itself in power rather than providing good government, machines have been responsible for restructuring city governments to centralize authority, improving facilities and services, helping to assimilate immigrant groups, and encouraging the growth of business and industry. Supporters of political machines say that they "work" and that consolidating power in the hands of a boss, like Mayor Richard J. Daley (1902-76) of Chicago, guarantees city governments the power and authority that they need to cope with urban problems effectively. However, because political machines in such cities as Boston, Philadelphia, New York, Pittsburgh, Chicago, and Kansas City have also been responsible for many abuses of power, the term carries a pejorative sense.

Organizers who "deliver" the votes are often rewarded with patronage jobs. However, patronage can result in poorer service to the citizens because appointees may be neither qualified for their jobs nor interested in performing them. Control of both elective and appointed posts also gives a machine control of government salaries and revenues, which can be used to enrich the party at the public's expense. For example, the machine may accept donations or kickbacks from businesses in return for such favours as tax or zoning concessions or the award of lucrative public-works contracts. In some cities, machine business dealings have included accepting money from organized-crime syndicates in exchange for protection from legal interference.

In cities whose neighbourhoods are divided along ethnic or racial lines, machine patronage may aggravate hostilities by awarding most jobs and services to those people of the same background as the city's power elite. In practice, this made machine politics the last defense of white neighbourhoods against growing black populations, while black politicians who anticipated power viewed their constituents as merely the latest in a series of ethnic or racial groups that had benefited from the machine.

Since the 19th-century heyday of machine politics, civil service reforms limiting the number of patronage jobs, the institution of direct primaries rather than party nomination of candidates, the municipal operation of public utilities, and judicial review by state and federal courts have all reduced the power of political machines. The steady exodus of city residents to the suburbs since World War II and a more mobile population with fewer ties to particular neighbourhoods have also weakened the social base that once made political machines synonymous with city government.

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Political machine | Definition, History, & Facts

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political machine, 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.

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Railroad companies were responsible for setting their shipping rates. This was unfair to the public because one farmer could be charged more than another for the same freight transportation. Congress responded by creating the ICC. Although, it was largely ignored until the early 20th century.

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US Economic History 2 — Interstate Commerce & the Constitution

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This railroad connected the Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads at Promontory, Utah. It would allow for settlement of the west, open new markets for eastern manufacturers, and bring relief to overcrowded eastern cities.

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The Transcontinental Railroad Explained: US History Review

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The Presidency and Congress were dominated by the Republican party for most of these years. Both houses of Congress were full of representatives owned by big business.

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Americans were building a new society on their own. Congress was ride with corruption and the presidency was at rock bottom.

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The American workforce began to migrate from the countryside to the city because factories were located in urban areas (around the West Coast and the Great Lakes).

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New technology opened up many possibilities to Americans. However, the city came with its disadvantages as well, such as overcrowding and diseases. Not to mention crime plagued many urban communities.

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With the rise of new industries, comes the rise of several new jobs. All these jobs were found in cities, so this is where people went. Cities grew mainly in the north, since farms were...

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New immigrants from Italian, Polish, Slovak, Serb,etc. came to America during the Gilded Age. As most immigrants, they came here in search of freedom and success. They were treated "kindly" by factory owners due to cheap labor, but hostile by laborers, for they were seen as competition.

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The 20th century was a time where many people worked in factories. The work environment was harsh and the pay was terrible. Many people (including 8 year old children) worked 10 hr shifts, 6 days a week. People were unaware of the millions Rockefeller, Carnegie, and Morgan had.

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Laborers united to fight for change and formed unions. Although they faced many differences, they all agreed on one major issue which was the 8 hour day.

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The United States had become the largest industrial nation in the world.

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Gilded Age Politics: Crash Course US History #26

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Powerful banker who controlled many industries.

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During this time, inventions such as electricity, telephones, cable cars, etc. were made.

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The Industrial Age in America: Sweatshops, Steel Mills, and Factories

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About a century has passed since the events at the center of this lesson-the Haymarket Affair, the Homestead Strike, and the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. In this lesson, students use primary historical sources to explore some of the questions raised by these events, questions that continue to be relevant in debates about American society: Where do we draw the line between acceptable business practices and unacceptable working conditions?

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American Industrialist who made a fortune in the steel industry.

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America's first billionaire!

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More than 100,000 workers had gone on strike, shutting down nearly half of the nation's rail systems