Political Machines
Successes
Setbacks and Challenges
Reform Tools
Word Definitions
100
A powerful New York political boss who led Tammany Hall and used patronage and corruption to control politics.
Boss Tweed
100
An 1883 U.S. law that created a merit-based system for many government jobs instead of giving them out as rewards for votes.
Pendleton Civil Service Act
100
Ballot stuffing and machine control made elections unfair.
Unfair elections
100
One of the most powerful tools for reform is political cartoon illustrations. This person created this image that exposed corruption and helped push reform.
Thomas Nast
100
The practice of abusing government power to gain the favor of the people.
Patronage
200
A New York political boss who led Tammany Hall after Boss Tweed.
Richard Croker
200
Let voters, not political bosses, choose party candidates.
Direct primaries
200
Bosses used patronage, bribery, and graft to make people lose faith in government.
Lost public trust in government
200
Citizens were given the power to propose laws directly.
Initiative
200
The core idea of patronage where political supporters are rewarded with government jobs and favors after winning an election.
Spoils system
300
A politician who was known for defending “honest graft.”
George Washington Plunkitt
300
Gave citizens the power to propose laws.
Initiative
300
Political bosses, not voters, often chose leaders.
Weak democracy
300
Voters could approve or reject laws directly.
Referendum
300
Corrupt use of political power for personal gain, usually by taking bribes or kickbacks.
Graft
400
The longest-serving politician for Tammany Hall in the early 1900s.
Charles F. Murphy
400
Let voters approve or reject laws directly.
Referendum
400
City money and contracts were used for personal gain.
Corrupt spending
400
This amendment allowed the direct election of U.S. senators.
Seventeenth Amendment
400
Casting illegal votes or submitting more than one ballot per voter.
Ballot Stuffing
500
A Kansas City political boss who controlled city politics through patronage and machine power.
Tom Pendergast
500
Amendment that allowed the direct election of U.S. senators instead of having state legislatures choose them.
Seventeenth Amendment
500
Powerful political machines like Tammany Hall resisted reform.
Resistance to reform
500
This law created a merit-based system for many government jobs instead of patronage.
Pendleton Civil Service Act
500
Illegal payments or favors given in exchange for help, usually to secure a contract, deal, or political advantage.
Kickbacks