Gilded Age Politics

Terms

Graft: –noun

Using political connections for personal gain, such as bribes

Spoils System:

Appointing people to public jobs in return for political favors, even when they’re not qualified.  

Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act of 1883

• President Garfield is assassinated• Only applied to federal jobs• Spoils system continues

Boss Tweed

• Corrupt political leader in New York City

• Stole $200 million from New York City taxpayers ($1.5-2 billion today)

• Carpenter was paid $360,751 for one month's labor (~$5million today)

Political Cartoons Today

Tweed Political Cartoons