BELL WORK DEFINE CORRUPTION DEFINITION Dishonest or fraudulent

BELL WORK DEFINE CORRUPTION

DEFINITION • Dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power, typically involving bribery. • Do you think the U. S. is corrupt?

NPR • By Transparency International • Most corrupt nations • Note the discussion of corruption at the end.

POLITICAL MACHINES • Boss Tweed • • City Hall projected $200, 000 Actual cost $13, 000 Why? Contractors Tweed Ring • Big players in NYC finances that controlled companies.

ENTER NAST • "Stop them … pictures. I don't care so much what the papers say about me. My constituents don't know how to read, but they can't help seeing them … pictures!” • William Tweed (reportedly) 1871

SCANDAL • NY Times & Thomas Nast on the offensive • Traction After the Orange Riot (1871) • County Sheriff provided evidence of embezzlement. • After blackmailing failed. • County auditor provided more. • Times offered $5 million to stop • Obtained accounts of Ring’s deceased bookkeeper.

ASSASSINATIONS • • 1865 - Lincoln 1881 – Garfield 1901 – Mc. Kinley 1963 - JKF

THE ASSASSIN • • • Wrote a speech for Grant (unprompted) Revised to Garfield Sent to Garfield Was not used Expected Political Career Wrote letters to Garfield

GARFIELD • • • Train station in DC 1881 Robert Todd Lincoln was there… Had no guards Policemen caught Guiteau right away Held on 11 days

GUITEAU’S TRAIL • • • Insanity plea High profile case in media Insulted his team Wrote and delivered poems for his testimony Dictated his biography • Convicted of murder. • Hanged.

ONE POEM I executed the Divine command. And Garfield did remove, To save my party, and my country From the bitter fate of War

STALWARTS • Faction of Republicans • Favored machine politics • Supported Chester Arthur • Was Garfield’s VP

WRAP UP • Write an introductory paragraph for the following prompt: • Assess the validity of the statement that the period following the civil war made progress in the area of civil rights.