Social Sciences and History / Unit 2 SSH 0107 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Machines, Patronage, and Civil Service
Captions available
The idea
Gilded Age politics was local machines and federal ineffectiveness. Bosses like Tammany's Tweed ran cities on graft. Stalwarts defended patronage; Half-Breeds wanted civil service; Mugwumps bolted over corruption.
In practice
The Sherman Anti-Trust Act and Sherman Silver Purchase Act, both weakly effective.
Where people slip
Tariffs and gold against silver were the live issues. Few measures reached struggling Americans directly.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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