Book Report of Plunkitt of Tammany Hall Essay example

â€Å"An Analysis of Plunkitt of Tammany Hall† William Bryce History 1302 Austin Community College November 30, 2011 The purpose of this book report is to analyze the themes in Plunkitt of Tammany Hall by William L. Riordon. Riordon’s purpose is to educate people about politics and to stimulate reform in their corrupt political system. The first theme of this book is Plunkitt’s use of patronage. He openly discusses quid pro quo: he gives people jobs, opportunities, and welfare services in exchange for their political allegiance. For example, he talks about giving young men opportunities to play in the baseball club or sing in the glee club. In exchange, they vote the way he tells them to. Plunkitt also supports his voters in other†¦show more content†¦Eventually though granite buyers from Brooklyn and New Jersey came to bid against him. But instead of competing with them he offered to give them the granite they needed as long as they didn’t bid against him. In one case, by colluding other potential bidders Plunkitt gets 250,000 stones for the absurd price of $2.50.3 Although he was making a lot of money from his schemes he was careful to not look rich. â€Å"Above all things,† he explains â€Å"avoid a dress-suit. You have no idea of the harm that dress-suits have done in politics.† He goes on to say that he was once accused of buying a $10,000 automobile and a $125 dress suit right before an election and that he suffered badly at the polls for it. â€Å"The people wouldn’t have minded much if I had been accused of robbin’ the city treasury... but the automobile and the dress-suit were too much for them.†3 Plunkitt also presents an anti-elite-education worldview. In the book he explains how to become a politician and he says that going to college detracts from your political ability, that scholars can’t possibly become effective politicians. Plunkitt maintains that a person who goes through college is handicapped and that the odds against him succeeding are 100 to 1. He also claims that civil service r eform is a curse, that giving people qualification examinations is a travesty that will destroy patriotism and cultivate anarchy. He admits that he only went to school for three winters and that some of the Tammany leadersShow MoreRelatedThe Industrial Revolution1518 Words   |  7 Pagesmethods. The Progressive Reformers were a political organization that sought out to set permanent fixes to these conditions and make it possible for the immigrants to be self-sustaining. On the other hand, the political machines, more specifically Tammany Hall of Manhattan, sought to make changes by directly helping the immigrants but not without them having some benefit to their organization. Both political organizations had different responses to the plight that the lower class immigrant workers wereRead MoreBoyer Dbq Teacher Guide10764 Words   |  44 Pagesconcentration of slaves but also several important northern states. Clay carried several of the border slave states. There is evidence here both for and against the idea that slavery caused the war. F—William Kennedy—A British perspective on the situation reports that Duff Green is in Texas maneuvering to get renewed support there for U.S. annexation. Astute students will recall that, according to Chapter 13, Green was closely linked to Calhoun and Tyler and labeled â€Å"ambassador of slavery† by J. Q. Adams.