Political Machines And Political Power - 1086 Words

Political Machines Political Machine is a term given to an unofficial organization designed to keep a certain political party or political group in power. Although Political Machines were originally designed for positive actions, a group of political leaders turned this positive intention into devastating corruption. As power was put into the wrong hands, large cities of the United States were put in jeopardy. Political Machines caused corruption in the larger cities and states of the United States, especially New York. Political machines are an unofficial city organization designed to keep a certain boss or group in power. Political Machines were designed to create organization, but as the machines came in the picture the political†¦show more content†¦The phrase â€Å"vote early and often† started in this era. â€Å"In most years between 1865 and 1930, Patronage Machines ruled many large states of America such as, Minneapolis, Pittsburg, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Detroit, Chicago, Philadelphia, New Orleans, and New York† (Reid). For example, according to Steffens, â€Å"one of the most significant early muckraking stories happened here in Minneapolis, and although it is sometimes overlooked in the general journalism histories of the time, it remains important to our understanding of how the field evolved†. â€Å"Fifteen of the seventeen united state’s senators were Republicans, and both Pittsburgh and Philadelphia were controlled by powerful and long-lived Republican city â€Å"machines† (Pennsylvania). Chicago had one of the longest lasting histories of the use of Political Machines. â€Å" In some areas, Political Machines, such as Chicago’s Democratic Party organization continued to be important until the 1970’s.† Although these states we re all controlled by Political Machines, New York’s city hall, Tammany Hall, was the most affected. During this time period, â€Å"reformers opposed the machine, calling for such improvements as civil service test for jobs, closer control over how the city spent its money and watching the polls on election day. Over time such reforms weakened the power of Political Machines† (Rosenfeld). Political Machines power waned during the tenure of New York City.† Mayor Fiorello La Guardia (1934-1945), and the