Political Corruption

Business wasn't the only way to get rich in the late 19th century-there was also politics. The Tweed Ring, a group of corrupt New York City officials led by William March Tweed (1823-1878), is believed to have stolen anywhere from $40 million to $200 million in public funds. Many of these men saw no wrong in what they did. One of Tweed's cohorts, George Washington Plunkett, explained his form of "honest graft" to a journalist as follows: "I seen my opportunities and I took 'em ... I'm tipped off, say, that they are going to lay out a new park at a certain place .... I go to that place and I buy up all the land I can and then there is a rush to get my land. Ain't it perfectly honest to charge a good price and make a profit on my investment 

and foresight? Of course, it is. Well, that's honest graft."

Do you agree that there is such a thing as "honest graft"? Do you think politicians should be allowed to profit from insider information? 

Dangerous Working Conditions

On January 10, 1860, there was a terrible accident at Pemberton Mill in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Seventy-seven people mostly girls less than 12 years old-died when the building collapsed on them. The
victims' families were given very little compensation. One observer called it "the respectable millionaire homicide." 

Do you think rich people are held to a different set of laws than other people? Explain. 

Haymarket Square Strike

On May 3,1886, police fired into a crowd of striking workers at McCormick Reaper Company in Chicago, killing four people. The strikers held a protest rally the next day at Haymarket Square. A bomb exploded during the rally and killed seven police officers. The rally's organizers were quickly arrested and convicted, despite the fact that the actual bomber was never identified. Four men were hanged and three were jailed. Illinois governor John Peter Altgeld (1847-1902) pardoned the three survivors in 1893, a move that ruined his
political career. 

Do you think the organizers of the rally should have been convicted? What do you think of Governor Altgeld? Would you have done as he did and pardoned the survivors? Would you have done so even
if you knew it would cost you your career? Have you ever had to make a decision where doing what was right would hurt you in some way? Explain. 

Immigration Restrictions

Throughout history, Congress has passed laws to restrict immigration. Sometimes these laws were aimed at specific countries, like the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, which barred Chinese laborers from entering the United States for 10 years. Others were aimed at entire regions, such as the Johnson-Reed Immigration Act of 1924, which limited immigration from Europe. Others were aimed at classes of people,such as an 1882 immigration act that barred entry to criminals, paupers, and the insane, among others.

Why do you think Congress passed some of these restriction acts? Do you think Congress always acted honorably? Should anyone who wants to live in the United States be able to live here, or should there be some restrictions on immigration? Defend your thinking. If you believe there should be restrictions, explain what they should be. 

Ellis Island

Ellis Island was opened on January 1, 1892. The immigration center helped send many newcomers to the United States on their way, but sent back those who were sick or otherwise deemed unfit to live in this country.

Where did your ancestors come from? How might your life be different if your ancestors had been sent back to their native countries? 

"Give Me Your tired, Your Poor ... "

Millions of immigrants who passed through Ellis Island were welcomed by the sight of the Statue of Liberty on Bledsoe Island in New York Harbor. The base of the statue is inscribed with a poem written by American poet Emma Lazarus (1849-1887):
 " ... Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" 

Imagine you are an immigrant seeking freedom from war in Russia or hunger in Ireland. Write how you would feel seeing the Statue of Liberty after your long voyage across the Atlantic. 

Andrew Carnegie's "Gospel of Wealth"

Andrew Carnegie made a fortune in the steel industry and went on to give a good deal of it away. In an 1889 speech, "The Gospel of Wealth," Carnegie proclaimed that the rich had a responsibility to use their money to help others. He said, "The man who dies . . . rich dies disgraced."

Do you agree with Carnegie that the rich have an obligation to help others? Explain your reasons. If you had millions of dollars, what would you do with it? Would you feel you should help others less fortunate than you? Give reasons for your answer