Corruption

CORRUPTION:

Corruption is a dishonest act or fraudulent conduct of those in power, usually involves bribery.  In United States politic, corruption is seen on many occasions. However, in my opinion, if one wishes to examine the issue of corruption, the Gilded Age (from 1860s to 1900) has a lot to offer. By looking at events during this age and making connection with today issues, maybe one can recognize the pattern of corruption.


In the 1870s, America was the promised land of opportunities. Millions of immigrant poured into the country seeking jobs to support their families. Italians to Germans to Chinese, many wanted better lives. If one had skills, they would be able to find jobs and with a little investment, maybe even start their own businesses.

However, most immigrants are unskilled workers. They ended up in the fancy urban life of America without much support. Therefore, populations with similar cultures and languages binded together and created little cities inside cities. These people, because they can not afford public transportations, had to live close to their places of employment. Many industrial factories offered shelters and payments in exchange for a surplus of labor.

With many jobs occupied by unskilled workers, many old middle class moved to the suburbs, taking with them expertise and knowledge. The cities, left with unskilled and often uneducated populations, were forced to be led by less experience leaders.
This trend opened up a door of opportunities for a new race of politicians, the association leaders called bosses. Rather than aligning themselves with the government posts or any particular party, these leaders placed their loyalty to the associations from which they had risen to power or to whom they owed their success.
A new political trend known as the machine politic rose where electors were able to call out votes like a machine to sponsor any political agenda. These machines sprang up to provide service to to those who had no other resources, the new immigrants.
One example of such corruption was Boss William Marcy Tweed of Tamany Hall, New York. Boss Tweed bribed the Judge of New York Court to give the new Irish immigrants the right to vote. He then promised them employments in exchange for votes. Many funds of the city were poured into the pockets of private contractors for constructions of lavish and fancy buildings. These contractors then had to give kickbacks to the bosses in order to stay in business. Fortunes were made by these bosses, including Tweed.


On a national level, General Ulysses Grants, though a superb soldier, was ill-equiped for the presidential office. The secretary of War accepted bribes for trading of Indian lands to merchants. The Treasury Department demanded bribes for international goods flowing into America.



One such devastating scandal was the Credit Mobilier Scandal. This company had its fair share of shady contacts with the Union Pacific Railroad which then was under the scrutiny of the government. Thanks to the Vice President Schuyler Colfax, the investigation was disbanded. Of course bribery was the incentive for the Vice President. In this case particularly, he was given the right to buy stocks from the company for "free".

About the issues of corruption today, it is difficult to examine how corruption works. With the non stop advancement of technology, the government is able to cover up any scandal as devastating as the Tamany Hall incident or the Credit Mobilier Scandal. Though there are many arguments for the purity of the American Government, one should always keep in mind that there are always two sides to any issue.



BIBLIOGRAPHY:
http://www.shmoop.com/gilded-age/politics.html
http://www.apstudynotes.org/us-history/topics/gilded-age-scandal-and-corruption/
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/19/books/review/zephyr-teachouts-corruption-in-america.html?_r=0