Boss Tweed Research Paper

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William "Boss" Tweed began his rise to influence in the late 1840s as a volunteer firefighter in New York City. From this unfavorable beginning, Tweed built a firm power base in his ward. He served as an alderman in 1852-53 and then was elected to a term in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1853 through 1855. State and local affairs were his main concern and he remained active in Tammany Hall. (the organizational force of the Democratic Party in New York) Tweed emerged as the focal point of patronage decisions, giving him immense power. Boss Tweed gathered a small group of men who controlled New York City's finances. They dispensed jobs and contracts in return for political support and bribes. Historians have never been able to calculate …show more content…
Hoffman, was inaugurated as governor of New York state. In New York City itself, Tweed reigned supreme. He controlled the district attorney, the police, the courts, and most of the newspapers. Although a Democrat, he defused criticism from the Republicans by putting scores of them on the payroll. The Tweed Ring and Tammany Hall were not necessarily two sides of the same coin. Despite some overlapping membership, there was a constant battle between the two forces. Tweed won an important victory in the state legislature in 1870 when a new city charter was approved. This change vastly increased the power of Tweed's small group as they submitted bills for city work that was never performed, created phony legal agreements, and a variety of kickback schemes to line their pockets with money. Popular support of the Ring was maintained with charity and other gifts to their voters. But the tide slowly began to turn against the Ring due to the …show more content…
Abel Corbin, a small time speculator, married Virginia Grant who was the younger sister of President Grant. After the marriage, Gould and Fisk approached Corbin, taking advantage of his relationship with the president, and persuaded Corbin to introduce them to President Grant. Gould and Fisk hoped that befriending the President would get them private information about up and coming government gold sales; information with which they manipulated the gold market. It worked, resulting in a scandal that hurt the credibility of Grant's presidency and the national economy. Gould and Fisk used their personal appearances with Grant to gain a following on Wall Street in addition to using their insider information. During the first week of September, Grant's Secretary of Treasury, George S. Boutwell, received a letter from Grant telling him gold sales would be harmful to Western farmers, a notion planted in Grant by Gould and Fisk. Boutwell suspended Treasury gold sales. At the same time, Gould and Fisk began buying gold at Gould's New York Gold Room, raising the price of gold. After learning about the nature of their scheme, Grant ordered the release of $4 million in gold on Friday September 24.
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