The abuses of power that seemed to characterize the late 19th century political scene left many Americans deeply troubled. Some people called for political reform. Others-such as industrial workers and farmers-took matters into their own hands, organizing to protect their interests and to win their share of prosperity.
Your Assignment:
1) Write a letter, as Americans living in the Gilded Age, to your senator or representative. Letters should express their views of conditions in government and why civil service reform is needed. Use examples from the text to support your arguments.
Due: Sunday 12/20/09 by no later than 11:59pm
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
20 comments:
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dear representative
ReplyDeleteit is obvious you are as they call gilded. the reason why is cause before you were elected you said you would bring change. you said you will make change on the railway rates. these rates make it nearly impossible for us to make a decent profit to even buy equipment for our farms. we have joined coops to make buying easier in bulk and selling in bulk to help us all make a decent profit.
dear senetor,
ReplyDeleteThe government is totally corrupt. Farmers take it the hard way every single year. Alot of money goes to people that "need" welfare checks. Farmers get government checks but they do not amount to hardly anything. Farming is huge in this world because it produces all of the food and we obviously need food to live, so therefore that governmant should consider farming maybe just a little bit more.
Dear senator,
ReplyDeleteThe government is corrupt and is unconstitutional. The spoils system is morally wrong. People with no political background or knowledge are given political offices. I feel reform is needed. In addition the conditions of the working class is horrible. People work 12 hour days in bad working conditions. Children work until they form disformaties. I urge you to change this country.
Dear Senator,
ReplyDeleteThis government is corrupt and change is needed. Political parties are limiting the power among a few people, and the main population is suffering because of it. The Railroads are overcharging, making transportation near impossible for the less fortunate. Civil reform is needed, and as soon as possible. Jobs are unsafe, and many people are getting angry. I fear that they will start to strike, and things will get violant. There is much need for change, please help us.
Concerned Citizen
Dear Senator,
ReplyDeleteCorruption and greed seem particularly evident in this time. Civil service reform is needed because they are over taxing us. We are forced to work alot for little pay and most of the pay gets taken away from us. Since the government is to preoccupied with the political reform they havent noticed that over 10% of the Americans are in poverty. We need to be able to work less for more. Also children need to not work. They are to young to work because they are still growing.
Thanks
Dear Senator,
ReplyDeleteThis country is turning out to be what our founding farthers didn't want. The goverenment is full of greed and corruption. It's full of people that don't know what they are doing. It has alot of political machines which are party organizations whose primary goal was to obtain and then keep local political power. We need to something about this. If we don't stop it now, the people in the future are going to pay for it.
I am a very oppressed American that is living in troubled times. Even though there are a few rich people that are oober rich, there are some who are starving today. The civil government needs to be reformed because it is corrupt. There are political machines that are taking advantage of people and they are rigging elections, bribing people, and even commit some form of violence in order to stay in power. This is also an effect of the spoils system in which political candidates rewarded their supporters with civil jobs. Those jobs should be based on a person's ability and not somebody's friend. This is why civil service needs to be reformed.
ReplyDeleteDear senator or representative,
ReplyDeleteHows it going? I'm fine. Now corruption and greed seemed particularly evident in the politics of the time. First of all my children are working longer hours then I am, and we have to work in unsafe conditions for very little money. Alright bye.
In our country now we need social reform. All forms of government in some way are corrupt. We need to elect new legislative officials for all offices. The elected officials we have now aren't prosecuting high class people for crimes they've committed but they prosecute the poor and low class people. We need social reform!
ReplyDeleteDear Senator,
ReplyDeleteWe need to improve this country's ethics more and more each day. This is mostly due to the corruption of government, and as such we need civil reform. For example; Tammany Hall, of the Democratic party machine that controls New York City's government. He rewards those who support him with jobs and favors.
An example of his favors is he got one of his followers,a man charged with theft, Tammany made sure that the man's charges were dropped. How he did this is probably threatening the defendent, or by bribery. This is why we need civil service reform.
Dear Senator,
ReplyDeleteThe Gilded Age had corruption and greed evident in the poltics. Due to the rapid growth of the cities the creation of powerful political machines began to rise. These political machines were organizations whose primary goal was to obtain and then keep the local political power. We are in desperate need of the civil service reform. This established a civil sercive commission to administer competitive examinations to those seeking government. The government is to focused on winning political power that they are not even paying attention to us.
To whom it may concern,
ReplyDeleteI strongly believe a civil service reform is needed. To start with, the railroad is a dangerous, unhealthy place. Union Pacific is being overcharged by 20 million dollars. And on top of that, the creation of the railroad is a dangerous job. Children should not have to work the long hours. They are being over worked, and because of this are being deformed. The workers are losing hands and body parts. The children's futures are being endangered because they do not have the appropriate "growing up" conditions. Their are stuck in one position for far too long.
The government is not paying attention to the people. Most of us are in poverty, but they do not care because they are too involved in politics. The companies are unfair so the workers are striking back. This is only hurting more, because they are left without jobs, and no one really knows what to do.
sincerely,
chelsea
Dear Senator:
ReplyDeleteWhile things look good on the surface these problems still are bothering us,
1. The Tweed Ring robbed the New York city treasure of some 200 million dollors between 1865 and 1871.
While my family and I are working in unsafe conditions.
While they made all these millions I make nothing and I have no one to help me fight for my rights.
Dear Sir,
ReplyDeleteI think that this government is not being very fair. There are many people that only get a job because they know someone that is in a government postition. Political bosses who ran the big-city machines got their candidates elected by dispensing favors to people in return for votes. They are just a bunch of cheaters. They are stealing everything from the people.
From,
Me
Dear senator,
ReplyDeleteI think there are alot of crooked people in our government these days. I think we need civil service reform right away. We need to get other people in there. We workers are taking our own matters into our hands. We don't want any interference from the government.
dear senator,
ReplyDeletethe civial sercice reform is neeedede because to many people are getting jobs in government because of the people they know instead of the talents they posess one example is political leaders getting there canadates in office by doing favors for people in exchange for votes
Technological innovations led to the growing mechanization of the production process, generating a need for large numbers of unskilled workers. While industrial mass production created new jobs, it also transformed the nature of work, destroying traditional crafts and subordinating workers to repetitive and monotonous tasks.
ReplyDeleteDear Senator,
ReplyDeleteI believe that the government is becoming over powering to the nation. Politician are playing the same games, often for higher stakes. Credit monilier over charged Union Pacific by more than $20 million. The Pendleton Civil Service Act in 1883 was estabilshed a Civil Service Commission to administer competitive examination to those seeking government jobs.
Sincerly yours, Britni Patterson
Dear Senator,
ReplyDeleteI think you should give us the Civil Reform Act becuase many of us are looking for jobs and the only ones open any more are government ones. Immigrants are taking more and more of the jobs we need. Too many people are getting greedy with the Gilded Age. With the greed lurking under the jobs. We need help and hope someway.
Thank You,
Sylvia Sue Flammageddon
All industrial workers labored long hours for little pay.Most white unskilled male laborers work at least 10 hours a day,6 days a week, for less than $10 a week.In addition, the women like me,our earnings is less than $5 a week.Children,too, face terrible conditions in the labor force.
ReplyDeleteHowever,corruption and greed seem particularly evident in the politics.they concentrate on their win,but not on citizen,we really need civil service reform.