Alexander Oliverio

AP US History
Mr. Carlson
Voices, Riordan, "Plunkett of Tammany Hall"
1. The distinction Plunkitt makes between “honest graft” and “dishonest graft” is that honest
graft is just when a person sees their opportunities and takes them, while dishonest graft
is when a person goes into for example politics for himself alone without considering his
organization or city. I really think he believes this explanation because he calls himself an
example of honest graft.
2. Plunkitt’s attitude towards the reformer Lincoln Steffens is that he means well but he
does not know how to make distinctions. He says that Steffens can't see the difference
between honest graft and dishonest graft, therefore he gets things mixed up.
Nash Ch 19
1. The election of 1896 was such a crucial election in the development of political parties
because it cause the different parties to now be supported by the people who had different
economic beliefs. The Democratic Party and their nominee William Jennings Bryan
believed that silver was going to be the most important factor in the economy going
forward and gained support of groups such as the silver miners and people who believed
silver was also the most important factor. On the other hand, the Republican Party and
their nominee William McKinley believed that gold was what the country's economic
prosperity would depend on and he gained the support of the people with the same view.
Therefore the different parties gained support of the people with different views on the
economy progressing forward.
2. Economic issues and the Depression of 1893 affected the Presidential election of 1896
because it caused people to look toward the party they believed would do the most to
bring them out of the depression and prosper economically. With the people having to
struggle through this depression it is only human nature that they are going to do
everything in their power to get out of it, which in this case would be their support of a
political party. The reason their decision on which party to support was so important was
because the one they chose was the one they believed would do the most and have the
best chance of progressing them out of the depression. The ones who believed gold
 would get them out of the depression supported the Republicans, while the people who
believed in silver supported the Democrats; which was why the Depression of 1893 was
so important in deciding the Election of 1896.
3. The American democratic system was responsive to the needs of the American People
during the Gilded Age because it allowed them to express their ideas and needs through
their representatives. The American people elected their representatives based on who
they believed had the most similar ideas as them and who would do what was necessary
to fulfill their needs; which is how the democratic system was responsive. Politics
reflected national ideals and values because of the democratic system and the fact that the
elected leaders shared the same ideals and values as the people who had elected them.
Since the people wanted their ideals to be reflected in politics so something could be
done towards attaining their goals, they elected leaders with the same ideals so that they
would be heard on a national scale.