A series of very plain talks on very practical politics by george washington plunkitt. I guess theyll have to exist as long as theres bookworms, and i suppose. Plunkitt of tammany hall a series of very plain talks on very practical politics william l. Tammany hall was powerful new york political organization. This classic work offers the unblushing, unvarnished wit and wisdom of one of the most fascinating figures ever to play the american political game and win. Riordon kindle edition by plunkitt, george washington. Although the entire book still returns rewards, the opening chapter of plunkitt of tammany hall has the greatest resonance for our clintonian times.
He worked his way up from being a helping hand around the district headquarters as a boy, all the way up to being a district leader and a state senator. Profile of george washington plunkitt, politican all. Plunkitt of tammany hall by george washington plunkitt free. The full text of william riordons book is supported here by nine primary documents that place both the book and its subject into context. Theres honest graft and dishonest graft according to plunkitt. He was a member of the tammany hall that was in power in the city of new york. George washington plunkitt 18421924 was an influential leader in tammany hall, new yorks democratic political machine. A series of very plain talks on very practical politics, bedford books of. With this sentence in the first chapter plunkitt sets the tone for his short treatise on new york city politics while tammany hall ran the show. The curse of civil service reform the gilder lehrman center. Plunkitt is one of the veteran leaders of the organization, he has always been faithful and reliable, and he has performed valuable services for tammany hall. The plunkitt of tammany hall was an insight of street politics in new york published in 1905. Another topic covered in the book, the difference between honest graft and dishonest graft is equally alive and well among modern politicians.
He served as a state senator and a representative to the new york assembly. Plunkitt of tammany hall by george washington plunkitt i seen my opportunities and i took em. George washington plunkitt november 17, 1842 november 19, 1924 was an american politician from new york state, who served in both houses of the new york state legislature. The world of george washington plunkitt plunkitt of tammany hall as want to read. E verybody is talkin these days about tammany men growin rich on graft, but nobody. Riordan nobody thinks of drawin the distinction between honest graft and dishonest graft. Plunkitt was a state senator from new york, a boss from the tammany hall political machine at the turn of the twentieth century.
His take on life, politics, and morality is as delightfully frank as it is astonishingly cynical. The immigrants relied on tammany hall patronage, particularly for social services. This brief classic of streetwise politics was published in 1905 after first appearing as a series of newspaper stories. With this sentence in the first chapter plunkitt sets the tone for his short treatise on new. A series of very plain talks on very practical politics, delivered by ex senator george washington plunkitt, the tammany philosopher, from his rostrum the new york county court house bootblack stand. Riordon, is one of the most famous books of political philosophy ever. In plunkitt of tammany hall riordan admits readers into an area of life that mystified middleclass americans at the turn of the twentieth century. Plunkitt of tammany hall 1905 excerpts from the original electronic text at the project gutenberg. George washington plunkitt of tammany hall essay the power produces a profound impact on an individual.
Plunkitt seems never to have doubted exactly where he. Since its publication in 1905, plunkitt of tammany hall has given generations of students a passport into the world of controversy, conflict, corruption, and color that surrounded urban political machines at their zenith. George washington plunkitt of tammany hall 706 words 123. The full text of william riordons book is supported here by nine primary documents that place both the book and its subject. However, for all the unintentional laughter plunkit of tammany hall provides, theres also a troubling side to the book. Plunkitt of tammany hall pueblo citycounty library. George washington plunkitt was a tammany hall politician who wielded clout in new york city for decades. Peter quinn is a former speechwriter for mario cuomo and the author of banished children of eve.
Plunkitt of tammany hall national humanities center. Plunkitt of tammany hall book summary and study guide. Riordan, one of the muckracker journalists, records plunkitt s take on politics in plunkitt s own words as delivered from the bootblack stand at the new york county courthouse, plunkitt s only office. Sage reference plunkitt, george washington 18421924. Plunkitt, who would hold court at the bootblack stand at the new york county courthouse, telling anyone who would listen about the difference between honest and dishonest graft, the difference between. Plunkitt seems never to have doubted exactly where he stood on the deeply corrupt, yet amazingly effective politics and government in which he spent his life. Americans found a dead man with a light complexion, red hair and blue eyes. Essay on book report of plunkitt of tammany hall 962 words. Jul 31, 2015 plunkitt of tammany hall a series of very plain talks on very practical politics william l. George washington plunkitt november 17, 1842 november 19, 1924 was an american politician from new york state.
This classic work offers the unblushing, unvarnished wit a. A tribute to plunkitt by the leader of tammany hall senator plunkitt is a straight organization man. Book report of plunkitt of tammany hall essay example. In the novel plunkitt of tammany hall, author william l. Plunkitt of tammany hall essay plunkitt of tammany hall 1. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. A series of very plain talks on very practical politics signet classics riordan, william l. Project gutenberg presents plunkitt of tammany hall.
He amassed a fortune by engaging in various schemes which he always claimed had been honest graft. Does george plunkitt consider the tammany district leader to be off from politics ever nooo. Plunkitt of tammany hall essay 1541 words bartleby. Riordon is the author of plunkitt of tammany hall 3. This civil service law is the biggest fraud of the age. Tammany hall political machine ran nyc in the 1800s. George washington plunkitt, the curse of civil service reform, plunkitt of tammany hall. He served in both houses of the new york state legislature and was a member of the tammany hall political machine in new york city. Through plunkitts speeches, its easy to see what the political machine in america has always lacked. Plunkitt was a wellliked man among his supporters and tammany men alike. A century ago this week, a slim book of political philosophy went on sale in new york. George washington plunkitt 17 november 1842 november 19, 1924 was a new york state senator and, as a member of tammany hall, a ward boss for the fifteenth assembly district.
Riordons follows the political life of george washington plunkitt, i was able to understanding the political corruption of the twentieth century reading this book. Plunkitt of tammany hall a series of very plain talks on very practical politics, delivered by exsenator george washington plunkitt, the tammany philosopher, from his rostrum the new york county court house bootblack stand. A series of very plain talks on very practical politics, delivered by exsenator george washington plunkitt, the tammany. Mar 21, 2014 in plunkitt of tammany hall, plunkitt bluntly lays out the political philosophy that governed his actions in politics as well as the actions of the infamous tammany hall. A series of very plain talks on very practical politic s by george washington plunkitt, recorded by william l. George washington plunkitt of tammany hall theres honest graft and dishonest graft, according to plunkitt.
Tammany hall was one of the most colorful political machines in u s history and george washington plunkitt was in the thick of it. Plunkitt of tammany hall essay plunkitt tammany hall. Tammany hall district leader george washington plunkitt. The book emphasizes on plunkitts advocacy for political control and the political machine that helped him gain wealth and a political seat in tammany hall.
Dec 09, 2015 plunkitt goes on to say that tammany hall is a great big machine, with each part adjusted delicate to do its job. Plunkitt has been one of the great powers in tammany hall for a quarter of a century. Listen to this candid discourse from a 19th century politician, and decide for yourself if things have changed. When collaborating on an eccentric book about his career in 1905 he brazenly defended his long and complicated career in machine politics.
A short summary of tammany hall in abound 3 minutes. Plunkitt of tammany hall by george washington plunkitt, paperback. Essay about george washington plunkitt of tammany hall. George washington plunkitt was a new york city politician, immortalized by william l. Riordon, published a book plunkitt of tammany hall, which was essentially a series of monologues in which the old politician, often hilariously, expounded on his life and his theories of politics. Plunkitt and his political machine tammany hall did some good for the people of new york city the poor gained a much needed friend and political ally. An analysis of plunkitt of tammany hall william bryce history 2 austin community college november 30, 2011 the purpose of this book report is to analyze the themes in plunkitt of tammany hall by william l. We can summarize plunkitts political philosophy into two key areas. He was a leader of the tammany hall political organization, a vehement critic of the civil service, and notably responsible for a series of colloquial and practical short talks recorded in plunkitt of tammany hall, which comprise his observations and successful mastery of machine politics.
Riordons purpose is to educate people about politics and to stimulate reform in their corrupt political. Riordon, plunkitts political reporter who records the many lectures plunkitt presented at tammany hall. And in a series of frank and disarmingly charming, informal lectures of sorts, plunkitt revels in this corruption. Tammany hall, or simply tammany, was the name given to a powerful political machine that essentially ran new york city throughout much of the 19th century. The clintons, honest graft and dishonest graft politico. Drawing on a close reading of plunkitt and contemporary tammany sources, this article challenges the conventional reading of the text, and orients readers toward the book s critique of developments in national politics, particularly under the party leadership of grover cleveland and william jennings bryan. On the other hand, an individual having the power may produce a profound impact on the development of the community and entire society depending on the power he possesses. George washington plunkitt plunkitt of tammany hall the book. Fundamentally, through its workings, a lot of people felt inclined to participate in politics.
Nov 30, 2016 tammany hall provided that safety net in exchange for your vote. Plunkitt on tammany hall college essays jasminejones. The book plunkitt of tammany hall is not only a monument to george w. A series of very plain talks on very practical politics by william l. Doing for twentiethcentury america what machiavelli did for renaissance italy, and as entertaining as it is instructive, plunkitt of tammany hall is essential reading for those who prefer twentytwenty vision to rosecolored glasses in viewing how our government works and why. A journalist, william riordan, interviewed plunkitt after he left office, resulting in this book. Although he was well known in new york city political circles in the latenineteenth and earlytwentieth centuries, his enduring fame came from a very short book with a very long subtitle. In the days of tammany hall, politicians like george washington plunkitt spent their careers in service to the city but first and foremost in the service of the political machine. Riordan and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Theres good graft and bad graft according to plunkitt.
But he exercised greater political influence through his work as a ward boss in new yorks fifteenth assembly district. Book report of plunkitt of tammany hall an analysis of plunkitt of tammany hall william bryce history 2 austin community college november 30, 2011 the purpose of this book report is to analyze the themes in plunkitt of tammany hall by william l. Plunkitt, tammany leader of the fifteenth assembly district, sachem of the tammany society and chairman of the elections committee of tammany hall, who has held the offices of state senator, assemblyman, police magistrate, county supervisor and alderman and who boasts of his record in filling. Plunkitt was a tammany politician, state senator, and holder of a number of critical posts in the tammany organization during the late 19th century. Plunkitt of tammany hall free book with 30 day trial. Paragraph numbers apply to this excerpt, not the original source. Riordon, george washington plunkitt, born in new york, successfully alters himself from poverty and becomes the main leader of the fifteenth assembly district, a political member of the tammany hall and as described by peter quinn, an urban political machine in american history. Aug 22, 2011 plunkitt of tammany hall is often read as simply an apology for machine politics. Cat ford s book however is confusing because in all honesty i do not. Plunkitt helped to awaken politicians to the needs of their constituents and, ultimately, personalized the electorate.
He grew rich on deals, brokered issues, and was a walking example of an organization machine politician of the day. Plunkitt of tammany hall, by george washington plunkitt. It is as important to understanding the united states in the early 20th century as the prince is to understanding the renaissance. He was a leader of the tammany hall political organization, a vehement critic. Stream and download audiobooks to your computer, tablet or mobile phone. First of all, this work has no editor or publisher listed, which is very strange.
Plunkitt s 40 plus years as a senator, it is also a monument to his enormous ego. Plunkitt of tammany hall george washington plunkitt. Tammany hall politicians, famously known as tammany men were identified with wealth and great fortunes. A series of very plain talks on very practical politics audiobook by william l. Plunkitt of tammany hall a series of very plain talks on very practical politics, delivered by exsenator george washington plunkitt, the tammany philosopher. The book is a brave explanation on the differences between what was called honest graft and dishonest graft by george washington plunkitt. Plunkitt of tammany hall bedford books in american. Tammany hall politicstammany hall politics depicted in a cartoon by thomas nast for harpers weekly, november 25, 1871. Plunkitt of tammany hall is a great book that shows how a group of openly corrupt politicians can stay in power using a system of apprenticeship and personal favors. For more than three decades after its organization, tammany represented middleclass opposition. Book report of plunkitt of tammany hall essay example 949 words 4 pages an analysis of plunkitt of tammany hall william bryce history 2 austin community college november 30, 2011 the purpose of this book report is to analyze the themes in plunkitt of tammany hall by william l. He had opposition from reformers who accused tammany hall of illegal activities involving graft. George washington plunkitt of tammany hall everybody is talkin these days about tammany men growin rich on graft, but nobody thinks of drawin the distinction between honest graft and dishonest graft. Plunkitt may or may not be book educated in any event, he takes a dim view of people who are but he does understand people very well.
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