Thomas nast biography tweed vulture

In Gilded Age New York City during the 1860s and 1870s, nobody wielded more political power than William Magear Tweed. Known by both his fans and fiercest critics as “Boss Tweed,” the former fireman rose through the ranks of New York’s Democratic party to pull the levers of the mighty political machine known as Tammany Hall.

Boss Tweed and his corrupt “Tweed Ring” of city officials siphoned millions of dollars from bloated public works projects like a lavish new courthouse that cost nearly $15 million to build, including $9 million in kickbacks going to Tweed and his cronies.

Tweed held onto power through “patronage”—giving plum city jobs to loyal supporters (as commissioner of public works, he hired 12 “manure inspectors”)—and by providing generous assistance to Irish Catholic immigrants, who repaid him with loyalty at the ballot box.

Boss Tweed operated with impunity—until he got under the skin of a 30-year-old political cartoonist named Thomas Nast. Nast launched a relentle

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Here, "Boss Tweed" and his associates are depicted as vultures feeding off the taxpayers of New York while waiting for their scandal to blow over.

Biography Activity: Thomas Nast -

Thomas Nast became a hero for his crusade against Boss Tweed and "The Ring," but it should be noted that Nast was often fueled by his own prejudices.

Thomas Nast's Campaign Against Boss Tweed - ThoughtCo

Boss Tweed operated with impunity—until he got under the skin of a 30-year-old political cartoonist named Thomas Nast.

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In , Nast took on the Tweed Ring operating out of New York’s Tammany Hall.

Dehumanization - Illustrating Chinese Exclusion

Vultures Waiting for the Storm to Blow Over” (both 1871), were virulent attacks on New York's Tammany Hall political machine led by “Boss” Tweed.