Lincoln Steffens

Renowned muckraker and investigative reporter Lincoln Steffens recounts a series of historic corruption scandals in cities of the United States.The various backhanders and embezzlements occurring in the urban councils of the USA in the late 19th century are recalled here. Though the country was in a period of great development and advancement, this rise to industrial prowess was accompanied by an egregious culture of dishonesty. The development of `old boy networks', whereby a group of insiders would conspire to siphon public funds and favour one another in matters of politics or business, became a serious problem.Steffens was a leading opponent of such nepotism, and did his utmost to root it out. In this book are images he gained of dishonest accounting; these, among other documentary evidence, led to certain corrupt officials losing their position and facing charges.

Renowned muckraker and investigative reporter Lincoln Steffens recounts a series of historic corruption scandals in cities of the United States.The various backhanders and embezzlements occurring in the urban councils of the USA in the late 19th century are recalled here. Though the country was in a period of great development and advancement, this rise to industrial prowess was accompanied by an egregious culture of dishonesty. The development of `old boy networks', whereby a group of insiders would conspire to siphon public funds and favour one another in matters of politics or business, became a serious problem.Steffens was a leading opponent of such nepotism, and did his utmost to root it out. In this book are images he gained of dishonest accounting; these, among other documentary evidence, led to certain corrupt officials losing their position and facing charges.

"But no one class is at fault, nor any one breed, nor any particular interest or group of interests. The misgovernment of the American people is misgovernment by the American people." -Lincoln Steffens, The Shame of the Cities (1904) The Shame of the Cities (1904), by Lincoln Steffens, is an expos of political corruption originally published as a series of articles in McClure's Magazine where Steffens was managing editor. His muckraking focused on major cities like New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia in his effort to take down political machines through interviewing hundreds of journalists, district attorneys, and anti-corruption specialists including Theodore Roosevelt before his presidency. Steffens appealed to his audience's sense of morality and emotion to incite political reform. This detailed primary source of the Gilded Age is a great addition to the personal library of anyone interested in political and historical writing.

"But no one class is at fault, nor any one breed, nor any particular interest or group of interests. The misgovernment of the American people is misgovernment by the American people." -Lincoln Steffens, The Shame of the Cities (1904) The Shame of the Cities (1904), by Lincoln Steffens, is an expos of political corruption originally published as a series of articles in McClure's Magazine where Steffens was managing editor. His muckraking focused on major cities like New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia in his effort to take down political machines through interviewing hundreds of journalists, district attorneys, and anti-corruption specialists including Theodore Roosevelt before his presidency. Steffens appealed to his audience's sense of morality and emotion to incite political reform.. This detailed primary source of the Gilded Age is a great addition to the personal library of anyone interested in political and historical writing.