2. Mark Twain
Mark Twain, born as Langhorne Clemens, was a dominant literary figure of the age. Twain rejected the dull new England writing style of the time and brought an added …show more content…
For twelve years, Tweed ruled New York. He gave generously to the poor and authorized the handouts of Christmas turkeys and winter coals to prospective supporters. In the process he cheated the public out of millions of taxpayer money, which went into the strongboxes of tweed and his associates. Political cartoonist, Thomas, Nast brought much attention to Tweed's corruption, by reaching both literate and illiterate audiences. Samuel Tilden, a zealous attorney, convicted Tweed and his rule came to an end in 1876. Tweed mysteriously escaped from prison and traveled to Spain, where he was spotted by someone who recognized his face from Nast's cartoons. Tweed died in prison in 1878, but his corruption image would be …show more content…
Most immigrants that came during this time had come from Northern and Western Europe and had some experience with representation democracy. With the exception of the Irish, most were protestant. Many were literate, and some possessed a fair degree of wealth. Old Immigrant were able to fit in because of their similar background, religion, and traditions. New immigrants came from Southern and Eastern Europe, and even Asia. During the Gilded Age, the new immigrants of Greek, Italian, Polish, Slovak, Serbian, Russian, and Croatian descent arrived by the boatload. Japanese and Chinese settlers arrived on the West Coast during the gold rush looking to work hard, earn their pay, and return home to their families. The majority of the “new” immigrants were Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox. Very few newcomers spoke English, and large number were illiterate in the native tongue. Because of the vastly different form of government in their country of origin, the American form of government was as foreign as its culture. Because “new” immigrant were so different in nearly all aspects of their lives compared to the American people, many immigrants were met with hostility and revulsion. Although these “new” immigrants swore to maintain their old ways of life over the American culture, their children had different ideas and were able to appreciate and fit in