English 75

“How serious was Plunkitt about patriotism’s connection to obtaining a job after Tammany won an election? When Plunkitt lost to Tammany he was in need of a job. He needed a job because running for office was his full time job, and he used most of the money to further his campaign. So when Tammany won, Plunkitt knew getting a job was his best bet. He like helping people so he could get to know the district so he wanted to do something like that. He also saw a connection between patriotism and looking for a job, because jobs help the economy, and they help people in the community. So Plunkitt became very busy with the job search.

Like said before, When Tammany won, Plunkitt was in search of a job. However, with this job search he found a connection between patriotism and jobs. He believed that there was a strong connection. He became very focused and very serious on finding a job. He believed jobs helped people so he became very patriotic with trying to find an job. He really wanted that job, and nothing was going to stop him. He saw the job search as a political opportunity and he even earned a few more votes doing it the honest way. He put in the hard work.

Another way he was patriotic was the way he did politics. He strongly believed in democracy and the people choosing their government. This shows in his auto biography because there are many way he has done better than other politicians. When it came time for elections he knew he was going to win with the way he did things. For example he used a system called honest graft. With this system he believed he had first dibs. He saw opportunities and he used them. When another politician needed land, Plunkitt would purchase the land, so he was always “needed” and the community took notice.

Another way Plunkitt was very patriotic was when he told in the book his recipice for success, and his secrets for getting votes. Plunkitt was very smart, and had a lot of experience and that showed when he came to election time. He had many tricks, such as giving candy to kids, so the children would tell their parents to vote for them. This shows how he was planning ahead and that he knew what he was doing. He gave more instances where he would give money to poor people. Then those people would vote for him. He was always thinking of the next best way to get votes. He knew what he was doing and he definitely showed it.

When Tammany won, Plunkitt saw that as a way to show his patriotism and look for a job. He used every opportunity he had, and he even got more votes. He was always thinking of the next best thing and he showed that hard work makes progress. From a small following of one cousin, to a good part of New York, Plunkitt rose up using his brain and getting things done.

Leave a comment