English Lesson 75 Essay

“How serious was Plunkitt about patriotism’s connection to obtaining a job after Tammany won an election?”

George Washington Plunkitt was a New York Politician who firmly believed in patriotism and being an honest politician. He realized that if he helped the people in need, they would vote for him, and he used this method to gain many voters. If there was a fire, he would be there before the fire department, and afterwards he would offer all his spare rooms for the people who had lost their homes. If someone needed a job, he knew the right place for you to go. He also helped many children the opportunities to develop their different talents, because he believed that they were the future of the nation.

Plunkitt was strongly against the civil service act, because he thought that it killed patriotism in people. He believed that if someone wanted to serve their country and they were capable of doing so, they should be able to. They shouldn’t have to take a quiz filled with pointless questions on how many cubic inches of water there were in the Atlantic, or the quality of the sand in the Sahara Desert. Plunkitt saw that people were becoming discouraged and losing their patriotism because of the civil service act. People became so disheartened by the civil service that they left their country and went to join different countries.

One story that Plunkitt told of was a story of a young man who loved America and wanted to get a job in the government. First, he needed to take the civil service examination! Well, since it was full of stupid questions, he failed the exam, so he got so discouraged that he abandoned America and decided to live in Cuba. He later volunteered for the Spanish army and died fighting against his country. I don’t know if this story is actually true, but it’s one of the stories Plunkitt told to demonstrate how the Civil Service Act was killing the country.

Summarized: George Plunkitt believed sharing the prosperity and wealth he earned with friends and supporters and not hoarding it all for himself. He believed that if the government made the people feel like they were welcome to help their country in any way they could, they would feel more loyal and patriotic for the U.S., and if the government turned them away with stupid excuses, the people would feel resentful and traitorous.

Hope you enjoyed my essay, and I would really appreciate it if you leave some feedback or a like!

~Caitlin 😁

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