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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who was the Republican candidate opposing Richard Daley in the 1955 Chicago mayoral election?

2. What did people have to do to stay safe in Chicago while Richard Daley was growing up?

3. How many patronage jobs did Vito Marzullo have for his precinct?

4. What major political event was guided by Richard Daley's leadership in 1956?

5. What did Richard Daley do through the evenings of the 1920's after he was finished with his day job with the City?

Short Essay Questions

1. How were Chicago neighborhoods like small towns when Richard Daley was growing up?

2. What was a rumor the Democratic Machine spread about Alderman Robert Merriam to help Richard Daley's win the 1955 mayoral election?

3. What were some of the events that happened over the years along the route Richard Daley took to work?

4. What was the result of the turmoil during the 1968 Democratic National Convention to Richard Daley's personal popularity?

5. How did Chicago's city government conspire to segregate neighborhoods?

6. How did Richard Daley perform in the segregated neighborhoods during the election for his fourth term, and to what did Daley attribute the results?

7. What was the most notable contribution Richard Daley made to the Cook County Democratic Central Committee and how was it shown?

8. What was Richard Daley's strange moral code?

9. How did Richard Daley earn and keep the support of unions?

10. What event caused violence to increase during protests against Chicago's segregation?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Draw a flow chart of the positions in the Cook County Democratic Party as it is detailed in Chapter IV. Ward Committee members who were most successful in turning out the vote earned the authority to fill the most patronage jobs. Based upon what you learned that Cook County Democrats, ". . . add up votes until they come out right . . ." how did this method of appointing patronage jobs not only corrupt elections, but also corrupt Chicago public service jobs? How did this corruption and the wealth it brought to supporters of the Democratic Party help the Machine dominate elections for decades?

Essay Topic 2

Based upon what your read in "Boss: Richard J. Daley of Chicago," do you consider the goals of the Chicago desegregation movement to be for political power or for social access? Write an expository essay detailing your position. Use at least three examples from the book that support your view.

Essay Topic 3

Richard Daley's control over the Machine has been credited with providing the votes that helped John F. Kennedy defeat Richard Nixon in the 1960 presidential election. If this is so it not only dramatically changed history, but it also showed that the American electoral system was corrupted by political influences. Take one of three subjects for a three paragraph essay:

1. How would the country have been different if Richard Daley's Machine was not involved in the 1960 election and Richard Nixon had become president?

2. What are the consequences to the country if a metropolitan mayor can determine who becomes president? Are there any benefits? What are they? What are the damages to democracy that is posed by such a situation?

3. What are the threats to justice and liberty if elections can be manipulated by powerful individuals? How can such power be confronted?

(see the answer keys)

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