The Shame of the Cities by Lincoln Steffens
"The Shame of the Cities" by Lincoln Steffens is a collection of journalistic articles written in the early 20th century. The work is a critical examination of urban corruption in various American cities, including St. Louis, Minneapolis, and Philadelphia, aimed at inciting civic pride in an otherwise shameless citizenry. Through his investigative reports, Steffens seeks to reveal the moral weaknesses underlying the pervasive graft and misgovernment, highlighting the complicity of ordinary citizensin their own political failures. At the start of the book, Steffens introduces the broader theme of urban corruption and its roots in the character of American citizens. He presents case studies from different cities, beginning with St. Louis, where a lone district attorney, Joseph W. Folk, takes a stand against corruption, exposing the interconnectedness between financial greed and political misconduct. The narrative explores how the once-proud city has devolved into a haven of graft, reflecting widespread public apathy and complicity. Throughout, Steffens lays bare the complicity of citizens—suggesting that the true source of corruption lies not only in the politicians but in the very fabric of civic life itself. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Steffens, Lincoln, 1866-1936 |
|---|---|
| Title | The Shame of the Cities |
| Note | Wikipedia page about this book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shame_of_the_Cities |
| Note | Reading ease score: 69.8 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read. |
| Credits | Produced by Richard Tonsing and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | JS: Political science: Local government, Municipal government |
| Subject | Political corruption -- United States |
| Subject | Municipal government -- United States |
| Category | Text |
| EBook-No. | 54710 |
| Release Date | May 12, 2017 |
| Copyright Status | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 1136 downloads in the last 30 days. |
| Project Gutenberg eBooks are always free! | |
