Editing Thomas Nast (section)

===Campaign against the Tweed Ring===
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| image1    =Nast-Boss-Tweed-1871.jpg
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| caption1  = ''The "Brains"''<br />[[Boss Tweed]] depicted by Thomas Nast in a wood engraving published in ''Harper's Weekly'', October 21, 1871
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| image2    =Nast-Prey-Harper's-Weekly-1871.jpg
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| caption2  = ''A Group of Vultures Waiting for the Storm to "Blow Over"{{spaced ndash}}"Let Us Prey."''<br />The Tweed Ring depicted by Nast in a wood engraving published in ''Harper's Weekly'', September 23, 1871
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| caption3  = ''The Tammany Tiger Loose—"What are you going to do about it?"'', published in ''Harper's Weekly'' in November 1871, just before [[Election Day (politics)|election day]]. "Boss" Tweed is depicted in the audience as the Emperor.
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| image4    = Tweed-le-de-n-Tilden-dum.jpg
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| caption4  = The 1876 cartoon that helped identify Boss Tweed in Spain
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Nast's drawings were instrumental in the downfall of [[William M. Tweed|Boss Tweed]], the powerful [[Tammany Hall]] leader.<ref>Paine 1974, p. 204.</ref> As commissioner of public works for New York City, Tweed led a ring that by 1870 had gained total control of the city's government, and controlled "a working majority in the State Legislature".<ref>Paine 1974, p. 140.</ref> Tweed and his associates—[[Peter B. Sweeny|Peter Barr Sweeny]] (park commissioner), [[Richard B. Connolly]] (controller of public expenditures), and Mayor [[A. Oakey Hall]]—defrauded the city of many millions of dollars by grossly inflating expenses paid to contractors connected to the Ring.<ref>Paine 1974, pp. 174–177.</ref> Nast, whose cartoons attacking Tammany corruption had appeared occasionally since 1867, intensified his focus on the four principal players in 1870 and especially in 1871.<ref>Paine 1974, pp. 145, 147, 158, 178.</ref>

Tweed so feared Nast's campaign that he sent an emissary to offer the artist a bribe of $100,000, which was represented as a gift from a group of wealthy benefactors to enable Nast to study art in Europe.<ref>Paine 1974, p. 181.</ref> Feigning interest, Nast negotiated for more before finally refusing an offer of $500,000 with the words, "Well, I don't think I'll do it. I made up my mind not long ago to put some of those fellows behind the bars".<ref>Paine 1974, pp. 181–182.</ref> Nast pressed his attack in the pages of ''Harper's'', and the Ring was removed from power in the election of November 7, 1871.<ref>Shirley, David (1998). ''Thomas Nast: Cartoonist and Illustrator''. New York: Franklin Watts. p. 51. </ref> Tweed was arrested in 1873 and convicted of fraud. When Tweed attempted to escape justice in December 1875 by fleeing to [[Captaincy General of Cuba|Cuba]] and from there to [[First Spanish Republic|Spain]], officials in [[Vigo]] were able to identify the fugitive by using one of Nast's cartoons.<ref>Paine 1974, pp. 336–337.</ref>