Becoming an Urban Nation

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Becoming an Urban Nation
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Urbanization

• The Industrial Revolution pushed more and more
  people into cities to find jobs.
• Cities offered
• Good transportation
• Plenty of workers
• Urbanization The growth of cities that resulted
  from these changes.

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Urbanization

• Advances
• Skyscrapers
• Buildings that looked tall enough to scrape the
  sky.
• Elevator
• Elisha Otis (Otis Elevator Company)
• Installed the first electric elevator in 1889.
• Buildings could now be built higher and hold more
  people.
• Steel
• Also aided in the construction skyscrapers
  because it could hold the weight of these large
  buildings.

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Urbanization

• Advancements
• Electric streetcars
• First was installed in Richmond, Virginia (1888)
• Some cities, like Chicago, elevated these cars
• Els
• Some cities, like New York, placed these cars in
  underground tunnels.
• Subways
• People could now live further from cities which
  lead to the development of suburbs.
• Many of these suburban cities were annexed by
  larger cities which expanded their border

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Urbanization

• Disasters
• People were so crammed together in cities that
  disasters were common.
• Examples
• Fires
• Disease
• Living Conditions
• Tenements
• An apartment house that is usually run-down and
  overcrowded.

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Urbanization

• Living Conditions
• Slums
• Overcrowded neighborhoods with dangerous housing.

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Urbanization

• Reforms
• Settlement Houses
• Helped immigrants improve their lives.
• Daycare, education, and health services.
• Hull House Chicago 1889
• Jane Addams
• Became the model for other settlement houses.

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Immigration

• Until the 1890s most immigrants were northern
  and western European.
• New Immigrants
• The southern and eastern Europeans who immigrated
  to the U.S. after 1900.

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Immigration

• Ellis Island New York City
• Processed immigrants to the East.
• Physical Exam
• Seriously ill were sent home.
• Asked a series of questions
• Name?
• Occupation?
• How much money do you have?

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Immigration

• Angel Island San Francisco
• Processed immigrants to the West
• Mostly Asian
• Buildings were filthy and many immigrants were
  held for weeks.

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Immigrants

• Becoming American
• Melting Pot
• A place where cultures blend
• Assimilation
• The process of blending into society.
• Study English
• Took Citizenship classes
• Some of the foreign cultures blended into
  American culture.

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Immigrants

• Prejudice
• Protestants feared Catholics and Jews
• Many feared immigrants would not fit in
• Many people pushed for restrictions on
  immigration.

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Changes in Culture

• Education
• Schools grew in number as a result of immigration
• Laws were passed making school required.
• Increased literacy rates in America

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Changes in Culture

• Literature
• An increase in literacy lead to an increase in
  reading.
• Newspapers became more popular.
• Joseph Pulitzer New York World
• William Randolph Hearst New York Morning
  Journal
• Created comic and sports pages.

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Changes in Culture

• Entertainment
• Leisure Free Time
• New Parks were created
• Central Park New York
• First Amusement Parks were built
• Coney Island New York
• Worlds Fairs 1876-1916
• Philadelphia, Chicago, St. Louis
• Show off American technology
• Millions attended

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Changes in Culture

• Sports
• Spectator sports became popular
• Baseball. Football, and Boxing
• Baseball was the most popular
• By 1890, had an organized league.

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Changes in Culture

• Music and Art
• Vaudeville
• Variety shows
• Combination of song, dance, and comedy.
• Ragtime
• Blend of African American and European musical
  forms.
• Scott Joplin
• Movies
• Silent
• After 1905 movie theaters became popular.