URBAN%20AMERICA

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URBAN AMERICA

• 1865-1896

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WHY IT MATTERS

• European and Asian immigrants arrived in the
  United States in great numbers during the late
  1800s. Providing cheap labor, they made rapid
  industrial growth possible. They also helped
  populate the growing cities. The immigrants
  presence affected both urban politics labor
  unions. Reactions to immigrants to an urban
  society were reflected in new political
  organizations and in literature and philosophy.
• Industrialism urbanization changed American
  societys ideas culture in the late 1800s
• THE PRESSING PROBLEMS OF THE URBAN POOR IN THE
  LATE 1800s AND EARLY 1900s EVENTUALLY STIMULATED
  ATTEMPTS TO REFORM INDUSTRIAL SOCIETY ? The
  Progressive Era

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URBANIZATION IMMIGRATION

• MAIN IDEA During the three decades following the
  Civil War, the U.S. transformed rapidly from a
  rural nation to a more urban one.
• With the end of the Civil War, American industry
  expanded and millions of people left their farms
  to work in mines and factories. Many found work
  in cities which led to urbanization as cities
  rapidly expanded.
• Immigrants before 1870 Northern and Western
  Europe, assimilate easily.
• Immigrants after 1870 (during peak of
  industrial era) Southern and Eastern Europe,
  not easily assimilated.

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NATIVISM

• Nativism extreme dislike for immigrants by
  native-born people a desire to limit
  immigration
• In 1840s/50s it focused primarily on Irish
  immigrants. Now anti-immigrant feelings focused
  on Asians/Jews/eastern Europeans.
• Nativists opposed immigration for many reasons.
• Feared Catholics from Ireland southern/eastern
  Eur. would overpower Protestants give Catholic
  Church too much power in American gov.
• Many labor unions opposed immigration because
  immigrants would work for low wages/strikebreakers
  .
• Anti-Immigration movement ? widespread racial
  violence
• Chinese Exclusion Act barred Chinese
  immigration for 10 yrs prevented Chinese
  already in the country from becoming citizens

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Americans Migrate to the Cities

• Urban population grows from around 10 million in
  1870 to over 30 million in 1900
• 131 cities 1840 ? over 1,700 cities by 1900
• Most immigrants stay in cities because lack to
  buy farms education to obtain higher-paying
  jobs
• Rural Ams ? cities bc more/better paying jobs
  offered things to do/see
• Millions into cities ? engineers/architects
  develop new housing/transporting approaches
• Skyscrapers tall steel frame buildings
• City populations growing ? land price rises ?
  build upward not outward

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URBAN PROBLEMS

• City living posed threats such as crime,
  violence, fire, disease, pollution.
• Alcohol saloons ? violent crime, breeding
  poverty, corrupt politics
• 3 classes emerged high society, middle-class
  gentility, working class

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URBAN POLITICS

• Political machine informal political group
  designed to gain/keep power, came about partly
  because cities had grown much faster than their
  governments
• In exchange for votes, political machines party
  bosses who ran them provided necessities like
  jobs, housing, food, heat, protection that new
  city dwellers needed.
• Party bosses who ran political machines
  controlled the citys finances many grew rich
  through graft getting through dishonest or
  questionable means.
• Ex Tammany Hall William M. Boss Tweed New
  York Democratic political machine

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Jacob Riis (1890) How the Other Half
LivesExposing the deplorable living conditions
in New York City tenements
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BENEFITS OF INDUSTRIALIZATION

• Mass production in factories ? more
  affordable/cheaper products
• New technology/developments and cheaper products
  ? increased standard of living for many
• Improved standard of living ? changing popular
  culture
• Spend on entertainment and recreation
• The Saloon
• Amusement Parks
• Sports
• Vaudeville Ragtime

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THE GILDED AGE (1870-1900)

• 1873 Mark Twain Charles Warner co-wrote novel
  The Gilded Age
• Term gilded refers to something being gold on
  the outside while the inside is made of cheaper
  material
• Although this was a time of growth, beneath the
  surface was corruption, poverty, a huge gap
  between rich poor
• Industrialization urbanization ? new values,
  art, forms of entertainment.

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REALISM

• Realism replaces romanticism in art literature
• new movement in art/literature - portrayed
  people in realistic situations instead of
  idealizing them
• Portray real life situations to draw attention to
  problems faced by urban poor focus on society
  as it actually was

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INDIVIDUALISM SOCIAL DARWINISM

• A strong belief during the Gilded Age was the
  idea of individualism belief that regardless of
  your background, you could still rise in society.
• Horatio Alger, a minister from Massachusetts,
  left the clergy and moved to New York where he
  wrote over 100 novels about rags-to-riches
  stories.
• English philosopher Herbert Spencer 1st proposed
  the idea of Social Darwinism when he took Charles
  Darwins theory of evolution natural selection
  applied it to human society
• Human society evolved through competition ?
  society progressed because only the fittest
  people survived
• Industrial leaders agreed with Social Darwinism.
  Upsets many Christians who believed in
  creationism.
• Social Darwinism paralleled laissez-faire.

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HELPING THE URBAN POOR

• Andrew Carnegie (prominent business leader)
  softens Social Darwinism with Gospel of Wealth
  philosophy that wealthy Americans bore the
  responsibility of engaging in philanthropy
• Philanthropy using great fortunes to further
  social progress/contribute to social causes
• Social Gospel 1870-1920 reformers worked to
  better conditions in cities according to biblical
  ideals of charity/justice apply Christian law
  to social problems.
• YMCA SALVATION ARMY EMERGE TO HELP AID URBAN
  POOR
• Workers in industrial America faced monotonous
  (boring, unfulfilling, and repetitive) work,
  dangerous working conditions, an uneven
  division of income between the wealthy the
  working class.
• This distinction of social classes could be seen
  in cities throughout the US that had very wealthy
  sectors and very poor sectors. Many of the
  impoverished lived in deplorable conditions in
  dirty one room apartments called tenement
  apartments.
• Settlement houses- houses where the poor could
  have their basic needs provided for food,
  clothes, shelter. Jane Addams was a leading
  advocate creator of settlement houses. Ex Hull
  House

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REFORM PUBLIC EDUCATION

• Spread of schools public schools increased
  quickly after the Civil War
• Public schools crucial to the success of
  immigrant children Americanization process of
  becoming more knowledgeable about American
  culture ? worked to assimilate immigrants
• Schools helped workers prepare for the jobs they
  hoped would lift their families out of poverty ?
  timely attendance, neatness, efficiency, etc
• Higher education expanded Morrill Land Grant Act
  helped colleges multiple in the late 1800s by
  federal gov. giving land grants to states for the
  purpose of establishing agricultural mechanical
  colleges.
• Public libraries made education available to city
  dwellers.

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