Americas History Seventh Edition
James A. Henretta Rebecca Edwards Robert O. Self Americas History Seventh Edition CHAPTER 19 Civilizations Inferno: The Rise and Reform of Industrial Cities, Copyright 2011 by Bedford/St. Martins CHAPTER LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After you have read this chapter, you should be able to answer the following questions: 1. What enabled American cities to grow so dramatically during the nineteenth century? 2. How did industrialization affect urbanization? 3. How did class structure, ethnicity, and gender affect urban political affairs? 4. In what ways were cities crucibles of urban reform? I. The New Metropolis The Shape of the Industrial City 2. Skyscrapers
1.Mass Transit and the Suburb as cities grew larger, technology assisted residents and visitors with travel electric trolley in Richmond, VA (1887) Chicago and New York City had elevated railroads Boston had an underground line (1897) railroads contributed to the growth of the suburb, areas on the outskirts of city where wealthy lived: commuters working class lived near cities centers where they worked 2.Skyscrapers 3.The Electric City The New Metropolis The Shape of the Industrial City Mass Transit and the Suburb as cities grew larger, technology assisted residents and visitors with travel; electric trolley in Richmond, VA (1887); Chicago and New York City had elevated railroads; Boston had an underground line (1897); railroads contributed to the growth of the suburb, areas on the outskirts of city where wealthy lived: commuters; working class lived near cities centers where they worked; telephone (1876) connected suburban people to the cities. Skyscrapers steel, glass, elevators changed buildings in downtown areas; skyscraperswere expensive but a good use of small amounts of land; Home Insurance Building (1885) in Chicago was first. The Electric City gas lamps too dim for city streets; invention of the incandescent bulb in 1879 changed urban life as night time was now illuminated; urban life appeared safer and more appealing. 1st Electric Car I. The New Metropolis The Shape of the Industrial City
1.Mass Transit and the Suburb telephone (1876) connected suburban people to the cities. 2.Skyscrapers 3.The Electric City The New Metropolis The Shape of the Industrial City Mass Transit and the Suburb as cities grew larger, technology assisted residents and visitors with travel; electric trolley in Richmond, VA (1887); Chicago and New York City had elevated railroads; Boston had an underground line (1897); railroads contributed to the growth of the suburb, areas on the outskirts of city where wealthy lived: commuters; working class lived near cities centers where they worked; telephone (1876) connected suburban people to the cities. Skyscrapers steel, glass, elevators changed buildings in downtown areas; skyscraperswere expensive but a good use of small amounts of land; Home Insurance Building (1885) in Chicago was first. The Electric City gas lamps too dim for city streets; invention of the incandescent bulb in 1879 changed urban life as night time was now illuminated; urban life appeared safer and more appealing. Chicagos El Elevated railroads quickly became a familiar sight to city dwellers. Most urban transit networks were operated by private companies, and tensions over expensive fares ran high in many cities. Nonetheless, such transit systems helped people negotiate the great distances of the new metropolis. Jazz Age Chicago. The Expansion of Chicago, 18651902
In 1865, Chicagoans depended on horsecar lines to get around town. By 1900, the city limits had expanded enormously and so had the streetcar service, which was by then electrified. Elevated trains eased the congestion on downtown streets. Ongoing extension of the streetcar lines, some beyond the city limits, ensured that suburban development would continue as well. I. The New Metropolis The Shape of the Industrial City 2. Skyscrapers
steel, glass, elevators changed buildings in downtown areas skyscraperswere expensive but a good use of small amounts of land Home Insurance Building (1885) in Chicago was first tall building to use structural steel in its frame. Considered the world's first skyscraper, it had 10 stories and rose to a height of 138. In 1890, two additional floors were added. 3.The Electric City gas lamps too dim for city streets invention of the incandescent bulb in 1879 changed urban life as night time was now illuminated urban life appeared safer and more appealing. The New Metropolis The Shape of the Industrial City Mass Transit and the Suburb as cities grew larger, technology assisted residents and visitors with travel; electric trolley in Richmond, VA (1887); Chicago and New York City had elevated railroads; Boston had an underground line (1897); railroads contributed to the growth of the suburb, areas on the outskirts of city where wealthy lived: commuters; working class lived near cities centers where they worked; telephone (1876) connected suburban people to the cities. Skyscrapers steel, glass, elevators changed buildings in downtown areas; skyscraperswere expensive but a good use of small amounts of land; Home Insurance Building (1885) in Chicago was first. The Electric City gas lamps too dim for city streets; invention of the incandescent bulb in 1879 changed urban life as night time was now illuminated; urban life appeared safer and more appealing. Home Insurance Building (1885) I. The New Metropolis The Shape of the Industrial City
3.The Electric City gas lamps too dim for city streets invention of the incandescent bulb in 1879 changed urban life as night time was now illuminated urban life appeared safer and more appealing. The New Metropolis The Shape of the Industrial City Mass Transit and the Suburb as cities grew larger, technology assisted residents and visitors with travel; electric trolley in Richmond, VA (1887); Chicago and New York City had elevated railroads; Boston had an underground line (1897); railroads contributed to the growth of the suburb, areas on the outskirts of city where wealthy lived: commuters; working class lived near cities centers where they worked; telephone (1876) connected suburban people to the cities. Skyscrapers steel, glass, elevators changed buildings in downtown areas; skyscraperswere expensive but a good use of small amounts of land; Home Insurance Building (1885) in Chicago was first. The Electric City gas lamps too dim for city streets; invention of the incandescent bulb in 1879 changed urban life as night time was now illuminated; urban life appeared safer and more appealing. Lighting Up Minneapolis, 1883 Like other American cities, Minneapolis at night had been lit by dim gaslight until the advent of Charles F. Brushs electric arc lamps. This photograph marks the opening day, February 28, 1883, of Minneapoliss new era: the first lighting of a 257-foot tower topped by a ring of electric arc lamps. The electric poles on the right, connecting the tower to a power station, would soon proliferate into a blizzard of poles and overhead wires, as Minneapolis became an electric city. Minnesota Historical Society/CORBIS. Woolworth Building, New York City
Under construction in this photograph, taken between 1910 and 1913, the headquarters of the nationwide Woolworths five-and-dime chain became a dominant feature of the New York skyline. Manhattan soon had more skyscrapers than any other city in the world. Library of Congress. 5 and 10 in 1910 would be equivalent to $1. 25 and $2
5 and 10 in 1910 would be equivalent to $1.25 and $2.50 today, making Woolworth the precursor to todays dollar stores. Woolworth went out of business in 1993. The Lower East Side, New York City, 1900
As this map shows, the Jewish immigrants dominating Manhattans Lower East Side preferred to live in neighborhoods populated by those from their home regions of Eastern Europe. Their sense of a common identity made for a remarkable flowering of educational, cultural, and social institutions on the Jewish East Side. Ethnic neighborhoods became a feature of almost every American city. (6.1.2.B) I. The New Metropolis Newcomers and Neighborhoods
1.Ethnic Neighborhoods (6.2.1.B) immigrants generally lived among people of shared ethnicity: Irish in Boston, Swedes in Minneapolis, Italians in Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic cities settled in neighborhoods where churches, shops, schools met their cultural needs. 2.African Americans turn of the century 90% of black Americans lived in the South, but many were moving from rural to urban areas in northern cities they faced discrimination and violence race riots occurred in several northern cities (New York 1900; Evansville, IN, 1903; Springfield, IL, 1908). 3.Tenements cheap housing, generally five to six stories, twenty or more families; disease rampant; in New York Tenement House Law of 1901 required interior courts, indoor toilets, fire safety measures on new buildings. The New Metropolis Newcomers and Neighborhoods Ethnic Neighborhoods immigrants generally lived among people of shared ethnicity: Irish in Boston, Swedes in Minneapolis, Italians in Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic cities; settled in neighborhoods where churches, shops, schools met their cultural needs. African Americans turn of the century 90% of black Americans lived in the South, but many were moving from rural to urban areas; in northern cities they faced discrimination and violence; race riots occurred in several northern cities (New York 1900; Evansville, IN, 1903; Springfield, IL, 1908). Tenements cheap housing, generally five to six stories, twenty or more families; disease rampant; in New York Tenement House Law of 1901 required interior courts, indoor toilets, fire safety measures on new buildings. 14 I. The New Metropolis Newcomers and Neighborhoods
2.African Americans (6.2.1.A) turn of the century 90% of black Americans lived in the South, but many were moving from rural to urban areas in northern cities they faced discrimination and violence race riots occurred in several northern cities (New York 1900; Evansville, IN, 1903; Springfield, IL, 1908). 3.Tenements cheap housing, generally five to six stories, twenty or more families; disease rampant; in New York Tenement House Law of 1901 required interior courts, indoor toilets, fire safety measures on new buildings. The New Metropolis Newcomers and Neighborhoods Ethnic Neighborhoods immigrants generally lived among people of shared ethnicity: Irish in Boston, Swedes in Minneapolis, Italians in Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic cities; settled in neighborhoods where churches, shops, schools met their cultural needs. African Americans turn of the century 90% of black Americans lived in the South, but many were moving from rural to urban areas; in northern cities they faced discrimination and violence; race riots occurred in several northern cities (New York 1900; Evansville, IN, 1903; Springfield, IL, 1908). Tenements cheap housing, generally five to six stories, twenty or more families; disease rampant; in New York Tenement House Law of 1901 required interior courts, indoor toilets, fire safety measures on new buildings. Home damaged in 1908 Springfield Race Riot 15 The Cherry Family, 1906 Wiley and Fannie Cherry migrated in 1893 from North Carolina to Chicago, settling in the small African American community that had established itself on the citys West Side. The Cherrys apparently prospered. By 1906, when this family portrait was taken, they had entered the black middle class. When migration intensified after 1900, longer-settled urban blacks like the Cherrys often became uncomfortable, and relations with needy rural newcomers were sometimes tense. Collection of Lorraine Heflin. The Atlanta Race RiotSeen from France
The cover of this Paris newsmagazine depicts the Atlanta race riot of While the artist had almost certainly never visited Atlanta, his dramatic illustration shows that, from this early date, racial violence could be a source of embarrassment to the United States in its relations with other countries. Picture Research Consultants & Archives. I. The New Metropolis Newcomers and Neighborhoods 3. Tenements
cheap housing, generally five to six stories, twenty or more families disease rampant in New York Tenement House Law of 1901 required interior courts, indoor toilets, fire safety measures on new buildings. The New Metropolis Newcomers and Neighborhoods Ethnic Neighborhoods immigrants generally lived among people of shared ethnicity: Irish in Boston, Swedes in Minneapolis, Italians in Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic cities; settled in neighborhoods where churches, shops, schools met their cultural needs. African Americans turn of the century 90% of black Americans lived in the South, but many were moving from rural to urban areas; in northern cities they faced discrimination and violence; race riots occurred in several northern cities (New York 1900; Evansville, IN, 1903; Springfield, IL, 1908). Tenements cheap housing, generally five to six stories, twenty or more families; disease rampant; in New York Tenement House Law of 1901 required interior courts, indoor toilets, fire safety measures on new buildings. 18 Floor Plan of a Dumbbell Tenement
In a contest for a design that met an 1879 requirement for every room to have a window, the dumbbell tenement won. The interior indentation, which created an airshaft between adjoining buildings, gave the tenement its dumbbell shape. But what was touted as a model tenement demonstrated instead the futility of trying to reconcile maximum land usage with decent housing. Each floor contained four apartments of three or four rooms, the largest only 10 by 11 feet. The two toilets in the hall became filthy or broke down under daily use by forty or more people. The narrow airshaft provided almost no light for the interior rooms and served mainly as a dumping ground for garbage. So deplorable were these tenements that they became the stimulus for the next wave of New York housing reform. City Garbage How to get rid of the garbage? was a question that bedeviled every American city. The difficulties of keeping up are all too clear in this ground-level photograph by the great urban investigator Jacob Riis, looking down Tammany Street in New York City circa Museum of the City of New York. I. The New Metropolis City Cultures 1. Urban Amusements
vaudeville theater (1880s-1890s): patrons paid 25 cents to watch live entertainment appealed to all classes 5 cents for movie at the nickelodeons amusement parks (ex: Coney Island, NY) where people rode the roller coasters, ate, and danced. 2.Ragtime music by African American artists with a ragged rhythm, extremely popular among audiences used to Victorian hymns and parlor songs Scott Joplin most famous performer New York had more than 500 dance halls by 1910 the blues became popular in NYC, taken from African American folk music. 3.Sex and the City 4.Urban High Culture 5.Investigative Journalism The New Metropolis City Cultures Urban Amusements vaudeville theater (1880s-1890s): patrons paid 25 cents to watch live entertainment; appealed to all classes; 5 cents for movie at the nickelodeons; amusement parks (ex: Coney Island, NY) where people rode the roller coasters, ate, and danced. Ragtime music by African American artists with a ragged rhythm, extremely popular among audiences used to Victorian hymns and parlor songs; Scott Joplin most famous performer; New York had more than 500 dance halls by 1910; the blues became popular in NYC, taken from African American folk music. Sex and the City amusement parks, theaters provided opportunities for dating that had not existed in previous generations; less parental supervision; working girls needed dates to treat, for some this meant exchanging sexual favors for the date (charity girls); gay subculture developed in urban areas with underground clubs; term queer was used by 1910. Urban High Culture art and natural history museums, libraries, symphonies grew out of wealthy patrons interests and donations; Andrew Carnegie spent more than $32.7 million developing 1,000 libraries nationwide. Investigative Journalism increased interest in reading about current events, human-interest stories, sports, fashion, high society; Sunday comics; yellow journalism was a derogatory term for mass-market newspaper; sensationalism grew as owners competed for sales (Joseph Pulitzer, William Randolph Hearst); papers played an increasing role in investigating corruption in government; muckrakers: negative term for those newspaper reporters accused of drawing too much attention to negative stories. Amusement Park, Long Beach, California The origins of the roller coaster go back to LaMarcus Thompsons Switchback Railway, installed at New Yorks Coney Island in 1884 and featuring gentle dips and curves. By 1900, when the Jack Rabbit Race was constructed at Long Beach, California, the goal was to create the biggest possible thrill. Angelenos journeyed out by trolley to Long Beach not only to take a dip in the ocean but also to ride the new roller coaster. The airplane ride in the foreground is a further wrinkle on the peculiarly modern notion that the way to have fun is to be scared to death. I. The New Metropolis City Cultures 2. Ragtime
music by African American artists with a ragged rhythm, extremely popular among audiences used to Victorian hymns and parlor songs Scott Joplin most famous performer (click speaker to hear Joplins hit The Entertainer ) New York had more than 500 dance halls by 1910 the blues became popular in NYC, taken from African American folk music. 3.Sex and the City 4.Urban High Culture 5.Investigative Journalism The New Metropolis City Cultures Urban Amusements vaudeville theater (1880s-1890s): patrons paid 25 cents to watch live entertainment; appealed to all classes; 5 cents for movie at the nickelodeons; amusement parks (ex: Coney Island, NY) where people rode the roller coasters, ate, and danced. Ragtime music by African American artists with a ragged rhythm, extremely popular among audiences used to Victorian hymns and parlor songs; Scott Joplin most famous performer; New York had more than 500 dance halls by 1910; the blues became popular in NYC, taken from African American folk music. Sex and the City amusement parks, theaters provided opportunities for dating that had not existed in previous generations; less parental supervision; working girls needed dates to treat, for some this meant exchanging sexual favors for the date (charity girls); gay subculture developed in urban areas with underground clubs; term queer was used by 1910. Urban High Culture art and natural history museums, libraries, symphonies grew out of wealthy patrons interests and donations; Andrew Carnegie spent more than $32.7 million developing 1,000 libraries nationwide. Investigative Journalism increased interest in reading about current events, human-interest stories, sports, fashion, high society; Sunday comics; yellow journalism was a derogatory term for mass-market newspaper; sensationalism grew as owners competed for sales (Joseph Pulitzer, William Randolph Hearst); papers played an increasing role in investigating corruption in government; muckrakers: negative term for those newspaper reporters accused of drawing too much attention to negative stories. I. The New Metropolis City Cultures 5. Investigative Journalism
3.Sex and the City amusement parks, theaters provided opportunities for dating that had not existed in previous generations less parental supervision working girls needed dates to treat, for some this meant exchanging sexual favors for the date (charity girls) gay subculture developed in urban areas with underground clubs term queer was used by 1910. 4.Urban High Culture art and natural history museums, libraries, symphonies grew out of wealthy patrons interests and donations Andrew Carnegie spent more than $32.7 million developing 1,000 libraries nationwide. 5.Investigative Journalism The New Metropolis City Cultures Urban Amusements vaudeville theater (1880s-1890s): patrons paid 25 cents to watch live entertainment; appealed to all classes; 5 cents for movie at the nickelodeons; amusement parks (ex: Coney Island, NY) where people rode the roller coasters, ate, and danced. Ragtime music by African American artists with a ragged rhythm, extremely popular among audiences used to Victorian hymns and parlor songs; Scott Joplin most famous performer; New York had more than 500 dance halls by 1910; the blues became popular in NYC, taken from African American folk music. Sex and the City amusement parks, theaters provided opportunities for dating that had not existed in previous generations; less parental supervision; working girls needed dates to treat, for some this meant exchanging sexual favors for the date (charity girls); gay subculture developed in urban areas with underground clubs; term queer was used by 1910. Urban High Culture art and natural history museums, libraries, symphonies grew out of wealthy patrons interests and donations; Andrew Carnegie spent more than $32.7 million developing 1,000 libraries nationwide. Investigative Journalism increased interest in reading about current events, human-interest stories, sports, fashion, high society; Sunday comics; yellow journalism was a derogatory term for mass-market newspaper; sensationalism grew as owners competed for sales (Joseph Pulitzer, William Randolph Hearst); papers played an increasing role in investigating corruption in government; muckrakers: negative term for those newspaper reporters accused of drawing too much attention to negative stories. Dating I. The New Metropolis City Cultures 5. Investigative Journalism
increased interest in reading about current events, human-interest stories, sports, fashion, high society Sunday comics yellow journalism was a derogatory term for mass-market newspaper sensationalism grew as owners competed for sales (Joseph Pulitzer, William Randolph Hearst) papers played an increasing role in investigating corruption in government muckrakers: negative term for those newspaper reporters accused of drawing too much attention to negative stories. The New Metropolis City Cultures Urban Amusements vaudeville theater (1880s-1890s): patrons paid 25 cents to watch live entertainment; appealed to all classes; 5 cents for movie at the nickelodeons; amusement parks (ex: Coney Island, NY) where people rode the roller coasters, ate, and danced. Ragtime music by African American artists with a ragged rhythm, extremely popular among audiences used to Victorian hymns and parlor songs; Scott Joplin most famous performer; New York had more than 500 dance halls by 1910; the blues became popular in NYC, taken from African American folk music. Sex and the City amusement parks, theaters provided opportunities for dating that had not existed in previous generations; less parental supervision; working girls needed dates to treat, for some this meant exchanging sexual favors for the date (charity girls); gay subculture developed in urban areas with underground clubs; term queer was used by 1910. Urban High Culture art and natural history museums, libraries, symphonies grew out of wealthy patrons interests and donations; Andrew Carnegie spent more than $32.7 million developing 1,000 libraries nationwide. Investigative Journalism increased interest in reading about current events, human-interest stories, sports, fashion, high society; Sunday comics; yellow journalism was a derogatory term for mass-market newspaper; sensationalism grew as owners competed for sales (Joseph Pulitzer, William Randolph Hearst); papers played an increasing role in investigating corruption in government; muckrakers: negative term for those newspaper reporters accused of drawing too much attention to negative stories. Sensationalist headlines sell more newspapers I. The New Metropolis City Cultures 5. Investigative Journalism
papers played an increasing role in investigating corruption in government muckrakers: negative term for those newspaper reporters accused of drawing too much attention to negative stories. The New Metropolis City Cultures Urban Amusements vaudeville theater (1880s-1890s): patrons paid 25 cents to watch live entertainment; appealed to all classes; 5 cents for movie at the nickelodeons; amusement parks (ex: Coney Island, NY) where people rode the roller coasters, ate, and danced. Ragtime music by African American artists with a ragged rhythm, extremely popular among audiences used to Victorian hymns and parlor songs; Scott Joplin most famous performer; New York had more than 500 dance halls by 1910; the blues became popular in NYC, taken from African American folk music. Sex and the City amusement parks, theaters provided opportunities for dating that had not existed in previous generations; less parental supervision; working girls needed dates to treat, for some this meant exchanging sexual favors for the date (charity girls); gay subculture developed in urban areas with underground clubs; term queer was used by 1910. Urban High Culture art and natural history museums, libraries, symphonies grew out of wealthy patrons interests and donations; Andrew Carnegie spent more than $32.7 million developing 1,000 libraries nationwide. Investigative Journalism increased interest in reading about current events, human-interest stories, sports, fashion, high society; Sunday comics; yellow journalism was a derogatory term for mass-market newspaper; sensationalism grew as owners competed for sales (Joseph Pulitzer, William Randolph Hearst); papers played an increasing role in investigating corruption in government; muckrakers: negative term for those newspaper reporters accused of drawing too much attention to negative stories. Jacob Riis photograph of Street Arabs Who Said Muck Rake? A popular biographer in the 1890s, Ida Tarbell turned her journalistic talents to investigative journalism, or muckraking. The first installment of what would become her book The History of the Standard Oil Company appeared in McClures Magazine in November The serial was a bombshell, with its exposure of the ruthless machinations used by John D. Rockefeller in building up his fabulous petroleum fortune. In this cartoon, Tarbell appears as a respectable ladybut note her threatening muck rake and, further in the background, a cowering President Theodore Roosevelt. That Roosevelt was paying attention, the cartoon suggests, is apparent in the headline of the newspaper she is reading. Drake Oil Well Museum. The New Metropolis 1. What economic and technological factors shaped the development of cities and urban life after 1860? How were the new cities different from the typical city before 1860? The New Metropolis 1. What economic and technological factors shaped the development of cities and urban life after 1860? How were the new cities different from the typical city before 1860? New cities included industrial factories on the outskirts of the city, with working class housing arising in a ramshackle fashion near the factories. The flight of the middle class to distant suburbs increased over time. Electricity, the use of steel to make buildings taller, mass transit, improvements to sanitation and drinking water, the invention and use of the telephone, and the creation of new institutions by immigrants comprised the new American city of the late nineteenth century. The city before 1860 lacked these technological developments, relied on people walking to work rather than using mass transit, lacked the major industrialization that arose after the Civil War, and was built of wooden buildings that often caught fire. 2. What conditions of life did immigrants and other newcomers face in cities of this period? 2. What conditions of life did immigrants and other newcomers face in cities of this period?
Immigrants and newcomers faced challenging conditions of dreary industrial employment, poor tenement housing, and both residential and voluntary segregation based on ethnicity. Some immigrant groups, such as the Chinese and Asians in general, would suffer unequal immigration laws. All immigrants founded self-held organizations to survive in a challenging land. Some newcomers, like blacks, experienced race riots by whites. Vaudeville and Ragtime were forms of entertainment dominant in cities that newcomers took part in. 3. What forms of elite and popular culture developed in urban areas
3. What forms of elite and popular culture developed in urban areas? How did they challenge prevailing traditions and values? 3. What forms of elite and popular culture developed in urban areas
3. What forms of elite and popular culture developed in urban areas? How did they challenge prevailing traditions and values? Elite culture included urban high culture of Carnegie-founded art museums, the opera, and the symphony. Popular culture included vaudeville and Ragtime music played on Broadway and Tin-Pan Ally in New York City. Young people in cities created a youth culture based on listening to music pioneered by African Americans and dancing that expanded to include gay bars as part of a sexual experience new to urban America. Amusement parks like Coney Island provided a mass entertainment experience new to the working class. Protestant natives were particularly aghast at the influence of immigrants and blacks upon American culture through music, dance, and religion, as well as the expansion of sexual behavior by working class youth free from parental oversight in the new and crowded American city. II. Governing the Great City
Urban Machines 1.Tammany Hall (6.2.1.D) well-organized political party organizations referred to as machines viewed by the middle class as corrupt Tammany Hall: NYC, led by George Washington Plunkitt, who made deals for city contracts and services the honest graft middle-class Americans were critical of immigrants support for political machines, but immigrants needed the jobs and aid that they provided in exchange for their political support. 2.Successes and Failures The Limits of Machine Government 1.The Depression of the 1890s 2.Programs Governing the Great City Urban Machines Tammany Hall well-organized political party organizations referred to as machines; viewed by the middle class as corrupt; Tammany Hall: NYC, led by George Washington Plunkitt, who made deals for city contracts and services; the honest graft; middle-class Americans were critical of immigrants support for political machines, but immigrants needed the jobs and aid that they provided in exchange for their political support. Successes and Failures built and/or improved public parks, markets, paved streets, clean water, gaslight, sewerage removal; better organized municipal agencies; massive public projects such as aqueducts, bridges; limited in what the boss could do to stop widespread poverty; could help the individual, but not the bigger causes of the problems. The Limits of Machine Government The Depression of the 1890s cities struggled to deal with the extreme growth in population; during 1890s unemployment reached 25% in some urban areas; homelessness and hunger increased; middle-class reformers encouraged private charity rather than public assistance; urban voters became radicalized by the poverty forcing politicians to make changes to their programs (ex: Clevelands mayoral race). Programs some American mayors began to model programs after European successes: public baths, gyms, swimming pools, playgrounds, free public concerts, lowering fares for street car travel, efforts to reduce crime and increase municipal ownership of gas and electricity. II. Governing the Great City
Urban Machines 2.Successes and Failures built and/or improved public parks, markets, paved streets, clean water, gaslight, sewerage removal better organized municipal agencies massive public projects such as aqueducts, bridges limited in what the boss could do to stop widespread poverty could help the individual, but not the bigger causes of the problems. The Limits of Machine Government 1.The Depression of the 1890s 2.Programs Governing the Great City Urban Machines Tammany Hall well-organized political party organizations referred to as machines; viewed by the middle class as corrupt; Tammany Hall: NYC, led by George Washington Plunkitt, who made deals for city contracts and services; the honest graft; middle-class Americans were critical of immigrants support for political machines, but immigrants needed the jobs and aid that they provided in exchange for their political support. Successes and Failures built and/or improved public parks, markets, paved streets, clean water, gaslight, sewerage removal; better organized municipal agencies; massive public projects such as aqueducts, bridges; limited in what the boss could do to stop widespread poverty; could help the individual, but not the bigger causes of the problems. The Limits of Machine Government The Depression of the 1890s cities struggled to deal with the extreme growth in population; during 1890s unemployment reached 25% in some urban areas; homelessness and hunger increased; middle-class reformers encouraged private charity rather than public assistance; urban voters became radicalized by the poverty forcing politicians to make changes to their programs (ex: Clevelands mayoral race). Programs some American mayors began to model programs after European successes: public baths, gyms, swimming pools, playgrounds, free public concerts, lowering fares for street car travel, efforts to reduce crime and increase municipal ownership of gas and electricity. II. Governing the Great City
The Limits of Machine Government 1.The Depression of the 1890s cities struggled to deal with the extreme growth in population during 1890s unemployment reached 25% in some urban areas homelessness and hunger increased middle-class reformers encouraged private charity rather than public assistance urban voters became radicalized by the poverty forcing politicians to make changes to their programs (ex: Clevelands mayoral race). 2.Programs Governing the Great City Urban Machines Tammany Hall well-organized political party organizations referred to as machines; viewed by the middle class as corrupt; Tammany Hall: NYC, led by George Washington Plunkitt, who made deals for city contracts and services; the honest graft; middle-class Americans were critical of immigrants support for political machines, but immigrants needed the jobs and aid that they provided in exchange for their political support. Successes and Failures built and/or improved public parks, markets, paved streets, clean water, gaslight, sewerage removal; better organized municipal agencies; massive public projects such as aqueducts, bridges; limited in what the boss could do to stop widespread poverty; could help the individual, but not the bigger causes of the problems. The Limits of Machine Government The Depression of the 1890s cities struggled to deal with the extreme growth in population; during 1890s unemployment reached 25% in some urban areas; homelessness and hunger increased; middle-class reformers encouraged private charity rather than public assistance; urban voters became radicalized by the poverty forcing politicians to make changes to their programs (ex: Clevelands mayoral race). Programs some American mayors began to model programs after European successes: public baths, gyms, swimming pools, playgrounds, free public concerts, lowering fares for street car travel, efforts to reduce crime and increase municipal ownership of gas and electricity. II. Governing the Great City
The Limits of Machine Government 2.Programs some American mayors began to model programs after European successes: public baths, gyms, swimming pools, playgrounds, free public concerts, lowering fares for street car travel, efforts to reduce crime and increase municipal ownership of gas and electricity. Governing the Great City Urban Machines Tammany Hall well-organized political party organizations referred to as machines; viewed by the middle class as corrupt; Tammany Hall: NYC, led by George Washington Plunkitt, who made deals for city contracts and services; the honest graft; middle-class Americans were critical of immigrants support for political machines, but immigrants needed the jobs and aid that they provided in exchange for their political support. Successes and Failures built and/or improved public parks, markets, paved streets, clean water, gaslight, sewerage removal; better organized municipal agencies; massive public projects such as aqueducts, bridges; limited in what the boss could do to stop widespread poverty; could help the individual, but not the bigger causes of the problems. The Limits of Machine Government The Depression of the 1890s cities struggled to deal with the extreme growth in population; during 1890s unemployment reached 25% in some urban areas; homelessness and hunger increased; middle-class reformers encouraged private charity rather than public assistance; urban voters became radicalized by the poverty forcing politicians to make changes to their programs (ex: Clevelands mayoral race). Programs some American mayors began to model programs after European successes: public baths, gyms, swimming pools, playgrounds, free public concerts, lowering fares for street car travel, efforts to reduce crime and increase municipal ownership of gas and electricity. Governing the Great City
1. What role did political machines play in city government? Do you think they served the goals of representative democracy? Why, or why not? Governing the Great City
1. What role did political machines play in city government? Do you think they served the goals of representative democracy? Why, or why not? Political machines functioned as a corrupt and narrow system of patronage that brought insiders into city government who paid officials enough bribes to be appointed or elected to important city positions. While outwardly serving the goals of representative democracy through the ordinary and daily business of satisfying the wants of city residents, the system through which men gained power in city offices, and over city services, was corrupt and privileged personal loyalty over fulfilling the needs of the people. Layers of functionaries recruited by party machines gave the impression that city machines were responsible to the low level concerns of city residents. City machines also passed out favors and jobs, securing further support from the population. Extensive public parks and markets, paved streets, gaslight, clean water, and sewage removal were successes achieved by machines. 2. What factors limited the effectiveness of machine government
2. What factors limited the effectiveness of machine government? How did reformers try to address these limits? To what extent did they succeed? 2. What factors limited the effectiveness of machine government
2. What factors limited the effectiveness of machine government? How did reformers try to address these limits? To what extent did they succeed? Muckrakers exposed political machine, and industrial, corruption by the late 1800s, leading to the downfall of many city political machines, such as Tammany Hall. The quest for personal gain limited the effectiveness of machines to serve the widest possible number of city residents. Major recessions exposed the ineffectiveness of machines to meet the daily needs of homeless and the poor. Reform mayors began to oust machine politicians and provide the kinds of services that machines had provided before, such as building swimming pools and playgrounds. Reformers also experimented with new ways of organizing municipal government. They created commission systems and advisory boards to run city government and services. Some cities were more successful than others in adopting reform measures based on the driving force of reform-orientated mayors. Opposition from private business often prevented reformers from acting out the full program of city reform. III. Cities as Crucibles of Reform
Public Health 1.Disease late 19th-century Europeans began to understand how to prevent disease, even if they could not yet cure understood germs and bacteria initiatives for clean water in urban areas of Massachusetts were able to decrease the number of deaths from cholera, typhoid, yellow fever. 2.Pollution more noticeable in urban areas than rural children played in trash, consumed contaminated food, milk, water reformers made efforts to teach hand washing to urban residents to stop tuberculosis publication of The Jungle by Upton Sinclair (1906) increased concerns about the meatpacking industry creation of Food and Drug Administration (1906) to respond to concerns and ensure compliance with food and drug safety laws. Cities as Crucibles of Reform Public Health Disease late 19th-century Europeans began to understand how to prevent disease, even if they could not yet cure; understood germs and bacteria; initiatives for clean water in urban areas of Massachusetts; were able to decrease the number of deaths from cholera, typhoid, yellow fever. Pollution more noticeable in urban areas than rural; children played in trash, consumed contaminated food, milk, water; reformers made efforts to teach hand washing to urban residents to stop tuberculosis; publication of The Jungle by Upton Sinclair (1906) increased concerns about the meatpacking industry; creation of Food and Drug Administration (1906) to respond to concerns and ensure compliance with food and drug safety laws. Clean water piped from the Catskills to NYC III. Cities as Crucibles of Reform
Public Health 2.Pollution more noticeable in urban areas than rural children played in trash, consumed contaminated food, milk, water reformers made efforts to teach hand washing to urban residents to stop tuberculosis publication of The Jungle by Upton Sinclair (1906) increased concerns about the meatpacking industry creation of Food and Drug Administration (1906) to respond to concerns and ensure compliance with food and drug safety laws. Cities as Crucibles of Reform Public Health Disease late 19th-century Europeans began to understand how to prevent disease, even if they could not yet cure; understood germs and bacteria; initiatives for clean water in urban areas of Massachusetts; were able to decrease the number of deaths from cholera, typhoid, yellow fever. Pollution more noticeable in urban areas than rural; children played in trash, consumed contaminated food, milk, water; reformers made efforts to teach hand washing to urban residents to stop tuberculosis; publication of The Jungle by Upton Sinclair (1906) increased concerns about the meatpacking industry; creation of Food and Drug Administration (1906) to respond to concerns and ensure compliance with food and drug safety laws. III. Cities as Crucibles of Reform
Campaigns Against Urban Prostitution 1.White Slavery allegations that white women were being kidnapped into sex industry were overstated, but led to reform efforts investigations found that low wages, sexual and domestic abuse were likely causes of a woman working as a prostitute efforts made to reduce the demand for prostitutes (punish men) were unpopular. 2.Vice Commissions early 1900s effort to close down brothels and red-light districts Mann Act (1910) prohibited the transport of a prostitute across state lines commissions closed brothels but worsened conditions for women who continued to work in the sex industry. Cities as Crucibles of Reform Campaigns Against Urban Prostitution White Slavery allegations that white women were being kidnapped into sex industry were overstated, but led to reform efforts; investigations found that low wages, sexual and domestic abuse were likely causes of a woman working as a prostitute; efforts made to reduce the demand for prostitutes (punish men) were unpopular. Vice Commissions early 1900s effort to close down brothels and red-light districts; Mann Act (1910) prohibited the transport of a prostitute across state lines; commissions closed brothels but worsened conditions for women who continued to work in the sex industry. 44 The Crusade against White Slavery
With the growth of large cities, prostitution was a major cause of concern in the Progressive Era. Though the number of prostitutes per capita in the United States was probably declining by 1900, the presence of red light districts was obvious; thousands of young women (as well as a smaller number of young men) were exploited in the sex trade. This image appeared in The Great War on White Slavery, published by the American Purity Foundation in It illustrates how immigrant women could be ensnared in the sex trade by alleged friends who offered them work. Reformers denunciations of white slavery show an overt racial bias: While anti-prostitution campaigners reported on the exploitation of Asian and African American women, the victimization of white women received the greatest emphasis and most effectively grabbed the attention of prosperous, middle-class Americans. From The Great War on White Slavery, by Clifford G. Roe, Courtesy Vassar College Special Collections. FRIENDS MEETING EMIGRANT GIRL AT THE DOCK the girl was met at New York by two friends who took her in charge. These friends were two of the most brutal of all the white slave traders who are in the traffic. -U.S. Dist. Attorney Edwin W. Sims Foreign girls are more helplessly at the mercy of white slave hunters than girls at home. Every year thousands of girls arriving in America from Italy, Swedes, Germany, etc., are never heard of again III. Cities as Crucibles of Reform
Campaigns Against Urban Prostitution 2.Vice Commissions early 1900s effort to close down brothels and red-light districts Mann Act (1910) prohibited the transport of a prostitute across state lines commissions closed brothels but worsened conditions for women who continued to work in the sex industry. Cities as Crucibles of Reform Campaigns Against Urban Prostitution White Slavery allegations that white women were being kidnapped into sex industry were overstated, but led to reform efforts; investigations found that low wages, sexual and domestic abuse were likely causes of a woman working as a prostitute; efforts made to reduce the demand for prostitutes (punish men) were unpopular. Vice Commissions early 1900s effort to close down brothels and red-light districts; Mann Act (1910) prohibited the transport of a prostitute across state lines; commissions closed brothels but worsened conditions for women who continued to work in the sex industry. 46 III. Cities as Crucibles of Reform
The Movement for Social Settlements 1.Hull House (6.3.2.B) settlement houses viewed as one of the most successful reforms of the Progressive Era most famous was in Chicago, started by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr (1889), modeled after London settlement Toynbee Hall community center to aid immigrants in gaining the resources they needed to survive in the city helped give the community a voice offered a bathhouse, playground, kindergarten, daycare in some cities settlements were linked to or worked with colleges/universities to offer education. 2.Resources and Influence City and National Politics 1.Triangle Shirtwaist Fire 2.Resulting Reforms Cities as Crucibles of Reform The Movement for Social Settlements Hull House settlement houses viewed as one of the most successful reforms of the Progressive Era; most famous was in Chicago, started by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr (1889), modeled after London settlement Toynbee Hall; community center to aid immigrants in gaining the resources they needed to survive in the city; helped give the community a voice; offered a bathhouse, playground, kindergarten, daycare; in some cities settlements were linked to or worked with colleges/universities to offer education. Resources and Influence opened libraries, gymnasiums, employment assistance, savings banks, cooperative kitchens, assisted in investigations of problems in local communities (ex: helped establish juvenile court in Chicago); foundation of social work in urban areas. City and National Politics Triangle Shirtwaist Fire March 25, 1911, New York City; fire spread quickly through textile factory where employers had locked doors to prevent theft (in violation of city fire laws); 146 deaths, average victim only 19 years old. Resulting Reforms New York State Factory Commission created 56 laws for fire hazards, machinery, industrial homework, wages for women and children; creation of an advanced labor code. Jane Addams Hull House Center. Where Mr. Segal learned how to swim. Sadly it closed in 2012 and now houses the Lakeshore Athletic Club ($500 initiation and $180/mo.). Irony much? Saving the Children In the early years at Hull House, Jane Addams recalled, toddlers sometimes arrived for kindergarten tipsy from a breakfast of bread soaked in wine. To settlement-house workers, the answer to such harmful practices lay in education, and so began the program of sending visiting nurses into immigrant homes. Nurses taught mothers the proper methods of caring for children including, as this photograph shows, the daily infant bath, given in a dishpan if necessary. Chicago Historical Society. Hull House Playground, Chicago, 1906 When this postcard was made, the City of Chicagos Small Parks Commission had just taken over management of the playground from settlement workers at Hull House, who had created it. In a pattern repeated in many cities, social settlements introduced new institutions and ideassuch as safe places for urban children to playand inspired municipal authorities to assume responsibility and control. Private Collection. III. Cities as Crucibles of Reform
The Movement for Social Settlements 2.Resources and Influence opened libraries, gymnasiums, employment assistance, savings banks, cooperative kitchens, assisted in investigations of problems in local communities (ex: helped establish juvenile court in Chicago) foundation of social work in urban areas. City and National Politics 1.Triangle Shirtwaist Fire March 25, 1911, New York City; fire spread quickly through textile factory where employers had locked doors to prevent theft (in violation of city fire laws) 146 deaths, average victim only 19 years old. 2.Resulting Reforms New York State Factory Commission created 56 laws for fire hazards, machinery, industrial homework, wages for women and children creation of an advanced labor code. Cities as Crucibles of Reform The Movement for Social Settlements Hull House settlement houses viewed as one of the most successful reforms of the Progressive Era; most famous was in Chicago, started by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr (1889), modeled after London settlement Toynbee Hall; community center to aid immigrants in gaining the resources they needed to survive in the city; helped give the community a voice; offered a bathhouse, playground, kindergarten, daycare; in some cities settlements were linked to or worked with colleges/universities to offer education. Resources and Influence opened libraries, gymnasiums, employment assistance, savings banks, cooperative kitchens, assisted in investigations of problems in local communities (ex: helped establish juvenile court in Chicago); foundation of social work in urban areas. City and National Politics Triangle Shirtwaist Fire March 25, 1911, New York City; fire spread quickly through textile factory where employers had locked doors to prevent theft (in violation of city fire laws); 146 deaths, average victim only 19 years old. Resulting Reforms New York State Factory Commission created 56 laws for fire hazards, machinery, industrial homework, wages for women and children; creation of an advanced labor code. III. Cities as Crucibles of Reform
D. City and National Politics 1.Triangle Shirtwaist Fire March 25, 1911, New York City; fire spread quickly through textile factory where employers had locked doors to prevent theft (in violation of city fire laws) 146 deaths, average victim only 19 years old. Cities as Crucibles of Reform The Movement for Social Settlements Hull House settlement houses viewed as one of the most successful reforms of the Progressive Era; most famous was in Chicago, started by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr (1889), modeled after London settlement Toynbee Hall; community center to aid immigrants in gaining the resources they needed to survive in the city; helped give the community a voice; offered a bathhouse, playground, kindergarten, daycare; in some cities settlements were linked to or worked with colleges/universities to offer education. Resources and Influence opened libraries, gymnasiums, employment assistance, savings banks, cooperative kitchens, assisted in investigations of problems in local communities (ex: helped establish juvenile court in Chicago); foundation of social work in urban areas. City and National Politics Triangle Shirtwaist Fire March 25, 1911, New York City; fire spread quickly through textile factory where employers had locked doors to prevent theft (in violation of city fire laws); 146 deaths, average victim only 19 years old. Resulting Reforms New York State Factory Commission created 56 laws for fire hazards, machinery, industrial homework, wages for women and children; creation of an advanced labor code. III. Cities as Crucibles of Reform
D. City and National Politics 2.Resulting Reforms (6.1.1.C) New York State Factory Commission created 56 laws for fire hazards, machinery, industrial homework, wages for women and children creation of an advanced labor code. Cities as Crucibles of Reform The Movement for Social Settlements Hull House settlement houses viewed as one of the most successful reforms of the Progressive Era; most famous was in Chicago, started by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr (1889), modeled after London settlement Toynbee Hall; community center to aid immigrants in gaining the resources they needed to survive in the city; helped give the community a voice; offered a bathhouse, playground, kindergarten, daycare; in some cities settlements were linked to or worked with colleges/universities to offer education. Resources and Influence opened libraries, gymnasiums, employment assistance, savings banks, cooperative kitchens, assisted in investigations of problems in local communities (ex: helped establish juvenile court in Chicago); foundation of social work in urban areas. City and National Politics Triangle Shirtwaist Fire March 25, 1911, New York City; fire spread quickly through textile factory where employers had locked doors to prevent theft (in violation of city fire laws); 146 deaths, average victim only 19 years old. Resulting Reforms New York State Factory Commission created 56 laws for fire hazards, machinery, industrial homework, wages for women and children; creation of an advanced labor code. Cities and National Politics 1
Cities and National Politics 1. If you had lived in a large American city in the post-Civil War decades, might you have joined any of the reform movements working to improve public health, morals, and welfare? If not, why not? If so, which ones, and why? Cities and National Politics
1. If you had lived in a large American city in the post-Civil War decades, might you have joined any of the reform movements working to improve public health, morals, and welfare? If not, why not? If so, which ones, and why? Students may say that they would join the reforms to curb the problem of public sanitation and safe drinking water, a problem that impacted all city residents of the late nineteenth century, particularly children and immigrants living in tenements. Reforming public health appears to be the most non-partisan part of the history of city reform. 2. What were the goals of the founders of social settlements
2. What were the goals of the founders of social settlements? How did those goals evolve, and what roles did settlements play in city life? 2. What were the goals of the founders of social settlements
2. What were the goals of the founders of social settlements? How did those goals evolve, and what roles did settlements play in city life? The goals were to provide an outlet for the talents and energies of elite and middle class white women who wanted to improve the lives of immigrants and other city newcomers experiencing the challenges of city life. Over time, these goals evolved from working directly with and for working class women, to assisting the entire working class family weather city conditions. Jane Addams Hull House in Chicago had evolved from American missions and also Toynbee Hall, a London settlement. Settlements provided an outlet for working class people and immigrants to improve their lives and adjust to challenging city conditions. Settlements served cities by feeding, advising, and even sometimes housing city residents. 3. What effect did the Triangle Fire have on politics
3. What effect did the Triangle Fire have on politics? Why do you think its impact was so wide-ranging? 3. What effect did the Triangle Fire have on politics
3. What effect did the Triangle Fire have on politics? Why do you think its impact was so wide-ranging? The Triangle Fire in New York shook up city reformers and launched an invigorated attempt to improve corporate safety conditions throughout cities in the Northeast. The impact of the fire was wide-ranging because the fire killed 146 people, most of them young women whose average age was 19. Many of the young women had jumped out the windows of the building to try to survive the fire. The carnage of young women motivated a generation of reformers to improve the responsiveness of city government to industrial and urban conditions in a variety of forms. Chapter Review Questions
1. What were the major features of industrial cities that arose in the United States in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries? What institutions and innovations helped make urban life distinctive? Chapter Review Questions
1. What were the major features of industrial cities that arose in the United States in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries? What institutions and innovations helped make urban life distinctive? Electric lighting, mass public transit, skyscrapers, plate glass, steel girder construction, elevators, manufacturing centers, suburbs, and massive numbers of immigrants defined city life. Urban life was made distinctive through cutting edge technology, mass transportation, mass production, mass marketing, and mass entertainment. 2. What were the limitations and the achievements of urban governments run by ethnic political machines? 2. What were the limitations and the achievements of urban governments run by ethnic political machines? Achievements included putting people to work by creating jobs through political patroniage, creating smoothing functioning city services, such as garbage, sewer, water, gas, electric lighting, licensing of small businesses, police, fire, and public health and disease protection. Limitations of machines included massive corruption, graft, manipulation of elections, subversion of social justice, abandonment of black neighborhoods and other people of color, inability to manage city growth, and an inability to manage high level unemployment in times of economic stress. 3. Why did so many reform initiatives of the early twentieth century emerge in large cities? What were some of those initiatives, and what was their political impact? 3. Why did so many reform initiatives of the early twentieth century emerge in large cities? What were some of those initiatives, and what was their political impact? Reform initiatives appeared in large cities for a variety of reasons, including the fact that cities contained the most noticeable industrial-created problems for society. Cities also contained large amounts of capital as well as media to pay for and reveal problems requiring reform campaigns to improve. Moreover, cities contained the concentration of immigrants, industry, and commerce that produced victims of capitalism and subjects for reform campaigns. These campaigns included anti-trust, public heath, anti-prostitution, social settlements, and reform of elections through recall and referendum. Their impact was profound, though the Supreme Court dismantled many of the anti-trust and political reforms deemed too costly to American corporations.