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Ch 10 - Urban America 1865-
1896
Why America?
By 1900 all Europeans were Southern & Eastern (Many were Jewish)
America had many Jobs & few restrictions Many came to avoid military service
Religious Persecution (Poland & Russia)
Push Factors: Farm poverty
& worker uncertainty
Wars & military service
Political Tyranny
Religious Oppression
Pull Factors:•Lots of land & work•Higher standard of living•Democratic country •Social advancement
Getting to America
Came in Steerage (cheapest way)
Landed at Ellis Island (NY Harbor)
Endure a medical inspection
Some passed others failed the inspection
Ethnic Cities
Many Immigrants stuck together & formed their own communities
Little Italy (NYC) Many needed to
learn English and adopt the U.S. culture to adjust quickly
Many came made money than returned home
Asian Immigrants
They started coming over in 1848 due to Gold in CA but also they came b/c China was experiencing: Unemployment,
poverty, famine Taiping Rebellion (20
million deaths) many fled
Jobs: Worked on railroads, servants
Nativists
People who DISLIKED immigrants and wanted tougher immigration laws (haters)
WHY you may ask: To many Catholics would give the Catholic
church to much power Labor Unions opposed them b/c they
would work for low wages & as strikebreakers
Henry Bowers Formed the American Protective Association in 1887 to stop Catholic immigration
Dennis Kearney in the 1870’s formed the Workingman’s Party in CA - reacted to the Chinese with racial violence & made their opposition a national issue
Immigration Laws
Immigration Law of 1882 – banned convicts, paupers, mentally disabled, also a 50% tax on newcomers
Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 – no Chinese for 10 yrs & not Chinese could become a citizen if you were already in the country what in the world . . . .hello the 14th amendment !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They fought back but you know . . . .
Section 2: Urbanization
Population by 1900 (30 million)
Many rose from the working class to the middle class through hard work and determination
Many people in the social class could rise in society
Why move to the City?
Better paying jobs Bright lights Running Water Indoor plumbing Museums,
Libraries, theaters
Skyscrapers . . . . .
Tall Steel Buildings Home Insurance
building in Chicago, IL 1st skyscraper (10 stories)
NYC had more than any other city in the world why?
Louis Sullivan – designed these buildings (simple lines & spacious windows)
Mass Transit
San Francisco, CA – 1st cable cars 1873
1887 Frank J Sprague dev. The electric trolley
Boston, MA built the first Subway in 1900
Separation by Class
High Society: Lived in very big expensive houses (lived in different parts of town
Middle Class: Doctors, lawyers, engineers, managers, teachers lived in the (streetcar suburbs)
Working Class AKA Poor People: lived in Tenement Houses (dark & crowded), poor ventilation
7-8 Stories High Air shafts prov. Little clean air 1 toilet per floor Many people try to work there way up & out of
them
Urban Problems . . . .
Hmmm well . . . Crime, Fire,
disease, pollution
1880-1890 Murder rate jumped 25%
Immigrants got blamed (of Course)
Alcohol also was to blame
Jacob Riis-Danish Immigrant documented slum life in his book “How the Other Half Lives” – saloons were to blame for everything (famous photographer)
Political Machines & Party Bosses
Political Machines - informal political group designed to gain & keep power
Party Bosses – people who ran these machines offered to meet peoples “needs” in exchange for votes
George Plunkitt – NYC biggest party boss
Graft & Fraud
Party Bosses who ran political machines also controlled the finances
(Many grew rich by this method) Graft – getting money through questionable or dishonest means
Corrupt bosses might sale permits to friends to operate public utilities (railroads, waterworks, power systems)
William M. Boss Tweed
Tammany Hall (NYC Democratic Political Machine Plunkitt worked for was the most famous
1860’s-1870’s 1874 Tweed was
arrested and sent to Jail Despite corruption
political machines did provide necessary services & helped assimilate immigrants
Section 3: The Gilded Age - A Changing Culture
• This era was in many ways a time of marvels.– Inventions led to rapid industrial growth. Cities
grew large.• The Gilded Age – Name taken from a book
written by Mark Twain and William Sumner.– Something is gilded if it is covered with gold on
the outside but made of cheaper material inside.– The Gilded Age might appear to sparkle, but
beneath the surface as corruption, poverty, and crime, & gap between the rich and poor.
The Idea of Individualism One can overcome anything. A very strong belief in the Gilded Age
Horatio Alger Wrote rags to riches novels Showed poor people going to the city
and becoming sucessful.
Social Darwinism
• Herbert Spencer first proposed the idea• Herbert Spencer– Applied Charles Darwin’s theory to society.– Natural selection. The species that cannot adapt
to a situation will die out and those who can adapt will thrive.
– “Survival of the fittest.”– Many Christians rejected this b/c it contradicted
their belief in creationism • Carnegie’s Gospel of Wealth– Argued that wealthy Americans had a responsibility
to give back. Engage in Philanthropy – use wealth to further social progress.
Realism
Realism – attempting to portray people realistically rather than ideally.
Realism in Art Began to paint people as they really
were. Realism in Literature
Tried to capture the world as they really saw it.▪ Mark Twain – Adventures of Huckleberry Finn ▪ William Dean Howells, Henry James, Edith
Wharton – all realist authors
Popular Culture
• Industrialization improved the standard of living for many = spend money on entertainment and recreation.
• The Saloon– Major place for male workers
• Amusement Parks and Sports– Coney Island – Amusement Park– Boxing, Baseball, Football– Basketball invented in 1891.
• Vaudeville and Ragtime– Vaudeville – type of entertainment that involved animal
acts, acrobats, gymnasts, and dancers– Ragtime – music – Scot Joplin – famous ragtime music player• “The Maple Leaf Rag”
Section 4 – Social Reform Social Criticism
• How should one address societies problems?– Social Darwinism? Government?
• Henry George on Progress and Poverty– Tax land, help the poor– Pushed for reform
• Reform Darwinism– Lester Frank Ward published Dynamic Sociology• Argued that human success did not come from competition but cooperation• Felt the Government could do more to help societies problems
• Looking Backward– Edward Bellamy published Looking Backward, 2,000-1887• A guy falls asleep to wake up in the year 2,000 and a perfect American
Utopia• Government owns all of the industry and shares the wealth with all
Americans• Very much like socialism
Naturalism in Literature
Naturalism – new style of writing Social Darwinists argued that everyone
had control of their lives. Make choices to improve or worsen one’s life
Naturalists argued that people failed in life because they were caught up in circumstances that were out of their control.
Helping the Urban Poor
Reform gave birth to The Social Gospel Movement, Salvation Army,
YMCA, Women’s clubs, settlement houses, and temperance movements
Social Gospel – worked to better cities according to biblical teachings of charity and justice
The Salvation Army and the YMCA Salvation Army – offered practical and religious
counseling to the poor YMCA – Young Men’s Christian Association –
helped by organizing bible studies, prayer meetings, citizenship training and group activities
Revivalism and Dwight L. Moody Wanted to help the poor by redeeming their
souls and reforming their character The Settlement House Movement
Improve the living conditions of the poor. Jane Addams and settlement houses.
Hull House in Chicago – inspired other such houses. Provided medical care, recreation programs and English classes, hot lunches to factory workers. Their efforts helped shape the Social Work Profession.
Public Education
• Industrialization and Urbanization called for more trained and educated individuals
• The Spread of Schools– 1860 – 6.5 million attended schools. 1900 17.3
million attended schools– Americanization – public schools helped to
assimilate immigrant children.• Taught English, American History, and responsibilities of
citizenship. Tried to instill discipline, a strong work ethic, and values considered important to America’s progress.
• Violated immigrants cultural heritage• African Americans started their own schools. Leader of this
movement was Booker T. Washington who founded the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama in 1881
• Education for the Work Place – timely attendance, neatness and efficiency – Important attributes in the workplace
• Expanding higher education – Federal Land grants helped build colleges
• Public Libraries – Carnegie donated millions to build libraries. City dwellers could get some kind of education.