Laborious Labor—the Gilded Age

Objective: I can explain how human and environmental interaction affected quality of life and settlement patterns in the United States.

Preview: Answer: Would you prefer to live in the big city or the rural countryside during this time period? What about now, present day?

Process: Urbanization and Immigration discussion

On Your Own: America the Story Us: Cities

Industrial GrowthFocused in the North, as South is still

recovering from the Civil War.Urbanization = The increase in city size and

population. Most cities were in the Northeast, Pacific coast,

and on waterways of the Midwest.

These cities were connected by railroad lines and became magnets for immigrants and rural Americans.

Cities grew rapidlyCities grew rapidly

near raw materialsindustrial areas

transportation routes. Opportunities in the job market.

Terrible ConditionsTerrible ConditionsPoor sanitary and living conditions

Tenement apartmentsSweathouses

Advantages of CitiesFactory Jobs, new education opportunities,

and a growing middle class.

Women = take in boarders, do piecework, become servants, and work in factories.

More entertainment, possibility to move to the middle class, and increase children’s education.

Disadvantages in the Workplace

Often a 7 day work week12 or more hours per dayLow wagesNot entitled to vacation time, sick leave,

unemployment compensation or reimbursement for injuries suffered on the job.In 1882, an average of 675 workers were killed

in work-related accidents each WEEK.Mind dulling tasks.

*North Carolina Image: Men opening bales of cotton at the White Oak Mill in Greensboro, North Carolina, 1907. This was one of the few cotton mill jobs available to African Americans.

Children in the Workforce

20% of boys and 10% of girls under the age of 15—some as young as five years old—held full-time jobs.

Gave up their futures to help families make ends meet.

Sweatshops paid as little as 27 cents for a child’s 14 hour work day.

Some Work StatisticsIn 1889 women earned an average of $267 a

year (nearly half a man’s average salary of $498).To put that in perspective…the next year, Andrew

Carnegie made $23 million—with no income tax.

things that convinced people to leave their home country

Examples:Religious Tyranny War and required military service Lack of economic opportunity (land)

Things that convinced people that the United States was a good place to move to.

ExamplesLand and work opportunitiesOpen government policyOpportunity for social advancement Faster travel route

Push v. Pull Factors

Through the Golden DoorBy the 1870s nearly all immigrants coming to

America via steamship.One week journey from Europe, ~3 weeks from Asia.Disease spreads quickly due to cramming in.

Different regions and industries commonly had a majority of their workers from one particular place. Examples: Steel mill workers in Pennsylvania were mostly Polish.New York factories = JewishPacific Northwest fishing industry = Scandinavians

Ellis IslandHad to pass inspection at

immigration stations like Ellis Island in New York Harbor.~2 percent of people were

denied entry.Had to pass a physical exam.Document check and checking

legal requirements for entering the USNever been convicted of a

felony, able to work, had to have at least $25.00

Angel IslandSan Francisco Bay

Asians—mostly Chinese.

Much longer process

Harsh questioning, long detention (holding period) in run down buildings.

Migration from Country to Cities

Farm technology decreases need for laborers; people move to cities

Many African Americans in South lose their livelihood 1890–1910, move to cities in North, West to

escape racial violence Find segregation, discrimination in North too Competition for jobs between blacks, white

immigrants causes tension. The move to factory work was hard on

famers because they now had to face a boss’s restrictions and rules and be confined to a factory and not be outdoors.

Engineers Build Skyward

Skyscrapers = 10 story and taller buildings that had steel frames.

Provided office space for cities that had no more room left on the ground.

Elisha Otis = Developed safety elevator that would not fall if the lifting rope broke.

City Planners Control GrowthAs cities grew architectural firms expanded to offer

city planning services to make cities more functional and beautiful.

Cities were zoned for different uses. (residential, industrial and financial)

Parks, boulevards, buildings and electric street lights were a few of the new developments.

Frederick Law Olmstead = Designed Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park, NYC’s Central Park, and similar parks in Detroit, Washington D.C., and California.

Housing ConditionsTenements = Low cost multifamily housing

designed to fit in as many families as possible.

Tenements were not clean, had little windows, poor ventilation, and were dangerous.

Living Conditions

Urban Living Conditions

Water and SanitationWater1860s cities have inadequate or no piped

water, indoor plumbing rareFiltration introduced 1870s, chlorination in

1908

SanitationStreets: manure, open gutters, factory smoke,

poor trash collectionContractors hired to sweep streets, collect

garbage, clean outhouses--often do not do job properly

By 1900, cities develop sewer lines, create sanitation departments

Fire and CrimeCrime As population grows, thieves flourish Early police forces too small to be effective

Fire Fire hazards: limited water, wood houses, candles,

kerosene heaters Most firefighters volunteers, not always available 1900, most cities have full-time, professional fire

departments Fire sprinklers, non-flammable building materials

make cities safer.

1871 Chicago fire killed nearly 300 people and left more than 100,000 homeless.

Police officers in 1900s.

The Gilded AgeWe call the time period we have been

discussing the Gilded Age—1870-1900“Gilded" means covered with gold on

the outside, but not really golden on the inside

So, why would we give this time period this particular name?