Urbanization

American cities grow

Urbanization Equation

People seeking employment/stability +

Demand for industrial workers =

Urbanization

Why do immigrants settle in cities?

1) Cheap

2) Convenient

3) Steady Jobs (Unskilled Labor)

Immigrants cluster in ethnic

neighborhoods1) Live by people of same ethnic background

2) More comfortable; not as intimidating

EX) Chinatown, Polish area downtown GR, Mexican-

American areas downtown.

Americanization Movement

1) Program to educate immigrants in American ways

2) Teach immigrants

- English Language

- American History

- American Government

- Social Etiquette

Why do people migrate from the

country to the city?1) Farming methods become more efficient. Therefore less workers

were required to farm the land.

- Move to cities to find work

2) African-Americans

- Move up north to larger cities to escape Southern racial violence,

economic hardships and political oppression.

- Take factory jobs

Urban ProblemsWhat problems arise?

A. Housing

1) Lack of adequate family housing

2) Overcrowding

B. Transportation

1) Older mass transit systems have to hold up to increased

demand

2) Allow people to liver farther away from work, translates

to cities expanding

Urban ProblemsC) Water1) Problem: How to get sanitary water to residents?

- Horse drawn carts (The water man)

- Homes rarely had indoor plumbing

D) Sanitation1) Problems

- Horse manure piles up on streets

- Sewage flowed through open gutters

- Factories = smoke

- People dumped garbage into alleys and streets

Urban Problems

E. Fire1) Limited water supply

2) Tightly packed wooden buildings

3) Volunteer fire fighters not always available

- First fire dept. in 1853 (Cincinnati, Ohio)

4) Great Chicago Fire (1871)

5) San Francisco earthquake and blaze that followed (1906)

F. Crime

1) # of people

2) Police forces were too small

Social Reformers

* Goal is to aid the poor and improve urban life

A. The Social Gospel Movement1) Preaches salvation through helping the poor

2) Followers set up churches in poor areas and some business leaders treat workers better.

B. The Settlement House Movement1) Established community centers in poor neighborhoods

2) Offered classes in English, health, drama, music and college courses.

C. Result

1) Established the need for social responsibility to the urban poor and offered solutions to ongoing urban problems.

What is a Political Machine?

●A groups of individuals that manipulated local

government to favor certain subsets of the population.Cities:Baltimore, New York, Boston,

Philadelphia and San Francisco.

What did Political Machines do?

1) In return for votes people received city jobs, contracts or

political appointments. (Ward bosses) Votes for Favors

2) Took care of immigrants = founds them jobs, a place to live,

and helped them become naturalized. In return the political

machines got votes.

3) Voter fraud: dead people, children and dogs were added to

the list of eligible voters.

* In a Philadelphia, a precinct of 100 voters returned

252 votes

4) Kickbacks: Hire a company for city work and have them jack

up the price of the bill. The company that was hired would then

kickback some of the extra money to the Political machine

What brought down Political

Machines?Boss Tweed of New York

1) Taken down by a political cartoonist, Thomas Nast.

2) Broken in 1871 and Boss Tweed was sentenced to 12

years in prison.

Create A Political Cartoon

You may create a political cartoon on any issue we have discussed during immigration. Topics include but are not limited to the following:1) Treatment of specific ethnic immigrant groups

2) The Trans-Atlantic journey (Steerage)

3) Ellis Island/Angel Island

4) Culture Shock

5) Nativism

6) Melting Pot vs. Salad Bowl

7) Urbanization (Reasons for it, problems, etc…)

Total of 25pts and it must meet the following requirements:

a. Ease of understanding cartoon (10pts)

b. Description of your cartoon (On back) (5pts)

c. Effort (5pts)

d. It must be colored (5pts)