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Urban America1877-1920

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Ch.19: Urban Life, 1877–1920

New urban environment create many changes

Cities = source of hope, conflict, adjustment

Especially so for “New Immigrants” 51% of Americans urban (1920) City central to US life Source of diversity & pluralism (class,

race, ethnicity) Also new sources of entertainment

(vaudeville)

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Outline of this Lecture

I. Economic & Social Forces That Changed CitiesA)IndustrializationB)TransportationC)Population Growth

II.Urban LifeA)Rich / Poor / Middle ClassesB)“Machine” Politics & Urban LifeC)Betterment / ImprovementD)Women & MinoritiesE)Ethnic / cultural enclaves

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I. Economic and Social Forces that Changed the

Cities

»Industrialization»Transportation»Population Growth

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A. Industrial Development

Cities = centers of industrial growth Concentration of capital, workers, &

consumers Most cities have variety of factories Often specialize in 1 product

(clothing, NYC; steel, Pittsburgh) Shape of city change Earlier cities compact; sprawl start

late 1800s

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B. Transportation Revolution

,

Horse railways,1880s

Subways, elevated trains and electric trolleys,1890s

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Mechanization of Mass Transportation

Mass transit allow middle-class & rich to live away from congestion of urban core

Then commute for work, shopping, etc. Cable cars, 1870s; electric streetcars,

1890s; interurbans, 1900-1920s Largest cities build elevated trains and/or

subways (both expensive) to bypass traffic With sprawl, cities subdivide Growing separation between home & work Between rich & poor

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Interurban Car, Urbana, IL 1909

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Beginnings of Urban Sprawl

Electric interurban railways link nearby cities and accelerate growth of suburbs

Fares too expensive for factory workers Growth unplanned & guided by profit

motive Little attention to parks, traffic, etc. Some businesses (shops) also move to

suburbs Urban core = work zone Urban growth both centrifugal & centripetal

<==City==> / ==>City<==

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C. Population Growth

Foreign Immigration In-Migration from Rural Areas

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Population Shifts

• 1860 1860 1 in 6 Americans lived in cities of 1 in 6 Americans lived in cities of 8,000 or more OR nearly 20 percent lived in 8,000 or more OR nearly 20 percent lived in citiescities

• 1890 1890 3 in 10 lived in cities OR 33.3 3 in 10 lived in cities OR 33.3 percent lived in citiespercent lived in cities

• 1900 1900 40 percent lived in cities40 percent lived in cities• 19201920 50 percent lived in cities50 percent lived in cities

• Urban population increased 700 Urban population increased 700 percent between 1865 and 1905percent between 1865 and 1905

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Population Growth

1870: 10 million Americans in cities 1920: 54 million (550% increase) Some growth from annexing nearby areas Biggest factor = in-migration from

countryside and immigration from abroad Rural populace decline Low crop prices & high debts hurt farmers Move to cities for jobs & to escape

isolation

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Population Growth (cont.)

1000s of rural African Americans migrate to cities in search of new opportunities

Discrimination limit them to service jobs More openings for black women than men Many Hispanics in West migrate to cities Take over unskilled jobs (construction) Even more newcomers were immigrants Some from Canada, Asia, or Latin America

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Foreign Immigration

Most immigrants from Europe 26 million (1870–1920); most go to cities Part of worldwide population movement Causes: population pressure, land

redistribution, & industrialization Religious persecution motivate some New communications & transportation

facilitate global movement of peoples

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Immigration to the United States, 1870-

1900

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The “New” Immigration

Earlier, most European immigrants from northern & western Europe (Map 19.2)

By 1900, shift to southern & eastern Europe

Bring greater diversity in language, religion, ethnicity, & customs to USA

Foreign-born & native-born of foreign parents become majority in many US cities (Figure 19.1)

Many native-born whites (old immigrant heritage) resent “new” immigrants

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Ellis Islandhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z23tbYOHHAI

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In-Migration from Rural Areas

Falling crop prices, economic recessions & depressions (“boom & bust” cycles)

Lure of steady / steadier employment in factories / offices / retail

Greater social opportunities Mechanization of agriculture means

fewer people needed “down on the farm”

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Urban and Rural Population, 1870-1900

(in millions)

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II. Urban Life

A)Rich / Poor / Middle ClassesB)“Machine” Politics & Urban

LifeC)Betterment / ImprovementD)Changes in the Social Fabric

of the FamilyE)Ethnic / Cultural LifeF)Beginnings of Mass Culture

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A. Rich / Poor / Middle Class

Concentration of wealth & power in the cities – financial sectors

Concentration of industrial work in cities Rising managerial class / mid-level

workers Growing consumer culture

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Currier & Ives Print of the Proposed Brooklyn Bridge

(1877)

The Brooklyn Bridge in 1890 (built in 1883)

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N.Y. Tribune Building, 1873-1875

Architect: Richard Morris Hunt

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New York World Building, 1890 

Architect: George B. Post

309' high

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Park Row Building, New York, 1899

Architect: R.H. Robertson 391' high

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Architects McKim, Mead and White

Tower 304' high

(Old) Madison Square Garden,

NYC

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St. Patrick’s Cathedral, New York City

Tower completed in 1888  330' high

5th Ave. near St. Patrick's 1858-1879

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Fifth Avenue in New York City on Easter Sunday in

1900

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Hester Street, New York Cityc. 1902

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Living Conditions in the Inner City

Massive influx of people create immense problems of overcrowding, disease, poverty

Some improvement overtime, but many problems remain

Biggest problem = lack of adequate housing High rents force 2–3 families to occupy one-

family apartments in tenements, esp. NYC Tiny rooms lack windows, water, safe heat Result = disease, vermin, & filth

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New York tenements at the turn of the century

500,000 people per square mile in the Lower East Side. One person per square foot.

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Room in a Tenement Flat, 1910

Jessie Tarbox BealsMuseum of the City of New York

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Jacob Riis (1849-1914)Photographer and author of How the Other

Half Lives (1890)

Children sleepingin Mulberry Street

(1890)

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“Street Arabs” in sleeping quarters

Jacob Riis

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Sabbath Eve in a Coal Cellar

Jacob Riis

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Police Station Lodger

Jacob Riis

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Showing Their Tricks: Hell’s Kitchen Boys, 1888-1889

Jacob Riis

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Bohemian Cigar Makers in a Tenement Sweatshop, 1889

Jacob Riis

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Chicago Slums c. 1900Children playing near a dead

horse

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Bobover Rebbe and his granddaughter,

Borough Park, New York.

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Home of an Italian Rag picker, 1888

Jacob Riis

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B. “Machine” Politics & Urban Life

• Organized group  that controlled the activities of a political party in a city.

• Offered services to voters and businesses in exchange for political and financial support.

• Pyramid with local precinct workers at bottom and political boss at top.

• Immigrants fueled the machine as voters. They Received: – Naturalization – Housing – Jobs

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Political Machines (cont.)

NYC’s Tammany Hall mix personal gain with public accomplishments

Profit from control of city contracts & jobs Also profit from illegal actions (gambling) Construct vital public works Bribes & kickbacks inflate costs to

taxpayers Like business leaders, bosses use politics

for self-interest and reflect racial/ethnic bias

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Boss Tweed and the Tammany Hall Machine

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Tammany Hall and Machine Politics

1st

Ward3rd

Ward4th

Ward2nd

Ward

City HallMayor

Bd. of Aldermen

TammanyHallBoss

VOTES MONEY

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The Tammany Tiger Loose

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C. Betterment / Improvement

Efforts to improve and to better the lives of city dwellers came on several fronts: Economic Social Spiritual / Moral Governmental

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Diagram of a dumbbell tenement, c. 1879

Illegal by 1901

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Housing Reform;New Home Technology

NY regulate light, ventilation, & safety of new buildings; not affect existing structures

Riis & Veiler advocate model tenements Even reformers reject public housing New systems of heat, light, & plumbing

benefit upper & middle classes first Slowly others gain access to gas,

electricity, water Wealthy create new private spaces in home

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Sanitation, Construction; Urban Poverty

In response to germ theory, cities build better water purification & sewer systems

Street paving, steel-frame construction, elevators, & steam-heat improve urban life

Still, many working families live in poverty Seasonal nature of work; boom/bust cycles Americans debate whether to help poor

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Poverty Relief

Traditional belief: poor = many lazy & immoral / deserving poor

Aid to poor creates dependence Some reformers begin to argue new urban

environment contributes to poverty Advocate government action to address

poverty with safety & health regulations Origins of later Progressive movement In late 1800s, most wealthy reject reform

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The Stirrings of Reform

Social Darwinists see attempts at social reform as useless and harmfulReformers begin to seek changes in U.S. living, working conditions

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Progress and Poverty

Henry George: the rich getting richer, the poor, poorerGeorge’s solution: tax land, wealth’s source

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New Currents in Social Thought

Clarence Darrow rejects Social Darwinism, argues poverty at crime’s rootRichard T. Ely’s “New Economics” urges government intervention in economic affairsLiberal Protestants preach "Social Gospel"

– Purpose: reform industrial society – Means: introduce Christian standards into

economic sphere

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A Crisis in Social Welfare

Depression of 1893 reveals insufficiency of existing private charity New professionalism in social workNew efforts to understand poverty’s sourcesIncreasing calls for government interventionSocial tensions engender sense of crisis

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Crime and Violence

Homicides & other crimes (theft) increase More reporting may explain growth Nativists blame immigrants But native-born also participate in crime Violence against newcomers frequent Race riots against blacks in cities across

USA Atlanta, GA (1906); East St. Louis, IL (1917)

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Law Enforcement

Cities develop professional police, post-1850

Police often exhibit poor training, corruption, & ethnic/racial prejudice

Different groups want different kinds of law enforcement on customer-oriented crimes

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Managing the City

Governments slowly address new problems Many urban governments lack organization Clean water & waste disposal = urgent needs Lack of 2 cause disease (yellow fever,

typhoid) Engineers purify water with filters & chlorine Also improve waste disposal, street cleaning,

lighting, construction, & fire protection

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Civic Reform

Upset by corruption & taxes, middle/upper classes oppose bosses but with little success

Advocate city managers & city commissions to create efficient government by experts

Reformers do not realize urbanities are loyal to boss because boss help with problems

A few reform mayors use government to address poverty (Pingree of Detroit)

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The City Beautiful Movement

Architects try to make cities attractive & efficient with parks, wider streets

Displace poor in process Naiveté/insensitivity of many reformers

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The Settlement Houses

Famous Houses– 1886--Stanton Coit’s Neighborhood Guild, New

York – 1889—Jane Addams' Hull House, Chicago– 1892—Robert A. Woods’ South End House, Boston– 1893—Lillian Wald’s Henry Street Settlement, New

YorkCharacteristics

– Many workers women– Classical, practical education for poor– Study social composition of neighborhood

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Jane Addams, founder of Hull House

(1860-1935)

In 1931, Addams became the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize

 

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Hull House, Chicago1889

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Lillian Wald (1867-1940), nurse, social worker

Wald introduced

the pioneeringconcept of

public health nursing

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Lillian Wald founded Henry Street Settlement

in New York in 1895

Lillian Wald in her office

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One of Lillian Wald's nurses takes a short cut across tenement roofs to visit a

patient, c. 1908

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II. Urban Life

D. Changes in the Social Fabric of the Family

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Family Life

Family remain primary social unit Help members with urban-industrial

problems Most households consist of nuclear family Family size shrink with declining birth rate Stages of life (youth, parenthood, old age)

become more distinct Number of unmarried people increase Boarding = common practice

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Changes in Family Life

Urbanization, industrialization alter family Family life virtually disappears among poorly-paid working classSuburban commute takes fathers from middle-class homesTensions for women

– Domesticity encouraged– Identity as mere housewife almost

shameful

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Manners and Mores

Victorian morality dictates dress, mannersProtestant religious values strong Reform underpinned by Protestantism

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Changing Views: A Growing Assertiveness

among Women"New women"--self-supporting careersDemand an end to gender discriminationSpeak openly about once-forbidden topics

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1910 telephone exchange in New York City

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Educating the Masses

Few students reach the sixth gradeTeaching unimaginative, learning passiveSegregation, poverty compound problems of Southern education1896—Plessy v. Ferguson allows "separate but equal" schools

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Geographic and Social Mobility

Newcomers cope with challenges by relying on family (pool resources, help with jobs)

Also constant movement within city or to another city in search of better opportunities

Some find success; others keep moving White male occupational mobility exist with

more white-collar jobs & small businesses Few rag-to-riches successes Most rich start with affluence

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Geographic and Social Mobility (cont.)

Moderate advance occur for some white men, esp. native-born

17–20% of manual workers rise to non-manual work within 10 years

Some downward mobility also occur Especially owners of small

businesses Little mobility for women and people

of color

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Geographic and Social Mobility (cont.)

Acquiring property difficult because of high interest loans with short repayment periods

36% of urban Americans own homes (1900) Higher than most Western nations Gap between rich & poor widen Possibility of mobility serve as safety valve Relieve some tensions/frustrations of city

life

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II. Urban Life

D. Ethnic / Cultural Life

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Cultural Retention and Change

Peopling of cities = dynamic process Immigrants initially live in ethnic

enclaves and try to preserve traditional culture

Crowding/movement force contact with others

In large cities, neighborhoods = multi-ethnic “urban borderlands”

White New Immigrants suffer prejudice, but less than blacks, Asians, & Hispanics

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Racial Segregation and Violence

White immigrants leave enclaves over time Not so for people of color; racism = key factor Segregated black “ghettos” develop; few jobs Lots of animosity from surrounding whites Churches central to African American life Asians also suffer segregation, discrimination,

& violence (e.g., Exclusion Act of 1882) Mexicans lose land; whites isolate them into

barrios far from urban core

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Cultural Adaptation

Immigrants try to preserve native language

But children learn English at school & at work

Music reflect cultural interaction Religiously, USA become more diverse w/

more Catholics, Jews, Orthodox Christians, etc.

Some Catholics & Jews accommodate to US culture

Others resist (Conservative/Reform Judaism)

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II. Urban Life

E. Leisure & Rise of Mass Culture

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Leisure and Entertainment

Domestic leisure--card, parlor, yard gamesSentimental ballads, ragtime popularEntertainment outside home

Circus immensely popular Baseball, football, basketball

Street lights, streetcars make evening a time for entertainment and pleasure

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The New Leisureand Mass Culture

Leisure time expand and become big business

Sports: baseball & football for men; women’s basketball; croquet & cycling for both sexes

Popular drama, musical comedy, & vaudeville provide escape, but reinforce bias

Movies, newspapers, & magazines become profitable consumer goods

Create mass culture, but USA still pluralistic