Ch 10 - Urban America 1865-

1896

Section 1: Immigration

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.