II Urbanization

Americans Migrate to the Cities

How do you think life in big cities was different from life on farms and in small towns?

Americans Migrate to the CitiesAfter Civil War urban

population explodedNew York City grew from

800,000 to 3.5 million between 1860 -1900

Chicago swelled from 109,000 to 1.6 million

U.S. only 131 cities with 2,500 or more in 1840; by 1900 there were 1,700

Americans Migrate to the CitiesMost immigrants as well as

rural America moved to the cities

Cities offered more and better paying

jobsElectricityModern plumbingentertainment

Americans Migrate to the CitiesNew strategies in urban

developmentRising land value provided

incentive to build upIncentive – something that

motivates a person into action

Tall steel frame buildings called skyscrapers appear

First skyscraper was 10 stories tall

Americans Migrate to the CitiesCities developed mass transit1890 horse cars move 70% of

urban traffic 1873 San Francisco installs

cable carsPulled by underground cables20 cities follow

1887 Frank J Sprague developed the first electric trolley

Chicago built an elevated trainNew York and Boston build the

first subway system

Americans Migrate to the Cities

What attracted people to cities in the late 1800s?

Americans migrate to the CitiesThe promise of better paying jobs; entertainment and leisure activities; buildings with modern plumbing and electricity

Separation by ClassHow did living conditions of the urban working class differ from those of other social classes?

Separation by ClassUpper, middle and working

classes lived in separate distinct parts of town

Late 1800s wealthiest families established fashionable districts in the heart of the city

Homes grew larger

Separation by ClassWealthy women depended on

hired help:CooksMaidsButlers Nannies Chauffers'

Spent a great deal of money on social events

Most new Yorkers lived on $500.00 a year

Cornelia Sherman Martin spent $360,000.00 on a dance

Separation by ClassAmerican

industrialization expanded the middle classDoctorsLawyersManagersEngineersSocial workers ArchitectsTeachers

Separation by classMiddle class moved away

from center cityEscape crimePollutionAfford larger homes

Used commuter rail linesMoved to “streetcar

suburbs”

Separation by ClassLate 1800s wealthiest families

had at least one live-in servant

Gave women more time to pursue outside activities

“Women’s clubs”Focused on social and

educational activitiesLater became more charitable

and reform activities Helped establish a juvenile

court system in Chicago

Separation by ClassFew urban working families

could hope of owning a home

Most lived in crowded tenements or multifamily apartment buildingsTenement – multifamily

apartments, usually dark crowded, and barely meeting minimum living standards

Separation by ClassThe first tenement was

built in New York City in 1839

Three out of four residents squeezed into dark crowded tenements

To supplement average workers income of $445.00

The family rented space to a boarder

Separation by ClassWhite native born men

earned more thanAfrican American menImmigrantswomen

64% of working families relied on more than one wage

Whole families including children worked

Children faced dangerous working conditions and were not in school

Separation by ClassGrowing number (19%) of

women took work outside the home

White native born women were more educated

Found jobs asTeachersClerkssecretaries

Separation by ClassMany women were

domestic servantsImmigrants filled these

jobs in the NorthAfrican American women

in the SouthDomestic servants

endured long hoursLow wagesSocial isolation

Separation by ClassWhat was the life like for working class families?

Separation by ClassBoth parents needed to work in most families; in many families children worked, too. Domestic service was the most common type of job for woman.

Urban ProblemsWhat types of problems developed due to the rapid growth of urban families

Urban ProblemsCity living posed risks of

CrimeViolenceFireDiseasepollution

Rapid growth of cities made these problems worse and complicated

Urban ProblemsCrime was a growing

problem in American CitiesMinor criminals like

PickpocketsSwindlersThievesThrived in crowded urban

conditionsFrom 1880 -1890 population

jumped from 25 million people to 100 million

Urban ProblemsDisease and pollution posed

bigger risksImproper sewage disposal

contaminated drinking waterTriggered epidemics of

typhoid fever and choleraTriggered – to cause an action

that causes a greater reaction

Sewer systems existed but pollution remained a problem in the 1870s

Urban ProblemsHorse manure was left on

the streetsChimneys belched smokeSoot built up from coal and

wood fires

Urban ProblemsPolitical machine, an

informal political group designed to gain power

Came about because cities had grown faster than their governmentPolitical machine – an

organization linked to a political party that often controlled local government

Urban ProblemsNew city dwellers needed

JobsHousingFoodHeat Police protection

In exchange for votes, political machines and party bosses provided these necessities

Urban ProblemsParty boss – the person in

control of the political machine

George Plunkett powerful New York party boss explained“I can always get a job for

a deservin’ man…I know every big employer in the district and in the whole city”

“For that matter and they ain’t in the habit of sayin’ no to me when I ask for a job”

Urban ProblemsParty bosses controlled the

city financesMachine politicians grew

rich as a result of fraud or graft

Graft – the acquisition of money in dishonest ways, as in bribing a politician.

Outright fraud occurred when party bosses accepted bribes from contractors

Urban ProblemsContractors are suppose to

compete fairly To win contracts to build

streets, sewers, and buildings

Corrupt bosses sold permits to their friend to operate public utilitiesRailroadsWaterworksPower systems

Urban ProblemsTammany Hall, New York

Democratic political machine was the most infamous

William “Boss” Tweed was its leader from 1860s to 1870s

Tweed’s corruptness led to prison sentence in 1874

Urban ProblemsCity machines controlled city

services including the policeSt. Louis boss never feared

arrestHaving voters vote twice at

police controlled polling placesThomas Nast a cartoonist

blasted corrupt bossesDefenders argued political

machines provided necessary services

Helped assimilate city dwellers

Urban Problems

Why were political machines so influential in cities?

Urban ProblemsThey provided much needed services in exchange for votes