Ch. 18 - The Age of the City PDF

Ch. 18: The Age of the Focus Questions:   City Explain the reasons that people were attracted to cities. Identify the different groups of people making their way into cities and why.  Identify the different immigrant depots and the immigrants that came thro...

Ch. 18: The Age of the Focus Questions:   City Explain the reasons that people were attracted to cities. Identify the different groups of people making their way into cities and why.  Identify the different immigrant depots and the immigrants that came through them.  Explain who were Nativists and what influence they had on immigration laws in the United States.  Analyze urban living and the conditions of both rich and poor.  Describe the urban landscape as well as the strains of living in cities.  Explain: poverty, crime, and urban politics in the United States.  Analyze how cities helped create a consumer culture.  Identify new forms of leisure that developed in the U.S.  Explain literature and art of the era and its importance.  Describe the impact of higher education during the period.  The Urbanization of The Lure of the City America *by 1920 more Americans living in cities than rural areas -1900: New York = 3m, Chicago = 1m *cities grew fast due to immigration, rural migration *offered conveniences, entertainment, and cultural experiences -shopping opportunities, electricity, indoor plumbing, vaudeville shows, night clubs, museums, sporting events *women had more opportunities and freedoms *better paying jobs  Sources of Population Midwest Farmers growth *left for cities due to mechanization and competition *many of them were women searching for work African Americans *leaving poverty, debt, violence and oppression in the South *jobs were still limited in the North Immigrants *largest source of urban population growth *mostly southern and eastern Europe *lots of Catholics and Jews *looking for higher paying jobs and better standards of living *many cities overwhelmingly foreign-born -Chicago = 87%, N.Y. = 80%, Milwaukee and Detroit = 84% -more Irish and Germans in N.Y. than Dublin or Hamburg -more Poles in Chicago than Warsaw Horizontal and Vertical growth *improved transportation -RRs, trollies, subways, steam powered ships, suburbs *skyscrapers could hold more people -new steel created taller buildings (skyscrapers), Otis elevators  Immigrant Life in Immigrant Depots America *Ellis Island, New York (mostly European immigrants)/Angel Island, San Francisco (mostly Asian) *its estimated that 40% of the U.S. population can claim ancestry through Ellis Island Ethnic Communities *eased the transition of city life *a way to bring the old world to the new world and slowed down assimilation *mostly for immigrants that didn’t speak English *food, stores, organizations, newspapers, places of worship resembled those back home Assimilation *blending into society *adopting aspects of one’s new home * “Americanization” *most immigrants freely assimilated *in some cases it was forced -public schools taught only English -most jobs required you speak English Nativism Exclusion *fear and resentment of foreigners *mostly due to some immigrants refusing to assimilate *American Protective Association, Immigration Restriction League *nativists helped get anti-immigrant legislation passed -Chinese Exclusion Act -Quotas (limiting the number of immigrants from certain areas) -especially targeted the new, poorer, less educated Europeans Anti-Immigrant Sentiment  The Urban Landscape The Creation of Public Space *Central Park, N.Y. – Frederick Law Olmstead *other parks built in D.C., Chicago, Philly, Boston *libraries, art galleries, natural history museums, theatres, concert halls, and opera houses The “City Beautiful” Movement *monumental urban projects *rebuilding and redeveloping major cities H.H. “The Great White City” – Chicago Holme *1893 Columbian Exposition and World’s Fair s -worlds largest technology exposition *millions of lights lit up the city *Eric Larson’s, The Devil in the White City -H.H. Holmes – America’s 1st serial killer  Housing in the Cities Growth of Suburbs *wealthy lived in lavish mansions alongside poor *improvements in transportation changed this *many decided to move out of the city into suburbs -economic segregation Housing workers and the Poor *stayed in city centers and rented *most lived in tenements -cheap lodging in an extremely small space -incredibly crowded: 4-8 people -rapid spread of diseases and sicknesses -infant mortality rate was high (1/3 rd died before 1st birthday) -4 families per floor = 16-30 people sharing one bathroom  How the Other Half Lives Jacob Riis *Danish immigrant, newspaper reporter, photographer *wrote a book documenting conditions in tenements *many Americans were shocked *resulted in legislation and reforms Fire and Disease Strains of Urban Life *lack of building codes resulted in lots of fires -wood burning stoves -buildings too close together *lack of professional fire departments *Great Chicago Fire of 1871 -$200m in damage, 300 dead, 17.5k buildings burned Environmental Degradations *air quality was terrible -mostly from burning coal *drinking water almost non existent -rivers, lakes, creeks all polluted *domesticated animal (horses, pigs, cows) in cities Public Health Services *to prevent the spread of disease *helped clean up streets *beginning of waste management (trash services) Urban poverty Poverty and Crime *80% of city residence lived in poverty *Salvation Army -Christian charity to help those less fortunate -middle class alarmed over poverty rate and wanted to help Crime and Violence *extremely high crime rates in cities -pickpockets, con artists, swindlers, thieves *murder rate in cities rising - 1/10,000 *professional police forces developed -mugshots, professional investigators  Politics in the City The Political Machine – Tammany, New York *voting power caused politicians to pool their resources *created machines to target immigrant communities -machines traded services for votes – patronage (JOBS), schools, plumbing, food, wood, new roads, parks The Bosses – William “Boss” Tweed *machines were run by political bosses William Tweed George Washington Plunkitt *had immense power and influence in cities *job was to secure votes and make money *William Tweed most notorious N.Y.C. boss -stole $200m, rigged elections, died in prison Graft and Corruption – “honest graft” Plunkitt *kickbacks, insider trading, real estate, land sales  The Rise of Mass Consumption Patterns of Income and Consumption *incomes on the rise throughout the nation -much slower for working class *growing middle class *mass production = lower prices on consumer products New Merchandising Techniques and Innovations *women’s clothing and fashion more popular and affordable -advertising helped make women largest consumers -Singer sewing machine *food now sold in cans *refrigerated railcars and ice boxes keep food fresher for longer Chain Stores and Mail order *chain stores: more goods in higher volume = cheaper products *F.W. Woolworth – dry goods store that spread from N.Y. to Chicago *Montgomery Ward – Chicago chain store *Sears and Roebuck – mail order warehouses -Sears catalogue (800 pgs.) – good for farmers -new paper innovations (cardboard) Redefining Leisure Leisure in the city *leisure time was expanding rapidly -evenings, weekends, vacations = time off Simon Patten *more time off = more time to spend money *pain economy  pleasure economy Public Leisure *amusement parks – Coney Island, N.Y. *Music, Movies, and Theatre -operas, vaudevilles, motion pictures -Birth of a Nation, 1915 – D.W. Griffith Saloons *important in working class neighborhoods -social entities, information, news, gossip *often times where workers went to vote -associated with violence, crime, prostitution, political corruption *Anti-Saloon League -pushed for temperance and prohibition  Spectator Sports Major League Baseball (MLB) – 1869 *National League (1869) -Cincinnati Red Stockings *American League (1901) *1st World Series – 1903 College Football – Princeton v. Rutgers – 1869 *NCAA (National College Athletic Association) – 1910 Basketball – Dr. James Naismith – 1891 *indoor sport for wintertime Boxing *most popular sport Gambling *gambling in almost every sport -1919 World Series was rigged (Chicago, “Black Sox”) *horse racing Conan Old Time Baseball  High Culture in the Age of the City  Important Writings:  Frank Norris – The Octopus ▪ Depicted relationship between farmers and railroads  Upton Sinclair – The Jungle ▪ Exposed horrors of meat packing industry ▪ Pure Food and Drug Act, Meat Inspection Act (1906)  Ashcan School:  Artwork that depicted slums and “grim aspects of modern life”  Theory of Evolution (Darwin) challenged religion and schools  Scopes Trial in the 1920s  “Pragmatism”  Ideas were to be tested, not just based on theories High Culture in the Age of the City  Education  John Dewey: ▪ Hoped to change education ▪ Less reliance on memorization, more on acquiring knowledge through experience  Growth of Education: ▪ Increase in free primary and secondary education ▪ Rural areas still lagged behind  Morrill Land Grant ▪ Land set aside to states by federal government for colleges  Higher education opportunities for women were limited ▪ Some institutions created separate female schools Crash Course U.S. Histor y Ep. 25: Growth, Cities, Immigration  Ch. 18: The Age of the Focus Questions:   City Explain the reasons that people were attracted to cities. Identify the different groups of people making their way into cities and why.  Identify the different immigrant depots and the immigrants that came through them.  Explain who were Nativists and what influence they had on immigration laws in the United States.  Analyze urban living and the conditions of both rich and poor.  Describe the urban landscape as well as the strains of living in cities.  Explain: poverty, crime, and urban politics in the United States.  Analyze how cities helped create a consumer culture.  Identify new forms of leisure that developed in the U.S.  Explain literature and art of the era and its importance.  Describe the impact of higher education during the period.  Ch. 18 SAQ A. There were two very large surges in immigrants coming to America – one in the 1830’s- 1870’s and one in the 1880’s-1920’s. Briefly explain ONE major difference between these two different groups. B. Briefly explain ONE similar effect of these two immigration surges on American society. C. Briefly explain ONE negative response to these immigration surges. NOTE: One sentence responses will not get you the points. Give me examples, explanations, etc… Stop giving me broad, bland and unspecific answers. Elaborate as much as time permits.