“The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,With conquering limbs astride from land to land;Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall standA mighty woman with a torch, whose flameIs the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles.From her beacon-handGlows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes commandThe air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.“"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!"” cries sheWith silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

Immigrants and UrbanizationLife in the New Land

Ellis Island• Ellis Island—chief U.S.

immigration station, in New York Harbor

• Immigrants given physical exam by doctor; seriously ill not admitted

• Inspector checks documents to see if meets legal requirements

• 1892–1924, about 17 million immigrants processed at Ellis Island

Life in the New Land

Angel Island• Angel Island—immigrant processing station in San

Francisco Bay• Immigrants endure harsh questioning, long detention for

admissionCooperation for Survival• Immigrants must create new life: find work, home, learn

new ways• Many seek people who share cultural values, religion,

language- ethnic communities form

• Friction develops between “hyphenated” Americans, native-born

Immigration Restrictions

The Rise of Nativism• Melting pot—in U.S. people blend by abandoning native

culture- immigrants don’t want to give up cultural identity

• Nativism—overt favoritism toward native-born Americans

• Nativists believe Anglo-Saxons superior to other ethnic groups

• Some object to immigrants’ religion: many are Catholics, Jews

• 1897, Congress passes literacy bill for immigrants; Cleveland vetoes- 1917, similar bill passes over Wilson’s veto

Urban Problems

Housing

• Working-class families live in houses on outskirts or boardinghouses

• Later, row houses built for single families

• Immigrants take over row houses, 2–3 families per house

• Tenements—multifamily urban dwellings, are overcrowded, unsanitary

Tenement Slum Tenement Slum LivingLiving

Lodgers Huddled Lodgers Huddled TogetherTogether

Tenement Slum Tenement Slum LivingLiving

Struggling Immigrant Struggling Immigrant FamiliesFamilies

Urban Problems

Sanitation

• Streets: manure, open gutters, factory smoke, poor trash collection

• Contractors hired to sweep streets, collect garbage, clean outhouses

- often do not do job properly

• By 1900, cities develop sewer lines, create sanitation departments

Urban ProblemsCrime• As population grows, thieves

flourish• Early police forces too small to

be effectiveFire• Fire hazards: limited water,

wood houses, candles, kerosene heaters

• Most firefighters volunteers, not always available

• 1900, most cities have full-time, professional fire departments

• Fire sprinklers, non-flammable building materials make cities safer

The Emergence of Political Machines

The Political Machine• Political machine—organized group that

controls city political party• Give services to voters, businesses for

political, financial support• After Civil War, machines gain control of

major cities• Machine organization: precinct captains,

ward bosses, city boss

The Emergence of Political Machines

The Role of the Political Boss

• Whether or not city boss serves as mayor, he:

- controls access to city jobs, business licenses

- influences courts, municipal agencies

- arranges building projects, community services

• Bosses paid by businesses, get voters’ loyalty, extend influence

• Machines help immigrants with naturalization, jobs, housing

Boss Tweed

The Tweed Ring Scandal• 1868 William M. Tweed,

or Boss Tweed, heads Tammany Hall in NYC

• Leads Tweed Ring, defrauds city of millions of dollars

• Cartoonist Thomas Nast helps arouse public outrage- Tweed Ring broken in 1871

Civil Service Replaces Patronage

Patronage Spurs Reform

• Patronage—government jobs to those who help candidate get elected

• Civil service (government administration) are all patronage jobs

• Some appointees not qualified; some use position for personal gain

• Reformers press for merit system of hiring for civil service

Reform Under Hayes, Garfield, and Arthur

Republican Rutherford B. Hayes elected president 1876

- creates commission to investigate corruption

• 1880, Republican independent James A. Garfield wins election

• Stalwart Chester A. Arthur is vice-president

• Garfield gives patronage jobs to reformers; is shot and killed

• As president, Arthur urges Congress to pass civil service law

• Pendleton Civil Service Act—appointments based on exam score

A. Ellis Island

B. melting pot

C. Angel Island

D. nativism

E. Chinese Exclusion Act

F. Gentlemen's Agreement

____ 1. Which term is the name of a restriction on immigration passed by Congress?

____ 2. Which term refers to an agreement that limited the immigration of unskilled workers to the United States in exchange for the repeal of the San Francisco segregation order?

____ 3. Which idea led to a rise in anti-immigrant groups and a demand for immigration restrictions?

____ 4. Which term refers to the mixture of diverse cultures whose people blended together by abandoning their native language and customs?

____ 5. Through which place did immigrants arriving on the East Coast pass before gaining entry into the United States?

____ 6. Through which place did immigrants arriving on the West Coast pass before gaining entry into the United States?

____ 7. Which term is the name of a restriction on emigration worked out between the United States and another government?

A. Stalwarts

B. graft

C. political machines

D. spoils system

E. Pendleton Act

____ 9. These Republican supporters of New York City boss Roscoe Conkling were strongly opposed to civil-service reform.

____ 10. This authorized an independent civil service commission to make government appointments based on the merit system.

____ 11. This president surprised everyone by turning reformer. His efforts to persuade Congress to reform the civil service resulted in the Pendleton Act.

____ 12. This president was a strong supporter of civil-service reform. Although he did not succeed in getting Congress to go along with his plans for reform, he was able to clean up the nation's customhouses.

____ 13. This was any type of unethical or illegal use of political influence for personal gain.

____ 14. These were organized groups that controlled the activities of a political party in a city.

 

F. Grover Cleveland

G. Chester A. Arthur

H. James A. Garfield

I. Benjamin Harrison

J. Rutherford B. Hayes