Discovering Problems at the turn of the century

Urbanization & Gilded Age PoliticsDiscovering Problems at the turn of the centuryHow the Other Half Lives Jacob RiisLike rabbits in their burrows, the little ragamuffins sleep with at least one eye open, and every sense alert to the approach of danger; of their enemy, the policeman, whose chief business in life is to move them on and of the agent bent on robbing them of their cherished freedom. At the first warning shout they scatter and are off. To pursue them would be like chasing the fleet-footed mountain goatThere is not an open door, a hidden turn or runway, which they do not know, with lots of secret passages and short cuts no one else ever found.Describe the homeless boys of New York City

The State of the Union in 1900By 1900, the nation included 45 states and stretched across the North American continent.Fulfilled manifest destiny1890: Census Bureau report announced that the American frontier was closed.Factory production increased.From the end of the Civil War, production had grown by more than six times. Businesses start using mail-order catalogues.Sears & RoebuckMontgomery WardDepartment stores begin to open.Macys MarshallsThe Growth of American Cities1865: only 2 cities in the U.S. with 500,000 or more residents1900: 6 cities have 500,000 or more residents. New York City, Philadelphia, and Chicago have 1 million +40% of Americans lived in citiesFactors contributing to the growth of cities:New farm machinery increases food productionCyrus McCormicks reaper reduced the # of farm jobsThe rise of industry creates new jobs in citiesAmusementDepartment stores, theaters, spectator sportsHigh levels of immigrationThe SlumsShoddy apartment buildings that houses 4 families on one floor.Very small living spaceBuildings themselves were packed togetherSome slum neighborhoods were among the most densely populated areas in the world.In 1900, New Yorks Lower East Side had a population density of more than 300,000 people per square mile.

Inadequate Urban InfrastructureLack of fire protectionSanitation problemsJournalists, called muckrakers, blamed city governments for failing to provide adequate infrastructure and servicesTeddy Roosevelt came up with the term muckrakers because they raked the mud of society. They uncovered the nations problems and wrote about them.Jacob Riis was a muckrakerDangerous Working ConditionsFactory work was boring and strenousLife in a factory is perhaps, with the exception of prison life, the most monotonous life a human being can live.DangerousSharp blades threatened meatpakersCotton dust plagued textile workersFire posed a risk to nearly everyone who worked in close quartersTriangle Shirtwaist Factory FireUnsafe Products: Buyer BewareThe government did not regulate product quality at the time.No such thing as the FDA!!Unsanitary conditions in the meatpacking industryUpton Sinclair 1906 The JungleThere would be meat stored in great piles in rooms; and the water from leaky roofs would drip over it, and thousands of rats would race about on it.Sinclair reported that rat droppings and even rats themselves, often became part of processed meat.Canned goods were not regulated and often contained toxic chemical preservatives like borax and formaldehydeUnsafe Products: Buyer BewareMedicine was unregulated.Made ridiculous claims for curing illnessesCures often involved narcoticsMedicine labels boasted such ingredients as morphine, opium, and cocaineCoca-Cola was marketed as an energy drink/cure allHad cocaine in it.The Politics of Fraud and Bribery1902 Lincoln Steffens (a muckraker)The Shame of the Citiesa book on corruption in city governmentExposed rampant fraudReported that politicians spoke openly about accepting bribes.I make no pretensions to virtue, one politician said, not even on Sunday.Political MachinesPolitical Machines: organizations linked to a political party that often controlled local governmentsConsisted of full-time politicians who main goal was to get and keep political power and the money and influence that went with it.The Politics of Fraud and BriberyPolitical BossesControlled the political machine and its politiciansThe most infamous of these bosses was William Boss Tweed of New Yorks Tammany Hall machine.Controlled thousands of city workersInfluenced operation of schools, hospitals, & other city-run servicesBenefited from the support of the Irish immigrantsOften overpaid himself on construction projects & land salesCheated the city out of as much as $200 million.Maintained power by helping the local residentsHelped immigrants who were sick or out of workI never ask a hungry man about his past; I feed him, not because he is good, but because he needs food.In exchange for help, residents agreed to vote for the machine politicians at election time.

Social TensionsMany immigrants and African Americans faced racism and violence.Women began demanding greater opportunities and rightsIncome inequality grew1891 an estimated 120 Americans were worth at least $10 million Cost of living was growing faster than wagesMiddle class expanded due to rising productivityLife for African AmericansCivil War era amendments13th abolished slavery14th guaranteed equal protection under the law to all citizens15th cannot deny voting rights based on race.Jim Crow laws in the southSegregated blacks from whites in trains, schools, hospitals, and other public placesFound ways to bypass the 15th amendment by requiring literacy tests or grandfather clausesCould only vote if your father or grandfather had had the right to vote in 1867ViolenceMany fled the south and moved to northern cities.

The Changing Role of WomenA growing number of women working outside the home18% of the workforce was womenNew appliances made home life easier.Some women began attending college (very small number)Women known as suffragists began pursuing voting rights.Supreme Court Cases of ImportanceU.S. v. Wong Kim Ark 1898Supreme Court ruled that children of Chinese immigrants born in the U.S. could not be denied citizenship.The portion of the Chinese Exclusion Act that prohibited this violated the 14th amendment.Plessy v. Ferguson - 1896Supreme Court upheld the right of the states to make laws that sustained segregation.