The Urbanization of America
Migration from the Countryside to Urban Centers dominated American life
This was the case all over the world as it became more industrialized
The Lure of the City
Urban population increased by 7 times from 1863-1913
1920—most American’s lived in urban areas What is an urban
area?—2,500 people or more
1860 1890
New York City
1 million people
3 million people
Chicago100,000 people
1 million people
Urban Families
Experienced High infant mortality rates Declining fertility High death rate from disease Harsh living conditions
SO?????
Why did people live in cities?
Causes of Urban Growth
Immigration—people from other countries coming to the U.S. and urban centers
National Migration—Americans moving to urban centers Opportunities for African Americans Opportunities for Woman More readily available work Excitement of living in a city
National Migrations
Geographic Mobility—people had the ability to move quickly, safely and cheaply
Rural Farm life was limited for woman so they moved to cities How was rural life limited for women?
Southern Blacks moved to cities… Because of bigotry and racist segregation and violence in
the south There were jobs up north—Although factory jobs were rare
(most African Americans worked as servants in cities: cooks, janitors, general labor, etc.)
Immigrants
1860-1920—28 Million immigrants came to the U.S.
Most from Europe (West Coast had Asian and Mexican Immigrants) 1880—Italians, Greeks, Russian Jews, and Slavs
Early Immigrants were educated and had modest wealth That changed…why?
The Ethnic City
1890—87% of Chicago were foreign born, 80% of New York, 84% of Milwaukee and Detroit
New York had more Irish than Dublin and more Germans than Hamburg
Cities were extremely racially and culturally diverse
This was both strength and weakness of cities
Assimilation
Assimilation—the act of becoming a part of something
Most immigrants were young 15-45
Wanted to be “True Americans”—Americanization Encouraged by native born Americans Supported by churches and public education
Changing Gender Roles America allowed immigrant woman more freedom Arranged marriages were not popular in the U.S. It was acceptable for women work outside the home More acceptable for women to be on their own.
Exclusion
The counter attack to assimilation/Americanization
Nativism—native born American prejudice against foreigners
Immigrants were blamed for the “ills of society” Why? Was this prejudice blind or was it based on who
was coming to the U.S.?
Laws tried to curb immigration but failed
Immigration fueled economic growth as a read and cheap source of labor
American Protective Association
Founded by Henry Bowers in 1887
Stood against Catholic Immigrants
Had over 500,000 members
Immigration Restriction League
Another national organization that stood for strict restriction on immigration
Believed immigrants should be “screened” through literacy tests separating the “desirables” from the “undesirables”
The Urban Landscape
Cities stood in contrast: the poor were VERY poor, the rich were VERY rich
Small middle class
Cities struggled with how to keep the poor and wealthy separated
The Creation of Public Spaces
1850’s—cities started to be “planned”
Urban Parks Antidote to urban
crowding and congestion
Fredrick Law Olmstead and Calvert Vaux—architects of New York’s Central Park
Believed in “Natural Spaces”
Public Buildings
City Planners, architects, wealthy people, and government officials started advocating public buildings Libraries, museums, galleries, concert halls,
theaters, hospitals, etc. Wealthy citizens became philanthropic patrons
who donated money for public buildings This came with the immortality of having one’s
name and recognition assigned to a building: Carnegie Hall
Housing the Rich
Housing was an issue in Cities—the rich wanted to be away from the poor, the poor couldn’t afford to life far from where they worked, etc.
Growth of Suburbs—modeled after “countryside” Why? How do the suburbs look like the
countryside?
The rich owned houses and buildings, the poor had to rent
Housing the Poor
The Poor could not afford to own so they rented
High demand for scarce space gave a lot of power to landowners
Manhattan Population Density in 1894 143 people per acre of land average (304 sq ft
per person) 700 people per acre in the slums (64 sq ft per
person)
Tenements
Multi-family dwellings—usually apartment buildings
Located in the slums
At first tenements were a great improvement for poor people instead of literal shacks
Many were windowless rooms Little to no plumbing Privies (toilets) in the basement
Jacob Riis Author and photographer who documents tenement living Wrote “How the Other Half Lives” Sensationalized writing that exploited the plight of the poor.
Urban Transportation
Paved streets opened congestion and allow for quicker, safer travel within cities
Paved Roads Most were paved with
wooden blocks—where we get the term “block” from, meaning a section of a city
Later brick, stone and asphalt
Urban Transportation
Street Cars Horse drawn cars
that ran on tracks were the first public forms of mass transportation
Boston, New York, Chicago, Washington DC, Philadelphia
Urban Transportation
1887
Boston
First American Subway (not the disgusting sandwich shop…shame on you for eating that…YUCK!)
Urban Transportation
1880’s
New York
Brooklyn Bridge
Opened the Island of Manhattan to the other burrows of New York
Engineering Marvel
The Skyscraper
Cast iron, steel beams, and elevators allowed for taller buildings (over 5 floors)
1890’s skyscrapers started to be built (10 or more floors)
Why is this important for cities?
Human Waste Problems
Early Efforts at urban sewage disposal frequently Used open ditches
to remove waste Helped the spread
of disease Polluted the cities
fresh water supply Failed to provide
clean conditions
The Urban Political Machines
Urban Political Machines helped newly arrived immigrants adjust to American life
In return these “Bosses” (elected officials) could count on support from voting immigrants
Political bosses were the primary source of welfare for the urban poor.
Goals of the Political Machines1. Make money for
political bosses (officials)
2. Provide services to immigrants
3. Create city jobs for machine supporters
4. Find jobs for the unemployed
The Rise of Mass Consumption
Mass Consumption—the production and sale of inexpensive everyday items that came about at the end of the 1800’s Growth of middle class gave rise to mass
consumption Middle class people could afford to buy lots of
things in quantity The most popular mass consumption items were
the making and marketing of ready-made clothes
Middle class women were most effected by mass consumption—why?
Patterns of Income and Consumption
Society changed, as did the market place, with the growth of the middle class and their growing income
This lead to The emergence of Department Stores The making of large amounts of affordable
products The creation of marketing and advertisement The rise of chain stores
Department Stores
Giant “have everything” destination stores
Offered a wide range of diverse products—bras and guns
Created a shopping atmosphere of excitement
Made shopping an activity and glamorous
Large quantities of goods lowered prices
Popular Culture in the late 1800’s
Popular forms of entertainment Vaudeville Musical comedy Movies—silent movies Professional baseball Theatre
Movies became the first truly universal mass-entertainment medium which reached all over the country and all levels of society Why?
Yellow Journalism
A popular style of journalism that was popular in the early 1900’s that used a sensational, lurid style of reporting.
Art in the early 1900’s
Authors like Stephen Crane and Theodore Dreiser wrote very popular novels about the mistreatment of the poor in urban industrial society.
Artists began painting realistic scenes of ordinary life
Education in the Early 1900’s
Industrialization created a need for specialized skills and scientific knowledge, the educational system answered these needs through Growth of women’s colleges Rise in free public education An increase in the number of colleges and
universities Growth of universities in western states
Women in the early 1900’s
Graduates of Women’s colleges formed the first “intellectual” women’s group who… Worked together for reform (divorce laws,
suffrage, etc.) Frequently married much later in life Were career based instead of family based Became faculty in women’s colleges Started by philanthropic institutions