The Impact of Urbanization on Early American Cities (1890-1910)

1. Urbanization Standard 4.5

2. Early Growth of Cities • began as centers of trade; most at major harbors/waterways • transportation advances made them hubs • electricity made them centers of industrialization mainly in Northeast & Midwest

3. Immigrants • flooded cities because it was cheap • many jobs for unskilled labor • Americanization movement: designed to assimilate immigrants; govt-sponsored; taught literacy, history, etiquette • most did not assimilate; settled in ethnic neighborhoods

4. Migrants • mechanization meant fewer jobs for people • most farmers w/o jobs were blacks; 200,000 moved north 1890-1910 • some moved North to escape discrimination, segregation • competition for jobs heightened racial tensions

5. City Problems • crowded housing (row houses, tenements) • mass transit in need of repair • water was unfit to drink; most homes lacked indoor plumbing • sanitation not in place until 1900 • crime & disease rampant • fire spread quickly

6. Responses to City Problems • settlement houses: begun to help families adjust to life in America; Jane Addams’ Hull House (Chicago) was most famous • city planning to allow for green spaces • political machines: groups that controlled the politics of one party in a city; run by a boss; helped immigrants learn the political process & with naturalization

7. Problems with Machines • led to corruption; many people got paid to vote multiple times • graft: personal gain because of political influence (getting kickbacks)

8. Tweed Ring • William Tweed led Tammany Hall (Dem. machine in NYC) • received $10 million in graft from construction of NY County Courthouse • Thomas Nast: exposed Tweed Ring through political cartoons • Tweed jailed on 120 counts of fraud & extortion for 1 year

9. Response to Machines • patronage leading to vast corruption; also known as the ____________ system • reformers wanted a civil service system; get your job because you’re qualified • President James Garfield assassinated 1881 by someone denied a job • Pendleton Civil Service Act: 1883; est. civil service commission; ended patronage

10. Proof of Learning 3/21 • Why did many blacks move to Northern cities between 1890 and 1910? • How did tenements contribute to the threat of fire & spread of disease in cities? • Why were settlement houses begun? Which one was most famous? • Why were political machines a problem? Name the leader of the most famous one. • How did the Pendleton Act attempt to end political corruption?

11. New Immigration Standard 4.5

12. “Old” Immigrants • pre-Civil War • from Western Europe • assimilated faster • literate • skilled • mainly Protestant

13. “New” Immigrants • Gilded Age • from Eastern, Southern Europe & Asia • spoke Slavic languages • did not assimilate; formed ethnic neighborhoods • unskilled • illiterate • many Catholics, Jews • entered at Ellis Island (east), Angel Island (west)

14. Ethnic Neighborhoods • immigrants segregated themselves • areas resembled homelands; Chinatown, Little Italy, Greektown, Polonia • spoke native languages, cooked ethnic foods, established immigrants helped the “newbies”

15. Getting into the Country • traveled in steerage for 1-3 weeks • processing was an ordeal—delousing, general disinfection, literacy test, cruel officials • many names changed; many turned away

16. Nativism • new immigrants challenged “melting pot” idea; people are not abandoning old culture to become American • wanted to be Italian (or something) living in America • nativism: belief that America should be preserved for native-born white Americans; believed new imms. lacked drive & work ethic

17. Immigration Restrictions • literacy test: law attempted in 1897; had to be able to read 40 words in English or native lang.; vetoed by Pres. Cleveland • Chinese Exclusion Act: 1882-1943; no unskilled imms.; only tchrs, merchants, tourists, govt officials allowed in • Gentlemen’s Agreement: 1907; T. Roosevelt agreed to desegregate San Francisco if Japan quit sending unskilled workers to US

18. Proof of Learning 3/22 • Name 2 ways New Immigrants differed from Old Immigrants that made it difficult for them to assimilate. • How did ethnic neighborhoods help immigrants settle in the US? • What is nativism? • How did the Chinese Exclusion Act & Gentlemen’s Agreement help US workers? • Should the US be a melting pot or a tossed salad? Explain your answer.

19. Progressivism 1900-20 Standard 4.6

20. How it started • rapid industrialization, urbanization • bad working & living conditions • Populist ideas • rise of mass culture, leisure time gave people ability to care • goals: return control of govt to the people; restore economic opportunities; correct injustices in American life

21. big business corruption political corruption cleanliness of food economy/taxes Prohibition labor education women’s rights civil rights conservation Major concerns

22. Muckrakers • people who exposed corruption in various aspects of life • Upton Sinclair: wrote The Jungle; exposed nasty state of food production • Ida M. Tarbell: exposed ruthlessness of John Rockefeller

23. Theodore Roosevelt • aka “Teddy” (Mrs. McCuen’s other favorite) • president 1901-09; elected Republican; became Progressive (Bull Moose Party) • big on conservation; expanded national park system • Pure Food & Drug Act: passed in reaction to reading The Jungle • known as a “trustbuster”

24. Political Reforms • initiative: bill originated by the people • referendum: people vote on initiative • recall: remove elected officials from office • 16th Amendment: 1913; allowed federal income tax • 17th Amendment: 1913; direct election of Senators

25. More laws • 18th Amendment: 1919; Prohibition of alcohol; repealed 1933 by 21st Am. • 19th Amendment: 1920; women’s suffrage • Clayton Antitrust Act: 1914; made unions exempt from anti-trust laws • child labor eventually banned; resulted in need for more _______________

26. Federal Reserve Act (1913) • allowed more flexibility in money supply; helped the farmers • divided nation into 12 regions; central bank in each region • Federal Reserve Banks are where banks do their banking; could issue more paper currency, make loans to save banks

27. Civil Rights • led by WEB DuBois; at odds w/Booker T. Washington • BTW wanted gradual acceptance; earn respect by proving worth (made bricks) • DuBois wanted immediate equality b/c Constitution demanded it; began NAACP w/Niagara Declaration of Principles

33. Proof of Learning 3/25 • What were the goals of progressivism? • What role did muckrakers play in the movement? • How did initiative, referendum, & recall advance the goals of progressivism? • Which Amendment (16-19) was most necessary to the progressive cause? Why? • Whose approach to civil rights would have been accepted in the South? Why?