Ch.8 – Section 2 People on the Move

1. Ch.8 – Section 2 People on the Move

2. Streets paved with gold?

3. The Immigrant Experience • People immigrated to America to escape crop failures, shortages of land/jobs, rising taxes, & lack of freedoms. • Between 1865 & 1920 – 30 million immigrants • 2 examples: Ireland & Russia • Ireland – left due to potato famine • Russia – Jews left due to pogroms – violent massacres of Jews

4. Crossing the Ocean • Late 1880’s steam powered ships – 2 or 3 weeks to cross Atlantic Ocean • Pacific Ocean took longer to cross • Conditions were similar on both voyages • Most immigrants travel in steerage – large open area beneath the ship’s deck – limited toilet facilities, no privacy, poor food – tickets cheap

5. Escaping Steerage – Open Decks

6. Arriving in America • Immigrants arrived through several port cities • Europeans – Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, New York • Asians – San Francisco or Seattle • Prior to 1880’s immigration was mostly open • In 1882 – Federal Govt. began excluding certain categories of immigrants

7. Immigrants from Europe • 1892 – Ellis Island opened – in NY Harbor – near Statue of Liberty • Physical exams required of all new immigrants in 1892 - quarantine – time of isolation to prevent the spread of disease • Some w/certain disease were deported

8. Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island

9. Immigrants from Europe continued • Immigrants often settled in communities established by previous settlers from their homelands – ethnic enclaves • Also called ghettos – areas in which one ethnic or racial group dominated • Many chose to live near others of their ethnic group due to comfort of culture, language, food, etc . . .

10. Immigrants from Asia • Largest group of Asian immigrants from China & Japan – usually came through Western ports • Because culture different from European immigrants – often targets of suspicion, hostility, & racism • Chinese immigrants recruited in large numbers to work on the transcontinental railroad • After settled in their own ethnic enclaves • Because Chinese immigrants were willing to work for low wages they were targets of the American labor unions • Chinese Exclusion Act – 1882 – prohibited Chinese laborers from entering the country – did not send prior immigrants back to China – repealed in 1943

11. Immigrants from Asia continued • Many early Japanese immigrants came from Hawaii (didn’t become US territory until 1898) • As sugar plantation workers they saw a better life on mainland • By 1920 – 200 thousand Japanese immigrants • Although more involved in private business – labor unions still target Japanese immigrants • Racist actions – San Francisco prohibiting Asians from attending schools w/non-Asians • This angered Japan – eventually a compromise was reached • Gentlemen’s Agreement – called on S.F. to end school policy & Japan agreed to stop issuing passports to laborers

12. Immigration from Mexico • 1902 – Newlands National Reclamation Act – promoted irrigation of SW lands of US • Turned desert into farmland – led to hiring of Mexican laborers to work on farms & ranches • Also built railroads at very low wages • 1900 to 1910 – approx. 50 thousand Mexican immigrants • “Pull” (new opportunities) vs. “Push” (civil war in Mexico) factors for immigrant • This period of immigration continued & led to strong Spanish speaking population in SW part of the country

13. Ch.8 Politics, Immigration, and Urban Life Sec.3 The Challenge of the Cities

14. Expanding Cities • Cities such as N.Y., Philly, Chicago, St. Louis, and others were bursting at the seams • Not only millions of immigrants, but millions of Americans migrating from rural areas • Between 1880 & 1910 – U.S. population living on farms fell from 72 to 54 percent • Large African American migration as well – to escape not only poverty – but racism & violence as well

15. NYC – Mulberry Street - 1909

16. How Cities Grew • Both good & bad features of city life – from subways & skyscrapers to smog & slums • Prior to Civil War – cities not much bigger than 3 or 4 miles across • Introduction of public horse drawn carriages that traveled on rails – increased size of the cities • Led to suburbs – residential communities surrounding the cities • Improved transportation such as - Elevated trains, cable cars, trolleys, & eventually automobiles led to more suburban expansion

17. How Cities Grew continued • Cities also grew up as well as outward • With Bessemer steel girders buildings were built taller and taller • 1852 – Elisha Graves Otis invented a safety device that made passenger elevators possible • 1885 - 1st skyscraper – Chicago’s Home Insurance Company Building – 10 stories high, 4 elevators • As cities expanded, specialized areas such as financial, government, retail, or industrial formed

18. Chicago’s Home Insurance Company Building

19. Urban Living Conditions • Many mill & factory owners built housing for their workers • Often they built tenements – low cost apartment buildings designed to house as many families as possible • A group of dirty run-down tenements could transform an area into a slum

20. Conditions in the Slums • Poverty, overcrowding, & neglect led to many urban issues • Trees & grass disappeared – little green space • Soot from coal fired engines & boilers polluted the air • Open sewers attracted rats & other vermin • Disease was easily spread – cholera, malaria, tuberculosis, diphtheria, & typhoid thrived in tenements • Children were very vulnerable – in one NYC tenement area 6 out of 10 babies died before age 1

21. Conditions in the Slums continued • Fire was a constant danger – could quickly spread • Great Chicago Fire of 1871 – unsure of start – but 18,000 buildings burned, 250 people died, 100,000 left homeless • Property damage - $200 million ($1 billion in today’s dollars)

22. Great Chicago Fire

23. Light & Air • Lack of good ventilation – spread disease • 1879 – change in NY laws required outside window in every room • Led to dumbbell tenements - narrowed in middle, gaps on either side – air shafts to bring light & air inside • Had some impact but not much • Rotting garbage often at bottom of shaft

24. Dumbbell Tenement Diagram

25. Water • Disease like cholera & typhoid linked to contaminated water • Tenement residents drew water from common pipe or pump in yard • Cites started to improve water public water systems • Build reservoirs to collect clean water • Later introduced chlorination & filtration • Laws introduced to require indoor bathrooms rather than outhouses

26. Results of City Growth • Flight of middle class and wealthy out of city as urbanization increase – gap between rich & poor grew wider • Cities often kept rich neighborhoods near the city center for wealthy – Ex. Palmer Woods – Detroit • Urban growth put pressure on city to improve services - police, fire, transportation, sewage, electric, water, & health care

27. Rise of Political Bosses • Political machine – an unofficial city organization designed to keep a particular party or group in power – usually headed by a single powerful “boss” • Worked through exchange of favors & handing out of jobs – vote in return • Graft – use of one’s job to gain profit – major source of income for political machines • Immigrants often helped support the machines – as they helped them when govt. & private business did not

28. Famous “Bosses” • George B. Cox – Cincinnati – Republican – ran a political machine – but attempted to improve conditions for city – police & services • William Marcy Tweed or “Boss Tweed” controlled Tammany Hall – political club that ran NYC Democratic Party • Plundered city treasury w/fake expenses • Eventually died in jail after being convicted of corruption

29. “Boss” Tweed