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Chapter 16. The Transformation of American Society. The New Immigrants. From 1800 to 1880, more than 10 million immigrants came to the U.S., they were often called Old Immigrants.
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Chapter 16 The Transformation of American Society
From 1800 to 1880, more than 10 million immigrants came to the U.S., they were often called Old Immigrants. • Then, a new wave of immigration swept over the U.S. from 1891 and 1910, about 70% of these new immigrants were from southern or eastern Europe. • Many made enough money in the U.S. to return home by land.
Many immigrants learned of the opportunities available in the U.S. from railroad and steamship company promoters. • The ocean voyage was no pleasure trip for those traveling in the poorest accommodations, called steerage. • Despite these harsh conditions, many immigrants clung to the hope for a better life in the U.S.
Millions of newcomers in the late 1800’s first set foot on U.S. soil on Ellis Island in New York Harbor or Angel Island in San Francisco Bay. • Immigration laws limited entrance to certain skilled groups. • Some applicants who could not meet the restrictions were deported, others were detained on the island.
Many industrial cities of the Northeast and Midwest became a patchwork of ethnic neighborhoods. • Settling in close-knit immigrant communities, newcomers found institutions and neighbors that made their transition more bearable.
The neighborhood churches, synagogues, and temples provides community centers that helped immigrants maintain a sense of identity and belonging. • Residents in many cities formed religious and non-religious aid organizations known as benevolent societies to help immigrants in cases of sickness, unemployment and death.
Immigrants were often urged by employers, public institutions and sometimes their own family to join the American mainstream. • Older immigrants cherished their ties to the old country. • By contrast, their children often adopted American cultural practices.
Whether in construction, mines, or sweatshops, most immigrants found their work to be difficult. • Hours were long, and wages were low. • Even the best-paid workers made little more than the minimum necessary to support themselves and their family.
Many native-born Americans saw immigration as a threat. • Some blamed immigrants for social problems such as crime, poverty, and violence as well as for spreading radical political ideas. • Nativists also opposed immigration for economic reason.
As unemployment mounted following the Panic of 1873 workers grew less tolerant of Chinese laborers. • In 1882 Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, which denied citizenship to people born in China and prohibited immigration of Chinese laborers. • Many Chinese immigrants still came to the U.S. only to be held for months at immigration stations.
The Immigration Restriction League sought to impose a literacy test on all immigrants. • Despite efforts to impose restrictions, immigration continued. • The rapid industrialization of the U.S. in the late 1800’s would have been impossible without immigration workers.
In order for urban centers to accommodate the growing number of residents, architects needed to build skyscrapers, or large, multistory buildings. • In 1853 Elish Otis developed the mechanized elevator. • The development of mass transit extended U.S. cities outward.
The expansion of transportation to areas beyond the urban center led to the growth of suburbs. • The expansion of streetcar transportation made commuting and, in turn, suburban life more affordable.
Upper-Class Life • Some Americans were known as the nouveau riche, which is a French term meaning “newly rich.”
Many of the nouveau riche spent their great wealth freely so that everyone would know how successful they were, this behavior was labeled as conspicuous consumption. • Many Americans criticized such extravagances. • Some wealthy people did give money to libraries, museums and universities.
Many American members of the new upper class imitated the strict standards of social behavior and etiquette of British Victorian culture. • The ideal glorified role of the woman was as a homemaker. • Although the Victorian woman had a certain moral authority within the home, her influence was typically limited to private life.
New industries and a growing urban population created a huge demand for educated workers with a mastery of specialized fields. • During the 1870’s and 1880’s professional schools and organizations were formed to set standards, issue licenses, and review practices with in specialized occupations.
Rapid urban growth increased the opportunities for women to work outside the home. • The rise of big business, created a variety of new jobs, such as salesclerks, secretaries, and stenographers. • By 1910 some 35 percent of the nearly 2 million clerical workers were women.
Living conditions for the working class city-dwellers during the late 1800’s were made worse by housing shortages and the rising cost of rent. • NYC had 43,000 tenements, or poorly built apartment buildings, which housed half of the city’s population. • Although all residents of poor neighborhoods faced grim conditions, African Americans typically experienced the greatest difficulties.
Some reformers established and lived in settlement houses which were community centers, in poor neighborhoods. • Jane Addams was at the forefront of the American settlement-house movement. • She established the Hull House which served as a model for others hoping to aid the poor.
The Social Gospel called for people to apply Christian principles to address social problems. • Many churches attempted to act according to the Social Gospel by providing classes, counseling, job training, libraries, and other social services.
Few children had access to public education during the early 1800’s. • States began to pass compulsory education laws which required parents to send children to school. • Educational reformers proposed that schools do more than teach reading, writing, and arithmetic by rote memorization.
Some reformers hoped to instruct students in proper behavior, civic loyalty, and American cultural values. • The number of American colleges and their enrollments also rose during this period. • Colleges were primarily accessible to wealthy and upper-middle-class students.
Using new paper allowed publishers to print a huge volume of newspapers. • Daily newspapers in the same city often battled each other for a larger number of readers. • Critics referred to the New York World as yellow journalism.
Some publishers attempted to entice readers with adventure stories. • Older readers favored realistic books about city life. • The most commercially successful novels during the late 1800’s
City planners developed large urban parks to offer a natural refuge from the crowded, built up city. • The City Beautiful Movement stressed the importance of including public parks and attractive boulevards in the design of cities. • American’s took advantage of new city parks to pursue a variety of outdoor activities this period.
Leisure and Sports • During the late 1800’s many Americans spent their leisure time playing the era’s new organized sports.
