Chapter 21 A New Urban Culture

Section 1, New Immigrants in a Promised Land I – Why Immigrants Came … 25 million between A. Push Factors: conditions that drive people from their homes 1. European populations grew, land became scarce in Europe 2. Political or religious persecution (pogroms – organized attacks on Jewish villages) 3. Political unrest (Revolution in Mexico 1910)

B. Pull Factors 1. Industrial jobs – labor for factories, telling people in the “old country” about opportunities 2. promise of freedom – life in a country where the police did not arrest you without reason or where people had freedom of religion

II – A Difficult Journey … A. miserable conditions, steerage (airless rooms below decks)…cattle filled these rooms on the return journey A. miserable conditions, steerage (airless rooms below decks)…cattle filled these rooms on the return journey Disease spread rapidly…the dead were buried at sea

B. On the East Coast – Statue of Liberty

C - Ellis Island 1. Immigration center for immigrants from Europe 2. Medical clearance 3. To save time, they often changed names that were difficult to spell

D - On the West Coast 1. Asian immigrants “processed” at Angel Island in San Francisco Bay 2. New arrivals faced long delays … because Americans wanted to discourage Asian immigration 3.All immigrant families faced a difficult adjustment

III. Old and New Immigrants A. Change in patterns in the late 1800s..earlier immigrant had been from Protestants from Northern and Western Europe B. English, Irish, Germans were considered “Old Immigrants” C. “New Immigrants” Southern and Eastern Europe…Italians, Polish, Greek, Russian and Hungarian D. Few of the “new” immigrants spoke English, many were Catholic, Jewish or Eastern Orthodox

E. Few of the new immigrants spoke English F.Set apart by language and religion, they found it harder to adapt to America

IV – Adapting to American Life A. Need for work B. Immigrant Neighborhoods – people settled into their own neighborhoods 1. Newcomers could speak their own language, celebrate special holidays, prepare foods that were familiar 2. Religion was usually the center of the immigrant’s life…Italians in Italian parishes, Polish in Polish parishes, etc.

C. Learning to Be American 1. acculturation – process of holding onto older traditions while adapting to a new culture 2. Schools, factories, politics 3. Blending of old and new ways 4. Children adapted faster than parents

VI – Nativists Oppose Immigration A. Nativists – sought to limit immigration and preserve the country for native-born white people B. Chinese Exclusion Act 1. As the number of Chinese in the country grew, so did the prejudice and violence 2. Passed in 1882, barring Chinese laborers from entering the country

` C. Restricting Immigration 1.Nativists formed the American Protective Organization 2.Tried to restrict immigration 3.Congress responded by passing a bill denying entry to people who could not read in their own language…bill did become law

Tenement Life

Section 2 – An Age of Cities I – Urban Population Booms A.B.C.

II – Patterns of City Settlement A. The Urban Poor B. The Urban Middle Class C. The Rich

III – Solving City Problems A. A. Problems: B. B. Urban Reforms: C. C. Religious Organizations Help the Poor

IV – Settlement House Movement A. Settlement Houses – B. Hull House – C. Pressing for Reforms

Section 3 – Life in the Changing Cities Changing LandscapeNew Activities

I – Building Boom A. Building Upward 1. Skyscrapers 2. Elevators

B. Moving People 1.2.

C – Public Parks 1. Preserving open space 2. Frederick Law Olmstead – Central Park

D. Shopping A. Department stores B. Macy’s C. Window shopping

II – Americans at Play A. Play Ball B. Football C. Basketball

III – Theater and Music A. Variety of cultural activities A. Variety Shows B. Popular Music

Lesson 4 – Public Education and American Culture I – Educating Americans A. Public Schools 1. First Kindergarten 2. compulsory education

B. School day 1.2.

C. Higher Learning D. Family Learning

II – A Newspaper Boom A. Newspaper Giants yellow journalism

III – New Reading Habits A. Dime Novels B. Rags-to-Riches

IV – New American Writers A. Realists B. Mark Twain

V – Painting Everyday Life A. Realistic everyday scenes 1. Winslow Homer 2. Thomas Eakins 3. Henry Tanner

4. James Whistler 5. Mary Cassatt