Urbanization Just as in the previous decades, the cities continued to grow and develop into the 1920s. Growth is not always a good thing!

Urbanization The 1920s was the first time in American history where more people lived in the cities than in the rural areas. This continued growth of population in the urban eras brought rise to more crime, incredible overcrowding, and unsafe conditions that would straggle out of the Progressive Era with little change or improvement.

Life in the Cities With the growing workplace development in the cities, many more Americans moved to the cities for those new opportunities. This continued to add to the overcrowded housing and streets in the urban areas. Unsanitary and unsafe conditions surrounded the growing population, and crime arose as a result of the lack of order and organization.

Minorities in the Cities As numbers grew in the cities, racism continued to rise. While many blacks continued to move into the cities for opportunities and cultural change in the Great Migration, they also looked for other alternatives. Marcus Garvey organized his “Back to Africa” movement, promising to form a new nation of African-Americans to help them escape the hardships and discriminations in America.

Children in the Cities Coming out of the Progressive Era, many changes were made for American children. While some still worked in the factories and in other jobs, many children were able to start attending school as a result of the new public school systems and attendance requirements. On the other hand, children were also very active in organized crime groups working as messengers or bootleggers. Overall, it was still a dangerous place for many children in the cities in the 1920s.