Business, Immigrants and Politics Gilded Age Business, Immigrants and Politics

Part I Immigration

Immigrants Come to America for various social, economic and political reasons (Europe and Asia) Steam ships make this quicker than ever The journey is not cheap or easy (many get sick due to poor conditions), many go into indentured servitude

Immigrants Most come in through NY (golden door) Most choose to live in areas settled by other immigrants Most face discrimination The amount of discrimination varies depending on country of origin

US Immigration Laws We begin to place standards on who is “fit” to be an American Many quarantined or set back because they are sick US actually limits or halts immigrations in different situations in the 1880s

US Immigration Laws Chinese exclusion act (1882)- prohibits immigration of Chinese workers for 10 years Gentleman's agreement- kept Japanese from being segregated as other Asians in California

Where were the immigrants then

Where are the immigrants today

Where do the immigrants come from

Where do the immigrants come from

Part II Growth of Cities

Growth of Cities Millions head from farms to cities for jobs (50%) Many wealthy leave the city for the suburbs (cars and trains help) Restrictive Covenants- agreements not to sell to certain groups of people Ghetto- areas of cities dominated by on ethnic or racial group

Slums and Tenements Tenement- low cost apartments built very fast to house as many immigrants as possible Slum- an area of tenements Conditions were very poor (soot, open sewers and rats) Disease common Fire a constant threat (Great Chicago Fire) Violence, Gangs & Crime

Political Machines Rapid growth and increased demand for services make city governments more powerful Political Machine- an unofficial organization designed to keep all political power in a city in one party or group headed by a powerful “boss” (Tammany Hall& Boss Tweed) Immigrants like political bosses because they help when no one else will

Part III Reform Begins

Ideas to Reform Society, Immigration, Cities, and Politics A rise of immigrants to power evokes new feelings of nativism. Immigrants again become targets physically and politically Temperance movement- effort to eliminate alcohol consumption, Prohibition (big dumb idea) Various charity and goodwill movements to help the poor and needy in the cities.

Social Theories Social Darwinism – applies survival of the fittest to society- those who can adapt will survive Challenged by a new idea Gospel of Wealth- If you prosper than you owe something to society-Carnegie (philanthropy)

Pop Culture Saloons- seen as breeding grounds for problems-give rise to prohibition movement Amusement parks- Technology and Money give opportunity (Coney Island) Baseball- Red Sox in ‘03 (not that ‘03) Vauedville- eclectic acts (primitive Letterman) Ragtime- early jazz

Reform Salvation Army- aide and religious couseling to the poor YMCA- prayer meeting, citizenship training, public facilities – low cost temporary housing Settlement Houses (Jane Addams)- middle class people moved to poor neighborhoods to help –medical care, lunches, recreation

Public schools New industries need worker that could: Complete monotonous tasks Sit in one place for long periods of time Understand simple directions Achieve minimal intellectual skills -Sound Familiar?

Land grants, not just for railroads Land granted to colleges, mainly for industrial and agricultural purposes Women’s colleges are established The birth of the black college, Tuskegee (Booker T. Washington) Public libraries- kind of like the Internet only slower

Reform Begins All of these things begin to help conditions in America Much bigger reform movements are about to begin