America Moves to the City Chapter 25

Urban Frontier Cities tripled in size from Civil War until end of century By 1900 New York second largest city in world 1880’s – cities limited in size because people had to walk to work Skyscrapers Cheap steel allowed for steel skeleton buildings designed by people like Louis Sullivan Otis invented elevator to make access to skyscrapers easier Electric light, plumbing and telephones Transportation Electric trolleys, elevated trains allowed for cities to expand beyond walking boundaries Suspension Bridges (Brooklyn Bridge) connected areas Employment Immigrants and rural residents attracted by factories and jobs Department Stores (Marshall Fields, Macy’s) Allowed for a mixing of social classes and development of fashion and consumerism Chicago, Illinois 1890

Problems in City Cities grew faster than people could handle Sanitation In rural areas, materials were repaired or reused, urban environments generate waste Consumerism from mass production also led to waste Animals left waste throughout the city Police Criminals and con-men were common throughout cities Fire Overcrowded cities, tenements made fires especially dangerous Dumbbell Tenements Were overcrowded, poorly ventilated, had a shared bathroom Slums developed of extremely poor

Ethnic neighborhoods Collection of people in one area by language or nationality Were mostly poor and consisted of tenements Very overcrowded Suburbs Transportation improvements allowed wealthier people to move away from dirt, crime overcrowded of the city

Old immigration Original settlers – English, Scots, Germans, Irish, Scandinavians Africans were brought to America through slavery Immigration slows with industrial revolution

New Immigration (1880-1920) 24 million immigrants mostly from Eastern, Southern Europe and Mediterranean, were illiterate and poor Came from countries with no democratic or capitalist traditions

Push Pull of Immigration Push factors – reasons why someone wanted to leave Europe (famine, war, disease, unemployment, poverty, oppression) Pull factors – reasons that attracted someone to America (jobs, freedom, land, family, new start) “America Letters” Told of opportunity in America that encouraged immigrants to come Steamship Some had to work way across the ocean Were strong so ocean travel was safer Were faster than wooden ships Did not rely on winds Could operate on schedule Allow people to work for a little while in America than return to homeland

Ellis Island: Gate to America Ellis Island: Immigration center in New York Harbor Went through medical check up Questioned on name, where going, job etc Sometimes people given new names because inspectors couldn’t understand the old one

Where Immigrants Settled Half went to NY, MA, PA, IL cities grew fast Went where they could find work Went where family was Many had family members pay for trip Get jobs in similar areas that family members had

Assimilation and challenges Many new immigrants were resisted by existing populations Immigrants were also given hard time from members of same nationality that had been here earlier Catholic schools created to deal with prejudice and preserve heritage “birds of passage” – many immigrants returned to homeland after earning some money Generation gap created between European parents and American children Old values and cultures were replaced by new American values Government did little to protect immigrants. State governments were dominated by rural areas

Jobs for Immigrants Labor bosses Would stay around Ellis Island and give jobs to low skilled workers off the boats Would give jobs, shelter, food Worker would give boss part of wages Unskilled labor Work with hands that doesn’t require much training, education or language skills Dug sewers, subways, built buildings etc. New Immigrants replaced earlier generations of immigrants Created tensions between ethnic groups Italians replaced Irish

Support for Immigrants Religious leaders advocated support for the poor based on “social Gospel” from Sermon on the Mount Walter Rauschenbusch, Washington Gladden Inspired middle class reform movements Provided daycare, adult education and social clubs for poor Encourage playgrounds to be built Improve education Provide social services to the poor Jane Addams Created Hull House in Chicago help immigrants in the city provide place for educated women to do useful work Florence Kelley Led movement against sweatshops and child labor

Prejudice in America Nativists Opposed immigration, feared higher birthrate and immigration would cause Anglo Saxons to be out numbered. Also did not want mixing of races American Protective Association – voted against Catholic politicians; had support of unions to limit immigrant workers Catholics Anti-Catholic groups feared Catholics were taking over US Catholics denied housing, jobs, education Parochial schools created to avoid prejudice Jews Anti-Semitism; Leo Frank was lynched Mexicans immigrated to avoid Revolution in 1910 Moved to barrios in big cities Japanese Came for economic opportunity Were not allowed to go to school Gentleman’s agreement Japan would stop allowing new immigrants US would let wives of existing residents to enter

Churches Confront the Urban Challenge Life in cities begin challenging traditional values; increase crime, poverty and immoral behaviors Some churches supported laissez-faire and status quo Baptist Church was supported by Rockefeller Episcopal Church supported by JP Morgan Liberal Protestantism Inspired by “social gospel” led by Dwight Lyman Moody Balanced capitalism, science and faith Focus on personal growth and earthly salvation Christian Science Created by Mary Baker Eddy Believed that disease and social ills can be healed with prayer Salvation Army Created to address hunger and poverty YMCA Combined physical education with religious education

Social Darwinism Darwin’s Theory Charles Darwin wrote “On the Origin of the Species” Nature had law of natural selection Rejected doctrine of special creations which established that value of species was determined by God Was challenged by both religious and scientific communities Strongest religious opponents evolve into the fundamentalist movement in 20th century Religion became more for faith and private life “Survival of the Fittest” Only the strong survive Social Darwinism Applied theory to businesses and poor Justified harsh tactics in business and not helping poor

Education and Literacy Secondary Education Free public high schools were more popular as well as teacher training programs Chautauqua movement encouraged adult education through lectures on science, government, literature; founded by John Vincent Colleges Became more popular including colleges for women (Vassar) and Blacks (Howard, Hampton, Atlanta) Morrill Act (1862) Hatch Act (1887) created land grant state universities Popular Press 1880’s papers designed to entertain as well as inform people better technology allow for increase in circulation makes newspapers big business Joseph Pulitzer Popularized newspapers with sensationalism, comics (“Yellow Kid”), human interest stories, simple language, sports William Randolph Hearst (San Francisco Examiner) Hearst and Pulitzer both used yellow journalism

Education and Literacy Medicine Medical schools and new ideas about health develop Louis Pasteur, Joseph Lister, William James (psychology) Magazines Harper’s Weekly; Atlantic Monthly; Scribners; Nation Nation focused on intellectual leaders and advocated reform of society Progress and Poverty (Henry George) Sought to end connection between progress and poverty Wanted to tax land to prevent economic inequalities Influenced Fabian socialism Edward Bellamy – wrote utopian vision of America where problems of society were fixed Novels “dime novels” were popular – gun fighters and wild west Ben Hur by General Lewis Wallace Horatio Alger stories Walt Whitman Leaves of Grass; Emily Dickinson (poets)

Education and Literacy Literature Kate Chopin The Awakening (1899) feminist writer of the Gilded Age Mark Twain The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County (1867); Innocents Abroad (1869); The Gilded Age (1873); The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876); The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884) Captured frontier realism, political satirist Bret Harte wrote gold rush stories William Dean Howells wrote about controversial social themes such as divorce and socialism Stephen Crane wrote about life in industrial America and also Red Badge of Courage Charles Francis Adams wrote historical books Henry James wrote Daisy Miller was master of psychological realism Jack London Call of the Wild – wrote about nature Frank Norris The Octopus realist writer wrote about corruption of railroads Theodore Dreiser Sister Carrie graphically realistic social portrayal of America

Changing role of Women Changing Sexual Roles Victoria Woodhull and Tennessee Clafin argued for free love and openness in sexuality “Comstock Law” allowed Anthony Comstock to investigate people for obscene behaviors and sexual promiscuity New morality and freedom of women increased divorce rate and use of birth control Family Urbanites lose community as social support; so family becomes only support Family size shrinks because kids become financial liability instead of asset Feminism Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1898) Called on women to be independent and play a larger role in society Advocated daycares and cooperative kitchens to free women to work National Woman Suffrage Association Led to cause for suffrage. Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Carrie Chapman Catt Catt argued suffrage necessary to allow women to protect traditional values

African Americans Organize Booker T Washington Leading African American politician Believed blacks should focus on occupational training, not legal equality When whites realize how valuable blacks are, whites will give equality Washington founded Tuskegee Institute (1881) to train African Americans George Washington Carver was famous scientist and researcher WEB DuBois Blacks should focus on immediate legal equality Rejected gradual approach Must be able to vote, equal education, end discrimination NAACP Founded 1909 Work to get equal rights for blacks Tried to end segregation using legal means

Temperance Movement Carrie Nation Temperance Crusade to end alcohol use Alcohol kept poor in poverty, ruined families and communities Partially motivated by nativism – opposition to Germans and Irish National Prohibition Party (1869) Called on women to pressure men not to drink Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) Frances Willard and Carrie Nation were aggressive in fighting against alcohol Anti-Saloon League (1893) 18th Amendment (1919) Begins Prohibition – banned sale and consumption of alcohol Carrie Nation

Entertainment Sports Professional baseball begins in 1869 Immigrants biggest fans Rooting for team gave people sense of belonging or identity Football first started in 1869 Rutgers v Princeton Basketball begin in Massachusetts in 1891 Provide indoor sport for winter Bicycles Were cheaper, more maneuverable than a horse Was fun and easy way to get around Vaudeville Theatre variety show with many different types of entertainment Dance, comedy, gymnastics, juggling Allow theatre for everyone Movies 1890’s first movies start being developed nickelodeons – showed short silent simple films for a nickel