Immigration and Growth of the Cities

Statue of Liberty poem “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teaming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” By Emma Lazarus

Ellis Island – entry point for immigrants coming from Europe

Angel Island - San Francisco harbor – Asians entered US here on West coast

Immigration “Old Immigrants” – before 1890 welcomed * workers for factories, mines, railroads * farmers for Western lands * consumers for products * men of special abilities, skills * military strength for nation * possessed customs and traditions similar to current Americans * easily adjusted, spread across nation * came chiefly from northwestern Europe

“New Immigrants – after 1890 not welcomed Frontier closed – no more free/cheap land American industry had sufficient workers Took jobs away from current Americans (labor unions developed to protect jobs) Customs different, Catholics, Jews vs. Protestant difficult to adjust or fit in Settled mainly in cities forming ghettos, disease and crime Seen as physically and mentally inferior to “Old” immigrants of Nordic background Came chiefly from Southeastern Europe

Percentage of Foreign-born Immigrants By Country in US as of 2006 of iiiii

Tenements Definition: low-cost apartment buildings designed to house as many families(20) as the owner could pack in. Unhealthy, airless, garbage Water had to be obtained from pump on street – one toilet per floor in building Groups of run-down tenements became slums, dangerous, thieves, gangs Few parks, children played in streets Ghettos: areas in cities where one ethnic or racial group dominated, ex. Chinatown, Little Italy

Early “sky scrapers” Steel allowed for tall building construction and the invention of the elevator

Suburbs Definition: residential communities surrounding the cities. improved transportation made commuting much easier. This advanced the growth of cities. –Examples: Elevated train, cable cars, electric trolleys, subway trains.

Political Machine Definition: an unofficial city organization designed to keep a particular group in power. – How did they operate? They exchanged favors. Example: They helped out immigrants in exchange for votes. – Why were they bad? They monopolized power and were often corrupt.

“Boss” Tweed: Most notorious political machine boss in NYC.

Graft Definition: the use of one’s job to gain profit. Political machines did this often, which is highly illegal. – Example: When a city government (usually dominated by a political machine) plans to build a new city park they would overstate the value of the construction project, so they could keep the extra money for themselves.

Key Reminder: This era (1870 – 1910) was known as the Gilded Age of American History. – Gild – to cover something with gold to make it look more valuable. This was a negative label given by Mark Twain because even though America was growing fast and becoming powerful there were still many problems like poverty and corruption in politics.

Corruption in National Politics: Spoils System - – Definition: when elected officials appoint friends and supporters to government jobs, even if they are not qualified. Example: Michael Brown - Director of FEMA during Hurricane Katrina. Pendleton Civil Service Act - – Definition: required that applicants for government jobs had to be qualified and, in some cases, take tests. Pendleton Civil Service Act - Definition: required that applicants for government jobs had to be qualifieds, take tests.