Laborious Labor— the Gilded Age Objective: I can explain how human and environmental interaction affected quality of life and settlement patterns in the United States. Preview: Answer: Would you prefer to live in the big city or the rural countryside during this time period? What about now, present day? Process: Urbanization and Immigration discussion On Your Own: America the Story Us: Cities

Industrial Growth Focused in the North, as South is still recovering from the Civil War. Urbanization = The increase in city size and population. Most cities were in the Northeast, Pacific coast, and on waterways of the Midwest. These cities were connected by railroad lines and became magnets for immigrants and rural Americans.

Cities grew rapidly  near raw materials  industrial areas  transportation routes.  Opportunities in the job market. Terrible Conditions  Poor sanitary and living conditions  Tenement apartments  Sweathouses

Advantages of Cities Factory Jobs, new education opportunities, and a growing middle class. Women = take in boarders, do piecework, become servants, and work in factories. More entertainment, possibility to move to the middle class, and increase children’s education.

Disadvantages in the Workplace Often a 7 day work week 12 or more hours per day Low wages Not entitled to vacation time, sick leave, unemployment compensation or reimbursement for injuries suffered on the job. In 1882, an average of 675 workers were killed in work- related accidents each WEEK. Mind dulling tasks.

*North Carolina Image: Men opening bales of cotton at the White Oak Mill in Greensboro, North Carolina, This was one of the few cotton mill jobs available to African Americans.

Children in the Workforce 20% of boys and 10% of girls under the age of 15—some as young as five years old—held full-time jobs. Gave up their futures to help families make ends meet. Sweatshops paid as little as 27 cents for a child’s 14 hour work day.

Some Work Statistics In 1889 women earned an average of $267 a year (nearly half a man’s average salary of $498). To put that in perspective…the next year, Andrew Carnegie made $23 million—with no income tax.

Push Factors  things that convinced people to leave their home country  Examples:  Religious Tyranny  War and required military service  Lack of economic opportunity (land)  Things that convinced people that the United States was a good place to move to.  Examples  Land and work opportunities  Open government policy  Opportunity for social advancement  Faster travel route Push v. Pull Factors Pull Factors

Through the Golden Door By the 1870s nearly all immigrants coming to America via steamship. One week journey from Europe, ~3 weeks from Asia. Disease spreads quickly due to cramming in. Different regions and industries commonly had a majority of their workers from one particular place. Examples: Steel mill workers in Pennsylvania were mostly Polish. New York factories = Jewish Pacific Northwest fishing industry = Scandinavians

Ellis Island Had to pass inspection at immigration stations like Ellis Island in New York Harbor. ~2 percent of people were denied entry. Had to pass a physical exam. Document check and checking legal requirements for entering the US Never been convicted of a felony, able to work, had to have at least $25.00

Angel Island San Francisco Bay Asians—mostly Chinese. Much longer process Harsh questioning, long detention (holding period) in run down buildings.

Migration from Country to Cities  Farm technology decreases need for laborers; people move to cities  Many African Americans in South lose their livelihood  1890–1910, move to cities in North, West to escape racial violence  Find segregation, discrimination in North too  Competition for jobs between blacks, white immigrants causes tension.  The move to factory work was hard on famers because they now had to face a boss’s restrictions and rules and be confined to a factory and not be outdoors.

Engineers Build Skyward Skyscrapers = 10 story and taller buildings that had steel frames.  Provided office space for cities that had no more room left on the ground. Elisha Otis = Developed safety elevator that would not fall if the lifting rope broke.

City Planners Control Growth As cities grew architectural firms expanded to offer city planning services to make cities more functional and beautiful. Cities were zoned for different uses. (residential, industrial and financial) Parks, boulevards, buildings and electric street lights were a few of the new developments. Frederick Law Olmstead = Designed Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park, NYC’s Central Park, and similar parks in Detroit, Washington D.C., and California.

Housing Conditions Tenements = Low cost multifamily housing designed to fit in as many families as possible. Tenements were not clean, had little windows, poor ventilation, and were dangerous.

Living Conditions

Urban Living Conditions

Water and Sanitation Water  1860s cities have inadequate or no piped water, indoor plumbing rare  Filtration introduced 1870s, chlorination in 1908 Sanitation  Streets: manure, open gutters, factory smoke, poor trash collection  Contractors hired to sweep streets, collect garbage, clean outhouses--often do not do job properly  By 1900, cities develop sewer lines, create sanitation departments

Fire and Crime Crime  As population grows, thieves flourish  Early police forces too small to be effective Fire  Fire hazards: limited water, wood houses, candles, kerosene heaters  Most firefighters volunteers, not always available  1900, most cities have full-time, professional fire departments  Fire sprinklers, non-flammable building materials make cities safer.

1871 Chicago fire killed nearly 300 people and left more than 100,000 homeless. Police officers in 1900s.

The Gilded Age We call the time period we have been discussing the Gilded Age— “Gilded" means covered with gold on the outside, but not really golden on the inside So, why would we give this time period this particular name?