1. CHAPTER 19 “Civilization’s Inferno”: The Rise and Reform of Industrial Cities 1880–1917 America’s History
DIEHL
Copyright © 2014 by Bedford/St. Martin’s

2. I. The New Metropolis The Shape of the Industrial City
Mass Transit - As cities grew larger, technology assisted residents and visitors with travel
Earliest trolley was horse drawn
Electric system was designed in Richmond, VA (1887)
I. The New Metropolis
A. The Shape of the Industrial City
1. Mass Transit – As cities grew larger, technology assisted residents and visitors with travel; electric trolley system was designed in Richmond, VA (1887); Chicago and New York City had elevated railroads; Boston had an underground line (1897); railroads contributed to the growth of the “suburb,” areas on the outskirts of city where wealthy lived, known as “commuters”; working class lived near city centers where they worked; telephone (1876) connected suburban people to the cities.
2. Skyscrapers – Steel, glass, and elevators changed buildings in downtown areas; skyscrapers were expensive but a good use of small amounts of land; the ten-story Home Insurance Building (1885) in Chicago was the first skyscraper.
3. The Electric City – Gas lamps were too dim to brighten city streets; invention of the incandescent bulb in 1879 changed urban life, as night time was now illuminated; urban life appeared safer and more appealing.

3. I. The New Metropolis The Shape of the Industrial City Mass Transit -
Chicago had elevated railroads
New York and Boston had an underground line (1897)
I. The New Metropolis
A. The Shape of the Industrial City
1. Mass Transit – As cities grew larger, technology assisted residents and visitors with travel; electric trolley system was designed in Richmond, VA (1887); Chicago and New York City had elevated railroads; Boston had an underground line (1897); railroads contributed to the growth of the “suburb,” areas on the outskirts of city where wealthy lived, known as “commuters”; working class lived near city centers where they worked; telephone (1876) connected suburban people to the cities.
2. Skyscrapers – Steel, glass, and elevators changed buildings in downtown areas; skyscrapers were expensive but a good use of small amounts of land; the ten-story Home Insurance Building (1885) in Chicago was the first skyscraper.
3. The Electric City – Gas lamps were too dim to brighten city streets; invention of the incandescent bulb in 1879 changed urban life, as night time was now illuminated; urban life appeared safer and more appealing.

4. I. The New Metropolis The Shape of the Industrial City
Mass Transit - As cities grew larger, technology assisted residents and visitors with travel
Railroads contributed to the growth of the “suburb,” areas on the outskirts of city where wealthy lived, known as “commuters”
Working class lived near city centers where they worked
Telephone (1876) connected suburban people to the cities.
I. The New Metropolis
A. The Shape of the Industrial City
1. Mass Transit – As cities grew larger, technology assisted residents and visitors with travel; electric trolley system was designed in Richmond, VA (1887); Chicago and New York City had elevated railroads; Boston had an underground line (1897); railroads contributed to the growth of the “suburb,” areas on the outskirts of city where wealthy lived, known as “commuters”; working class lived near city centers where they worked; telephone (1876) connected suburban people to the cities.
2. Skyscrapers – Steel, glass, and elevators changed buildings in downtown areas; skyscrapers were expensive but a good use of small amounts of land; the ten-story Home Insurance Building (1885) in Chicago was the first skyscraper.
3. The Electric City – Gas lamps were too dim to brighten city streets; invention of the incandescent bulb in 1879 changed urban life, as night time was now illuminated; urban life appeared safer and more appealing.

5. I. The New Metropolis The Shape of the Industrial City Skyscrapers
Steel, glass, and elevators changed buildings in downtown areas
Skyscrapers were expensive but a good use of small amounts of land
The ten-story Home Insurance Building (1885) in Chicago was the first skyscraper.
I. The New Metropolis
A. The Shape of the Industrial City
1. Mass Transit – As cities grew larger, technology assisted residents and visitors with travel; electric trolley system was designed in Richmond, VA (1887); Chicago and New York City had elevated railroads; Boston had an underground line (1897); railroads contributed to the growth of the “suburb,” areas on the outskirts of city where wealthy lived, known as “commuters”; working class lived near city centers where they worked; telephone (1876) connected suburban people to the cities.
2. Skyscrapers – Steel, glass, and elevators changed buildings in downtown areas; skyscrapers were expensive but a good use of small amounts of land; the ten-story Home Insurance Building (1885) in Chicago was the first skyscraper.
3. The Electric City – Gas lamps were too dim to brighten city streets; invention of the incandescent bulb in 1879 changed urban life, as night time was now illuminated; urban life appeared safer and more appealing.

6. I. The New Metropolis The Shape of the Industrial City
The Electric City
Gas lamps were too dim to brighten city streets
Invention of the incandescent bulb in 1879 changed urban life, as night time was now illuminated
Urban life appeared safer and more appealing.
I. The New Metropolis
A. The Shape of the Industrial City
1. Mass Transit – As cities grew larger, technology assisted residents and visitors with travel; electric trolley system was designed in Richmond, VA (1887); Chicago and New York City had elevated railroads; Boston had an underground line (1897); railroads contributed to the growth of the “suburb,” areas on the outskirts of city where wealthy lived, known as “commuters”; working class lived near city centers where they worked; telephone (1876) connected suburban people to the cities.
2. Skyscrapers – Steel, glass, and elevators changed buildings in downtown areas; skyscrapers were expensive but a good use of small amounts of land; the ten-story Home Insurance Building (1885) in Chicago was the first skyscraper.
3. The Electric City – Gas lamps were too dim to brighten city streets; invention of the incandescent bulb in 1879 changed urban life, as night time was now illuminated; urban life appeared safer and more appealing.

7. I. The New Metropolis Newcomers and Neighborhoods Ethnic neighborhoods
Immigrants generally lived among people of shared ethnicity
Irish in Boston, Swedes in Minneapolis, and Italians in northeastern and Mid-Atlantic cities
settled in neighborhoods where churches, shops, and schools met their cultural needs.
I. The New Metropolis
B. Newcomers and Neighborhoods
1. Ethnic neighborhoods – Immigrants generally lived among people of shared ethnicity: Irish in Boston, Swedes in Minneapolis, and Italians in northeastern and Mid-Atlantic cities; settled in neighborhoods where churches, shops, and schools met their cultural needs.
2. African Americans – At the turn of the century, 90 percent of black Americans lived in the South, but many were moving from rural to urban areas; in northern cities, they faced discrimination and violence; race riots occurred in several northern cities (New York City, NY, 1900; Evansville, IN, 1903; and Springfield, IL, 1908).
3. Tenements – Five- or six-story buildings that provided cheap housing for twenty or more families in cramped, airless apartments; fostered rampant disease and horrific infant mortality; New York’s Tenement House Law of 1901 required interior courts, indoor toilets, and fire safety measures for new buildings. 7

9. I. The New Metropolis Newcomers and Neighborhoods African Americans
At the turn of the century, 90 percent of black Americans lived in the South, but many were moving from rural to urban areas
In northern cities, they faced discrimination and violence
Race riots occurred in several northern cities (New York City, NY, 1900
Evansville, IN, 1903; and Springfield, IL, 1908).
I. The New Metropolis
B. Newcomers and Neighborhoods
1. Ethnic neighborhoods – Immigrants generally lived among people of shared ethnicity: Irish in Boston, Swedes in Minneapolis, and Italians in northeastern and Mid-Atlantic cities; settled in neighborhoods where churches, shops, and schools met their cultural needs.
2. African Americans – At the turn of the century, 90 percent of black Americans lived in the South, but many were moving from rural to urban areas; in northern cities, they faced discrimination and violence; race riots occurred in several northern cities (New York City, NY, 1900; Evansville, IN, 1903; and Springfield, IL, 1908).
3. Tenements – Five- or six-story buildings that provided cheap housing for twenty or more families in cramped, airless apartments; fostered rampant disease and horrific infant mortality; New York’s Tenement House Law of 1901 required interior courts, indoor toilets, and fire safety measures for new buildings. 9

10. 1. Describe this image. What event does it depict
1. Describe this image. What event does it depict? (Answer: The image is the cover of a French magazine from It depicts the race riot that occurred in Atlanta, Georgia, that followed a political campaign’s false charges of “negro crime” in 1906.)
2. What does this illustration suggest about how the publication’s Parisian readers viewed race relations in the United States at this time? (Answer: This image shows whites as brutally violent and blacks as defenseless victims. That depiction, in addition to the caption, reveals that Parisians found white racism and violence against blacks horrific.)

11. I. The New Metropolis Newcomers and Neighborhoods Tenements
Five- or six-story buildings that provided cheap housing for twenty or more families in cramped, airless apartments
fostered rampant disease and horrific infant mortality
New York’s Tenement House Law of 1901 required interior courts, indoor toilets, and fire safety measures for new buildings.
I. The New Metropolis
B. Newcomers and Neighborhoods
1. Ethnic neighborhoods – Immigrants generally lived among people of shared ethnicity: Irish in Boston, Swedes in Minneapolis, and Italians in northeastern and Mid-Atlantic cities; settled in neighborhoods where churches, shops, and schools met their cultural needs.
2. African Americans – At the turn of the century, 90 percent of black Americans lived in the South, but many were moving from rural to urban areas; in northern cities, they faced discrimination and violence; race riots occurred in several northern cities (New York City, NY, 1900; Evansville, IN, 1903; and Springfield, IL, 1908).
3. Tenements – Five- or six-story buildings that provided cheap housing for twenty or more families in cramped, airless apartments; fostered rampant disease and horrific infant mortality; New York’s Tenement House Law of 1901 required interior courts, indoor toilets, and fire safety measures for new buildings. 11

13. I. The New Metropolis City Cultures Urban Amusements Vaudeville ($.25)
Arose in the 1880s and 1890s
Adapted from French theater
Live entertainment – combined animal acts, acrobats, gymnasts, and dancers in its performance.
appealed to all classes
I. The New Metropolis
C. City Cultures
1. Urban Amusements – One enticing attraction was vaudeville theater, which arose in the 1880s and 1890s: patrons paid twenty-five cents to watch live entertainment; appealed to all classes; paid a nickel for movies at the early movie theaters, or nickelodeons; more spectacular were the amusement parks (ex: Coney Island, NY), where people rode the roller coasters, ate, and danced.
2. Ragtime and City Blues – Ragtime music by African American artists with a “ragged rhythm” became extremely popular among audiences of all classes and races, drawn to the excitement of its infectious rhythms—a decisive break with Victorian hymns and parlor songs; Scott Joplin was most famous performer; New York had more than five hundred dance halls by 1910; the “blues” became popular in New York City, taken from African American folk music.
3. Sex and the City – Amusement parks and theaters provided opportunities for dating that had not existed in previous generations; was less parental supervision in the city; working-class girls relied on dates for the “treat”; for some, this meant exchanging sexual favors for the date (so-called charity girls); gay subculture developed in urban areas with underground clubs; term queer was used by 1910.

14. I. The New Metropolis City Cultures
Urban Amusements
Early Movies ($.05) or nickelodeons
Amusement parks (ex: Coney Island, NY),
Water slides, roller coasters, eating, dancing.
I. The New Metropolis
C. City Cultures
1. Urban Amusements – One enticing attraction was vaudeville theater, which arose in the 1880s and 1890s: patrons paid twenty-five cents to watch live entertainment; appealed to all classes; paid a nickel for movies at the early movie theaters, or nickelodeons; more spectacular were the amusement parks (ex: Coney Island, NY), where people rode the roller coasters, ate, and danced.
2. Ragtime and City Blues – Ragtime music by African American artists with a “ragged rhythm” became extremely popular among audiences of all classes and races, drawn to the excitement of its infectious rhythms—a decisive break with Victorian hymns and parlor songs; Scott Joplin was most famous performer; New York had more than five hundred dance halls by 1910; the “blues” became popular in New York City, taken from African American folk music.
3. Sex and the City – Amusement parks and theaters provided opportunities for dating that had not existed in previous generations; was less parental supervision in the city; working-class girls relied on dates for the “treat”; for some, this meant exchanging sexual favors for the date (so-called charity girls); gay subculture developed in urban areas with underground clubs; term queer was used by 1910.

16. I. The New Metropolis City Cultures Ragtime and City Blues
Ragtime music by African American artists with a “ragged rhythm”
Became extremely popular among audiences of all classes and races
Drawn to the excitement of its infectious rhythms
a decisive break with Victorian hymns and parlor songs
Scott Joplin was most famous performer
New York had more than five hundred dance halls by 1910
I. The New Metropolis
C. City Cultures
1. Urban Amusements – One enticing attraction was vaudeville theater, which arose in the 1880s and 1890s: patrons paid twenty-five cents to watch live entertainment; appealed to all classes; paid a nickel for movies at the early movie theaters, or nickelodeons; more spectacular were the amusement parks (ex: Coney Island, NY), where people rode the roller coasters, ate, and danced.
2. Ragtime and City Blues – Ragtime music by African American artists with a “ragged rhythm” became extremely popular among audiences of all classes and races, drawn to the excitement of its infectious rhythms—a decisive break with Victorian hymns and parlor songs; Scott Joplin was most famous performer; New York had more than five hundred dance halls by 1910; the “blues” became popular in New York City, taken from African American folk music.
3. Sex and the City – Amusement parks and theaters provided opportunities for dating that had not existed in previous generations; was less parental supervision in the city; working-class girls relied on dates for the “treat”; for some, this meant exchanging sexual favors for the date (so-called charity girls); gay subculture developed in urban areas with underground clubs; term queer was used by 1910.

17. I. The New Metropolis City Cultures Ragtime and City Blues
The “blues” became popular in New York City, taken from African American folk music.
I. The New Metropolis
C. City Cultures
1. Urban Amusements – One enticing attraction was vaudeville theater, which arose in the 1880s and 1890s: patrons paid twenty-five cents to watch live entertainment; appealed to all classes; paid a nickel for movies at the early movie theaters, or nickelodeons; more spectacular were the amusement parks (ex: Coney Island, NY), where people rode the roller coasters, ate, and danced.
2. Ragtime and City Blues – Ragtime music by African American artists with a “ragged rhythm” became extremely popular among audiences of all classes and races, drawn to the excitement of its infectious rhythms—a decisive break with Victorian hymns and parlor songs; Scott Joplin was most famous performer; New York had more than five hundred dance halls by 1910; the “blues” became popular in New York City, taken from African American folk music.
3. Sex and the City – Amusement parks and theaters provided opportunities for dating that had not existed in previous generations; was less parental supervision in the city; working-class girls relied on dates for the “treat”; for some, this meant exchanging sexual favors for the date (so-called charity girls); gay subculture developed in urban areas with underground clubs; term queer was used by 1910.

18. I. The New Metropolis City Cultures Sex and the City
Amusement parks and theaters provided opportunities for dating that had not existed in previous generations.
Was less parental supervision in the city.
Working-class girls relied on dates for entertainment.
Gay subculture developed in urban areas with underground clubs - term queer was used by 1910.
I. The New Metropolis
C. City Cultures
1. Urban Amusements – One enticing attraction was vaudeville theater, which arose in the 1880s and 1890s: patrons paid twenty-five cents to watch live entertainment; appealed to all classes; paid a nickel for movies at the early movie theaters, or nickelodeons; more spectacular were the amusement parks (ex: Coney Island, NY), where people rode the roller coasters, ate, and danced.
2. Ragtime and City Blues – Ragtime music by African American artists with a “ragged rhythm” became extremely popular among audiences of all classes and races, drawn to the excitement of its infectious rhythms—a decisive break with Victorian hymns and parlor songs; Scott Joplin was most famous performer; New York had more than five hundred dance halls by 1910; the “blues” became popular in New York City, taken from African American folk music.
3. Sex and the City – Amusement parks and theaters provided opportunities for dating that had not existed in previous generations; was less parental supervision in the city; working-class girls relied on dates for the “treat”; for some, this meant exchanging sexual favors for the date (so-called charity girls); gay subculture developed in urban areas with underground clubs; term queer was used by 1910.

19. I. The New Metropolis City Cultures (cont.) High Culture
Art and natural history museums, libraries, and symphonies grew out of wealthy patrons’ interests and donations
Andrew Carnegie spent more than $32.7 million to establish over a thousand libraries nationwide.
I. The New Metropolis
C. City Cultures (cont.)
4. High Culture – Art and natural history museums, libraries, and symphonies grew out of wealthy patrons’ interests and donations; Andrew Carnegie spent more than $32.7 million to establish over a thousand libraries nationwide.
5. Urban Journalism – Interest increased in reading about current events, human-interest stories, sports, fashion, and high society; the arrival of Sunday color comics featuring the “Yellow Kid” gave such publications the name yellow journalism, a derogatory term for mass-market newspapers; sensationalism grew as owners competed for sales (Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst); papers played an increasing role in investigating corruption in government; “muckrakers”: negative term for those newspaper reporters accused of drawing too much attention to negative stories.

20. I. The New Metropolis City Cultures (cont.) Urban Journalism
Interest increased in reading about current events, human-interest stories, sports, fashion, and high society
I. The New Metropolis
C. City Cultures (cont.)
4. High Culture – Art and natural history museums, libraries, and symphonies grew out of wealthy patrons’ interests and donations; Andrew Carnegie spent more than $32.7 million to establish over a thousand libraries nationwide.
5. Urban Journalism – Interest increased in reading about current events, human-interest stories, sports, fashion, and high society; the arrival of Sunday color comics featuring the “Yellow Kid” gave such publications the name yellow journalism, a derogatory term for mass-market newspapers; sensationalism grew as owners competed for sales (Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst); papers played an increasing role in investigating corruption in government; “muckrakers”: negative term for those newspaper reporters accused of drawing too much attention to negative stories.

22. I. The New Metropolis City Cultures (cont.) Urban Journalism
Yellow Journalism,
Sunday color comics featuring the “Yellow Kid” gave such publications the
Yellow Journalism, a derogatory term for mass-market newspapers
Sensationalism grew as owners competed for sales (Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst)
Pro-war Sensationalism.
I. The New Metropolis
C. City Cultures (cont.)
4. High Culture – Art and natural history museums, libraries, and symphonies grew out of wealthy patrons’ interests and donations; Andrew Carnegie spent more than $32.7 million to establish over a thousand libraries nationwide.
5. Urban Journalism – Interest increased in reading about current events, human-interest stories, sports, fashion, and high society; the arrival of Sunday color comics featuring the “Yellow Kid” gave such publications the name yellow journalism, a derogatory term for mass-market newspapers; sensationalism grew as owners competed for sales (Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst); papers played an increasing role in investigating corruption in government; “muckrakers”: negative term for those newspaper reporters accused of drawing too much attention to negative stories.

24. I. The New Metropolis City Cultures (cont.) Urban Journalism
“Muckrakers”:
Papers played an increasing role in investigating corruption in government
“muckrakers”: negative term for those newspaper reporters accused of drawing too much attention to negative stories.
I. The New Metropolis
C. City Cultures (cont.)
4. High Culture – Art and natural history museums, libraries, and symphonies grew out of wealthy patrons’ interests and donations; Andrew Carnegie spent more than $32.7 million to establish over a thousand libraries nationwide.
5. Urban Journalism – Interest increased in reading about current events, human-interest stories, sports, fashion, and high society; the arrival of Sunday color comics featuring the “Yellow Kid” gave such publications the name yellow journalism, a derogatory term for mass-market newspapers; sensationalism grew as owners competed for sales (Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst); papers played an increasing role in investigating corruption in government; “muckrakers”: negative term for those newspaper reporters accused of drawing too much attention to negative stories.

25. 1. According to this cartoonist, how do “cities invite the cholera”
1. According to this cartoonist, how do “cities invite the cholera”? (Answer: Sale of used/unclean clothing, stale vegetables, and tainted meat and fish all being sold to children and their families.)
2. Why did this artist choose skeletons as peddlers on this city street? (Answer: Indicates his argument that death is being sold to women and children through the products available in the cities that local boards of health are not inspecting.)
3. In your opinion, what specific audience is the artist seeking to capture with this depiction of city life? (Answer: Progressive-minded middle- and upper-class people who can do something to force/convince the boards of health to act; the appearance of barefoot children receiving tainted food from an image of death is meant to evoke an emotional and then hopefully political response.)

27. II. Governing the Great City
Urban Machines
Tammany Hall –
Well-organized political party organizations were referred to as “political machines”
Provided immigrants needed the jobs and aid that they provided in exchange for their political support.
Disliked by Middle Class
Reputation of Corruption (Boss Tweed 1870s)
Support for Immigration
II. Governing the Great City
A. Urban Machines
1. Tammany Hall – Well-organized political party organizations were referred to as “political machines”; viewed by the middle class as corrupt; New York’s infamous Tammany Society—known by the name of its meeting place, Tammany Hall—was led by George Washington Plunkitt, who made deals for city contracts and services; he favored what he called the “honest graft” —the profits that came to savvy insiders who knew where and when to buy land; middle-class Americans were critical of immigrants’ support for political machines, but immigrants needed the jobs and aid that they provided in exchange for their political support.
2. Successes and failures – Machine-style governments achieved some notable successes; built and/or improved public parks and markets, paved streets, brought clean water and gaslight, and removed garbage; led to better organized municipal agencies; achieved massive public projects such as aqueducts, sewage systems, bridges, and spacious parks; however, machines were limited in what the “boss” could do to stop widespread poverty; could help the individual, but not the bigger causes of the problems.

28. II. Governing the Great City
Urban Machines
Tammany Hall –
New York’s Infamous Tammany Society—
Known by the name of its meeting place (Tammany Hall)
Led by George Washington Plunket, who made deals for city contracts and services
Favored what he called the “honest graft” - the profits that came to savvy insiders who knew where and when to buy land
II. Governing the Great City
A. Urban Machines
1. Tammany Hall – Well-organized political party organizations were referred to as “political machines”; viewed by the middle class as corrupt; New York’s infamous Tammany Society—known by the name of its meeting place, Tammany Hall—was led by George Washington Plunkitt, who made deals for city contracts and services; he favored what he called the “honest graft” —the profits that came to savvy insiders who knew where and when to buy land; middle-class Americans were critical of immigrants’ support for political machines, but immigrants needed the jobs and aid that they provided in exchange for their political support.
2. Successes and failures – Machine-style governments achieved some notable successes; built and/or improved public parks and markets, paved streets, brought clean water and gaslight, and removed garbage; led to better organized municipal agencies; achieved massive public projects such as aqueducts, sewage systems, bridges, and spacious parks; however, machines were limited in what the “boss” could do to stop widespread poverty; could help the individual, but not the bigger causes of the problems.

29. II. Governing the Great City
Urban Machines
Notable successes
Built and/or improved public parks and markets, paved streets, brought clean water and gaslight, and removed garbage
Led to better organized municipal agencies
Achieved massive public projects: aqueducts, sewage systems, bridges, and spacious parks
II. Governing the Great City
A. Urban Machines
1. Tammany Hall – Well-organized political party organizations were referred to as “political machines”; viewed by the middle class as corrupt; New York’s infamous Tammany Society—known by the name of its meeting place, Tammany Hall—was led by George Washington Plunkitt, who made deals for city contracts and services; he favored what he called the “honest graft” —the profits that came to savvy insiders who knew where and when to buy land; middle-class Americans were critical of immigrants’ support for political machines, but immigrants needed the jobs and aid that they provided in exchange for their political support.
2. Successes and failures – Machine-style governments achieved some notable successes; built and/or improved public parks and markets, paved streets, brought clean water and gaslight, and removed garbage; led to better organized municipal agencies; achieved massive public projects such as aqueducts, sewage systems, bridges, and spacious parks; however, machines were limited in what the “boss” could do to stop widespread poverty; could help the individual, but not the bigger causes of the problems.

30. II. Governing the Great City
The Limits of Machine Government
The Depression of the 1890s
Cities struggled to deal with the extreme growth in population
During 1890s, unemployment reached 25 percent in some urban areas
Homelessness and hunger increased
Middle-class reformers encouraged private charity rather than public assistance
Urban voters became radicalized by the poverty, forcing politicians to make changes to their programs (ex: Cleveland’s mayoral race).
II. Governing the Great City
B. The Limits of Machine Government
1. The Depression of the 1890s – Cities struggled to deal with the extreme growth in population; during 1890s, unemployment reached 25 percent in some urban areas; homelessness and hunger increased; middle-class reformers encouraged private charity rather than public assistance; urban voters became radicalized by the poverty, forcing politicians to make changes to their programs (ex: Cleveland’s mayoral race).
2. Programs – Some American mayors began to model programs after European successes: public baths, gyms, swimming pools, playgrounds, free public concerts, lowering fares for street car travel, and efforts to reduce crime and increase municipal ownership of gas and electricity.

31. II. Governing the Great City
The Limits of Machine Government
Programs - Some American mayors began to model programs after European successes:
Public baths, gyms, swimming pools, playgrounds, free public concerts,
Lowering fares for street car travel,
Efforts to reduce crime and increase municipal ownership of gas and electricity.
II. Governing the Great City
B. The Limits of Machine Government
1. The Depression of the 1890s – Cities struggled to deal with the extreme growth in population; during 1890s, unemployment reached 25 percent in some urban areas; homelessness and hunger increased; middle-class reformers encouraged private charity rather than public assistance; urban voters became radicalized by the poverty, forcing politicians to make changes to their programs (ex: Cleveland’s mayoral race).
2. Programs – Some American mayors began to model programs after European successes: public baths, gyms, swimming pools, playgrounds, free public concerts, lowering fares for street car travel, and efforts to reduce crime and increase municipal ownership of gas and electricity.

32. III. Crucibles of Progressive Reform
Fighting Dirt and Vice
Cleaning Up Urban Environments – New understanding germs and bacteria
Pushed clean water in urban areas of Massachusetts
Decrease in deaths from cholera, typhoid, and yellow fever
Hygiene reformers pushed hand-washing to fight tuberculosis
Public health laws to limit pollution, passing smoke-abatement laws
III. Crucibles of Progressive Reform
A. Fighting Dirt and Vice
1. Cleaning Up Urban Environments – Late nineteenth-century Europeans began to understand how to prevent disease, even if they could not yet cure; understood germs and bacteria; began major initiative for clean water in urban areas of Massachusetts; were able to decrease the number of deaths from cholera, typhoid, and yellow fever; hygiene reformers made efforts to teach hand-washing to urban residents to fight tuberculosis; public health movement also worked to clean up pollution, passing smoke-abatement laws; “City Beautiful” movement advocated more and better urban park spaces, gardens, skating rinks, playgrounds, etc.
2. Closing Red Light Districts – Concerns about the threat of white slavery (allegations that white women were being kidnapped into sex industry) were overstated but led to reform efforts; investigations found a complex reality: women entered prostitution as a result of many factors, including low-wage jobs, economic desperation, abandonment, and often sexual and domestic abuse; efforts made to reduce the demand for prostitutes (by arresting and punishing men) were unpopular; Mann Act (1910) prohibited the transport of prostitutes across state lines; the crusade against prostitution closed brothels, but in the long term it worsened conditions for women who continued to work in the sex industry.

33. III. Crucibles of Progressive Reform
Fighting Dirt and Vice
“City Beautiful” movement advocated more and better urban park spaces, gardens, skating rinks, playgrounds, etc. (Central Park – William Law Olmstead)
III. Crucibles of Progressive Reform
A. Fighting Dirt and Vice
1. Cleaning Up Urban Environments – Late nineteenth-century Europeans began to understand how to prevent disease, even if they could not yet cure; understood germs and bacteria; began major initiative for clean water in urban areas of Massachusetts; were able to decrease the number of deaths from cholera, typhoid, and yellow fever; hygiene reformers made efforts to teach hand-washing to urban residents to fight tuberculosis; public health movement also worked to clean up pollution, passing smoke-abatement laws; “City Beautiful” movement advocated more and better urban park spaces, gardens, skating rinks, playgrounds, etc.
2. Closing Red Light Districts – Concerns about the threat of white slavery (allegations that white women were being kidnapped into sex industry) were overstated but led to reform efforts; investigations found a complex reality: women entered prostitution as a result of many factors, including low-wage jobs, economic desperation, abandonment, and often sexual and domestic abuse; efforts made to reduce the demand for prostitutes (by arresting and punishing men) were unpopular; Mann Act (1910) prohibited the transport of prostitutes across state lines; the crusade against prostitution closed brothels, but in the long term it worsened conditions for women who continued to work in the sex industry.

34. III. Crucibles of Progressive Reform
Fighting Dirt and Vice
Closing Red Light Districts -
White slavery - white women kidnapped into sex industry led to reform efforts
Crusade against prostitution in the inner city.
Mann Act (1910) prohibited the transport of prostitutes across state lines
III. Crucibles of Progressive Reform
A. Fighting Dirt and Vice
1. Cleaning Up Urban Environments – Late nineteenth-century Europeans began to understand how to prevent disease, even if they could not yet cure; understood germs and bacteria; began major initiative for clean water in urban areas of Massachusetts; were able to decrease the number of deaths from cholera, typhoid, and yellow fever; hygiene reformers made efforts to teach hand-washing to urban residents to fight tuberculosis; public health movement also worked to clean up pollution, passing smoke-abatement laws; “City Beautiful” movement advocated more and better urban park spaces, gardens, skating rinks, playgrounds, etc.
2. Closing Red Light Districts – Concerns about the threat of white slavery (allegations that white women were being kidnapped into sex industry) were overstated but led to reform efforts; investigations found a complex reality: women entered prostitution as a result of many factors, including low-wage jobs, economic desperation, abandonment, and often sexual and domestic abuse; efforts made to reduce the demand for prostitutes (by arresting and punishing men) were unpopular; Mann Act (1910) prohibited the transport of prostitutes across state lines; the crusade against prostitution closed brothels, but in the long term it worsened conditions for women who continued to work in the sex industry.

35. III. Crucibles of Progressive Reform
The Movement for Social Settlements - Most successful reforms of the Progressive Era
Hull House - Chicago
Started by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr (1889)
Modeled after a London settlement, Toynbee Hall
Provided a community center to aid immigrants in gaining the resources they needed to survive in the city
Helped give the community a voice
Offered a bathhouse, playground, kindergarten, and day care center.
III. Crucibles of Progressive Reform
B. The Movement for Social Settlements
1. Hull House – Settlement houses were viewed as one of the most successful reforms of the Progressive Era; most famous settlement was in Chicago, started by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr (1889), modeled after a London settlement, Toynbee Hall; provided a community center to aid immigrants in gaining the resources they needed to survive in the city; helped give the community a voice; offered a bathhouse, playground, kindergarten, and day care center; in some cities, settlements were linked to or worked with colleges/universities to offer education.
2. Resources and influence – Opened libraries, gymnasiums, savings banks, and cooperative kitchens; provided assistance in employment and investigations of problems in local communities (ex: helped establish juvenile court in Chicago); settlements were the foundation of social work in urban areas.

36. III. Crucibles of Progressive Reform
The Movement for Social Settlements
Resources and influence
Opened libraries, gymnasiums, savings banks, and cooperative kitchens
provided assistance in employment and investigations of problems in local communities (ex: helped establish juvenile court in Chicago)
settlements were the foundation of social work in urban areas.
III. Crucibles of Progressive Reform
B. The Movement for Social Settlements
1. Hull House – Settlement houses were viewed as one of the most successful reforms of the Progressive Era; most famous settlement was in Chicago, started by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr (1889), modeled after a London settlement, Toynbee Hall; provided a community center to aid immigrants in gaining the resources they needed to survive in the city; helped give the community a voice; offered a bathhouse, playground, kindergarten, and day care center; in some cities, settlements were linked to or worked with colleges/universities to offer education.
2. Resources and influence – Opened libraries, gymnasiums, savings banks, and cooperative kitchens; provided assistance in employment and investigations of problems in local communities (ex: helped establish juvenile court in Chicago); settlements were the foundation of social work in urban areas.

37. III. Crucibles of Progressive Reform
Cities and National Politics
Triangle Shirtwaist fire
On March 25, 1911, in New York City, fire spread quickly through the Triangle Shirtwaist textile factory
panicked workers discovered that employers had locked the emergency doors to prevent theft (in violation of city fire laws)
dozens of workers, mostly young immigrant women, were trapped in flames
the average age of the 146 people who died was just nineteen.
III. Crucibles of Progressive Reform
C. Cities and National Politics
1. Triangle Shirtwaist fire – On March 25, 1911, in New York City, fire spread quickly through the Triangle Shirtwaist textile factory; panicked workers discovered that employers had locked the emergency doors to prevent theft (in violation of city fire laws); dozens of workers, mostly young immigrant women, were trapped in flames; the average age of the 146 people who died was just nineteen.
2. Resulting reforms – New York State appointed a factory commission that created fifty-six laws dealing with such issues as fire hazards, unsafe machinery, and wages and working hours for women and children; the labor code that resulted was the most advanced in the United States.

38. Triangle Shirt Waste Fire – March 15, 1911

39. III. Crucibles of Progressive Reform
Cities and National Politics
Resulting reforms
New York State appointed a factory commission
Created fifty-six safety laws
fire hazards, unsafe machinery, and wages and working hours for women and children
the labor code that resulted was the most advanced in the United States.
III. Crucibles of Progressive Reform
C. Cities and National Politics
1. Triangle Shirtwaist fire – On March 25, 1911, in New York City, fire spread quickly through the Triangle Shirtwaist textile factory; panicked workers discovered that employers had locked the emergency doors to prevent theft (in violation of city fire laws); dozens of workers, mostly young immigrant women, were trapped in flames; the average age of the 146 people who died was just nineteen.
2. Resulting reforms – New York State appointed a factory commission that created fifty-six laws dealing with such issues as fire hazards, unsafe machinery, and wages and working hours for women and children; the labor code that resulted was the most advanced in the United States.