1. IMMIGRATION and URBANIZATION

2. By 1900, more than half of the
immigrants in the United States
were southern and eastern Europeans
from countries such as Italy, Greece,
Poland and Russia.

3. Most immigrants came to America on
“steerage” the cheapest form
of passage across the Atlantic Ocean.

4. After 1892, most European immigrants were
processed through Ellis Island located in
New York Harbor.

5. Most immigrants settled in large
cities including New York, Boston, Detroit, Milwaukee and Chicago.

6. Separating themselves into ethnic neighborhoods
such as “Little Italy” or the Jewish “Lower East
Side” in New York City.
Immigrants spoke their native languages and practiced religious and cultural traditions.

7. How well they adjusted depended partly on how
How well they adjusted depended partly on how quickly they learned English and adapted to American culture.

8. Asian Immigration
In 1910, Angel Island was opened in
San Francisco Bay to process
Japanese and Chinese immigrants.

9. Nativism As more and more immigrants flocked
to America’s shores, a desire to restrict
immigration called “Nativism” increased.

10. Nativists feared Catholic Immigrants
from Ireland and Italy would
soon out number native-born Protestants.

11. Labor Unions opposed immigration
arguing that immigrants would work
for low wages and act as strike breakers.

12. Chinese immigrants were particularly
disliked and in 1882, Congress passed the
Chinese Exclusion Act which was not
repealed until 1943.

13. Urbanization

14. In the cities and factories, immigrant workers toiled for long hours for little pay. Despite this, many found that the move had improved their standard of living.

15. To house the increasing numbers of urban dwellers, land owners began to build upwards rather than outwards and thus the “skyscraper” was born.

16. Tenements or multi-family apartments housed
three out of four immigrant families.

17. Most urban cities suffered from crime,
violence, fire, disease and pollution.

18. Political Machines City dwellers Political needed jobs, Machines and
housing, food
and police
protection.
Political
Machines and
Party Bosses
supplied these
essential
city services
in return for
votes.

19. Political Machines created candidates
that were dishonest and
had only loyalty to the Party Bosses.
City politicians often accepted bribes from contractors to give them contracts to run city services at greatly inflated prices.

20. run by William “Boss” Tweed.
The most infamous Political
Machine was New York City’s
Tammany Hall
run by William “Boss” Tweed.

21. Political Cartoonist, Thomas Nast
exposed Tammany Hall’s corruption
and “Boss” Tweed was finally
sent to prison in 1874.