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Section 2 - Urbanization. Americans Migrate to the Cities Rural Americans and immigrants moved to the cities where skyscrapers and mass transit were developed.

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Presentation on theme: "Section 2 - Urbanization. Americans Migrate to the Cities Rural Americans and immigrants moved to the cities where skyscrapers and mass transit were developed."— Presentation transcript:

1 Section 2 - Urbanization

2 Americans Migrate to the Cities Rural Americans and immigrants moved to the cities where skyscrapers and mass transit were developed to deal with congestion.

3 After the Civil War, the urban population of the United States grew from around 10 million in 1870 to more than 30 million in 1900. The physical appearance of cities also changed dramatically. Americans Migrate to the Cities (cont.) −Skyscrapers began to appear as demand raised for the price of land. −No one contributed more to the design of skyscrapers than Chicago’s Louis Sullivan.

4 The following kinds of mass transit developed: Americans Migrate to the Cities (cont.) −Horsecars −cable cars −the electric trolley car −elevated railroads −subway systems

5 Separation by Class In the cities, society was separated by classes, with the upper, middle, and working classes living in different neighborhoods.

6 During the last half of the 1800s, the wealthiest families established fashionable districts in the heart of a city. The nation’s rising middle class included doctors, lawyers, engineers, managers, social workers, architects, and teachers. Few families in the urban class could hope to own a home. Separation by Class (cont.) −Most spent their lives in crowded tenements.

7 Within the working class, white native-born men earned higher wages than anyone else. −Many times the entire family, including the children, worked. Separation by Class (cont.)

8

9 Urban Problems Major problems plagued the cities; political machines provided help for some residents but were frequently corrupt.

10 Crime, both major and minor, was a growing problem in American cities. Urban Problems (cont.) −Alcohol contributed to violent crime, both inside and outside the home. −Disease and pollution posed even bigger threats.

11 The political machine came about partly because cities had grown much faster than their governments. Urban Problems (cont.) −In exchange for votes, political machines and the party bosses who ran them eagerly provided necessities.

12 The party bosses who ran the political machines also controlled the city’s finances. Urban Problems (cont.) −Many machine politicians grew rich as the result of fraud or graft. −George Plunkitt was one of New York’s most powerful party bosses.

13 Tammany Hall, the New York City Democratic political machine, was the most infamous such organization. Urban Problems (cont.) −William “Boss” Tweed was its leader during the 1860s and 1870s.

14 End Section 2


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