1. Immigration & Urbanization

2. Cities expanded to sizes never seen before, masses of workers swarmed the streets, skyscrapers reached to the sky and electric lights banished the darkness, newly wealthy entrepreneurs built spectacular mansions… A golden age might appear to sparkle but beneath the surface lay corruption, poverty, crime, and great disparities in wealth between rich and poor.

3. Rapid Industrialization and Urbanization caused immigrant neighborhoods and tenements to become overcrowded tenements to become overcrowded

4. Reason for increased immigration Hope for better opportunities Religious freedom Escape from oppressive government Adventure choices

5. Tenements and Ghettos Political corruption (political machines) Political corruption (political machines) Challenges faced by cities

6. Urban Problems City living posed threats crime violence fire disease pollution murder rates went up Contaminated city water came from improper disposal of sewage. -Typhoid fever -Cholera Pickpockets thrived in urban cities

7. Urban Politics In exchange for votes political machines and party bosses provided these necessities. New political systems developed to meet urban problems. The Political Machine and the Party Boss New city dwellers needed: –Jobs –Housing –Food –Heat –Police Protection

8. Fraud Party bosses controlled the city’s finances. Political Machines: Politicians grew rich as a result of corruption. Tammany Hall * NY democratic political machine William M. “Boss” Tweed: party boss * Tammany Hall’s corrupt leader during the 1850s and 1860’s

10. Nation Transformed The Nation Transformed As millions continued to pour into the cities, engineers and architects developed new approaches at housing and transporting people

11. Treatment of Immigrants Nativists were “native Americans” second, third generation born Americans. Nativists sought to preserve the United States for native-born American citizens. Nativists argued that the new immigrants would not assimilate because their languages, religions, customs were too different.

12. Urbanization Why did cities (“urban” areas) grow? Migration of African-Americans north Improved transportation Railroads are old news – cars?! Immigration – LARGE amounts of immigrants coming to the US Industrialization – Factories grew Rural -> urban migration – People move from farms to cities

13. The End