IMMIGRATION & URBANIZATION

Transcription

1 IMMIGRATION & URBANIZATION The New Immigrants Immigrants had always come to America for economic opportunity and religious freedom. Until the 1870s, the majority had been Protestants from northern & western Europe. Old Immigrants. Many German & Irish immigrants immigrated in the 1840s and 1850s. Between 1870 & 1914, the Irish & German were joined by New Immigrants, from southern & eastern Europe. New Immigrants Come to America In contrast to old immigrants who had come before the Irish and Germans, new immigrants were often unskilled, poor, Catholic or Jewish, and likely to settle in cities rather than farms. Many came alone, hoping to save money & return home. They came from Italy, Greece, Poland, Hungary, and Russia. After 1900, 70% of all immigrants came from eastern or southern Europe. Immigrants Decide to Leave Home PUSH FACTORS- Come to America for a new start. PULL FACTORS- US offered special attractions. Ex Homestead Act CHAIN IMMIGRANTS- following relatives or friends over. PUSH FACTORS Persecution Economic hardship Lack of Jobs War PULL FACTORS Religious & political freedom Cheap land Factory jobs Family in the US The Immigrant Experience Coming to America was a big risk. Most immigrants only had enough money for the tickets, nothing else. Usually, they only brought with them what they could carry- clothes, pictures of loved ones, instrument, tools of their trade. The Immigrant Experience Most immigrants traveled in STEERAGE- The lowest levels of the ship. Cramped, no privacy, little ventilation

2 Immigrants Arrive at American Ports The first stop for ships at American ports was a processing station where immigration officials decided who could stay in the United States. Immigration officers conducted legal & medical inspections. Most European Immigrants landed at Ellis Island in New York. Chinese & other Asian immigrants crossed the Pacific Ocean, arriving in San Francisco Bay- Angel Island. Immigrants Assimilate Into Society Most new immigrants stayed in cities, close to industrial jobs in factories. They lived in ethnic neighborhoods (ghettos) with people who shared native languages, religions, and culture. Americanization- helping newcomers learn English and adopt American dress and diet. Settlement workers and immigrants alike believed that American society was a melting pot in which white people from all different nationalities blended to create a single culture. This model excluded Asian immigrants. However, most immigrants held on to their original cultures. Children were the first to become Americanized. New Immigrants Face Hostility Immigrants often faced Nativism, which was the belief that native born white Americans were superior. Immigrants often were willing to work for less pay. Protestants were also suspicious of Catholics coming from Italy, Ireland, and Poland. Natives often would sign restrictive contracts agreeing not to rent or sell property to Catholics, Jews, or African-Americans. Chinese Exclusion Act- prohibited immigration by Chinese laborers, limited the civil rights of Chinese immigrants and forbade naturalization of Chinese Residents. Immigrants Change America Despite opposition, Immigrants changed America. They fueled industrial growth, acquired citizenship, elected politicians and made their traditions part of American culture. Mexicans & Chinese settled the southwest working on the railroads. The coal mines & factories of the northeast were powered by Irish, Polish, and Germans Cities Expand & Change In the late 19th century, American came across a period of URBANIZATION. America s major cities were manufacturing and transportation centers clustered in the Northeast, Pacific coast, and Midwest. Cities became magnets for immigrants and rural Americans. Cities Offer Change Women s opportunities also expanded in the cities. In addition to factory work, they could take in boarder, do piecework, or become domestic servants. Educated women found work as teachers or as secretaries. Some laborers were stuck in poverty, but most immigrants began to enjoy a higher standard of living. Life in the cities was hard, but was preferred over the country. Churches, theaters, social clubs, and museums all offered companionship and entertainment.

3 Farmers Migrate From Country to City Many rural-to-urban immigrants moved to cities in the 1890s. The move from the farm to the factors was wrenching. Conditions in the work place were much different from the farm, dim lighting, cramped work space, rigid schedules, no off season. However, factories paid in cash. Cash and the excitement of city life was enough to attract people. Technology Improves City Life Cities of the late 19th century began to take modern firm. Skyscrapers began to mark the skyline. These 10 story-plus building used steel and artistic design to impressive all city-goers. Mass transit public systems that could carry large numbers of people fairly inexpensively also reshaped the nation s cities. Urban Living Creates Problems Growing cities faced problems caused by overcrowding and poverty. Most newcomers had to live with in walking distance of their factory. Housing was often densely populated and aging. Housing Conditions Deteriorate Urban workers often found themselves living in Tenements. - low-cost multifamily housing designed to squeeze as many families in as possible. Middle and upper class people who could afford the transit fared slowly moved away from the crowded cities. Suburbs- were housing developments in the cleaner and quieter perimeter of the city.

4 SOCIAL & CULTURAL TRENDS THE GILDED AGE Mark Twain s book the Gilded Age depicted American society as gilded or having a rotten core covered with gold paint. Most people were not this cynical about America, still the last decades of the 19th century are referred to as the Gilded Age. AMERICA BECOMES CONSUMERS America s workers began working for wages rather for themselves on farms. Cash became more plentiful and at the same time prices began to drop. CONSPICIOUS CONSUMERISM As people began to earn more money and prices continued to drop a new culture developed called conspicuous consumerism. People wanted and bought the many new products on the market. All but the very poorest working-class were able to do and buy more. ADVERSTING ATTRACTS CUSTOMERS Rowland H. Macy opened what he called a department store in NYC in It became the largest store in America. Using sale methods like widespread advertising, they offered a variety of goods organized into departments and high-quality items offered at low prices. Soon competitors grew with Jordan Marsh in Boston; Marshall Field in Chicago; Wannamaker s in Philadelphia. Department stores pioneered new marketing and sales techniques, and developed trademarks and distinctive logos. HIGHER STANDARDS OF LIVING People began to equate success with the amount they could purchase. All levels of working class rushed to modernized their homes & clothing styles. Cost of living decreased because manufactured products and new technology cost less. Better sanitation and medical care contributed to longer life expectancies. THE VICTORIAN AGE The end of the 19th century is often called the VICTORIAN AGE, after the queen of England. The rich became richer than ever before and the middle-class tried to imitate them. Factory-produced clothing and food gave homemakers a break, but expectations of cleanliness and more complicated meals meant more time on those tasks. Luxuries like indoor plumbing became a became popular.

5 MASS CULTURE One effect of the spread of transportation and communication is that Americans all across the country began to look more and more alike. Household gadgets, toys, food preferences were often the same. This is known as mass culture. NEWSPAPERS CIRCULATE FAR & WIDE Between 1870 & 1900, the number of newspapers increased from about 600 to more than 1,600. Joseph Pulitzer, stated a morning paper called The World in the 1880s. Success eventually led him to start an evening paper called The Evening World. Pulitzer believed the job of a newspaper was to inform people and to stir up controversy. William Randolph Heart, with his Morning Journal soon became a first competitor. EDUCATION With the rise of newspapers and literature, more Americans were reading. Soon Public education became important. School taught subjects like science, woodworking, and drafting: skills that workers would need in budding industries. NEWSPAPERS CIRCULATE FAR & WIDE Urban leaders counted on schools to help Americanize immigrants, teaching them English & shaping them into good citizens. Reformer John Dewey sought to enhance student learning by introducing new teaching methods. Institutions of high learning also began to provide specialized training for urban careers. Teaching, social work, & nursing were careers open for middle class men and women. NEW FORMS OF POPULAR ENTERTAINMENT Urban areas with thousands of people became centers of new type of entertainment in the Gilded Age. Clubs, music halls, and sports venues attracted large crowds with time and money to spend.

6 Babe Ruth Cy Young FIRST COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAME: Rutgers v. Princeton- November 6, 1869 PBURG V. EASTON POTTSVILLE MAROONS Jim Thorpe