Chapter Introduction Section 1 Immigration Section 2 Urbanization Click on a hyperlink to view the corresponding slides.
Guide to Reading Main Idea After the Civil War, millions of immigrants from Europe and Asia settled in the United States. Key Terms and Names steerage Ellis Island Jacob Riis nativism Chinese Exclusion Act Angel Island
Europeans Flood Into the United States By the late 1800s, most European states made it easy to move to America. By 1900, eastern and southern Europeans made up more than half of all immigrants. Of the 14 million immigrants who arrived between 1860 and 1900, many were European Jews. (pages 336 339)
Europeans Flood Into the United States (cont.) America offered immigrants employment, few immigration restrictions, avoidance of military service, religious freedom, and the chance to move up the social ladder. Most immigrants took the difficult trip to America in steerage, the least expensive accommodations on a steamship. The 14-day trip usually ended at Ellis Island, a small island in New York Harbor. (pages 336 339)
Europeans Flood Into the United States (cont.) It served as a processing center for most immigrants arriving on the East coast after 1892. Most immigrants passed through Ellis Island in a day. However, some faced the possibility of being separated from family and possibly sent back to Europe due to health problems. (pages 336 339)
Europeans Flood Into the United States (cont.) Most immigrants settled in cities. They lived in neighborhoods that were separated into ethnic groups. Here they duplicated many of the comforts of their homelands, including language and religion. Immigrants who learned English, adapted to American culture, had marketable skills or money, or if they settled among members of their own ethnic group tended to adjust well to living in the United States. (pages 336 339)
Europeans Flood Into the United States (cont.) What helped immigrants adjust to living in the United States? Immigrants tended to adjust well to living in the United States if they quickly learned English and adapted to the American culture. Skilled immigrants, those who had money, or those who lived among their own ethnic group also tended to adjust more successfully. Space Bar to display the answer. (pages 336 339)
Asian Immigration to America Severe unemployment, poverty, and famine in China; the discovery of gold in California; the Taiping Rebellion in China; and the demand for railroad workers in the United States led to an increase in Chinese immigration to the United States in the mid-1800s. In Western cities, Chinese immigrants worked as laborers, servants, skilled tradesmen, and merchants. Some opened their own laundries. (page 339)
Asian Immigration to America (cont.) Between 1900 and 1908, large numbers of Japanese migrated to the United States as Japan began to build an industrial economy and an empire. In 1910 a barracks was opened on Angel Island in California. Here, Asian immigrants, mostly young men and boys, waited sometimes for months for the results of immigration hearings. (page 339)
Asian Immigration to America (cont.) What caused the increase in Japanese immigrants between 1900 and 1910? Japanese immigration to the United States increased because Japan started to build an industrial economy and an empire. The economy of Japan was disrupted and caused hardship for the Japanese people. Space Bar to display the answer. (page 339)
The Resurgence of Nativism The increase in immigration led to nativism, an extreme dislike for foreigners by native-born people and the desire to limit immigration. Earlier, in the 1840s and 1850s, nativism was directed towards the Irish. In the early 1900s, it was the Asian, Jews, and eastern Europeans that were the focus of nativism. Nativism led to the forming of two anti-immigrant groups. (page 340)
The Resurgence of Nativism (cont.) The American Protective Association was founded in 1887. The party s founder, Henry Bowers, disliked Catholicism. He wanted to stop Catholic immigration. In the 1870s, Denis Kearny, an Irish immigrant, organized the Workingman s Party of California. This group wanted to stop Chinese immigration. Racial violence resulted. (page 340)
The Resurgence of Nativism (cont.) In 1882 Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act that barred Chinese immigration for 10 years and prevented the Chinese already in America from becoming citizens. This act was renewed by Congress in 1892, made permanent in 1902, and not repealed until 1943. (page 340)
The Resurgence of Nativism (cont.) Why did nativists oppose eastern European immigrants? Nativists thought the large influx of Catholic immigrants from Ireland would give the Catholic Church too much power in the American government. Labor unions feared that immigrants would work for lower wages and take work as strikebreakers. Space Bar to display the answer. (page 340)
Checking for Understanding Define Match the terms on the right with their definitions on the left. A 1. cramped quarters on a ship s lower decks for passengers paying the lowest fares B 2. hostility toward immigrants A. steerage B. nativism Space Bar to display the answers.
Guide to Reading Main Idea During the three decades following the Civil War, the United States transformed rapidly from a rural nation to a more urban one. Key Terms and Names skyscraper Louis Sullivan tenement political machine George Plunkitt graft William M. Boss Tweed party boss
Americans Migrate to the Cities The urban population of the United States grew from about 10 million in 1870 to over 30 million by 1900. Immigrants remained in the cities, where they worked long hours for little pay. Still, most immigrants felt their standard of living had improved in the United States. Farmers began moving to cities because of better paying jobs, electricity, running water, plumbing, and entertainment. (pages 341 342)
Americans Migrate to the Cities (cont.) What did the cities have to offer Americans that rural America did not? Cities had electricity, running water, and modern plumbing. People were able to go to museums, attend theater performances, and visit libraries as well. Space Bar to display the answer. (pages 341 342)
The New Urban Environment Housing and transportation needs changed due to the increase in the amount of people living in cities. As the price of land increased, building owners began to build up. Skyscrapers, tall steel frame buildings, were constructed for this reason. Chicagoan Louis Sullivan contributed to the design of skyscrapers. (pages 342 343)
The New Urban Environment (cont.) In the late 1800s, various kinds of mass transit developed to move large numbers of people around cities quickly. Beginning with the horsecar, and later to the more sophisticated electric trolley cars and elevated railroads, engineers created ways to move the ever-expanding population around the city. (pages 342 343)
The New Urban Environment (cont.) What made it necessary to build skyscrapers? The increasing need for land drove the price of land up. Buildings were built upward instead of outward to use less land in an effort to keep costs down. Space Bar to display the answer. (pages 342 343)
Separation by Class Definite boundaries could be seen between where the wealthy, middle class, and working class people lived. Wealthy families lived in the heart of the city where they constructed elaborate homes. The middle class, which included doctors, lawyers, engineers, and teachers, tended to live away from the city. The majority of urban dwellers were part of the working class who lived in city tenements, or dark and crowded multi-family apartments. (page 343)
Separation by Class (cont.) What were some differences between the social classes? The social classes differed in their level of income and the area in which they lived. The wealthy lived in the heart of the city in elaborate homes. The middle class lived away from the central city and used commuter lines to get to work. The working class lived in cities in tenements. Space Bar to display the answer. (page 343)
Urban Problems The growth of cities resulted in an increase in crime, fire, disease, and pollution. From 1880 to 1900, there was a large increase in the murder rate. Native-born Americans blamed immigrants for the increase in crime. Alcohol contributed to crime in the late 1800s. Contaminated drinking water from improper sewage disposal resulted in epidemics of typhoid fever and cholera. (page 344)
Urban Problems (cont.) Were native-born Americans correct in blaming immigrants for the increase in crime and violence? Why or why not? The crime rate for immigrants was not significantly higher than that of native-born Americans. Space Bar to display the answer. (page 344)
Urban Politics A new political system was needed to cope with the new urban problems. The political machine, an informal political group designed to gain and keep power, provided essentials to city dwellers in exchange for votes. Party bosses ran the political machines. George Plunket, an Irish immigrant, was one of New York City s most powerful party bosses. The party bosses had tight control of the city s money. (pages 344 346)
Urban Politics (cont.) Many of the politicians became wealthy due to fraud or graft getting money through dishonest or questionable means. The most famous New York Democratic political machine was Tammany Hall. During the 1860s and 1870s, Tammany Hall s boss was William M. Tweed. He was arrested for corruption and sent to prison in 1874. (pages 344 346)
Urban Politics (cont.) Thomas and James Pendergast were party bosses in Kansas City, Missouri. They led state and city politics from the 1890s to the 1930s. Although corrupt, political machines did supply important services and help assimilate the ever-expanding population of city dwellers. (pages 344 346)
Urban Politics (cont.) What were some of the problems caused by political machines? The bosses that ran the political machines grew rich by accepting bribes, selling permits to friends, and dealing in other corrupt ways to benefit themselves. Space Bar to display the answer. (pages 344 346)
Checking for Understanding Define Match the terms on the right with their definitions on the left. E 1. the acquisition of money in dishonest ways, as in bribing a politician C 2. an organization linked to a political party that often controlled local government D 3. the person in control of a political machine A 4. a very tall building B 5. multi-family apartments, usually dark, crowded, and barely meeting minimal living standards A. skyscraper B. tenement C. political machine D. party boss E. graft Space Bar to display the answers.