McClure 1 Urban America 1865-1896 I. Immigration A. Europeans Flood the US 1. Intro a. by 1890s, more than ½ of all immigrants from & southern Europe b. including 14 million 1860-1900 2. Reasons for Immigration a. US industry s need for cheap b. military conscription c. depression in d. persecution of in eastern Europe 3. The Atlantic Voyage a. companies promoted passage to US b. profitable, - cargo c. most in steerage 4. Ellis Island (www.ellisisland.org) a. most immigrants passed through 5. Ethnic Cities a. How the Other Half Lives, Jacob Riis 1890 b. described NYC s distinctions by, religion, race, gender c. poverty, crowding, dirt, disease the daily reality for poor in NYC d. many birds of men came only to work & return B. Asian Immigration 1. Reasons for Chinese Immigration a. 430 million population b. poverty, unemployment, famine c. 1848 rush in California d. Taiping Rebellion took 20 million e. Pacific RR 2. Most Chinese settled in US a. most locked out of US business b. many opened their own business 3. Island (1910-1940) a. most Asian immigrants C. Resurgence of Nativism 1. Nativism: extreme dislike for by native-born people a. 1840s anti- b. 1870-1900s anti-asian, Jew, eastern & southern European 2. Reasons for Nativism a. some feared influence b. unions feared competition for 3. Prejudice for newcomers a. American Protective Association i. 2 million members ii. anti-catholic, foreigner, &
McClure 2 b. Workingman s Party of i. anti- immigration ii. founded by immigrant 4. Impact a. 1882: federal law banned convicts, paupers, & ill b. Chinese Act barred Chinese immigration for 10 yrs & prevented Chinese citizenship D. The New Urban Environment 1. Skyscrapers a. tall steel-framed buildings made possible by safe b. changed of cities 2. Mass Transit a. horsecars, then cable- and electric trolley cars made possible b. congested streets led to trains & subways E. Separation by Class 1. High Society a. wealthiest families established fashionable districts in heart of cities 2. Middle-class gentility a. rising middle-class moved to suburbs b. many could afford domestics often Irish maids 3. Working class a. 3 out of 4 New Yorkers lived in crowded multi-family apartments b. annual wages: approximately $445 F. Urban Problems 1. Crime a. crowded conditions b. alcohol; Jacob Riis blamed for breeding poverty, corrupting politics, suffering wives, & corrupting children 2. Disease & Pollution a. improper disposal typhoid & cholera b. horse in streets c. chimney smoke d. coal soot, ashes, & G. Urban Politics 1. The Political Machine a. informal political group designed to gain & keep b. caused by rapid growth 2. Political Bosses a. gained power & office by promising to urban problems, provide urban 3. Graft a. or questionable means of getting money b. ex: party boss learns where park to be built, buys land near the site, sells to city for profit
McClure 3 4. Fraud a. bribes & b. ex: NYC courthouse construction estimated at $250,000 cost $14 million; took 20 years to build 5. Tammany Hall (1860s-1870s) a. NYC Democratic political machine run by William Tweed b. 80% of top 30 US cities 1900 c. in return for, machines handed out legal aid, jobs, fuel, shelter, & favors III. The Gilded Age A. Introduction 1. Mark, Charles Warner wrote The Gilded Age, 1873 a. gilded: gold on outside, on inside b. Twain, Warner warning that industrialization led to growth, progress but at price of poverty, corruption, crime, gap between rich & poor B. Individualism 1. idea that American could rise in society 2. Horatio a. author of rags-to-riches novels, in which poor person makes it big in big city C. Social Darwinism 1. Herbert a. philosopher who applied Darwin s theory of to human society b. argued that society evolved through & natural selection c. survival of the d. paralleled laissez-faire government e. used by to explain Standard Oil s dominance 2. Gospel of Wealth a. Carnegie embraced Social Darwinism, but believed the rich had responsibility to the poor D. Realism 1. new movement in literature & the arts; attempted to portray life realistically, rather than 2. art a. realism portrayed everyday people in exacting b. Thomas Eakins day-to-day life 3. literature a. Mark Twain: i. declared the first true American novelist ii. American setting, characters, iii. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, 1884 b. William Dean Howells i. literary & author ii. first to realize importance of Twain & Henry James
McClure 4 iii. The Rise of Silas Lapham, 1885 c. The Upper Class in Literature i. Portrait of a Lady, 1881 Henry James ii. The Age of, 1920 Edith IV. Rebirth of Reform A. Naturalism vs. Realism 1. realism: people can control their lives & make choices to improver their situation naturalism: some people due to circumstances beyond their control 2. Naturalism in literature a. laissez-faire didn t always work b. lives were destroyed through no of their own c. Stephen The Red Badge of Courage Frank Norris McTeague Jack The Call of the Wild Theodore Dreiser Sister B. Helping the Urban Poor 1. The Social Gospel (1870-1920) a. Washington Gladden, Columbus minister who called for churches to play new role in reformation b. reform, not just c. Walter Rauschenbusch, NYC Baptist minister led Social Gospel movement; blamed for social problems d. Social Gospel led to many church programs for poor 2. Salvation Army (1878) a. social welfare organization adopted style structure b. practical aid, Christian 3. Young Men s Christian Association (YMCA ) a. helped factory workers & poor b. Bible studies, prayer meetings, athletics c. gyms,, low-cost 4. Revivalism a. Dwight Moody, one organizer of US YMCA (1860s) b. gifted founder of church in c. Moody & Ira Sankey introduced gospel hymns to worship services d. rejected Social Gospel e. believed in redeeming & reforming character 5. Settlement House Movement (1886) a. offshoot of Social Gospel b. established by Jane in Chicago c. -class counselors lived in -class neighborhoods, helping poor immigrants with medical care, recreation, English lessons d. shaped women s role in work
McClure 5 C. Public Education 1. Spread of Schools a. millions more students due to 2. Americanization a. to immigrant children, schools emphasized English, US History, civics, discipline, work ethic 3. Morrill Land Grant Act, 1862 a. federal land to states to establish agricultural & mechanical 4. Women s Colleges a. increased opportunities b., Wellesley, Smith 5. Public Libraries a. free libraries=public education for b. Carnegie contributed millions