Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Europeans flood in the US

•

Europeans left their homelands for the US for many

reasons

–

Poor rural farmers left because they heard there were

jobs here in the US

–

To avoid military service

–

To avoid Religious persecution

–

Irish were accepted because they spoke English

–

Germans were accept because they were protestant

•

By late 1800’s moving the US was easy

–

They could take their savings with them

Push/Pull factors

• _{Push factors are those that compel people to leave their}

homes, such as famine, war, or persecution.

– _{Mexico, Poland and China: low prices forced farmers off}

their land

– _{Russians and Eastern Jews were being persecuted so they}

left for America

• _{Pull factors are those that draw people to a new place such as}

economic opportunity or religious freedom

– US offered plentiful land.

The Atlantic Voyage

•

Steerage

–

Booked passage on a steamship, Crowded, no sanitation,

Miserable food, illness spread rapidly

•

Ellis Island

–

Medical examiner

• _{Immigrants who were “suspicious” was put in a cage apart form}

the rest and his coat was marked with colored chalk

• _{H = heart problems, K= hernias, Sc for scalp problems (lice)}

• _{X= mental disease}

• _{Those that failed inspection were separated from their families}

Asian Migration to the US

•

Inspired by the Gold Rush Chinese began migrating in

early1800s

•

The Taiping Rebellion (Chinese gov. killed 20 million people)

caused many people to flee to the US

•

Railroad construction

•

Chinese settled outside of main towns and created their

own cities.

•

Japanese started coming to the US in the early 1900’s

Ethnic Cities

• _{New York, Chicago, Milwaukee, or San Francisco ethnic} neighborhoods called “ghetto’s”

• _{They would settle in groups such as “little Italy” or Jewish Lower} East Side

– _{They spoke their native languages}

– _{Recreated the churches, synagogues, or clubs}

– _{Newspapers in native languages}

Americanization/Melting Pot

• _{Americanization: To help newcomers learn English and adopt}

American dress and diet.

• _{Organizations helped with social services and financial aide:}

Polish national Alliance and Ancient Order of Hibernians.

• _{Melting Pot: where all white people of all different nationalities}

blended to create a single culture.

• _{Their children became more “Americanized” through schools}

Resurgence of Nativism

•

Nativism: a preference for native-born people and a

desire to limit immigration.

–

1840’s it was against Irish immigrants - 1900’s it was

against Asians, Jews, and Eastern Europeans

•

Nativist Organizations:

–

American Protective Association

•

Despised Catholics and wanted to stop all Catholic

immigration

–

Workingman’s Party of California

•

Wanted to stop Chinese immigration on the West

Coast

–

Immigrants would work for low wages undermining

Congress pass new Immigration laws

•

Immigration law 1892

–

Law banned immigrants that were convicts,

paupers, and the mentally ill.

–

Also put a 50 cent tax on everyone coming to US

•

Chinese Exclusion Act 1892

–

Barred Chinese immigration for 10 years

Section 2 Urbanization

• _{Migration to the cities}

– _{New York City: went from 800,000 in 1860 to 3.5 million by}

1900

– _{Chicago from 109,000 to more than 1.6 million by 1900}

– _{In 1840 there were only 131 cities, by 1900 that number was}

well over 1700

– _{Most immigrants did not have the money to buy a farm so they}

stayed in the city as workers

– _{Farmers moved to the cities because there was better paying}

Cities offered advantages

• _{Women – factory work, they could also take in boarders, do needlework,}

become domestic servants or teachers.

• _{Steel Mills of Penn. Hired Polish}

• _{textile factories of New York hired Eastern European Jewish people.}

• _{Domestic servants Irish}

• _{Scandinavians worked in the fish industry in Pacific Northwest.}

The New Urban Environment

•

Skyscrapers

– _{Because land was so expensive businesses built up}

– _{Chicago’s 10 story Home Insurance Building 1885 was the first}

skyscraper

– _{New York had more skyscrapers than any other city}

– _{Architect Louis Sullivan (Chicago)}

•

Elevators developed by Elisha Otis

•

American Institute of Architecture was established to

Mass Transit

– _{Most cities early on used a railroad car pulled by a horse}

– _{1873 San Francisco stated using cable cars which were pulled along tracks}

by underground cables.

– _{Inventor Frank Sprague developed the electric trolley line first used in}

Virginia.

– _{Chicago developed the first elevated railroad}

– _{Boston, and New York built first subway.}

– _{The wealthy could now move away from the cities and still commute from}

City Planners

•

Streets had to be designed. Parks, buildings etc.

•

Mass transit allowed city planners to segregate parts

of the city by “zoning”. Setting aside sections of the

city for specific industry, business or residences, public

libraries schools and gov. buildings

•

Parks and Recreation were the most important. The

Tenements

•

Low cost multifamily housing.

•

Several families lived in one apartment or one room.

•

Few windows and little sanitation they were

unhealthy and dangerous.

•

Sanitation

–

Only the newest buildings had indoor toilets and shared

toilets which would overflow

–

Perfect for spreading disease

Urban Problems

Crime, violence, fire, disease and pollution

– _{From 1880 to 1900 murder rate jumped from 25/million to}

more than 100/million

– _{Immigrants and Alcoholism were blamed for the rise in crime}

– _{Contaminated city drinking water; epidemics of typhoid fever}

and cholera

– _{Horse waste left in the streets, and Smoke from chimneys} – _{Fire departments were developed}

Social and Cultural Trends

Section 3

•

The Gilded Age: rotten to the core but

covered with gold paint.

•

Americans as Consumers:

–

Advertising: newspaper advertisement

–

Rowland H. Macy opened the first department

store

–

John Wanamaker started the “Money Back”

Living the good life

•

Higher standard of living.

•

Better middle class

•

Life was easier:

–

Prepackaged food

–

Factory produced clothing

–

Indoor plumbing

–

Public transportation allowed families to live at a

distance from the dirt and noise of industry.

Separation by Class

•

High Society

–

Fashionable districts in the hearts of cities

–

Vanderbilt’s grandson had a $3 million French

Chateau with two story dining room, gym, and

marble bathroom

•

Middle Class Gentility

–

Doctors, Lawyers, engineers etc.

Newspapers: Famous publishers

•

Joseph Pulitzer –

– _{started a morning paper called the World. Then an}

evening paper called the Evening World.

– _{He believed that the newspaper was to inform and to stir}

up controversy.

– _{Focused on political corruption, comics and sports.}

•

William Randolph Hearst

– _{His paper was called Morning Journal}

Literature and the fine arts

•

Many American believed that no matter how humble

their origins they could rise in society and go as far as

their talents and commitment would take them.

•

Horatio Alger: wrote more than 100 books in which poor

person goes to the big city and becomes successful.

•

No matter how many obstacles they faced, success was

Realism

• _{Realism attempt to show people realistically instead of idealizing}

them as romantic artists had done.

• _{Realism in art: Thomas Eakins painted day to day people ordinary. He}

actually painted a larger-than-life illustration of a medical operation.

• _{Realism in Literature:}

– _{William Dean Howells: presented realistic descriptions of}

American Life

– _{Mark Twain: Huckleberry Finn}

– _{Henry James: characterized the inner lives of the upper class}

– _{Edith Wharton won Pulitzer prize for her novel The Age of}

Education

• _{Grade school was required. By 1910 there were more than 5,000 high schools}

• _{Kindergartens started (as a way to help working mothers)}

• _{Literacy rate climbed to 90%}

• _{Classes: science, woodworking, drafting, civics business, English}

• _{John Dewey developed new teaching styles}

• _{New job opportunities opened for women as teachers, social workers and}

Popular Culture

• _{The Saloon: male workers, they were the political centers, free}

toilets, water for your horse, newspapers, free lunch with your drink

• _{Coney Island Amusement Park; water slides and pony rides for a}

nickel. First Rollercoaster for 10 cents.

• _{Rodeos by Buffalo Bill, Annie Oakley, Sioux Sitting Bull}

Vaudeville and Ragtime

•

Vaudeville – animal acts, acrobats, gymnasts and dancers.

•

Movie theaters called Nickelodeons which

introduced the motion picture.

•

Ragtime- music, syncopated rhythms , saloon pianos,

banjo players.

Outdoor sports

• _{Football: began at private colleges & University}

• _{Basketball started in 1891}

• _{Baseball became a business in 1876} – _{Began in 1800’s.}

– _{First pro team was the Cincinnati Red Stockings 1869} – _{in 1903 the first World Series was played}