Unfinished Nation Chapter 18

What were the inventions that led to the development of skyscrapers? List

1) New steel girders that were more supportive 2) Development of the passenger elevator- carried people to many floors 3) Steel frame construction to protect cities from great fires

List the similarities that existed between virtually all immigrant groups

1) Living in cities 2) Young- the majority coming in were 15-45 years old 3) In the foreign born communities, groups had to compete for assimilation

How did the government respond to the public opposition to immigrants? List

1)They had passed things like the Chinese Exclusion act earlier 2) also denied entry to the 'undesirables' 3) Placed a 50 cent tax on everyone admitted and also further restricted immigration into the country in the 1890s

Columbian Exposition

1893- World fair honoring the 400th anniversary of Columbus's journey. This fair had big classical buildings called the Great White City, and inspired people

Jacob Riis

A Danish American journalist who wrote about the life in the tenements in his book called How the Other Half Lives, which showed the horrible conditions of tenements. This book shocked many Americans

What was a big effect of the building of skyscrapers? Which city was the city of the first modern skyscraper?

A big effect of skyscrapers was that one they were developed, there was little hindrance to expansion First city of the modern skyscraper was Chicago in 1884- this city paved the way to build other skyscrapers like Empire State, La Salle, etc.

In the late 19th century, what type of culture started to emerge? What happened to other groups in society? How did this affect the US?

A distinctive middle class culture started to exert influence Other groups in society advanced less or not at all Rise of the new consumer culture transformed the nation's image

Urban Bosses

A political boss with the principal job of winning votes for his organization, and in turn getting constituent loyalty

What was the poorer people/most urban residents' perspective on housing? What did the vast majority of people live like?

A vast majority could not afford a house in the city or suburbs, so they stayed in the cities and rented. Landlords tried to pack people in, creating high population density

What were the barriers to economic progress and assimilation into the US for the immigrants? What were factors that helped this?

All about ideology Education and other values good for economic advancement helped a community improve themselves Values like family, order, solidarity tended to make economic progress less rapid

What happened to the amount of income overall during this time for people? What was the most important result of this event? What were limitations?

An overall rise in income occurred for almost everyone, although the distribution was uneven Limitations existed because there were vast fortunes also inequality Most important result for society was the growth and prosperity of the middle class

In the late 19th century, the US was becoming:

An urban nation

How did the Anglo-American people treat all of the immigrants and what did they want them to do?

Anglo-Americans put pressure on immigrants to adapt to the white culture

Where were industrial areas that saw the slowest economy growth? Describe

Areas like the women workforces- textiles, paper, shoes, almost all of the South, AA and Mexican people, Asians, etc. all saw slower increases in wealth

What was another description for the word 'tenement'?

Became known as slum dwellings

Covert Graft

Bribes from contractors exchanged for contracts to public projects. Middle class dislikes- example of the 'machine' corruption

Along with the creation of parks, what other buildings started to spring up?

Buildings of the Arts- libraries, galleries, museums, music halls

What was the popularity of the American Protective Association like in 1894?

By 1894 there were allegedly 500k members

By 1910, what did most cities have in terms of the sanitation and disposal systems?

By 1910 most cities had SEWAGE DISPOSAL SYSTEMS- often at great cost- to protect drinking water and prevent bacterial plagues that dirty water created in the past

Immigrant Ghettos

Close knit ethnic communities within the cities. They had news and paper in native tongue, native food, and religions/organizations with connections to their original culture

Describe how people tried to appeal tenements and their true conditions

Coined as a good place for the poor, but were really miserable places with no windows, plumbing, often no heating

The city was a place of remarkable _________ (then describe)

Contrast- so much grandeur and so much squalor at the same time- revolutionary convenience and also new problems that seemed impossible to solve

Public Health Service- describe it and its impact

Created by the federal government in 1912, to prevent things like tuberculosis, anemia, carbon dioxide poisoning Attempted to create common health standard for all factories but it had limited impact

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)- how did this connect to the Public Health Service?

Created in 1970 and gave the government authority to require employers to create safe and healthful workplaces- was a legacy of PHS

Central Park- describe designers and inspiration

Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux Designed it to look as little like the city as possible with a natural space- now it is one of the most admired parks in the world

What was a fairly universal barrier to progress for immigrants, regardless of ethnicity/values?

Discrimination- immigrants who experienced racial prejudice regardless of their skills found it difficult to advance

What types of occupations did immigrants typically occupy? How did the old and new immigrants differ in terms of their skills?

Earlier years: Most new European immigrants, particularly Germans and Scandinavians, arrived with some money and education- went to Atlantic Coast and then headed west Newer years: Immigrants generally lacked money and education to establish themselves in professions. Similar to the poor Irish people so they settled in cities, working unskilled jobs

Describe the problems of disease in the cities and its effects- what did the disease problems prompt? How did the severity compare to fire?

Even greater hazard than fire especially in poor neighborhoods with inadequate sanitation The improper sewage and contaminated water led to diseases like typhoid fever cholera and there were inadequate disposal systems for human waste

What was the common aspiration for all people in the US to become?

Everyone wanted to be a "true American" despite how their first impressions of the country were

Describe the problems of fire in cities during this time and its effects- what did it encourage?

Fires destroyed large downtown areas like Chicago and Boston. Fires encouraged the construction of fireproof buildings and fire departments Some high rise parts of American cities rose out of the fire rubble

What were industrial solutions for the disease problem? What were their limitations?

Flush systems appear in the 1870s but still did not solve the problem if the sewage flowed into ditches

Immigration Restriction League

Founded by Harvard grads. They wanted to screen immigrants through literacy tests and other tests so the 'desirable' and the 'undesirable' were weeded out

The Salvation Army

Founded in 1879- concentrated on religious revivalism

Where were a majority of the immigrants to the US coming from? Where did others come from?

Greatest number came from Europe- by the 1890s more than half of all immigrants from these regions Some came from Canada, Latin America, China, Japan on the west coast

How did the urban population grow in the 50 years after the Civil War? Describe what happened with the living in cities in 1920

Grew by 7x In 1920, a majority of people were living in urban areas- 2500 people or more

What was the general sentiment about poor children in cities? How did the attention they received create impact?

Growing alarm over rising poor child numbers, orphans, runaways. But the reform attention they got, more than any other group, had little lasting impact

What was one of the greatest urban problems?

Housing for the thousands of new residents

The most important source of urban population growth:

Immigrants- part of a larger mobility pattern

What was the main source of dramatic population growth? Why was the alternative not as popular (describe hindrances)

Immigration was the source of dramatic growth Natural increase was not as popular- high infant mortality, declining fertility, high disease death rate

What was a reform seen in terms of food and its production?

In the new industry the development of tin cans created a packaging and canned food market

What did the increasing population in cities create overall?

Increasing congestion, absence of public services created problems- crime, fire, disease, and put pressure on the capacities of institutions, let the government and private agencies be poorly equipped to respond

City Beautiful Movement Describe the execution of this movement

Inspired by the Columbian Exposition- tried to impose order and symmetry on cities However, this was rarely executed and planners had a difficult time convincing private landowners to change

What was the political machine used for?

It was a vehicle to make money- a politician may discover a new road route, buy land near it, and then sell it later for a profit when the money inflated

Describe the diversity of the metropolitan mix of races and ethnicities in America

It was so diverse- no single national group dominated the racial sphere

What demographic seemed to advance more rapidly than others?

Jews and Germans advanced more rapidly than the Irish for example

Henry Bowers

Made American Protective Association, a group committed to stopping immigration

By 1890, most of the population of the major cities were: Provide examples

Made up of immigrants- 87% in Chicago, 80% in NYC, etc.

How did the idea of the deserving and undeserving poor reflect in society?

Many charities conducted investigations to separate the 'deserving' from the 'undeserving'

Why did African American people make the transition to the cities?

Many did so to try and escape the poverty, debt, oppression in the rural South, and they also looked for more opportunities in the cities

The sheer number of people mandate the development of:

Mass transportation

What did the rise in crime encourage overall? What were some of the problems with this?

Overall it encouraged the development of police forces but these could also could create corruption and brutality

What was the importance of the ethnic ties in the communities?

Overall the communities eased the separation that occured between the native countries and the US. These groups tended to reinforce cultural values of original countries

What did people begin to call for regarding the cities? What cities were the exception?

People began to call for a more ordered version of cities- except for Philadelphia and DC who were planned and organized cities from the beginning

Overall, how did people live in cities demographic wise?

People began to live in cities where their own nationality came to dominate, like the Irish in NY, germans in Milwaukee, etc.

What were the locations of movement and immigration? Where were people going?

People consistently left the East and its declining agriculture during this time They went to the Western farmlands, but they also went to the CITIES of the east and midwest (more a shift to the cities than mass exodus of the whole region)

What were the conditions of waste disposal in the cities? What types of things exaggerated this?

Poor disposal common in almost all large cities and animals like pigs, cows, etc. made contamination worse

Crime and violence was a direct result of:

Poverty and crowding

How did the new buildings get funded and why did these people fund it?

Primarily funded by the wealthy because they wanted public life to provide them with amenities to match their expectations and social distinctions

How did public assistance try to help with the poverty crisis? What was the result and ideology around this?

Public assistance agencies tried to help but they were often poorly funded and the middle class people only wanted to give aid to the 'deserving poor' - the ideology that emerged

What was an example of a fulfillment of innovation and development with shopping? How did this transform the American habit AND thoughts?

Ready made clothing was an example of a fulfillment The sewing machine helped quicken clothing production Transformed the American habit because by the end of the 19th century, almost all Americans bought their clothing from stores Changed their ideas because many people are now concerned with personal style because it was now available to middle and working class people

How did reform groups mount opposition to the machine? What was their impact?

Reform groups frequently provoked public outrage over the boss corruption Often succeeded in creating change in office, but lacked permanence like the machine had so they had little impact

Which city made the first electric trolley and when? Which city made the first electric subway and when? What was a big new bridge that was built?

Richmond- first trolley in 1888 Boston- first American subway in 1897 Brooklyn Bridge was important in NYC

How much did the middle class income rise from 1890-1910? What types of people? Also, what happened to the Working Class income?

Rose around 1/3 from 1890-1910. Mostly workers like clerks and managers, and doctors/lawyers also had an increase Working class income rose more slowly but still had a good increase

How did the Anglos want immigrants to adapt to their culture? Describe the tactics

Schools taught English, employers insist that workers speak English, stores sell mostly American products, churches encourage American ways with reform to make religions less foreign to the Americans Overall immigrants were forced to adapt to diets, clothing, lifestyles

What separated the ideas of second generation foreigners than first gen ones?

Second generation people tended to want to break away from old ways, especially women who rebelled against parents who wanted arranged marriages

What was the rich people's perspective on housing? Describe them

Seldom a worry for these people who could use cheap labor to reduce their costs, and they had more than enough income. They lived in palatial mansions on the notorious avenues like 5th avenue, Nob Hill in SF

How did developers of suburbs hope to appeal to people?

Since they targeted the middle class they hoped to appeal to the desires of the COUNTRYSIDE these people with lawns, trees, houses in manor styles

A multitude of inventions and overall era of construction led to the development of:

Skyscrapers

What did poor AA's in the south experience during this time in terms of housing?

Sometimes the poor AA's lived in shanties, former slave quarters, and in other cities 'triple deckers' were used

How did the methods of transportation evolve with the city? Describe changes

Streetcars were first used but were too inefficient. New forms like elevated railways and cable cars emerged and new roads/bridges

What happened with the rural areas when they experienced lots of crime and violence?

The murder rate rose rapidly in the late 1800s- from 25/1 mil to 100/1 mil. Particularly bad in rural American South in addition to cities, lynching and homicide are very high

What was one of the most important urban innovations in the 19th century? What did it reflect? Describe

The city park Reflected the desire for a break of the city congestion, reacquaintance with the natural world

The efforts to beautify and remake the city sometimes saw: Describe the cities that experienced reform

The creation of entirely new ones Boston: Had new back areas emerge called the "Back Bay" Chicago: Expanded and claimed large areas from Lake Michigan. They even raised the street level to help avoid marsh land problems New York: Great wave of annexation led to taking Brooklyn, a very important city, in 1898

In the urban areas, how was the crime and violence? Who was blamed as the reason for the violence?

The crime was just as bad. Native born Americans cited the immigrants as the reason for the violence with their gangs and criminal organizations in ethnic communities

The growth of industry and commerce produced change, but no change was more significant than:

The growth and influence of cities

What was the largest and best known artistic museum? How did libraries change society?

The largest and best museum was the MET, New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. But there were others in Boston, Chicago Public libraries were popular and confirmed the city's role as a center of learning and knowledge

What did the middle class fear? How did they try and deal with their fear? Did their fear occur?

The middle class feared insurrections and wanted even more protection. They tried to deal with their fear by using National guard groups. They emerged in the affluent neighborhoods with weapons and supplies. But the insurrections never occurred

How was environmental degradation known for the majority of Americans? How did it present itself in human life?

The modern notions of environmental science were unknown to most Americans It was, however, a visible part of life, and fires, disease, and crowding exemplified the dangers and costs of urbanization

William M. Tweed

The most famous corrupt city boss- boss of NYC Tammany Hall and used extravagant public funds in the 1860s-1870s. He went to jail in 1872

What was the principal source of assistance in adjusting to urban life?

The political "machine"

What types of professions did AA's occupy? What was the gender distribution in cities like for them?

The professional jobs were rare for blacks, so they typically took the lower occupations like cooks, janitors, servants Black women tended to outnumber men in cities because many jobs for blacks were considered women's work

In addition to assimilation of immigrants, what else did the Anglos want for immigrants? How did this reflect in policy?

The white American population felt threatened by the new immigrant communities and cultures- so they tried to create resistance with anti immigrant societies

How did people begin to view the appearance of cities during the term? What emerged from this?

There were projects to reform the appearance of the city- clear older neighborhoods, build more grand buildings and avenues

What was the solution that landlords and reformers used to respond to tenement opposition?

They often just destroyed the tenements without building new ones to replace them

How did the immigrants stay in touch with their relatives overseas and native countries?

They stayed in touch with them, and around 1/3 of immigrants returned to their countries after a short time or brought their families to the US

What was the middle class/moderate perspective on housing? Describe them

They took the less expensive land on the city outskirts, making suburbs. They linked to the cities by street cars or trains

How did the political boss receive his consistent support? What did he do? Above all, what was his biggest method?

To further his position, the 'boss' might give relief like groceries, coal, or relieve someone from jail, find work for the unemployed. Above all he rewarded with PATRONAGE- jobs in city government, police, building transportation

What were the upsides of immigration? How did this reflect in the federal government?

Upsides of immigration were that immigrants provided plentiful labor supply to the rapidly growing economy- America's industrial and agricultural development would be impossible without it Reflected in Congress because despite lots of opposition, radical and anti-immigrant policy never made lots of progress in Congress

Tenements

Urban apartment buildings that served as housing for poor factory workers. They were simple multi-family rental buildings. Often poorly constructed and overcrowded.

What was the air quality like in many cities? What was 'London fog'? What was pollution like from homes/factories/stoves? What did it lead to?

Very poor London fog was the perpetual pollution fog. Many cities in the US had this but not as severe as London. Pollution from homes/factories/stoves was constant and sometimes severe Led to high respiratory infection, health problems in the cities that accelerated in the late 1800s

New consumerism and rising incomes created __________

a vast market for consumer goods

The city was _________ but also __________

exciting, exploitative

Native born Americans were ________ to commit crimes as immigrants

just as likely

Most arrivals were from ______. Describe their transition to city life

rural people. Adjustment to city life was very difficult

Above all, urban expansion created _______

widespread, desperate poverty

Sister Carrie

written by Theodore Dreiser about a poor working girl in Chicago good example of feminist literature. Showed the plight of women in urban life without support. Carrie, the character, took an exhausting job and then drifted into sin, exploited by men