QUESTION
Was the process of American urbanization in the late 19th and early 20th centuries beneficial?
THESIS
From the late 19th to early 20th centuries, American urbanization led to job opportunity in new bustling cities, technological advancements in transportaion, sanitation, and engineering, which led to an improved standard of living. All these benefits far outwayed the disadvantages of poor living conditions and racial and religious descrimination because the advancements that took place in this time period still effect American life today.
TECHNOLOGY AND URBANIZATION VIDEO
The video above illustrates how the urbanization of the early 20th century improved American standard of living by providing examples such as icreased wages, the creation of credit, the switch from coal to electric power, and the creation of the automobile.
URBANIZATION, INDUSTRIALIZATION, AND IMMIGRATION
There was a direct relationship between indusrtialization, urbanization, and immigration from the early 19th century to the early 20th century. The first wave of immigrants to come to America between 1815 and the 1880s later came to be known as "Old Immigrants". This group mainly consisted of people from the British Isles, Germany, and Scandanavia. They had a fairly high rate of literacy and occupational skills, were mostly Protestant (Except for German and Irish Catholics), and blended easily into a mostly rural American society. They were generally accepted as hardworkers and the constant flow of them into America provided a steady flow of labor for newly emerging factories. This allowed factories to grow at a rapid pace and the immigrants provided the inhabitants for rapidly forming cities where the factories were located.
NEW IMMIGRANTS
The second wave of immigrants that came to America between the 1880s and 1915 were known as 'New Immigrants". They came to America from southern and eastern Europe and consited of Italians, Greeks, Croats, Slovaks, Poles, and Russians (Chinese immigrants landed mostly on the west coast). They were typically poor, illiterate, and unaccustomed to democratic governments. When they arrived they were crowded into poor ethnic slums in major cities (Mostly in the Northeast). Due to their inability to integrate to society as well as the "Old Immigrants", the "New Immigrants" were subject to low wages, ethnic discrimination, and poor living conditions.
NEW IMMIGRANTS
The second wave of immigrants that came to America between the 1880s and 1915 were known as 'New Immigrants". They came to America from southern and eastern Europe and consited of Italians, Greeks, Croats, Slovaks, Poles, and Russians (Chinese immigrants landed mostly on the west coast). They were typically poor, illiterate, and unaccustomed to democratic governments. When they arrived they were crowded into poor ethnic slums in major cities (Mostly in the Northeast). Due to their inability to integrate to society as well as the "Old Immigrants", the "New Immigrants" were subject to low wages, ethnic discrimination, and poor living conditions.
NEW IMMIGRANT WORKERS (1908-1912)
The picture on the left shows Rob Kidd, a young boy who worked in a glass factory in Alexandria, Virginia. New Immigrants worked for low wages and children worked for nearly no pay. They worked long hours and had very few rights as workers.
(Lewis W. Hine Photography)
(Lewis W. Hine Photography)
THE MIGRANT MOTHER
A photo taken by Dorothea Lange depicts an immigrants mother in the early 20th century. The series illustrates the tent like structure the mother and her 4 children live in. As seen in many photographs from the early 1900s, New Immigrants lived in not only scare shelter, but decrepit and dirty buildings in cities.
LIVING CONDITIONS
As room became more and more scare for New Immigrants, increasingly smaller tenement buildings were constructed in an attempt to save room. Not only were the apartments extremely small, but at times 3 or 4 families were forced to fit into one aprtment. Along with small size, the plumbing, ventilation, and lighting was often very poor.
As shown in Jacob Riis' How the Other Half Lives, the majority of lower class children were left neglected and often ended up in lives of crime
and poverty.
As shown in Jacob Riis' How the Other Half Lives, the majority of lower class children were left neglected and often ended up in lives of crime
and poverty.
DUMBBELL TENEMENTS
The Dumbbell Tenements are one of the most important examples of the poor living conditions that New Immigrants had to endure. The apartments were less than 12 feet wide and the rooms were extremely claustrophobic. The vetilation was very poor with only 4 vetilation shafts on each floor. There was no natural light in the apartments because there were no windows. Furthermore, life in the tenements was dangerous due to foul air, shoddy construction, and poor sanitation.
"NEW IMMIGRANT" EXCLUSION
CHINESE EXCLUSION ACT
On the west coast, Chinese workers worked for much less than American worked for. As a result, Chinese were taking American jobs constantly on railroads, in mines, and in many other places. So, in 1882, all immigrants from China were banned from coming to America. The cartoon on the left shows a Chinese man sitting outside the "Golden Gate of Liberty" , which represents the entrance to America. The sign on the gate says communists, anarchists, socialists, etc. are welcome which illustrates the irony of not allowing hard workers into the country.
BANNING OF "UNDESIRABLES"
Congress passed a law banning "undesirables'' from entering the country. This included criminals, the mentally ill, and other people that were unable to contribute to society. The cartoon on the left shows an artists depiction of Irish immigrants on Saint Patricks Day. They are shown as primates prone to alcohol and violence.
ELLIS ISLAND
On January 1, 1892, Ellis Island opened just off the coast of New York City. The purpose of Ellis Island was to expose immigrants to rigorous medical exams, verify that they had proper documentation, and to impose entry taxes upon entry into the United States.
SUPPORTERS OF EXCLUSION ACTS
- UNIONS- Unions supported exclusion of immigrants because with them not working for low wages, businesses were forced to hire American workers at higher wages.
NATIVIST SOCIETIES- Organizations such as the American Protective Association were anti-immigrant for reasons that ranged from racism to religious and ethnic discrimination.
SOCIAL DARWINISTS- This group of people used Charles Darwin's idea of "Survival of the Fittest" and "Natural Selection" to justify their support of discrimination of immigrants. They applied Darwin's ideas to economics and that only wealthy people were fit to survive in the American economic system.
WHY THE BENEFITS OUTWEIGHED THE DISADVANTAGES
Despite the fact that many people in America from the early 19th century to the early 20th century lived in poverty and discrimination, the overall condition of American economy, technological advancement, and standard of living improved. Furthermore, the many reform movements that came out of the Gilded Age led to a more tolerant American society.
NEW JOB OPPORTUNITY
- The city was the new center of industry in the Gilded Age. The industrial giants of the time could over far more and more lucrative jobs than those found in rural America.
- Newly erected skyscrapers and retail stores provided thousands of business and retail jobs in the city. Many of those retail stores such as J.C. Penney and Marshall Field are open today and the skyscrapers that defined the New York, Chicago, and Boston skylines still stand today.
- Rural jobs could no longer provide the income or stability to provide people with the standard of living they desired.
TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCENT
- Due to the large amount of people living in the newly developed cities, organized transportation was needed, From this need came subway systems. Today, millions of people in America ride the subway every day.
- The developement of the skyscraper allowed many people and businesses to be contained in relatively small square foot plots. Obviously today, almost every city skyline in America is defined by skyscrapers.
- In 1908, Henry Ford's Ford Motor Company released the Model T. The Model T was responsible for the automobile becoming popular and between 1917 and 1923 15 million Model Ts were manufactured. Today, there are more than 140 million automobiles in the United States.
- The developement of sanitation systems allowed for more cleanliness in lower class areas of cities as well as upper class areas.
STANDARD OF LIVING
- The developement of "suburbs" allowed people to be within distance of the bustling industrial areas while still living a calm and semi-rural life.
- Increased wages allowed people to buy more luxurious homes and even buy commodoties previously only affordable to the rich. (Mass production also aided in lowering the prices of said commodoties)
- As cities became more cramped, middle-class citizens began to move out to the suburbs. This caused a mingling of middle and upper class members of society and led to less class animosity.
- Readily available technology and the developement of mass production allowed items previously designated as luxuries to be purchased by middle-class citizens.
- Central steam heating systems allowed for radiators to be placed in almost every room in every urban building which were desperately needed in the winter.
REFORM MOVEMENT IN THE GILDED AGE
THE SOCIAL GOSPEL
A Protestant movement dedicated to social justice for the urban poor.
Advocated the application of Christian values to social problems.
Encouraged middle-class Protestants to attack urban problems.
WOMEN'S RIGHTS
The Antebellum era desire of women's rights reemerged again in the 19th century.
1890- Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony founded the American Women's Suffrage Association.
1869- Women gain the right to vote in Wyoming.
1900- Most states allow women to vote in local elections.
TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT
Anti-alcohol movement based on the idea that urban and immigrant poverty were the result of alcohol abuse.
The Women's Chritian Temperance Movement was headed by Frances E. Miller of Illinois, advocated complete abstinence from alcohol, and had 500,000 members by 1898.
1893- The Anti-Saloon League attempts to close down saloons and bars.
A Protestant movement dedicated to social justice for the urban poor.
Advocated the application of Christian values to social problems.
Encouraged middle-class Protestants to attack urban problems.
WOMEN'S RIGHTS
The Antebellum era desire of women's rights reemerged again in the 19th century.
1890- Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony founded the American Women's Suffrage Association.
1869- Women gain the right to vote in Wyoming.
1900- Most states allow women to vote in local elections.
TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT
Anti-alcohol movement based on the idea that urban and immigrant poverty were the result of alcohol abuse.
The Women's Chritian Temperance Movement was headed by Frances E. Miller of Illinois, advocated complete abstinence from alcohol, and had 500,000 members by 1898.
1893- The Anti-Saloon League attempts to close down saloons and bars.
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