Urbanization: New York & Chicago

Urbanization: New York & Chicago Hector Herrera Period 6

Causes of Urbanization Urbanization: taking the characteristics of a city, the increasing number of people living in cities Technological boom contributed to growing industrial strength Demand for workers due to industrialization Companies offered jobs to unskilled laborers NY Advantages: location of it’s ports, growing capital market

Continued… Discovery of oil Railroad expansion connected many territories: national railway net supported urban growth, especially Chicago Construction: cities began to spread outward and upward Better transportation Immigration

Extent & Degree U.S. received more migrants than the rest of the world- near 60% (NY) 1880-1900: population increased from 1.2 million to 3.4 million Chicago was the fastest growing city during this period (Chi) 1880-1900: population increased from .5 million to 1.7 million Chicago became known as the skyscraper craze (10-story Home insurance building)

Immigration Many moved into US for better opportunities and a promise of a better life Many left to escape bad conditions (famine, land shortages, religious prosecution) Birds of Passage: people who intended to migrate temporarily to make money Higher wages than in Europe, price of living and conditions were often the same

Continued… Ellis Island: immigrants feared not being admitted to the U.S. About 20% of the immigrants at Ellis Island were detained for over a day to be inspected 2% of immigrants were denied entry

Continued… Process: -Had to pass a physical examination by a doctor; if you had a serious health problem, you were sent home -Reported to government inspector; checked documents and made sure they made legal requirements -Legal Requirements: not convicted of a felony, able to work, and show they had some amount of money

Continued… 1890: twice as many Irish residents in NYC as in Dublin, Ireland (NY) 1900: 480,000 Germans and 425,000 Irish in city (Chi) 1900: 332,000 Germans and 129,000 Scandinavians in city Many African-Americans also migrated into these cities

Continued… Americanization movement: designed to assimilate people of wide ranging cultures into dominant culture English classes & American History classes Navitism: favoring the interests of native-born people over foreign-born people People feared immigrants would overwhelm white American population

Housing Could either buy a house on outskirts of town, or they could rent cramped rooms in boarding houses Immigrants often took over old housings, 2-3 families in a one family house Tenements: Urban dwellings Tenement House Act: NYC passed a law that set minimum standards for plumbing and ventilation in apartments Jacob Riis (1890): published “ How the other half lives”

Water Faced problem of supplying safe drinking water NY built public waterworks to handle increasing demand Showering wasn’t a daily thing, especially if in a tenement Disease Spread: Cholera & Typhoid Fever 1870’s: Filtration introduced 1880’s: Chlorination - disinfect water with chlorine

Sanitation NY: horse manure piled on streets, sewage overflew, factories released a lot of smoke People dumped garbage on street Scavengers: people hired to sweep streets, collect garbage, didn’t do job properly By 1900: many cities, including NY and Chicago developed sewer lines and sanitation departments

Fire The Great Chicago Fire: burned over 24 hours, killed around 300 people, more than 3 square miles of city destroyed, property damage of $20 million, 17500 buildings gone 1874: wood replaced with bricks, stone, and concrete

Crime Black Hand extortion: criminal tactic, black hand was a precursor to a planned crime Gangs of young boys and men made Chicago a dangerous place (North Side Gang) 6 month period in 1906: burglary every 3 hours, a hold up every 6 hours, and a murder each day

Continued… “Hunting women and hitting them on the head with a piece of pipe seems to be the favorite sport of Chicago men.” “a reign of terror is upon the city…..No city in time of peace ever held so high a place in the category of crime-ridden, terrorized murder-breeding cities as held by Chicago.” Chicago Tribune

Corruption Corruption in NYC was prominent Boss Tweed: known as most corrupt politician in American History 3rd largest land owner in NYC Stole over $50 million by faking leases, paying for unnecessary repairs, and buying over priced goods Tammany Hall: helped Irish and German immigrants by providing shelter and jobs and helped them rise up in American Politics (Democratic) Chicago had similar issues; creation of parks and majestic buildings was solution

Settlement House Act Social Gospel Movement: preached salvation through service to the poor Settlement houses created; community centers in poor neighborhoods, mainly helped immigrants Ran by middle class, educated women Settlement houses provided educational, cultural, and social services Charles Stover and Stanton Coit found first settlement house in NYC (1886) Jane Addams and Ellen Gates found Chicago’s Hull House in 1889 1910- 400 settlement houses in US

Urbanization: New York & Chicago