IMMIGRANTS AND URBANIZATION

1. IMMIGRANTS AND URBANIZATION AMERICA BECOMES A MELTING POT IN THE LATE 19TH & EARLY 20TH CENTURY

2. Old and New Immigrants • From 1800 to 1880, 10 million immigrants came to the United States; most were Protestants from Northwestern Europe and are often referred to as the Old Immigrants. • From1891 to 1910, 12 million immigrants came to the US; 70% of “new immigrants” were from Southern or Eastern Europe. (remember SEEas a key) • Immigrants came to the US to escape poverty or persecution and many hoped to make enough money to return home and buy land

3. SECTION 1:THE NEW IMMIGRANTS • Millions of immigrants entered the U.S. in the late 19th and early 20th centuries • Some came to escape difficult conditions, others known as “birds of passage” intended to stay only temporarily to earn money, and then return to their homeland

4. In the late 1800’s & early 1900’s, immigrants decisions were driven by: • Push Factors- caused people to want to leave their own country. • poverty • religious • political oppression • hunger • lack of respect • Pull Factors- caused people to want to come to the United States. • opportunity • religious freedom • political freedom • jobs • sense of equality • adventure

5. The Immigration Process • The journey to America was often difficult, immigrant passengers traveled in steerage (a cramped, poorly ventilated area below decks). • Millions of immigrants were processed through Ellis Island in New York or Angel Island in San Francisco. • Any immigrant with serious mental or physical health problems were deported. • All others answered questions about their skills, background and criminal history.

7. EUROPEANS • Between 1870 and 1920, about 20 million Europeans arrived in the United States • Before 1890, most were from western and northern Europe • After 1890, most came from southern and eastern Europe • Many flee religious persecution: Jews driven from Russia by pogroms • All were looking for opportunity

8. CHINESE • Between 1851 and 1882, about 300,000 Chinese arrived on the West Coast • Some were attracted by the Gold Rush, others went to work for the railroads, farmed or worked as domestic servants • An anti-Chinese immigration act by Congress curtailed immigration after 1882 Many Chinese men worked for the railroads

9. JAPANESE • In 1884, the Japanese government allowed Hawaiian planters to recruit Japanese workers • The U.S. annexation of Hawaii in 1898 increased Japanese immigration to the west coast • By 1920, more than 200,000 Japanese lived on the west coast

10. THE WEST INDIES AND MEXICO • Between 1880 and 1920, about 260,000 immigrants arrived in the eastern and southeastern United States form the West Indies • They came from Jamaica, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and other islands • Mexicans, too, immigrated to the U.S. to find work and flee political turmoil – 700,000 Mexicans arrived in the early 20th century

11. ELLIS ISLAND, NEW YORK • Ellis Island was the arrival point for European immigrants • They had to pass inspection at the immigration stations • Processing took hours, and the sick were sent home • Immigrants also had to show that they were not criminals, had some money ($25), and were able to work • From 1892-1924, 17 million immigrants passed through Ellis Island’s facilities

12. ELLIS ISLAND, NEW YORK HARBOR

13. ANGEL ISLAND, SAN FRANCISCO • Asians, primarily Chinese, arriving on the West Coast gained admission at Angel Island in the San Francisco Bay • Processing was much harsher than Ellis Island as immigrants withstood tough questioning and long detentions in filthy conditions

14. ANGEL ISLAND WAS CONSIDERED MORE HARSH THAN ELLIS ISLAND

15. FRICTION DEVELOPS • While some immigrants tried to assimilate into American culture, others kept to themselves and created ethnic communities • Committed to their own culture, but also trying hard to become Americans, many came to think of themselves as Italian-Americans, Polish-Americans, Chinese-Americans, etc • Some native born Americans disliked the immigrants unfamiliar customs and languages – friction soon developed Chinatowns are found in many major cities

16. IMMIGRANT RESTRICTIONS • As immigration increased, so did anti-immigrant feelings among natives • Nativism (favoritism toward native-born Americans)- they believe Anglo-Saxons are superior to other ethnic groups • led to anti-immigrant organizations and governmental restrictions against immigration • Melting pot—in U.S. people blend by abandoning native culture --however immigrants don’t want to give up cultural identity • In 1882, Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act which limited Chinese immigration until 1943 Anti-Asian feelings included restaurant boycotts

17. Restrictions The Gentlemen’s Agreement • Nativist fears extend to Japanese, most Asians in early 1900s - San Francisco segregates Japanese schoolchildren • Gentlemen’s Agreement—Japan limits emigration - in return, U.S. repeals segregation

18. SECTION 2: THE CHALLENGES OF URBANIZATION • Rapid urbanization occurred in the late 19th century in the Northeast & Midwest • Most immigrants settled incities because of the available jobs & affordable housing • By 1910, immigrants made up more than half the population of 18 major American cities

19. • Americanization movement—assimilate people into main culture • • Schools, voluntary groups teach citizenship skills - English, American history, government, cooking, etiquette • • Ethnic communities provide social support

20. MIGRATION FROM COUNTRY TO CITY • Rapid improvements in farm technology (tractors, reapers, steel plows) made farming more efficient in the late 19th century • It also meant less labor was needed to do the job • Many rural people left for cities to find work- including almost ¼ million African Americans Discrimination and segregation were often the reality for African Americans who migrated North

21. New Urban Cities • Between 1865 and1900 the percentage of Americans living in cities doubled. • Architects need to build skyscrapersto accommodate the new urban residents. • In 1852 Elisha Otis invented a mechanical elevator allowing more stories on buildings. • Cities began to build ‘up’ rather than ‘out’. • Urban transportation improved with the development of mass transit including trains, subways and trolley cars.

23. URBAN PROBLEMS • Problems in American cities in the late 19th and early 20th century included: • Housing: overcrowded tenements were unsanitary • Sanitation: garbage was often not collected, polluted air Famous photographer Jacob Riis captured the struggle of living in crowded tenements

24. Housing • Working-class families live in houses on outskirts or boardinghouses • Later, row houses built for single families • Immigrants take over row houses, 2–3 families per house • Tenements—multifamily urban dwellings, are overcrowded, unsanitary

25. Transportation • Transportation: Cities struggled to provide adequate transit systems •Mass transit—move large numbers of people along fixed routes • By 20th century, transit systems link city to suburbs Madison Avenue Trolley, Covington, 1892

26. URBAN PROBLEMS CONTINUED • Street Sweeper in Times Square - Circa 1900 • Water: Without safe drinking water cholera and typhoid fever was common --Filtration introduced 1870s, chlorination in 1908 • Sanitation: Streets: manure, open gutters, factory smoke, poor trash collection • Contractors hired to sweep streets, collect garbage, clean outhouses - often do not do job properly • By 1900, cities develop sewer lines, create sanitation departments

27. Crime: As populations increased thieves flourished • Early police forces too small to be effective • Fire: Limited water supply and wooden structures combined with the use of candles led to many major urban fires – Chicago 1871 and San Francisco 1906 were two major fires • Most firefighters volunteers, not always available • 1900, most cities have full-time, professional fire departments • Fire sprinklers, non-flammable building materials make cities safer Harper’s Weekly image of Chicagoans fleeing the fire over the Randolph Street bridge in 1871

28. Upper Class • During the Second Industrial Revolution newly wealthy bankers, landowners and merchants formed the urban upper class. • Thisupper class usually liked to show offtheir money with expensive houses and lavish parties. • The rich also became concerned with social behavior and began to imitate British Victorian culture which had rules for etiquette in all manner of social situation.

29. Middle Class • New industries and a growing urban population created a huge demand for educated workers. • By the late 1800’s a growing middle class included accountants, clerks, engineers, managers, teachers and salespeople. • Most married middle class women worked as homemakers but innovations such asrunning water allowed women time for social clubs and to join the reform movement

30. Running water used in a ‘wringer type’ washing machine

31. Life of the Poor • Life for those in poverty in the late 1800’s usually was marked by crowded living conditions, long hours and poor sanitation. • Most were forced to live in rundown, poorly built apartment buildings called tenements. • New York had some 40,000 tenements that housed over a million poor workers as many as 12 families per floor. • Tenements were known for poor sanitation, terrible smell and a lack of privacy and safety

32. tenement

33. PHOTOGRAPHER JACOB RIIS CAPTURED IMAGES OF THE CITY

34. Jacob Riis

35. Jacob Riis

36. Jacob Riis

37. Jacob Riis

38. Jacob Riis

39. Jacob Riis

40. REFORMERS MOBILIZE Jacob Riis was a reformer who through his pictures hoped for change– he influenced many The Social Gospel Movement preached salvation through service to the poor Some reformers established Settlement Homes These homes provided a place to stay, classes, health care and other social services Jane Addams was the most famous member of the Settlement Movement (founded Hull House in Chicago) Jane Addams and Hull House

41. American Education • By 1900, most states had passes Compulsory Education Laws which required parents to send children to school. • From 1870 to 1900 the number of children in public schools doubled and by 1900, 72% of American children were in school. • Also by 1900, 1,000 American colleges were educating some 350,000 students. • Publishers began to serve a new educated public through newspapers and books.

42. American Leisure and Sports • In the late 1800’s city planners began the City Beautiful movement which stressed the importance of parks and an attractive design • By 1890 professional baseball teams were drawing an estimated 60,000 fans daily. • In the late 1890’s football and basketball had become popular in many universities. • Plays by William Shakespeare and Ragtime music were popular forms of American entertainment.

44. SECTION 3: POLITICS IN THE GILDED AGE • As cities grew in the late 19th century, so did political machines • Political machines controlled the activities of a political party in a city • Ward bosses, precinct captains, and the city boss worked to ensure their candidate was elected

45. ROLE OF THE POLITICAL BOSS • The “Boss” (typically the mayor) controlled jobs, business licenses, and influenced the court system • Precinct captains and ward bosses were often 1st or 2nd generation immigrants so they helped immigrants with naturalization, jobs, and housing in exchange for votes Boss Tweed ran NYC

46. MUNICIPAL GRAFT AND SCANDAL • Some political bosses were corrupt • Some political machines used fake names and voted multiple times to ensure victory (“Vote early and often”) – called Election fraud • Graft (bribes)- illegal use of political influence for personal gain- was common among political bosses • Construction contracts often resulted in “kick-backs” • The fact that police forces were hired by the boss prevented close scrutiny

47. THE TWEED RING SCANDAL William M. Tweed, known as Boss Tweed, became head of Tammany Hall, NYC’s powerful Democratic political machines Between 1869-1871, Tweed led the Tweed Ring, a group of corrupt politicians, in defrauding the city Tweed was indicted on 120 counts of fraud and extortion Tweed was sentenced to 12 years in jail – released after one, arrested again, and escaped to Spain Boss Tweed

48. CIVIL SERVICE REPLACES PATRONAGE • Nationally, some politicians pushed for reform in the hiring system • The system had been based on Patronage; giving jobs and favors to those who helped a candidate get elected • Reformers pushed for an adoption of a merit system of hiring the most qualified for jobs • The Pendleton Civil Service Act of 1883 authorized a bipartisan commission to make appointments for federal jobs based on performance Applicants for federal jobs are required to take a Civil Service Exam

49. Civil Service Replaces Patronage Reform Under Hayes, Garfield, and Arthur • Republican Rutherford B. Hayes elected president 1876 - names independents to cabinet - creates commission to investigate corruption - fires 2 officials; angers Stalwarts • 1880, Republican independent James A. Garfield wins election • Stalwart Chester A. Arthur is vice-president • Garfield gives patronage jobs to reformers; is shot and killed • As president, Arthur urges Congress to pass civil service law **stalwarts: were the "traditional" Republicans who opposed Rutherford B. Hayes' civil service reform. They were pitted against the (moderates) for control of the Republican Party. The only real issue between Stalwarts and moderates was patronage. The moderates worked to get civil service reform, and finally created the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act. Stalwarts favored traditional machine politics.**

50. Business Buys Influence Harrison, Cleveland, and High Tariffs • Business wants high tariffs; Democrats want low tariffs • 1884, Democrat Grover Cleveland wins; cannot lower tariffs • 1888, Benjamin Harrison becomes president, supports higher tariffs - wins passage of McKinley Tariff Act • 1892, Cleveland reelected, supports bill that lowers McKinley Tariff - rejects bill that also creates income tax - Wilson-Gorman Tariff becomes law 1894 • 1897, William McKinley becomes president, raises tariffs again