Transcript Chapter 20, Section 2 - Union Endicott High School

Chapter 21, Section 2:
An Age of Cities
Main Idea: Vast numbers of people
migrated to cities, changing urban
landscapes and creating new
problems.
A. Urban Populations Boom
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Urbanization – movement of a population
from farms to cities (urban = city; opposite
of rural).
In 1860, less than 20% of Americans lived in a
city. By 1890 - 33%. By 1920 - over 50%.
Causes of City Growth (Urbanization)
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Industrialization - factory jobs attracted
workers to cities
Immigration = more factory workers
Lack of available land (settling of West
completed) & farming became less
popular (too difficult & not profitable)
African Americans Move to Cities
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Many African Americans moved to northern
cities in large numbers to escape segregation
in the Jim Crow South.
Factory jobs attracted black workers to cities
like Chicago, Detroit, NYC & Philadelphia
especially during WWI years (1915-1919)
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This often led to racial tension with white
workers &, sometimes, race riots.
WWI - Allies needed war supplies = workers move to cities
 1920 is 1st time more Americans live in cities than in rural areas.
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B.
Patterns
of
City
Settlement
 Most cities were set up with poor crowded into the center, middle-class
surrounding them, and the rich farthest out:
The Urban Poor
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Mostly factory workers. Many were immigrants.
Lived in crowded slums in apartments called tenements, often with no heat,
windows, or indoor bathrooms. Multiple families would share the same space.
Diseases (typhoid, cholera, tuberculosis) spread rapidly due to crowded &
unsanitary conditions. Infant mortality rates were often very high.
The Urban Middle Class
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Doctors, lawyers, businessmen, office workers, etc.
Rows of neat houses on tree-lined streets in nice communities.
Many belonged to civic-minded clubs & charitable organizations.
The Rich
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Business owners, industrialists, successful entrepreneurs, etc.
Lived in mansions on estates lined with brick walls behind iron gates.
Traveled to Europe, threw lavish parties, bought priceless artwork, attended
operas, etc.
“Dumbbell” Tenements
1
2
3
C.
Solving
City
Problems
 Overcrowding led to other problems such as fires, garbage, pollution, crime…
Jacob Riis – How the Other Half Lives (book exposed tenements & poverty)
Urban Reforms
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Building codes (safety standards) required fire escapes & plumbing, etc.
Garbage collection & street cleaning reduced filth & grime
Zoning laws reduced pollution in residential areas by keeping factories out
Professional fire companies & police forces improved public safety
Street lights, public transportation & water/sewage systems improved the
quality of urban living by making things cleaner, safer, & more convenient
NYC’s water supply comes from reservoirs in the Catskill Mountain region of Upstate NY
Religious Organizations Help the Poor
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Catholic Church – Mother Cabrini founded dozens of hospitals for the poor
Social Gospel – Ministers called on their wealthier members to fulfill their
Christian duty & help the poor, pay workers more & give time off for family
Salvation Army (William Booth) – offered food & shelter to the poor
YMCA/YWCA – offered social activities for young Christian people
YMHA/YWHA – same as above, but for Jewish people
•New buildings were required to have fire escapes and plumbing.
Typical tenement fire-escape serving as an extension of the flat
• Garbage collection and street cleaning began regularly.
Street cleaning, Fourth Street
• Separate residential and industrial zones were developed.
• YMCA, YWCA
Basketball was invented in
1891 at a YMCA
The YWCA offered physical & educational programs
during lunch breaks to female factory workers.
D.
The
Settlement
House
Movement
• Settlement Houses – community centers that offered services to poor
Hull House
• Jane Addams led the movement with her Hull House, opened in
Chicago in 1889.
• She came from a rich family, but felt obligated to help the poor
• Moved to one of the poorest slums in Chicago after college
• Volunteers offered a wide variety of services:
• Taught English language & American government to immigrants
• Gave health care advice & offered day care for children of
workers
• Provided recreational activities for young people (sports, music,
theater, etc.)
• By 1900, over 100 similar centers, opened in cities across the US
Pressing for Reform
• Work done in settlement houses brought attention to the need for
reform legislation. Volunteers pushed for the government to make
changes:
• Better health laws
• Ban child labor
• Women’s suffrage (right to vote)
Hull-House Nursery, ca. 1890s