II Urbanization

Americans Migrate to the Cities How do you think life in big cities was different from life on farms and in small towns?

Americans Migrate to the Cities    

After Civil War

urban population exploded New York City grew from 800,000 to 3.5 million between 1860 -1900 Chicago swelled from 109,000 to 1.6 million U.S. only 131 cities with 2,500 or more in 1840; by 1900 there were 1,700

Americans Migrate to the Cities   Most immigrants as well as rural America moved to the cities Cities offered 

more and better paying jobs



Electricity

 

Modern plumbing entertainment

Americans Migrate to the Cities     New strategies in urban development Rising land value provided incentive to build up  Incentive – something that motivates a person into action Tall steel frame buildings called

skyscrapers

appear First skyscraper was 10 stories tall

Americans Migrate to the Cities Cities developed mass transit   1890 horse cars move 70% of urban traffic 1873 San Francisco installs cable cars  Pulled by underground cables  20 cities follow    1887 Frank J Sprague developed the first electric trolley Chicago built an elevated train New York and Boston build the first subway system

Americans Migrate to the Cities  What attracted people to cities in the late 1800s?

Americans migrate to the Cities  The promise of better paying jobs; entertainment and leisure activities; buildings with modern plumbing and electricity

Separation by Class  How did living conditions of the urban working class differ from those of other social classes?

Separation by Class    Upper, middle and working classes lived in separate distinct parts of town Late 1800s wealthiest families established fashionable districts in the

heart

of the city Homes grew larger

Separation by Class     Wealthy women depended on

hired help

:      Cooks Maids Butlers Nannies Chauffers' Spent a great deal of money on social events Most new Yorkers lived on $500.00 a year Cornelia Sherman Martin spent $360,000.00 on a dance

Separation by Class  American

industrialization

expanded the middle class  Doctors     Lawyers Managers Engineers Social workers   Architects Teachers

Separation by class    Middle class moved away from center city 

Escape crime

 

Pollution Afford larger homes

Used commuter rail lines Moved to “streetcar suburbs”

Separation by Class    Late 1800s wealthiest families had at least one live-in servant Gave women more time to pursue outside activities

“Women’s clubs”

  Focused on social and

educational

activities Later became more

charitable

reform activities and  Helped establish a juvenile court system in Chicago

Separation by Class   Few urban working families could hope of owning a home Most lived in crowded tenements or multifamily apartment buildings  Tenement – multifamily apartments, usually dark crowded, and barely meeting minimum living standards

Separation by Class     The first tenement was built in New York City in 1839 Three out of four residents squeezed into dark crowded tenements To supplement average workers income of $445.00

The family rented space to a boarder

Separation by Class     White native born men earned more than  African American men   Immigrants women 64% of working families relied on more than one wage Whole families including

children

worked Children faced dangerous working conditions and were not in school

Separation by Class    Growing number (19%) of women took work outside the home White native born women were more educated Found jobs as    Teachers Clerks secretaries

Separation by Class     Many women were domestic servants Immigrants filled these jobs in the North African American women in the South Domestic servants endured    long hours Low wages Social isolation

Separation by Class  What was the life like for working class families?

Separation by Class  Both parents needed to work in most families; in many families children worked, too. Domestic service was the most common type of job for woman.

Urban Problems  What types of problems developed due to the rapid growth of urban families

Urban Problems   City living posed risks of      Crime Violence Fire Disease pollution Rapid growth of cities made these problems worse and complicated

Urban Problems    Crime was a growing problem in American Cities Minor criminals like  Pickpockets  Swindlers   Thieves Thrived in crowded urban conditions From 1880 -1890 population jumped from 25 million people to 100 million

Urban Problems     Disease and pollution posed bigger risks Improper sewage disposal contaminated drinking water Triggered epidemics of

typhoid fever and cholera

 Triggered – to cause an action that causes a greater reaction Sewer systems existed but pollution remained a problem in the 1870s

Urban Problems    Horse manure was left on the streets Chimneys belched smoke Soot built up from coal and wood fires

Urban Problems   Political machine, an informal political group designed to gain power Came about because cities had grown faster than their government  Political machine – an organization linked to a political party that often controlled local government

Urban Problems   New city dwellers needed      Jobs Housing Food Heat Police protection In exchange for votes, political machines and party bosses provided these necessities

Urban Problems   Party boss – the person in control of the political machine George Plunkett powerful New York party boss explained  “I can always get a job for a deservin’ man…I know every big employer in the district and in the whole city”  “For that matter and they ain’t in the habit of sayin’ no to me when I ask for a job”

Urban Problems     Party bosses controlled the city finances Machine politicians grew rich as a result of fraud or graft Graft – the acquisition of money in dishonest ways, as in bribing a politician.

Outright fraud occurred when party bosses accepted bribes from contractors

Urban Problems    Contractors are suppose to compete fairly To win contracts to build streets, sewers, and buildings Corrupt bosses sold permits to their friend to operate public utilities    Railroads Waterworks Power systems

Urban Problems    Tammany Hall, New York Democratic political machine was the most infamous William “Boss” Tweed was its leader from 1860s to 1870s Tweed’s corruptness led to prison sentence in 1874

Urban Problems       City machines controlled city services including the police St. Louis boss never feared arrest Having voters vote twice at police controlled polling places Thomas Nast a cartoonist blasted corrupt bosses Defenders argued political machines provided necessary services Helped assimilate city dwellers

Urban Problems  Why were political machines so influential in cities?

Urban Problems  They provided much needed services in exchange for votes