Urban America 1865 1896 Immigration Welcome to the

Urban America 1865 -1896

Immigration Welcome to the Melting Pot

Where are they coming from? �Most immigrants in the U. S. from Eastern & Southern Europe � 14 million during the years 1860 and 1900

Reasons for Immigration �Jobs available with few immigrant restrictions �Avoid forced military service �Avoid religious persecution

The Atlantic Voyage �Booking in Steerage – the cheapest accommodations “Coach” � 14 day journey �Disembarked at Ellis Island – processing center beginning in 1892

Settlement of New Immigrants �Landed in the nation’s cities: New York, Chicago, Detroit �Cities separated into ethnic groups �“Little Italy” “Lower East Side” �Re-created their homelands

Little Italy

Lower East Side

�One in Three immigrants would move back to Europe �Not all stay was permanent �Make money, return home �Who liked immigrants? �Who disliked immigrants?

Asian Immigration �The discovery of gold in California sparked Chinese immigration �Worked as laborers, servants, and in skilled trades �Many helped to build the Transcontinental Railroad �Creation of Angel Island for Asian Immigrants

Nativism �An extreme dislike for immigrants by native-born people �American Protective Association �Working Man’s Party of California �Chinese Exclusion Act – barred Chinese immigration for 10 years and prevented those already in the country from becoming citizens

Urbanization

Political Machine �Informal political group designed to gain and keep power �Cities were growing MUCH faster than their governments �New city dwellers needed: jobs, housing, food, heat, and protection �Party Bosses would provide these necessities to gain votes

George Plunkitt �“I just get [housing] for them, buy clothes for them if their clothes were burned up, and fix them up till they get things runnin’ again. It’s philanthropy, but it’s politics too – mighty good politics. Who can tell how many votes one of these fires bring me? The poor are the most grateful people in the world, and, let me tell you, they have more friends in their neighborhoods than the rich have in theirs. ” In Search of America

�Party bosses controlled the cities finances, got rich from fraud or graft �A politician might find out where a new park was to be built, so they would buy the land near the site. �The politician would then sell the land to the city for a profit.

Tammany Hall

The Gilded Age

The Gilded Age �Around 1870 -1900 �The world seemed to sparkle, but underneath there was mass corruption �H. H. Holmes/Devil in the White City

Individualism �Horatio Alger – Minister, “Rags to Riches” author �Rise in society and go as far as your talents and commitment would take you

Social Darwinism �Evolution and Natural Selection �Human society developed through these processes �Only the fittest people would survive, that is why society gets better �Why trusts (Standard Oil) survived

Carnegie and his Gospel of Wealth �Article written by Carnegie and the responsibility of philanthropy. �Carnegie would take his fortune that he built through the steel business and would give his profits to cultural, educational, and scientific institutions �For the improvement of mankind. �Philanthropy – the wealthiest should use their fortunes to further social progress �Captain of Industry

Popular Culture �The Saloon �Coney Island in New York �Professional Baseball Teams �Professional Football Teams �Vaudeville �Ragtime

The Rebirth of Reform

The Settlement House Movement �Belief that it was ones Christian duty to improve living conditions for the poor. �Settlement Houses in poor neighborhoods, middle -class residents lived and helped poor residents, mostly immigrants �Jane Addams – Hull House Chicago �Medical care, recreation programs, English classes, hot lunches for factory workers. �Helped shape the social work profession