Growth of American Cities and Culture Notes

The Growth of American Cities and Culture

     I. "Old" vs. "New" Immigrants

During the latter half of the 19th century, the population increases three fold, mostly fueled by immigrants. 

Causes for immigration growth:

Poverty of displaced farmworkers in Europe, overcrowding and joblessness in cities, religious persecution- Jews in Russia

Political and religious freedom, economic opportunity, rise of industry, settling of the Great Planes, large steamships are introduced.

1880's had Old immigrants- came from Northern and Western Europe, had high levels of literacy, occupational skills, relatively easy to assimilate, Lutheran in faith

1890s has New immigrants: Southern and Eastern Europe, poor, illiterate, Catholic and Orthodox

Cultural pluralism becomes evident, development of ethnic centered neighborhoods.

American government takes action to restrict immigration. Chinese exclusion act, restriction of "undesirable" people- mentally disabled, criminals. 1885- prohibited contract labor.

Labor unions are anti-immigration: driving wages down, etc.; especially prominent in depression of 1890s.

Sparks a negative response from nativist, protestant culture socially and in lawmaking; continues up to the 1920s.

     II. Urbanization: Changes in the City

City growth and industrialization are two sides to the same coin- cities provide labor supply as well as markets

40% of Americans lived in cities, populated by immigrants as well as born Americans

Younger populations started leaving farms to seek new economic opportunities and urban attractions, few ever returned to the farm.

Southern blacks moved up to cities in a precursor to the Great Migration

Cities undergo significant changes to size and internal structure, including:

Improvements in urban transportation, making growth of cities boom

Development of streetcar cities: people lived in residences miles from their jobs, starting the first waves of commuters

Mass transportation segregating urban workers by income

Cities growing upwards as well as outward due to increasing land values. 1885- first skyscraper in Chicago (10 stories) is built, made possible by central steam heating systems, etc.

Upper middle class deserted residences near city center, and the poor moved in, creating slums and packed apartments that were overcrowded, filthy, and disease-ridden. 

     III. Awakening of Reform

Urban problems inspired a new social conscience among members of the middle class, as earlier reform movements gathered new strength

Books of Social Criticism

Henry George prompted readers to look critically at the effects of laissez-fair capitalism with book "Progress and Poverty",  which called attention to huge wealth inequality as a result of industrialization 

"Looking Backward" by Edward Bellamy (said that by the year 2000, crime and poverty will be eliminated) encouraged a shift in public opinion and set the stage for the Progressive Era

Settlement houses: young women and men settled into immigrant neighborhoods to learn of immigrant problems and hoped to relieve effects of poverty by providing services to them in settlement houses, which taught english, educated children, established theaters, etc.

Volunteers got little to no money for doing this; notable people include Perkins, Hopkins.

Social Gospel: in the 1880s and 90s,  clergymen supported justice for the urban poor and preached importance of applying Christian principles to social problems

Religion in society: all religions found need to adapt to urban living- Catholics gained in numbers due to immigration, got behind labor causes; Salvation Army was formed to provide basic life necessities

Church of Christian Science was created by a young woman in this time

Women and Families:

Life in the cities placed severe strain on families and isolated them from support of extended family

Divorce rates increased to 1 in 12 marriages by 1900

Reduction in family size- children are no longer economically useful