Immigration, Urban Growth & Urban Reform

1. Immigration,Urban Growth & Urban Reform

2. Patterns of Immigration • 1840-1870: “Old Immigrants” • Mainly originated from Northern Europe • Many became farmers and moved west • Some Asians arriving on the west coast • 1870-1914: “New Immigrants” • Tended to be darker and poorer • Originated from Mexico, Asia and Southern and Eastern Europe • Tended to be non-Protestant: Catholic, Jewish • Highest volume of legal immigrants • 15% of the population was foreign born • In the cities 30% were foreign born

3. Arguments over Immigration • The frontier closed and there was no more free or cheap land • American industry had sufficient labor and new immigrants took jobs away from natives • New immigrants were difficult to assimilate • New immigrants were inferior • Political machines • They did assimilate as well as Old immigrants • Both the migrants from the farms and immigrants contributed to urban problems • More workers were necessary • New immigrants contributed to American life

4. Urbanization 1860-1890 • Shift to urban/industrial society • Evident in shifting statistics • Created a distinct urban culture • Ethnic enclaves • Explosive urban growth • Frederick Jackson Turner • Trade had fueled early urban centers

5. Causes of Modern Urban Growth • By late 19th century railroads fueled city growth • Elevators • Streetcars • Replaced mule drawn streetcars • SF—cable cars • Exploration of subways • Mass transit allowed for sprawl—growth of the suburbs

6. Problems of Urbanization • Tenements • Jacob Riis • Dumbbell tenement • Sanitation and public health issues • Disease • Higher death rate • Cities provided limited public services • Increase in crime • Overcrowding • Corrupt police • Laissez faire policy meant little planning for urban growth

7. Politics • Political machines existed in most cities--these varied from place to place • Harnessed voting power of immigrants • City bosses--goal: to win votes for their political organization • Used many approaches to do this: • Machine supporters were often rewarded with jobs in city government, agencies or transit system • Graft and corruption allowed them to make money • Positive achievements:

8. Boss Tweed • Leader of Tammany Hall in the 1860s • NYC Democratic Party • Famous for taking kick-backs • Brought down by Political Cartoons • Gilded Age boss: George Washington Plunkitt • Ultimately political machines need to adapt to changing politics

9. Investigative Journalism • Muckrakers • Exposed corruption, dishonesty, graft • Attacked the social ills of the age (slums, prostitution) • Examples: • Ida Tarbell—A History of Standard Oil • Lincoln Steffens—The Shame of the Cities • Jacob Riis—How the Other Half Lives • Upton Sinclair—The Jungle • Passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act—1906 • Mass circulation of newspapers and magazines • Yellow journalism

10. Progressivism: Social Democracy • Not a single cohesive movement • Mid-way between laissez-faire and socialism • Socialist party is active in the United States • public ownership of utilities • destroy capitalism • Corrective measure--reduce abuses • Did not threaten corporate dominance or alter capitalism • Optimistic view of the state--use for social and economic betterment

11. Progressive Reform Efforts in the Cities:Social Reform • Heart of progressivism • Assumes that people misbehave because of experience in society • Change experience not the individual • Moral reform efforts • Campaign to end prostitution • “White slavery” • Effects of the campaign

12. Women led Reform Efforts • Jane Addams—led the settlement house movement • Women taught classes in • children’s health • vocational training • fought for sanitation, public health and improved labor conditions • Social Housekeeping