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Explore the waves of immigration to the U.S. in the 1820s, focusing on Irish and German immigrants, harsh conditions, nativism, urbanization, and rise of political machines. Discover how social reforms and abolitionism shaped American society.
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AP Chapter 13 Coming To Terms With The New Age
Patterns of Immigration • Starting in the 1820s their was a surge in immigration to the U.S. • Most immigrants came from Germany (political/economic) and Ireland (famine) and many were Catholic • Factories needed the unskilled laborers and led to the rise of nativism • Working and living conditions were harsh
Signs would often read ‘No Irish Need Apply” and most settled in NYC and Boston • Most Germans settled in PA and were wealthier than the Irish • Germans formed their own towns and created their own schools, churches which attracted more Germans • Gold Rush in California attracted Chinese immigrants to the mines
Almost all immigrants moved into ethnic neighborhoods to protect themselves from the nativist • Urban centers population skyrocketed during this migration period • Newspapers would depict Irish as monkeys and blacks • Life in America was hard on the 1st generation of immigrants but eased for 2nd and 3rd generations
The Market System • Led to the rise of larger cities • Cities located along major transportation routes grew in wealth • Benefits of the market system were unevenly distributed • Large gap between the rich and poor • Water systems were poorly regulated and outbreaks of diseases was common
Cities were slow to respond to outbreaks and the wealthy often fled the cities to their country estates • Penny Papers were a common form of communication for the poor • Whitman and Edgar Allan Poe written works appeared in these papers • Crime was high and NYC did not create a police force until 1845
African Americans in the north lived in cities and competed with immigrants and poor whites for jobs • Most faced segregation and job discrimination • African Americans would cluster into certain areas and create their own communities which were often poor
The Union Movement • Early union organizations were very similar to party politics • Skilled workers across different trade lines would band together and formed the General Trades Union (GTU) in 1833 • The goal was to improve working conditions and wages for their members
Big City Machines • Machine politics would represent the class structure of a particular city • Machines would use the immigrant votes to gain power • Early NYC Irish immigrants quickly became Democrats • Tammany Society- the most powerful machine in NYC
Machines would hold rallies and parades to gain support • Often times votes were exchanged for govt. positions, community donations or just out of fear • Machines were controlled by the “Boss” and were often corrupt • Once in power political machines would then bribe, launder or steal money from the taxpayers
Evangelism, reform and Social Control • New middle class preached a moral reform in America • Evangelicals were very hostile towards the new Catholic immigrants • Temperance and sabbatarism (no business on Sunday) became popular
Education and Women teachers • Women became deeply involved in reform movements and many focused on education • Horace Mann- pushed for public education in Massachusetts • Mann pushed for education funded by taxes, uniformity in curriculum, and better teacher training • Mann wanted grades based by age rather than one large classroom
Temperance • American Society for the Promotion of Temperance (1826)- largest organization that tried to deal with the evils of alcohol • Many felt (women/religious people) America had a drinking problem • Many felt that it led to poverty, violence and was supported by the Whigs and opposed by the Democrats
Moral Reform, Asylums, and Prisons • Female Moral Reform Society- was the most successful anti-prostitution group in NYC • Dorothea Dix led the movement to help the mentally ill out of asylums • Many of the mentally ill lived in cages and were treated like animals • Massachusetts was one of the first states with a mental asylum
Shakers- followers of Mother Ann Lee who preached a religion of strict celibacy and communal living • Mormonism- led by Joseph Smith and preached strong unity to the group • Moved form NY to OH to MI, then to IL • Many disliked Mormons b/c of their unity and were polygamists • Smith was killed by a mob and Brigham Young moved the Mormons to Utah
Abolitionism • American Colonization Society (1817) called for the emancipation of the slaves and the removal of freed blacks to Africa only 1,400 actually went • William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglas, Harriett Tubman and Sojourner Truth all wanted to abolish slavery
Garrison radicalized the northern abolitionist movement • Douglas, Truth and Grimke Sisters (White) wrote and spoke about their experiences with slavery • Frederick Douglas wrote the North Star • Abolitionists were growing in number and political power throughout the Antebellum period
Abolitionist Leaders • Harriet Beecher Stowe- wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin (account of slavery) • Very controversial in the south • Lincoln described her as the “little women whose book made such a great war.” • Several books were written during this time period exposing the problems of slavery
Women's Rights Movement • Sarah and Angelina Grimke’s family were slave owners and hated it • They were very anti-slavery but also criticized b/c they were vocal women • Many women found it difficult to be heard in the reform movements b/c of their gender
Seneca Falls Convention (1848) • Led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton & Lucretia Mott • Preached “all men and women are created equal.” • Women become active in the abolitionist movement. • Declaration of Sentiments- called for equality for men and women.
Conclusion • Reform movements of the Antebellum period were extremely successful in getting female support • Immigrants faced discrimination and poverty when they came to America • Abolitionist movement was divided amongst its members on how to achieve the emancipation
