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Urban America. Urbanization: Chapter 15, Section 2. Migration to Cities. 1870-1900– Urban population grew from 10 million – 30 million NYC: 800,000-3.5 million (1860-1900) Chicago: 109,000-1.6 million (by 1900) 1840: 131 cities– by 1900: 1,700 cities Immigrants– Why? Rural Americans– Why?.
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Urban America Urbanization: Chapter 15, Section 2
Migration to Cities • 1870-1900– Urban population grew from 10 million – 30 million • NYC: 800,000-3.5 million (1860-1900) • Chicago: 109,000-1.6 million (by 1900) • 1840: 131 cities– by 1900: 1,700 cities • Immigrants– Why? • Rural Americans– Why?
New Urban Environment • Engineers and architects developed new approaches to housing and transport • Skyscrapers • 1885: Home Insurance Building (Chicago) • Manhattan • Louis Sullivan • Mass Transit • Horsecar • 1873: Cable cars– San Francisco • 1877: Electric trolley car (Frank J. Sprague) • Elevated train/subway systems
Separation by Class • Wealthy, middle, and working class people all lived in different parts of town. • High Society– Fashionable districts • Middle-Class Gentility– “Streetcar Suburbs” • Working Class– Tenements
Urban Problems • Crime, violence, disease, pollution– particularly for working class • Rapid urbanization made these problems worse • 1880-1900– Murder rate jumped from 25 per million people to 100 per million people • Native born Americans often blamed immigrants • Alcohol
Urban Politics • Political system derived to meet urban problems– provided essential city services in return for political power • ThePolitical Machine, ran by Party Bosses– Why? • Cities grew faster than their governments • People needed jobs, houses, food, heat, and police– provided by Machine and Party Bosses • Graft and fraud • Tammany Hall