Towards an Urban America

1. Towards an Urban America 1865 – 1914

2. The New Immigrants Chapter 20 – Section 1

3. The Old Immigrants Before 1865 most immigrants came from northern and western Europe They were (for the greater part): Protestant English speaking Blended into American society easily It reached the peak in 1907 when 1.3 million immigrants came to America

4. The New Immigrants: Where did they come from? A new pattern of immigrants came from different parts of Europe Greeks, Russians, Hungarians, Italians, Turks, and Poles These were called the “new immigrants”; their number increased while the “old immigrants” began to decrease Most of the eastern and southern European newcomers were Catholic or Jewish

5. Immigrants

6. Other Immigrants Immigrants outside of Europe came in as well These immigrants hailed from: Japan China Mexico

7. Reasons for Leaving? • The book describes their journey as being “pushed” away from difficult conditions and being “pulled” in to the USA by opportunities • Emigrate – leave one’s homeland • Persecution – hostility or ill-treatment • Ethnic Group – minorities that speak different languages or follow different customs from the majority of those in the country

8. Reasons for Leaving? Italy & Hungary Croatia & Serbia People left their homeland because: Economic Troubles Could not afford to buy land Could not economically support • People left their homeland because of: • Poverty • Overcrowding • Scarcity of Jobs • Economic Troubles

9. Reasons for Coming to America? Land of: Jobs Plentiful and affordable land Opportunities for a better life

10. The Journey • Many of the people who came to America experienced harsh travel conditions • Those who did not live close to the port cities usually travelled through foreign cities or countries either on horseback or on foot • It took at least 12 days to cross the Atlantic but several weeks to cross the Pacific • Steerage – cramped, noisy quarters on the lower decks of ships • Immigrants usually did not have much money therefore they bought the cheapest tickets

11. The Statue of Liberty The Statue of Liberty was a gift from the French This magnificent monument greeted the newly welcomed immigrants People were amazed of its colossal height and intricate detail In a way it inspired some hope for the immigrants as well as a promise for a better life in the new country

12. The Base of the Statue “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door” -Emma Lazarus-

13. Entering America • Before going through the “golden doors” they had to register at the government reception • East coast: • Immigrants were processed at Castle Garden • After 1892 they were processed at Ellis Island in NY Harbor • West coast: • Were processed on Angel Island in San Francisco Bay, California

14. Entrance Process • Examiners recorded: • Names (sometimes shortening or simplifying a name they thought was too difficult to pronounce or write) • Immigrants were asked where they came from • The occupation the immigrants previously held • Whether or not the immigrants had any relatives in the US • Health exams were given to the immigrants • Those who had any contagious illness could be refused permission to enter

15. Immigrant Experience

16. Finding Work • This was possibly the most difficult challenge for the new immigrants • Some immigrants were able to find work because their homeland provided them with a job via an organization which recruited workers • Others were hired by some of the fastest growing industries in the nation • Steel industry in Pittsburgh, PA

17. Work Cont’d • Most of the common laborers were men who worked 12 hour shifts, seven days a week • Women and children also worked when they arrived in America • Sweatshops – garment industry • Usually dark and crowded workshops • Pay was very low and the hours were long and arduous • Still people tried to assimilate – become part of the American culture.

18. Work • Many immigrants (women and children) worked in sweatshops • Work was repetitious, dangerous, the pay was very low, and the hours were very long • Pauline Newman “We started work at 7:30 in the morning, and during the busy season we worked until 9:00 in the evening. They didn’t pay you any overtime and they didn’t give you anything for supper money. Sometimes they’d give you a little apple pie if you had to work very late”

19. Adjusting to America • Immigrants tried to preserve some aspects of their own culture while also wanting to assimilate (become part of the American culture) • Sometimes these two desires conflicted with one another • Immigrants parents continued to speak their native languages while their children spoke English at school and with friends • The grandchildren, however, spoke only English

20. Adjusting to America • Immigrant women roles also changed • They generally had more freedom than women in European and Asian countries • But their lifestyles conflicted with traditional ways and sometimes caused family friction

21. Building Communities • Most immigrants were from rural areas but they often settled in industrial cities and worked as unskilled workers • Families and people of close ethnic groups formed their own communities • This resulted in neighborhoods of Jewish, Polish, Chinese, and others to build communities

22. Building Communities • They tried to recreate their old way of life in their new homes • Houses of worship were such as churches and synagogues were very common • Holidays were celebrated just as in the old country • Priests and rabbis served as community leaders

23. Building Communities • These immigrants published newspapers in their native languages, opened stores and theaters • They also organized social clubs • Ethnic communities and institutions helped the immigrants preserve their cultural heritage

24. Nativist Movement • Assimilation was slowed down by attitudes of native-born Americans • Some of these native-born Americans resented immigrants because they feared the immigrants would take away their jobs • Ethnic, religious, and racial differences contributed to tensions between Americans and the new immigrants • People found it easy to blame immigrants for increasing crime, unemployment, and other problems

25. New Immigration Laws • 1882: Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act which prohibited Chinese workers from entering the US for 10 years…Congress extended this law in 1892 and 1902 • “Gentlemen’s Agreement” – Japan agreed to limit the number of immigrants to the US while Americans pledged fair treatment for Japanese Americans already in the US

26. New Immigration Laws • 1882: a law made each immigrant pay a tax and also barred criminals from entering the country • 1897: Congress passed a bill requiring immigrants to be able to read and write in some language • 1917: the Immigration Act (of 1917) included similar literacy requirement to that in 1897

27. Support for Immigrants • Grace Abbot & Julia Clifford Lathrop founded the Immigrants’ Protective League • They spoke out in support of immigration • Americans like them recognized that the US was a nation of immigrants and that the newcomers made lasting contributions to their new society

28. Immigrants’ Contributions • Immigrants supplied the country with workers necessary for economic growth • They gave the nation its major religious groups – Protestants, Catholics, and Jews • They enriched societies with the customs, cultures, the language, and literature of their homeland • The effects were most visible in the cities with fast-growing ethnic neighborhoods

29. Moving to the City Toward an Urban America

30. Growth of America • Immigrants played an important part in the growth of cities • In urban centers such as New York, Detroit, and Chicago, immigrants made up 80% or more of the population • Native-born Americans also contributed to the urban moving • Americans were moving from farming areas to cities looking for jobs

31. Industrialization • Industrialization changed America forever • New farm machinery made it possible to produce crops, using fewer farm-workers • Rural area women no longer had to make clothing and household goods because they were made by machine; they could also be bought in the stores or from catalogs • Because of this new freedom women left farms to look for job in the cities

32. African Americans • They too contributed to the migration • They moved from poverty-stricken rural areas to cities in search for jobs and to escape debt, in justice, or discrimination • 1914 saw a large number of African Americans move to northern cities because there were more jobs in industry and manufacturing • They were hoping to find less violence and discrimination

33. Migration of African Americans

34. Transportation / Resources Kansas City – Meatpacking centers

35. Transportation / Resources Pittsburgh – Steel and iron manufacturing

36. Tenement Living People populated the cities faster than housing could be built to accommodate them Everyone wanted to move to the cities because they were exciting places full of jobs and opportunities They were, however, also full of substandard living and poverty

37. Tenements The poorest residents lived in tenements, especially most immigrants. It was a building in which several families rented rooms In the late 1800s, however, they began to take another meaning – slums Slums were poor, run-down urban neighborhoods

38. Polish Immigrant’s Description “We would so like to live in the front, but we can’t pay the rent…Why, they have the sun in there. When the door is opened the light comes right in your face” -referring to the dimly lit rooms

39. Middle-Class • Included families of: • Professionals • Doctors • Lawyers • Ministers • Managers • Salaried office clerks

40. Suburbs • The middle-class enjoyed living comfortably in these residential areas that sprang up outside of city centers • Their houses had hot water, indoor toilets, and also electricity by 1900 • They also might have a servant or two as well as enjoy leisure time • Leisure time activities included music, art, and literature

41. Gilded Age • This means something that is covered with a thin layer of gold • It refers to the extravagant wealth of the time and the terrible poverty that was underneath • It was also a novel published by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner in 1873

42. Gilded Age • Top of the social ladder were the very rich • They had enormous mansions in the cities and huge estates in the country • Some of the homes are now museums

43. J.P. Morgan Museum

44. Henry Clay Frick Museum

45. In the Mansions… • Extreme luxury • Lavish parties

46. Alva & William Kissam Vanderbilt Threw a party for more than 1,000 guests at their New York mansions It is estimated to have cost $75,000 for food and entertainment In today’s terms this is roughly $1.3 million

47. City in Crisis • Rapid growth produced serious problems for the residents of the city • Overcrowding in the tenements created sanitation and health problems • Garbage and horse manure could be found in the city streets and sewers could not handle the flow of human waste • Disease was widespread throughout the districts • Fires were also a great threat because of the inability to control these fires

48. Health Problems • 1900s Chicago – babies died of whooping cough or measles before their first birthday • A certain section of New York was called “lung block” because many of the residents had tuberculosis • To control this, NYC began to screen schoolchildren and provided nurses to mothers with young children • The city also established public health clinics

49. Crime • Poverty led to crime • Orphaned / homeless children resorted to pick pocketing and other crimes just to survive • Gangs roamed the streets of poor neighborhoods committing more serious crimes “The gang is the ripe fruit of tenement-house growth. It was born there” ~ Jacob Riis

50. Solutions People wanted and tried to do something about the ever growing problems in the city Religious groups aided the poor, orphans, prisoners, patients in hospitals YMCA – Young Men’s Christian Association YWCA – Young Women’s Christian Association These two organizations offered recreation centers where young people could meet and play It was an escape from the harsh realities of the world