Download - Urbanization
Essential Questions:1.What conditions did cities experience at the turn of the century?2.How did electricity and steel change the urban environment?3.Why is “How The Other Half Lives” important in regards to urban living and working conditions?
Migrating citizens and new immigrants settled in cities: The cheapest place to
live Most convenient places
to live Unskilled laborers could
find jobs in factories and mills
Overcrowding became a huge problem for cities▪ Overcrowding led to
other urban problems
Housing Tenements arose in major U.S. cities
▪ Multiple families living in single family homes
Transportation New transportation networks were
needed to keep pace with the rising population
Water Little control over quality of drinking
water Poor quality led to the spread of
diseases
Sanitation Horse manure piled up on the
streets Sewage flowed through open gutters Factories spewed smoke into the air
Crime More people Rise in
crime rates Divide between rich and
poor continued to grow▪ People turned to alternative
ways to survive
Fire Cities were packed with
wooden housing Cities lacked water
supply Fires broke out in major
cities from about 1870s to 1900s
Firefighters at the time were volunteers
Americanization Movement
Designed to assimilate people of different cultures into one dominant culture Social campaign was
sponsored by government Aimed to teach immigrants
the skills needed for citizenship:▪ English literacy▪ American history▪ U.S. government
Many immigrants did not wish to abandon their culture
In 1870 only 25 American cities had populations of 50,000 or more
By 1890, 58 cities could make that claim
The primary way to meet the need for urban space was to build upward
Skyscrapers Two inventions led to their
development:▪ Internal steel skeletons▪ Elevator (with steel cables)
Electricity Transformed the urban environment By 1900 networks of electric
streetcars ran from outlying neighborhoods to downtown offices and department stores
Residents can commute to downtown jobs
Work of photojournalist Jacob Riis
Documented the living conditions in New York City slums
Featured 15 halftone images and 43 drawings based on photographs
Blamed crowded and unsanitary tenements as the cause of crime and moral decay
The recent invention of flash photography, allowed Riis to capture the unlit areas of tenements Helped expose the wretched
working and living conditions of the poor
Characterized the experience of more than 1 million immigrants
Pushed tenement reform to the front of New York's political agenda
Riis argued for better housing, adequate lighting and sanitation, and the construction of city parks and playgrounds
Encouraged the middle and upper classes to take an active role in shaping communities