p olitical c artoon a nalysis 1. what groups of people are represented in this cartoon? 2. what...
TRANSCRIPT
POLITICAL CARTOON ANALYSIS
1. What groups of people are represented in this cartoon?
2. What point was the artist trying to make?
IMMIGRATION AND URBANIZATIONChapter 7
WARNING!!!
You will have a reading quiz over Chapter 7 on WEDNESDAY! If you have not finished the chapter by then you will start the new grading period off with a bad grade
ASSIGNMENT
You will write a short story about your life as an immigrant moving to America in the late 1800s. Your character must go through either Angel
Island or Ellis Island You must write about their travels here and at
least the first month of their life in America Your story will be graded on authenticity so make
sure you know the history behind immigrant migration from 1870-1900.
Page 215 has some helpful information but don’t overlook the usefulness of the historic websites for these locations
Due Monday, October 29th!
NEW IMMIGRANTS Immigrants who traveled to the United States before
1870 came for economic opportunity and religious freedom Those who came before the Civil War had a skill or were
educated, and had saved money to travel on Those who came around the Civil War were Protestant
Germans and Catholic Irish who lacked skills and money but were accepted due to being English speakers/Protestant
Starting in 1870 the “new” immigrants started moving here They came from southern and eastern Europe They were unskilled, poor, Catholic or Jewish, and lived in
the cities Italy, Greece, Poland, Hungary, and Russia were their
native homes (Some came from China and Mexico)
NEW IMMIGRANTS
Two factors in WHY immigrants moved here: Push Factors—
Land reforms in Mexico, China, and Poland pushed farmers off their farms
China and Eastern Europe went through many wars Religious persecution (Jews mostly)
Pull Factors— U.S. offered plentiful land and employment (mines,
oil fields, harvest produce, factory work) 1862 Homestead Act made lands near railroads
cheap and RRs offered discounts for people to get to them
Chain immigrants were those coming to join family members who were already here
THE IMMIGRANT EXPERIENCE
Despite the hardships of leaving their home/family, the difficult/expensive journey, and the issue of having to assimilate many people felt that migrating to America outweighed all that
Most immigrants coming to America only brought what they could carry Clothes, picture of their family, cherished
belonging like an instrument or tools Getting to the ships were dangerous in the
war zones Most had to travel in steerage (lower levels
of the ship) which led many to become sick (some died)
THE IMMIGRANT EXPERIENCE
When the ships arrived in America their first stop was at a processing station Ellis Island, NY was the processing station on the
East coast Immigrants had to prove they were healthy, had money, a
skill, or a sponsor If they were not up to par they could either be refused
entry or quarantined for a period of time Angel Island, CA
Much harsher than Ellis Island Chinese immigrants were turned away unless they could
prove American citizenship or that they had family here In Ellis Island, it would take hours to get processed,
at Angel Island it could take months They were held in essentially military barracks that were
overcrowded
ELLIS ISLAND
ANGEL ISLAND SCREENING
OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES IN AMERICA
Most immigrants moved into the cities Some had family to help them assimilate while
others used an “agent” who typically took advantage of them
Ethnic neighborhoods (ghettos) emerged as people who shared native languages, religion, and culture stayed together
4 out of 5 people in NYC were immigrants Settlement houses offered Americanization
programs to teach English and learn American culture Many held on to their culture, but their children
would become Americanized The “melting pot” idea became more solidified as
cultures began to blend (except Chinese culture)
OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES IN AMERICA
Nativism, belief that native-born white Americans were superior to newcomers, was widely accepted This became much stronger as the economic and
housing recession grew Immigrants willing to work for lower pay
infuriated Americans Religion became a factor too—many
Americans were against non-Protestants They didn’t trust the Catholics or Jews
OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES IN AMERICA The Chinese Exclusion Act (1882)
Prohibited immigration of Chinese laborers, limited civil rights or those already here, and forbade the naturalization of Chinese residents
Despite court rulings overturning parts of this act, the officials ignored that and did what they wanted
Congress passed another law stating that anyone who was a criminal, immoral, or a pauper could not immigrate to the U.S. How does this tie with the Statue of Liberty’s inscription:
“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-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door”
IMMIGRANTS CHANGE AMERICA
They fueled growth, elected politicians, and introduced their traditions to American culture
They worked in mines, mills, factories, and doing piece work They conditions were harsh and they received
few benefits They helped the U.S. become a world power
They demanded a voice Became a part of labor unions Political leaders they supported became powerful
They expanded the definition of American
CITIES EXPAND AND CHANGE
What challenges come with living in a city?
By 1900 15 million people were living in cities (50K + populations) This came to be through urbanization which is
the shift from people living in rural communities to people living in cities
Urban people worked on schedules, rode trolleys, paid rent, and interacted with strangers daily Poor were attracted to the factories, those with a
little money opened shops, and educated people worked as professionals in downtown offices
CITIES EXPAND AND CHANGE
By being in the city, you could send your children to school Education would give you access to a better
standard of living than your parents had Goal was to break the cycle of poverty
Churches, theaters, social clubs, and museums offered entertainment
Certain industries become dominated by certain groups Steel mills were largely made up of Polish,
European Jews made up textiles in NY, Scandinavians were in the fish-packing industry of the Pacific Northwest
CITIES EXPAND AND CHANGE
Farmers who moved to the city found themselves torn over their new homes The work was often dull, with poor lighting and
rigid schedules that was very fast paced Why would this be an issue for a former farmer?
Many of the African Americans stayed in Southern cities Those who did move north found the same
challenges as other farmers They would not move in large quantities until
post-World War I
TECHNOLOGY IMPROVES CITY LIFE
Living in a city brought the challenge of getting water, having access to sewer, as well as having schools and safety
Innovators took to solving these and other problems
Buildings started moving up Skyscrapers’ potential was not realized until the
invention of the elevator that would not fall if the rope broke
Central heating systems also helped people want to live in these buildings
Architecture emerged as a specialized career You had to get a license in order to become an
architect These buildings became the icons of big cities
URBAN AREAS ACROSS AMERICA
Upper Left: Seattle
Upper Right: New York
Lower Left: 105 stories above Chicago looking down through a glass floor
TECHNOLOGY IMPROVES CITY LIFE
Transportation was revolutionized by electric trolleys and subways Mass transit (large, public systems that move
many people fairly inexpensively) reshaped cities Because cables could become an issue for fire
trucks and trolleys caused massive congestion on the streets, Boston sent them underground making the first subway system
Those who didn’t want to put up with the noise of the city and could afford regular fares on mass transit systems moved to the suburbs Poorer people remained in walking distances of
work/shopping
TECHNOLOGY IMPROVES CITY LIFE Urban sprawl began to be
a problem Cities needed to be
planned and organized thus zoning was introduced
Zones for public property, factories, government building, and even parks were laid out before cities spread out further
Today city parks make up an important part of life for those who live in areas like NYC, Savannah, and Chicago
URBAN LIVING CREATES PROBLEMS Those who were left in the cities were typically poor
They lived in tenements (low cost, multi-family housing) with multiple families in one apartment
The owners of these buildings lived in fashionable downtown areas or the suburbs
These apartments had few windows, little sanitation (as in no indoor plumbing), and were generally unhealthy and dangerous Jacob Riis wrote about this issue in How the Other Half
Lives: “Go into any of the ‘respectable’ tenement
neighborhoods…you shall come away agreeing [that]…life there does not seem worth living…[T]he airshaft…seems always so busy letting out foul stenches…that it has no time to earn its name by bringing down fresh air…”
URBAN LIVING CREATES PROBLEMS
Unpaved city streets were covered with trash Even dead horses!
Alleys were dumping grounds for waste (all types) This led to the quick spread of diseases and epidemics
Getting water was difficult in some cities, especially in the Southwest Indoor plumbing would not come around until after
1900 in most cases Crime and fire was also an issue
Robberies and murders were common In 1871 Chicago was essentially destroyed by fire
(killed ~250 people and left 100K without homes) Gangs became an issue at this point as well
SOCIAL AND CULTURAL TRENDS
Mark Twain wrote The Gilded Age as a satire of last three decades of the 1800s During this time period Americans became very
“busy” with shopping, sports, and pop culture People began making more money, both as
factory workers and as farmers This led to conspicuous consumerism
People bought many new products on the market Only the poorest of the poor were prohibited
from participating in this consumerism
SOCIAL AND CULTURAL TRENDS
Macy’s opened in 1858 The store was divided into “departments” (thus the
name department store) Other department stores soon followed Some offered money back guarantees and free
shipping All advertised
Created logos and trademarks Brand name goods became all the rage
People began to measure success by what they could buy Better health products also led to longer life
expectancy Standard of living was looking pretty good
SOCIAL AND CULTURAL TRENDS
Factory produced clothing and prepackaged food made homemakers’ lives easier Until the Victorian Era pressures of increased
cleanliness and fancier meals became standard Indoor plumbing became a desired luxury as
well Men became commuters so the families
didn’t have to live in the noisy, dirty city They believed that the hard work and long hours
would pay off
MASS CULTURE
People became more alike—rich and poor could wear the same clothing styles Technology and gadgets were common from
house to house This lead to a culture of people who all wanted
the same things Are we still like this today?
Newspapers became a household fixture as well Joseph Pulitzer ran a successful newspaper that
was cheap because companies bought advertising space
He believed it was the job of a newspaper to stir up controversy as well as report the news
MASS CULTURE
Pulitzer found William Randolph Hearst to be quite the competitor His papers were so sensationalist yet sold
thousands of copies Lots of other papers began catering to certain
groups (black people, Italians, etc.) Literature also flourished
Books: The Red Badge of Courage, The Gilded Age
Plays and art was also part of the common life
EDUCATION
More people were able to read allowing for the expansion of education
School became compulsory (elementary at least) High School was still moderately attended This lead to nearly 90% literacy rate by 1900
John Dewey pursued new teacher training methods Teachers had to have a certificate They had to teach civics and business classes English and skill courses were also taught
Colleges began offering degrees to women Particularly in social work, teaching, and nursing Women were also accepted into other university
programs
NEW FORMS OF POPULAR ENTERTAINMENT
The need for entertainment grew in importance during this time Middle class began taking vacations Working class looked for escapes, even for a day
Amusement Parks became wildly successful Coney Island in NYC offered the first roller
coaster 10¢ a ride brought in $600 per day! This was the “vacation in a day” the poorer
classes could afford Outdoor events and shows draw crowds
Wild Buffalo Bill and Annie Oakley displayed rope tricks as well as horse riding stunts
NEW FORMS OF POPULAR ENTERTAINMENT
Vaudeville was one of the most glamorous shows Musical drama, signing, comedy Designed to be a family show Think Cirque du Solei
The rise of nickelodeons (movie theatres) became amazingly popular
Ragtime bands could be heard most nights in the cities
Sports grew in popularity as well Baseball even had its own song “Take me Out to the
Ball Game” Horse racing, boxing, and football (especially college)
were also favorite pastimes Basketball was invented in 1891
REMEMBER YOUR HOMEWORK…
You are working on your short story. You may want to include some of the stuff we
talked about today Most immigrants would not have had access to
all the consumer goods, but they might have been able to go to some of the entertainment stuff
Many people rooted for the boxer who was from their homeland (that is still true today)