Urbanization: 1870-1900

Gilded Age Urbanization■From 1870 to 1900, American

cities grew 700% due to new job opportunities in factories:–European, Latin American, &

Asian immigrants flooded cities–Blacks migrated into the North–Rural farmers moved from the

countryside to cities

The Lure of the City

By 1920, for the 1st time in U.S. history, more than 50% of the American

population lived in cities

Skyscrapers and Suburbs■By the 1880s, steel allowed cities

to build skyscrapers■The Chicago fire of 1871 allowed

for rebuilding with new designs: –John Root & Louis Sullivan

were the “fathers of modern urban architecture”

–Elisha Otis’ safety elevator

Louis Sullivan “Form follows function”John Root “Simple & Dignified”

Grand Central Station in NYCWestern Union Building, NYC

Wadsworth Building, NYC

Skyscrapers and Suburbs

■Cities developed distinct zones: –Central business district with

working- & upper-class residents –Middle-class in the suburbs

■Electric streetcars & elevated rapid transit made travel easy

Tenements & Overcrowding■½ of NYC’s buildings were

tenements which housed the poor working class –“Dumbbell” tenements were

popular but were cramped & plagued by firetraps

–Slums had poor sanitation, polluted water & air, tuberculosis

– Homicide, suicide, & alcoholism rates all increased in U.S. cities

Jacob Riis’ “How the Other Half Lives” (1890) exposed the poverty of the urban poor

Strangers in a New Land■From 1880-1920, 23 million

immigrants came looking for jobs:–These “new” immigrants were

from eastern & southern Europe; Catholics & Jews, not Protestant

–Kept their language & religion; created ethnic newspapers, schools, & social associations

–Led to a resurgence in Nativism & attempts to limit immigration

Immigration to the U.S., 1870-1900

Foreign-born Population, 1890The influx of ethnic nationalities led to a new “melting pot” (“salad bowl”?) national image

Urban Political Machines■Urban “political machines” were

loose networks of party precinct captains led by a “boss”–Tammany Hall was the most

famous machine; Boss Tweed led the corrupt “Tweed Ring”

–Political machines were not all corrupt (“honest graft”); helped the urban poor & built public works like the Brooklyn Bridge

Boss Tweed

Tweed Courthouse—NY County Courthouse was supposed to cost $250,000 but cost $13 million.

Social Changes in the Gilded Age■Urbanization changed society:

–The U.S. saw an increase in self-sufficient female workers

–Most states had compulsory education laws & kindergartens

–150 new public & private colleges were formed

–Cities set aside land for parks & American workers found time for vaudeville & baseball

People of all races married later & had fewer children

“Family time” disappeared for working class

Women made up 40% of university students

Private philanthropy led to Stanford, Tulane, Vanderbilt, Cornell, & the Univ of Chicago

Land Grant Act (1862) led to the Universities of WI, CA, MN, IL

American Industrialization■Benefits of rapid industrialization:

– The U.S. became the world’s #1 industrial power

– Per capita wealth doubled – Improving standard of living

■Human cost of industrialization:– Exploitation of workers; growing

gap between rich & poor– Rise of giant monopolies